Are you ready to embark on an epic journey through the world of fast food and gaming? We're going to start off our adventure relishing the return of the McRib, then challenge ourselves to a soft drink detox in the spirit of the new year. Stay tuned as we discuss what qualifies as a soft drink and the alternatives that make the cut for our challenge. We're even going to get our hands on a variety of juices from a reputable company for a non-sponsored taste test at our Christmas gathering! A deep dive into the ingredients of a popular hydration drink may surprise you and our fast food indulgences might make you hungry, so grab a snack and come along!
Ever wondered what it's like to compete in the Brisbane Regionals for Pokemon gaming? You're in luck! We'll share our exhilarating experiences, strategies, and results, along with the thrill of meeting fellow gamers. The road to the World Championships from Australia is not easy, and we discuss the challenges and opportunities that come along the way. If tales of top players making a good living from tournament prize money ignite your competitive spirit, you won't want to miss this segment.
Finally, we're predicting the future! Join us as we analyze potential winners for the upcoming Game of the Year awards, discussing the impact of gameplay, narrative, and RPG elements on the selection process. Games like Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, and Cyberpunk 2077 are all in the mix, and we've got our opinions on who should take home the gold. We'll also explore the delicate art of sound design in games - it's a lot more important than you might think. Our discussions are packed full of nostalgia, representation in media, and our top picks for the Game Awards 2022. So, whether you're a foodie, a gamer, or both, we've got a smorgasbord of topics ready for you! Let's jump right in, shall we?
Stay in touch yo!!
Instagram: @the_duncan_and_angus_show
Duncan: @freakinchocolate
Angus: @darkhorse_barbering
Are you ready to embark on an epic journey through the world of fast food and gaming? We're going to start off our adventure relishing the return of the McRib, then challenge ourselves to a soft drink detox in the spirit of the new year. Stay tuned as we discuss what qualifies as a soft drink and the alternatives that make the cut for our challenge. We're even going to get our hands on a variety of juices from a reputable company for a non-sponsored taste test at our Christmas gathering! A deep dive into the ingredients of a popular hydration drink may surprise you and our fast food indulgences might make you hungry, so grab a snack and come along!
Ever wondered what it's like to compete in the Brisbane Regionals for Pokemon gaming? You're in luck! We'll share our exhilarating experiences, strategies, and results, along with the thrill of meeting fellow gamers. The road to the World Championships from Australia is not easy, and we discuss the challenges and opportunities that come along the way. If tales of top players making a good living from tournament prize money ignite your competitive spirit, you won't want to miss this segment.
Finally, we're predicting the future! Join us as we analyze potential winners for the upcoming Game of the Year awards, discussing the impact of gameplay, narrative, and RPG elements on the selection process. Games like Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, and Cyberpunk 2077 are all in the mix, and we've got our opinions on who should take home the gold. We'll also explore the delicate art of sound design in games - it's a lot more important than you might think. Our discussions are packed full of nostalgia, representation in media, and our top picks for the Game Awards 2022. So, whether you're a foodie, a gamer, or both, we've got a smorgasbord of topics ready for you! Let's jump right in, shall we?
Stay in touch yo!!
Instagram: @the_duncan_and_angus_show
Duncan: @freakinchocolate
Angus: @darkhorse_barbering
The goals are personality and we're back.
Speaker 1:How you doing guys and girls DNA here Junk in an Angus. How you doing Angus, my dude, my dude.
Speaker 2:Um, everyone, put your phones down. Get yourself excited. The McRibb is back, baby, let's freaking go.
Speaker 1:Prr, prr, prr, prr Eels, yeah, have you got one yet? Oh, you did, that's right, you snapped me. I've had two today, you know what?
Speaker 2:I should have gotten one for dinner.
Speaker 1:Do you know what I got? What'd you get? A stinking barbecue meatlovers pizza with stuffed crust from Pizza Hut, did you really?
Speaker 2:And that.
Speaker 1:Thing was the driest thing ever oh.
Speaker 2:It was the.
Speaker 1:Sahara, the Sahara, uh yeah. No, it wasn't that dry, but it was like it wasn't a good pizza. It was a dry pizza and I regret it much. The reason, however, in which I got it was I went to Cole's after work and as I was walking into Cole's, I was like a copter with of it. I'm like, oh, pizza smells good, I'll get pizza for dinner. So I walked over there and I ordered it, and then I went to Cole's and I didn't find what I was looking for. So I came back out, got my pizza and went home Very good, very good.
Speaker 2:So I've had two today. I'll probably have to. I'll probably have another one after this recording.
Speaker 1:Really, you got the three for the day.
Speaker 2:Potentially just two more, could be four for the day.
Speaker 1:True, true. What am I finishing here? Like the eight thirty-ish, you know what I might do the same. I already had half a pizza tonight.
Speaker 2:Even though I've already cooked dinner and have had some dinner, I think I need to go out and get myself some McRibs. I might, I might do it tomorrow and then I'll do it again tomorrow night and I can guarantee this is one of Angus's guarantees He'll have at least one, he'll have at least six McRibs a week until the 31st of December. Hells, yeah, brother, because then next year it's going to be no McDonald's or and then no soft drink. And I'm still determining what considers soft drink, and we've already discussed this, but we have, yeah, it's a great thing to ask the clients that come into the chair hey, so next year I'm thinking of doing no soft drink. What would be your parameters? And it gets them thinking as well why make mistakes on their hair so?
