Sacred Symbols, Episode 50: E3 2019 Bonanza!

I agree with you. There is much great news to tall about. It is just annoying knowing these people are not gamers. They are activist posing as gamers. All of us gamers dont care about this shit. We just want to play games and enjoy them. We dont worry about politics in our medium. We worry about fun, depth and emotion. Unless something is blatantly egregiously vile then why is it dominating the video game news? This is why we go to the ends of the Earth to listen to Sacred Symbols. When we want to hear about video games we actually hear about video games. Imagine that.

Brett Carlson

We already recorded, and we don't really go into it beyond I believe a passing mention. I think part of what helps this shit thrive is when we focus on it constantly. I like taking the piss out of this shit as much as the next person, but for the time being, there's post-E3 business to attend to, my friend!

Colin Moriarty

Colin I really think you and Chris should talk about this Cyberpunk bullshit that is going on. The gaming community is tired if being told what we should and should not like, or be offended by. I know personally 22 individuals who saw the E3 demo and could not stop gushing over it only to read endless baiting articles from big websites about ideological bents and politics. This game is literally being scrathed by the same people who are going to review it. How is this ethical? It's a fucking FICTIONAL WORLD, but somehow the game is racist even though the world is created by a black man. A bunch of white journalist virtue signaling and dont even know Cyberpunk 2020 is mad by a black man. I mean are ya kiddin? We as a community are sick and tired of this and we dont have a voice like you guys. Whole articles talking about how the main character is white and kills black people. Are you fucking for real? You can create any God damn character you want. Like its putrid and shameful that this is what people are getting to read. Doesnt matter that Mike Pondsmith the creator comes right out and tells these hacks that they are dumb as shit and who are they to tell him about the world he created. Doesnt matter that CDPR brought in Haitians to listen to the Creole in the game and they loved it. It doesnt matter that the character creator is gender fluid. No none of it matters because we have to shit on a game that universally is being praised as a game but let's try and destroy it based on politics and ideologies of a MAKE BELIEVE WORLD. Metacritic scores are important to developers. And it is unethical to have the same people writing these clearly biased ideological articles also writing the reviews for the game. 5/10 because theres a black gang called The Animals. Unbelieveable.

Brett Carlson

That’s fair, though I think you’ll find most of the insults are tongue in cheek and go away entirely when people drop the “they should add an easy mode” argument and shift to a “can you help me figure this out?” question.

Marc Boggio

I dunno, I feel like I've been having these conversations for ages. The Souls community I'm sure is fine, but its loudest elements are annoying. There are far harder games than Dark Souls, including plenty I've beaten. You don't see me going around insulting others (unless in jest, of course). Just my two cents!

Colin Moriarty

I would speak on behalf of the Souls fans if you have specific grievances to air. The most common complaint I hear is that our reply to complaints of difficulty with “git gud” is elitist. To that I will say, git gud is a meme, but one that is less about gatekeeping and more about encouragement (if you are willing to fail and willing to learn, you WILL get good at the games). The From games are not actually that difficult- similar to the old Castlevania games, they’re about knowing the capabilities and animation timings of your character, learning the enemy patterns/timings, then executing. The Souls community is much more supportive and welcoming than many would think too. If you pop on a forum and say “I’m using [this build] and am having trouble with [this boss]” you’ll get nothing but constructive, positive replies. The people who are met with hostility are the “From Software should just add an easy mode to this game” people, as they’re kind of missing the core point of the games’ design. A similar suggestion would be for the Mega Man games to have an option to unlock all boss weapons at the beginning of the game- it would take all the brilliance out of the design and the fun out of figuring out which order the bosses are best fought in.

Marc Boggio

That's nuts.

Colin Moriarty

I loved AC: Odyssey but yes waaaaaayyy too long. Took me 91 hours to platinum 😬😓

Martha Silla

Awe I gotcha bro.

Joe Bellotta

Yup! There's no reason to only offer an appetizer when you can have a three course meal, with drink and dessert.

Colin Moriarty

Dark indeed.

Colin Moriarty

We were recorded and wrapped up with content before Nintendo even went. That's the reality of our production schedule in relation to how much our editor could handle. Sorry.

