Sacred Symbols, Episode 31: Horror Returns
Added 2019-01-29 17:00:03 +0000 UTCFor some strange reason, rock solid survival horror is somewhat scarce these days. (Indeed, if you think about it, that's kinda always been the case.) But with Resident Evil 2's long-awaited remake finally out, it's fair to say that our hunger for the undead is satiated, in the best way possible. After chatting about RE2, though, we get into the news. The NPD Group has released the best-selling games in America for the year of 2018, and the results may surprise you. Meanwhile, Ubisoft has added "Light RPG Elements" to Far Cry: New Dawn, making us even more excited for the game. Oh, and did you hear those rumors about Fallout 76 going free-to-play? Well, they're not true, and we'll tell you why. We cover all of that, plus more, rounded out with listener questions, comments, and concerns on topics ranging from Anthem's lack of PvP and its unimpressive demo performance to fixing the broken Trophy ecosystem and willing into existence a brand new modern shooter... if the market could even support one.
Timestamps:
0:00:17 - Intro.
0:01:39 - A doctor asks why Colin and Chris keep complaining about seemingly minor ailments, as if they have cancer.
0:03:28 - Chris has a new video up! Go watch it.
0:03:59 - One listener corrects Chris' Spiderverse knowledge.
0:05:54 - One listener instructs Colin on the history of C&C Music Factory.
0:06:27 - How do we feel about Fig Newtons?
0:07:10 - Use the cool new PlayStation website to see how much of your life you wasted on PS4 in 2018.
0:09:53 - What games are we playing?
0:16:29 - Why is Chris always so dry?
0:16:53 - Lola isn't around today.
0:18:19 - Back to what games we're playing.
0:25:53 - December, 2018 (and Overall 2018) hardware and software sales data released for US (plus Q's).
0:33:56 - Far Cry: New Dawn is introducing some new "RPG light" elements.
0:36:11 - The Fallout 76-going-free-to-play rumors aren't true, says Bethesda.
0:37:30 - Ubisoft decides to fix its Assassin's Creed: Odyssey DLC SNAFU, after all (plus Q's).
0:43:43 - Netflix is reportedly developing a Resident Evil TV series.
0:45:19 - Kingdom Hearts III's leak is making Square Enix director second guess day one global releases.
0:49:23 - GameStop cancels a bunch of customers' Kingdom Hearts III PS4 Pro pre-orders at the last minute.
0:50:27 - A major poll of game devs indicates a vast majority aren't working on next-gen projects.
0:51:30 - Bandai Namco trademarks the game title "RAD" alongside mushroom cloud/radiation-inspired logos.
0:52:07 - Image and Form Games announces SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech; will come to PS4 by year's end.
0:52:39 - Minor game announcements and release date information.
0:53:57 - This week's new releases for PS4, PS Vita, and PSVR.
0:58:24 - What's going on with this new Sony team rumored to be working on a PS5 game?
1:00:17 - Will Anthem's lack of a PvP mode hurt it?
1:02:16 - Is there an opening for another "modern" shooter on the market?
1:04:15 - What's missing from the Sony exclusive catalog of games? What's there a surplus of?
1:05:34 - What does the future hold for open world games?
1:09:45 - Are there any parallels to Metroid Prime 4's development being restarted in the PlayStation ecosystem?
1:12:49 - Which console will be more expensive: PlayStation 5 or the Next Xbox?
1:16:49 - How would Colin fix Trophies to make the system more competitive and fun?
1:19:23 - In light of Anthem's demo being largely broken, when will games consistently work as intended?
1:23:46 - Outro.
Comments
:[
Kaleb
2019-02-06 21:44:57 +0000 UTCHey Dude! I'm on iTunes, and the podcast is fine. Also, no one else complained about this. So I think this issue is on your end. Sorry! <3
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:55:17 +0000 UTCSo keep blaming Nomura, then?
