Will Xbox Finally Deliver? Our Showcase Predictions Party

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Sunday’s Xbox Showcase is looming and we’re not waiting quietly. With Anthony back on the mic for the first time in six years, we turn Episode 183 into a proper pre-show predictions party, but we start with the stuff that actually shapes our weeks: the games we’re playing and why they’re working for us right now.

Steve brings Lunar Abyss to the table, a Game Pass sci-fi shooter with horror vibes, clean gunplay, and that perfect “ten hours and done” pacing. Anthony is deep into Lego Batman and explains why it feels like a genuine Batman celebration, from a surprisingly Arkham-like open Gotham to joyful film callbacks, including a moment that goes full 1989 with Prince on the soundtrack. Then we get swept straight back into Forza Horizon 6, comparing road completion madness, seasonal beauty in Japan, and the practical tricks that stop the map from turning into a stressful icon soup.

We also talk about 007 First Light and why it nails the Bond fantasy from the opening seconds, with a confident blend of cinematic action and IO-style sandbox thinking. After a quick reaction to PlayStation’s State of Play highlights, we lay down our Xbox Showcase predictions: will Xbox finally drop the Call of Duty back catalogue on Game Pass, show proof of life for Blade, tease OD with Kojima, or surprise us with a Fallout 3 or New Vegas remaster? And yes, we go there with Banjo-Kazooie, plus a Forza Horizon 6 DLC wish that involves Mount Fuji and maybe even Godzilla.

If you listen on YouTube, tell us where in the world you’re tuning in from, then share your own Xbox Showcase bingo picks. Subscribe, share the episode with a mate, and leave a review so more people can find the pod.

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Transcript

Welcome Back The Original Spark

SPEAKER_05 0:18

Hello, and welcome to episode one hundred and eighty-three of Gamers of the Lost Spark Podcast. I'm your host, Stuart Burgess, and joining me as always is the other Spark on the pod, Mr. Stephen Carter. Steve, how are you? I'm very good, mate. Thank you. How are you doing? I am very good, my friend. I am very good. Long week, long week so far, even though I've only been back for three days. But uh yeah, it's uh it's been good. But um do you hear something? I I feel that there's something around the corner that I can just only hear Sanky, my speaker.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

Yeah, and it's it's not your new fancy sound effects either, is it, Stu?

SPEAKER_04 0:51

What do you mean this just one? And back on the pod is the original OG Spark himself, Mr. Anthony Jason.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Yes, I'm back.

SPEAKER_05 1:05

Hello, hello guys, how you doing? How are you doing? Yeah, good, thank you. Yeah, good to have you back on, my friend. It's uh it's good to see those beaming, smiley, facey eyes back in the the loft conversion after six years. So you you but big news, you're not stuck in Star Wars Land. You are still back in Tunbridge Wells.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

No, unfortunately, they let me out, they let me go, they let me kind of come home from Star Wars Land. I wish I was in Star Wars Land, but they let me home. But um, but yeah, no, it's quite weird. It's weird to be back on the pod. It's good though. I've been looking forward to it all day.

SPEAKER_05 1:38

Excellent. I mean, I know when we uh when I sent the pod doc over last week or something like that, you just came back on WhatsApp going, my god, this is this is a blast from the past, because it is still your original document that you were using. We just butchered it for how we're doing it now.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Absolutely. It was it was really nice to see it and start filling out what games I've been playing as well, which was really cool. But I have to say, you know, like you guys have been doing a stellar job. You know, you are you are my Saturday morning podcast, and I've just been enjoying listening to you two. Most of the time, obviously, there's a lot of Fortnite, but most of the time I've been absolutely loving listening to you guys in the morning when I've been playing games and just kind of listening to you two catch up.

SPEAKER_05 2:18

Well, we do try and apologise every time we mention Fortnite, don't we, Steve?

SPEAKER_03 2:22

Yeah, we put up like a timestamp in saying, just so you know, this is the time now, skip forward five minutes and it'll all be done. It'll all be over. Just skip forward and it'll just ignore it ever happened.

SPEAKER_05 2:34

Well, if you let us know, if you let us know what podcast platform you listen to it on, because I know like a lot of the ad reads that people do, if you use the skip forward on like Apple, you can go forward like 30 seconds, 30 seconds, 30 seconds. So if if we say, right, for the next two minutes, Anthony, we're gonna talk about Fortnite, all you've got to do is press that sucker four times and you're back to us talking about something else.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Oh no, I want the full experience. I want the full spark experience. I want to hear you the good thing about it, even though I've just never been interested in Fortnite, I don't know why. But the good thing about it is that I just actually enjoy you know hearing you guys kind of like lovingly talk about it. You know, it's it's great to hear the excitement that you guys talk about Fortnite, even though it makes no sense to me. It's actually really cool to listen to. So I absolutely love it. I'm never skipping, never skip the Lost Spart podcast. Always, always from start to finish.

SPEAKER_05 3:24

I like to hear that. So when we do our mamma like four-hour ones a day, it's like you're gonna listen, listen back to it all over the weekend. You'll see me halfway through just doing this, you know. I'll be like, excellent, excellent. Well, so

Xbox Showcase Plan For Sunday

SPEAKER_05 3:35

because I think this is gonna be a long one. So, so for anybody listening, what we're gonna do this week is we're gonna do Xbox prediction predictions. So we are the Wednesday before the showcase. I'm gonna try and edit this on the Thursday and get it up on the Thursday. That might be Friday, but it will get up before the prediction goes out. So we're gonna do a little bit about the Xbox prediction predictions for this weekend. We're gonna skip the news, we're gonna skip my points update and all those really interesting things. Um, but first of all, because we have Anthony back on, and it is a gaming podcast, um, we're gonna talk about our games. So I think first of all, Steve, we're talking about the first game you've been playing, because a lot of the other ones we've all been playing sort

Lunar Abyss First Impressions

SPEAKER_05 4:15

of together-ish. So, what what have you been playing, mate?

SPEAKER_03 4:18

Yeah, so I'll start on the one that um I've played, and it doesn't seem anyone else has, and I don't know if anyone else before either, but um I started Lunar Abyss this week, which came to Game Pass uh back end of last month. I think we were discussing this just before we recorded, didn't we? Stu that I think like 28th, 29th of May, something like that. So it's still relatively new. Um so yeah, so I um had fin I can't remember what I was playing before that. Um I finished something else, I feel like I finished something. Um and obviously on my eternal quest to try and keep up with your points, Talis Stu, but fail miserably on Xbox Rewards. Uh get my uh monthly four pack and eight pack. So yeah, so I took a look at uh what was new ones coming up. Uh first person shooter. Um so it's set on Luna. So it's Luna is a bit like a moon, not the moon, but a moon off Mars, I want to say, I think. So it's set in Space Sci-Fi. You are someone who has been imprisoned for some sort of crime you've committed on Earth. Um you've been sentenced to be a scout on that um planet. Um so you go on underground to harvest like materials, investigate, that sort of thing. You almost I I I I don't know quite how, but you don't actually physically go, but you take over like a a body or like uh a person or a vessel to investigate like underground and things. Um and the idea is that you work back your sentence uh by doing the like going investigating, um going and rummaging through like the underground of this uh moon lunar. Um sentences nine like 9,100 days or something, and by doing these individual bits and pieces, you gradually wind it back, wind it back, wind it back. Um it's like a bit like a horror sort of twist to it. So there's like the scourge that's taken over, so it's like um infected almost the underground of this um colony. Um so it's like killed people, taken over, there's these monsters and things, and you've got to investigate why it's happened, there's whispering voices, this sort of thing. So yeah, it's quite a short game from what I've seen, maybe seven and a half hours to ten hours long. If you sort of don't do you know investigation and investigate what's got going on. It's quite simple. Um from what I've experienced. You only get four guns, I've unlocked three till now. Um get like an assault rifle, I've got a shotgun, I've got like a just unlocked some sort of like rail gun type thing, almost like a sniper that can break different types of shield. Um different abilities, double jump, dash, you know. It's got your usual better word, tropes, as it were, for your abilities. Um it looks quite nice, the sounds really nice in places, actually, as well. It almost like there's some of the bits that you discover, it's almost got this like orchestral churchy, religious sort of like background, because it's got the quite cavernous expanses that you discover and what I think it's quite atmospheric and it it's quite nice actually. Um so yeah, so I've probably put four, five hours into it, maybe, so probably a good halfway through, maybe three quarters of the way through. I'm enjoying it. Do you think you'll see it out? Do you think you'll go to the end or yeah, I I think so. Um, you know, like I said, I had a quick look at how long it roughly lasts, and I think given it's only ten hours at the most, it's something that I can quite easily chalk off. You know, I'm playing it on the easy setting like I do with most of my games these days anyway. Um so yeah, so it's just a quick blast, and it's one of those that I can play without any sound really, or with the sound turned down, because it's not something that I really have to pay much attention to because I go to a new place, I shoot the monsters that are there, I you know, shoot the, you know, do a bit of puzzling and platform it, which is quite nice. Um but yeah, I reckon I'll I'll tick it off and see it through, um, and then it adds to my tally for the month. But yeah, it's just related. It's a nice game that I'll play just on Game Pass.

SPEAKER_05 7:56

A bit of a bullet storm game, isn't it? It's sort of like I watched a clip of it before uh coming on on the PlayStation, and it was sort of like, you know, lots of bullets coming towards you, and you're sort of trying to dodge the bullets and uh uh and kill the boss.

SPEAKER_03 8:11

Yeah, it's almost like it's weird, it's almost like the the way that people or anyway shoot you, where they like shoot these big orbs that come at you in different patterns and things, and it's almost like um like those old school that's how I say old school, but like more retro games where it's like a spaceship and there's like ships shoot things at you and they're coming like strings and streams and different patterns and things you have to avoid and like that. So it feels almost like a a first person 3D version equivalent of that in some respects. So yeah, it doesn't again I'm playing it on the easiest setting, I get that. It doesn't feel particularly challenging, and even if I played it on a higher difficulty, I don't think it would be overly challenging. Um but yeah, it yeah, I'll see it through. It's just a nice game, it's on Game Pass. I'll take it off, like would I would I picked up otherwise? Probably not. Would I go back to it? Probably not, but it's just a nice enough short game that looks nice, it plays nice, and it it just does what it needs to do.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

I just quickly checked that out on the Xbox app. It looks really good. It looks like it looks like it could be like I say, you know, uh we're we're at that point now, aren't we, in the start of the month where we've got to rack up all of those different games. So it looks like a game to kind of jump in and kind of it's like that's one of the things that you guys talk about and and I love about Game Pass is that you can just jump into a game for five minutes. If it doesn't stick, you just did uninstall it, you know, and that's it. But if it you know, especially now with the new update, you can also delete those cheeky achievements as well or hide them, um which is which is better, um, especially in your case, Steve, because you're playing Blueby as well.

SPEAKER_03 9:37

Um, so so name it on Seb, but I really just checked it out for myself, I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Absolutely, it's just for the it's just for the little ones, but it's but it looks really good. I just like like I say, just checked it out on the expo setup. It looks like I it could be worth a little bit of a a little bit of a punt, a little bit of a kind of a fun like morning gaming.

SPEAKER_05 9:55

Well, I think you're right, you know, me and Steve have said it a few times. It it's when it's on Game Pass, and obviously for PlayStation, when it's on PlayStation Plus, it's something that you could just jump in and play and go, oh, do you know what? This looks alright, I'll give it a punt. Because I think we've all been there where we've we've waited for a game or we've bought a game, we've dropped the 60 pounds on it, or whatever, and we've got a few hours into it, and we're like, Oh, do you know what? I mean, red uh Red Dead Redemption 2 was the one for me. I bought the the £109 deluxe edition, and I played it for about three hours, and I'm like, this really is not for me.

SPEAKER_03 10:29

I mean, is is any game really worth £109 anyway?

SPEAKER_05 10:32

Like, really well the one the one we're gonna talk about in a minute, it yeah, if you if if if you're into it, I mean if you if you're gonna milk it for every mile you drive, there goes a little little pun there. If you're gonna if you're gonna

Lego Batman Nails The Films

SPEAKER_05 10:45

milk it for everything in it and go around smashing those XP boards, then uh I think so. But uh, but Anthony, you've also been uh playing as the Dark Knight on your game, which I've briefly played, but not as I mean I it came out the day I went to France, so I've not played it since because I couldn't get it on the rock. Yes, um so you've been jumping into Lego Batman. So how have you found that?