Speaker 1:really good. Distracts them so you can make the mistakes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think I think like sparkling water, like the sparkling flavoured waters, are good. I think zero sugar drinks are not good. I think they're too closely related to the soft drink yeah, the soda pop soda pop, so sparkling juices.
Speaker 1:like are we talking? Like Apple Tizer?
Speaker 2:No, like the Mount Franklin sparkling flavoured mineral water thing. Oh yeah, yep, yep, gotcha. Yeah, you can argue, terrier as well. Yeah, yeah, so bit of carbonation. Do you think it would count as soft drink if I've got like 20 quarter or mineral water and then add that to cordial?
Speaker 1:Zero sugar cordial.
Speaker 2:Yes, let's go zero sugar cordial.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm going to say? Yeah, I think it is the same.
Speaker 2:Yeah it's a bit too close to it. Yeah, so there's that.
Speaker 1:Maybe like, like, like a like an apple juice, maybe like an all natural apple juice in like a soda stream with maybe I don't know, I don't know what the I don't know what happened there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you could do.
Speaker 1:you could just wait for pineapple juice to go off and just have that turns into carbonated itself. Really, yeah, yeah, that that gets fizzy and it's not tasty. I recommend it I don't know.
Speaker 2:So there's that, and then got to look at some of your non-sponsored collabs with a juice.
Speaker 1:Oh juice, what do you mean non-sponsored? I'm sponsored by these boys, but the show is not sponsored. Oh, I mean, technically I can be anything that freaking chocolate does.
Speaker 2:Oh well, now to be TVC.
Speaker 1:TVC, TVC juice.
Speaker 2:Might have to look at some of those other. They have the majority of the day, just have the pre workouts.
Speaker 1:That purple one. Just there is a hydration beverage. Does it have caffeine in it? Negative ghost rider, which is, I guess that's going to be your biggest struggle, right? Not having like the, the Red Bull or not Red Bull? What do you drink, monsters and mothers and stuff of all that variety? But now this is purely just jawbreaker flavor juiced hydration with zero sugar. There is, however, taurine in this, so take with that what you will. It's got Senate Senactive 50 milligrams of Senactive, 400 milligrams of taurine, 250 milligrams of L-tyrosine. I don't know, I don't know. I don't read the things up. No, you put my body. I really have much of a much of a thing about it. However, comma, I will.
Speaker 2:It does not have any stimulating effects taurine.
Speaker 1:Oh, I will. Next time I am on the coast, which is, I'm guessing, probably going to be our Christmas gathering, oh, yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean to be fair. I'm up the coast this weekend, but just for Friday night and I'm spending time with the fam, but the next time I come up we'll to see all y'all will be for our friend Christmas gift exchange. Yep, I'll bring all the flavors. I'll let you have a taste of everything. Hmm, we'll do a taste test, taste test. I'll have these four, that you see. I've got another two different ones and I'm picking up the cherry bomb tomorrow, so I'll have a few more flavors and I might actually, while I'm at the shop, I might grab some flavor like just some taste is some testers of different flavors as well and see what else they have in there. Disease, so it's in their varieties. Hmm, yes, yes, um, so did you?
Speaker 2:know that you went to regionals. How did that go? You should spend the next half an hour talking about that. You haven't actually talked about yourself at all. We still have to get to the life of Duncan episode. We do, we do.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, we do.
Speaker 1:I had a blast at Brisbane regionals. It was, um, it was so much fun, man Like the. The atmosphere just as hectic as any other regionals I've been to. However, this time I was going knowing a lot more people. Um played my games. I was out, admittedly didn't do amazing in my games. Um, I went with more of a I'm here to have fun rather than I'm here to kick some booty hole, Um, and that exactly happened. I had fun. I did not kick the booty hole. I um. I ended up with a three and five. Uh, sorry, yeah, Three wins, five losses, uh, for the entirety of it. That's like best of threes as well. So I won three games, Three sets of best of three, and I lost five sets of best of three. That's all games. Yeah, it goes from like eight, 30 ish until, uh, around five ish.
Speaker 2:Dang. How long did each game like?
Speaker 1:last. Some were like my team. Specifically that abroad was a very slow, um it's it's called a trick room team. It was, but it was hard trick room. So I only had one mode that it plays, as opposed to some diverse teams out there, and my one mode that I play is a slow, slow play it's slow burner where I like I slowly set up things while tanking the hits and then attempt to sweep from there. But, um, alas, I prepped the team with like three or four different, uh, current meta teams that I expected to see. I didn't versus single one of them. Oh, um, so that's what I was thinking. So that's why the team didn't do as well as I would have hoped. Um, but my aim of the game was to get a win with the Clodzire and I did so.
Speaker 1:Um, it's a very me me sort of Pokemon, uh, so I had a blast doing it, went out to dinner with a bunch of friends the Friday night, actually, I spent some dinner. I went out to dinner with some friends who got there early. People had never met before. Um, we caught up. We've made content together in the past, so we caught up when I did in South Bay. You never met them face to face, correct.
Speaker 1:Um went out to dinner it was good and then obviously went to the big dance on the battles I mean not physical dancing Um on the Saturday. And then after that we got another like a big, big group of people together there was like 30 of us Um. We hit up a restaurant in South Bank and we all sat around talking about the the day of Pokemon, which it was Um, and then the following day they was a play. There was a players cup on at the same time as well, so we um those who had already not made it to day two stuck around and we played through that, which was a broad, different team, and we had some more fun.
