Is the internet being too harsh on that Suicide Squad trailer? | Friends Per Second Episode 16

[@SkillUp]

Listen to the Friends Per Second Podcast here or on your podcast platform of choice: linktr.ee/friendspersecond. Don't forget to follow us on all the social platforms while you're there!

[@Vahig7]

Laymen come back! You can blame it on the micro transactions! Laymen gaymen! God, I always think about the videos! Laymen come back! You can blame it on the Shitty business practices! There was always something about you 2 baby! Laymen come back! 😢 (Baby come back parody through text)

[@stickman4087]

I hear a lot of people say graphically Wo Long isn't that impressive. Does it at least look as good as Nioh 2?

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

If you want proof that the term "JRPG" has been used in a peyorative material, look for the following material: - The racist review of Baten Kaitos of 2002, and many of that site's content - The panel where Phil Fish (codeveloper of Fez) shouted at a FF XIII developer "Your games suck" - Opinions made by Polygon's co-funder Anthony Gies saying Vanquish "it's repetitive, clunky, and irritatingly punitive. Very Japanese" - Player Essence video about the topic - Maximillian Dood's reaction to your video and him sharing his experiences about people disrespecting the genre - Bioware's cofunder saying "JRPG lack evolution"

[@Dracobyte]

​@@fernandozavaletabustos205 as well as Adam Sessler insane rant.

[@mr.irrelevent8956]

Pretty sure WB forced them to make this

[@DeffNinja]

I think after the debacle that was the Avengers from a pretty respected developer the internet is being more than fair to Suicide Squad.

[@urazz7739]

Yeah, there was a good example of don't do a looter shooter type of game with a comic book title, especially when a lot of the characters don't really translate well into the looter shooter type of game.

[@DeffNinja]

@@urazz7739 Hulk getting beat by random bots. Smh.

[@zanlo1824]

@@urazz7739 Avengers did the characters more justice than what suicide squad looks to do.

[@glockwrkorange-ey4rp]

​@@zanlo1824 there is so much bias in this podcast its insane tbh.

[@chrisj320ac3]

​@@glockwrkorange-ey4rp 🤣😂🤣😅

[@Graavigala85]

Jirard always looks so weird when he shaves...

[@ryantheanimator1156]

He looks so unrecognizable now, must be the new haircut./s

[@transmissionsfromthespaceb1850]

Saw this comment before the video loaded, got a good laugh outta me! Lol

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

I think he's gotten a tan

[@soylencer]

Ralph is looking a little extra like Nathan Fillion't

[@joshbnimble]

You mean Alex. Could have sworn it was Alex.

[@rikou1986]

Instead of a fun anti hero game we got 4 people that could be anyone with guns shooting purple things.

[@whosasking9655]

ikr. If it's just a shooter game with pop culture characters, it might as well be released as a fortnite skin.

[@frankieb9444]

Hell Ya Dude

[@greed-1914]

For sure. The characters and equipment look so interchangeable that it doesn't matter which character you pick.

[@unkwnfella4849]

Pretty sure the point of this game will be just to use the models for r34 content 🙈

[@javierlandaverde4108]

This comment confirms that the internet is harsh to AAA games lol XD/ Same energy with Hogwarts Legacy before it was released. Microwave Society system at its finest

[@Tommygun23455]

They’re not being harsh, just objectively concerned with the right reasons especially coming from a renown company like Rocksteady who delivered the stellar Batman Arkham series. We smell WB exes interfering with the project especially when the co-head of Rocksteady left the studios midway through the production. Right now, I am looking forward to Insomniac Spider-Man 2 , we have yet to see ANYTHING with the game yet , and it has me more excited for it .

[@gdottothegamer1001]

Also, people got traumatized by that bat family game

[@gauravmir]

They're*

[@SPACECOWBOY705]

@@gdottothegamer1001 and the avengers game

[@dtanobo]

Exactly. Honestly you can never be too harsh on games with live service models when they're so often used to squeeze money from players instead of providing a fulfilling experience. Being complacent let's devs make games like this

[@ionseven]

FOMO microtransactions, passes, drip fed content and just a Game-ified shop scam planned to be milked for a decade like GTAO. Not to mention the mechanics and everything else in it looked no different than every other FOMO scam. What a gd dirty industry. Marketing is pushing the "harsh" narrative since they assumed Rocksteady pedigree was a slam dunk for shareholders. Bunch of sleazy crooks.

[@matiasnieto1048]

Making a videogame has become an incredible long process, so Suicide Squad probably began production before Avengers fell flat and so many other games as a service had to shut down their servers. This game probably began production around 2017, when some companies still believed there were going to be more games like Fortnite, LOL and Destiny. Thing is, these type of gamers rarely change games at all. They find one they enjoy and play it constantly. I teach at a High School here in Argentina and when I talk to my students about videogames I'm amazed that they only play a single game for way more than a year. Luckily, companies that have traditionally made single-player games have already realized this and will stop trying to make the next Fortnite or Destiny.

[@permeus2nd]

@matiasnieto1048 to be honest making a game dosnt have to be a long project taking years and years but you have some studios like BioWare that were working on Anthem for something like 3 years without knowing what type of game they were making, the devs only found out the direction of the what the game was going to be when they saw it at E3 and sadly from what I am hearing much of the same thing is happening with dragon age 4 dreadwolf. The management team working on Vampire the masquerade bloodlines 2 messed it up badly it was meant to come out the start of last year/the December 2years ago but got delayed multiple times before paradox stepped in firing the management at the studio and putting another team in charge and the old management were doing such a bad job we still don’t know when that game will be coming out, they lost a ton of money on that as they had already done the ad campaign for it including a massive ARG. So we have mismanagement making games take longer which can also lead to new problems like going back the dragon age 4 it was meant to be very much like the Avengers game with how it was full of micro transactions left right and centre but after seeing how bad that did a call from up high was made and now they also have to swivel it back to been a more class single player game (like it should have been from the start). We have a massive push for better and better graphics and photo realism when you have game like minecraft and undertail that are some of the most played/loved games and they look like they were made for the commador 64.

