A Dragon, A Ronin, and A Unicorn - Easy Allies Podcast - Mar 22, 2024

Ep 415 - It's a huge week as we finally get to gush about Dragon's Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin, and Unicorn Overlord. We get our first look at Amy Hennig's Marvel game with Captain America and Black Panther. Plus tons of GDC announcements and more. *Rise of the Ronin provided by PlayStation.
0:00 - Intro
2:13 - Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
10:36 - More GDC News
28:37 - Dragon's Dogma 2 Impressions
1:05:34 - Future Games Show Highlights
1:23:58 - A Word From Our Sponsors
1:28:35 - Rise of the Ronin Impressions
1:55:54 - February Sales Report
2:12:28 - Unicorn Overlord Impressions
2:36:26 - Also This Week
2:53:20 - L&R: Dragon's Dogma Pawns
2:57:45 - L&R: I Need to Talk to Someone
3:04:40 - L&R Game: Can It... Super Mario?
3:13:45 - Bets
3:22:40 - Closing
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[@steezy879]

Here for the unicorn overlord impressions! This game deserves recognition.

[@matthewvandeleest8095]

Bloods comment after the bet with plitch was hilarious. Also hearing Gabby swear realizing it's EZA anniversary got a chuckle out of me.

[@MrKryton24]

Unicorn overlord absolutely has surpassed any expectations I had going into it. The only thing I could say it doesn't do well is the story is a bit generic. The gameplay though... boy do I wish we had more games like this I prefer this style over fire emblem now. They are similar but the squads mechanic and how they fight really pushes genre forward imo

[@Echo__plex]

Team Ninja is hit or miss for me as well. I bounced off Nioh after a good amount of hours. But surprisingly, I beat Wo Long last year and loved it. I can see why the combat wouldn't click for some though.

[@yoshighomi]

Haha... the way you guys described port crystals and fast travel makes me feel like im playing Death Stranding... Dragons dogma edition.

[@OfficialCrowMauler]

Really hope we get a Rebirth spoiler mode, with or without Max. I’m pining for Damiani/Huber’s takes.

[@dietrichrache1975]

Been waiting for it.

[@MrKryton24]

Really want Max though he's just such a great addition for it

[@OfficialCrowMauler]

@@MrKryton24 I definitely agree, I’d just rather take something than nothing.

[@chrisman2100]

They just recorded 4 hours worth on Twitch with Max. Get ready to set some time aside!!!

[@paulseidler1644]

No alone in the dark? At least some impressions if Huber isn't doing a review or not finished with a review...just curious since it's been so divisive. I'm loving it despite the issues.

[@SuperJitan]

the lil out of context clips at the end of an ep always crack me up, yall not doing that anymore? :< great show love yall

[@steverector807]

at 1:44:45 I think Huber momentarily left the physical plane and got lost in that bullet blocking fantasy, look at his eyes hahahaha

[@BogeyZero]

Man Blood REALLY wanted to make sure people knew Isla was talking about Boo’s and not booze. Like he literally wouldn’t let her speak lmao

[@charoleawood]

Isla forgot to edit in a closing bit at the black screen : (

[@MrDannyWright]

I can't believe how much I love Unicorn Overlord.

[@danielmonteiro5543]

People fail to look at team ninja games as an ARPG like diablo and POE, its part of the reason people have hundreds of hours on it

[@Akumadoken]

@EasyAllies Huber you don't have to be caught up on anything (leveled char) or any expansion to play Plunderstorm BR in WoW it is it's own thing seperate from everything. All you need is an active subscription.

[@n64central]

It surprises me how a very simplified combat system from Fromsoftware is something you love but Team Ninja is too over the top? That’s wild to me. Especially how Ronin is even more dumb down than the Nioh series even in the loot system.