Colin Moriarty

We will get back to it, probably by playing the sequel. Stand by!

Colin Moriarty

Thank you for your feedback and thoughts! Sophia and I will do a Fireside Chat this summer, and go from there. =)

Colin Moriarty

Again, I think the source of the leak is relevant. If Jason would literally BE the source of the leak by simple proxy, then it's wrong. If multiple people are telling him on account of him writing it, and they would all know, whether because they worked at the studio or with someone working with the studio, I'd say it's fair game. But even after it's fair game, there are judgment calls to be made.

Colin Moriarty

Colin, I encourage you took look up Daniel Loeb's comments on the next gen and cloud gaming. I agree with you that streaming gaming is being blown way out of proportion. Some if the hot takes from E3 are pretty utopian and this gentlemen agrees. He emphatically insists that the game streaming is not the Netflix of games and Sony's console model is still the winning formula. Google Stadia will be lucky to move 500k units during its launch window. Streaming needs to be AN OPTION. Not THE OPTION. Which is why Microsoft is in way better position then Google. They are have Game Pass which is an established platform that they can integrate the library into a streaming service. Google has nothing of it's own. Relying on bloated AAA publishers. Seems like it is set up to fail.

Brett Carlson

This is a good one. Hamsters crawling out of shows. Woah Chris that’s dark.

Justin Hamilton

Of course you didn't even talk about Nintendo at E3 at all.

Joe Bellotta

Love the Overcooked let's play but you guys barely scratched the surface... I wanna see kitchen fires 🔥, fire extinguishers, someone screaming for meat when ya get to the burger levels (the best levels in my opinion) and you two down right wanting to murder each other because someone forgot to wash the plates 😆 Part 2 Pandemonium 👍

Tony Colton

Sup CM twice as nice ! Elden Ring I’m most hyped about. Then Final Fantasy 7 cause wow it looks great what they did to change it while being the same game. Curious about the release schedule for it how they do the so called episodic content. The FF8 remaster is ok I guess , never liked the “Draw” system. That Greg Miller guy was a joke with his EA hosting job , meme worthy. But Star Wars does look interesting , seems to have a deeper combat scheme with parrying etc. Zelda Links Awakening looks very cute and fun , haven’t played the original so this may be the game that gets me to finally buy a Switch. The other Zelda sequel seems ok I guess , the weapon degradation really bothered me about the first in the short time I spent with it at a friends. Stadia is all over the place with the pricing models and I’ll be staying far away from that. Wish I got some Elder Scrolls 6 info even if it is a ways away something woulda been nice. Didn’t really care about the Microsoft conference (other than Elden Ring) as I haven’t played Xbox since Oblivion on the 360. Seems Sony won by default but I def did miss them there. It was a decent show week I guess. I am like Chris that I enjoy the spectacle of it. Even though it’s decreased heavily the last few years with the insane amount of leaks that take the bite out of it all. The Keanu Reeves fun was nice. Take care guys I’ll be waiting for more uploads about the show ! And hopefully some input from Sophia she has great taste in games !!!

Anthony Longo

I love the internet. I personally thought Avengers looked great. All I've seen from others is saying it looks terrible, looks "off", will play terribly, etc. "At least we've got Ultimate Alliance!!!" I think the only reason people aren't marking out over it is because they aren't using the MCU actors, and people have those actors stuck in their heads for these characters. I don't recall anyone openly complaining that Tom Holland wasn't Spider-Man in the game, so what's the problem? The MCU guys weren't the first to play these characters, they won't be the last. People just spewing hot takes because they can, not for any reason in particular. "THIS GAME IS A HARD PASS NOPE NOPE NOPE" give me a break.

Johnny Waffles

Chris may indeed wield this level of power.

Colin Moriarty

I thought they did well.

