Unofficial Controller Podcast
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Unofficial Controller Podcast
You Don't Need $80 Games When $50 Ones Hit Harder
What if the most compelling gaming experiences aren't coming from $80 blockbusters, but from the thoughtfully crafted $30-50 titles that fly under the radar? This week, we're thrilled to welcome back Seb (Triple S) who immediately challenges our assumptions about where gaming's greatest joys can be found.
Seb introduces us to "The Altars," a mind-bending sci-fi adventure where you're stranded on a desolate planet with the ability to clone yourself and alter those clones' memories—creating specialists from doctors to technicians while managing their psychological quirks. It's just one example of how double-A games are consistently outshining their higher-priced counterparts in 2024. Meanwhile, Scott discovers the hypnotic pull of Belatro after initially dismissing it, proving sometimes the most addictive experiences require a second chance to reveal their depth.
We dive into gaming's hottest topics, including The Last of Us Part 2's fascinating new chronological mode that reorders the entire narrative—a creative experiment that ultimately confirms Naughty Dog's original storytelling choices were spot-on. Ghost of Yotei steals the spotlight as PlayStation's next premium experience, featuring upgraded combat with four distinct weapon types, multiple visual modes including a striking black-and-white filter, and the creative influence of legendary directors from both live-action and anime spheres.
The conversation takes an interesting turn toward value and pricing in gaming, with PlayStation holding at $70 while competitors charge $80 for arguably less innovative titles. It raises the question: in a landscape where indie and double-A games are consistently delivering extraordinary experiences at lower price points, what truly determines a game's worth?
Whether you're seeking hidden gems, curious about the latest console exclusives, or just want to hear three passionate gamers share their unfiltered thoughts on where the industry is headed, this episode offers insights and laughs in equal measure. Subscribe now and join our Discord community to continue the conversation!
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hello and welcome to the unofficial Controller Podcast, your weekly gaming podcast. And yes, it's me again. You're probably getting bored of hearing me. Now it's RGT and this is episode 277, apparently Nobody always gets this wrong, but yeah, 277. And I am joined today by not only the sexiest switch man on YouTube, Scott aka MarathonGaming, we are also joined by yeah, you're all thinking who is it? Who is it? Well, you know who it's going to be it is Triple S aka Seb, the man who's back. How are we doing, seb?
Speaker 2:I'm thinking I'm back, yeah, I'm doing good, I I'm doing good glad to be back with y'all.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's great to have you back on and, um, nice to see you're safe and sound and we know us all. Uh, that's not been going very well over. You know where you live at the moment, so we're just glad you're safe and family safe and everything. And uh, yeah, it's brilliant to have you back on and um, yeah, it's gonna be a good show. I and yeah, it's going to be a good show. I think how are you doing?
Speaker 3:Scott, yeah, I'm very good. I'm just in awe seeing Seb's beautiful face back. I missed him so much. I'm so glad he's here and I want to know the amount of games he plays and completes and he's got everything like from. You know he gets the codes from the developers first. He gets all the exclusive. I just want to hear what he's been up to. It's been so long so I'm so glad he's back on. So I'm going to be like a little giddy school kid. I'm going to be flickering my little eyes, I'm going to be just staring into his beautiful face.
Speaker 1:You know what it is, scott, you know what it is.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Seb's the man with the codes. He's the man with the awesome games room. He's the man with, you know, platinum's his games. He's the man who plays Games Pass. He doesn't play Switch very much, but I mean he plays his Steam Deck, you know. Yeah, we all want to be Seb, don't we really?
Speaker 3:Oh, GT, I think you've already lubed me up enough. I need to go straight in because I'm wet and ready.
Speaker 2:I need to know, seth, what have you been playing? Please tell the world. So, first of all, I wanted to. I've been wanting to get back onto this, to get back with you guys for a while now, but, like, a little event happened in gaming, you know that a little console came out and I wanted you all to have joy with this console. You know I didn't want to be the bringer of negativity around anything.
Speaker 2:Switch-related when the Switch 2 came out, so I held myself back from that. I actually did experience the Switch 2. I didn't buy it but I experienced it. I played quite a bit of Mario Kart. Mario Kart World, yeah, I think. Interesting enough, I think it's a good game. I think mario kart world is a very good game. I don't think I for the switch to launch. On my question that I keep asking myself, revolving around, that is like outside of games that have already come out, has this been one of the weaker launchers that we've? Just objectively speaking, because you only have mario kart world there and you had the debacle that is. Was it um, welcome to nintendo switch like the nintendo switch?
Speaker 2:yeah, so I'm like has this been one of the weaker launch lineups that we've seen so far, and I? I'm curious because my I'm I. I tried to be objective while playing Mario Kart world. I liked the game a lot, but then I from everything that.
Speaker 3:I like about it.
Speaker 2:I can't turn that my part, that part of my brain that always asks like is this really truly worthy of being the first $80 game? Though you know, like I have that lens there of like I I'm thinking to myself, I'm like they I have that lens there of like I'm thinking to myself, I'm like they charged us $80 for this bad boy. And then they also like this is also an open world game that is mirroring Mario Kart with Forza, because it's you know, you drive to your next event, drive to your next courses and all that kind of stuff. And then I'm like as a reviewer.
Speaker 2:We've all had that stigma. There's been that stigma of like open world, open world games that feel empty and I'm like I. It feels a little empty for me. So I'm like I. I kind of I've had that back and forth thing mario kart world where I'm like I'm I've seen good game here but I'm like the outside factors sort of tainted the experience a bit for me. But outside of that I've been obsessed with um, this game I. You know it's been a while since I've been on the show so I'm not gonna bore y'all too much with the encyclopedia that I've been playing. But like um, I've been obsessed with this game called the altars. Have you heard of it?
Speaker 1:no, I have no okay, so the altars.
Speaker 2:I'll just give you a brief pitch.
Speaker 2:So imagine you are on an expedition, a space expedition with a crew.
Speaker 2:You are just a general joe, small, with the crew, and y'all are going to a planet to just is that like tap into a metallic resource that is going that scientists feel like it's going to change, change everything for y'all, y'all, um, but anyways, you get to this planet, you found out the rest of the, the rest of the like crew died on impact. Their individual like pads, all their individual crafts have like they're dead in their crafts and you're the only one left. So you end up finding the, finding the resource, and but you have just the expertise that you have, which is just a generic worker. So you end up finding out that the materials that you can mine can allow you to make clones of yourself and in each different form of your clone. You can go to your computer and you can alter previous impact points of your life and change the way that that clone thinks that its life played out, and then, by doing so, you can make that clone a doctor, because that clone thinks it went to middle school school and that's things, that that's brilliant.
Speaker 2:Oh my, my goodness, it's fantastic so like Is this like um?
Speaker 1:Is this sort of pixel art, or is it like uh?
Speaker 2:No, this is like um, this is like um 3D it is. It sort of feels like Dead Space in a way, to where like Okay, okay, you're on a barren You're on a barren kind of environment base, like resource slash, like I I would say like emotional. You're dealing with um, like emotional spectrums, and as far as like um, you have to talk to the individual crew members because they have different memories and they have a different life path that they went on or believe they went on, because you've altered their memories up to that point.
Speaker 2:So I'm like everything that led them up to signing up for the expedition that y'all that you eventually went on was completely different because you altered their memory. So I'm like you have a doctor, you have a guard, you can get a guard, you can get like a, a botanist, a cook. You like, you have so many of these people and because, like you've altered their, their memories, their personalities are vastly different than yours so I'm like what clever game oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So I'm like. You have one one guy who's like he went through a mining. He's a miner, he went through a mining accident. His arm well, his one of his arms got severed and when you grew him back he grew, grew back with two arms. So instead of it being a blessing, though, like he was still dealing with like pain medication, addiction and such like that. So in his mind he's still a addict and he's also still feeling the ghost pain from when his arm got cut off.
Speaker 1:So I'm like well, that's quite deep in it as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I'm like you also have to manage his emotions and also choose the choices of like, well, do we give him pain medicine, even though he has no ailments anymore, like are, do we chop off his arm and then that sort of like, because he can't handle having two arms. Like do we chop it off and then grow it back? Or or what do we do there, like, how do we manage his emotions? You have like a technician who's like going, he's like battling depression, but then he's also like he has these extreme highs and lows and you have to manage kind of his emotions. But he's also the one who takes care of your ship. Also have to pick out like, um, you also go into the world and the world around you. You have like resources that you're managing, so like resources that you're mining, and then like you're also unveiling what happened to the original crew so it's all this like all this really kind of deep gameplay mixed in with some hard emotional game, like hard emotional choices that you have to make.
Speaker 2:And the crazy thing is it's like I found. I found that this game sort of continues the path that I'm on this year in gaming to where I'm like I'm having more fun with the double a games versus the triple a this year, to where I like the kingdom come deliverances of the world.
Speaker 2:You have like um expedition, you know, like the game that took over the world. I'm like all these games that came out there 30 to 40 to 50 dollars to me are like shooting higher and punching harder than the games that came out that are 70 and 80 dollars yeah, it's crazy, very true, so, so, yeah, I've been playing a lot of the alters. That's on game pass and it's also on pretty much everything right now, except for the switch to.