[@CrispBaker]

I mean yeah it's a long process, but as we saw with FFXV or Anthem you often get these big swings where you go from years of preproduction meandering to a headlong sprint to ship, where the bulk often gets done in the year and a half before release I suspect this wasn't a live service game until 2020 or so, and might not have even been a Suicide Squad game until the movies got some heat on the IP. The way that everything feels really generic fits

[@truecaliber1995]

Right, because customer attention/time is a finite resource everyone is competing for. Once enough products hit stores, however, that time becomes nearly nonexistent. The market simply cannot sustain more than a few live services at once. Not when each requires _all_ of your time as opposed to a reasonable percentage. Of course, most companies don't realize this or simply don't care with everything being easily traced back to a single origin point: A handful of isolated executives and investors plagued by shortsighted greed, who simply cannot perceive future negative consequences. Short-term success over long-term success. So, they endlessly chase finite industry trends, like a rabbit chasing a carrot on a stick. Yet, in doing so, they've robbed themselves of the latter. The result? Only a few products survive. In other words, if too many triple-A companies continuously pursue this failing business model, we might actually bear witness to a second industry crash, reminiscent of the one that occurred in 1983.

[@CataclysmDM]

No, I feel like we're being just the right amount of harsh on the trailer. Do you actually think these companies will learn or change if we just stay silent and accept their awful practices?

[@andye7715]

as long as you don't buy the shitty games...sure they will change...they want to make money. If the live-service model is not working, they need to change. Avengers is a good example. Huge loss for Enix.

[@PantsaBear]

@@andye7715 Not buying a game and doing nothing else sends an unclear message to execs. Theyll often blame the IP or dev talent rather than the stuff that actually had the game fail, which can eventually lead to lost jobs. Its harder for execs to gaslight a game failing to investors though when "Suicide Squad Battle Pass" is trending on Twitter for a week during its full gameplay reveal and its all negative tweets and coverage.

[@grogu411]

No. Saying something trash when you haven’t played it isn’t just the right amount of harsh. It’s okay to be skeptical but everyone is just acting like this game is garbage.

[@glockwrkorange-ey4rp]

​@@grogu411 sounds all to familiar with the kinda funny crew lol , easily one could argue worse.

[@Hates-handle]

This channel is not for critical thinking it's for mindless consumerism

[@kryppo4245]

Nah after 7-8 years after knight they give us marvels avengers : DC edition they deserve the hate

[@joker-sh5hv]

Exactly. If it took 7/8 because they changed directions from a looter shooter midway through that would be okay, but 7/8 years for this???? No way.

[@gobbledygook5000]

Exactly. They deserve to fail, and they deserve to go out of business. I have zero nostalgia for this developer if this is the game they decided to make.. Screw them.

[@HOTD108_]

@@gobbledygook5000 Well, you shouldn't have nostalgia for them either way. Nostalgia is a bad thing. It's when you are tricked into thinking you like something just because it's from your past, and not because you actually appreciate something for what it is. Enjoy things for what they are, not through the fog that is nostalgia.

[@jerryjohns5119]

For me, not even that they deserve hate. They’re just not getting my money lol.

[@ChaseSchleich]

I've been against this game since the moment the first trailer was revealed. It broke my heart seeing Rocksteady go in this direction. I knew we weren't getting another Arkham game (although I originally had hope that WB Montreal were doing one. Fuck Gotham Knights as well), but I was hoping for a single player Superman game or a Flash game, something along those lines. So many options and they pick The Suicide Squad and then take it in the live service shooter direction. It's mind boggling.

[@jimjones9631]

It's a game that doesn't need live service being injected into it trying to get more money and engagement. I think the reception is more than fair and the sheer lack of quality live service the AAA industry has been shoving out

[@srai5333]

i was expecting it to be a brawler game with co op mode. i was so confused when i saw them running around with guns. this game is trying to mix things that does not go well together and people can see it.

[@RobStevens64]

I did some consulting for video game developers quite a while back. They were building a game based around a mid-tier IP, and wanted my feedback on it. I told them that the game was good, not great, but solid ... but that it didn't feel like the game matched the IP. My recommendation is that if they felt they needed the IP to sell the game, they needed to lean into that, otherwise, drop the IP. Whenever you use a major IP, there is a massive amount of expectation that comes with that. You can subvert expectations to a degree, but not completely. But the key to that is making sure you understand what is core to the characters and what those immutable expectations are, then working around those. Like a coloring book ... those lines are there, and you can color in them and around them, but you really can't change those lines without fundamentally changing what the picture is. That's what happened in my example ... they didn't know what a fan of that IP's expectations were. This IP was both a movie and a TV show (staying vague as the NDA did not have an end date), and I told them that the theme song is verging on a musical signature at this point, was the thing that tied the movie and TV show together, and if they can't get the rights to the song, it's going to be very hard to make this feel like it's the same IP. They ended up cancelling the project. For Suicide Squad, the gameplay style they've gone with, driven by the mechanics needed, just don't work with these characters. It makes it feel like they've changed the essence of who these characters are. There's a reason why the story beats and cutscenes are working, but the gameplay immediately creates dissonance, it feels like a completely different thing. It will never feel right. Sometimes you can't quite tell why, but in this case, the gamers are absolutely nailing what's wrong. "Why is Harley swinging around like Spider-Man?" "Sure, Captain BOOMERANG, famous for using his guns." None of it feels true to the core of these characters. I think these ensemble IPs will never work in these gameplay contexts, because it's extremely difficult to great systems and mechanics that fit neatly with ALL the characters in the ensemble. It makes the parts that don't fit feel bad. A loot-based game works for some Avengers characters (you could make sense of it with Iron Man, for example, who constantly upgrades his suits), but does not fit with Hulk at all. It doesn't fit with Thor. It doesn't fit with Kamala Khan.

[@nicholaslalonde2117]

The expectancy of having superhero games as live services for the future is completely thrown out of the window when you look at just Insomniac who are getting ready to put out a 3rd spiderman game, and a wolverine game later down the line.

[@HOTD108_]

1. How to you know the Wolverine and future Spider-Man games aren't going to be live services? They could be. 2. I thought the upcoming Spider-Man game was going to be "Marvel's Spider-Man 2" so why do you say it's the 3rd one?

[@Amoro22]

@@HOTD108_ miles morales

[@whenallelsfails21]

@@HOTD108_ because insomniac would have to be completely and utterly brain dead all around to make a decision like that when the last two superhero games were not live service and praised by so many.

[@muckdriver]

@@HOTD108_ sony doesn't like taking big risks unless the studio(usually a high profile one) specifically seems to want it. So unless insomniac is begging to make it live service I'm pretty sure sony is just asking for "3rd person story game".

[@jeveritt8398]

​@@HOTD108_ because it'd be a pretty dumb move for insomniac to pivot into live service for a sequel. Plus Sony is likely going to push live service games with spin offs like the last of us factions and that multplayer horizon game rather than their big releases

[@DMichaels8621]

With a big first time gameplay reveal, devs typically show you a nice slice of what to expect. To think there will be more depth beyond what we see? Rarely happens. That was rocksteady trying to hype us, and it did the complete opposite.