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:54:41 +0000 UTCWere you mean? I don't even remember anymore. LOL.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:54:32 +0000 UTCNo doubt about it. Embarrassing.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:54:22 +0000 UTCThanks for the suggestion, but both Chris and I have accepted that death will grasp us when it wants.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:54:05 +0000 UTCNo, I don't think so. =)
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:53:48 +0000 UTCYeah, I accepted that I wouldn't even go for the Platinum because of the S ranks. Sounds annoying.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:53:39 +0000 UTCHey Colin, just a heads up, the itunes version of this episode is only 1 second long. Could this be re uploaded? Peace
Paul Scott
2019-02-05 08:09:06 +0000 UTCPlease top blaming Nomura for KH3 getting delayed, they were forced by higher ups to switch from Luminous to UE4 which took around year to fully transfer over everything and the push back from 2018 to 2019 was a request by Square's western offices so there wasn't a longer gap between Japanese and western release. The game even went gold over 2 months before release, twice as long as gold to release period as most games. Nomura is far to often the scapegoat for issues at SE.
Kaleb
2019-02-04 17:04:35 +0000 UTCThanks for answering my question Colin! I always appreciate games more that take the time and make a good trophy list. Also, sorry for being mean, I hope you have a good day as well
Jenn Scott
2019-02-01 21:54:40 +0000 UTCGuys regarding MCC, the flighting program with testing was last year, game is fixed and has been for some time and is mostly just receiving quality of life updates now like the recent modern aiming update. As an old school Halo fan it's a relief to finally see the game fully functioning and playable. Hands down one of the most botched launches in video game history.
Craig Mcguire
2019-02-01 18:14:37 +0000 UTCColin when you mentioned a netty pott you have to give this a try I truly think this sinus rinse is the best invention for clearing any nasal congestion. It really does the job. Sinus Rinse Complete Kit <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RDZFZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8ChvCb4GZ7J7C" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RDZFZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8ChvCb4GZ7J7C</a>
Eric S
2019-02-01 16:45:37 +0000 UTCHey Colin, is Chris actually really bothered by the silly Chris joke? I felt like I could feel his frown in this ep. 😄
NeO JD
2019-02-01 09:15:30 +0000 UTCRE2 is fantastic. Was going to platinum but I can’t beat them fast enough for s ranks. While waiting for something new I decided to try my sons copy of kingdom hearts 3. Honestly can’t imagine waiting that long for the game, don’t see what the deal is lol
John Lynch
2019-02-01 05:26:48 +0000 UTCThank you so much! That means a great deal to me.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-01 01:51:44 +0000 UTCGreat episode as always, this is my most anticipated podcast each week. About the Anthem discussion, I'm also looking into the "soloableness" of the game. From my research it looks like you can play all story missions without a party, but will get match made for the strongholds (30ish min dungeon runs) and for the eventual raids. I ran through a Stronghold during the demo with a group of randoms and we got through it no sweat, everything was simple enough to do with no verbal or text communication, but I can't speak to the higher difficulty levels. I am very much looking forward to playing the full release (mostly solo) when it comes out in a couple weeks.
Neely 4x4
2019-01-31 22:18:21 +0000 UTCThat would be super cool, but it would be unlike Sony to not have said anything about it yet. That said, it would be super smart to hold the cards close and show them in a month or two, if this release date were accurate.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-31 02:20:15 +0000 UTCYeah, I'm interested in the balance. Like, you could play Destiny by yourself, but it wasn't really designed with that in mind at all, while The Division definitely was designed with that in mind. Dunno where Anthem will fall.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-31 02:19:43 +0000 UTCNot very many, I'm sure. =)
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-31 02:19:14 +0000 UTCDefinitely. BioWare exited stage right before Bethesda did, even.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-31 02:19:07 +0000 UTCHey Colin, wanted to get your thoughts on something I heard from someone with a good track record. I heard that we were right all alone and Last of Us 2 is a spring/summer game and it will release on May 13th "Mothers Day" 2018. To fall in with the games mother daughter premise of Ellie and her mother. Your thoughts on if this lines up? Also the composer just recently slipped and said it was coming out "very soon". I feel like this is a classic PS4 era Sony. No officially dates until much closer to launch and then around mid March they release the date. I understand Days Gone is in April, but in reality they are 2 separate games and I think Sony has conceded the fact that Days Gone is probably a lower tier exclusive in comparison.