Speaker 2:Did you win with that different team?
Speaker 1:Uh, no no, no, no. Well, yeah, I mean I put it together the morning or the night of. I was wrecked on the Saturday night. I didn't know how well go. I never didn't have any practice matches with it, so I kind of couldn't fix any holes that I had. Um, but the weekend was so fun, so much fun.
Speaker 2:So what does that mean for your trip to, to worlds? Is it over now?
Speaker 1:I don't think I'll be able to get to worlds to compete. It's just too difficult in Australia, um, without winning, like going huge on some of these regionals and internationals. We don't have the um, the amounts that they happen, yeah, we don't like in, obviously, america there's so many regionals and it's so easy to get to them cause there's so many states there and, um, we get like it's Brisbane regionals that just gone. This is like from the very, very beginning of the season after worlds that happen. So Brisbane regionals was our, was Australia's first chance, big chance, I guess, to get points. The next one is Melbourne Regionals in February, which I am going to go to because why not? And then after that we have Perth Regionals. That's a bit of a trick. It's a bit of a trick and we don't have our international championships anymore here. Pokemon Company decided to not do them here again, which is mind blowing to me. So that's where I'm limited at.
Speaker 2:So does that really mean that it's making it hard for top tier Pokemon gamers to get to world because they're not giving it up From Australia, yes, yes.
Speaker 1:However, in saying that, I was discussing with a friend of the person who came second at Brisbane Regionals and he is a 20 year old male who has it's pretty much his full time job now playing competitive Pokemon, because you get money for winning, obviously.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, like I've been to six figures or five figures.
Speaker 1:Four figures, oh, four figures. Like winning at Brisbane Regionals. Yeah, it's a four figure. Oh wait, no, I lie, it's a five figure. It is five figures. Yeah, it's crazy. He'd been to two tournaments in the past two months because he also went over to NZ. I think I can't remember where else he went, but he made 2025 or 26K, $26,000. No, no, it was 28,000. After we'd worked out the whole change of the currency conversion rate and stuff, he made $28,000 in the space of two months All that's going back into probably going overseas and doing like.
Speaker 1:One would expect so, but no, it's the Pokemon company. Also. You win travel allowances or travel awards. Oh good, yeah, so you get your prize money and then you also win your travel money. So, like, there was recently the Brazil LAIC Latin American International Championships in Brazil and the person who won Brisbane Regionals had actually just gotten back from Brazil and he'd already played there and won. I think he came, like I don't know top eight. I don't know exactly where he came, but yeah, like, and previous to that, he had already gotten his travel awards to pay for him to go to Brazil. Basically, so, yeah, so it's a full-time job for a lot of people out there.
Speaker 2:Interesting yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, yes, yes yes.
Speaker 2:So, speaking of, I sent you a snap among other ones, I think I don't know if I sent you, I can't remember, oh, but I stumbled across my old MTG cards.
Speaker 1:You did. Yeah, you sent me a photo of Me kind of going Was it a microwave? Were you like looking at that?
Speaker 2:The microwave filter. That's right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I stumbled onto that and I was like, oh you know what? I feel like I should get back into magic. The only issue I have with that is that I am useless when it comes to TCG.
Speaker 2:Deck building, oh okay, and deck building and battling. And whenever I verse people, they either intentionally or unintentionally, whichever way you want to look at it they will keep building and building and using the deck towards fullest potential. And then they go. I'll wait one more turn instead of just killing you off, putting a misery, yeah yeah. And they're like, oh you know what, and I'll end my turn, and to that I always go. Well, I forfeit. I'm not going to give you the satisfaction because you can.
Speaker 2:You can destroy me with your easy 120 hit points and you're going to wait one more turn. No, I'm going to. Not. I'm not going to give you that satisfaction and then, I get called. I'm a sore loser.
Speaker 1:Thoughts. Yeah, I mean, they probably think that they're doing a nice thing when really they're probably Like their mindset is probably I'm doing a nice thing, I'm letting you see if you can actually do anything around here. That's probably their mindset, probably, but that's just me thinking the best of people when that's probably not the case. But they, yeah, but it turns out it's actually a dick move on their behalf. Yeah, I can see both sides. But yeah, I think if I mean, if you had that banter with them already, like if you were already like trying to make a deck work, then maybe they're seeing as a Come on, give you one last shot, but like, yeah, I would also get frustrated with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so plus, it's kind of moved in a different direction. Now they're not playing the standard 60 card decks anymore, they're playing these commander 100 card decks or something. So it feels like the games are longer. So, if anything, I feel like I've just got to be lazy and buy pre-made decks and then just use that and if it wins, it wins, if it doesn't, it doesn't, but it won't bother off me.
Speaker 1:I think like, yeah, yeah, my own perspective on it all is like the reason I love Pokemon obviously because I enjoy playing the game, but a lot of it is like even the cards I'm talking about. But a lot of it to me, is the community, just like the people that you meet playing it, who you'd never thought you would have met before, and like just talking about it with them and trading with them and helping each other build different decks. That's what I get out of TCG's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, hard left turn, unless we want to keep talking about magic, which I can.
Speaker 2:Oh gee, what's your hard left turn.
Speaker 1:My hard left turn was WWE Survivor Series happened over the weekend.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:Is that the one where?
Speaker 2:CM Punk made a return.
Speaker 1:The cult of personality himself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was yeah, but wasn't there controversy behind that? So much controversy, so what's the controversy for all of us that are?