[@aahzmandiaz2767]

Yes. I'm out after the trailer. That is not harsh, that is common sense. I do not play live services. I play games.

[@CrispBaker]

It can happen, but you usually know which developers are going to be artfully hiding the depth in their trailers. Western devs putting out a live service game, yeah that ain't them.

[@matthewhall1467]

Exactly. It’s insane that leadership looked at that footage and thought “yeah, this is EXACTLY what people will pop off for”. It demonstrates a complete inability to read the room when consumer trust is at an all time low

[@ARKumalarkey]

I feel like the difference between JRPGs and western RPGs is kinda like the difference between anime and western animation. Most of it comes down to vibe, aesthetic, and use of tropes. Things get confusing when something has a bit of both, like Avatar The Last Airbender.

[@ranzu3138]

Being harsh on big companies is always moral.

[@trolledchaos6531]

PREACH

[@Reynsoon]

we should bully wb some more. it's fun and morally correct

[@conaldeugenepeterson2147]

@@Reynsoon sure, being vocal about concerning aspects of an upcoming game from a beloved developer is bullying.

[@Reynsoon]

@@conaldeugenepeterson2147 We're on the same side here, I'm just boiling down nuance for comedy.

[@aytony4090]

@@Reynsoon In my humble opinion, the only way for a lesson to stick in someone is to bully that person into submission.

[@casey8836]

Ralph was spot on with a choice regarding live service offerings. I hadn't realized it until he said it. I am an Apex main. That's the game I play daily and sprinkle on other games around it. I don't have the time for more than one of these. 🤯

[@Daniel-yz3zf]

Exactly... the time investment required to juggle multiple live service games (and actually progress in them and keep up with seasonal content etc) is a huge barrier. There's only so much time and appetite in the market.

[@MtlRocker]

Shot out to editor Jake for dealing with Lucy's mic so well. I couldn't tell she was having issue.

[@djlee_exe]

Oh man that Joe Blackburn interview is going to be VERY INTERESTING after the public reception to Lightfall.

[@CrispBaker]

Funny thing is that Lightfall does that Destiny thing where it switches from trash campaign writing to great seasonal writing, and does it almost on a dime You can tell Lightfall was written by Destiny 2's worthless modern dev team (who're following in Luke Smith's tradition of uselessness), while the seasonal content was left to the actually-good writers who do the books and such

[@JaydevRaol]

12:18 - Yes, Ralph I'm also all for any Team of Developers trying something new and fresh but as you guys said when it comes to the majority of live service games it doesn't feel like a *Passion Project* . Also to add to what Blessing said at 12:45, aside from *Tango Gameworks* going from *The Evil Within* to *Hi-Fi Rush* , top of my head I can't help but think of *Obsidian Entertainment* who just recently gave us two small but fresh games i.e *Grounded* and *Pentiment* because a bunch of people at that studio were passionate to make such games and they made it a reality with great success. Besides, there are also Studios like *FromSoftware (Dark Souls)* and *Ryu Ga Gotoku (Yakuza)* which don't necessarily try something completely fresh instead they change and refine their formula and give players a new experience while also making sure their teams are not artistically worn-out. Great episode as usual. Thanks! 🙌

[@AlwayzFresh]

When I think of a shark involved in combat, I definitely imagine it has great depth vision and a snappy trigger finger. I also look forward to this game being broken at launch, requiring months to fix, then drip feeding content at a snails pace.

[@Pumba424]

Don’t forget the announcement that planned future content is cancelled and the servers will be shut down 15 months after launch.

[@envoyofrot7046]

Did you just leak their roadmap? 😅

[@Pumba424]

@@envoyofrot7046 I can neither confirm nor deny the details of their roadmap 🤫

[@TsunamiWombat]

@@Pumba424 15? Whoa there partner, cool it with those sky high projections we're looking at 12

[@lordxmugen]

@@TsunamiWombat 12? Thats some optimistic thinking there partner. Best I can do is 6.

[@R4WxLiam]

I love hearing Lucy on podcasts for many reasons but especially whenever she talks about anything to do with the North East of England. Sunderland is always in the shadow of Newcastle, so it's cool to hear about that too, being half mackam. Awesome podcast as always everyone!

[@Montesama314]

Me, an American with VERY little knowledge of the UK: "Newcastle... next to... the old one? Eh, you speak funny words."

[@Jojo-nq3bp]

people are simply fed up with the games as a service genre with games like hogwarts legacy selling 12 million in 2 weeks, elden ring 20 m. it's safe to say people prefer games with a begining middle and end coming together as a complete package on day 1 with no continuos and egregious monetization schemes made to keep you logging in in hopes you spend more money

[@Jojo-nq3bp]

@@diomedes7971 cant believe we're defending gaas of all things. modern gaming

[@sidew8ys]

Ralph does give teacher vibes honestly. I could see it

[@jaypee9812]

Hell no, we're justified in being harsh on that game.

[@OneAndZer0]

Its not even out yet, how do you know you're justified? I think its very justifiable to be skeptical or lowering your expectations dramatically, but even gamers in this comment section are saying Rocksteady deserves to go out of business. That's too harsh imo.

[@RokushoTheRavager]

​@@OneAndZer0 I can agree that saying Rocksteady deserves to go out of business is extremely unwarranted, because they have not done anything to deserve such a thing, but the negative reactions to Suicide Squad is completely justified. We've told these soulless organizations time and time again that we don't want these brainless, overmonetized, thoughtless, unfulfilling looter shooters, yet they continue shoving their heads up their asses and don't listen, so now people are being blunt and aren't sugarcoating shit anymore. Add to the fact that the overwhelmingly vast majority of them have been complete utter garbage and we have literally no reason to believe this will be any different. I can wholly admit that when I first saw the reveal, I quite enjoyed the showcase to be honest. The gameplay looked quite fun and I love the emphasis on traversal, but what exactly will the game entail, what's the substance to it all? If I'm just going to a menu selecting random missions to grind for gear or resources, completing the same ol' missions again and again, in similar looking city environments, the novelty of the gameplay is going wear off hella quickly. The potential boss fights really concern me too. If all I'm going to doing is shooting at a bullet spongey boss and draining its health bar, that will not be engaging in the slightest.

[@EdwardKenway-lr5tl]

I had such high hopes from the makers of the legendary Arkham series which defined the superhero genre and after 8 years they gave us this shit.

[@adampotts8127]

And to think 8 years is essentially how long it took for them to make all 4 Arkham games including Montreal's Arkham Origins, yet we're not getting a single player focused experience when they're also marketing this as a continuation of the Arkhamverse 5 years after Knight.