Brett Carlson
2019-01-30 22:55:58 +0000 UTCI was going to say that you can't play Anthem alone, then i said to myself I like Colin enough to put some effort in and ask around Twitter. you can play by yourself, but you have to set your party to "private", on default it's public, so when you go on missions you normally play with randoms. When it's on private it wont do any matchmaking and you can choose people to play with or do it by yourself. what i do not know is how hard it'll be to play alone.
B00ch
2019-01-30 20:50:04 +0000 UTCAnother great episode!! I wonder how many people actually listened till the very end? 🤔 🤡 😂
Jeff Pollard
2019-01-30 11:32:17 +0000 UTCWill BioWare ever craft a masterful RPG story again? I feel like they've stepped to the wayside and allowed CD Projekt Red to fill that space.
Daniel Schiffer
2019-01-30 07:16:00 +0000 UTCI remember when it came out, and the person who reviewed it at IGN had to play it throughout Christmas break, because it came out at this super awkward time.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-30 03:06:15 +0000 UTCBioware has an Austin branch, I believe, that is responsible for Star Wars Old Republic MMO development. This game had a fairly expensive and long development. Fully voice acted. Distinct story campaigns for each class, light side and dark side. Was relatively well received at initial launch. I bought it at launch with some friends and found it enjoyable, although it was my first MMO. But after literally about a month it had a significant drop off of players. Hardcore MMO players did not find a great end game loop to catch onto. Eventually they converted it to a free to play model, and I think it still has some active player base, but I haven’t touched it in years.
Zack E
2019-01-30 01:21:58 +0000 UTCI was fortunate enough to be able to play the Demo all weekend, and technical issues aside, the core gameplay loop is very fun and Diablo Esque. I dont think it's the hype so much as it is the fact this game was buried on announcement because everyone wants to hate EA and try and punish each and every game they own regardless of critical quality.
Brett Carlson
2019-01-30 00:33:59 +0000 UTCI feel like Anthem is not a bad game, but the hype machine raised the bar so high it’s going to be tough for the game to meet the expectations of fans.
James Galos
2019-01-29 23:13:35 +0000 UTCThree comments, Tyson? You're getting greedy.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:52:23 +0000 UTCThe best editors I ever had always told me to never bother trying to cover everything in a review, or to read it back, think, "oh, I never mentioned the framerate!" and then try to shove it in there somewhere. A piece of criticism has to flow from what's being criticized (or praised), and not just mentioned because it exists.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:52:01 +0000 UTCI just don't know that we're doing ourselves any favors by sub-categorizing everything to such a degree that no one even knows what anything means, anymore. There are umbrellas -- input, perspective, atmosphere, etc. -- that can describe games, but they certainly can't all be genres, too.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:51:17 +0000 UTCHm, you're right. I'll need to amend this in the next episode. Thank you!
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:50:14 +0000 UTCI just can't bring myself to care about it with so many other games to play, honestly.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:49:42 +0000 UTCYou're very welcome. Thank you for your kind support!