Speaker 3:But you know, um that's what I've been playing, Scott.
Speaker 2:I want to hear about you. What's your gaming journey been like lately?
Speaker 3:Well, I don't know if you're going to want to hear what I've been playing because it's been on the Nintendo Switch 2. I'm going to tell you anyway I've been playing. Rgt mentioned it last week in the show about our challenge accepted this month in the Discord in the show about our challenge. Accepted this month in the Discord so by Digital Monkery, is Bellatro and obviously it's been out for a while. It's you know, it's lived up to the hype. Everyone's played, everyone's enjoyed it, everyone knows about Bellatro. So you don't want to keep going on about it, but I've got to because I literally was going through the eShop.
Speaker 3:I was playing a few different games. So I talked about last week when I did my solo show. I was playing a game called ted in lives which is an fmv game and I just couldn't quite get into it. I know ginger discord said it's a good game, of course he's platinum, he's platinum everything. But I couldn't quite um get too into it to work out what you're supposed to do. In that one you're reviewing basically the um footage. You'll hear one side of the story trying to piece together with four different actors. So I was sort of playing that. I thought I've had enough. Then I was playing some more of dino survivor seb. I don't know if you've heard, but do not check that game out. Do not even put it in google. I don't want you adding any advertisement to. I shouldn't be talking about it now. It's an rpg dinosaur game and for some reason I just want to get all the way to a t-rex. So I keep unlocking every dinosaur.
Speaker 3:But I was like I was like I need to move on, I can't be doing this. So I'm going through the e-shop. And then I was. I couldn't find anything. You know, I've gone through, looked at sours, I thought I've gone through the same list over and over again, um, and I thought, ah, I'll join in a change accepted. So I redownloaded black trope on that very quick on the switch to how quick the games redownload in comparison to the original switch, um, very, very quick and yeah. So I put black show in. And then I was like do you know?
Speaker 3:what I've only, I have only played this for one hour. I've not given it a time of day. So I was enjoying it, playing it, as you know, a poker game but I wasn't playing it as a roguelike, so I wasn't doing different runs. I've probably done two or three runs and then I was like, oh, is this all it is? I don't like it sometimes when people hype something. I like to find it on my own. So I played it, appreciated it. I was like, yeah, I can see why people like it Put it down. And I was like, hold on, there's a game in here.
Speaker 3:So I notes to um digital monkery and I said, tom, I need you to help me out here. I was like what's going on here? I was like what's the crack to this game? He gave me a few pointers. He said that he's been addicted to it, played loads of hours and I've been playing it all of this week. And just this week I looked I've done 10 hours just this week playing the game. That's got you. It's, yeah, it's so, so good.
Speaker 3:I know people pretty screaming at their phones or their radios um, just like, how has he not got into it before? But yeah, it's just the penny hadn't dropped and now it has. And I just, every time I finish a run, I'll do two runs in a row and then I just pot around. All right, I can't keep playing this, I'll go do something. I'll do a few chores around the house and then all of a sudden I'm like no, I need to get back on there. So it's proper. Got me right and there is one more game I've been playing. If anyone does want to join in, you've got to the end of the month, join the discord the link's in the show notes and then go on to the challenge accepted section and basically it's your highest hand so you can play as many games you want. There's no rules to that, whatever buffs you want or whatever route you go to um.
Speaker 3:But yeah, I went to the e-shop. I was like I need to get a different game. I can't keep playing black show. I need some sort of distraction. But the card games have hooked me right. So there's a new game um, it's called again. It's not really. I mean, I've probably played it to the max, I've only played it for a few hours. It's called fool's pub and basically it's five pound at launch. It come out um, literally a week ago. It's currently 28 off at three pound 91, so I probably got it at sale even when it launched. The fact that it launched on sale isn't a good sign, um, basically, but I'm gonna sell it to you here. Very simple, right, all it is. It's a bluffing game. It's not like any card game I've played before.
Speaker 2:So basically, I mean seth might know, this is an American game.
Speaker 3:So basically, you get all dealt the cards and then say it starts off with a king. You have to go around saying how many of that card's going to put down. I think we've got to without ruining our swearing bullshit. I think is what we might call it. Basically, you put your cards in and then, as it goes, you've got to keep going around. So sometimes you want to pretend you've got one or hold one back, and then, but what's the catch of this game? It's not just a card game, but what's cool about it is, rather than having lives, it's Russian roulette. There's a gun on the table, every player has a gun and then, when you get called out a bluff, if you are bluffing, you take a shot at the head and there's obviously six. It's a revolver, there's six bullets in there and it's a one in six chance of getting knocked out of the game. So it's quite a cool angle.
Speaker 1:That adds tension, doesn't it? Have you?
Speaker 2:been playing that online or offline Because I played this back in the day.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay, yes, so I have played it online. But what I've found is it's a little bit broken. So I beat the Advertiser really easy and then I was enjoying it. I felt like I'm really good. I mean I shouldn't be saying this. I felt like I was good at lying. So I was beating a lot of people. But I found people kept on, unfortunately. Say you're a host of a game. If you go out first, they have to watch the whole game. So people would quit but they won't get the XP. But I get it. I mean even I've done it. So you know, I meant to be meeting a mate down a pub on a Saturday in an hour's time. I don't want to be sitting there watching people play for 20 minutes. I want to go out and go back into a game.
Speaker 2:So that was a bit flawed.
Speaker 3:However, I would say for a quick pick-up-and-play game for under £5, I mean, that's really refreshing to hear did it come out, then seb um, this has been.
Speaker 2:I think it was a steam early access game um back in the day. That because that's the first that was my first instance of of playing that game but, um because correct me if I'm wrong, that's where your your anthropomorphic animals right yes, yes that's a very yeah.
Speaker 3:That is the right one putting it I was gonna say you're a fox or a bear, but I like, I like the fact, yeah, I like that, but yeah, you can change basically different animal avatars, um. So it's kind of and when you shoot there's no blood, it sort of sparks a bit like fireworks, so it means that children can play it. So it's quite clever. They've took the gambling and the danger away from it, but there's, you know, it's implied that that's what's happening.
Speaker 2:It is a gun and you are shooting yourself, and it is russian roulette and you are playing cards in a pub if I remember the press release, if I remember the press release for that one, well, I do believe, like the developers were inspired by that famous um the famous um poker, um portrait that had, like the dogs, you know, yeah, it's called dogs playing poker.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that makes sense actually but yeah, that's yeah, I've been playing that. Um, that's probably it really I mean I haven't gone back to the survival game, um, but this goes to show you how good belatro is right. I was going on and on about how good stranded deep is right and I was playing it for a good couple of weeks and I got. I did 10 hours on it. I've done 10 hours of velatro just in five days.
Speaker 2:That's how good that game is.
Speaker 3:I've been telling you all that velatro yeah oh said I should have listened, and I I always say I should always listen to seb, because you do know best. But yeah, what a game. So I need to thank digital monkery for putting the competition on. And digital monkery has played, if not hundreds, maybe thousands of hours. Don't get put off by his top score, because we can have a battle at the bottom. I am miles off the pace at the bottom of the table, so if you're bad at the game, don't worry about it. Join in and then we can have a battle at who's going to come last, and I'll tell you what I might throw a booby prize in for who comes last. So why not get?
Speaker 1:involved.
Speaker 3:If you're looking for a bellatro alternative, um like, if you do get tired of bellatro but you still want a card game.
Speaker 2:Like dungeons and degenerate gamblers is like amazing as well, because, like it is, it's a roguelike. But the twist is, you're almost just like the game you you talked about just now. Um, you're in a pub as well. You also have, like, um, these npcs that'll talk to you, as opposed to like bellatro, where you're mostly playing against like a, a set goal, so to speak, and in this one, um, you're, it's almost like you are playing blackjack, though it's a blackjack roguelike, as opposed to poker.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as opposed to poker, and it's, it's just as addicting, um I, I think like yeah, yeah, and especially since you're, looking for games to play on the switch too, since y'all are waiting for anything besides mario kart at this point all right.
Speaker 3:Hey, we've got cyberpunk right. I thought I'll keep quiet earlier, but if you want to go to war, we go there, it's 2025.
Speaker 2:You know, you know I love cyberpunk's my favorite game this generation, by the way so so I'm like RGT cut his mic. Hats off to y'all for finally experiencing like, five years later, rgt, what have you been playing, man?
Speaker 1:um, I'll start off with um for the visual viewers. I had pre-ordered and picked up one of these this week which, if you're not familiar with it, is the uh, hyper mega tech, which is technically evercade, their sister company um super pocket, and I've done a neo geo version. Um, it's got 14 inbuilt, inbuilt neo geo games.
Speaker 1:Uh, like last was beautiful metal slug x, um, yeah, um, as you can see, I've got me wind jammers and that cartridge in the back because they do play the ever k cartridges as well, which gives you a good library, um, so I won't go through all the games I've been playing. I've been playing all my different evercade games on my opinion of it. I think it is absolutely fantastic this thing. This retails for £50 in the UK.
Speaker 3:It's so cheap.
Speaker 1:It is cheap. The screen is fantastic, the viewing angles are fantastic, the D-pad's really good, the buttons feel really good quality. Um, it's got the. You've got your l1, r1, r2s and l2s on the back for, if you've got any, the ps1 ports um, you need to play like your tomb raiders or some of the n64 games. Um, you can set any options so you can do scan lines, crt mode. You can change all that. Um, it's.