[@Solus147]

17:27 I like how they started drinking one by one 🤣

[@ThatsCoolJoshua]

I listen to a couple podcasts all over the place about different topics but this has become my designated video game podcast. Keep up the great work, FPS.

[@peteoconnor6388]

Live service is the NFT of the gaming world.

[@itol2201]

I don't think this is quite true. Live services actually function and give you something, and even when they're awful, they still are a tangible product (sort of)

[@EnsignRedshirtRicky]

@@itol2201 When the service is shut down you have nothing. While you have the NFT image, and the sole rights to reproduce it.

[@peteoconnor6388]

@@itol2201 What did the players of Apex Legends Mobile, Battlefield Mobile, Rumbleverse, CrossfireX, Knockout City (a few the were closed this year) get in the end?

[@Muhammad-Jacobs699]

That is until you add NFTs into a Live service game. There were several attempts to do this but to no one's surprise it failed...

[@peteoconnor6388]

@@Muhammad-Jacobs699 Then you've got shit IN a shit game ecosystem.

[@tijgerlil]

Not gonna lie... Lucy moves off camera for a second at 1:52:09 and I was SO hoping for another cat cuddle moment. AND THEN WE WERE BLESSED WITH CAT'S PRESENCE. I was so happy. Best episode so far. 😀

[@snelldor1474]

It’s basically timing in the world. What better time to reveal your gameplay a week after most of the big live services decided to end all support for their games.

[@TheOutlawed1000]

It’s like they got cursed.

[@Sir.Craze-]

"most of the big live services" Which ones? That's a pretty specific statement.

[@Sir.Craze-]

@@diomedes7971 GTA, Destiny, fortnite, overwatch, world of warcraft (arguably), warzone, rocket League, you could even argue games like tarkov, insurgency, arms or squad would fit (I may be confusing squad with something else 🤔) Thought I'd add add a few for good measure

[@artichoke2541]

I actually cannot wait for that interview with Joe Blackburn after the poor reception of the Lightfall's story. I'm sure it will be very interesting!

[@CrispBaker]

The whole suicide squad segment is turboironic considering Lightfall coming in with a firm "splat", and Destiny's ongoing issues with attracting and retaining anyone except Destiny Sweats Ripping off Destiny is a bad idea not just because there's no room but because Destiny itself isn't in a great place

[@throwaway450]

​@@CrispBaker While I get your point, remember that the vocal internet isn't always the actual majority. Me and my friends are enjoying Lightfall A LOT and we aren't sweats. Maybe 5-7 hours a week.

[@CrispBaker]

@@throwaway450 Thing is, you heard that same argument about World of Warcraft during Shadowlands, and it ignored the larger mass of people that just silently faded away. Now the game is a shadow of what it was. You and your friends are enjoying lightfall, but is it because it's lightfall or because it's you and your friends?

[@OGodTheTrex]

Let's see a Star Wars Podracer in VR; that game was sick! You could do the face buttons to switch driving modes between forward and back, then control the throttle to each engine, separately with each controller. Quick turns would require driving backwards on one side and forward on the other, like a rowboat.

[@animalbancho1726]

SkillUp has to be only guy who likes video games enough to discuss them that actually enjoys Destiny. It’s so weird

[@cykeok3525]

45:56 The thing about a car dashboard or cockpit reducing VR motion sickness is an interesting point. Now I wonder if having the interior of a helmet being visible (not just floating UI elements) would also help people who get disorientation/motion sickness, for games like shooters and anything where you're not in a vehicle.

[@Penrose707]

Missing Gerard today but also very nice to meet Blessing, hope to see him on again

[@scottyvan]

Jake is such a gem - everyone rambles on and on while he just waits politely to state his point.

[@davidowen1274]

Like Ralph constantly inserting himself into everything and interrupting people

[@sepiroth426]

Ralph could definitely be a writer if he wanted. His KZbin video are some of the most well thought out on the platform. I believe it's what really sets his apart from the others doing what he does

[@dingus2k]

it’ll make you feel like a menu 😂 that shit was too funny

[@OGgluttonoustoad]

What Blessing said about Yoshi's Story is exactly how I feel about Zelda wind waker. The game is insanely nostalgic for me even though I never played it. I watched my sister play it and my other sister guide her with a guide book. Such good times and I've always had a soft spot for that game because of that

[@dingus2k]

hell yeah love to see blessing join up with you guys again!

[@cienalmas316]

Jirard without a beard looks really different.

[@dklingen]

Ralph or Lucy, so what is the chair brand/model that you both now use to eliminate back pain?

[@aussiegecko1892]

I would love an answer to this to confirm but thankfully most high end chairs look quite different from one another. This to me looks like a Herman Miller Aeron Chair. Yes I'm getting that from literally looking at the top corner and a little bit of googling but, they are honestly quite distinct from the rest of the ergonomic lineup. More than happy to be wrong though.

[@kuwaitian1579]

this is slowly becoming one my fav podcasts

[@SooRandomTV]

Ralph I got to say I've watched you guys separately for many many years. The fact that you've come together to do podcasts has become my go to listen. Thank you, keep up the good work all of you and stay safe.

[@WaffleOnTheRun]

I think people are being a bit too harsh because I think it looks fun, but I also realize that no one, including me, really wants this out of a Suicide Squad game, especially by Rocksteady. They could have been working on a Superman game, which honestly would have been insanely hard I honestly think it's impossible to make just flying around as Superman fun but if anyone could have done it it would've been Rocksteady.

[@Jojo-nq3bp]

the whole jrpg stigma came in with phil fish, x play and the bioware co-founder. even monolith soft had something to say about the jrpg term back in a 2015 gamespot article

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

To be more precise: If you want proof that the term "JRPG" has been used in a peyorative material, look for the following material: - The racist review of Baten Kaitos of 2002, and many of that site's content - The panel where Phil Fish (codeveloper of Fez) shouted at a FF XIII developer "Your games suck" - Opinions made by Polygon's co-funder Anthony Gies saying Vanquish "it's repetitive, clunky, and irritatingly punitive. Very Japanese" - Player Essence video about the topic - Maximillian Dood's reaction to your video and him sharing his experiences about people disrespecting the genre - Bioware's cofunder saying "JRPG lack evolution"

[@dnickxvi5055]

When SS:KTJL was announced, I was expecting it to be akin to Guardians of the Galaxy (same with Gotham Knights and Marvel’s Avengers tbh). Wasn’t dying for a SS game either way, but under Rocksteady it could have been really cool. Such a bummer all these superhero games aren’t hitting the way they should. At least we have Spider-Man, Wolverine and (maybe?) the Wonder Woman game to look forward to.