Colin Moriarty

Hey Colin, the conversation about Jason S. leaking game announcements pre-E3 reminded me of his Tweet from late last year regarding Rock Steady. I don't think his position has changed since we still don't know what Rock Steady is doing but he was okay with sharing Elden Ring and other games. Just wondering what you think of it. Is the big difference that he isn't 100% sure of the project or could it be off the record info? Seems weird even with his explanation. https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1068941746690842625

Jeremy Craves

December 38th (January 7) is my birthday! Please make this happen, Chris! #AddDecember38thToTheCalendar

Korey Burns

Square's conference was decidedly not complete dog shit. Avengers looks pretty incredible.

Johnny Waffles

... =D

Colin Moriarty

Wolfenstein, yeah. That's fair. Wasn't really thinking of that. I wouldn't describe myself as excited by Control, no. But I'll certainly play it.

Colin Moriarty

Square Enix always tickles the weeb within me.

Colin Moriarty

It's certainly not for me, that's for sure. To each his own, I suppose!

Colin Moriarty

You're probably right. It got me thinking about what Nintendo's hardware plans are, too.

Colin Moriarty

Chris lives.

Colin Moriarty

I gotta read more about it. Unfortunately, we recorded this minutes after Square Enix's conference ended, so it doesn't incorporate pretty much any additional knowledge garnered from interviews, etc.

Colin Moriarty

You can't expect him to remember everything!

Colin Moriarty

Good to know. Let's have the conversation on the next podcast. Just submit your thoughts into this Friday's thread.

Colin Moriarty

I would assume that's step one, but that's only going to eat into gross sales, and the cycle is gonna continue. With how much debt they're in, and how much their market is collapsing, the only way to salvation is through volume, and they're simply not gonna be able to pull it off.

Colin Moriarty

That sounds familiar, but I didn't know that. If you think of it, issue a correction on Friday's thread.

Colin Moriarty

It's length is what has discouraged me from playing it.

Colin Moriarty

Thing is, my Internet speed tests always show better results (around what you get), but it's nonsense. I upload and download plenty for CLS, so I know what kind of garbage I'm dealing with, and I can only imagine playing Stadia on it.

Colin Moriarty

Holding pattern!

Colin Moriarty

Thank you! <3

Colin Moriarty

I don't even think I got that far.

Colin Moriarty

Interesting. I'm not familiar with any of his work outside of Philly.

Colin Moriarty

Wow over 50 episodes! I'm so proud of you, Chris! Here's to 50 more! I can't wait to see what you do next

Gabriel Garcia

“Hamsters crawling out of peoples’ skulls” Oh Chris MP in Doom Eternal seems like another waste of time. I don’t know why they do it either. 🤷🏻‍♂️ “Cleveland Steamers have their fans!” 🤣 Thanks for taking my question. ❤️ Colin, you mentioned nothing really interesting is coming for you until Borderlands. You don’t count Wolfenstein Youngblood and Control as interesting? If the Odyssey story creator missions actually become playable, I’ll run through everybody’s stuff. Hard to judge Avengers because they didn’t really show the gameplay too much but I’m optimistic for it. Colin, Nakamura went up for Ghostwire Tokyo ‘cause she’s the director of the game. It wasn’t for translating, it was more symbolizing of Mikami passing the torch.

NeO JD

I really did not like square enix's presentation. FF7 looks interesting, but the rest of the conference was filled with those generic anime looking JRPGS, my least favourite genre in gaming, seriously I think japanese game designers still live in 1995, these games all look the same and I can't stand them. The avengers game really dissapointed me, the art style is ridiculous, it looks like they used those expensive Hot Toys as inspiration and it looks terrible... Anyways, glad to see people got something out of square this year, I was just dissapointed in E3 as a whole, only thing I enjoyed was Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk.

That Avengers trailer looked like a cutscene from 2007. I feel like this entire E3 could have been wrapped up in a 30 minute highlight reel it's a bloated mess that I don't even think Sony's presence would have helped, something needs to change. Like you Colin as much as I love video games I just don't get the wild hysteria around certain announcements, the best they get out of me at 35 years old is a smile and a chuckle or a nod of a approval. Animal Crossing, Zelda, what, 50 now ? Banjo in smash ? Is this really whats getting the overwhelmingly leaning grown ass men that attend the conference genuinely excited ? I just can't with Nintendo any more

Craig Mcguire

I think Nintendo pulled an Elder Scrolls 6. Zelda won’t be out for years and now every interview is going to be asking for updates on the game. While I love Zelda, I don’t think showing that trailer did anything beyond trying to steal the show with no Sony there.