SPEAKER_00 11:07

I have indeed, and I I do know about it. It's really interesting because obviously we're going to talk about some other games and I've been balancing three games at the moment, but the Dark Knight, the the Batman Dark Knight legacy on is just absolutely superb. It's checking all of those Batman boxes for me. You know, it's it it it starts off because what it's doing it's really interesting because it's it's almost replaying all of the movies, but it's putting them in weird order. You know, if you kind of think about the movies, it's almost doing it in chronological order because like Robert Patterson's Batman is really early Batman, his year one Batman, um, for those Batman nerds out there. Um but it so it kind of has that first, and it is just fantastic. So it kind of starts and you do the the Raz Algor section where you from Batman begins and then it jumps into Batman, so it keeps kind of like going through the timeline of Batman, and you're in these levels and it's very Lego, and then suddenly you get to the point where you're dropped into Gotham City and it opens up. And for me, you know, the first thing I did was take a picture of Watertower, but after that, um, it felt like Arkham Knight, you know. I was waiting for one of those. Um it just feels like it feels like Arkham Knight, it feels like you're playing Lego Arkham Knight, and it is just it looks incredible, it looks too good to be a Lego game, if that makes any sense. You know, it's just too shiny, you know. And when when I'm kind of playing either on the big TV or the small TV, it just looks absolutely stunning. And and so so far I've unlocked quite a few Batmen, uh, but I've also kind of unlocked, I've just unlocked Robin, which was absolutely joyous. You know, you went to the the circus to see the flying Graysons, so now I've got kind of rocking kind of Batman of Robin as my other one, but you're constantly cycling through the second player. I kind of feel that this game would be a really good multiplayer game, you know, like a couch co-op game, because you are constantly switching to that second player to do some things, more so than I've ever done in another Lego game, but it's it's just incredible. But the other night, the other night I had a moment with this game. So not only are there so many water towers in this game, but it got to a point from Tim Burton's Batman. So 1989 Batman, I was probably, I don't know, 16 or something like that when that came out. Peak chessing, you know, like I had my Batman t-shirt constantly, I still do. But it was there's a point in in the game where you have to go to a museum. So you you go off to this museum, the Fluggenheim, I think it was called, and for anyone who kind of like knows the 1989 Batman, it starts, and then suddenly you hear Jack Nicholson or a very like Jack Nicholson just basically say, like, go, gentlemen, let's broaden our minds. And I was like, and at this point, I was listening to a podcast, and I was like, There's no way they're gonna do Prince, there's no way they're gonna play Party Man right now, and then it just started like the subtitles of like song. So I just quickly grabbed my headphones, plugged them into my control very nervously, and they had Prince's Party Man playing. So not only am I playing this Lego Batman game, but it's also got Prince as a soundtrack. I was absolutely in my element at this point. You know, at this point, I was like, This is the best gaming experience I'm gonna have this year. You know, it was just incredible. You know, it's like Stu, you said that you've been playing it. What how far have you got? Have you kind of got to the Batcave yet? Have you got to um Gotham?

SPEAKER_05 14:42

I literally, I think it was did it come out on the Thursday? No, it wasn't Thursday or Thursday or Friday. I can't remember now because I I was I'd got back from Edinburgh or something like that, and I was playing it, but no, I literally just played the first the opening, you know, the bit where you're trying to find your hat and your jacket and you're going to the cinema, I think, and then you know, the classic bit where his parents get died but but get killed, but they don't get killed in a Lego fashion, you don't see it happen. Um, and then I then I went after uh one of the bosses and killed a few people, and then um I literally played probably 45 minutes of it, so I and because of the other two games that we're gonna talk, I I've really non-got back into it. My like my plan was to play it when I was in France on The Rogue, um, but it's I can't find it as being native on The Rog as a downloadable, you can only play it via cloud. Um, and so I to be honest, I sort of didn't try and do that out there because uh the internet was okay, but it's not uh two and a half gig I've got here. So um it was like I've just not not gone back to it yet. But it's sitting there proudly on the front sort of screen of my Xbox going, play me, play me, but just at the moment the other two games are sort of like getting more of my attention, and and I've been really busy, so I've actually just been jumping into Forza more than any other game, really, unless the other one which I've been playing at the weekend.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

No, I mean I I totally get what you talk about, like you know, with the rock, you know. For me, you know, I I was in London today, um, but I I ended up like kind of like I get the six o'clock train into London and I was playing Forza on the Rock, and I was just like, it doesn't get any better than that. You know, this is such a great year for games, you know, and game experiences. But being able to, I think being able to play Batman on the Rock and just and be able to maybe get mini kits or red bricks or just just kind of have some fun would be an absolute godset. And you know, they announced today that it's gonna come out on the Switch 2 in September. So maybe in September they're gonna have a patch or something like that that would then make it Xbox Play anywhere, and then it will be kind of like Rogue Ally, you know, compatible. But at the moment, yeah, you're absolutely right. You know, there's no way I could play a cloud game on the train, the internet on the train just doesn't work, you know. So it's just so that's why like Forza today on the train was just was beautiful, you know, it was just really good. But I'm I've sunk, I think probably about I think I'm about 15 hours into Batman already. You know, I just I'm taking my time, I'm enjoying every moment, you know. I uh at the moment I'm kind of I'm wearing the 1989 Batman, I'm driving the Batman versus Superman Batmobile, so which is it's quite weird because it's grey, but then I had a quick look on Lego, and so is the Lego set, it's more grey than black, so which was which was really interesting. So I'm bouncing between the 1989 Batman uh Batmobile and also the Batman vs. Superman one. I haven't unlocked the Tumblr yet, but I'm just kind of getting to that. But it's just it there are so many little Batman Dods, there are so many little Easter eggs throughout the entire game. You know, the people that built this game absolutely love Batman. It's similar to the the Star Wars game that we had a couple of years ago. You know, there was a real love for Star Wars in that, and there's an absolute love for for Batman in this.

SPEAKER_05 18:07

So um Steve, how are you getting on with your Rog?

SPEAKER_03 18:10

Yeah, here we go. It was only a matter of time, wasn't it? It was only a matter of time.

SPEAKER_05 18:15

Let's actually let's us both go this side of the room and we'll stay away from that brotherless individual in your sink down in my chair until all this shiny rog business has finished.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

But it's okay, Steve, you know, because they've they've just announced a ROG uh OLED one, so you could trump both of us by getting an OLED one, you know. Here's an even more expensive one that he can't have. They haven't even given a price for that yet, have they?

SPEAKER_03 18:39

You know, so one of them things where it's like price and application. If you need to ask, you can't afford it. That's how expensive it is.

SPEAKER_05 18:46

You're in last week having your uh your little operation. Why didn't you just get a kiddie removed and you could have sold that at the same time?

SPEAKER_03 18:52

Just yeah, just weather, yeah, or donated it while I had chance.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

But yeah, yeah. You should have played the sympathy card while you were recovering from your operation. Just say to Anna, you know, I'm feeling really rough, but this would make me feel better, you know. Yeah, yeah. Do you know that spare £800 that we've got around?

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Yeah, just yeah, let me just sync it on this. That'll be fine, right? At least it's not a Steam Deck, it's more like a thousand pounds now.

SPEAKER_03 19:15

Oh god, yeah, that price hike's insane.

Forza Horizon 6 Japan Obsession

SPEAKER_05 19:18

So, um, so Steve, uh, you have been playing uh the other game that we've pretty much all been playing, and and I have noticed, I mean, Jess and you're off in the distance. I can't even see how many roads and billboards and mascots you've got. All of the roads, all of the everything, of everything, and then I know but I've noticed on my little ticker tape tally that keeps on coming up, it keeps on coming up saying Steve's driven a few more roads than you, or he's got a few more mascots than you. So uh so Steve, you uh jumped into Force Horizons 6 when you got back from your hollybobs. Uh, how have you been finding it?

SPEAKER_03 19:52

Yeah, it it's fantastic, isn't it? You know, I was jealous that you guys were playing it whilst I was on holiday. Um and and the same we used to, like I took my iPad, I took my controller. The internet down in Cornwall is as anyone's been there, is terrible. So there was uh there was no way I was going to be able to play it. I barely got on to like log on for my uh my quests to get my points. That was about the limit of what I could do. So not being able to play it, I was kind of glad that I couldn't because I didn't want to spoil it, so I was just like, look, just leave it, play it when we get home and just park it until we can. But yeah, just it it's just like any Forza Horizon game in the last couple of entries in the series, isn't it? Like, as soon as you're in, you're in. They do such a great introduction, the opening sequence, you know, the set, you know, the set pieces for one of a better phrase. As soon as you get in, you do the different, obviously the different parts, the rallying, the drifting, the you know, the the city introduction and what have you. It's just stunning, like it's just such a beautiful game. And obviously, it's subjective for what you think of the setting in terms of where it's set, but it's just uh more of the same, but obviously it's such so polished now, isn't it? It's like the benchmark for arcade racing games, isn't it, across any platform? Like, this is the game, this is the gold standard now of game for for arcade racer, isn't it? It's just such a great mix, and obviously, like Japan lends itself a bit nicely to the arcade element of the drifting, you know. Obviously, the street racing, you know, Japan's got such a notorious um history and background with this sort of thing. So, again, it is such a great setting for it, and I think for years people have been saying Japan, Japan, Japan, and finally we're there and going from the coast, the beaches to the cities, the tight street racing, the drift settings, the rallies, the mountain circuits. It's just such a great place to explore, you know, racing the bullet train, racing the mech, you race the cargo.

SPEAKER_05 21:39

Whereabouts are you in the specials? I mean, I I literally just I've literally just done the one at the top of uh the hill. So the the rally one where you're chasing the chasing after the plane. Because when I was away last week, because I was I was struggling to not struggling to play it on the rock, but but because I have to wear glasses now and and coming from a semi Seven-inch TV to a rock was just like I can't even see the car. So last week I literally just spent like I did my 15 minutes every day, but I actually ended up spending probably about 45 or an hour every day just mascot hunting or billboard smashing. And then when I got back on uh Saturday, I think Sunday, I jumped in and did uh the race to the cyborg, and then I think yesterday I went and did the race down the snow piste. So what what showcase are you up to at the moment? You've done the bullet train.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

Yeah, I've done I've done the cargo plane, and I think that's the last one that I did. I think I'm trying to get the pink wristband. I think um so yeah, so I I did a couple of again this morning before I went out, I did the courtesy. I'll do a few mascots, a couple of billboards, that sort of thing, just liked around a little bit, so I didn't necessarily do any erases. So I think it's pink. I think it's the pink wristband that I'm going for now. And I think it is the cargo plane. Because that was that blue one. Is it blue and then pink? Is that right? I think I'm right in saying that. Um so yeah, so I've just done that one. Um it was one of the things that I think it's just maybe it's just me, I don't know, but obviously you you do these, like you get the the next horizon event, and then it opens a lot more things, and you've got the timed event, and you've got these events, and sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed of like, oh my god, like there's so much to do. Like, what is it that I need to do for what? Like, I I can't fit it all in.

SPEAKER_05 23:26

Congratulations, you can now do these, and it goes, and you're like, oh my god, how many more have I got to do? But yeah, it is good because I I don't want to milk the game, I really, really enjoy the game. So um, so I'm sort of like I knew that Anthony would be off with his road quest to beat Manny and and his uh billboards and everything like that.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

It was it was Matt, it was Matt who was giving me a run for my money this year, you know. This time it was it was quite interesting because like Matt and I it was it was like like you say, it was just you know, one minute Matt has got three roads, and then suddenly I'd got one more, and then and then and then there comes a point where they actually gate some of the roads behind the expert. So there's an expert island, I can't remember what it's called now, but I think it's like Legend Island or something like that, and so you can't go further than that gate, and then it just so the the funniest thing that I had was I I think there's something like 621 roads or something like that, and it got to the point where I was at 620, and I had one road left to go, and I and it was that it was the same thing with Forza. There's a tiny little nubbin on like the orange dashes, there was a tiny little nubbin, and I had it literally I put it up on the big TV, and I was standing in front of the TV, like I was getting cross-eyed, trying to find this tiny little brown, like kind of little knob, and I found it, and the elation was was awesome, was was amazing.

SPEAKER_05 24:55

I remember that every year it's like that, and I remember the last game, or might have been the one before that. It's almost like I got to all of the roads and I just could not find it, and then we were having a conversation with a group, and was like, just put it on the screen and just stand in front of the screen and just go through it because it will be a tiny little section somewhere that's just not flipped over to orange.

SPEAKER_00 25:15

Yes, and you are, aren't you? You're just kind of doing this across the screen, like your eyes are going crazy, but it's just it's it's amazing. I just I I really enjoyed this forza, you know, and and interestingly, right now, like after we finish podding, I'm gonna go and fire it up because I haven't fired it up. I've fired it up on the rock, but I haven't fired it up on the on the on the Xbox. Is I've I've got one more race to do, and then I've completed a season. So everything in a season, you know. I'm just so I'm finding myself I jump on in the evening, have a quick go over this some of the seasonal events, stay around for a bit longer, then play Batman, you know, and then and then just but but I've actually got to the point, and I think there's an achievement as well for getting maximum points in a in a season. So it's autumn at the moment, and I don't know about you guys, but when it changed to autumn, it was just like, you know, like Japan is synonymous for spring, you know, it's always like everybody wants to see the cherry blossoms. But when that autumn hit, I was just like, I want to go to Japan in the autumn, you know. It's just like Nicola was like, Don't be silly, we're going in spring, but it was just like I really want to go in autumn because it just looks stunning, you know, the the colours are so vibrant and it looks amazing.