[@rokktober-personal]

Ralph: “I recommend people start with Final Fantasy X as their starting point” Me: We just became best friends Ralph

[@Ashtarte3D]

I can definitely agree with Ralph on the view of how people approach live services now. While I wouldn't throw FFXIV on that list I can kind of see what he means. I only just got around to playing Endwalker, loved it and immediately tapped out because that game isn't designed to try and keep me coming back all the time like live services are. If any game qualifies as live service that I picked as my poison it's Path of Exile, where every three months a new league comes out and I'm back at it again.

[@lostvayne9146]

I agree. I checked the definition of a live service and it is as stated "A live service game is a type of video game that's designed to keep people engaged, so they play it for as long as possible." FF14 is interesting in that its an MMO but its design philosophy is one where they have stated in interviews to treat as if each expansion is a new FF game. That its okay to leave. You come in, do the content and wait for the next one. This shows with how FF14 has zero retention systems (do not speak of semantics). No heavy grinds or dailies that you have to do. 85% of the game is casual content that do not make you stay. Which leaves the one thing that keeps people engaged and that's the social communal aspect that you can only get in an MMO.

[@gctypo2838]

I've played a few live service games, some longer than others, but never stuck around. I played a lot of TF2 back in the day (back when it was still getting new stuff). I played ESO almost entirely solo and enjoyed it, but dropped when I got to endgame stuff. I've played plenty of Warframe, sort of faded out of it again at the lategame/endgame (Eidolon raids etc). Played some DRG until the progression didn't retain me anymore. I can never really retain interest in these kinds of games long-term. I just bounce around. The thing is I often end up treating them as single-player games. Even if there's more of a grind, even if there's less shenanigans to be had. I enjoy them, but playing them as just this "forever" game where I am part of the group that plays it, just isn't for me. I've been playing MHW, really enjoying it, but I'm approaching it as just a really long single-player action game. I'll play the DLC when I get there, and then move on to another game once I feel it's done.

[@bulutcagdas1071]

Really nice podcast, I have been searching for something similar to Cooptional podcast ever since they disbanded and so far this has been the first show to give me the same quality.

[@CatSixty6]

There is no "Games as a Service" fatigue, there never was a demand for it and since they are flooding the market with those atm they are finding out how little anyone wants these games!

[@runbaa9285]

Nah. It's not that there's no demand for it. Games like Fortnite, Valorant, and Apex Legends are successful for a reason. What publishers are finding out is how fricking hard maintaining a live-service game is and it's not the quick-cash solution they were hoping to be. Some Destiny and Apex Legends dev have spoken up in the past how maintaining a live-service game is a brutal, long-term commitment, and that very few dev teams are equipped to deal with the load that the model demands. These publishers are just shoving unprepared devs into the live-service model wanting a quick cash and then getting slapped by the reality of the model's work-demands.

[@CatSixty6]

@@runbaa9285 I don't think that Destiny, Fortnite, Valorant etc are popular because they are live service games. I know what you mean with them being popular that other devs see it and want in on that. But in general these games are community driven and respected despite being live service games. You could have them be as popular as they are (even more so if you ask me) if they weren't. People despise games as a service because their nature is to try and pull as much cash out of you as they can, even many devs (even if they are involved) find this disgusting but since there is so much money involved if a good game happens to have it, they try to implement it into everything

[@CatSixty6]

@@diomedes7971 The thing with those is that the most popular are those where you don't need to put money in. You gain nothing from investing money into League that a f2p can't also achiev. You might look cooler doing so but you won't pull ahead because you invested money. And that's what greedy publishers don't understand, people don't like the games as a service model, neither are those games popular because of it but instead they are popular since they are good games in general. If your only quality is that you can pay your way through a game and also have to pay if you want to stay competetive, then your game's gonna die out rather quickly. LoL and PoE could work as free games but they couldn't maintain it without offering something that people can buy. Others that invest time into it can even surpass those who pay and that's what makes those games stand out imo

[@runbaa9285]

​@@CatSixty6 They wouldn't have been as popular as they are without the longevity that comes from being live-service. By live-service, I mean regularly getting supported with trickle of new content, not necessarily the monetization system. While egregious monetization is synonymous with most live-service games, it's not a core component for a game to be called "live-service". In fact, Apex Legends probably has one of the more egregious example of overpriced packs and skins courtesy of EA. Majority of Apex players hate the monetization system. But at the same time, Apex Legends is also the de facto best Battle Royale FPS game in the market bar none. The game was popular from the get go when it shadow dropped in 2020, yes, but it also wouldn't have the longevity it has now without the live-service trickling content AND the fact that the game has a solid core on its own that keeps getting expanded with each new Season. There are plenty of examples of solid multiplayer games that died off not because of egregious monetization or the game wasn't solid. They just weren't getting new content, and players fell off, like Splitgate. That's the unfortunate reality of the live-service model. It's very volatile. But speaking of Suicide Squad and paid PvE live-service games, what makes it more frustrating that publishers are shoving these battle passes is that PvE games as a live-service HAS been done well with games like Monster Hunter World and the new Hitman trilogy. They kept getting trickles of new content after the game releases, with seasonal events peppered throughout the year to keep players occupied. But even without any addons, they were solid games on-release or offline. Monster Hunter World IS LITERALLY Capcom's best-selling title of ALL TIME, and it had a live-service model up until the end of its support-cycle. And yet, publishers can't seem to grasp WHY Monster Hunter World worked. It's written on the goddamn walls, ffs...

[@young__blacksmith]

Lucy has some of the wildest lore

[@quentonlyles619]

100% deserved. Ask anyone how these characters should've been designed, and they'll take not 10 seconds to say exactly what everyone else thought these characters should play like. We all got it, somehow the devs didn't.

[@Dr.Deagle.]

Blessing keeps popping up on all my favorite channels and I ain't mad

[@michaellynch9550]

When you hear somebody talk so negatively about so many different parts of a game and then they finish it with “ oh, but I’m still gonna play it”. That bothers me so much. Have some balls and send a message. Vote with your wallet. Let them know that it’s unacceptable.

[@theblobconsumes4859]

Fully agree.

[@GhostwalkerSparrow]

Apparently it’s only considered moral to do that if it’s against the “woke” Disney but whenever people try to boycott other companies it’s “oh but think about the developers/producers!”

[@animalbancho1726]

I agree, it annoys me, but in this case these are game critics, they probably like, have to play it to review it

[@Tom-gp2uo]

It’s literally their job, and 4 people on a podcast not buying it isn’t changing shit anyway. If you want to do that for it, there won’t be enough people to ever matter.

