GWJ Conference Call Episode 405

Divinity: Original Sin, Shovel Knight, Wolfenstein, Car Mechanic Simulator 2014, Unturned, Your Emails and More!

This week Shawn, Allen and Cory get caught up on the ol' mailbag.

To contact us, email [email protected]! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about or whatever else is on your mind. You can even send a 30 second audio question or comment (MP3 format please) if you're so inclined.

Chairman_Mao's Timestamps
00.03.37 Divinity: Original Sin
00.26.34 Car Mechanic Simulator 2014
00.32.56 Shovel Knight (with a little bit of Wolfenstein)
00.41.51 Unturned
00.46.34 Your emails!

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Show credits

Sponsors: 
Music credits: 

Intro/Outtro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks

Comments

BTW, let me say about the '94 podcast last week: Flawless Victory. You guys really knocked it out of the park. You got into character, really did your homework, and it showed. Fantastic. I have a lot of memories about those games: MOO, MoM, Civ, Doom, XCom, etc. etc. It was such a great year for gaming. Thanks!

Arclite wrote:

BTW, let me say about the '94 podcast last week: Flawless Victory. You guys really knocked it out of the park. You got into character, really did your homework, and it showed. Fantastic. I have a lot of memories about those games: MOO, MoM, Civ, Doom, XCom, etc. etc. It was such a great year for gaming. Thanks!

Completely agree. I was somewhat staggered that you guys went for a full length episode while never once letting the mask slip.

Car Mechanic Simulator 2014! Yea!

A small correction re: Shovel Knight OST... It's the composer for Mega Man 1 & 9 who collaborated on a couple of tracks for Shovel Knight (which are great!). Also it's a gal, not a guy and she's also working on Mighty No. 9's soundtrack.

Jake Kaufman did an outstanding job on the rest of the soundtrack. It's incredibly cool you can grab the soundtrack in a format the NES could play. Definitely worth checking out if you like chip tunes (and there's an arranged album which is equally good).

shoptroll wrote:

A small correction re: Shovel Knight OST... It's the composer for Mega Man 1 & 9 who collaborated on a couple of tracks for Shovel Knight (which are great!). Also it's a gal, not a guy and she's also working on Mighty No. 9's soundtrack.

Jake Kaufman did an outstanding job on the rest of the soundtrack. It's incredibly cool you can grab the soundtrack in a format the NES could play. Definitely worth checking out if you like chip tunes (and there's an arranged album which is equally good).

Look if you expect us to be factually correct you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. We don't need facts when making sh*t up is just more fun.

But seriously, her name is Manami Matsumae and her work is phenomenal. Thanks for the correction!

Regarding the PC upgrades question, I really think the next big push to upgrade will come once we have more "true" next gen console titles which are also PC ports (not the cross-gen titles we have now). Then we'll have a good idea of what the minimum specs will be to run the bulk of games that rely on new engines at an acceptable to great level on the PC. if you expect a 5-7 year console generation that means sometime next year you should be able to upgrade your PC and sit on that for a good long while.

At least, that's what I'm holding out for before my next few upgrade purchases.

So, where is the promised image / video of Allen's (I think) disembodied floating head?

Apparently I am so eager to see it I posted twice....

I wondered that as well. I found it on Shawn's twitter. Allen's floating head

Whoops! All fixed.

Certis wrote:

Whoops! All fixed.

Excellent.

I was going to hold off on Divinity until I finished some other games first. I bought it as soon as I got home today after listening to the podcast. Thanks guys

faide wrote:

I was going to hold off on Divinity until I finished some other games first. I bought it as soon as I got home today after listening to the podcast. Thanks guys ;)

You won't regret it. Unless that $40 was all you had to buy food with. Then maybe you'd regret it.

Or maybe not.

MeatMan wrote:

I wondered that as well. I found it on Shawn's twitter. Allen's floating head

The real question is between Cory and Shawn, which one was Dorothy?

Tennis butt made me literally LOL at work...as the boss was walking by. Nice, Certis...nice.

Gah! I thought the 1994 bit was finished and then I see this coming at me!

IMAGE(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/protoleo/doom_skull_2_zps9cbfbc84.jpg) IMAGE(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/protoleo/doom_skull_zps32f9c7d4.jpg)

Awww, guys, you know we were just teasing you about the "dude" and Pauly Shore references! Last week's conference call was definitely one of my all-time favorites, it was brilliant!

Just finished listening to the CC this morning, and yeah... no wonder Certis was creeped out.

And well played, Dr_Awkward!

Demiurge wrote:

Look if you expect us to be factually correct you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. We don't need facts when making sh*t up is just more fun. :)

Well it certainly works for Colbert

But seriously, her name is Manami Matsumae and her work is phenomenal. Thanks for the correction!

Sorry for being pedantic! The track she contributed to World 1-2 by Brave Wave is really good too.

Demiurge wrote:
faide wrote:

I was going to hold off on Divinity until I finished some other games first. I bought it as soon as I got home today after listening to the podcast. Thanks guys ;)

You won't regret it. Unless that $40 was all you had to buy food with. Then maybe you'd regret it.

Or maybe not.

After playing it last night for 2 hours, I don't regret it one bit!

Kids can skip a few meals to pay for daddy's fun!

faide wrote:
Demiurge wrote:
faide wrote:

I was going to hold off on Divinity until I finished some other games first. I bought it as soon as I got home today after listening to the podcast. Thanks guys ;)

You won't regret it. Unless that $40 was all you had to buy food with. Then maybe you'd regret it.

Or maybe not.

After playing it last night for 2 hours, I don't regret it one bit!