Speaker 3:I'm just what's your favorite?
Speaker 1:game on there. Well, out of my Evercade games I've got what I'm looking up so right there. But I've got. I've got about 14, 15 cartridges um of the Evercade, which at the moment there's a hundred cartridges out for the evercade everything from home computers to retro consoles to arcade games, um, so there's a lot of selection there and these games retail for normally less than 20 bucks if you want to pick a cartridge up, so they're very affordable. And then you get the manuals. You get the cases like little mini mega drive cases, um, for this, uh, I was I think it was last resort I was playing, was really good, hadn't played that and because, being some of these being neo geo arcade games, probably some of these we've never played, so it's nice to have a place to play them.
Speaker 1:Um, metal slug plays phenomenally well. I always remember metal slug for being really good, but you get that massive slow down when you get. I haven't seen any slow down on here yet. So it seems as os really runs it well, um, and I just think it's brilliant. You know, I love me ever cade anyway.
Speaker 1:So going away out for the day or going on holiday, take a few cartridges with you and away you go, you know, with some of the, with some of the cartridges, having 10 plus games on. You only need a couple of cartridges and you've got plenty to play. So yeah, over the moon of it, I've also got there's another Neo Geo cartridge coming out. I believe it's been delayed. I think it's next month, august, as we're recording this. I've got that pre-ordered and that's got a few more of the metal slugs on, I think this um. I've got that pre-ordered and that's got a few more the metal slugs on. Um, I think it's got a few of the um. What's the fighters on? The blade fighters? We have the swords on neo geo. I kind of never remember samurai showdown is it samurai showdown?
Speaker 1:yeah, I think samurai showdown is going to be on there, so I've got that pre-ordered. Um, yeah, if you're thinking they don't just do neo geo ones of these, you can get capcom, you can get atari versions, you can get they're all the same, just different skins on, you know. So they look cool, um, but yeah, I, I'm over the moon with this. I think they're brilliant.
Speaker 1:If you're in the uk, that's yeah, the price is unbelievable, can't believe how, how they've made I mean me home console, one which you can put two cartridges in and load up all your games. You have interface, you get free monthly games. You can update it. They've now done mouse support for certain games, so if you're playing your Broken Swords or your Point and Clicks you can use a mouse with it. I mean it's very open what they've done with it, and I think you can pick a home console up for £80. And it's just. I just don't know how they've done it, but fair play, british made, well done. You know the well done for evercade guys and blaze entertainment. You you've. You've done it again.
Speaker 2:Absolutely brilliant, um can I ask you two questions about it you?
Speaker 1:certainly can, yeah okay.
Speaker 2:So one does it have an sd card and two is the b button on the bottom and the a button on the side the b button is on the side and the a button is on the bottom, but oh, as it should be, the whole usual way yeah, but you can also reprogram your buttons as you want them to be.
Speaker 1:And no, it doesn't as a SD card slot, because they literally play these cartridges that you get in the back. Yeah, and they release these. Like I say, it's been 100 cartridges released now, but they always release them at a very, very cheap price and they do things from right, from atari to commodore 64 right up to, like you say, neo, geo, um, and then I also do indie games. A lot of people who are releasing newer indie games are on there. So there's um, there's a couple of those I've picked up, like um, life on mars and things like that. Then sort of mega drive indie games, um, which play really well, really good, these sort of metroid venues that people are releasing. Now they get the licenses to, you know, give them another push on a on a different system. So, yeah, I can't, can't speak highly enough of that. So if, if you're into your retro game and you want an affordable way to do it, that is the way to go.
Speaker 1:Um, I've also been playing some more of singularity um, I had a spare day last week. I was actually off work last week, but I was doing a lot of work at home, but I had a stay where I thought, right, I need to get stuck into singularity and I played it for about six hours. Um, I absolutely love it. I think it's brilliant for a game that, like I've said before, I picked up for 50 pence. Uh, it's, it's brilliant. I don't know how this, how I've never even heard of this being ea but really good. Love the story. I think it's because within the last 18 months I've played the bioshock games and this really gives me the bioshock vibe. The story and and how you go through slightly more basic story, but it's also got the, the dulcet tones of Nolan North, in which is a very reassuring to hear. Um, but, yeah, really good. Enjoy the story. You know linear, but you work your way through and it's quite good with the combat and upgrading your guns and how it's done. And yeah, like I say, scott was telling me the other the other week when we were recording it's quite a short game, so I would imagine I'm uh, I would imagine I'm a good eight, nine hours in, so I would imagine I ain't got long before end game. Couple more hours, I would imagine. So, hopefully this time next week for recording. I'll be about there with that. But, yeah, really enjoying singularity, um, proper little you know hidden gem.
Speaker 1:I think there that if, if you do see that in cex or in a game shop for just a couple of pounds, pick it up, you know, if you like your first-person shooters, you like Bioshock, that's a no-brainer. I've also very unlike me this will come as a bit of a shock, but I've also. It was on sale on Switch Store. I think it was £5, I think, yeah, £5,. I think, yeah, £5,. I think Final Fantasy IX.
Speaker 3:Yeah, all the Final Fantasy games are really cheap. They're all on sale at the minute, all the way from 1 upwards.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean I've got it behind me somewhere here on the PS1, but I'm still wiring all my consoles up, so I haven't got it set up. I saw it for £5, but I'm still wiring all my consoles up, so I haven't got it set up. I saw it for £5, and I thought I've been trying to push myself to get into JRPGs. Done a bit of digging with people who know about the game. They said, yeah, 9's really good. It almost got that sort of medieval sort of style and the villages and towns Give it a go and I download it.
Speaker 1:I'm about two or three hours in trying, two or three hours in getting the hang, trying to get the hang of the card game that you're playing there, but that's quite good. Fun with the cards that you collect on the way around, turn-based combat, which I'm a complete novice at, but learning as I go. But yeah, I'm quite enjoying it. It's just that more. That was quite nice to relax with. You know, get it in handheld mode hour before you go to sleep, just sit in bed and and just you know, wander around collecting things, pushing the story on. Yeah, enjoying that, that's, that's good and I think I'll be playing more of that as a bit of a noob to the final fantasy games um and finally you're on sorry, rgt, just while you're on final fantasy, because I've got, I've got it up the e-shop in a minute.
Speaker 3:So final fantasy one and final fantasy two, there's six pound 17 each. Final fantasy three and final fantasy four and nine pound 74 each, so is five and so is six, and you can get a one to six bundle, obviously for 40 quid. Anyway, you get that physical, can't you? So they're all on sale, the seven, the remastered. So yeah, it's a great time that's nice because you still got that.
Speaker 1:You still got that playstation 1 aesthetic.
Speaker 1:But obviously the characters are a bit more high-resed up, so that you, sometimes you, you need it to still look like the original when it's when they've taken these remasters sometimes and they're not quite a complete remake, but they're not quite a full remaster they they look a bit off, but this is quite nice. It's just just done it enough to make the quality of life better, but it's still a ps1 game, you know, and I like that. It looks really good. Um, and finally, forza motorsport 2, which is our um, because we played gta 4 for our last gen 7 playthrough on the discord, and forza motorsport 2 on the xbox 360 is the current one.
Speaker 1:Um, I'm a bit late because we announced this a couple of weeks ago, but if you read on discord, um, I did have a little bit of an accident, um, to where I tipped a glass of water straight into the fan of my uh xbox 360. Uh, no, I was quick on it, though, so I drained it all off, got it dried with a fan, and I've left it for a few days to properly dry out, touch wood, I've been testing it for a couple of days and it seems to be fine. I daren't leave it plugged in overnight, but I mean.
Speaker 3:Seb. He says it was an accident, but I think it was an act of foul play. I think it's the truth. He wouldn't have to play the game.
Speaker 1:I mean, I will admit, because I upgraded my PS3 to the PS3 Super Slim, the blue edition, a lovely blue edition with two blue controllers, and I already have a Retro Fighters Defender blue one as well, and that all looks lovely. And then when I was thinking, oh, I'm going to need to get a new Xbox 360, I've got a 360e, which I quite like. It's very quiet. The last one's done. They're quite refined. You know, I've got a 250 gig hard drive in and I thought, oh, I might have to upgrade. And they've done a blue, the same colour as the PS3 xbox 360e, and I thought, oh, that would look good with all the blue consoles on my shelf. But no, I don't rgt, you don't need another xbox 360, this one's working fine for now, until I tip another glass water in and decide I really want the blue one.
Speaker 1:But but yeah so it's working fine. Yeah, and I plan for some motorsport 2. Um, yeah, really good. Um, it's that. You can see they were going for the gran turismo vibe, you know, like they did with original forza motorsport, but it's almost like a tuned down version, which is no bad thing. Um, but you still get your tune ups. You can pick your car to start with, get straight into some short races, and they've always the Forza Motorsports. I've always quite liked them for that, because if you've only got an hour, you can do five or six races within that time and tune your car up. If you've got a bit longer, you can go through right events. So they you know whole events that have. They're quite well spaced out. These games for how much time you have Looks good. Soundtrack is amazing on it. I mean, from faithless to prodigy, brilliant soundtrack on this.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, always has great soundtracks, man yeah, and I think, like yeah, and I think fours have thought of that, and so fours are motorsports too, like I say with, with your faithless you, and there's a few other bands on there as well which I can't think of come come to mind at the moment.
