GWJ Conference Call Episode 586

Steamworlds Dig 2, Gorogoa, Games of 2018 We're Looking Forward To, Your Emails and More!

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This week Amanda, Allen, Cory and Shawn talk about what they're looking forward to in 2018!

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00:02:17 Axiom Verge
00:04:19 Steamworld Dig 2
00:11:03 Gorogoa
00:12:37 Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy
00:16:30 Cory's Trip to Hogwarts
00:27:07 Mario Odyssey
00:30:20 Games We're Looking Forward To in 2018
01:21:14 Your Emails

"And we puked all over the place" is the pull quote Universal didn't think it needed until now.

no other podcast does a show about upcoming games for the year

Ahem.

And ahem.

I was being sarcastic!

I could also listen to Allen doing his David Cage "impression" all day.

Certis wrote:

I was being sarcastic! :drink:

I see.

I think I have an immunity to sarcasm. I get it from my father, who can be sarcastic all day long but is often incapable of noticing it.

At any rate, it gave me an opportunity to plug my podcast.

Beckett wrote:

00:02:17 Axiom Verge
00:04:19 Steamworld Dig 2
00:11:03 Gorogoa
00:12:37 Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy
00:16:30 Cory's Trip to Hogwarts
00:27:07 Mario Odyssey
00:30:20 Games We're Looking Forward To in 2018
01:21:14 Your Emails

And as mentioned at the outset of the episode:

01:34:00 One of the most hysterically NSFW conversations about extended universes in video games I have ever listened to and one that Certis probably wishes he deleted from the episode all together.

I'm trying to not buy any games in 2018 but Vampyr is one of the few that I'm excited about. Would it really be that hard to play Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004) with 2018 eyes?

jrralls wrote:

I'm trying to not buy any games in 2018 but Vampyr is one of the few that I'm excited about. Would it really be that hard to play Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004) with 2018 eyes?

It would be if you get to the part where you argue with the guy wearing the counterfeit Shaquille O'Neal LA Lakers jersey.

Rat Boy wrote:
jrralls wrote:

I'm trying to not buy any games in 2018 but Vampyr is one of the few that I'm excited about. Would it really be that hard to play Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004) with 2018 eyes?

It would be if you get to the part where you argue with the guy wearing the counterfeit Shaquille O'Neal LA Lakers jersey.

The thing is, in my mind Shaq is still very much a big current basketball star. If I consciously remind myself he's not, I'll remember, but otherwise in my subconscious mind 10 years ago the 90's were ten years ago, today the 90's are ten years ago, and in ten years the 90's will still be 10 years ago.

I just want to say I enjoyed this episode of Wizards with Jobs.

Into the Breach (the NOT sequel to FTL) is probably coming out.

Two others That you didn't mention that we should see in 2018 that I personally am looking forward to:

Phoenix Point, Julian Gollop's return to XCOM-style games is slated for 2018 and is looking fun and interesting.

Abandon Ship
, a FTL-like onboard an actual sailing ship that can fight other sailing vessels, sea monsters, and so on also looks pretty cool.

It's not a gaming podcast until the hosts discuss VNs, shipping, and fantasize about the sex life of fictional characters. NOW it's a gaming podcast.

Like most BioWare fans, I'm hoping, praying (to any and every freakin' higher power that may or may not exist), that their next thing is a success. I just don't want to see Mass Effect and Dragon Age go the way of the dodo. I want to see what keeps coming from the studio.
Also, yay for Wolf Among Us 2 love! I mentioned it in my "games of 2018 to look forward to" paragraph in the community GOTY thread and was surprised to see most people go "whaaaaat?!?" Seriously, do none of you people get Telltale newsletters? I mean, they actually sent an email about it, so it's coming, folks.
Also, Amanda made me wish I'd stopped at the Sea of Thieves booth back in November when I was at the Paris Games Week. I did get a glimpse of Detroit, and although I didn't like Heavy Rain, didn't play Beyond Two Souls, I'll admit I was intrigued.

Also the last half of the podcast was just hilarious. You could just FEEL the long-sufferingness in Shawn's voice when he signed off.

Dragon Age is going to be interesting. I suspect EA wanted BioWare to go hard in the loot box/up-grade cards direction (I have no evidence for that other than EA's recent activities.) I wonder how far they've gone in that direction and if they are frantically now rowing that back. Sadly, at the moment, it's going to take a lot to convince me to buy another game published by EA.

My read on Far Cry 5 is that they took to heart the criticisms of previous games in terms of race and are setting the game in America in order to avoid that kind of controversy. The problem the Far Cry series has is that, at the end of the day, there aren't really any countries where running around killing the inhabitants isn't, in some way, controversial.

Higgledy wrote:

I suspect EA wanted BioWare to go hard in the loot box/up-grade cards direction (I have no evidence for that other than EA's recent activities.) I wonder how far they've gone in that direction and if they are frantically now rowing that back.