Kramerica86

I really hope Chris got out ok

Chocomatt12

The painful part of Chris’s Platinum Challenge is that he does not remember the name of his challenger and refer to him as “some random person”!!!! :-/

Azzan

Colin & Chris: The way that I took the Avengers game was that it was (as described by the dev. team) a Single player AND co-op game. It seemed to me that the team spent the first few minutes describing the single-player portion of the game (the campaign as it were) where we learned of the scenario of the game as well as the actors portraying the Avengers. Then, after a snippet of cut-scene, we were introduced to new team members of Crystal who discussed the Co-Op / Multiplayer portion of the game. Not just you but many other influencers and / or enthusiasts of video games seemed to totally forget everything they just heard and assume that this is an Anthem style game ONLY. I believe that Crystal is trying to do both. Listen again if necessary and let me know what you think. -Alex C.

Alex Castellanos

Hey Colin, Every time you bring up The Last of Us’ online I’ve wanted to say this: it’s not as good as you remember it. You played it early on, to get the multiplayer trophies, and while I agree with your assessment in that context, the game unfortunately changed significantly when it was ported to PS 4. With its second advent, many pay to win weapons were introduced as it killed the balance as well as the resource management system that made it so compelling. With overpowered weapons now available at the outset of every round, nobody feels compelled to visit boxes or make every bullet count. As someone who put several hundred hours into it, few pivots in gaming have made me this angry.

Ryan B.

I am by no means a professional in business, but it seems obvious the only way to save Game Stop is to close 1/3 to 1/2 of the stores. In Dallas alone I have close to 20 stores within 15-20 minute drive.

Chris B

Cyberpunk 2077 is based on the tabletop rpg Cyberpunk 2020, it’s not an original IP.

Josh Lucas

I can confirm AC Odyssey is way too big. Played it for 40 hrs and had to bail. Greatly enjoyed my time with it though.

Daniel Boyer

It’s fucking crazy that I get better broadband here in Dayton, OH (60 mbps) than Los Angeles, CA. One of the biggest cities in the world can’t get 4K 60 fps streaming.

Alex Ball

Are we sure outriders is a multiplayer game? I could have swore they said it was an open world shooter. Could have swore. Square had a good showing but they really did a terrible job describing Avengers and Outriders. I'll say it again, SONY SMELLS LIKE ROSES. Everyones conference this year was very very light in tangible announcements of any consequence. 2019 E3 was one of the most non memorable events. Do we agree?

Brett Carlson

Great work guys. Loving the show!

Michael Renner

World at War was miserable on Veteran One of the final Soviet missions (I think the second to last) is ridiculous. It’s the only CoD that I still just can’t beat on Veteran because of that level. The AI literally has unlimited grenades just flying at your face the entire time. The entire screen fills up with the white/red grenade indicators. I would literally just be lying down in prone basically hoping that they stop lol. Then you try to run towards the Checkpoint as if you are in the Matrix trying to outrun and dodge bullets. Every once in awhile I try to go back and beat it and I just can’t do it.

Zack E

Could be. I'm not able to find a current headcount number for the studio, and since all of their corporate shit is in Japanese, it's hard to tell.

Colin Moriarty

But Brett, you're not getting to the heart of the matter. WHY do people want to be blown away by PRODUCT REVEALS? I was really happy to see Final Fantasy VII Remake's exceptional gameplay reveal. It actually put a smile on my face. That's about as ecstatic as I'm gonna get about a video game. So I can't relate to being a participant in the Hype Machine, especially before a game is even out. I don't think it makes me any more or less of a gamer than you (or vice-versa); I simply think that it makes sense to at least look at things through that lens. Jason isn't the leaker. He's reporting on the leak. That's a vital differentiation, don't you think?