Speaker 3:Um, but yeah, really good, um, I've got my did you dig out your ferrari wheel and your pedals?
Speaker 1:no, they are well buried. That was nearly an avalanche of uh consoles fell on me when I was looking for that. So, um, I'm just, I'm just with a 360 controller at the moment, so, um, but that's really good. Um, I can see me putting plenty of hours in this over over the coming weeks while we play it for our uh. You know our second game of pan on this gen 7 playthrough.
Speaker 1:Um, if you're interested in that, as listed on our discord as um rgt in the past and there is, that's our second game if it's a like, I say, like a gta or even, you know, a story-led game, we will put markers on and we'll get to that mark and we will have a little chat and a little review as we go through. But with Forza, we've just done right upload pictures of your cars, show what races you've done, let's see what you can do, and we'll just chat about the game. So, if you're interested in that, jump on the discord and, yeah, come and join in. That's a good, affordable way of playing some of these games that have either slipped through the net or ones you want to revisit, or you know ones you haven't heard of, hidden gems that are all pretty cheap and pretty affordable to get your hands on. So other than that, guys, that is all what I have been playing, so I suppose we'd better get on to the news. We've scoured the very dark.
Speaker 2:No, no, no.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no. Yeah the news. We've scoured the very darkest regions of the internet to bring you this week's news. We start up with an article on Push Square by Liam Croft, which is hands-on.
Speaker 1:Chronological mode is a fascinating way to play the Last of Us Part 2 again. This fascinated me, this story, and I thought I'd never expect a naughty dog to do this. But Last for Us Part 2 is probably the furthest you could possibly get from a normal video game in the AAA space, and that's very that's a very good thing. Naughty Dog took story and structural risks that paid off with an outstanding experience in 2020. But what if it hadn't?
Speaker 1:In a rare what-if scenario, the californian developer has released a new chronological mode that dramatically alters the sequence of events, reordering them in the order they actually happened, for a fresh campaign playthrough for a game that often broke up action sequences and touching flashbacks and spent 15 hours plus telling a stretch of three days from two different perspectives. This option is drastic in its implement. Upon starting a new game, you have the choice between the original campaign and chronological playthrough. Quite rightly, you're warned on two occasions in red text that naughty dog still wants you to experience the last of us 2 in its original form. The new mode is designed for anyone looking to play through the game again and is by no means a replacement for the original structure. The game is at its best when it's testing you, forcing you to control a character you may detest at first and seeing the world from their perspective. The reason that the chronological mode should never be your first experience of the Last of Us 2 is because it robs the experience of those emotions. Now told in sequence, the campaign opens with three of Abby's flashbacks back to back, immediately introducing you to her as kind and caring, rather than the monster naughty dog originally wanted you to think she is. From there you transition to the game's original opening, with Joel telling Tommy of the events, the first game's conclusion of the outskirts of Jackson after riding into town.
Speaker 1:The next hour of chronological mode is made up entirely of flashbacks and so effectively broke up the original campaign. Spoilers. If you haven't played the game, so I will be reading this. Just push forward a bit. If you haven't played Laughers 2 and A Plan and 2, just don't listen to this bit.
Speaker 1:But we play through Ellie and Joel's surprise birthday trip to the Dinosaur and Space Museum. Then we suddenly cut to Abby and Owen's flashback on the ferris wheel and inside the aquarium. The chronological mode then cuts back to ellie when she is out clearing, infected with tommy, in a mood with joel. These cuts are jarring, with erratic changes in perspective that demand you have knowledge of the overall story and to understand them in the moment. You're also made to wait longer for joel's death scene compared to the original structure, which is one of the most pivotal moments in the game and is the driving force behind the entire narrative. This is why the chronological order mode is such a bad way to experience the title the first time round. It removes so much of the weight in abby's decision to hunt down Joel and get her revenge. The new introductory sequences have allowed you to warm up to Abby's human side as her character, whereas the structure made this a slow, satisfying realisation much later on. But that's the point.
Speaker 1:This isn't supposed to be your first playthrough of the Last of Us, part 2. From the perspective of someone who knows the story inside out, chronological mode is fascinating. Where all the sequences remain the same, you can inject a degree of unpredictability into a playthrough. Uh, with this new option, uh, the waiting option switches back and forth between ellie and abby uh, chronolizing the time they spend in seattle is gripping. When the scenes are played in sequence, as Ellie goes about searching for Abby, she's completely oblivious to her efforts and is off doing her own thing. Some of the transitions are a little jarring you can go from an intense scene involving Ellie to a casual one with Abby in seconds, but the story was never designed to be played this way.
Speaker 1:Had Naughty Dog told its tale chronological from the beginning, the original release wouldn't be what we have in chronological mode. There would be far more context needed and more cutscenes between what was shipped in 2020. As we have alluded, it doesn't always work. For example, the critical scene where Abby finds her way to the theatre is first told from Ellie's perspective and includes the cut to black, where the original structure then switches back to day one from abby's view. However, in chronological mode, you get there, uh, cut to black, and then the game continues of abby back outside the theater and you have to sneak back in to return to the same cut scene to progress it. For anyone looking to return to last of us 2, though, this is still comfortably far and away the best setting for you your second playthrough and it's the same outstanding title you remember, but rearranged in an interesting and surprising manner. It's also even more evidence that Naughty Dog got the sequel structure correct all along and, as we said, the chronological mode wouldn't have been how the game shipped if the developer told its story in a sequence. There would have to be more.
Speaker 1:However, out of order and with the requirement to spend time with a character you hated in the beginning, the Last of Us 2 elevated its storytelling prowess. The same plot told in order simply can't capture the same kind of emotional weight. Same plot told in order simply can't capture the same kind of emotional weight. Still, it's the perfect what if? Mode that returns fans. That will get a kick out of you if you ever feel a need to return to last verse, part two. It's the chronological mode that makes the homecoming the most interesting. Have you got, um, have you gone back to play last verse, part two in chronological mode? How did you find it? And share your thoughts in the comments below on push square uh, great article there, um. If you haven't played last two, sorry about the spoilers, but with the show and erring being out and the game being five years old, hopefully, you'd probably know the story by now, um, but yeah, I find this that's not necessarily the case.
Speaker 2:These boys are excited about cyberpup, remember um but me.
Speaker 1:I think I didn't expect this from naughty dog. It's quite an interesting sort of update on on the game, whether it's because we're in that season break of the tv show just gives people that little urge who have already played the last of us part two, a new reason to go back and play it again, maybe re-download or even buy a new copy. You know, because a lot of people have either, you know, played the original and obviously you can get the remastered version there, so maybe you know that'll push people into getting it on their PS5. I don't know, but I find it quite interesting. I do quite like when devs do this. You know, here devs do this. You know, here's our game again. But ah, there you go, you can have it this way.
Speaker 1:It reminds me of one of my favorite films lock stock and two smoking barrels, and they released the director's cut, which then actually shooed the story out in a completely different light, because that was in a different order. And this is similar sort of thing, I suppose. But done, done in the reverse. But yeah, what do you guys think? I mean, is this something you'd? If you've, would you go back to? Would you like to experience this game again. I mean, I'll come to you, seb, but you know what's your views on this?
Speaker 2:You know I think this is interesting, I wish so. The narrative on the Last of Us and re-releases and re-releases and re-releases sort of sours this news a bit because, like so many people have been kind of burned out on getting the same games over and over again.
Speaker 1:You know like you've always got the ultimate version, and then that's the ultimate version and you think, oh, hang on, I'll just, I'll just spend 100 bucks on the last one you know.
Speaker 2:So yeah, the hd version yeah, yeah yeah, and even then I'm like I, I get this. There's a ps5 upgrade and then there's the last of us. You know like there's so many of, there's so many installments of the Last of Us, but just with two games that have been re-released over and over again and I think that sort of tainted any additional content for these two games for the vast majority of people who actually kept up with that sort of thing.
Speaker 1:Also.
Speaker 2:I also wish and this is just maybe me spitballing here I'm like. I like when people take the extra, when devs do the extra mal here, but I'm like with the history of the last couple of years I almost wish they would have given us a you know, especially with the effort that it took to rearrange all this and to rearrange this, I wish the devs would have kind of did a more miles, morales, size, like installment, of saying like here's, um, I can't remember the guy, the kid's name um, he is like the kid who doesn't speak very much, he's with abby a lot yeah, yeah, if they made like a miles morales um side story with him that tied into the events of this, like maybe that would have.
Speaker 1:That's actually a fantastic idea that yeah 100, that would have been. Yeah, like a 15 hour story mode of a side character where you cross over where you meet in the game and the original one. That's a brilliant idea, yeah so I'm like that.
Speaker 2:That, to me, adds because I think, like right now, I think what the show is doing well is expanding on the universe that we already know and also getting the casual audience into this. I don't necessarily know who's this particular feature is for. Like, if you ask, if you're in a marketing meeting and someone pitches this, this is a great thing to say, it's a great thing to have as an addition to the game. This is a great thing to say, is a great thing to have as an addition to the game. But who's this drawing in? Cause this game is so heavy that a lot of people don't do repeats of of last of us.