Kids can skip a few meals to pay for daddy's fun! ;)

Yeah, I've been playing co-op with a buddy of mine and it's amazing. Old school pen and paper feel. I can't wait for some mods to come out.

To Cory's question over the draw of Mundane Simulation games.

Allen wasn't far off the mark in describing the draw of boring, old Sim titles. The "build it and they will come" in the context of a good game design, regardless of setting, was quite apt.

Some scatter-shot thoughts from my personal experience would include:

- Fatigue with the over-saturation of modern popular genres. Great stuff out there, but the recycled sameness makes even the best examples feel one-note.
- Disinterest in power-fantasy tropes, juvenile writing/character design, and general Michael Bay bombast.
- Desire for a more relaxing & Zen gameplay session.
- Greater interest in grounded "real world" canvasses (similar to the draw of titles like Gone Home).
- The Folk-Art effect. Low-budget, but with hyper focus and unabashed genuineness. A 180 feel from most paint-by-numbers, created-by-committee AAA productions.
- Much like travel, interest in learning about different cultural career experiences, expanding worldview. Greater appreciation for the world around me.
- Low-commitment threshold. Pick up & play for 10 minutes or 3 hours in a persistent world (think: Minecraft).
- Genuine education drawn from developing applicable skill-sets. I could totally drive an double-decker OMSI bus, Amtrack train, etc. Not saying I'd be great immediately, but I know the nuts & bolts.

Mostly it just feels like a refreshing change of pace in a gaming culture obsessed with violence and juvenile power trips. Just fine in measured doses, but the market feels weighed too heavily in subjects intensity levels that I'm no longer drawn too.

It's akin to giving up on Summer Blockbuster movies in favor of quieter, unassuming indies. It's hard to deny the quality and fun-factor of the first Iron Man flick, but it eventually grows wearisome when there's a line of six dozen Me Too! movies behind it.

I'll still be first in line when the next Elder Scrolls drops, but in the mean time, it's nice to have alternatives out there, however seemingly mundane or ridiculous.

/too many words

Aaron, I knew you'd show up when they were talking about the fascination with these types of games. Thanks for that.

I, myself, don't really get the appeal. I tried Surgeon Simulator and hated it (and it's nothing like real surgery - and thank goodness for that). I tried Euro Truck Simulator 2013, and again, I didn't see the point. I've just come from Goat Simulator, and at this point, I really think I'm done with this type of game. I just don't get it, it's not fun for me.

Well to be fair, Surgeon & Goat Simulator are more goof-games, as mentioned on the podcast. But props for giving ETS2 a go.

I'd be first to say that the Vehicle Simulation genre is about as niche as you can get and most certainly not for everyone (note: not talking about space/flight sims, that seem to get a pass on the respectability front).

Anyway, it's kind of like deep-end genres like Grand Strategy. No way in hell I'd endorse Europa Universalis IV off the cuff to just anyone. It's a genre title that comes with a TON of caveats to prospective audiences. Absolutely fantastic stuff, but extremely limited appeal.

Vehicles Sims are much the same. They look incredibly obtuse and/or pointless from the outside. But when it clicks with the right personality, it clicks in a big way. It's hard to describe because we've all been brought up with popular game genres that speak a universal language. Even if some are not to our tastes they still have a common-zeitgeist language that makes their justification completely unnecessary.

I can look at any random mascot platformer and immediately understand the draw even if it's the last thing I'd personally pick up. It's more difficult with obscure genres with limited audiences and exposure. Thus the alien-like feel they exude, not to mention the jeers!

OH GOD ALAN SO CREEPY

Anyway, was funny to hear about Evil Avatar, I'd forgotten all about it until y'all mentioned it and I recalled that I came over here from EA as well. Glad to hear it's still kicking.

pyxistyx wrote:
Dr_Awkward wrote:

Gah! I thought the 1994 bit was finished and then I see this coming at me!

*innocent whistle*

IMAGE(http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj541/pyxistyx2013/lol/doom_allan2_zps0d0c13b0.jpg)

YES.

Dr_Awkward wrote:

Gah! I thought the 1994 bit was finished and then I see this coming at me!

*innocent whistle*

IMAGE(http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj541/pyxistyx2013/lol/doom_allan2_zps32fb0ab7.jpg)

pyxistyx wrote:
Dr_Awkward wrote:

Gah! I thought the 1994 bit was finished and then I see this coming at me!

*innocent whistle*

IMAGE(http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj541/pyxistyx2013/lol/doom_allan2_zps32fb0ab7.jpg)

This. All of this. Well done!

I wish our budget for games was much larger. The commentary on Divinity: Original Sin REALLY makes me want to buy it.

I'll just have to start mentioning it to my wife. Get the idea out there, slowly. Once it's on Steam Sale, BAM! I loved the old Baldur's Gate games, and they were awesome when there was time to really dig into them.

Zoso1701 wrote:

I wish our budget for games was much larger. The commentary on Divinity: Original Sin REALLY makes me want to buy it.

I'll just have to start mentioning it to my wife. Get the idea out there, slowly. Once it's on Steam Sale, BAM! I loved the old Baldur's Gate games, and they were awesome when there was time to really dig into them.

The beautiful part is that it'll still be here waiting for you when it fits your budget. In fact, it's only going to get better with age.

Demiurge wrote:

The beautiful part is that it'll still be here waiting for you when it fits your budget. In fact, it's only going to get better with age.[/quote]

It will be there, Demiurge! And, I've got quite the backlog to get through before then. I understand that once I start - it's going to take a while to finish - even the first area. I'm just glad to know games like this are still being made.