SPEAKER_05 26:25

Yeah, it's I mean it's a beautiful sort of like scenery to drive around. And I I know I went into it one night, I don't know if it was actually at night, but I went into it one night, and uh the road was absolutely like it must have been raining or something like that, and the the glare off the headlights on the road and the lights of the um the buildings were just sort of doing this lovely little shadow, which was like was beautiful on the OLED. But yes, but as I said, going going from holiday of watching a 32-inch TV and uh and playing Forza on an ROG, then coming back home and playing Forza on my 77-inch uh OLED, it was a bit like, whoa, that that that thing's huge.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

But you always get that, don't you? Like when you've been on holiday, you had like the when we because we went to Florida in February, and but luckily the hotel that we're in had quite a big TV, but you're quite far away for it. So the first TV show you watch when you get home, you are kind of like, Oh my god, my TV's huge, you know, it really kind of does like take you back. But I yeah, like this game is this game is just absolutely stunning. You know, it's it's really interesting because one of the things that I'm and I might double dip actually because one of the things I'm really interested in to see how it runs on a PlayStation 5 Pro. So if you know, at the moment this is currently on a wish list for a PlayStation. So if they you know Microsoft Microsoft doesn't suddenly pull all of these exclusives, pull everything back to an exclusive, and it does actually come out on the PlayStation, which I hope so, because I want more people to play this and experience it, I I might double dip on the PS5 Pro just because I want to see more of those those textures and see what all of those PC people are talking about. You know, I had a we had a multiplayer session the other day, and Manny's playing it on a uh friend of the show, Manny, is playing it on a PC, and he was constantly talking about you know uh about how amazing it looked, and it was kind of giving me a little bit of FOMO. I was like, oh, I want to see this, you know, but it but it sounded like it was absolutely heavenly. I mean, one of my favourite things is when you're racing at night and you're doing one of the races where you have the red smoke and you can see it in the but in the foreground. Just seeing that was incredible. So as we were racing, it was again in the wet, this game is stunning. And so I kept going, Manny, Manny, what's it look like now? You know, and it's like it still looks lovely, you know. They get around the corner, go, Manny, Manny, what's it look like now? And I'm I'm always lost, so I get to kind of like kind of just mess around. So, but it was I just absolutely love this game, you know. I I I'm I just want to keep playing it, you know. It's just I mean, one of the things that you know what you guys were just talking about there, where you say that you get overwhelmed by the map, you know, I totally feel that, and all I do is I just instantly you hit RB and filter out everything. So if I'm doing downhill or doing dirt races or whatever, I just filter everything else out because I I'm like you, I get I get overwhelmed. It's just like it's like open world games as well, you know, like when you play an Assassin's Creed or a Batman, suddenly when the map goes here, go, here's everything, you know. I'm like, ooh, ooh, too much, too much, you know. And so it's I absolutely just like kind of just love playing this game.

SPEAKER_05 29:35

Now you definitely get to some point in the game where you've done so many of the races and you've got your little goal ticks or your little freestars or whatever that you've got to get rid of those, otherwise you just then can't see all the new races that you're trying to do, or or yes.

SPEAKER_00 29:49

So in the filters, can you actually get rid of those? Can you get rid of like completed races?

SPEAKER_05 29:53

Yeah, if I remember if I remember last year, what you could basically do is you can you can basically go in, you can filter it so you could say only show me new races or or oh right, right, yes. Untick completed races or something like that. So it basically goes for and you can get rid of all of those, you can get rid of all of the showcases, and it just shows you everything that you've got to do, whether that be seasonal or or jumps or special effects or anything like that.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

Yeah, because the first thing that always goes for me is drifting, because I just hate drift. I I cannot drift for save my life. Drifting is just like even I try to do like a tune, because you can buy a tune for your car, and I try to do a drifting tune, but that just makes the back of my car, just becomes the front of my car, you know, and it's just constantly, you know. So it is a real challenge. I think one of the one of the seasonal events you had to get three stars in a drift, and that was like that took me some time. Yeah, I was like, right, podcast on, I'm gonna just like sit and play it. But I managed to do it, but it just it's it wasn't fun, you know. It's just like I don't find the drifting to be fun.

SPEAKER_05 30:57

No, I think if I remember from last year, because I've sort of avoided the drifting this year, but if I remember from last or the last game, I think if you go and find one of your Forza special cars or something like that, then you can get one that is specially for drifting or

007 First Light Feels Like Bond

SPEAKER_05 31:12

something like that. And then when you go back and you do drifting, it does make your life a bit easier. So, Anthony, the other game that we've both been playing is uh Bond, James Bond, 007 First Light. Um I've uh was it Sunday, I think it was. I think I got kicked up here for some reason. So I came up here, turned the put turned the um 32 inch on, and then basically just dived in. And oh my god, from literally like the first the first second of just playing that game and just going through to that opening scene where you're in on the helicopter, the helicopter gets shot down, you crash, and then you have to do the reconnaissance and saving the people on the island, and then the theme tune kicks in, and honestly, shiver down my spine. It was like, oh my god, this is so bond. And I think I put on the group from literally from that point, which was what half an hour maybe into the game. Uh, it was just absolutely uh such such a good game, such a good game.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

Yes, I I I it was one of those ones where I was kind of debating. I know, kind of like you like James. Um you know, James was jumping in because he's a big fan of I.O. interactive, you know, he plays a lot of hitman. Um, so you know, he was he was a given in this, and and I know you were talking about it, Stu, on the on the chat, and I was thinking, do I want to play it? I've got Batman, I've got Horizon, but then I started to see some of the reviews coming up, and I started seeing some of the gameplay and things like that, and I was like, oh, I've got to play this game. This game just looks I think someone said it's like a cross between Hitman and Uncharted, and I think at that point I was like, Yes, I'm in, you know, that's it. That's the you know, I'm all in here. I I think I fired it up and I I kind of went through that opening level, and similar to you, you know, the way that they kind of had that is it Lava Del Rey who does the who does the the the theme tune, having that kind of theme tune, it just feels like a full-fledged bond. And I think the thing that kind of made me smile the most was the was the training level and the montage. They managed to do a montage in a game where you were learning how to the game mechanics, and at that point I was just like, these guys are geniuses, I love this game, you know. At that point, I was just all in. I'm still I don't know about you, I mean I've played I've played you you still kind of do a a couple of training missions. I've got the the flag that's high up in a tower at the moment. I think that was like the last training mission I've been. That took me a couple of times because I kept almost kind of I was playing it too uncharted, where I need to play it a bit more metal gear, a little bit more kind of hitman. Um, and so I was hiding, making noises and things like that. But the the moment where it clicked when I realised the playstyle for some of the levels, I kind of because you've got a gun, I kind of feel that some levels will go absolutely just like let's just go for it, you know, let's just go. And but there was one where there was a guy and I could not get him to move, so I I pierced a water barrel that he was standing next to, and then there was a generator that was just you know, wires were just in that water puddle now, and then I crept around and turned the generator on, and he just got electrocuted and just fell, and I was like, Yes, I would never wanted an NPC to die so much as that guy, you know, it was just hilarious.

SPEAKER_05 34:28

Well, I just think it's uh I it's they've just for the what I've played of it. I mean, I've I think I've just finished the the camp, I've just gone through the big fight with the your rival in the camp, and then I went back downstairs and sort of had dinner with the girls. But um, so I know I'm only really just into it, but it was just it's just got uh actually no, sorry. I went and met Q and I went and looked all the gadgets and got him a watch and things like that, and um and it they've just for a non-bond person, they're explaining bonds perfectly, and there is so much sort of like essence of you know Io's background in Hitman, but it's not so hitman-y that it can annoy people because I know when I've played Hitman a few times I've get got a little bit annoyed because look, I've got to just get through this level and all these different ways I'm trying, I keep on getting spotted or I can't do it. But so it's it's good because it is it is saying it's a bit of a crossover, so I think it sort of floats a lot of people's boats in the type of thing they're doing, but it is so, so bond. I mean, I don't think they could have I don't think anybody could have done it better.

SPEAKER_00 35:33

No, no, absolutely. You know, it is uh there's there's a point in the game where I am at the moment, which is like it's uh a tactical sim. So so you go back to Q and then one of the other characters takes you to this tactical sim. And when you go into this the simulation, just going into the simulation just feels like this should be a blockbuster movie. You know, you stand on a platform, all these screens appear from around you. It's stunning, you know. That makes me want to do that more because I really enjoy that area, you know. So I just kept going through those and just really playing it. One of those is, you know, you've got to try and one of them had a mission or an objective where you had to disarm the enemy, and by doing that, you have to shoot their hands, and you shoot their hands, and they drop, they throw the gun in the air, you know, and I was just like, that's just awesome. You know, it's just I've never A, you know, I was listening to a podcast, took that off because I need to listen to this game, because everything about this game just rocks, and and you know, and B, I've just never like just smiled at a game so much, apart from Batman, but I've never smiled at a game so much, you know, because it's just doing I mean I'm not I'm not a huge Bond fan. I loved it when I was a kid, you know. I thought Roger Moore was a bit of a dude, you know, Sean Collery's fantastic, but I've never, you know, because I've got older, I've kind of haven't really seen any of the the Daniel Craig's in the cinema. I've always watched them at home, and but this game just kind of makes me want to watch Bond movies. It makes me want to kind of because it is so good. I really enjoy this young Bond and the voice acting's fantastic, the graphics look stunning. You know, there's a club scene that is I was I was playing I was playing this at five o'clock in the morning, and there was a club scene, it was too much for my little ears at five o'clock in the morning, but it is so good, you know. Every all the NPCs you nudge into someone and they're like, oh, get out of the way. You know, it's just really, it's really interesting. I just uh this game is just absolutely superb. Can't wait to jump in and play more. Because you're playing it on the PlayStation, aren't you? I am indeed, yeah. So I'm playing it on the PS5 Pro. Um, so because this is PS5 enhanced, so that's why I'm playing it um and not racking up achievements because I want to I want the visuals.

SPEAKER_05 37:44

Uh but I think it's even I think it's one of those games that you if I had to pro, I think I would play on the Xbox and I would potentially pick it up again on the on the PlayStation when it was maybe a little bit cheaper. Because I I see I can see you people playing it over and over again because it's just got it's not going to spoil anything, and I think it's just so totally playable to leave it for six months and then maybe pick it up again and have another playthrough.

SPEAKER_00 38:08

I absolutely I think you know, looking at the menus, I think there are there are some unlocks once you finish the game. I think there's going to be like replaying of levels, and I think then it might get a little hitman-y. I think that's when it's probably going to, you know, because when I listen to James, like friend of the show, James, or the Nextlander podcast, you know, when I listen to those guys playing and watch them playing hitman, they play a whole different game to what I do. You know, I'm like, I'm gonna run in, kill someone and run out. You know, that's kind of me, and then hope I maybe dress as a chef and hope I don't get killed, you know. But um, but I think that the IO the IOG DNA is gonna be in the game once you've completed it and you can replay the levels causing a bit of havoc.

SPEAKER_05 38:55

Yeah, I think I heard that on it might have been kind of funny's review of it, where they were saying it was a little bit like I suppose it's like we've all played it, but it's a little bit like mixtape where you can go back to that horrible kissing scene and do it again just in case you mixed the missed the achievement. So I ha I have heard that you can go back to those levels and mop up those find the maps and the achievements, but Steve, you're not you've you're not jumping in yet, are you? You're you're you're too busy on your other games.

SPEAKER_03 39:22

Yeah, it obviously there's so much to play at the minute, do you know what I mean? There's obviously like there's that, I really want to play Bond, I really want to play Batman. You know, it's killing me that I can't well I can't play it, but I just I'm choosing not to. Um but yeah, it'll the things you you talk a little like you say kind of funny and watch like I can interview and things have uh first like things come out. The two things that I was really sort of like was gonna ask, but you kind of answered the question anyway. Um like how much like Hitman is it? You know, like is it because I I get Hitman, I I get it, I've played it and I like it. I'm not invested in that way, like you say, like games and people are like you like you say when you watch them play, it's like, oh my god, like I don't have the patience to play it like that. Like I do not have the time to play it like that. I don't have I'll just read quick. Like as soon as it goes peak time, I'll be right back. I've got too far into this level for it to go wrong at this point. Like you've got stealth or you know, you stealth your way through and then somebody spots you and it all goes wrong. I'm like, no. Um so obviously it does it sounds like the DNA is there, but it's not too heavily hitman. And I was gonna say the other bit is obviously like if they're hitman, you can play that level 30 different times, and there's probably another 30 different ways that you can play it again. Like, how like are the levels less like that? Like, obviously, like you say, there's something probably gonna come out later, but like does it play out in like if you replayed it, would it probably pretty much be the same? It's either stealthy or like an action way rather than you can go this way, this way, this way, which is fine. It's just obviously like for me, like you say, if you've got 20 different ways to play one level, I ain't got time to play it 20 different ways. Like, and I want to say I want to say everything that it's got, and it would frustrate me that I have to play it that many times to say everything, but I just don't have the time. Whereas if you can say I can play it stealthily or go all out of salt, I can play it twice. You know, I can go up and do it twice happily, but if it's like if there's like an infinite amount of time to do it, I mean I just I just don't have the time.

SPEAKER_00 41:11

No, I think I think the training levels right now they're trying to teach you, they're trying to show you that. Because I think you know, typically this might be people that haven't played Hitman or like us, you know, get intimidated by Hitman. So so I think they're trying to kind of just show you that there are some clever ways that you can do it, you know, make no bit like Metal Gear Solid, you know, make some noise, a bit like Splinter Cell, make some noise, get the guard to come over, take them out, hide in a bush, all of that sort of stuff. But the taxims that I was talking about, those those simulations, there's one there where you're instantly you've got a machine gun. You know, you've got and it feels good as well, you know. It feels like an uncharted game, but maybe a little bit better. You know, you've got cover shooting, so I kind of have a feeling that you there will be a mix of both. And looking at the the gameplay trailers that came out before the game, you know, there looks like there's gonna be some real action set pieces as well.

SPEAKER_05 42:05

Excellent. I mean it does, do you think there's gonna be any DLC for it, or do you think that that it's just gonna be the game and then they're gonna then make another one in four or five years' time?