Speaker 2:Part two, you know, like it is very true, it is. So I'm like, are you drawing those people in? And if you're, if, if you're also like adding this mode and you're encouraging people right out of the gate, hey, this isn't the the best way to experience the, the tale for the first time. You're not attracting new, new people with this either. Like, that's not the goal there. So I'm wondering, I think this is cool, but who is this for? Versus like I almost wish that they would take note of. Like ghost of shishima and ghost of yote to where, like that, has, um, a black and white mode or and are like. I wish that kind of would have been added where it seems like it would have been lower, lower on the totem pole, like additions, where you can do maybe a black, white and red.
Speaker 2:To where, like, the blood will actually pop off the screen when, like it's black and white, but the blood pops off the screen whenever you shoot someone or, like whenever something visual happens or like, maybe like filters versus this because, like I don't, I think this is cool, but I don't. I have to keep asking myself who's this for like? Who's this, who's it for? What audience is this serving?
Speaker 1:yeah, what do you think, scott?
Speaker 3:well, I can tell you who it's for. It's for me said because I played days gone about four years after everyone in the uP was talking about it, and I'm going to play the Last of Us.
Speaker 3:I've not played one game in the series, even though my wife's watched the CB series. I've not watched it. I've not played it Because what I like to do? I like to wait for it to be, all the hype to wait down. You guys have played this version and that version. I've just sat here patiently, just peeking through the fields like a cheater, waiting for the ultimate, ultimate, ultimate HD version. It's made for me. I'm going to play it. It's going to make one sale. It's going to be me $39.99 at launch.
Speaker 2:I'm hoping.
Speaker 1:It's a free upgrade right though.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I believe it's a free upgrade. Yeah, so when you buy this, though, like they're encouraging you, as a first-time player, not to play this mode- Don't play chronological mode no. Yeah, so are you going to dive into that still, scott, or are you going to try the traditional method where it's the one they encourage you, the director's vision of what the game is.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, I like to run before I can walk, so I'll probably play in backwards order you'll play chronological mode.
Speaker 1:Last was part two and then go play part one that's what I'll do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I like to read. Um, I'm a man that read the bible from back cover to front, just to switch it up.
Speaker 1:So you started at revelations all the way to jennison, yeah worked my way all the way back to.
Speaker 2:It's the end. All the way to the beginning.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I worked my way all the way back to the Old Testament. That's how I do it. I've not played any of them, but I will do. You know what I'm like? I'm a creature of habit, so I like to wait for people to talk and talk and talk about something. Let it die down and then I go. Yeah, I'll jump on that, but it I go yeah.
Speaker 3:I'll jump on that, but it got a lot of obviously a nice big resurgence with the series so I'll probably have to wait till the TV series stop and die down. Then I'll jump on it, because that's what happened to me in Days Gone. I waited to everyone went on about it, played the game OG Tom and uh on the first series of the show and George talked about it and then three or four years later Scotty comes along, goes. Oh, I fancy a bit of that what, what inspired you to play?
Speaker 2:days gone first before last of us because, like that's always been considered like the off-brand, the off-brand zombie game between like playstation portfolio, you know well, that one's true. That was like the seven out of ten versus the masterpiece well, there's a thing we do in the uk.
Speaker 3:It's called throwback thursday so on a thursday I like to listen.
Speaker 3:I like to listen to songs you know from the 80s, from the 90s, and then when I'm in my car on the commute to work, rather than listen to the latest podcast for the week, I'll go into the back catalogue because there's a lot there and I'll just choose a random episode from the first couple of years, early UCP days, and I went on there and I heard the passion from OG Tom's voice and I thought I need to play this game. And that is literally what happened. It was throwback Thursdays.
Speaker 2:That's what it was. Oh good, I feel you, I feel you. Scott, what's your chosen story for the week?
Speaker 3:I've got a couple of little news bulletins which I will save for at the end. There's some exciting stuff, but I thought I'll go with xbox for news um because obviously they've been very high profile last couple of weeks been a bit of a roller coaster for um fans of the xbox. So I have got some news about game pass, which is quite exciting. So xbox game pass subscribers are treated to the return of the comedy infused sci-fi first person shooter high in life developed by squanch games. High on life. Originally launched in 2022 and it was added to the game pass lineup as a day one title in 2023. The game received the dlc called high on knife, which explored the backstory of one of the main characters.
Speaker 3:The july lineup of xbox game pass has been very promising. The service recently added tony hawk's pro skater three and four as a day one release, which is going to be expensive on the switch. Before that, subscribers got access to little nightmares 2, the acclaimed horror title from 2021. You want to stay clear of that. One seb. And now microsoft subscription brings back a rather unorthodox first person shooter from around the same era. So july 15 marks return of high life to xbox game pass subscription service.
Speaker 3:The game follows a teenager who stumbles upon a talking handgun during an alien invasion. From there, the two team up to take down a lineup of villainous aliens while searching for more talking weapons. What sets High Life apart as a first-person shooter, though, is its unique dark humor. Throughout the campaign, kenny, the primary weapon, and his fellow talking guns, constantly deliver humorous commentary as a player mows down alien enemies. It does look fun. If you check out any screenshots, if anyone's played it, uh, it doesn't look like. It reminds me of um, you know that first person shooter garden warfare, where it didn't take itself too seriously, a bit like that plants versus zombies. Yeah, so there's a few games in here.
Speaker 3:We've got High on Life available now Abiotic Factor, july 22nd. Will World, july 23rd. Wu-chang Fallen Feathers, july 24th. Grounded 2, early Access coming on July 29th to Game Pass. So back to this article. Squatch Games sci-fi shooter currently has a very positive review on Steam, so perhaps a separate economic at article. Squanch Games sci-fi shooter currently has a very positive reviews on Steam, so perhaps Seb can echo that in a moment which reflects its popularity among fans. While it's unclear how long Higher Life will remain on Xbox Game Pass, it will likely be available for at least a few months on the Ultimate Standard and PC tiers.
Speaker 3:Although talking guns are one of the Higher Life's prominent features, it's not the first IP to include them. There are several other games with talking weapons that players might want to check out after playing Squanch's games, comedy, fps. Some notable examples include Saints Row, get Out of Hell, pathfinder, wrath of the Righteous and Transistor. Each of these games feature some form of sentient weaponry that adds unique commentary during combat, much like Kenny's remarks in High on Life. Players can also add High on Life 2 to their wishlist if they're talking gun trope, as the sequel will likely hit the market in winter 2025. On a side note, some players may find Kenny's voice on High on Life familiar. That's because he's a character voiced by.
Speaker 3:Justin Roiland, best known for playing Rick Sanchez and Malti Smith in the Adult Swim series Rick and Malti Roiland was later removed from High on Life DLC following criminal charges didn't notice that surfaced in 2023. He won't be featured in the upcoming sequel. Luckily, the developer has already proved that a franchise can hold its own without him, as the High on Knife DLC did pretty well, despite its absence. That article comes to you from Mohsen Bakary, as I'd probably add on. Seb, you are the man on Steam. Have you played that or not? Really appealed to yourself?
Speaker 2:Yeah, high on Life came out um, how life came out december 13th or the week before christmas of 2022, so I'm like that and but that already came to xbox. It was on, it was xbox yeah, it came.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it came and then it's gone. It's quite interesting. It's came back. To be honest, I'm not sure, um, what's the spark?
Speaker 1:build the hype for the second one maybe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they usually feel the hype yeah, so they usually um, if they'll take it off and then they'll, when the second one comes out, like beforehand, they'll usually put it back on just like um, they, um. Just like they did with tony hawk, I think they had the first one wanted to, but then like so, um, and then like atlas's games. So like when a big atlas game is about to come out with persona, like persona or like um, um, and then like atlas's games, so like when a big atlas game is about to come out with like persona or like um, um, um. What's the recent metaphor?
Speaker 2:like they also had the persona games on game pass, so, like they usually try to partner with those, high life is fun, though um it. To me it's more ratchet and clank, but with an adult twist on it than anything else.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, I like the game, I like working Morty though. So, but after Justin Roiland left, they reassigned both of the star roles with Morty and Rick to new actors who have done really well, and I think they're probably going to bring those two in, so basically, reassign all the roles on that. Each gun is also like um, each gun on high life is also like a famous comedian as well. So I'm like, oh well, you kind of get yeah, you kind of get like different um, you kind of get different voiceovers and different um, you kind of get different voiceovers and different personalities there. So I'm like, I think, so you have like one gun that is, that was basically the Rick and Morty type of gun. You had another gun that was kind of like what was it? Jb Smoove, I think. He's a black comedian here in the States. He was on. He was like the chaperone of Spider-Man Far From Home, the one where they were in Europe. Um, tim robinson is one of them. Um, alora silverman. So I'm like you have like several different.
Speaker 1:That's brilliant, yeah, that's a nice, that's what I like.