Speaker 1:uninitiated the controversy. The dude speaks his opinion, which some people think is great.
Speaker 2:Some people Now, is it his own opinion or his character's opinion?
Speaker 1:I would say both. It bleeds over quite a lot. He's the kind that, like throughout the years of watching CM Punk wrestle, he has. I believe it was in 2010,. The infamous pipe bomb promo where, like, he goes off script and just drops this promo which, for those who don't know what promos mean, it's just like talking in the microphone about something in the ring or however but he sits down and he crosses legs and sits on the entrance and he drops his pipe bomb promo, where he breaks character. He talks about how messed up the company is because everyone just like worships John Cena and it's like toxic backstage and all this jazz. It's an infamous thing.
Speaker 1:And then he left and went away for a bit. Actually, from that he gained a lot of heat and they actually put a strap on him. They made him like the WWE champion at some point throughout that run. And then in 2013, he left only to appear in UFC. I believe he made a UFC debut and, I believe, lost all his matches that he had. And then, from there, he worked around the different wrestling promos. He did all the stuff on Twitter and just kind of braided everyone he's ever worked with Not everyone, but like 90% of them.
Speaker 1:And then AEW was formed by none other than Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks and someone else can't remember the name, and it became a wrestling promo and they had a rivaled WWE, but basically rivaled WWE, which is like unheard of WWE. Would like they're their head honchos. They would just in the past. This wrestling promo is getting some good people watching it. I'll just buy them. Oh, really, yeah.
Speaker 1:So AEW just kind of sprouted out of nowhere, out of former WWE wrestlers who created it, and they yeah, cm Punk started working for them, made some good, good content over there and then also became a bit of a lack of a better term dick about it all and just got real cocky about it all and saying he's the best in the world and admittedly, a lot of that was probably scripted. But also there was a lot of stuff about him being a not so nice person backstage and then, like no one can argue with his wrestling ability the dude is just a freak in the ring, which is good, it's good for business and he said he'd never work. It'd be a cold day in hell. No, vince McMahon said it'd be a cold day in hell in which CM Punk would ever return to WWE. But now.
Speaker 1:Vince. Vinny Mack is not in the, he's not in charge of creative anymore. They finally put him down. Just retire, vince, just retire. And Papa H or Triple H took over that role and ended up hiring Maxi and Punk and people would laugh about it. But then, to be fair, it was in Chicago, which is his hometown, and he got praised regardless. Oh, okay, yeah, so it was a good time, 100% good time, plus Randy Orton returned. Well, it was not, and that was another big thing that happened, like Randy Orton returned for his first time in like two years almost. But then later that night, just to close out the show, CM Punk came out and they were like, oh, they just stole the spotlight off of Randy.
Speaker 1:Orton, yeah, so there's a whole thing there. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Oh, man man, man, man, man man. Another thing I was going to mention this before we start talking about MTG. Sorry for those who don't like my boys, but oh god, discord message. Um, I do you know, do you watch Russ eats the Russ? Is it? Russ eats on tiktok says name. He's like um, an Aussie bloke. He's got a bit of a mullet and he reviews.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, he's like very vulgar, but in a good Australian way.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, oh no, that's sorry, Different person. This is a guy who like reviews, like oh the or is back. Not worry, the Myla McFlurry is back, or? Uh, let me look him up. Yeah, it's something, something to eat. His logo is like the Uber eats logo, but like of his name instead Russ. Is it Russ eats?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's Russ.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that is him. Yeah, yeah, that's not a mullet, it's just a long hair. My bad Is that the McRib there is. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. The dude is like he's cool, he's cool, um, but I saw a video of his probably. Oh, there it is. You know what? I'm a? I'm a send it to you and I'm going to we're going to post it in the comments here. I'm going to send it to you on Facebook because, for some reason, that was the first thing that came up. Um, let me know when you get that and I want you to watch it real quick as well, unless you're saying it While he's listening to that. I'm just going to crack this cold one for the boys real quick. It's um. For those wondering, it's a lotus peak. You know tea, it's popping bubble tea, mango and red dragon fruit made with real fruit juice. Let me just give that a bit of a shaky, shaky, doodah and oh cracky, oh, so tasty.
Speaker 2:Dude, I can't hear him review man. Sorry, sorry Dang. Oh, it's ruined now. What is it about this?
Speaker 1:vegan jellies, so you remember the fruitfuls, the starburst fruitfuls, do they familiar? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, they do, yeah, okay, in my opinion, I thought they were iconic, and when starburst got left off the market or dropped from the market, I think they pulled out of the market. I can't remember. Long story short, I bought some of the vegan fruitful jellies. They, they, they got what from Woolies or Coles From Woolies? Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're plantainium. Um, full of flavor, vegan friendly jellies. The things look legit, exactly like the fruitfuls used to look. It is wild and they taste just like it, and I just thought I just wanted to share that.
Speaker 2:Well, how long ago, how long ago were, they were the fruitfuls in.
Speaker 1:How long ago? When did starburst pull out of the market? I think it was like three years.
Speaker 2:Three years? Yeah, so are you. Can you confirm they taste exactly the same? Or because it's been three years and you're, you've hyped yourself up seeing this, you go, dude, they taste like exactly the same, they're identical.
Speaker 1:I think it's the latter. I think it is the latter. You could be right and it could be me blinded by the nostalgia of it, but they play um a special part in my heart.