That's one reason I'm heavily skeptical of Anthem. To me, it sure looks like its designed around lootbox mechanics with some plot shoehorned in to fit the Bioware brand. We've seen this before with Bioware's earlier Star Warscraft, and it didn't really work out. And optimist might suggest that SWTOR was a big lesson for Bioware and EA and they'll learn from that experience going forward. But I'm not really an optimist, and Anthem's entire setup suggests that they haven't learned any lessons. (EA in general does not seem to be a company that does a lot of thinking about past mistakes.)

The preview video didn't really help. I thought the gameplay looked...uninspired at best. If Destiny hadn't own goaled itself so hard in the past year, I would have bet that Anthem would be an also ran in whatever mode of gameplay we're calling Destiny these days. As it is, it might be successful, up until the point that Blizzard decides to take over that market. But even if it is successful, I don't think it's going to be a Bioware game, not like the ones we've been gifted with over the past decade or so. If it is, I'll be delighted, but I think it's best to have low expectations on this one.

Rat Boy wrote:
Beckett wrote:

00:02:17 Axiom Verge
00:04:19 Steamworld Dig 2
00:11:03 Gorogoa
00:12:37 Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy
00:16:30 Cory's Trip to Hogwarts
00:27:07 Mario Odyssey
00:30:20 Games We're Looking Forward To in 2018
01:21:14 Your Emails

And as mentioned at the outset of the episode:

01:34:00 One of the most hysterically NSFW conversations about extended universes in video games I have ever listened to and one that Certis probably wishes he deleted from the episode all together.

COD, GR, and R6 have always seemed to sexualize firearms.

And shipping them only makes sense to me.

“Soap stared longingly at the G36C, locked and secured in the weapons rack. It was short and sleek. Matte black, its allure unmistakeable.

He knew he had to have it. He could mount... well, nearly anything on it. Tactical lights, a suppressor, red dot sights, under-barrel grenade launchers (to say nothing of the options available in 40mm NATO grenades!), even a new TA31 ACOG if could get his strong, sure hands on one. The G36... no, his G36 represented everything his old MP5SD wasn’t.

He knew his MP5... inside and out. They’d spent many long, cold nights together. The MP5 craddled in his sculpted arms or poised, ready for lethal action in the low ready his well practiced finger on the trigger.

But... she was what she was. She wasn’t going to change. The MP5 was on its way out. A relic from a different time in his life. A time when weapons didn’t have the tactical accessories or... well... flexibility or even desire to mount such things.

She was no longer his submachine gun. She was just a submachine gun. The... unit’s submachine gun.

He placed the MP5SD in a vacant slot on the rack. Signed the hand reciept indicating their time together was over. The divorce was final.

Soap looked into the armorer’s eyes. There was a flash of jealousy? No. Excitement. He gave Soap a slight nod.

Soap reached his painfully perfect arms towards the G36. He felt something... electric.

The armorer shifted his gaze towards the MP5. His eyes turned cloudy for a moment. It couldn’t possibly understand. It didn’t deserve an operator such as Soap.

Soap tried. He tried to connect... really tried to connect... an AIMPOINT close combat optic. And it just didn’t fit.

And the MP5? She just didn’t understand that she broke his heart.”

kazooka wrote:

EA in general does not seem to be a company that does a lot of thinking about past mistakes.

The thought that comes to me when I look at EA these days is that they don't really understand their failures and don't fully understand their sucesses.

kazooka wrote:

The preview video didn't really help. I thought the gameplay looked...uninspired at best. If Destiny hadn't own goaled itself so hard in the past year, I would have bet that Anthem would be an also ran in whatever mode of gameplay we're calling Destiny these days. As it is, it might be successful, up until the point that Blizzard decides to take over that market. But even if it is successful, I don't think it's going to be a Bioware game, not like the ones we've been gifted with over the past decade or so. If it is, I'll be delighted, but I think it's best to have low expectations on this one.

I'm over Anthem. I actually thought it looked amazing. Ironman fighting monsters is my kind of thing but it's one thing to make an impressive looking CGI trailer it's another to make a 'game's as service' game that is balanced and fun. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong (as I often am) and the game will single handedly shake me out of my cynical state but, to put it mildly, I remain to be convinced.

In general, I think Cory is right about loot boxes. They aren't going anywhere but they will get less agressive in the future.

There is a balance to be struck here. I can enjoy a cosmetic loot box as much as the next man but the thing that kills it for me is the mean spiritedness and manipulative practices that come along with them. At the moment loot box systems seem to be balanced for someone who plays 70 hours a week rather than 7 just so those 70 hour people aren't getting away with 'too many' loot boxes. Maybe let those people have a surfeit of loot boxes and in the process allow the 7 hour guy (who may or may not be me) loot boxes at a reasonable rate. Don't throttle back XP, give people a reasonable (and again generous) chance to earn things through playing the game. Don't start making the times to loot boxes longer the more people play. Don't do behind the scenes manipulation of percentage chances to get that one thing the player clearly wants.