Speaker 1:When games do something different like that and and you know, do a different trope, but go go full in on it and adding comedians on as the guns, that's great. Yeah, nice little touch. Yeah, I've never played it. I remember back when that first released, or just before it released, I remember seeing jack back jack black planet on his youtube channel and I always thought, oh, this does look, this looks different. I remember thinking it did look a bit like a almost that sort of first person ratchet and clank, but adult comedy added in. That was that sort of crossover what they were doing. But yeah, it's always looked interesting and yeah, I wouldn't in checking out actually, yeah, oh yeah, tara strong is in this as well, I forgot.
Speaker 2:I forgot she was in this, um. So I'm like you and it's it has that rick and morty type of humor. Like there's one instance in the game this is very minor, so light spoilers here but like there's one instance in the game where you're playing and you come across like on one of the worlds because you go from different planet to different planet, just like you know a ratchet and clank type of situation. So I'm like there's one, there's one like environment, to where you walk on to like the slowest moving train ever. In the end it's on a track and you have, like you know, you, you know, like on those train tracks, you have that lever you can pull where you can adjust whether or not a train station goes straight or changes its trajectory.
Speaker 2:So on one on the straight track, it's one person tied, tied up and then another person is on another track. It's like six people tied up and you, you stand there and you're watching and they basically say, hey, you, you can untie one of us, you like. They say, you can shoot, you have time to choose between to to basically change the trajectory of the track to save one of us. You like they say you can shoot, you have time to choose between to to basically change the trajectory of the track to save one of us. Are you going to save the five people? Are you going to save the one person and the whole? Like jokes back and forth of like the guy's arguing why he should live and then he's just like well, I'm more important than these five people. I, you know, I have my whole life ahead of me and these five people were like no, no, there's five of us like calm down, calm down.
Speaker 2:There's five of us, that means there's five lives to live, and so they're arguing back and forth and meanwhile, like you're standing there and then all of a sudden they start ganging up on you and like, hey, choose somebody. You got to make a choice here, buddy. Like you got, you can't just walk away, you got to choose, at least say somebody. So it's like that type of humor. It's like that dark adult swim type of humor that you might see in, like Aqua, teen, hunger Forest, but also like with a ratcheting kind of like twist onto it. So it's a cool little. It's cool little gem. Xbox Game Pass has been hidden this year. Just absolutely knocking it out of the park. Expedition 33 is on there. Crash, all the Crash games now, um, you have like a yeah, tony hawk. Um, three and four, recently they had doom, the dark ages, um, so I'm like, yeah, it's been, they've been.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's been unfortunately a bit overshadowed with everything else and at the moment, but when you actually look at the games that have gone on, there is there's a lot on there, especially new releases. So, yeah, that's been really good. But but, yeah, no good news story there. Scott, have you got another one? Did you want to add? Did you say?
Speaker 3:Yeah, just a couple of quick bullet points. I just wanted to bring two things up, really, just because they might appeal to a couple of people. Well, to many people. One is PlayStation 5 fans. This is one for you. So I don't know if you remember. There was a DualSense controller that came out which was modelled on the PS1, had the PS1 skin on it. Yes, it's absolutely beautiful. Now you can still get that.
Speaker 3:I've seen it on the second-hand market, available in CEX in the UK. I'm sure it's in the US's equivalent as well in North America. But that was you know. They only printed so many, so it goes for a higher price tag. I've only won myself, but I didn't want to pay the 80 or 90 quid secondhand to get one. You want to buy one brand new.
Speaker 3:So good news is they are bringing it back out. So originally it sold out. It's a 30th anniversary is why it came out. It sold out in seconds, basically. So everyone wanted it to go back in stock and they finally listened. So apparently in the UK uk it will have a restock on september 29th, um, with pre-orders going live on july 23rd. So you guys should be listening to this show, I would say, come sunday or monday, so what date does that take us to? So, basically of that week, that's a saturday. So by the time that, before the next show comes out after you guys listen to this, you can get your pre-orders in. So do check that out, because I myself will probably have a look as well, because if you're going to pay all that money, you kind of want a brand new spanking one, really don't you?
Speaker 1:to be honest, as long as the scalpers don't flood.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I hope so. Hopefully they take a leaf out of Nintendo's book and actually get the stock in there.
Speaker 3:Get the stock in. The other thing I wanted to mention, probably more one for you, rgt, because I know you play a lot of the FIFA games, formerly FIFA. Now it's EA FC26. I'm really confused with this one, rgt, so I'm going to need your help. I am a fan of football but I'm not up to date on world football. Now FC26 reveals Ultimate Edition cover. Athlete, have you seen who it is, rgt? I have not. No, this is quite hot within the last 20 hours, I believe. Apparently it's zlatan ibrahimovic, which I'm a bit confused, um, because really I thought I thought he retired. So, mark, basically, yeah, the cover. This is from, so it's from gamesradcom. This is from jose v rossi.
Speaker 3:The cover for the upcoming ea sports fc 26 ultimate feature will edition will feature slaton ibrahimovic making a return of the popular soccer star. Since fifa 23, they've been plenty of ea sports fc 26 leagues revealing some of the features in the new entry, but now ea has finally shared official details while announcing an upcoming reveal trailer for the game. The EA Sports FC franchise is the rebranded bloody, bloody blast. So where is let's get to the nitty gritty? Ea Sports FC 25 added new features. I'm trying to find where they leaked it from EA has revealed, there we go, that a long awaited return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic is finally happening in the new EA Sports FC 26, potentially released on September 26th. The developer confirmed that the Swedish soccer star will be the cover athlete for FC26 Ultimate Edition, though more information will be unveiled during the game's official trailer maybe with other superstars, it might be Legends.
Speaker 3:Because he's not active, I'm sure he retired.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I think his ultimate team is you use legends as well as your cards. I would imagine that as the ultimate addition, it will be Ibrahimovic because of he's now retired and has gone into.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he hasn't played since.
Speaker 1:I wonder if they'll have a mixture on the standard edition where people yeah, they might have, like Rooney, and they might have, yeah, each country, or even just current players. Maybe just current players, you know? Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I can't speak to soccer because I know diddly squat. But like over here in our sports, you know, like with the basketball games and football games, it's like the ultimate editions or legendary editions always have like a retro star yeah, like um, they'll do the cover.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like wwe had undertaken the undertaker. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that makes sense, that makes sense.
Speaker 2:So I think it's just a common trend that's happening now yeah, yeah, rgt is a soccer fan. Have you played rematch yet?
Speaker 3:I haven't. I think yes on the game pass. We brought that up a few weeks ago, didn't we?
Speaker 1:yeah, I've seen, I've seen a lot of good things about it. Actually, I haven't seen hardly any negative stuff about it and I have just thought I don't. It looks quite basic for me, but I suppose the the proof is in the gameplay, I suppose. But um, people do do seem to enjoy the almost sort of Rocket League style of online matches, and it always made me laugh that the developers come out and said they're not even fans of football. It was just a game yeah.
Speaker 2:They made seafood, you know like a beat-em-up game before this, yeah so.
Speaker 1:But at first I just thought, oh, this is just another cheap sort of online game that won't last. But the more I keep seeing it, I keep thinking it looks as though if you could get a few friends together, this could be good fun.
Speaker 3:It's retro inspired as well, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of retro, but it's almost like the career mode from FIFA, Like you know, like when you're playing the first person view.
Speaker 1:Yeah, where you're literally just playing as one player and that's you, that's you, you go online and go in a team and and um, um, yeah, because I think in in the ea games now I think it's become a legend I think we did a single player, yes, plays one character, um, so, yes, looks similar to that and I think you can. You know, you can go online and match up and, you know, step up your character, do it. So it's interesting as a different take on it. Um, and also, sometimes simplicity is the way to, you know, get people involved in it.
Speaker 1:You know, with that's what rocket league was you know and you look at, you know soccer and how it turned into e-football and just crashed and burned, you know, and sometimes it is, you just need that almost sort of five-a-side quick gameplay, quick goals, great fun, quick in and out matches and sometimes that's at work. So yeah, I am interested in that rematch. Matt, we'll have to try and get a UCP team up to play. That would be good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that would be good fun.
Speaker 2:Make a league. I think I think I'll be better at this than I would be at fifa, considering I still don't know what offsides is they say you know when you see it, but I'm like I haven't seen it yet.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, maybe. Maybe you can turn it off in the features. No, in this game there's. There's no offsides, so there's no offsides.
Speaker 2:There's no um, no pauses, no offsides and no fouls. So you're like you can tackle. You can tackle as hard as you want to. You can like. There's no offside rule or anything like that.
Speaker 1:So it is literally used to soccer rocket league, really, I heard I had a really funny um offside analogy.
Speaker 3:I'll see if this helps. It was two women talking about um, about the offside role, right, and one of them is who's our? She won the Euros. So one of our lionesses it was, I can't remember her name, it might be Jill she was in the Jungle Program, jill Scott, and she was trying to explain it on this podcast to someone who doesn't like football but she likes shopping. She goes right. How can I help this? Imagine you picked up a dress, sorry. Imagine you walk into the till and you want a dress, but there's someone in front of you to that till and she's like right, you can't cut in front of them. However, if the person behind the till, the cashier, passes you the dress, then it's okay to touch it and it really made me laugh.
Speaker 3:I was like it's not a bad shout actually, but yeah, it's fine, just oh, okay, I get it that's a brilliant way of doing it, yeah what about yourself, sam? You've got any hot news for us this week?