Speaker 2:Right. So you've seen um another laugh, another left turn. Doctor who the doctor. The latest Doctor who specials are streaming on Disney Plus.
Speaker 1:No, I've never seen Doctor who, I've tried.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a few episodes that I watched. So this latest Doctor who special is getting kind of, is getting some traction and they're almost putting this tag on it saying rip, doctor who. It's gone. Very woke-ish, like intensely woke, I'm like I feel like I am on. I feel like we're in a stage now where there shouldn't have to be kind of like, I guess, like pivotal moment scenes or something, talking about pronouns or talking about relationships or like anything in that realm, because we've had so much awareness now, there's been so much more information, there's been obvious shifts in TV shows and movies and comics and everything Like I feel like it's almost getting I'll probably get a lot of hate for this, which is whatever.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's getting a bit like tacky in a way and in a sense it kind of feels like it's like taking the piss and not taking it seriously anymore, because, like everyone, like a classic example is what not a classic? A really good example is Schitt's Creek. And then they go through have you seen Schitt's Creek? I love that movie, that show, yeah, so obviously they were talking about when oh geez, I don't know for a while, but remember the son's boyfriend, that like they start seeing and basically there was just like a brief exchange, essentially between the two dads. You know, he's one like Sean Levy was like oh well, you know, like there's nothing wrong with him, and then the other dads like no, I know that, I'm just, I was just sad they didn't tell me and it's like, oh well, and then, like that's it Like, then everyone just moves on. It just feels very organic, it feels very natural.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then it's like in these other shows and books and comics and whatever it's like they've got to make it a really big spectacle At like the hindrance of that character's potential. It's like. It's like to me, it's like just going well, the only reason for them there is to establish that, not what type of life they could be, the type of person they can be. Are they, you know, like gruff and grumpy? But they've actually got. They just show emotion in different ways. You know, are they very playful? Whatever? It's like to me.
Speaker 2:All you ever see is that character is only there to reinforce that and then that's it which is kind of. It feels like it's kind of a waste of a character. When they can be done, they could be so much more done to it. Like at the start, perfect, like just like when everything was kicking off, like that was obviously the time. But I feel like this has been going on for 10 years now. So it's like that generation is now adults and it shouldn't be a case of we have to keep reinforcing this. It should be a case of oh yeah, like that's just what it is. You know, like Imo, it was the same when I was in the military. They wanted a cultural shift and they called it like from a Navy perspective, they called it New Generation Navy. And then when I left, that was 10 years but they kept on saying New Generation Navy is like no, no, that is the generation.
Speaker 2:It should just be called the Navy now, like everything that you spend 10 years doing that's usually coincides with a general generation. General generation Like all those things that you're instilling about behavior and culture and like everything that you're doing. It should now just be standard practice, because it's been that generation. Yeah, I feel like it's getting a bit. It's getting a bit. I feel like I can't think of any of it. It just feels like it's getting a bit tacky and overplayed when it shouldn't have to be the case, like it can just be. There's just great characters all the time that.
Speaker 1:Just let them get on with what they're doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, they're non-binary or trans or lesbian or whatever. Like the whole thing shouldn't have to be Okay. We need to get them to a scene where they can explain everything and then that's life. It should just be oh, yeah, and then that's it. Like you know, it's like they them.
Speaker 1:It feels like they're building the storyline around that fact.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that fact, when it is not them at all, like, if anything like to me, it's like which I've said in the past, they're amazing individuals. They care about other people and they happen to be non-binary or they happen to be trans, or they happen to be this, or they happen to be this.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's just like you just go. When's it going to end? When is it going to be like we just get on with life? Yeah, that's me, that's you, that's. The episode wasn't too bad, apart from those rules.
Speaker 1:Is it just been one?
Speaker 2:episode so far, or, yeah, it was an hour long. It's an hour long spesh, and they're getting ready to bring in this new doctor, so, which is cool. But, like, if it's going to keep going down this way, it's just going to put me off in a manner, because it takes away from how amazing the character is. It shouldn't have to be that everything is based on that fact about the character.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah. It's like they could be a billionaire pirate, but the fact that they care about is that not the billionaire part? How did they become a billionaire pirate? How did they get all this money in crypto or whatever? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Like they just sentence around that and then usually what happens is like they'll spend an episode or two, kind of like, coming to grips with it or something or trying to work out how the relationship is, and then some something bad will happen, and like everything gets thrown out the window and they just carry bad children because they're friends and it's like shouldn't that have been the case from the get go? Yeah, what's going on here?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you've seen that, but that's what I've been kind of noticing of late.
Speaker 1:I've noticed it in media franchises, like, yeah, I've seen it happening around the place and I'm just like, yeah, come on, like, just do the story, just do the story. And I do. Once again, I see it from both sides, like I know that the people writing this might not be coming out of a place of shoving it like they might have actually be coming out of a place of love, which is fine, yeah, but it's come across as and something else. Yes, any hoos, shall we take another left turn or should we go right? Yeah, that right puts us back on the track of Well, we've made two left turns, right.
Speaker 2:Let's go, Because you've done a left turn.
Speaker 1:Then I let's go to Southwest.
Speaker 2:So a diagonal right? Yeah, because we've made a left which makes us West, and then we've made another. Is it West? Yes, southwest is left, no, no. So we've been heading in a direction. Yeah. You've then said let's make a left turn. I've then said let's make a left turn. So, we're going south now and so if you're saying Southwest, it is a probably 10, 15 degree right, because we're now heading south. So we have to turn right to go Southwest.