[@Tom-gp2uo]

The deflect system was just about as easy as it was in sekiro I’d say. Can’t compare to souls party system because that’s just a system that exists, where in this is a system that was designed intentionally for a core of the game so it’s gonna be slightly more generous.

[@kes-3d]

Live service games that are successful, no one ever seems to mention Warframe anymore. I really gelled with that one, a lot more than I did with Destiny.

[@WhiteThugNo3]

Can't wait to hear what Blackburn has to say about the reaction to the Lightfall story!

[@matajuegosoriginal]

fun fact in hitman in the Paris level if you wear the white suit some guards might say 'is that pitbull?'

[@ajwaddanwarr3409]

I will never get tired of that intro man, its soo relaxing!!

[@sambauman69]

Listen. Live Service Games aren't made for the false reasons of having a "continuously evolving experience with constant content additions." They are made to extract as much money out of players as possible by forcing them (through reward incentives and FOMO) to keep playing long after the game stops being fun for them. The response to suicide squad was not too harsh.

[@thilankavithanage1891]

Internet is 100% fair to Suicide Squad. However some weirdos are too harsh to Hogwarts Legacy. You should talk about it.

[@henzoko5946]

They’re too afraid to talk about it.

[@timcope1866]

They all(except for Jake) made their stance last week of not supporting Jk Rowling so they won’t address that issue

[@hughmac7423]

I think the PSVR2 is pretty damn good. I've been into VR for 6 years, on PC, I've had 5 headsets. The PSVR2 is half the price of PC VR headsets, and has features they don't have, with eye tracking, foveated rendering and haptics. Visually it is almost as good as top level PC VR headsets and better than any of the older ones. Screen door affect is minimal, there is a bit of a film grain affect because of the OLED screens, but it is not that much of a problem. It also has a massive IPD range, going up to 75mm, which not many headset cover.

[@bittersweetblueberry3517]

Even if you like Destiny. I think it's impossible to say its live service model is good or a "blueprint" for other games to follow. It is extremely over monetized.

[@chadfurlong2919]

My favorite VR experience is Star Wars: Squadrons. Just like racing, it's effortlessly immersive, since you don't have to move around while seated - you take your seat with you. It's super fun to whip my head around to look for my next target without having to give up control of my ship's movement.

[@MoveLove427]

Loved Blessing's video about the black hair. Approaching subjects like this with empathy and understanding brings people closer.

[@sterntoaction1]

Super organised podcast. Well Done. Everyone was insightful! Those two hours of talk ended quick and seemless. I guess its now to go work out my gamer bod.

[@windsorguy22]

I feel like the thing people always forget all the time is this game was in development since 2016 2017 when all live service stuff was starting to kinda happen you can't just backtrack after a few years and predict already the future of less live service being accepted, I feel like that constantly gets overlooked always with games when critizing them and not taking that into account

[@lordxmugen]

That's not the consumer's problem. Especially in a market with so many different choices and AAA products that ask for a lot of money and only want to give you NOTHING in return. They only have themselves to blame.

[@percypringles4163]

Doing so pre-spring lawn work today. Thanks for keeping me company!

[@ClexYoshi]

Okay, Ralph, I need to stop you. 15 years ago wasn't PS2 era. 15 years ago was 2008. This was the era of "ugh, god, can we just be done with boss fights? they're this stupid relic of bad Japanese games." This was the era of Phil Fish telling people Japanese games are bad. this was the era of Japanese publishers desperately grasping at straws trying to get western devs to take cracks at their IP to appeal to western audiences. 15 years ago was the era of Blue Dragon, of Lost Odyssey, of Radiata Stories, of Star Ocean: The Last Hope, of Valkyria Chronicles. 15 years ago was the era of Dragon Quest 9 being a DS game, of most JRPG releases being banished to the PSP. 15 years ago was the era of Oblivion, of Fallout 3, of Fable 2, of Mass Effect.

[@lw8882]

I haven't watched in a while, because I was a bit burned out on podcasts. Watching this episode makes me want to go back and catch the ones I missed.

[@eddaggett56]

I think with all those old XPlay clips floating around, that Phil Fish video, and several other examples, I think Yoshi P and other Japanese developers are justified for feeling like they were being made fun of with the JRPG term. It’s because they were, and very regularly just for being Japanese. Obviously not everyone was like that but it was well documented for that time how awful certain people in game dev and journalism were

[@NaviRyan]

I think with a blanket terms like jrpg, can have different connotations to many different people same for cartoons and anime. For westerners anime means specifically Japanese or Japanese looking cartoons. Where as anime in Japan means animation which is synonyms with definition of cartoons. Except in Japan their “cartoons” aren’t pigeonholed into being just for kids. My dad who has watched fritz the cat yet makes fun of me for being into anime. So I said to him “yes I watch anime with school girls because the western alternative is boring cgi movies that I feel constantly lectured to”. To which point he agreed replying“I guess western shows have gotten bad”.

[@carlisborgon]

to me, the quote from Yooshi P didn't seem to say JRPG was synonymous with bad or anything negative, but more so how that term otherized anything out of Japanese RPG devs because of a few heavy hitters that set the stage for some Japanese RPG developers. It's like from the perspective of the devs that even did the first few "JRPGs", they were just trying to make RPGs, and their products being labeled as something completely different from normal RPGs just because it came out of Japan wouldn't be flattering. It's kind of like when anytime a black person is excelling in their field, their achievements are contextualized with them being black even if that isn't a notable part of their achievement. For some its flattering, but its not hard to see how it can feel ostracizing to have your achievements/uniqueness be boiled down to something inconsequential to you, like race or culture. I know the race thing is not a good direct comparison but it's an easy parallel to draw.

[@Alfonso88279]

Action rpg is a concept that doesn't exclude being western rpg or japanese rpg. It just means that is not turn based. Baldur's gate is a western rpg but it's not an action rpg, since it works through turns... assaults, even if the player often doesn't notice. Ys is a franchise of jrpgs even if their gameplay is action based. A game can be an action rpg AND a jrpg. Nowadays jrpg makes reference to a narrative style and certain aspects of worldbuilding. It's kind of hard to explain without writing a lot because the concept includes lot of details more or less subjective areas. For example, jrpgs usually have a more emotional party of characters with certain stereotypical behaviors that can be found in japanese animation too: The horny old guy, the tsundere, and a long etcetera. Then the dialogue is more emotional too, for adult people that haven't been in contact with anime for years it usually feels more corny, exaggerated, and less realistic. There may seem to be exceptions but in my experience, once you look deep into a game, there are almost no exceptions. Japanese people have some aspects of writing so deeply engraved into their culture that you can't separate them. Adult people with a lot of experience in different types of rpg can differentiate very, very easily the different types. Now, one thing is true, it's that nowadays the limits between jrpg and western rpgs are slightly blurry. You can easily think that Forspoken is a western rpg based on aesthetics. Once you see the dialogues and the story it feels obvious it's not, the core motivations are very anime-esque. Sometiems it's not even directly related to the origin of the game. Japanese creators can create western style rpgs, and western creators can create japanese style rpgs, just like with anime, they can imitate each other style, but it usually feels a little bit weird when they do it. The smaller the game is, the less noticeable the difference usually is.