SPEAKER_00 42:14

I really hope. I really hope they kind of might maybe bring out some DLC, but I you know, I haven't met Lenny Kravitz is the bad guy, isn't he, in this game? So I haven't met Lenny Kravitz yet. So I'll just like you know, let's kind of see how it plays out. But you know, if this game, if this game looks like it's selling well, I think it sold like 1.5 million over the weekend. Um, you know, so 1.5 million copies over the weekend. So it's just like I think it, you know, if it's selling gangbosses, then I only should just make another one.

SPEAKER_05 42:42

Yeah, I I think that they've definitely got a hit on their hands here, so uh I I can't see them not making another one, whether they do a DLC or whatever.

PlayStation State Of Play Highlights

SPEAKER_05 42:52

Um, so obviously, as we record this last night was a PlayStation state of play, which was just gonna go straight on to the the Xbox predictions, but I thought I I briefly sort of flew through it this morning and this afternoon. So, Steve, did you watch, did you catch up the state of play from last night?

SPEAKER_03 43:10

Yeah, so I'm the same as you. It completely I've completely missed it. I completely missed it was happening last night, so I I caught up um this morning. Um but yeah, it looked like it was a uh an excellent show-in uh of everything that's coming up for for PlayStation and the team at Sony. Uh obviously, we've discussed this before. Uh I've looked at my PlayStation my PS5 and been like, do I keep it? Do I not? Do I sacrifice it? You know, do I put it towards buying like a rug or something, or do you know put it towards a switch or anything like that? And looking at the games that are coming up, it's probably just ever so slightly tilted remoter. We'll keep it. We'll we'll see what happens and we'll keep it because there was an excellent showings on there. You know, there was the there was a couple of weeks and then they finally announced that there's the uh new card coming off. Um the new two raid that's coming out. Um the thing for me that I I never thought would be um a big pulp. Um Um is the Wolverine game. Like I've never been a huge fan of Wolverine or followed it, you know, the comics and and movies and things. But that trail uh look like I think you said Chas, and it looked gruesome. Do you know I mean it looked really, really gruesome. But yeah, it looked really, it looks really good. So you know, just from that showing alone, hopefully similar to what we'll see from Xbox um this week, it was enough just to say, do you know what? We'll sit tight, we'll see what comes up, um uh and hopefully be rewarded for keeping hold of it, and we'll we'll see some some tasty games coming out in the next sort of 12 to 18 months.

SPEAKER_05 44:34

What about yourself, Anthony? Were there what was I mean, obviously uh Wolverine and God of War, but were there any highlights of the a showcase that you were like, oh do you know what this is this is looking good?

SPEAKER_00 44:45

Yeah, I mean there was a couple of games. I I kind of even though I was sh I was up at five this morning, I stupidly watched it live and I was tired. I thought I thought, you know what, they're probably gonna start with Wolverine, which they did. They went straight in, didn't they, with Wolverine? So so I watched, I watched that, and that was it, I was invested, I was in, you know, and there was a game, I was just getting my kind of I made some notes because I'm back on the pod, so I made some notes like a professional. Um, you know, and there was there was one game there was one game that really kind of like caught my eye, you know, and it was it was by the um it was by the there was there was a young lady who had kind of she had she kind of had like internet fame by doing a funny dance and she did the funny dance again, um so which was really cute. Um but what it was I was trying to I've lost it now on my notes, but the the game was absolutely superb. It looked like it was uh a really a really kind of cool looking game, and I was I was really impressed by it. I'll find the I'll find the name in a bit. I'm looking through my notes like I'll find it. But Wolverine looked absolutely fantastic. Tomb Raider looked amazing, comes out on my birthday, so which was which was really cool, comes out uh February the 12th. That looks really good. That had a showing before, and also um control resident as well. So I absolutely adored control. I think we were podding when control was out originally, and you know that game had me absolutely giddy for that one. So seeing this is a follow-on from the story, that game is just looking amazing. It's set in New York, so get ready for some water tower pictures. Um, but it's like upside down water tower pictures, probably. Um, but but that game for that game, see that's quite good. When yeah, it's a fun anyway. Um, so that that game looks absolutely stunning, you know. And then to finish with God of War, you know, they said, you know, we've got Sid Schumann was on the was was like chairing and and pulling everything together, and he's like, We've got one more game to show you. And I was like, What have they got here? You know, what have we got? And then they slowly it took a while for it to register for me because I'm not I'm not a huge God of War fan, but it took a while to register, then they showed the new God of War, and it was it's got Deborah Am Wall from uh Daredevil, so she's from Daredevil, DD, she hosts a DD game. Watching Deborah Am Wharf do a DD, you know, kind of like chair be a dungeon master for DD is just is a is a thing of beauty, you know. She's she brings so much life into playing DD, she's such a great dungeon master. So seeing her play this character, I know she's played it previously, but now the game's centred around her, it just looked absolutely stunning, you know. And the funny thing that I found out, I didn't twig while I was watching it last night, but re um um one of the the the box, there was a square, there was this kind of just cube that was in the game that was guiding you throughout the game. Um, that is um that's um Randy Quay's uh and Mick Ryan's son who was in um who was in The Boys. So it's so it's him. So which was like and that didn't twig until I I kind of saw it on uh on Twitter or something like that later on to um today. So which was which was really cool. And he has such a great voice, he has such a great personality, and it really came across in that kind of guide character that was in the game. What about you, Stu? Was there something that kind of ticked your boxes? Uh yeah, I mean, was it uh Kimuri?

SPEAKER_05 48:14

Kemuri. That's it, that's it, yes. Just looking on looking on IGN's website. So no, I mean for me, yeah, yeah, I mean, um the for me, Wolverine. I think I I've I've played Spider-Man. I I sort of like I don't know why, but I never finished Spider-Man 2. I just I think I just sort of got waylaid or something like that, and like even we need to go back to it, but just that first opening bit of that gameplay of Wolverine was really good, but uh I just just want to know whether he goes home and has a shower afterwards because there was so much blood, but it just is it just disappears, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 48:51

After a while, because like I think I said on the on the chat, you know, when it first started, I was like, oh, this is a bit much, you know, there's a lot of blood, but by the end of it, I was totally desensitized to it. Do you know what I mean? Like the energy were like, give me more blood. But it was like he gets covered in blood, and then suddenly a bit like a like a water in a in a in a in a character in a game, it's like that just disappears, you know, it just all just falls off of his suit. Um, but it it it looks incredible. I mean, that is gonna be that is gonna be such a game, you know, and that comes out in September. Is it about September 19th or something like that?

SPEAKER_05 49:26

So no, for me, for me, uh that and then uh Raymond, Raymond Legends. Um that just there's I mean, I think me and Steve talked about it a few weeks ago with um uh Moss coming out, the VR game Moss coming out as a platformer, or they've put the two VR games together. But I I anybody listens to the old podcast, the old podcast or the current version of the podcast knows that I do like my sort of Astro Bart, my uh Ratchet and Clank, my super lucky's tale. I just sometimes I just like those because they're easy, they're a little bit challenging, um, but they're not over the top. And yeah, Raymond, I just I just watched that and I was just like, as soon as it started, I'm like, oh, oh, it's oh, oh, and and and a bit like I think as you said, Steve, was like I was actually really, really pleasantly surprised with this. Um that they they were very strong, um, especially as I think Game of Um uh uh Games Daily put up the other day that their their first player games have fallen year on year for the five last five years or something like that. So they definitely have come into this state of play as like, right, we'll throw our cards on the floor up to you, Xbox, and to summer game fest. But no, I thought that was really good. Uh control was really good. There was a few bits in there which were very typically sort of Sony, which really sort of didn't interest me. Like, I'll be honest with you, like Marvel uh token fighting souls. That was sort of I think I just skipped over that between Wolverine and and that. There was one called Il, I think I've just bought up here, uh, which looked quite good, which was a bit of a horror movie type of thing. Um, but no, I I think it was very strong. I think there's a lot of games in there I think I'll play. So uh hats off to PlayStation, hats off to Sony. I think that was a very, very strong state of play.

SPEAKER_00 51:16

Yeah, absolutely. I think the the only other kind of honourable mention that we haven't mentioned so far is Until Dawn 2. That looked absolutely cinematic, you know, and I love there was one bit where you're you're being chased by some killer, and it was like, do you just jump off the cliff or do you push the other guy as well? And he seems to kind of meet a very in that playthrough, he seemed to kind of meet a very kind of gruesome ending, but um, but it it was it was an interesting one because I was watching it that by that time it's probably about quarter to eleven or something like that, and that was quite gruesome. That was quite a gruesome game. It was just like it's not one for just before bed, I'll tell you.

SPEAKER_05 51:53

It's just like that's a definite four o'clock in the morning one for me. Not four o'clock in the morning in November when it's still dark outside, but four o'clock in the morning now when it's still when it's still nice and light. But uh, but no, right, okay, so that's the quick summary of the PlayStation showcase. But

Rate Review And Say Where You Listen

SPEAKER_05 52:08

before we get into the Xbox predictions, uh, we'd like to just remind you that if you could possibly rate review or leave a comment on this show wherever you are listening or watching to this fantastic podcast. Um, also, if it would be great if we people who are listening to this or people who are watching this, if you can leave a comment on let's say YouTube to say where in the world you are listening to this from. So uh we're obviously all UK based, a little bit more northern than each, but um uh looking at you, Steve. Um uh but uh but yeah, it'll be good to know in the where in the world you'll listen to this from and uh send us your opinion.

Xbox Showcase Rules And Format

SPEAKER_05 52:43

So uh so yeah, so obviously this Sunday as we record this, um we have the uh Xbox showcase. I think it is, is it am I right in saying it's 6 pm on Sunday um across YouTube? So uh I've already pre-warmed the sofa, put the iced tea next to it, and told the family to get out of the lounge. Do not um I was thinking about potentially coming up here and doing a live reaction to it, but I remember years ago we tried to do that as the the the sparks, and there was, I think there was like there was three or four of us. There's I know you, me, uh so you, Anthony, there was me, James was on there, I think Manny, we man might have been on there, and and you're sitting there, and it all you can do is like, oh my god, and you're like, what, what, what? It's not having chair. What what is it? What is it? Why are you singing then everyone's like getting angry at each other? You know, it's just like so. I think I've decided that that's never gonna happen until we like one year we all meet up in London or something like that. So um when we get a studio, yes.

SPEAKER_00 53:44

Oh, I like that, Steve.

Elite Series 3 Controller Speculation

SPEAKER_05 53:47

So what we've done is uh we initially went to do three predictions each, but we somehow ended up with eleven. So um I will uh I will start off with my initial one, um, which uh, as anybody would know, actually, I'm gonna start this off without my prediction and I'm gonna show you uh hey look at that the controller that you said he wasn't going to buy. And I said I wasn't going to buy. Damn you, PayPal. No, so the controller I have unboxed, but that is very much hold on a second. That is very much going back in its box. Um, so that's going to go into the collection, which I can't bring myself to get rid of. And then and actually the the headphones, I mean, if you've you know you've got to have more than one set of headphones, but I I was finding that it I was finding that I was I was playing up here like James Bond the other day, because obviously the I've got two OLEDs here, but the speakers on them are terrible. So I was using my Starfield ones up here, and then I was then taking them downstairs, and then I was having to do the whole repairing process, and then sometimes it wouldn't repair, and I'm uh getting annoyed, so I decided to spend some more money on some more headphones. So uh uh but but they're nice and bright, so the wife can see me if I've like laid on the floor and whatever. So keeping with that tradition, my first, my first uh it's not really uh prediction because I think we've seen it, but my my first prediction is uh an official reveal of the Xbox Elite Series 3, which I've seen a few few little snappies going around of, and then uh there's also apparently a smaller sort of Bluetooth remote coming out as well for you know cloud gaming on maybe some of the TV. So have you have either of you guys seen the the Series 3 controller around? It it looks a bit black and plain at the moment, but I've heard that it's got a swappable battery pack, a swappable, rechargeable battery pack on it now. Um and I and there's another button on the a lot of people are saying that it's not got the share button on it, but I looked at the image uh which I'll try and put up, and there's the three. So if you look at this one for instance, you've got your three buttons. Well, this button, this button on the series was these lights that were down here, so it was your different options, but on the new one, it sort of moved up here in between these, and these have moved wider. So I'm wondering whether this button here on the design is gonna be the share button on the elite. So, do either of you use the elite, Anthony? Do you use an elite?

SPEAKER_00 56:24

No, I bought the Elite One, and so I bought the Elite One back in the day. That was for the Xbox Series, wasn't it? That was for the the one, the Xbox One, wasn't it? That was what so I bought that when that came out. Absolutely loved that controller, used that as my default controller, but never bought this the series two, the Elite Series 2. So because the Xbox Series X controller really kind of is is really nice, you know. I I bought the Halo special edition, um, but my wife stole the uh controller for that and will never give it back. She absolutely loves it, so it's kind of so I've got the other one. Um, but if that ever goes, then I'll probably do a design lab or something like that. But unless this, I I haven't seen those photos, and so it'd be quite interesting. Now they've they've come out and said we're not gonna get any hardware. So do you think that this series, the Elite Series 3, might get a bit of a 25th anniversary kind of look and feel to it, or and this black is just kind of a bit of misdirection?