[@fuzzywuzzy843]

It’s wild being a huge team ninja fan and hearing multiple people talk about rise of the ronin who don’t really get what Team Ninja does with their games or the appeal. System heavy and mechanically dense games with the best action rpg combat in gaming! Rise of the ronin is simplified for experienced team ninja players but it appears for a more casual (non team ninja obsessed gamers lol) audience it still is too much which is fair. I’m 20 hours into rise of the ronin and I am in love with it and I haven’t really seen a single review that fully captures what I love about the game and makes it so special whatsoever.

[@H_Kazuhira]

Combat in Souls has largely remained the same since Demons. With extra bells and whistles added here and there. My biggest disappointment with Elden Ring was that it played like Souls. I'm glad Team Ninja try to experiment, even if it might not always hit for most. Nioh 2 is a mastersclass. Wo Long, Strangers of Paradise and RotR mix it up which I respect. I've still yet to play RotR tho because DD2 take priority for now.

[@fuzzywuzzy843]

@@H_Kazuhira agreed! For me personally I think Elden ring added enough new systems: expansion of ashes of war, stance/posture, shield counter, status effects damage being boosted, and even the additional jump/crouch attacks. Though none of those systems seem as fleshed out as they could be just due to the nature of just how many combat options are available in the game. I think sekiro is the closest they have come to truly taking their combat in a new direction. Team ninja definitely seems to be more willing to experiment with every single release which has been great as a fan following each game. I’m not sure what made me pick rotr over dd2 but I’m not regretting it at all. Still gonna buy dd2 after I beat rotr for sure

[@MG_Gambino]

The way Damiani was explaining unicorn overlord made it sound like fort condor a bit from the original ff7, in terms of battle. How close is it to that?

[@RemniStrath]

I love the talk about not roaming into areas you shouldnt be in. I went to get the Magick Archer class almost immediately in the game and got it 10 hours in, but it was the most harrowing travel Ive ever had in a game

[@chadmorton9259]

Strongly disagree with Huber about team ninja combat. Feels better than most games imo

[@jamesbroome4802]

I still wonder what was up with that Dark Souls level in Mario Odyssey. It really felt like assets from a totally different game.

[@roughlyadequate6165]

Rise of the Ronin is the sleeper hit of the year. Its so insanely deep when you start paying attention to it, and not just in the combat. The world has tons of tiny details, and even the quests have unexpected connections to other events. In time the community will come to appreciate just how ambitious RotR is. No one realizes that its a branching plot narrative RPG. Its essentially Way of the Samurai, Mass Effect/Dragon age, and Tenchu combined with Nioh/Sekiro combat. It has an amazing Transmog system, it has Cat Rental Agencies, it has roaming player character NPC Ronin you can pick fights with, which can get you in trouble with the police. Npcs react to the way you behaved during a mission afterwards, or they might react to things you did OUTSIDE THE MISSION. Trust, this game goes way deeper than a lot of people are picking up on right now.

[@H_Kazuhira]

It's literally a dream game but I'm planning to play it later down the line. Ever since Nioh I've noticed how most folks can't seem to fully grasp these games. I knew RotR would be mixed. It's always gonna be compared to something else which sucks.

[@jamesbroome4802]

Blood Pimping that Pawn!

[@matthewvandeleest8095]

Question for Damiani. Last week with the tornado warnings did you have to go to a safe spot at your apartment complex or just hangout in the bathroom with the news on? Also true dat on auto insurance right now.

[@jeremyvisser3877]

I pay $50 every 6 months for full coverage and get a loaner if my car needs lengthy repairs. That's gotta be the Texas markup for not having state income tax.

[@geoafe66]

to me the Nioh games are like hardcore arcade soullike lol the combat is mad and if you get into it it can become so fun

[@magnainsomnia]

Granblue didnt make Top 20 in February Sales?! 😢

[@Sputnik34]

Ive been watching a friend of mine play DD2. They made themselves the mother of Boc The Seamster from Elden Ring and they just throw people into rivers constantly. Its hysterical

[@Sputnik34]

Also Industria is great! It's not very well optimized but it's a very solid game

[@MichaelROLeary]

Second Damiani is real to me, I'll never stop believing.