Speaker 1:If we're always saying yeah, correct, yeah, yeah, right.
Speaker 2:So Northwest is backwards for us because we're heading south. So if we're going to go Southwest, it is a right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's head in that direction. Okay, let's talk about Game of the Year.
Speaker 2:Have you seen what are the nominees?
Speaker 1:Have you seen, have you heard them? No, all right. So for Game of the Year, like the big, the big, big, the big category, the number one head honcho, we have Alan Wake 2. Interesting, which I've never heard of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we're part of the control universe and Alan Wake universe.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, Next on, we have we on. Next on the list we have Baldur's Gate 3. That's to be expected.
Speaker 2:That is the thing.
Speaker 1:I. That is to be expected. Next on the list we have Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
Speaker 2:That is also to be expected. They've done a very good job in refining an already amazing game.
Speaker 1:Yes, we are following that up with Resident Evil 4, which is obviously the remaster. That's interesting. Okay, we have Super Mario Brothers Wonder.
Speaker 2:Oh, I've heard that that was going to make an appearance, especially with that Piranha plant level that seems to be making the rounds on social media.
Speaker 1:I just love that you can become an elephant, like just chunky Mario, just like yeah. And the game in which I think is going to make Game of the Year the last one on the list Legend of Zelda. Tears of the Kingdom. It has to. I mean it and Baldur's Gate are going to be.
Speaker 2:Baldur's Gate 3. I reckon it's those two, because they've really leaned heavily of late into almost like open world-ish RPG style games. Yeah, the last years was Elden Ring and I think the year before that or something. I think Breath of the Wild also made a thing.
Speaker 1:I was well Yep, let's have a look From there. We have the category best narrative. So from this list, we have Alan Wake 2 once again. We have Baldur's Gate 3 once again. We have Cyberpunk 2077, Phantom Liberty, we have Final Fantasy 16. And we have Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Who do you reckon is going to win best narrative from those?
Speaker 2:What are the ones again, alan Wake 2, baldur's Gate 3, cyberpunk 77.
Speaker 1:Final Fantasy 16 and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The narrative yes, best narrative.
Speaker 2:I think it would have to be a toss up between Spider-Man and Alan Wake.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's have a look here. What have we got here? Winners are listed first, highlighted in yellow and bold faced. So ever since the inception of Game of the Year awards from 2014,. You've had Dragon Age Inquisition ever played that?
Speaker 1:No, but I've heard it some other time 2015, the Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.
Speaker 2:Then 2016 was Overwatch. 2017 was Breath of the Wild. 2018 was God of War reboot. 2019 was actually Sekiro Shadows. Die Twice, that's pretty good. 2020, last of Us, part 2. 2021, it Takes Two, do you remember? That one Yep, very good. 2022 was Elidan Ring and then you got 2023. So by the look of all these winners, it is looking like overall gameplay, narrative, rpg-esque, open World-ish vibes. So Baldur's Gate is like the ultimate open world. It's an RPG. So, geez, it is a tough one.
Speaker 1:It'll be close.
Speaker 2:Alan Wake, too, is a surprise contender, but Baldur's Gate 3 has become lore amongst the zeitgeist of memes and social media and game memes.
Speaker 1:Tears of the Kingdom people have said is better than Breath of the Wild, Baldur's Gate Better than Breath of the Wild. So like it's going to be real tough this year.
Speaker 2:Whatever happens, there will always be someone that will be sad with it, of course.
Speaker 1:It's rigged. The next segment, not segment, the next category we have is Best Art Direction. Once again, we have Alan Wake too. We have Hi-Fi Rush, we have Lies of Pi oh, lies of Pi, sorry. Super Mario Bros, wonder and Tears of the Kingdom.
Speaker 2:That's tough, I reckon, between Tears and Alan Wake too. Alan Wake too is very supernatural and very fantasy and the level designs and the storyboard concepts and the hallucination-esque events in it that you see in trailers and stuff shows that that should be the direction for art direction. But then if you're thinking art has in like not cinematic art, more like visual art, it may be between Lies of Pi and Tears of the Kingdom, because Lies of Pi has that very steam-punkish Renaissance vibe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Well, there might be a category that entails what you're potentially thinking of rather than cinematic art, but we'll continue down the track. The next category we have is Best Score and Music. So we have Alan Wake too, baldur's Gate 3. Final Fantasy XVI, hi-fi Rush and Tears of the Kingdom.
Speaker 2:I reckon it'll be between Final Fantasy XVI and Tears of the Kingdom. Both of the Tears of the Kingdom is very minimalistic because it's really relying on the open world, not silence, but very. I guess you're making it as real as possible and like the only real. From my limited experience with Breath of the Wild, all I remember is why you're traveling along. You're not really hearing much music, you're only hearing maybe some twinkles or kind of very backgroundy, ethereal stuff where Final Fantasy XVI. That would probably be where it's at when it comes to the cinematic score.
Speaker 1:So, if it matters, the composer for Final Fantasy XVI was Masayoshi Soken. Oh yeah, and Tears of the Kingdom, composed by Nintendo Sound Team.
Speaker 2:I would say then yeah, Probably Final.
Speaker 1:Fantasy yeah, Final.
Speaker 2:Fantasy, yeah, Alan Wake. So If it's anything like control and probably the first Alan Wake, it's very um, there's no lot of music in it, even in the cinematic set pieces.