SPEAKER_05 57:21

Well, I mean it does I don't know whether they're just gonna go in with it like the other ones, but it does there does seem to be an amazing lack of anniversary stuff from Xbox. I mean, I'll I'll go on to it now. It was my number 10, which I sort of added like last minute, but obviously a few days ago we got the right if I get this right, it's the 25th, no, sorry, it's the 20th anniversary of ROG, and they've released a special edition Xbox, ROG Ally X, 20th edition with with the X Real Glasses. Now I know it it to me it was just a bit weird. It's almost like, well, I know it's their 20th anniversary of the uh uh Republic of Gaming, but it's the 25th anniversary of Xbox. So couldn't they have sort of done a 25th anniversary Xbox uh OLED Rogue, which Steve could have dropped his notes on and bought and really made us look come on the podcast with his X real glasses on, but um but yeah, that sort of there just seems to be an amazing lack. I mean, Sony have done it twice now, I think, with the PlayStation release special editions, and I I don't know, Xbox don't really seem to do it, so I can honestly see them just dropping the Series 3 Elite at the conference, and then that's it, you know, a bit Apple, you know, pre-order now available in two weeks.

SPEAKER_03 58:42

Yeah, I think I think the thing we saw near the PlayStation, like their anniversary consoles look stunning, like and they've done everything, like they've done the portal, they've gone to the controller, they've done the console, everything you know has gone back and been that anniversary PS1 grey, the button colours, everything, they've done an excellent job of everything. Whereas obviously with Xbox, it doesn't you can't really uh the the Xbox is basically the colour the original Xbox was now, you know, it's black and green, and obviously again whether Helix goes back to be the like the bright sort of acid green that original Xbox was, and that's where it's going back to its heritage, maybe. Well the the it'd look a bit weird now if they obviously they did the anniversary version of the controller. Well, there's no anniversary version of the console to match, you know what I mean? So for people who've got slight O C D like I have, you know, it it doesn't match, you know, it it doesn't match the console, so it's like, well, it's all really good. I mean it's fancy controller, but where's the where's the console? Do you know what I mean? So I feel like like you say, I think it will just be uh if it happens, which it sounds like it probably is, um it's just this is it as it comes, you know, order it now, like you say, sort of thing. I had the original one, much like uh Anthony, I had the first one. I didn't get the second one. I like to me as a you know, I'm not a not casual gamer, I'm obviously more than that, but like the extra buttons I didn't really use anyway. Like I've got um I've got a third-party controller for an cloud game, Amanda, and that's got um the triggers that you can do the short pull on, so you can flick the switch and you play and shoot a game, so it's quicker response, so you can you can you can flick them quicker. It's got the Hall effects um joysticks to like avoid stick drift and stuff. And that's a really good third third-party controller, actually. So I actually quite like them, but they've got the buttons on the back and I don't use them. You know, I I never read because I just get confused. Like I I just like I I end up getting confused, it's like what button does what? And I'll be looking at the controller, like, I I don't know. Like, press this, press the like I I I have no idea. Like, I have no idea. Like, I get it if you're you know, like a proper streamer game, uh competitive player, you know, for like shooters, your extra buttons to you know, to you're not moving fingers for the same button. I get it for the mapping. And for collectors like used to, I get it, because we know you'll be buying it anyway. You know, whatever we know you'll buy it.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:57

But it's not colourful enough as to you, is it?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:59

So I still have my rules, so it's like they've got one up the they've got one up at the moment, and uh and I can't think what it's called now, it's team something. Uh but what I mean I'm I'm trying to wean myself out of buying them, but um but um yeah, it's going very well, isn't it? Um uh uh I'll just say let me just pass this across the screen.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:21

Um they do a Fortnite one and then you're totally like buggered on you at that point.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:26

I've got a Fortnite one and it and it was just purple, so it was like um no, I think the I think the thing is my always was my rule with the controllers, it it had to be a limited edition and it had to be associated with game. So there are a few Call of Duty ones out there, but because they're design labs, um a little bit like um what was that game that got slated red something? Redfall, wasn't it? I mean I bought the Redfall ones, but because they were design labs, it was a bit like, well, this is not special, anybody can go in and design it. Um, so I just think they're gonna just drop it as maybe like when they announced the ROG initially, I think it would just be a uh an online, uh, you know, an on-screen visual showing, you know, that I don't think anybody's gonna talk about it unless it's on the the Xbox podcast the next day or the next week. So I don't think they're gonna talk about it. And I had the series two, I bought I did buy the series two, but I I I think I got it from Amazon and I got it and I played with it a little while and I'm like, do you know what I just don't like this? I was I think I was maybe rocking a Forza Horizon or some uh controller, maybe the the Forza Horizon controller I've still got downstairs, but and that felt better to me. So so I sent it back and got me my money back on it. So I don't think I'll buy it because I don't I don't really need that sort of gameplay side of it. So uh but we'll see, we'll see what

Call Of Duty Back Catalogue On Game Pass

SPEAKER_05 1:02:48

happens. So um, so the next prediction is with you, Steve, and it's a bit of COD-related.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:53

Yeah, so obviously, as we know, recently with the reduction in price of Game Pass, um the new Call of Duties are exempt and will come out a year later. But as of yet, we are still waiting for the COD catalogue to be introduced to Game Pass. We know it's obviously going to be a thing, and they said you have to wait for it, blah blah blah. And in light of the news that we're not gonna get a new Call of Duty on Game Pass, to me it seems sensible at this point to go, you don't have the new ones, but here's all the old ones. So for people like us that prefer older Call of Duty when it was better, in our opinion. You know, say World War II, Black Ops, that sort of thing, it's not all futuristic shoot-y, death glazes and things. You've got a whole back catalogue of cods to play. So it I think this showcase might rely a lot on third party. There are obviously Call of Duty is there on in-house now, but a lot of other titles to carry it along. As we know, we're not gonna get any Helix information as far as we're aware, we're not gonna get any hardware information fable. We're not gonna be able to. We might see something fable or later, but it's not coming until next year now. So again, that might not be as strong as what it was before. So I think there's gonna be a reliance on other uh people to maybe bring it through to obviously boost the catalogue, boost game pass, you know, and bring bring the heat as it were. So I think now will be the time to say every Call of Duty not all of them, but you know, maybe even maybe from 360, maybe, you know, sort of like COD 2, I think was the first on 360, I think I'm right in saying onwards, that sort of thing, COD 2, COD 3, Black Ops, da da da might bring the older ones, which would be great. Um but yeah, I I think we'll see finally the older Call of Duty's come to come to Game Pass now that we're not getting the new ones anymore.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:27

I wouldn't mind playing some of the like was it Vanguard and I I do miss my World War II games. I mean I I think Battlefield last year I quite enjoyed um because that I played the single player on that, but but I mean I don't need the new Call of Duty this year because I've still not played last year, so I still can't figure how to get into the game and bloody play it. But no one can.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:47

It's just too difficult, you know. It's just but but I mean I I take your point of, you know, especially when you go into Call of Duty and Stuke, you try and find the new game, you know, it's set up. The Call of Duty like launcher is set up just to kind of add all of those old games in there, you know, make them all available, go by game pass so you can play zombies, you can play the campaign, you know, that would just be that would be fantastic. And typical, you know, they showed a trailer last week, didn't they? Of the new Call of Duty. It looks amazing. You know, they've dropped the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, so it's like future tech now, it's this generation, looks stunning, and of course that's not going to be on Game Pass, is it, this year, you know, so they're gonna make me pay for it this year, but that's kind of and that's what they that's what they're that's what they're doing, you know. That's the whole idea. They need the money back from that investment, so I can see why. But I would love, as you were saying, the whole back catalogue would be stunning, would be great to include.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:46

But you get 10% off this year's one, apparently. Oh, do you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. As a loyal game pass customer, apparently they'll give you 10% off of the full price of this year. I I believe so. I believe I've seen that underneath it. I think it's all just coming from. Your points. I think they're just men numbers. James is 100% right. I'm not getting rid of my babies. This is why Microsoft are in a bad place, because of your points, too. Leave my points alone. This is my podcast now. You dare talk about my poem.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:18

They're well earned. They're well earned.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:21

Right, so uh uh the next story, Anthony, is uh with you about Kojima.

Kojima OD And Death Stranding Crossovers

SPEAKER_00 1:06:26

Yes, so mine's a mine's a bit of a mine's a bit of a walk um because I was thinking about this. I'll put some thought into this. And so I think that Kojima, you know, we don't know the we don't know what how the state of play is going to be presented. I think it's gonna be kind of it's obviously gonna be pre-recorded, it's not live like they've done previous, but I think we're gonna cut to Kojima and he's going to show us some gameplay of OD. So OD was announced in 2022, it was kind of just as we were still kind of pandemic-y, you know, and it was OD was was announced then, and we didn't really see much of it, it was just uh Kojima's doing an Xbox only game. So recently, I think it may have been spring or last year, because that's how time works now these days. Um, Kojima was in the UK. So I saw that he posted shots from rare, he posted shots from playground games, I think, as well. So he was doing the rounds of the uh there. So I think this is my kind of multi-prediction. So we get some OD, and maybe we get a 27 release date because it's been 2022, five years, that's roughly a kind of a Kajima uh kind of cycle. So we get that, but to celebrate that, and because it is a big moment that we've got Kajima, Death Stranding 2 is coming to Game Pass. So did they announce that it's it's been a year since it was out on PlayStation, and PlayStation have a year exclusivity, so you can see where all my strings are going when I've been kind of making this so we exactly so we get we get Death Stranding 2 on Game Pass in July, maybe, because there's a little bit of a gap in the games that are coming out, so we get that coming in July, but also because he's been to those studios, why would you go to those studios unless you're gonna especially if you're Kojima, you want something from those studios? So I think we're gonna get a little bit of deaf stranding in Sea of Thieves and a little bit of deaf stranding in 4's Horizon as well. So I think we're gonna get a bit you know, similar to they did Borderlands in Sea of Thieves, you know, Forza Horizon have done other kind of in-game kind of tie-ins. So I think maybe we'll get the car, or you'll just get Norman Redis and you'll ride him around Tokyo, you know, either way, but we're gonna get a little bit of a deaf stranding flavour to uh Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:51

That's quite good, actually. I quite like it because 4's horizon is is quite uh an open game that you could quite easily take over an area or a an island appears off the side or something like that. So no, I think that that could be quite good. I mean, I can't wait to I mean I've I've not really to be honest, I've not really played Death Stranding, even though to be honest, if you look at my gameplay, I've probably played it for about 30 hours because I always quite often use it as my game that I leave running for 15 minutes to get my three points. Come on, it's been 30 seconds since I talked about points. Um, but uh so I quite often leave on the because it does sit on the title screen. So I've uh I think if that comes out then I'll give those two a hit. But I I'm looking forward to what Od could be. I think it could be uh could be quite interesting. So uh so well we'll see about

Blade Needs Proof Of Life

SPEAKER_05 1:09:43

that one. Um my my next prediction is uh it we've got to be seeing uh some gameplay, or we've got to be seeing more of Blade from Arcane Lee Arcane Leon because it's uh that's been quite a few years, probably I'm not sure actually. I didn't look, but it's got to be 22, 23 since we last saw that.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:02

Yes, must be.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:03

Um so we've got to we've got to be seeing something. I mean, I think I was listening to Jez on his podcast, the Xbox 2 podcast, and I think he confirmed that it wasn't part of the um ones getting axed when they did a lot of cuts before Big Phil left. So it's still obviously touch wood in development. So I'm really hoping we see that because I think that could be right on my street, maybe a little bit sort of um uh what's the game we've all just played? Replaced. A little bit replacedy, you know, type of that type of game, you know, really quite visually stunning. I mean, Steve, do you do you think we're gonna see some uh blade gameplay or a little bit more information on Blade?

SPEAKER_03 1:10:44

I mean I mean you again you'd like to think so, just to even just to settle the you know, people talking about it of is it still coming, even if it's just a quiet and the the rumour mill of it's not happening, it's not happening, you know, even if it's just uh a brief snippet, you know, a 30-second snippet coming Q2, like say 27, whatever, just something to at least just quiet and the noise that they might think's coming. So you know, uh i previously it's come out before that like it's gonna be game pass, you know, it's gonna be coming. So again, it's a perfect game to look, it's still coming, it's gonna be game pass, just give us a bit more time, sort of thing. You know, even if it's just that little bit of uh a glimpse, you know, behind the curtain of it. So it it looks interesting, you know, from from what I you know, the Marvel universe, something a little bit different, you know, set in in Paris and what have you. So it looks like something I would you know definitely jump into. So I'd I'm interested. But yeah, I'd uh it's one of them, you know, if it's not ready, it's not ready. But just just like just a tiny, just a snippet, just enough just to get you excited. Like it's still coming, you know, it is still coming.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:45

Some proof of life that it's there. It's just like show us. I mean, it's quite interesting, isn't it? Because obviously Blade appeared in Deadpool recently, you know, in the Deadpool Wolverine game, you know, so Wesley Snipes came back just for a bit of a cameo. Um, and Mashallah, is it Mashallah Ali? You know, he he was going to be Blade, but I think they've axed that movie at Marvel now, or they've put that on hiatus. So I'll be really interested to know. People people go crazy for Blades, you know. Blade is such a those films, the first film with Wesley Snipes was amazing, you know. So it'll be really interesting to see if they do kind of like bring this out and who Blade is as well. You know, is it going to be one of those actors or are they just doing their own thing?