Colin Moriarty

Rob Mcelhenny was tabbed to direct a Minecraft movie ages ago, I figured he was a gamer. Super interested in the show you guys mentioned, I hadn’t seen anything for it yet!

DB Cooper

I'm having a bit of an internal battle, myself.

Colin Moriarty

Phenomenal film.

Colin Moriarty

I think Square Enix won.

Colin Moriarty

I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not sold on it being a groundbreaking game. I don't see what it's doing that differentiates it a whole lot. The Witcher doesn't differentiate itself from other open world RPGs at a glance either, though. So.

Colin Moriarty

Colin I believe you may be right about the release of GhostWire Tokyo, however I have a small sliver of hope for it to be a cross gen title holiday 2020. I’m not familiar with Tango’s team but I’m hoping they have 2 teams. Mikami directed the evil within back in 2014 and tew2 was directed by John Johanas. Hopefully that indicates Mikami has been working on this for a while now

John Lynch

A games journalist job is not to leak information. People work 1000s of hours and spend millions to show off their ART only to have it fizzled out by a leak. The comparision to real investigative journalism is not relevant. Breaking stories about shit that impacts society is a moral decision. As a game journalist you cover the news. That's your job. To write opinions about stuff that gamers want to hear about. People spend money to go to E3 to see these games. They do not want to hear about it from Kotaku. I was a combat journalist in the U.S. Military for 6 years and Jason Schreier is not that. Leaking information is a solely selfish act in video games. Your doing it for cheap clicks and attention. Gamers WANT to be suprised. Maybe Colin personally doesnt care, but the vast majority of hardcore players want to sit down and be blown away by a reve trailer. They dont want some bullshit 200 word article with literally ZERO useful information other then hey this game exists. It is out of bounds. This is why people have to sign NDAs when they see a game. Would you steal someones masterpeice painting and put it on display so people could see it? Why would you take that away from people. No one wants to hear leaks or spoilers. Its low hanging fruit. Integrity matters.

Brett Carlson

Yes! I was (pretend) yelling this at the C&C Bros. from my car while listening to them talk about Stadia.

Alex Castellanos

Hey Colin, Tifa is still the hot one. Oh, and hi Chris. I agree with the above poster, this silly Chris shit needs to die. Here's hoping no other troglodite uses it. I love you bad Mo Mo!

Silentandcliche

Colin is objectively correct Rogue One is incredible

Drew Sleezer

Two random thoughts: 1. 2020 is shaping up to be an incredible year, at least right now. Seems akin to 2013, for example, where the generation’s swan songs will send these consoles off right. Just think of all the 2020 games from e3, then add ghost of thushima (definitely spelled that wrong) and the last of us 2. 2. Nintendo won e3. No discussion needed ;)

GameSimp

I basically see the Stadia as a cheap way for casual gamers to get in on the current games without having to drop $400 on a gaming console. Not really for people like us who already have dedicated gaming machines. Also you only have to pay the $10 a month if you want 4k/60 fps quality. You can play for free(outside the cost of the games of course) anywhere if you're willing to accept 1080p.

Bogey Zero

No way to disappointed in Cyberpunk 2077... it is a physical impossibility.

Luke Bernhard

That Avengers game was nothing like I thought it'd be.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you! <3

Colin Moriarty

Really? I didn't even see it come to PS4. Dunno how I missed that.

Colin Moriarty

...that's what she said.

Colin Moriarty

It makes sense for people in the trenches to be upset if they didn't get to reveal their game the way they wanted to or intended to. Those are literally the only people that should care.

Colin Moriarty

<3

Colin Moriarty

It's been confirmed only for PC and Xbox One. Could be timed.

Colin Moriarty

Interesting. I've never encountered that.

Colin Moriarty

Per your point on lag, as far as I understand, it's virtually impossible to eliminate lag completely, unless you're literally living next to a data center. No matter what you do, this data is going back and forth at light speed. It's not gonna be instantaneous, ever.

Colin Moriarty

Right, but will HE? Or someone that sounds like him? =)

Colin Moriarty

Thank you!

Colin Moriarty

Oh God, he'll probably hate that name too.

Colin Moriarty

Looks like March and April are gonna be full!