[@StarWolf5298]

A dragon, a ronin, a unicorn, but no princess :(

[@EasyAllies]

Sorry, Nintendo doesn't send us copies until launch day. I'm looking to play before next week's show though. -Bloodworth

[@lonerdreamer92]

I recommend Industria since the sequel already looks sick; very good atmospheric game. A bit barebones but a perfect "7 out of 10" game. Also; I loved that haunted mansion episode with Huber and Gaby and was curious if any of y'all have played that Alone in the Dark reboot yet? I don't trust the mainstream reviews of it because they've never been kind to janky horror games.

[@k.constantine]

Even if T&A was everywhere in Unicorn Overlord, that'd be fine. Let artists make what they want.

[@jamesbroome4802]

wow Damiani can really sell a game!

[@rallymonkey150]

Bloods joke about using plitch after last weeks informercial podcast was such a funny joke

[@justinburchett8424]

Time stamp?

[@matthewvandeleest8095]

Go to 3:18:50

[@GeografoNerd]

3:14:32 OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Damn, Huber.

[@yunlong4800]

EasyAllies is my favorite gaming appreciation channel with depth and breadth, why the follower count has stayed at 260k 😭

[@boltpaper3791]

it plateaued since bosman left

[@unknown-xu1vd]

Dragon's Dogma 2 is GOTY !!

[@IvanBeTerrible]

Speaking of cursed, Jade Raymond came to mind when Isla made that comment about “can’t catching a break”

[@Crylar44]

PROVIDE- D

[@coyhCoyHerbert]

I would point out that the declining PlayStation and home console sales compared to the Switch/Handhelds isn't the only reason for the decline of Final Fantasy in Japan. I think it's also dark and realistic games in general in Japan. An example is the Wii sold a lot more than the GameCube in Japan, but Twilight Princess sold worse than Wind Waker and much worse as percentage of total worldwide sales than any 3D Zelda game in Japan. But in the West, Twilight Princess was the best selling Zelda game before Breath of the Wild.

[@charoleawood]

3:17:09 Having a 4090 or not isn't the issue, it's a CPU related bottleneck having to do with large numbers of NPCs in towns just as in Baldur's Gate 3.

[@zhaf]

Interesting that Huber think Team Ninja games are too much. I am most of the time fine with Team Ninja games but gets overwhelmed by Yakuza (granted I've only played the old Yakuza games). But the amount of things you can do is just too much for me, just watching all the available things I can do is fatiguing and I end up not playing them.

[@justaguy2732]

I think you are overestimating Yakuza. You just mash attack into a heavy, and occasionally pick up something and mash that until it breaks, theres really nothing to it, all the crazy stuff is just animation :)

[@oni9346]

Suprised Huber is down on Rise of The Ronin, the game where you literally form bonds with the region and its characters lol. I'd suggest he plays on easy mode which is basically normal mode for other games

[@MuMasoo]

He doesn't really give any of the team ninja games a chance.

[@MG_Gambino]

​@MuMasoo I don't want to sound like im trying to defend Huber (not really a fan), but he gets in his own head a lot. Him, mentioning all the excessive menus and whatnot, and I get it, can definitely look overwhelming. Personally, I find that to be bull, but we're all different and digest info differently.

[@n64central]

@@MuMasooding ding ding!

[@H_Kazuhira]

​@MuMasoo not entirely true since I remember him praising Wo Long a lot. But don't actually know if he finished it.

[@hododod246]

Played Unicorn Overload demo. I didn't get it. Didn't hook me. Story seems to be weak. But I think I'll buy anyway. Their previous game 13 Sentinels is at my favorite game list. It blew me away. I am also fan of the genre. It got very good reviews. So I'll give a chance and push forward.