In other words: Play fair. You might only earn a quarter of a billion rather than half a billion but it will be more sustainable and won't build up a vast reservoir of people who are hostile to your brand.

Ok. End of rant.

I really want to be excited about Anthem but I fear it will just be like Destiny or The Division as far as story is concerned.

LarryC wrote:

It's not a gaming podcast until the hosts discuss VNs, shipping, and fantasize about the sex life of fictional characters. NOW it's a gaming podcast.

I feel good about myself because I had to look up the definition of "shipping".

Higgledy wrote:

Dragon Age is going to be interesting. I suspect EA wanted BioWare to go hard in the loot box/up-grade cards direction (I have no evidence for that other than EA's recent activities.) I wonder how far they've gone in that direction and if they are frantically now rowing that back. Sadly, at the moment, it's going to take a lot to convince me to buy another game by published by EA.

It would be an overly optimistic view to think that EA have learned from their recent experience, and will adjust their behavior in a way that will benefit players. Perhaps they're just working on a way to disguise it better...

Eleima wrote:

Also the last half of the podcast was just hilarious. You could just FEEL the long-sufferingness in Shawn's voice when he signed off. :D

I was outside shoveling snow while listening to this part and started laughing at "if you decide to come back". I just pictured him slowly shaking his head after Alan's M16 comment a few seconds before.

I love you so much, Reap.

Reaper81 wrote:
Rat Boy wrote:
Beckett wrote:

00:02:17 Axiom Verge
00:04:19 Steamworld Dig 2
00:11:03 Gorogoa
00:12:37 Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy
00:16:30 Cory's Trip to Hogwarts
00:27:07 Mario Odyssey
00:30:20 Games We're Looking Forward To in 2018
01:21:14 Your Emails

And as mentioned at the outset of the episode:

01:34:00 One of the most hysterically NSFW conversations about extended universes in video games I have ever listened to and one that Certis probably wishes he deleted from the episode all together.

COD, GR, and R6 have always seemed to sexualize firearms.

And shipping them only makes sense to me.

“Soap stared longingly at the G36C, locked and secured in the weapons rack. It was short and sleek. Matte black, its allure unmistakeable.

He knew he had to have it. He could mount... well, nearly anything on it. Tactical lights, a suppressor, red dot sights, under-barrel grenade launchers (to say nothing of the options available in 40mm NATO grenades!), even a new TA31 ACOG if could get his strong, sure hands on one. The G36... no, his G36 represented everything his old MP5SD wasn’t.

He knew his MP5... inside and out. They’d spent many long, cold nights together. The MP5 craddled in his sculpted arms or poised, ready for lethal action in the low ready his well practiced finger on the trigger.

But... she was what she was. She wasn’t going to change. The MP5 was on its way out. A relic from a different time in his life. A time when weapons didn’t have the tactical accessories or... well... flexibility or even desire to mount such things.

She was no longer his submachine gun. She was just a submachine gun. The... unit’s submachine gun.

He placed the MP5SD in a vacant slot on the rack. Signed the hand reciept indicating their time together was over. The divorce was final.

Soap looked into the armorer’s eyes. There was a flash of jealousy? No. Excitement. He gave Soap a slight nod.

Soap reached his painfully perfect arms towards the G36. He felt something... electric.

The armorer shifted his gaze towards the MP5. His eyes turned cloudy for a moment. It couldn’t possibly understand. It didn’t deserve an operator such as Soap.

Soap tried. He tried to connect... really tried to connect... an AIMPOINT close combat optic. And it just didn’t fit.

And the MP5? She just didn’t understand that she broke his heart.”

I have the weirdest boner.

That fan fic is Goodjer Commandment worthy.

Rat Boy wrote:

That fan fic is Goodjer Commandment worthy.

I went back through through all of my threads, and I couldn't find the Goodjer Commandments, even though I KNOW I updated it with a couple of threads a while back. I tried googling "site:www.gamerswithjobs.com commandments", but no luck. I wonder if it was taken down. Some of the older posts/commandments were... off-putting.

Eleima wrote:
Rat Boy wrote:

That fan fic is Goodjer Commandment worthy.

I went back through through all of my threads, and I couldn't find the Goodjer Commandments, even though I KNOW I updated it with a couple of threads a while back. I tried googling "site:www.gamerswithjobs.com commandments", but no luck. I wonder if it was taken down. Some of the older posts/commandments were... off-putting.

It used to be linked from the GWJ User Guide thread (see The Greatest Forum Threads), but seems to have gone missing.

jrralls wrote:

Would it really be that hard to play Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004) with 2018 eyes?

If you know what you're getting yourself into it is absolutely playable in 2018.

Just patch it.

http://www.moddb.com/mods/vtmb-unoff...

Hey, so are we getting the Bold Predictions in this week's podcast (and the post mortem on last year's BPs)?

Papageno wrote:

Hey, so are we getting the Bold Predictions in this week's podcast (and the post mortem on last year's BPs)?

Yep!