SPEAKER_05 1:12:26

Yeah, I mean it it's it I think it's just got so many unknown questions. I mean, and it's definitely one of those games that they push so heavily or or made like quite prominent. It would just I think we could just do with some more information about it. So um, so right, the next one uh is with you, Stephen. It's a bit fallout-y.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:45

Yeah, so I I wrote this and then it like it kind of almost like instantly came

Fallout 3 Or New Vegas Remaster

SPEAKER_03 1:12:50

out. I was like, Yeah, Fallout 5 is not gonna be here for like ever. Because that is gonna be coming out after the next Elder Scrolls, and the next Elder Scrolls are gonna be out for forever either. So I was kind of like, oh, you know, again, even if it was just uh you know, it tie it into this, uh something from Elder Scrolls, you know, just Elder Scrolls 6, if just some again, something, because we've not seen anything of that for a couple of years now. So again, if we see anything from Sign Alive from that, you know, Far Five, I I very seriously doubt we'll see anything uh recently because they've come out and said until Elder Scrolls is done and dusted, no, it's not happening, so they might be working on it, albeit in a very, very limited capacity. I don't think it's at any stage that we'll see anything as of yet. Um but yeah, Elder Scrolls uh seeks to be nice. Uh but I think what's more likely um is which I well, I mean, we all thought collectively in the in the group chat that with the new launch of the latest uh series of Fallout, uh the TV series, that we'd see something. You know, there was the countdown on the website, uh like the little pit boy on the map, and oh da da da da and then it was just like basically a load of behind-the-scenes stuff from the TV series, which was cool, but I was like, oh, it's gonna be a game, there's gonna be so much and no, it was just some extra like behind the scenes stuff. So I think we will now see either one or the other, both will be fantastic. Um either Fallout 3 or and or New Vegas remastered, properly done, you know, remade from the ground up, not just a complete edition, whatever you want to call it, proper new, proper shiny, given the given the full beans of the uh of the Xbox treatment to go back uh and retread the wasteland in in either of them two. And I'd be perfectly happy with either of them. Um I love the Fallout series, I think it's fantastic. I think New Vegas, which I mean it's the Fallout TV series is great because you see a great mix of all the games. Like you've you know, there's very much in the later series there's a lot of New Vegas stuff in there, which is fantastic because New Vegas felt very much like a side like a side spin-off from Fallout 3 rather than a full um you know than a full game, but then obviously all the DLCs and things that came out. In some respects, I thought New Vegas was better than three because of that. It felt a bit more wacky. Um, you know, you got the strip, um you got the story with uh Mr. House and things, which was a great storyline, which again carries over into the TV series. Um so yeah, so I think either one of those two will be fantastic if we get it like the full full beans, full treatment, complete all the DLC, everything. I think that'd be really nice. And again, not necessarily anything new, you know, because we're not gonna get the new version of the new game anytime soon, but again, just to boost game pass that a little bit more, you know, they reduce the price and even use even more value for money for you. Tech Fallout 3 remastered, Tech Fallout 3 Vegas remastered, either of the two or both, whichever. The rumours have been there, you know. We've seen the rumours, you know, there's been leaks allegedly of this coming and reports and financial reports and business meetings and minutes and all sorts of shenanigans. It's clearly been a thing or is a thing. And again, drop it now. You know, now would be the perfect time to drop it of whilst there's this bit of turmoil's probably not the right word with Xbox, or this transition period, steady the ship, there you go, boom. One or two big games, go back, enjoy them.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:55

Well they are missing, they are missing the boat, literally, to excuse the pun, with the with the TV programme, because everybody is all of a sudden is aware of this TV programme that's had a brilliant first season and in my opinion an okay second season, and they've not really like gone, oh he's a re he's a remaster, and and the the turnaround from season one to season two wasn't quick, so surely they could have just done something in that time, but um, but it'll it'll be interesting to see. But what what's your prediction, Anthony, with Fallout? Do you think we're gonna see anything?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:29

I mean, I I would love to see something, but especially just for Steve, you know, because like whenever we have these countdowns, boys, Steve gets really excited on the chat, and then, like I say, it turns out to be just nothing. I mean, I experienced that this week because there was a countdown to Doomsday, you know, Avengers Doomsday, and I was like, we're getting a trailer tomorrow. Turned out they just had a pop-up in London. It was it was and I wasn't even in London. There was Doomsday Coffee, which I would have absolutely loved, but it was like so. I kind of felt a bit like what it's like to be Steve Carter this week, you know. It's just like we think we're gonna get something, and I would I I totally agree with what you guys are saying, you know, we're like, why aren't they doing this? And and also my next prediction and and this kind of lend themselves together because it's almost right now. I think the management, like Aisha Sharmers, it's more about let's give people what they want, let's give them the Xbox brand back. And I think right now your prediction, Steve, of fallout y stuff, you know, three or New Vegas is very high on the wish list, you know, and my a my next one as well is is high on that wish list as well. So I I think I think it would make sense. Fallout, everybody's loving Fallout, it's getting awards, it's it's getting that acclaim both for the game and also for the for the TV show. So let's just remaster that and just and then that gives somebody gives everybody something to a pass the time for the next one, but also it gets even more and more people excited.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:59

Yeah, definitely. So uh so you you alluded to your next prediction. I mean, there's one part of your next prediction which is not gonna happen because he's not allowed on TV anymore.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:08

He's been banned. When I'm saying that, he has he did appear on a Major Nelson, but then Major Nelson left. Um Major Nelson left Xbox afterwards. Was that James Thomas's thought? Who

Banjo Kazooie Returns Or We Riot

SPEAKER_00 1:18:19

knows? Um, so my my next prediction is it's not what everybody's probably thinking, but it's it's it's banjo. Now I think now every single every single showcase for probably the last three years, people have been going, we're gonna get a banjo. We're gonna get either banjo 3 or we're gonna get a banjo remaster. I think just from what I was saying previously, and what Steve was saying, right now it's that let's please the gamers, let's get Xbox back, let's cut it there. So it's it's either gonna come, I've got two predictions. It's either gonna come shadow drop straight after the show, but then that's gonna clash with Steve's Fallout New Vegas shadow drop as well. But shadow drop straight after the show, there will be a remake of banjo, not just a a you know, a ground up remake of there, because what are rare working on, you know, like what are rare working on right now? And I, you know, a lot of people want it to go to Double Fine, they want it to go to Toys for Bob or those studios. I think the only studio that should make banjo is rare, you know. I think it's it's theirs, you know. If there's gonna be a remake, they need to remake, you know, and and I've I've gone back to rare replay a couple of times and played it on rare replay, but only for about five or ten minutes, because I really kind of just want I want it to be remastered, I want it to be that. So I think that we're gonna get a banjo remaster, potentially shadow dropped, or it's gonna come out as a launch title for Helix. Um it's gonna be developed by Rare, and I think if we're gonna score points of any sort, I think I should get extra points if we see the lovely James Thomas's beautiful, beautiful face on that stream.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:01

Yeah, I I I would I would go with that, but after he gave was it what was it he gave away on the stream? He gave away fire. He gave away fire in Sea of Thieves. Which on a live stream, and no one knew about it until James dropped it. Love you, love you, James.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:17

So it so it's like, I've guess we've announced fire. He's probably going, oh, why are they talking about this again? He's just got past that, he's just got past that probation period.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:27

The other one I think this was this was in between it. This was when it was rumoured that uh Bond was coming, gonna get remade. And I remember listening to it, it was either kind of funny or it might have been uh gamertag radio, but it was um they were saying, Well, there's obviously something going on because someone's dived into the analytics and they can see that at rare that this game or the achievements or something that this game is being played, and it's being played by two people. One is called something something, and the other one has got a gamertag of big sheep. And I'm like, here goes James again. It's another disciplinary for James. So um, but no, I mean it would be good. I mean, uh Banjo is definitely one of those ones where they could just do like as you say, they could just this blue screen or this like this piece of fabric could come up, and you could just get these two hands and just pull over, and this face just comes through and looks through, and that's all they need to do, and and everybody would go crazy.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:26

So uh have we uh have we given up any chance of viva pinata at this point, Justin?

SPEAKER_00 1:21:31

Have we have we see I'm not I'm not ready for that, Steve. I'm just I haven't even got the t-shirt on today. I'm not ready, you know. It's just like um every year, you know, like every year I wear a Viva Pinata t-shirt, and I'm like, this is the year we're gonna get Viva Pinata 3, or we're gonna make, or they're gonna remake Viva Pinata. But rare obviously hate me. Um so so they don't want me to have they want me to be I think they hate us even more.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:59

James probably hates us even more after this last five minutes, but um no, I mean you're not you're not the only one, because I've heard a few people say, Oh, it'd be really good to see a new Viva Pinato or a remake or something like that. So you're not the only one who wants it.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:12

I remember I remember years and years ago when we were doing this pod and we there was this E3 was was prediction. And I basically said if Rare Renise kind of anything to do with Viva Pinata, I would drive to Tricross, I would drive there, and I'll be outside with crispy cream donuts, giving them the you know, like as they come in, make a sign, everything, and still nothing, nothing. Obviously, they don't want crispy cream donuts, and and the worst thing is I can't even play it on the rug. I can't I can't even I was like, oh, do you know what when I got it? I was like, I'm gonna replay Viva Pinon of the Trouble in Paradise because it's the perfect video game, and and it's not even there. And I was like scrolling, going, the where what why isn't there? I can't even play it on the rug, it's not even play anywhere.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:59

Next thing, Anthony picks up his phones, WhatsApp, James, like what the hell is yes? I'm like, James? Right, so uh so let's get off of James before he turns his podcast and deletes his subscribe

Halo Next Steps And Helix Talk

SPEAKER_05 1:23:13

button. Um, my my next one, I would love to see a new Halo game. I know I'm not gonna see it because we've got Combat Evolved coming out, and if they're still gonna be releasing that on the PlayStation, that's gonna take their focus. And then obviously, if Helix does come out next sort of like fall, next uh holiday, it's gonna be the launch game. So I think we're I think they're gonna line up Halo with the Helix, and I think like they were trying to do with the Series X, it will be its launch game. But um, but no, I mean I would love to see it, but I don't think we're gonna see Halo. Um I do think that we're gonna see State of Decay 3, because I think that is one that I think there has been advanced betas out there or alphas out there of people playing it. So Steve, what's your what's your sort of um take on Halo and State of Decay at this this conference?

SPEAKER_03 1:24:06

I mean, I I don't really have much opinion on State of Decay because I've I think I've maybe briefly dabbled in the last one and played it, albeit briefly on a game pass and dialed out like it's I I just don't I don't buy the whole zombie apocalypse survivor games these days now. I think it's kind of had its time. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, it's very much just like I think it's done. Do you know what I mean? And how many different you know, you can say the same for again for shooters and things, but how many different versions of zombie survival horror games can we have? Do you know what I mean? So it's not a disservice to the game, you know. It's like Dying Light. Again, I've played that, and it's just like I just it's just not my thing. Zombies just really aren't my vibes.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:42

Was Dying Light the one on the motorbike? Was that no, that wasn't what was the one on the motorbike on PlayStation?

SPEAKER_00 1:24:48

Oh I loved that game. That was really I was possibly one of the only people that actually liked it, but I really liked it, it was really good. Keep going, I'll I'll let you know in a second.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:59

But again, that was another sort of zombie one around that sort of era where everything was zombies, so yeah, it's like Dead Rising, that sort of thing again.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:07

Like even that was a bit more satirical take on zombies, but again, that I that really won't my vibe either. So if he comes out, uh you know, again, I'll check it out. It's on Game Pass, but I'm not really hankering to play it. But Halo, I I replayed the Halo games again recently as part of the um you know the Master Chief collection. Um and then obviously went to Infinite from there. And I mean it's been a while since I played Halo Infinite, uh, probably when it first came out, so that was probably what two years ago, three years, however long that was. And I was like, I mean, it's got the t unfortunate title of Infinite, and obviously it's like, ooh, you know, this thing might be you know keep rolling, keep content going to day. Yeah, and it's like okay. Not a lot has changed. Like, I really enjoyed playing it again, but it's like there's not really any new content here. And like I because obviously it changed Halo, it was like the open world, you got to explore more, it wasn't linear set of maps, you could go where you want to do everything in order, and blah blah blah. So I thought, you know, ooh, they'll expand the world, there'll be DLC packs, you know, even if it's just by an expansion pack of a new part of the ring or a different part, blah, blah, blah. This is just the jump off point of what Halo Infinite could be, and it's like okay, there's not really anything that's changed. Um, so whether we see anything expansion of that, that'd be great. Like I say, I don't think we'll see anything new Halo, because like you say it makes sense for that to be the next generation, your Halo 6, 7, whatever name they want to give it, or whatever you'd categorise it as. Yeah, keep that for the Helix. But yeah, some concept Halo Infinite would be quite nice because I actually quite liked Halo Infinite. You know, I think it did some really nice things of changing the Halo brand and direction. Um, you know, I I probably will go back and play Halo when it's redone on the PS5 as well. You know, again, you know, that properly obviously it's had the remaster on Xbox, but this is again given the extra polish and on PlayStation. I'll probably go and play it on PlayStation rather because I really loved Halo when it first came out. You know, uh I think I played it on PC when it first came out rather than Xbox, but yeah, um so yeah, I'd be interested to see that. But yeah, some content would be nice, just something of even if it's paid for, you know, even if it's just uh you know, you 20 quid, but it's a sizable, you know, 20 or so hours extra. Yeah, I'd be happy with that. But I don't think we'll see it.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:15

No, I think I think they they they said didn't they there was a Vidoc, there was a Halo Vidock, and they basically just said they're done with infinite, that's kind of done. I think the reason why we're getting Combat Evolved is because that's them playing with a new Unrail engine. You know, it's like getting to grips with that. What I would like to see was because we keep getting remasters of remakes of one, I want to see remas remaster of two. You know, this this Halo Evolved has me excited to play it again because it when you see those side by side comparisons, it looks really nice. It'll probably be the third time it's been remastered, but it's it's still you know, it's still playable. But then to see Halo 2, which I think a lot I don't know about you guys, but a lot of people, there was so much because Halo 1 was so big and it was such A phenomenon. The hype for Halo 2. I remember the hype for that. Like that was a midnight launch. You know, I had to go and get a disc. You couldn't download it at that point. So it was a midnight launch for Halo 2. There was a day off work for me, probably school for you, Steve, because it was like it's so and and but I think remaster those. Keep keep practicing on the Unreal engine of remaster two and three, you know, and I think that's it would be nice to see that. But I think a tease of something new from Halo. I mean, do you ever remember that teaser that we had that one um e3 where there was a there was a desert, wasn't there? And there was a ponchoed character, and it turned out to be Master Chief, Master Chief in a poncho. You know, it was just like even that I thought was a new Vivian Pinata. But no, it was this like, but it was like Master Chief in a poncho, you know, and that was just like that nothing ever came from that. I don't know what that ever was, but give us something like that, but then say it's you know Halo Helix or something, you know, anything.