[@landoncook1807]

The parries and kills feel light? I don't think Huber has actually played a team ninja game

[@oni9346]

Yh the kills in this game feel brutal. Arms and heads flying everywhere

[@geneticjen9312]

​@@oni9346 When ppl say kills or parries feel light, they don't mean it looks light. There can be a lot of gore and not feel good

[@CZJames20]

Comparing Dragon´s Dogma 2 combat with Witcher 3 is interesting.. I would hope this game has better combat than 10year old story RPG, I would also hope for it to have better facial animations than Witcher 1, but that doesn´t seem to be in the cards.

[@AlternativExXxHonK]

No. Its just dumb. ^^

[@charoleawood]

Except the first Dragon's Dogma from 2012 also has better combat than Witcher 3.

[@justaguy2732]

Most games have better combat than Witcher 3, no matter what year they are from

[@FCCdockrat]

Funny how the jank in Rebirth makes you want to vomit Yet the jank in DD2 is “charming”. 🤔 Neither modes bother me but a needless comparison.

[@JoshHodgetts]

Is that the lack of camera based motion blur in Rebirth? It's a big way to induce motion sickness :(

[@tracefetherman]

Im with Huber on the Team Ninja stuff... sadly, none of their game's vibe with me either, and it's to do with most of the same gripes Huber has with them.

[@sirmel11]

I don't think players should be able to control the pace of the the story.

[@nisljdi98]

Feel the same as Huber on Team Ninja games

[@sonofsparda1810]

You can talk up a game without talking down on other games. As someone who enjoyed the side quests in Rebirth and LaD8 a lot, hearing people talk down on them to prop up DD2's side quests doesn't make me want to go play DD2, it just puts me in a defensive position to say the thing that I enjoyed wasn't bad, even tho that probably wasn't the intended response you had in mind from the audience hearing your DD2 impressions. Especially since you start your impressions by making that comparison. Just something to keep in mind.

[@drbusiness2801]

This is a you problem if liking a game depends on whether they appreciate or care for another one. You're making a choice. What you're doing is called shift blaming. Just something to keep in mind 🙂

[@sonofsparda1810]

@@drbusiness2801 Sure. I can only say how these comparisons make me feel, can't speak on behalf of anyone else. If no one else feels this way and it's just a me thing then it is what it is.

[@H_Kazuhira]

Huber very clearly just isn't into Team Ninja games and that's fine. His criticisms are honest and not exaggerated like most other ppl that bash on these games. I respect that he realises he's not on the same page as others and isn't trying to bring those that enjoy it down.

[@charoleawood]

With all the Team Ninja talk in the comments I'm taking this opportunity to shout out my two favorite games ever, Ninja Gaiden 2 on 360 and Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate. It's obvious that Team Ninja used to be the Itagaki company and I pine for the kinds of games made during his tenure there. However, it's now also very clear that he needed Team Ninja a lot more than it needed him. And so, as commenters here have come to know Team Ninja as something else entirely, I think it's important to remember the Team Ninja that was and what could have been had Itagaki checked his ego some and his libido as well.

[@313gwar]

I don’t get Huber’s very inconsequential problems with team ninja games. His arguments don’t hold water, IMO. I love team ninja games. Nioh 2 has better combat than Sekiro, I will die on that hill.

[@nisljdi98]

I mean, if you dont like the feel of a game, thats that.

[@georgaras666]

lol no

[@313gwar]

@@nisljdi98I get that but his problems all have solutions.

[@313gwar]

@@georgaras666lol yes.

[@n64central]

Huber hates TN games, I think they are just difficult for him. EA as a whole have never really liked them, they probably would have gave it a 5 lol

[@charoleawood]

3:09:15 I always felt that the Souls-like genre could expand past typical sword melee combat. I believe that a traditional 3D platformer + Souls could be a great mashup so long as it played more like a 3D platformer and less like Souls. Keep the traditional Mario move set but with some limitations so he isn't as acrobatic as in Mario 64. There would need to be larger stages than have yet been seen in a 3D Mario with lots of different ways to get from point A to point B and lots of hidden rooms and unique mini bosses. I also would like to see such a Mario-Souls be designed around the moveset of Mario rather than stat upgrades --- so no min/maxing here. Otherwise you might as well just make it a Zelda game which already did the Souls thing before Souls or even Kingsfield.