[@Ronin11111111]

It's kind of adorable how Skill-Up doesn't know what games media was 10-15 years ago.

[@matthewfairchild3846]

Yeeessssss! I listen to this while walking my mail route! 10-mile walk + FPS = Happy

[@RedShadowOfSaturn]

It's extremely telling how things have changed when SkillUp can make a video literally titled "if you aren't paying attention to Warframe, you aren't paying attention to gaming," where he discusses how Tennocon 2018 showing off Warframe's ambition evolving their open worlds, building space combat and epic narrative quests are making amazing waves, and 5 years later, same guy is calling Lightfall "ambitious" because...new subclass...and a host a quality of life changes, many of which should've been done years ago. Warframe is a month away from releasing a rogue-lite open world that looks ripped right out of Elden Ring, that also presents a new start-of-game option...alongside their 10 year anniversary...which makes it entirely relevant given how many live services are dying... But yes...green powers and loadouts are "ambitious." SkillUp...I get that you've chosen Destiny as your one live service, I respect that. You're still far and away my favorite voice in gaming commentary. But Warframe is doing EVERYTHING that people THINK Destiny is doing and represents...and it needs to be covered. Give it the couple of days deep dive it deserves. Please.

[@Lumilicious]

45:20 this has been my take on VR since forever. Games that put you in a cockpit (flying, racing, deep diving? dunno) are the best way to experience VR. UNLESS you have room scale/fully body tracking. Then I believe things like VR chat can be a banger.

[@nicholaslalonde2117]

Blessing is always such a pleasure to listen to! Hope he can be on the podcast again in due time!

[@ShaunLevett]

Appreciate Lucy introducing an international audience to Niall Quinn! His big man little man combo with Kevin Philips was devastating.

[@LEXICON-DEVIL]

No. No they aren’t. Instead of a Justice League game they tease the Justice League for another game that goes Pew! Pew! Pew! Shooty-Duty! FortNite Micro transaction 10 year Anthem and marvels avengers plan special happy family WISHHHHSHOWWW!!!!!!

[@nhodgie]

1:51:38 On that note, I recall that during the Switch Launch Period the attachment rate for breath of the Wild was over 100%, ie: people either bought 2 copies, or bought it outright prior to getting an actual switch to such extent that it outsold the physical hardware.

[@Darkeus1]

Nah the concern is legit.

[@MsDoubleTeam]

Love one of the people mentioning Hi-Fi rush because it's so amazing, can't wait for your video on it :D

[@Kat1kafka]

No. Microtransaction infused Battpass, Crack down copy paste, online requirement even for single player and ugly character designs, mosty the female are just terrible,wonder woman looks like a ma'am

[@deniskasperovich8251]

They should’ve just made a Superman game, Metropolis design looks very good, it’s a shame we got this instead. They could’ve made the story about Superman getting poisoned with something and you have to rebuild him to his full potential throughout the game making it more challenging…

[@joeinzinga6123]

To answer the title: hell nah

[@RobVespa]

The (new-to-me) format in this video with the colored borders, etc., is nice. I like it! This show continues to improve.

[@Corey_Mckilling]

show was great until we got 15 mins into "wahh black hair, descrimination" then it just got preachy AF

[@langleymneely]

Wow, you must be a delight to hang out with no? People describing the content of video on a topic that is important and opening people’s minds on an issue they didn’t know existed is “preachy AF”? Cool story. 🙄

[@TheDarman]

Another thing I thought of: they should’ve just done DLC like how they handled it in Arkham Knight. If you buy the Season Pass, it gets you a large number of cosmetic items. They could handle new characters/missions the way the Killer Croc or Mr. Freeze DLC was handled in that game. It gets released, it is story gated, and then you can add heroes to the roster to play as. With a healthy end game loop, you can keep people around, but I’d guess the meat and potatoes is in going through this game with friends and working through the campaign together. Adding content that adds replay ability to that campaign would be the best policy. There were so many better ways to handle post-launch monetization and they took the worst kind of monetization model for a game like this. They should’ve kept it as a co-op open world campaign with some stuff to do at the end of the game (FREE REMAINING LEAGUE MEMBERS FROM BRAINIAC’S CONTROL) with the remaining league members being quite difficult and requiring some amount of grinding, but otherwise leaving post-launch content to fill out non-level-gated content that everyone can enjoy and provide new entry for players. The issue with the model they have adopted is that the game can’t end or, at the very least, can’t end for years. It would be a lot easier to see how they make the game work if they were on a yearlong timeline and establishing that additional content support for the game ends with one final league member being added to the game. This would make it so that you do end the story (beat Brainiac), but can come back for one final raid boss of a character who was under Brainiac’s control and has basically become the post-facto leader in the endgame since he is still under his control. But, unless they plan to just do that in perpetuity (which will no doubt get old after the fifth update like that), can we even beat Brainiac at the end of the game?

[@traumashark]

I'm in a weird place with SS:KTJL, I don't like a lot of live service games. I only got into Fortnite because of the DC skins (Big DC fan, but not a Snyderverse fanatic) I recently put down Fortnite so you could say I have "room" for a live service game, one season pass I'll invest in if the rewards are enticing enough. So for me, this game fits that need. A game based off one of my favorite reads, not to mention James Gunn did wonders for those characters. But something I can come back to weekly, try out and master an expansive roster of upcoming characters and get the skins from my favorite comic events? I'm in, though I am skeptical after Gotham Knights and I'm hoping it at least has more mission variety than Avengers.

[@TJ-vh2ps]

It’s like instead of Sekiro, From Software came out with a by-the-numbers looter shooter. They don’t have to remake the same game, but it should be something that plays to their strengths and comes from a place of passion.