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:49:21 +0000 UTCI just wanna know if I can really, truly play it by myself.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:49:03 +0000 UTCYeah, I saw that. However, having been good friends with the person who reviewed the game for 12 years, and knowing his pedigree, it's just one of those things. Give it long enough, and we all fuck up.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:48:38 +0000 UTCThis is why I play alone.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:48:08 +0000 UTCThat's right; I remember that Trophy.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:47:51 +0000 UTCIt's a cool module; I wanted to make sure everyone knew. =)
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:47:38 +0000 UTC*takes pencil from ear, makes a mark*
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:47:20 +0000 UTCI will casually note that you should play 3, 4, 5, and Primal, too. =)
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-29 22:47:03 +0000 UTCI think Smash didn’t sell systems on 64 because that was the beginning of it and it didn’t have the hype behind that future installments did. Wii U because 3DS also got a downgraded version and Wii U was a shit console with poor marketing even though it had really great games. Doesn’t surprise me, me and everyone else I knew who had a Wii U primarily got it sir smash and once we got it we got some other games with it to but ultimately it was a smash machine
Tyson Williams
2019-01-29 22:33:51 +0000 UTCTalking about what a review should or shouldn’t contain, I agree with what you were saying Colin also because part of what makes a good worthwhile reviewer is that they find certain aspects more important than others and are better at analyzing those aspects so consumers with similar tastes will find certain reviewers more helpful
Tyson Williams
2019-01-29 22:28:23 +0000 UTCI think horror is a more valid genre category than most ways we categorize genre in games. Horror isn’t just an aesthetic it’s something you evoke in the mechanics and gameplay and that connects all good horror games together, and to not define it as it’s own genre because there isn’t a consistent set of mechanics seems like a skin deep assessment of what defines genre. If horror was just an aesthetic Castlevania would be horror, and Doom would be horror, but that’s why we don’t classify them as horror because we know horror is more than an aesthetic.
Tyson Williams
2019-01-29 22:24:59 +0000 UTCHey Colin, I just read this report on Business Insider that said Switch was the best selling console on NPD for 2018, while you said PS4 took the year. Perhaps some mixed reports out there? <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/nintendo-switch-best-selling-console-2018-2019-1?r=US&IR=T" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.businessinsider.com.au/nintendo-switch-best-selling-console-2018-2019-1?r=US&IR=T</a>
Phillip Guglielmo
2019-01-29 22:17:58 +0000 UTCPlay Smash Ultimate Colin. It’s really great, just takes a while to unlock characters. Simon/Richter play exactly how you think they would.
Brandon Soto
2019-01-29 21:27:03 +0000 UTCThanks for including my question first one since joining patreon and the surname save :D
Sean Corcoran
2019-01-29 20:54:24 +0000 UTCThe problem with the Anthem Demo was almost solely on a technical level. Most people who actually dove into the entire Demo weekend enjoyed what they played. Calling it Andromeda Destiny is a little off base. It's literally is Mass Effect 3 was co-op and had a baby with Monster Hunter World. The way you choose missions and go out on expeditions is almost entirely Monster Hunter. The loot system is nothing even close to destiny, it is straight up Diablo. Tons of misinformation about this game are going to hurt it. The Demo was a build from 6 weeks ago. Bioware has been pretty open and upfront online about how the Gold version of the game is 2 months more polished then Demo and they also unlocked every Javelin suit and gave away 2 free skins for the trouble people went through trying to get into a server. Those is the facts.
Brett Carlson
2019-01-29 20:41:52 +0000 UTCAnyone else see IGN fucking up again and having to alter their review for RE2 because the reviewer seemingly didn't even play the game?
Luke Bernhard
2019-01-29 19:39:42 +0000 UTCGreat episode guys. Despite the issues, Anthem was a lot of fun from what I got to play hoping for the best lol. Also Chris is mistaken, both Destinies had connectivity issues known as barracuda error. I remember getting it my senior year of college and nobody in the general area was able to play. Prob not as bad as anthem in terms of users effected.
Kenneth Oms
2019-01-29 19:30:28 +0000 UTCOn the topic of watching Lola’s dental, my girlfriend was allowed to watch her mini schnauzer get neutered The only other time I can remember a Trophy being renamed was with God of War: Ascension. I think it was Bros Before Hoes that was changed. Hoes was changed to Foes, I believe
Richard Duflo
2019-01-29 19:04:13 +0000 UTCGlad that you mentioned the 2018 year in review thing that PlayStation's doing. Was going to submit a question about it, but it seemed like it didn't send out the emails until I had already contributed (or at least, it didn't for me).
David Graham
2019-01-29 18:56:30 +0000 UTCAdd one tick to the DOOM counter.
Owen
2019-01-29 18:21:15 +0000 UTCFar cry new dawn will be my first far cry game. It’s the only one that actually have grabbed my interest.
Philip Andersen
2019-01-29 17:45:45 +0000 UTC