SPEAKER_05 1:28:58

Well, I think it's like looking at this the going back to the State of Decay thing, they've they've officially announced that the whole when they showed that initial get well, it wasn't gameplay, they showed that initial sort of like video of it. There was zombie deers and things like that in it. And from what I've heard, there are no zombie deers or zombie animals in the new state of decay. So so that that'll be quite interesting. But yeah, I mean I I really did enjoy Infinite. I rinsed it for every achievement I think I could get, and I really, really enjoyed the multiplayer. So, but I think yeah, they're gonna they're gonna they're they're not gonna like cover ranks with that when we've got an outgoing console unless they move Helix back, but um we'll see. But uh so the next one, Steve, is with you a bit of Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six.

Rainbow Six And Ghost Recon Comeback

SPEAKER_03 1:29:45

Yeah, so obviously, again, tying into Game Pass, because obviously we've got Ubisoft Plus as part of the uh Game Pass subscription. Again, it would make perfect sense to have again, it could be a remaster. I was thinking more of a new game, but we could see remasters of because I really liked the Rainbow Six games, uh like Vegas. Um they were fantastic, really good tactical third-person shooter. Uh you know, I don't I hate to say it like more the the thinking man shooter, not Call of the Duty where you just go and shoot people in the face, you know. It's one of those where you take three shots and you're dead, you know, and you have to restart again. You know, there's more tactical, um, you know, you've got all the fancy gadgets and things. So I I've got I rebought them recently on the 360 to play on the Xbox uh Vegas one and two to go back. And same with Advanced Warfighter, um one and two bought them again because again they were fantastic. Which at the time I remember playing Advanced Warfighter, and like you had the gun with the camera in that you could see around corners, you could shoot through walls. I think that was the first game where you could like light cover, and it's like, oh my god, like I can shoot somebody through this like fence, and it was like wow, this is like game changing. It's just half of the course now. But when you traditionally you were hid behind something, you could just stay there forever, and it could drive people out of cover, you could you know, you have to move and think and adapt. And the obviously the the Ghost Recon games and things are changed now to be more open world, um better or worse. You know, I've I've dabbled in them, but I can't say they're necessarily my vibe. Um I very much just like how the games used to be. So I would really like it if we got remakes of the series, um, or we got new versions of like Ghost Recon and like Advanced Warfighter, Rainbow Six, a new Rainbow Six Vegas. Oh my god, that'd be fantastic. You know, just something more it's not open world anymore, but you've got these bigger levels you can go through, you can do you know again. Is that what we said earlier about um bond? You know, you could play stealthy, you could go all out of salt, you could take two or three different paths to do the same level. Obviously, you've got your team to help you out in your squad. Um you know, again, you know, going co-op, going you know, uh three player, you know, to play the same levels, you know, to play as a squad or something, that'd be fantastic. So there's rumours I've seen about I think a Vietnam ghost recon, there's gonna be more um like more hardcore, um, so less sort of like European world and a bit more, you know, you can take an helicopter and fly around and drive around and blah blah. So it's a bit more um a bit more realistic, a bit more hardcore, which again has me interested because of if it's set during the Vietnam War era, and again, I've I've got a really keen interest in military history and things, so that'd have me interested. But yeah, if it were any anything remotely close to either the remakes of those old series or a return to those old series, that that would get me really excited because I guess I don't think there's really anything like it on the market anymore now. You know, that third person tactical shooter, and again it's called you, it's battlefield's first person, nobody really wants to think about playing the game anymore. They just want to run in and shoot everybody in the face, but it would be nice to have that again, you know, just uh something that will not kick your ass, but you know, it'll you know when you've when you've done something wrong, it's like I can't do that. You know, I need to think about it a little bit more, you know, smoke bomb stealth, you know, cameras, you know, anything like that. Um yeah, and and again, with it being obviously having Ubersoft Blust in Game Pass, again, boost that catalogue, boost that appeal, you know, like give the people what they want, right? Stick that in there, boom, that's either available, come in, whatever variation we see.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:12

Yeah, so was the advanced warfighter ghost was that the one that came out on the 360? Was that the 360 launch one? Oh, that was such a good game. That was such a good I mean that that was you know back in the day where every multiplayer game of Ghost Week on Advanced Warfare, you'd make a new friend, you know, you'd get a friend's request afterwards because everyone was lovely to each other then, you know, and it was just like it was just like no one talked about your mum, you know, and it's like it was just like everyone would just have made friends. We just made friends, you know, and that that had such a cool, like you say, Steve, there was those gadgets, but it also had a really good art style as well. It was just it was like what it was almost it was almost chunky before gears, you know, it kind of had that kind of look and feel about it. And I always remember the Ghost Recon that was on the original Xbox, and that was great, because I used to play I used to play that with a friend online, and you'd have to press a button to talk. So you'd have to literally like press a button to be able to, and that was just like that was great. And you didn't play you didn't play online, you played online together, co-opt, but you played against like NPCs, and that was just like, give me any of that again. I totally would love that. That would be and Vegas is just it's such a great game.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:29

Well, it's almost like going back to I remember us as Sparks playing Division, you know. We had some really good nights in Division where it was like going into the black zones or whatever they were called, and then um, so I think that that type of game, which you know will get people together and you can go in as a squad or a team, and then you know, I know there's been a few um helldivers and things like that that people have really liked, but um, but the the next prediction, and I think I I'm giving Anthony a point for this prediction already. I don't think it's gonna happen, but I but but this prediction really floated my boat and was the inspiration for my scenery behind me today

Forza DLC Mount Fuji And Godzilla

SPEAKER_05 1:35:06

again.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:06

Absolutely. Oh, yes, I can see it. I could so yeah, so my my there you go, scooch down, Stu. Scooch down. So my my prediction um is that uh I don't think it's too early. You know, I know Forza Horizon 6 has only been out for a couple of weeks, um, but normally in these showcases is where we get the DLC. So I think we're going to get a sneak peek at the DLC for 4's horizon 6. So I think 4's Horizon 6, Mount Fuji, as you as you're lovingly showing in your background. We can't get there at the moment in Four. Now I thought when they showed the snow that we would be up Fuji, we were doing, but we can't. So I think that they're gonna open up the mountain, we're gonna do a very kind of mountainous level, but my little bonus extra is that at the end of the trailer, the one thing that's missing from Japan for me is Godzilla. So I think we're gonna get some kaiju, I think we're gonna get some Godzilla in a DLC. You know, they've done it before, we've had a we've had a T-Rex and things like that. We we raced a mech um in Forza Horizon 6. So I think racing Godzilla and ties in nicely to Godzilla, uh, Godzilla minus zero as well that's coming out. Um, so I think we could get a nice little tie-in, bit of bit of Mount Fuji and also a bit of Godzilla in Forza Horizon 6.

SPEAKER_05 1:36:31

Either that or we're gonna get an anime world, you know, like a Lego world or yes, oh genius. Hot Wheels world. It's a Hot Wheels world, wasn't it? Was like I just hope they don't I mean I don't think they will, but I've I've had enough of Hot Wheels, I've done that twice, so um, but yeah, I mean obviously anime is very much Japanese, so it's like what could they do with anime as well? But I do like the Godzilla, I do like the the whole sort of I mean Godzilla is I mean it never really goes out of fashion, but I think with the the Apple series, um um I can't think what's called now, but with the Apple series that is all monarch monarch, that's it. I think that's almost very much back in front of people again, and that's perfect, as you say, with the mountain or coming out of the sea or something like that. So I think that's a very, very good call, and I would be very happy to see it. But I agree with you. I think you do usually see something or a sneak peek at the showcase shortly after it comes out because a lot of people are gonna cane Forza, they're gonna unlock everything. I mean, this is probably the first year that I've not really, really, really gone at it. Um so I think there are people out there sadly who are gonna already be like, Oh, I need to I've done all the races, I've doing the seasons, is there something new? So uh what about you, Steve?

SPEAKER_03 1:37:46

I wouldn't say this should just come to me. Obviously, we talk about like crossovers. Could they do Pokemon? Or is that tied with Nintendo? Do you think? Oh that's Nintendo, isn't it? See, I think I I like choosing Pokemon mascots and things, that'd be really cool.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:04

Yeah, yeah. That that could be interesting. That could just be a new area unlocked, and it's Pokemon or anime, or so you're gonna run over, you're gonna run over Pikachu. Gonna hit Pikachu, you're gonna put it into reverse and go back and forth, back and forth.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:18

Yeah. That's quite interesting. I mean, your anime once, dude. There was a game that came out recently called Screamer, which was an anime racer. Troy Baker played one of the characters, looked really good, but it was too much dependent on drifting. So I kind of I watched a gameplay and they were like, Oh, are you drifting? I was like, Nope, not for me. Um, but that was that looked really good, and that was Screamer, and that that looked fantastic. So imagine going into an anime world. I'd love a Pokemon to appear. Because, you know, I I played on playing online with a group of friends, and and Matt, um, a friend of the show, Matt, he turned up in his Pikachu uh warthog or his Pokemon Warthog. So he's got a Warthog that's just covered in Pokemon. So there's there's a livery uh in um Forza Horizon 6 that basically just splattered Pokemon all over his um in a good way, not in a like run over way, but you know, splattered uh Pokemon all over his uh all over his warthog.

SPEAKER_05 1:39:14

Yeah, Steve's been playing with your warthog, haven't you? I've noticed that shorts doing a little flip, sticking the landing.

SPEAKER_00 1:39:22

It's the first one you have to unlock because it feels so bloody good, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_03 1:39:26

It feels good to like 10 10 launch or something as well, so for like off rodents, like it's actually ri for something that probably weighs about six tons, it's actually a really good car that's set or vehicle that sets off really quick. But yeah, for doing like um like the jumps and stuff, or for like just plowing through trees and what have you, yeah. It's a really good uh all around a state.

SPEAKER_05 1:39:45

What are you playing? What are you what car are you using most in Forza State?

SPEAKER_03 1:39:49

I can't remember the name of it, but there's this little it's not the aerial nomad. It's like an equivalent of it. Like a little bit of a off-roader, it's like little theatre, like the little roll kit. It's not the nomad, it's somewhere else. That's what it is. Aerial at the end, it's the average theatre, which is the road version. Oh, okay, it's the nomad, yeah. Aerial nomad is the off-road version. A smaller little version that's again like the nomad. But I've basically just beefed it up and it's gone from like a B category to like an S1 or something. So for again, like I've I've done the whole unlock tree for it. So like if you get a skill song come on or something, you're plowing through trees or what have you, I'd I'd got like a one and a half million combo going just from that, just by plowing through trees and doing jumps and kangarooing and what have you. So that I must admit, is probably getting the boards and things, you know, going through the XP boards and doing the um doing the mascots. I like the it's it's the Aston, like one of the you get it quite early on. The one of the like really, really super it's the one that I put a video on when it drove off the uh that's the Masteries, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_05 1:40:55

Was that the AG black?

SPEAKER_03 1:40:56

Yeah, the AG one of the APIs. I've got that one after button. Yeah, one of the I like them, um which sometimes is a bit too hot to handle, but the breaking on them is insane. Like you can let it go into the red and it like drops on it stops on a pin, do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 1:41:09

So again, it it's good for those like what are you playing, Anthony? What what's your going to choice?