[@charoleawood]

Also, with Isla describing rebuilding Dry Bones one piece at a time after death that's pretty much how Maximo worked and it's a fun idea.

[@charoleawood]

Finally, Damiani gave the best, most impassioned and complete pitch.

[@Reaper616]

Jesus we get it you like Dragon's Dogma. Shame its story is terrible. 4/10

[@BatTech]

This constant DD2 va Ronin needs to stop. They are both very different games. Why do gamers need to cause fights between games. Just play what you want. Clearly the guy bashing ronin in this video doesn’t like it and probably shouldn’t even be playing it.

[@corey_massey]

My thoughts exactly....these two games are so far apart in genre it seems weird to even mention them in the same sentence except to say that they released on the same day. I purchased both and giving Dragon Dogma 2 a bit more time for some QoL patches so I am spending more time with Ronin right now. From what i played of both....they will both appeal to gamers but they will appeal to gamers in very distinct ways. Its just weird that some people feel that they have to choose between the two...even if you can't afford both right now...as a gamer you can always go back to a good game when its on sale. Its just wild to see people trash a game to explain why they didn't buy it at launch.

[@n64central]

Well the amount of DD2 fans that hoped for RotR downfall and now DD2 is a complete mess. It is nice to see DD2 get all this bad press

[@geneticjen9312]

Most gamers do just play and not start fights. Only the Extremely Online Gamers are so loud they seem like a majority

[@brianstrike2781]

Should’ve called hogwarts legacy the “evil wizard game” in your bafta video praising the best games of the year… otherwise just stop it was good game and this stupid hate isn’t helping anybody. Which should just be at jk Rowling like idk why the devs are getting the heat when they’ve gone out of their way to make the game inclusive… way more than something like final fantasy or Zelda do, they ain’t gonna have trans representation but they get full marks for not ever trying? Weird

[@zacarybruner2600]

Legacy and Alan Wake 2 are my two favorite games of the year. The hate Legacy gets is just dumb.

[@drbusiness2801]

God forbid someone believe boys are boys and girls are girls when we just decided 15 minutes ago that isn't the case. As a therapist, we are destroying kids, unequivocally. Most, if not all of the folks I counsel that struggle with identity, sexual or gender, are looking for, and need love. Inclusion. And with the internet raising more of our kids, they find it in the wrong places. And it does nothing to solve most of their anxiety or depression.

[@dancingphlower]

Huber not grasping Team Ninja games sounds like a skill issue lol

[@unknown-xu1vd]

i'm with huber on team ninja games, low budget, no impact, animations are bad, you don't feel the character impact, anything

[@0FFICERPROBLEM]

Devs assembled in a public park to... scream? What? Wtf is happening in game dev lol

[@naheethebrave]

2:08:15 Stay salty bro. JK Rowling laughing herself to the bank.

[@ssjduelistDD]

She also denies nazi war crimes and threatens the rights of innocent children. But you do you.

[@Kyle-Marxluxia]

People are so soft just by words these days, it's crazy.

[@JDwall9192]

@@ssjduelistDDthreatens the rights of innocent children or wants to protect innocent children?

[@ssjduelistDD]

​@JDwall9192 she's more than demonstrated she doesn't care for children

[@MuMasoo]

​​@ssjduelistDD How? I dont expect billionaires to care for kids, but wondering what she said/did.

[@legendarygameguys7413]

Kotaku is on its way out because of their terrible points of view and how they attack gamers all the time. Them forcing the workers to do guides is a way to get them to quit.