[@DanteMasaru]

I appreciate Ralph's take regarding a company like Rocksteady dipping it's hand into the live service pool, which could be considered somewhat shallow in regards to the number of successful ones. His point on how some are already invested in one or more of the successful live service game only to be enticed to try another one, certainly factors into the overall disdain towards SSKTJL reveal. That said, however, I really think such a sentiment is in the minority compared to the mindset of "Live service automatically means bad". I don't blame anyone for being skeptical or cautious about the live service distribution model, given the number of ones that have failed. But being skeptical or cautious is far different from already judging the game as "DOA" or "doomed to fail". To me, a developer with such a high pedigree such as Rocksteady, I imagine the gameplay loop will be compelling enough to keep me playing. Admittedly, if it were more of a single player game (with co-op), my anticipation would be a bit higher because I'm am one of those individuals that Ralph mentioned who is already invested in a live service game.

[@LaztstaNd]

If somebody thinks Suicide Squad looks good, I'm not going to judge them, but for me it's quite simple. You have 4 super villians using guns, that's the weakest, most uninteresting thing they could do with this concept. They could've elevated the live service model to new standards where all of the the main 4 characters are basically 100% different from each other and every time you play one of them, it feels like a new game almost, I think people would be way less forgiving if that was the case. As is, it's going to be something you play one time and be done with, even though it's supposed to be something you'll be playing for years.

[@MrJagermeister]

46:00 - Regarding motion sickness in VR while in a vehicle with a cockpit view, think of it like driving a real vehicle going 70mph. Relative to the car’s interior, you’re still going 0mph as everything around you is stationary. So it’s often easier to get into games with a good cockpit view (or even something like the upcoming Switchback VR, where you’ll have the roller coaster cart surrounding you and the track ahead of you to focus on). For people just starting out in VR, the best games to play are things like Pistol Whip, Beat Saber, SuperHot, etc. where you’re standing still and the world comes to you. Or games like Moss 1+2 where you’re standing still, looking over a diorama in front of you and controlling a character in it, or Demeo where you’re in a tabletop RPG. The most advanced experiences are your typical FPS where you have smooth locomotion/smooth turning. In those you’ll want to use accessibility options like teleportation, snap turning, vignette view, etc. at first and then in time as your brain gets acclimated to VR being a “normal” thing that isn’t going to kill you, all of those options can be dialed back and you can move with the analog sticks. It’s just strange at first for your eyes to be telling your brain that you’re standing still but the world around you is moving, but the haptic feedback in the controllers and headset of the PSVR2 really help to ground the rest of your body with physical sensations like the fall of your footsteps beneath you, the sound the ground makes, the impact of physical actions, etc. and I’ve found that jumping back into VR after more than a year of not playing it has been a lot easier on me than I would have expected due to the haptic feedback. Main thing if you’re new - **TAKE BREAKS, PLAY FOR SHORT BURSTS OF TIME**. Stay hydrated, aim a fan at your face to keep cool (it also helps with immersion, especially movement like the wind on your face when you’re racing down the road in a convertible or climbing up a mountain etc.). Have some food in your belly, maybe take some motion sickness meds like Dramamine about an hour before playing if you’re prone to air/sea/car/motion sickness or just to stave it off in case, ginger root chews are supposed to be excellent for motion sickness, and even just regular chewing gum for some reason, as well as copper bands/bracelets. Just NEVER try to push through it if you feel nauseous or uncomfortable; stop immediately and take a break. Even if you don’t come back that night and try it again the next day, it’s better to do that than what Ralph did in RIGS and have your brain’s first experience in VR be a bad one and potentially scare you off of it. Take at least 5 minutes per 30 of playtime to get some water and give your eyes a rest. Consider turning the brightness of the headset down too, to around 70% or as low as 30% (the HDR lenses are really bright and intense and it will make it a lot easier on you to do this and then work your way back up if you want). Don’t go in worrying that you’re gonna get sick though. Unless you’re prone to car/sea/air sickness already, you’ll likely be fine. You just need to “grow your VR legs” which is something virtually everyone has to do when trying VR for the first time. It’s like riding a roller coaster for the first time; your brain thinks “WHAT THE F*** IS HAPPENING?!‽” but when it’s done, you’ve had a good time, it’s flooded with happy drugs like serotonin and dopamine, and you feel good about it, and likely go on to seek out bigger, taller, faster coasters with more loops and become a junkie for them. VR is much the same; it’s a new experience that you want to get used to first and it’s better to do a small coaster than try the biggest mafakka around on your first attempt.

[@via_negativa6183]

I'm mortified of getting VR cause I get motion sickness playing some video games ready and it's never gone away

[@jules.decastro]

honestly best crew of podcasters all have individual unique charms!

[@juststained]

Ok, no one, and I mean no-one could have guessed this episode would start out with Lucy regailing us with a story about being brought into a futbol locker room as a child, with the team using it, and getting a photo with a near naked man.......I think Lucy has a great and entertaining book about her life just waiting to print money in the future.

[@untuxable5076]

On Suicide Squad: Live-service games are exhausting because they require so much and give so little. It's not an inherently bad model in a vaccuum, but it feels like far fewer titles in that genre can co-exist because the standardized formula includes so many time-sink aspects; limited-time rewards, high playtime/resource requirements, etc. As someone who's toyed with a few and never bought a battle pass, the live-service model is an immediate turn off for me because it always creates a sense of FOMO and NEVER gives a sense of finality and closure. You never finish a live-service game; you just get tired and leave, and that never feels good.

[@StuartFknLil]

A Tony Hawk Pro Skater BR would actually be so sick. Every couple minutes 10 people with the lowest score get eliminated. Along with a shrinking zone. Certain areas have point multipliers randomly each match AND you can knock other skaters over to ruin their combo. Let's gooo.

[@JudgementNutter]

So apparently Deadshot in Arkham City was a fake and the Suicide Squad version just killed him off screen for impersonating him. So why did Batman, World's Greatest Detective, not know Deadshot was a black guy? And why was he white in the Assault on Arkham animated movie if that was also part of the Arkhamverse? Why not just make him Bloodsport from the new movie, he wasn't mentioned or seen in the past and they can do whatever they want with him without messing around with established lore.

[@wormerine8029]

As a bit wester RPG (or cRPG) fan, one of the fundamental differences between western RPG and jRPG is lack of custom protagonist. wRPG attempting to translate table-top to digital setting often focus on player choice, reactivity and player input. That is a bit point in which jRPG tend to differ offering a set cast of characters, with rigid storyline and more focus on power gain than customisation. It’s a pretty different experience. What I think would be mistake is thinking of western RPG and jRPG as separate categories. I consider games like Witcher3 or Mass Effect to have more in common with a jRPG, than a cRPG - progression is mostly vertical, characters and stories are rigid and offer very limited player expression.

[@MrJagermeister]

1:01:55 Next week is gonna be an interesting show with the Lead of Destiny 2: Lightfall, now that people have had time to realize that they kinda hate it.