Speaker 2:hot juicy goss yeah, probably probably the biggest news story of the week would be ghost of yotei. Um, finally got the deep dive. Look at the, the biggest playstation game that's probably going to drop this year, like first party PlayStation games. People don't don't at me, y'all, y'all, deaf, strained people. So, anyway, first party games. This is this, is it. This is Sucker Punch. They're coming out with the well, like the highly anticipated sequel from the well-reviewed um ghost of shishima that came out in what was that? 2019?
Speaker 1:2019.
Speaker 2:I think it was yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it was yeah you year before year, after the pandemic or before the pandemic, and then um, yeah, so in this game, um, there is a lot of stuff going on. Here you're um, after you're playing, quite some time after the protagonist, um from the first game, jen sakai, passed away. So I'm like this is very much a sequel, because they're almost like what, 100 years after the events of ghost of ghost of tsushima yotei is a huge environment, um. So some of the cool, like every some of the cool features that I think should be highlighted about Ghost of Yotei is that, um, the combat is upgraded completely, instead of you having stances to where, like in the first game you had four different stances and those four different stances worked against enemies.
Speaker 2:Now you have four different weapon types that work against that. Each weapon works against better enemies.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's, interesting yeah so.
Speaker 2:So I'm like um. So, for instance, you have a katana. You have like a long like super katana that you could basically like wield. It's like a giant katana then you have two blades and you have a, a staff with a little sword at the end or a kunai with a little like chain at the end. So I'm like those are like your massive weapon types and from there they kind of giving you a lot of Batman Arkham abilities as well. So I'm like you can kind of utilize the environment in different, different ways.
Speaker 2:Stealth and stealth takedowns, kind of like in the first game. You could do stealth takedowns. Um kind of like in the first game you could do stealth takedowns, and this one I know you can do like um chain takedowns. It looks like again um the immersive environment got a big upgrade so, like if you're running in the field of flowers, for instance, you can actually like um, you actually get a boost from like following the wind and running alongside the wind and alongside where the flowers are blowing and it sort of gives you a speed, a speed boost when you're on your horse as well.
Speaker 2:Then, let's see, they have immersive modes. Um, they have a black and white mode that, like, so like, just like the traditional, like samurai movies back in the day were all like black and white.
Speaker 3:That was on, yeah, it on the original as well, I think yeah this was on the first one.
Speaker 2:It's coming back. But then like they, so like they, um. But then there's a hybrid a little bit, where you're like they brought in um um, what's his name? Tashimi mikey, mikey um. Where he's like the assassin he's the director of the movie 13 assassins. So I'm like he brought in all these. Like he brought and shot like all these blood animations and mud animations to add on to all all the wow. So I'm like they, they partnered with a lot of, they partnered with some directors, movie directors and they partnered with um um, anime um. Like anime um, what was it? Anime um directors. And to bring in like anime style beats, like the director of popular anime, shamrock champloo, it has. He's brought in a lo-fi mode. So I'm like if you like lo-fi music while you're traveling on these serene environments, it'll play lo-fi music while you're cool.
Speaker 3:They've really perfected it and they've really added oh, yeah, yeah, you know only um sony executives have really they're saying of how much like head and shoulders above it is. They're treating it a bit like gta6 sort of thing. You know.
Speaker 2:They're really saying it's such a big improvement and the previous games are banging as well, so it's going to be pretty incredible to see it all come together it's one of those things to where, like playstation and I'm not shooting shots at anybody when I'm saying this is like playstation has this unique ability to create their first party games. To where they feel like big cinematic experiences big cinematic moments and games.
Speaker 2:So I'm like is you saw that in the uncharted games, the god of wars, I would say the spider-man games? They feel they feel large, they feel larger and I'm not saying better, but they feel larger, grander and more theatrical than any other game on the market is because they spend so much time on the, the slight details, they spend so much time on the music, the score, how everything's going to hit in your headset. Headset, the dual sense, the features, the features where you can do different modes of like cinematic modes like this one also has, like a english dub and a japanese dub, and the japanese dub will also move, like with the English. You can do like that old school, like where you could see like the Japanese, japanese like talking, and then, but it looks like the English, like the English mouth is moving. Or you can do the traditional one where, like it's the Japanese speaking and the Japanese, their mouth moves according to that.
Speaker 2:So, they recorded several different the VOs and all that recorded like several different takes and also like the. You see, like the mo caps had to record their mouths moving to several different like languages. I'm like no other studio does this. No other like no other like company does that?
Speaker 2:So I'm like detail and it's attention to detail company does that. So I'm like detail, isn't it? It's attention to detail. But yeah, so I'm like and I think like the biggest news to me and this is, uh, this to me is going to be a shot at others, other like platforms they were releasing this for 70.
Speaker 2:They're keeping the 70 mindful like 70 track here, which I think is a shot at other studios, because I'm like um, the other big two, um, you're looking at their tentpole games this year Mario cart world, which shouldn't have been $80. In no world Is that an $80 game? And then you look at um outer worlds to 80. There Microsoft is charging $80 for the outer worlds too. I don't know if y'all saw that presentation, but it didn't quite look like it was 80, like going to raise the bar, that's a tough one.
Speaker 1:Yeah that, yeah, it's a tough sell, I'm afraid so I'm like I.
Speaker 2:So I'm like this game has just as much features. I would say this has three times as many features as mario kart world and it's still charging for less. So I'm like I think, yeah, I'm excited about this game it has. Another interesting thing is like this Atsu is basically the main character of this game. She is in. Did y'all watch Inglourious Basterds at all?
Speaker 1:I haven't seen it, no, okay.
Speaker 2:I've seen it. Yeah, did y'all watch Takeful 8 at all? Like are any of like the older revenge type of movies Like? This follows the revenge type of format where one person is going after an as an organization and they're hunting out different or hunting out different members of the organization to get revenge. Um, this has like some of that hateful eight like artistic vision, but with like an old school japanese revenge story and I think that's that's so cool.
Speaker 2:And assassin's creed shadow, by the way, earlier this year did this exact same story with this exact same setting of like one person, one female protagonist, hunting down an organization and trying to kill the members of this. Uh, trying to kill each individual member that was responsible for her family members deaths. This one is the exact same story except it feels more nuanced because, like the yotei six um is the organization she's hunting down. So there's six major major boss fights that you're encountering versus, like on assassin's creed shadows, you had like 50 people in that organization and all of them sort of felt very similar, you know like this one is more stylized.
Speaker 2:It's like oh you are, this one guy looks like he might even have like a drunken fist type of like fight sequence that you might have to fight him with, and I'm like he kind of stands out. He's like he has this like broken down demeanor. He looks like a drunk. He has like his face looks like it's just like been eaten by like negligent lifestyles, and so I'm like he has a very particular look versus like I played. I played Assassin's Creed Shadows all the way to the end and I can't tell you anybody in that game Like I cannot name anybody in that game?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, this looks like it's more stylized.
Speaker 2:This looks like it has a more cohesive vision.
Speaker 3:This looks like it's the I'll be honest, it looks like it's going to be the most premium game this year guys did y'all watch this?
Speaker 2:if y'all played ghost of shishima?
Speaker 1:yeah, are y'all going? To play ghost of yote um, I I never finished ghost of sema, um, but this is yeah, this is maybe what I go back because I've seen this.
Speaker 1:I've seen I didn't see the whole showcase, but I saw clips of it and I thought this looks very good, looks very next gen, very stylized, um, very, you know, when, like you say, it does tend to be the sony studios, but when they get a vision and they do all out to make sure that you get the best vision that they wanted to show you, that, as one of those do you know what I mean? And you just think. And then you start seeing the comments and you start seeing the youtubers talking about it and everyone is like this is going to be incredible, this is brilliant. Sony's getting back on the track with the single player stories. Then you say they're releasing at 70 bucks. That's all looking very good for this game. Um, yeah, so it goes to SEMA. I really think I should go back and play through that again and and get the hype up ready for for Yota, I think even if you don't do anything but mainline the main story, I think you would get a lot of that.
Speaker 2:Well, that's what I was going to say.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the reason why I actually played the first one I only played it last year and that was because I went back and played Red Dead Redemption on the Switch, didn't I? I remember I brought it up at the Ponce, which was a bit of a fuss.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I played it.
Speaker 3:I loved it so much and you know you just can't replace that. You know the itch, even when I've got the second one. And my friend said Mitch Retro Rummage over on YouTube, little shout-out for him. He said to me Scott, if you enjoyed the story of Red Dead Redemption, he goes play Ghost of Tsushima, basically that, but in japan, a different time period, and that sold it to me. I literally got a copy of finted and I only started playing it last year. Um, but yeah, I loved everything about it a lot of mechanics of the wind, um, but everything you just said that added on to it. Those seem like huge things and the game did so well. They didn't need to put that much effort in.
Speaker 1:It would have sold anyway, so fair play yeah because they nice to see the effort put in yeah, it's none of this rinse, repeat it's, you know we will give you what you love, and I've always said that it's a difficult second album. We'll give you what you love, but let's give you this, let's give you that, let's stylize it, let's take that story a little bit further, but let's not take the way from the combat, let's add to the combat. So, yeah, brilliant, uh, very looking forward to that. Um, it's nice to have they had a quote that.