SPEAKER_00 1:41:17

If I'm XP board hunting, then it's the Warhog. Um, but if I'm just racing around, then there's a Lamborghini. It's I've I've got it grey because it's the Lamborghini that Bruce Wayne drives in Batman uh in Batman uh not Batman Begins, but maybe maybe the one with the Joker, the Dark Knight. Um it's the one that he drives in there. So it may be like the Lamborghini Dorado or something like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:41:41

No, I I I'm probably more I'm actually airilatum because I think I think that was maybe because playing on the rock, it was almost like just scooting around, beefing it up and things like that. Um I did uh I did play one race just as it came out in the Lotus of Vora, which is you know their their electric hypercar. And uh and it was it was a typical, it was almost reminiscent of when I let Molly using PSVR playing G at Gran Turismo where you put your foot down and and you put your foot down all pressure controller and it just wants to kill you because it just it goes and goes and goes, and it gets to a certain mile an hour and then just did it just sort of like the back steps out, and I just I could not drive it. So I use that when I'm trying to do the speed traps, and especially if they're on straight ones, but I quite um and this one funnily enough, I found myself I found myself driving around in more of the slower, but slower cars. I mean, I've got the GR behind me, um and I've got that and I've raced around in that sometimes, but um, but no, I I think at the moment I'm just because I'm just when I'm poodling around, I'm just in the air of Latin. So uh I think right, so the last uh final last prediction is with you, Anthony, and it's a bit of the Harry Potter-ish.

Hogwarts Legacy 2 And Release Timing

SPEAKER_00 1:43:01

Absolutely, you can't let a prediction go without a bit of a bit of Hogwarts legacy. Now, um so my prediction is that at some point I did say state of play or the um or the um summer game fest, which is on Friday, um, I think we're going to get a teaser of Hogwarts Legacy 2. And I think I'd I'd love it to be at the Xbox game uh showcase for them because last time when Hogwarts Legacy came out, it was more PlayStation, to the point where PlayStation had to actually had an exclusive level as well that took a year to come to uh Xbox that was really good, actually. It was kind of like something that was in uh Hogsmead. Um, but Hogwarts Legacy is one of those games that is so polished, it is such a great game. I've I've now played it four times for each house. So I've gone through, so in in in the Harry Potter World, in Hogwarts, you've got four houses. You've got you know, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slivery, and a Ravenclaw, and I've gone through and played it on all four because it was an achievement. I still haven't unlocked all of the unlocks in one of my playthroughs because that is a ginormous slog. Um, but um, I've played it four times because this game is such a polished game. So I think we're gonna get a Hogwarts Legacy 2, but with the new Harry Potter TV show that's coming out in December, I think we're gonna get something that ties into that. So I think you know, Hogwarts Legacy is like about 200 years before Harry Potter turns up at Hogwarts. I think we're gonna get something that jumps forward and we're now gonna have something in the Harry Potter world.

SPEAKER_05 1:44:41

Yeah, that that's a that's a good bit. I can see that because yeah, you're right. The new TV show comes out, which uh is a bit weird, sort of seeing it all roll right back to when they were kids again. But uh did you play Hogwarts, D?

SPEAKER_03 1:44:53

Yeah, I did. I I I didn't play it to completion, I must admit. And but now again it's on Game Pass now. There's obviously the incentive to go back and and and do it again. I'd I jumped on uh PS5 when it first came out, and I can't remember how long I played. I played a decent chunk of it. A palamine, I know he he platinumed it, you know, he absolutely loved it, he just played nothing else but that for however long he like properly ground it out. Um so yeah, so I mean it you know, I I think he did a fantastic recreation of Hogwarts and you know, a different story, uh different tale. And again, it's that world is you know is almost perfect for these different adaptations and different you know, it's almost like a bit like Games of Thrones or Lord of Rings, you know, the you've got the world, you've got the familiarity, but you can take the story pretty much wherever you want. So even if it wasn't part of the you know original but different Harry Potter now, you know, at the same time, you know, something's before, after, in between again, you know, in between the what we're familiar with and what was legacy, you know, something different. So yeah, it'd be it'd be a good enough incentive to go play it, and then again if it came out as paid for DLC to go, alright, okay, yeah, jump on, got the free base game, why not, you know, give it give it another go. So um yeah, I I played it and enjoyed what I played, albeit I I can't say I was pulled to play four times like you, Anthony, but um, you know, I'll I'll probably rego again now now that it's quote unquote free, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 1:46:16

No, it is like I say, it is just one of those games that it is it was one of those games that out of the bat, it was so polished. You know, there was I did not run into a bug in Hogwarts Legacy, and it's such a vast game, you know. I never got stuck in a wall, I never got stuck in the door, I never fell through, never no, no, there was it was just such a polished game, and I uh and it was it's kind of it was really interesting because it's kind of um it was a fantastic Christmas game, and this is what Nika and I wanted from Fable, you know, and tying it back to Xbox, you know, they've delayed Fable, you know, they've got they've got the wibbles because of GTA six. That was me all last week. Um, they've got the wibbles because of GTA 6. There is so much emphasis in the gaming space on week one, month one, that Xbox have delayed it to February, so or or later on in the year. I I think personally they should not attach a month to that game because they've just they've delayed it like a four or five times. And I know you know there's that saying, you know, you know, a bad game is a bad for good, a good game, all of that sort of stuff, and I get it, and I want Playground to have as much time as they can, it's just disappointing because a good game like Hogwarts, a good game like Fable, it's it's such a great Christmas treat, you know, to just hanker down lots of snacks, and just you know, the world is taking a moment so you can just kind of relax and enjoy, and it's just I really wanted that. Not you know, I'm hoping maybe Hogwarts Legacy T will be out this year. I doubt that, but it would be amazing. I think the Harry Potter TV show launches on HBO on Christmas Day. I think they're gonna be the the first episode drops on HBO on Christmas Day, so who knows, you know, building up hype around that. That's enough hype as it is, I guess. That TV show alone.

SPEAKER_05 1:48:16

I mean, it's a shame of a fable because um I I would have I would have played Fable over GTA any day. I might for the look on Steve's face.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:25

Uh but uh you know, I I I would have been when I was looking away, but yeah, we can't have this conversation again.

SPEAKER_00 1:48:32

It's currently rage typing to our chat, there he goes again.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:36

I still need to take a clip, I still I still need to clip the last show down with that statement and wait for it to blow up and be like, what is this guy talking about? Like, who is this guy?

SPEAKER_05 1:48:45

Let us pause for a second. I would rather play Fable than GTA. There you go, there's your clip. That's it. That's all I need from this.

SPEAKER_02 1:48:54

That's all that's going out from this world. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 1:48:56

But the thing is, the thing is, for this last show ever, the thing is, you know, it's like with GTA, you know, it may launch with online, who knows? But if that's coming out in November, I will probably, you know, and it's not just about me, but I I would be done with my GTA playthrough by the time December comes around, having a nice cozy game. You can't say GTA is a cozy game, um, but you know, because for me, GTA, I love the opening of GTA. The moment I get in a car, it becomes like a drift car enforcer, and I just cannot control that thing, you know. So I at that point, I don't know how many times I've installed it, played it, got excited, uninstalled it, all in like two hours of like GTA 5. Um, so I'm excited for six because there's so much hype, but give me fable any day. I'm with you stuff.

SPEAKER_05 1:49:46

Steve looked slightly ragy then when you when you met when you said by Christmas, I'll be done with GTA. The look on Steve's it comes out in November.

SPEAKER_02 1:49:55

You can't do it in a month. Like, that's that's a you've got our Way through by that point. People have played this for 14 bloody years. I'm going to say a GTA 5's still been played now. You can't play it in a month.

SPEAKER_00 1:50:07

Yeah, but that's more online though, isn't it? That's the online stuff. And you know, when GTA launches normally, it doesn't launch with online. I know it's a different world to what we've had previously, so they may go because they've spent so much money on the campaign, they want to funnel people into that campaign first. So I don't think online's going to launch until next year. Does that give Xbox the wibbles again and say we can't launch Fable because online GTA is coming out in February? We're never getting Fable, guys.

SPEAKER_03 1:50:34

You know, it's just like you hear it here first. You can't you can't do it forever, can you? Because you've just got to accept it's gonna come out. And if people want to play it, they'll play it. And if they want to play Fable or whatever else it is, they're gonna play it, aren't they? Do you know what I mean? So yeah. Look, I I will jump into GTA because I just love GTA, like you say. I'll I'd yeah. Uh I'll I'd love Fable as well, don't get me wrong. But I'd I yeah, a month. You can't play GTA in a month. There's more than a month's worth of content in that game.

SPEAKER_05 1:51:00

Gotta be. There's gotta be. Hopefully by then we'll be internet millionaires. By this time, we'll get a free code, maybe not. Um but to Rockstar. Yeah, maybe. I have started I have started to get some free codes for for the games. So uh there was one I uh well, I can't remember it lewds me now, but there was one I was uh starting to play on the ROG, and then I just just thought I'm gonna save this till I get back. So uh, but uh that game also that zombie game was called Days Gone. Nice.

SPEAKER_00 1:51:28

I like that fact checking during the game during the pod while dumb.

SPEAKER_05 1:51:32

Yeah, no, I I quickly it helps having enough you two because I can quickly do this and and and start to search on things while you two are talking. So yeah, that was called Day Got Days Gone. I mean, I again I quite enjoyed that. I thought that was quite good. I think I got stuck on a level, a bit like you with Starfield getting stuck on a level, then just not going back. I think I got stuck on a level where I just got swamped by zombies or something like that. I couldn't get out, it wouldn't load previously, and then I just sort of gave up. And I think I ended up giving the the disc a disc. I gave the disc to a friend and he he then played it and he said to me, Do you want it back? I'm like, nah, that's right, you keep it.

SPEAKER_00 1:52:11

Yeah, like, no, I'm good. I remember that game. I remember that game just being one of those games where it just kept going. You know, you think you go, right, this is the last level you get to, you can think this is it, and then it just kind of branches off onto another path and stuff like that. It just kept going. But it was really good fun, though. I really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_05 1:52:27

I really like well, talking about good fun, um, that's

Gamertags Thanks And Sign Off

SPEAKER_05 1:52:30

it. I mean, this was this has been a very, very enjoyable guys. Thank you, thank you, Anthony, for coming back on. It's uh it's been quite enjoyable having a bit of a three-way conversation tonight and uh and virtually no fortnight. Actually, hold on a second. Steve, I do like the current level of Fortnite when you go into your first, but look at his face, when you go into your first person mode in this with the Overwatch guns.

SPEAKER_03 1:52:52

So Yeah, yeah, we have to get you there, Anthony. Sorry. We did Fortnite on Sunday. Yeah, we we did and we probably played maybe two and a half hours or so. So yeah, no, and obviously the new chapter is starting on Friday as we record on the Wednesday.

SPEAKER_00 1:53:06

I I almost got through without mentioning chapter whatever, 7-3 or whatever it is.

SPEAKER_05 1:53:12

So don't worry, the next the next show will be a fortnight special, don't you worry. We had to Google it the other day to which way around it was chapter fortnight season or yeah, or whatever episode. So, but no, thank you, Anthony, um, for coming on. So um, it's been yeah, it's been really, really good. It's been uh very enjoyable.

SPEAKER_00 1:53:32

Thank you very much for inviting me back on. I absolutely loved it, it's been an absolute blast. Thank you very much, guys. It feels weird.

SPEAKER_03 1:53:38

Invited back to your own podcast. Like, how does that work?

SPEAKER_05 1:53:42

Hey, he's handed over the blame. I'm back in the middle now of the three of us, so I feel like I've looked at answer. So um the crown. But um, Anthony, where can people find you if they want to hook up and come online and play some games with you?

SPEAKER_00 1:53:56

Oh my god, I'm I'm a mixed bag all over. That was always the worst thing. Um I am I'm chess man on Xbox. Um I'm chess man on Xbox, I'm PS hyphen chess man uh because I messed up my gamertag on PlayStation, and then a whole mixture of Anthony Chess and Chess Man on all of the various social medias.

SPEAKER_05 1:54:15

What about you, Stay? You're you're apart from TikTok, isn't it? You're you're pretty consistent now.

SPEAKER_03 1:54:20

Yeah, I'm pretty streamlined now. So yeah, Steve91 on PlayStation, Xbox, YouTube, and Instagram, and then SteCarter1991 on TikTok. So pretty much everywhere I'm I'm the same, but there's another Calter91 out on TikTok somewhere, which I'm fuming. Fuming. Who is this guy? Who is this guy?

SPEAKER_05 1:54:40

You're you're also pretty much the at Lost Spark podcast on all platforms. So uh uh I keep on seeing things drop into my um Instagram feed, which is at Mr. Stuart Burgess. So fly. Steve's oh sorry, Lost Sparks invited you to this. Lost Sparks invites you to this. Lost Sparks is like bloody hell. Just leave me alone. Stop pestering me. But um, but no, it uh thank you for doing that, and thank you, Anthony, for coming on tonight. And uh yeah, maybe we'll we could pick it up again with a not a predictions but a result show in maybe a week or so to have a chat about whether our predictions were right. I'm gonna be checking these off on Sunday. Yeah. I'll well I'll put I was saying I'll put our I'll put we literally recently my daughter went on her first ever French trip or trip abroad, and we had a little bit of a chuckle with one of the fellow mums, and we made up a bingo card of everything they're gonna come back and say. Um right. So, what I'll do is I'll put our predictions into Chat GPT. Um, other AIs do exist, and I'll say, make this into a bingo card, and then I'll send send it out on the group and we can all sit there scribbling it off together on Sunday. So uh Love it, love it. Right, guys, thank you very much for your time and uh thank you for everybody listening or watching this podcast. Don't forget you can rate, review, subscribe, questions, all of that, Malaki, whatever platform you're on. But uh thank you for listening and chaps, thank you for your time.

SPEAKER_00 1:56:06

Thank you very much, guys. Talk to you later on. Cheers, bye.