Colin Moriarty

I couldn't smoke weed and order delivery without you.

Colin Moriarty

<3

Colin Moriarty

Get to work so you don't have to work.

Colin Moriarty

Great episode. Few beats I want to hit on: 1. Rogue One is a great movie and definitely is the only great one to come since Disney bought the franchise (Solo is fun though). 2. I'm predicting right now that the Avengers game will sell less than Spiderman PS4. I was thoroughly uninspired in that trailer. What was shown gave me a vibe like a bad video game adaptation of the Avengers movie. I believe if what they show next on it is not dramatically different, I feel that it will not approach anywhere near Spiderman PS4 sales numbers.

Barrett Boswell

Congratulations on 50 (55) episodes!

Richard Duflo

A note. Last Remnant remaster is already available on other platforms. Switch was the last one. And it's more a port of the PC version that came out back when the 360 game came out. It's definitely worth the time if you have any interest in the game but it can be difficult during certain sections and grinding doesn't really get you through them. Gotta be play smart.

Edward Walton

Man this is was a long one!

Joey Finelli

Who cares about announcement leaks? Even if it’s your product? Isn’t what matters the final, published product? Now if there’s like a spoiler leak for the soon to be released game or movie, that’s unfortunate. But this whole “darn I wasn’t able to be surprised by an announcement trailer” mentality is weird and sort of juvenile

Zack E

A nice 2 hour episode to end off E3, love it! 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

Anthony Gigi

Happy 50th! You guys do excellent work. Glad to hear Destiny 2 fans have cross save on all platforms. As a side note, has it been confirmed that PSO2 is PC and XboxOne only? Could they possibly be waiting for the PS5 reveal before confirming it’s coming to a Sony console?

Heh, Anthem is in a "Catch 76." A shame Chris didn't seem to acknowledge this cleverness. Also, "tate mode" means playing something with the screen in a portrait layout. It's a reference to the Japanese word for "vertical." According to Google translate, it's pronounced as roughly "tay-tah," though I've always heard it pronounced as "tah-tay" in English.

David Graham

Just heard your opinions on Stadia. I am definitely in the minority by thinking that Stadia might actually be a really good alternative to some people. I think it will slowly become some people’s main “console” if we there is absolutely 0 lag when streaming games at 4K or 1080p. PLUS you can play the game on many different devices. I think their success lies on how well that streaming will really be when playing on different types of connection. Only time will tell for that to be seen as either a success or flop. Overall I think many people will definitely use Stadia. Seems like many are underestimating Stadia too much. Chris also says “you still have to pay for a license to stream the game” i think the reason why that is is the same reason MS and Sony don’t have their games launch at $40 on their digital stores and $60 physical. I don’t see any publisher be willing to let Stadia customers play their brand new $60 game on Stadia under a $10/month subscription. Im sure we will also have to pay to stream brand new games with xCloud and PSNow. I can talk about this forever so ama stop now so you guys don’t get a longer wall of text in the comments LOL. HAPPY 50th! Love you guys!

Jeff Caseres

I think Keanu will be in most of the game. He plays the iconic character Johnny Silverhand who is a big part of the worlds lore. He’s also not like a living character he’s a hologram that is part of the chip your character integrates into his head. So like cortana, it’s gonna be dope!

Kenneth Oms

2 hours hell yeah, happy 50th CLS and fans!

Eli Boisvert

Happy 50 to both Colin and UNsilly Chris, yeah let's get the ball rolling on unsilly Chris.

Luis Sanchez

Thanks Colin! Needed this one to end my work shift

gnawtyFOX

Congrats on 50 guys. Proud to be a Patron and to help Colin get high and buy McDonald’s from Postmates 😂

Ian

Happy 50! Overall I'm pretty stoked for what's to come after E3, although disappointed that most of it is near a year out with only a few for the rest of this year. Super excited for the game films that are coming like Uncharted and Division. Hopefully they break the wheel...(GOT Reference) of bad video game movies. Till the next time, on to 100 episodes🍻

Marcus Brown

Ohhhh two hours! Another reason to get of work

Anthony Alexander