Speaker 1:It was composed by Patry Alenko. If that makes sense, makes any change. No, Next category we have best audio design. Uh, Alan Wake too, Dead Space, Fire Rush, Marvel, Spider-Man 2 and Resident Evil 4.
Speaker 2:Oh, sound design. I reckon it would be the Dead Space remake, um, I reckon, or Alan Wake too, or I reckon it'll be between Alan Wake, dead Space and Resident Evil. I reckon it'll be between those, because they've really lent in nicely into the horror genre.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:The fantasy aspect of it. And so when you're saying sound design, some of those sounds are not so. Especially in Dead Space, some of those sounds are incredible, it's really they've. When I was watching interviews of it they really lent into. This should be more like a movie instead of a game. So it's like jump scares and sound like background sounds. Um, designs of how the blasts are, designs of how the um, the reaction of the blast is hitting organic versus artificial environments. So objects will be tough, but I reckon it'll be between those three. What's Hi-Fi Rush?
Speaker 1:It's like an animated sort of game that I believe um. I mean it's made by Bethesda, if that helps. Hi-fi Rush. Hi-fi Rush.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's Hi-Fi Rush, that one where you actually play. Oh, actually, I do know Hi-Fi Rush Because, like, the whole game is set on um. It's like have you ever seen um? Have you ever seen Baby Driver? Yeah, I love that movie, top 10. I feel like Hi-Fi Rush is similar to Baby Driver, where all the all the movements, all the actions, all the mechanics are in time with music and so it's all scripted in a very organic way. So sound design. Um, it couldn't be that one as well. All right.
Speaker 1:Next one we have is best performance Um watch. Um awarded to an individual for voice, act, voice over acting, motion and or performance capture.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So we have Ben Starr in Final Fantasy 16. We have Cameron Monahue Monahan Um last Jedi survivor, last Jedi survivor. We have Idris Elba in Cyberpunk.
Speaker 2:Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty.
Speaker 1:Yep, we have Melanie LeBurde, Libert, in Alan Wake. 2. Oh okay, we have Neil Newbon in Baldur's Gate, 3. And we have Yuri Lowenthal Lowenthal.
Speaker 2:Yuri.
Speaker 1:Lowenthal, Lowenthal Yep.
Speaker 2:From.
Speaker 1:Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, that'll be tough. I reckon it'll be between Monahan, elba and Lowenthal. I reckon it'll be between those three. Everyone's praising Cameron Monahan's performance in Master Jedi, yep, our Jedi survivor. Everyone's praising Idris Elba in Phantom Liberty and, um, obviously everyone's loving. Everyone is so, um, like invested in Spider-Man 2. Yeah, I reckon it'll be between those three.
Speaker 1:Okay, the next category. We have Innovation in Accessibility. Um, do you mean to explain what that is, or are you good so recognizing software and or hardware that is, pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience? Okay, so on that list, we have Diablo 4. Interesting, we have Forza Motorsport, we have Hi-Fi Rush, we have Marvel's Spider-Man 2. We have Mortal Kombat 1. And we have Street Fighter 6.
Speaker 2:I reckon it might be Hi-Fi. Yeah, all of them are just seemed really refined where Hi-Fi takes that leap into, as I said, everything's in time with music and everything grows and builds and everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so next one we have Games for Impact, so for a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.
Speaker 2:We have this bait Is one of them, alan Wake 2? No, no, oh legit, legit.
Speaker 1:These are all games I've never heard of. We have A Space for the Unbound, we have Chance of Senar, we have Goodbye Volcano High. We have Tachia, tchi.
Speaker 2:I'll never know anything, let's skip this one. Okay, I don't know any of them, same as you, I don't know any of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, here we are Best ongoing, so awarded to the game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time. We have Apex Legends, we have Cyberpunk 2077. Final Fantasy XVI, we have Fortnite and we have Genshin Impact.
Speaker 2:Oh, I mean, the biggest step up would have to be Final Fantasy. Not Final Fantasy, it would have to be what should I call it? Cyberpunk, apex or Cyberpunk. They did huge reboots huge patches, huge updates that effectively change the game For the better. Yeah, For the better.
Speaker 1:I did hear that.
Speaker 2:So if they're going to be going, if they're doing down and down that route of all that criteria, I would say it would have to be what should I call it? Yeah, cyberpunk. Okay.
Speaker 1:Next we have Best Community Support. Once again we have Baldur's Gate III, cyberpunk 77, destiny 2. Final Fantasy oh I froze, did I freeze? No, I'm good. Final Fantasy XVI and no Man's Sky.
Speaker 2:Cyberpunk and no Man's Sky. I reckon no Man's Sky has become legendary in terms of sticking with the game and making it so much better, and Cyberpunk is exactly the same as well. So all the modders, you've got to even argue Cyberpunk is better in terms of community support because they've bought in all these modders and everything to upgrade it all and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've skipped a few of the other genres because we don't know any of those games. We now come to Best VR, slash, ar, and in those categories we have Gran Turismo VII, horizon, call of the Mountain, humanity, resident Evil, village, vr mode or Synapse.
Speaker 2:Honestly, I don't know. I don't know any of those games. My biased opinion would have to be Horizon, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I think it'll probably make it, too, all right. Next category Best Action Game. We have the one game that you are loving at the moment. We have Armored Core VI Yep. Fires of Rubicon, yep. Dead Island II, ghostrunner II, high Fire, rush or Remnant II Best.
