GWJ Conference Call Episode 678

Link’s Awakening, Sayonara Wild Hearts, CROSSNIQ+, Noita, Creature in the Well. Remnant: From the Ashes, Sniper Elite III for Switch, your emails, and More!

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This week Amanda and Allen talk expectations vs Reality: how we wished we game and how it actually is.

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.

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00:01:48 Link’s Awakening
00:06:39 Sayonara Wild Hearts
00:15:14 CROSSNIQ+
00:22:00 Noita
00:29:57 Creature in the Well
00:33:26 Remnant: From the Ashes
00:37:32 Sniper Elite III
00:49:07 How we Wished we Game vs. Reality
01:12:08 Your Emails

Wow. Amanda had a perfect description of how you can consider games your hobby, and yet not have a lot of time to actually play them much! It got me thinking of how I also consider hiking a hobby. Wanna know how many times I've gone hiking so far in 2019? Zero! And only a handful of times in 2018.

I spend significantly more time visiting this site and listening to podcasts about games than I do actually playing them. Thanks for relieving some of the guilt.

Edit: Another thought. (Sorry, I'm listening/pausing/posting in real time) We need a new word other than "games" to describe this interactive video entertainment medium. Games by their nature are competitive. They have winners and losers, which is why so much (often sh*tty) dialog around video games is about who is the best.

"Did you beat the game?" No, I got to the end of the story/experience/whatever.

Don't get me wrong, there are still many that are indeed competitive, but not all of them are or need to be. Even if you want to say you "beat" the computer in a single player game, fine. But who cares if you played longer/better/faster than me in a single-player game?

Peppa: George, lets play sniper!
George: Bawwwls ooff!
Peeeppa pig! *snort* *snort*

I can’t thank you enough for talking up Sayonara Wild Hearts. I had seen it on the Apple Arcade library and completely dismissed it. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack all morning. It’s exactly the type of synth pop that I love.

Along the same lines, musically, I would highly suggest the album LSD by LSD. It’s a collaboration with Labyrinth, Sia and Diplo. I sure wish there was a game to accompany that album. As the year begins to wind down I start to think about my favorite albums. LSD ranks very high on that list for 2019. Though to be fair I have about 8 albums that are all tied for #1 at this point.

PaladinTom wrote:

Wow. Amanda had a perfect description of how you can consider games your hobby, and yet not have a lot of time to actually play them much! It got me thinking of how I also consider hiking a hobby. Wanna know how many times I've gone hiking so far in 2019? Zero! And only a handful of times in 2018.

I spend significantly more time visiting this site and listening to podcasts about games than I do actually playing them. Thanks for relieving some of the guilt.

Edit: Another thought. (Sorry, I'm listening/pausing/posting in real time) We need a new word other than "games" to describe this interactive video entertainment medium. Games by their nature are competitive. They have winners and losers, which is why so much (often sh*tty) dialog around video games is about who is the best.

"Did you beat the game?" No, I got to the end of the story/experience/whatever.

Don't get me wrong, there are still many that are indeed competitive, but not all of them are or need to be. Even if you want to say you "beat" the computer in a single player game, fine. But who cares if you played longer/better/faster than me in a single-player game?

Two things:

1). I cannot express how happy it makes me that you're posting in real time <3
2). I would like to emphasize the part where you say games are competitive in nature. Many games are delightful solo experiences where the journey is the reward, as well as many other games that structurally rely on co-cooperation and non-aggression. What we take away outside of that (competition, ranking, etc) is our personal reactions and not intrinsic to the nature of the game itself.

"Can You Shoot The Balls Off" might become a Twitter feed in the near future.

Sayonara Wilds Hearts is the new Scott Pilgrim. Except: It’s futuristic rather than retro. Pop rather than punk.

Rat Boy wrote:

"Can You Shoot The Balls Off" might become a Twitter feed in the near future.

"Games You Can Shoot The Balls Off In" sounds like an algorithmically generated sub-genre that appears way down the infinite scroll of Steam's home page.

Considering the download numbers of the conference call, I'm realizing that may be the single largest audience that's ever heard something I've written, and it's a knockoff of "The Night Before Christmas" featuring a scorpion named Murderbutt. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

trichy wrote:

Considering the download numbers of the conference call, I'm realizing that may be the single largest audience that's ever heard something I've written, and it's a knockoff of "The Night Before Christmas" featuring a scorpion named Murderbutt. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

I'm trying to guess, but "depressingly prideful" and "erotically shamed" are vying for the top spot.

Jonman wrote:

"erotically shamed"

Is it too late to change my tag?

trichy wrote:
Jonman wrote:

"erotically shamed"

Is it too late to change my tag?

Looking at it now, I'm not sure you need to.

trichy wrote:

Considering the download numbers of the conference call, I'm realizing that may be the single largest audience that's ever heard something I've written, and it's a knockoff of "The Night Before Christmas" featuring a scorpion named Murderbutt. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

trichy, let me share with you some wisdom that I myself recently had broadcast to a wide audience: "Honk honk honk! Honk! Honk honk!"

Hope that helps.

What was the name of the controller which was mentioned in the show?

https://www.8bitdo.com/sn30-pro-plus/

My only complaint is that it sometimes takes a few tries to connect to the Switch.

marmamic wrote:

What was the name of the controller which was mentioned in the show?

Agathos wrote:

https://www.8bitdo.com/sn30-pro-plus/

My only complaint is that it sometimes takes a few tries to connect to the Switch.

This is correct! Will put a link in the show notes as well.

One thing I love/hate about Remnant is that your first boss is not the same as our first boss, because those, as I understand, are different for everyone/generated. My first boss for example is a huge guy with a sword trying to ram me or cut to pieces. And his big suicidal boom friends don't make killing him much easier. Not beaten him yet. So.... Fun times.

trichy wrote:

Considering the download numbers of the conference call, I'm realizing that may be the single largest audience that's ever heard something I've written, and it's a knockoff of "The Night Before Christmas" featuring a scorpion named Murderbutt. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Sorry to hear your book didn’t do well. For what it’s worth my wife really liked it (it is still on my very long to read list).

Basically everything in this show was kind of the opposite of me... I play games to the end. I've finished 89 this year. I play 10-40 hours a week, depending on how busy my work schedule is, and work 40-70 hours a week. I watch all the cutscenes to the end, and get annoyed when I accidentally skip one because they decided to make the skip button in the cutscene the same as the pause button elsewhere in the game. I try not to just sit and read about games, but rather listen to podcasts or watch shows while playing games.

About the only thing that's the same is I really like 8bit do controllers.

Does anyone have a link to the twitch streamer Amanda recommended during the podcast?

ChihuahuaPugs wrote:

Does anyone have a link to the twitch streamer Amanda recommended during the podcast?

Thanks for the reminder - that would be CaseyExplosion!