Speaker 2:Action Game Would have to be Armored Core man Like. The mechanics in that are so good and everyone's been just raving about it, so it feels very fluid, feels very awesome.
Speaker 1:Next one we have Best Action slash Adventure, alan Wake II, spider-man II, resident Evil 4, star Wars Jedi Survivor, and here's the Kingdom.
Speaker 2:And that's a hard one. I don't know All of them are so well. There's only one game in there that I was like really. Everything else was like you go anyway.
Speaker 1:All right, here's a big one, best RPG. We have Baldur's Gate III, we have Final Fantasy XVI. I mean we have Liars of P, we have Sea of Stars and we have Starfield.
Speaker 2:Here's the Kingdom. It's not there, bro.
Speaker 1:It's not there for Best RPG.
Speaker 2:What did you say Are the games were again Baldur's Gate III, baldur's. It has to be Baldur's Gate III. That's what I'm thinking of. Yeah, yeah, I agree, it's not a star, sorry, bethesda Starfield's not catching up to Baldur's Gate III. It's been out way too long where Starfield has had multiple pushbacks and everything.
Speaker 1:So Should we skip Best Fighting Game?
Speaker 2:Do I, would I know, any of the games on there?
Speaker 1:Maybe I'll skip it. All right, we'll skip it. Best family we'll skip that too. Let's see best sims. Last strategy We'll skip that. Best sports slash racing. We have EA sports FC 24. We have F 123.
Speaker 2:We have F 123 baby, don't worry about don't worry about Gran Turismo, don't worry about fours, don't worry about most wanted.
Speaker 1:On this list, man, we have Hot Wheels, don't worry about.
Speaker 2:Hot.
Speaker 1:Wheels.
Speaker 2:It's all about F1.
Speaker 1:Classic, best multiplayer Bouldersgate 3, diablo 4. Party animals, street Fighter 6, or Super Mario Bros Wonder, probably Bouldersgate or Diablo 4. I think Bouldersgate is going to snap up a lot of awards. Yeah, it will. This one here is the one I wanted to ask you about the most. Here's a big one, angus. Here's a big one. We have best adaptation, so recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium. We have Castlevania, nocturne. We have Gran Turismo, the movie. We have the Last of Us, the HBO show. We have the Super Mario Bros movie and we have Twisted Metal, which I believe is on Stan.
Speaker 2:It has to be the Last of Us it has to be the Last of Us.
Speaker 2:If it's anything else, it's a travesty. There's a reason why the game is winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards or something stupid, and there's a reason why even the remasters and upgrades and patches in Last of Us, Part 2 is so beloved. It's like just the lore and the story of it. It was the perfect thing to adapt. Obviously they had to take some liberties, but all those liberties were well justified as well. So it has to be the Last of Us. It can't be anything else.
Speaker 1:You know what's really unfortunate? It's so unfortunate that the Super Mario Bros movie came out the same year that the Last of Us dropped on HBO.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, if Super Mario's didn't come out, I reckon it would be a shoo-in, but at the same time it's more of an homage. It's not really an adaptation, it's telling a origin story, really.
Speaker 1:This is also true. This is also true. So there's a lot more to go on with which we won't get into, but if anyone out there wants to have their say, head to thegamerwardscom, you can vote. You just need to sign up. It's free. Every vote matters. So if you think that the SpongeBob sorry, nickelodeon Brawl deserves best fighter, by all means hop on there and vote for that over Mortal Kombat and Tekken. But hey, you do you. But yeah, that's the game awards which I really wanted to touch on today, which we did, which I'm happy about. Really good, very good, very good. To close it out, angus, you got any wrecks for us.
Speaker 2:It is coming up to. I think this is a cop-out, but it's very important. It's coming up to the Christmas season. Not only is it about Christmas, but it's also about family, it's about loved ones. I think I've said in the past I don't like it when you see extended family that you haven't seen in years and years just pop up and then they expect you that you're just buddy buddy all of a sudden. So for those that you do truly find your best and closest friends and family and you feel like you haven't spoken to them in whatever period, drop a hello 100%.
Speaker 2:Just say hello and then ghost them no, no, hello there, hello there.
Speaker 1:Very good, very good. My recommendation is none other than the vegan lollies that are very reminiscent of the Starburst lollies they are. They're so good I could be blinded by nostalgia, but I want y'all to have your say as well. But we are. Tell me why. Tell you why, what? Why do I love them?
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, or um yeah, I don't know, just tell me why.
Speaker 1:They taste, you man they? In my blind eye, they taste like the Starburst lollies, and the shapes are identical. Oh identical.
Speaker 2:It wasn't a heartbreak, Not at all.
Speaker 1:I'm glad Heartbreak, I should say no no, when, when I saw them on that TikTok I was like bro, I went to. I went to Woolworth the next day and that was sold out.
Speaker 2:So people obviously, so obviously. It definitely wasn't a mistake. Hmm, right, no, they knew, they knew. Are you ever going to be the same after having them lollies? Um, maybe we're going to be like you know what these lollies are. Wanted that way.
Speaker 1:I want it that way. Tell me why.
Speaker 2:I need another heartache.
Speaker 1:Um, anyways, we're going to get the heck out of here. Thank you all for listening. Um, next episode will be all about some fun shenanigans about AI, as long as our guest is able to make it, which it all signs are pointing to, yes, um, so we are going to get the hashtag out of here. Peace out y'all. Bye, love yous, goodbye.