Speaker 2:Um, that I thought was like a straight bar and it's one of the things that stood out to me. Um, they it's. They said it's not about checking everything off, it's about engaging with the content that gets you excited, and that was their mantra for creating this game. So I'm like, and to me that was like a shot at the ubisoft like style of games, yeah, where, like, they have that huge checklist they they created. Like in this game, they do have a whole bunch of side stuff for you to do, but it's like, in this game, the game adapts to how you play. It too is what they said. So I'm like, when you are, when you can take the environments and all that kind of stuff will kind of adapt to the order in which you try to take off. Take out the people, the yotei members as well brilliant, yeah, that's this is october release.
Speaker 3:Is that right?
Speaker 2:yeah, october, 7th october 2nd yeah, so I'm like perfect time yeah perfect time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, perfect time, yeah, brilliant Something to look forward to and, like I say, a bit of good news, really good game coming out. Hopefully Sony getting back to their best after their little excursion into the live service, and we won't mention that word Concord.
Speaker 1:But you know, let's hope this is a revert back on track. But, yeah, brilliant guys, thanks for the news, absolutely superb. Some great articles there, a bit of everything. I think it leads us on to our amazing subscribers. These guys put their hands in their pockets every month and chip in in various ways but, as I always say, keeps the lights on at UCP Towers, keeps us making these episodes on a weekly basis for you guys to listen to, and one of their little perks is this subs list. So do you want to take a turn, guys? Do you want me to start us off and we'll take a turn?
Speaker 3:Yeah, sure, yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So first up we have our wonderful friend from Sweden, Seanox. Thank you, Seano senox, who wants to go next? Next?
Speaker 3:next we have the one man, george fan club, the master of youtube comedy shorts.
Speaker 1:It is carlos he's brilliant at those and he's a great one.
Speaker 3:He does the last one was funny as well if he'd make yeah, he made me laugh. He was what? Was he? Putting a load of fascia and soffit a lot?
Speaker 1:I think yeah yeah, brilliant, bless his heart. Yeah, brilliant, who we got? Next then, seb, he made me laugh. He was what was he? Putting a load of fascia and soffit a lot. I think, yeah, brilliant, bless his heart. Yeah, brilliant, who have we got?
Speaker 2:next, then Seb Sam returns.
Speaker 1:I didn't even know that. Was you saying that then? Yeah, yeah, brilliant, thanks for him returns. Then we've got the wonderful people at Trestles of New York. Thank you very much.
Speaker 3:And then we have got the most Italian man in Essex, and that is Bada Bingster, Absolutely splendid-dressed man who loves his football. So I wonder what he thinks of the Zlatan news.
Speaker 1:I love that, lad. What a great guy.
Speaker 2:Tingle, tingle, tingle turn up.
Speaker 3:That was a sensual one, wasn't it? That was yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, brilliant.
Speaker 3:Like an Ann Summers advert.
Speaker 1:And then we've got the awesome digital mongery, who is a guy for the challenge accepted. He's a moderator as well, you know he covers everything in there and also he is doing um, I'll add it in now. I was gonna add in the end, but I'll do it now. As part of our subscriber perks, you get access to the unglorious chat, and part of being that chat is we do a zoom, uh, quarterly meeting now this week's meet up. Normally we just meet up online. We have a zoom meeting. We all chat games and films and what we've been doing. We have a couple of beers and we have, you know, glass of wine, whatever your poison. We have a bit of fun and we all have a good chat together. Well, this time we are doing a gaming quiz written by digital monkery himself, and not only that, we have a one-off, very, very special prize very special very very special prize so fingers on lips
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's going to be brilliant. If you want to know more about that and you're a subscriber, if you haven't seen in the unglorious chat, jump in there. You'll have a look. But it's a one-off, very you know, very awesome prize. It's going to be a great quiz, great bit of fun, and that is on saturday, august the 2nd, at 7 30 pm um gmt. So if, if you're in your own glorious chat, um, if you're a subscriber, if you've never been on one of our zoom meetups before, but you fancy a bit of a quiz, come and join in. So about quarter past seven on that evening of 2nd of august, I will put up the codes for anyone who's in that glorious chat to come and join in, have a bit of fun with a quiz. There's a good prize for the winner. We'll also do, we'll do a second and third prize as well, um, a little bit of merch for anyone who finishes second and third, um. That'll be a great night, great bit of fun and, um, yeah, yeah, come and join us.
Speaker 1:If anyone needs any details, questions at unofficialcontrollerpodcastcom. Dm us on instagram, dm us on x, dm us on anything that we're on. Come and have a chat or ask one of the hosts. I'll say about scott. You know one of us. We'll point in the right direction, um, and we'll get you on to that. But yes, so again, thank you, digital monkery, right, sorry on to you, scott um, next we have.
Speaker 3:Head to the kitchen. Grab your cooking scalp. Need to weigh this one. It's the gaming gram sound like golem then.
Speaker 1:then we have oh, I have to do the old, especially now with his new cosplay uniform that's coming out. This will give you a clue if you haven't seen it. It is going brand it's Boba Loba. Thank you, Boba.
Speaker 3:Next up quite excited for this one because I'm going to go see him next weekend and that is Ginge, so the Platinum King, the biggest man in every gym. For this one, because I'm going to go see him next weekend and that is Ginge, so the Platinum King, the biggest man in every gym he is going to be. He lives around Nottingham and I'm going to be at Nottingham Video Game Expo. Tickets are on sale. I believe you want to check that out. It's run by James Welch, who is. It's Much More on YouTube and there's another chat. I have met him in Manchester. I'm trying to remember his name but it's slipped my mind. Anyway, I have been to Nottingham Video Game Expo since the very beginning. I'd always give a plug. They're really, really nice guys. I've met them in Norwich. I've seen them all over the place. They put on a great event.
Speaker 3:It's not just the market, there's also competitions. Competitions. There'll be guest speakers there and you can get bit signs. Sometimes they have developers on. I think I've had guys from rare before who worked on the banjo, kazooie games, those sort of things. There's giveaways. There's old consoles to play and here's a big one for you. They sell alcohol normally at the bar. They did the last few years. I hope they do this time it is a different venue yeah, it's dangerous, but it is a different venue.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is dangerous.
Speaker 3:It is a different venue. I'm hoping that's still the case. If not, I will be up in arms.
Speaker 1:I tell you, going with Ging just like having your own bodyguard going around with you. Everyone's going to think you're a celebrity.
Speaker 3:I don't think we're going to get through the door if we walk side by side, so yeah, you will with your chain.
Speaker 3:I oh well especially when I'm covered in margarine, I'll slide right through. But yeah, so a big shout out to Ginge, absolute legend. So hopefully I'll get to meet the man in person in Nottingham and if anyone else wants to come, if you're from the area, I mean I'm three hours away, but it's a good laugh. So, yeah, check it out. I think that's the weekend of the 23rd, 24th of July, I think it's over Saturday and Sunday.
Speaker 1:Sounds brilliant, big shout-out to. Ginge, who have we got next in Seb? It is me.
Speaker 1:Harvey. Retro. That's a good accent, I like it. Thanks, harvey. And then we've got the wonderful Emma Sharp. Thank you, emma, who is still currently building her new games room. It's starting to look very good at the moment. Up, thank you, emma, who's still currently building her new games room, is starting to look very good at the moment. So I'm helping her out of a lead at the moment for original xbox so she can chuck that through the old hdmi to get that for the upscaler. But, yeah, looking very good her games room. So I'll get to pop some pictures on our discord so you can have a look at the room when it's done. It's looking very good.
Speaker 3:But yes, thank you, emma uh, before I read out this next one RGT, did you order the air tags? Have they turned up?
Speaker 1:Yes, they've turned up, but I don't know where he is to put the tags on him.
Speaker 3:Oh, is that what You've got? To put them on him to track? Him, yeah, yeah, what's the point in ordering them. If we knew where he was, we wouldn't need the air tags.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 3:I just didn't think of that until I them. But yeah, oh, gt, all right, thank you to nowhere near berlin. Yeah, um, but I'm still. I mean it's a bit of sweet. I mean I appreciate you, but also I deep down hate you a little bit because I don't know where you are we might have to send an air tag to the forever skies guys and see if I can sneak one onto his bag is it within budget just to send how many?
Speaker 3:what's the population of berlin, of germany? Can we just send one to every resident, or is that a bit out of budget?
Speaker 1:I don't know if Petty Cash will just stoop to that, because at the moment there's only £14.36 and half-eating Kit Kat and a Mars bar, so I don't think we'll start. Hold on, let me check it out.
Speaker 3:Phil Phil, copy boy.
Speaker 1:How much?
Speaker 3:Let me just speak to Phil, the copy boy. Phil, that piggy, yeah, but not that one, no, that's Mumsy's toy Put that down. I know it vibrates. Put it down the piggy bank. Smash that on the floor. That's it, Phil. How much? £1.50.
Speaker 1:Oh, where's the other 13 gone? Oh, I don't know.
Speaker 3:I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think George has it on a wedding. That might be what happened?
Speaker 2:uh might be, yeah, you never know, but yes, anyway, thank you, greg, and now it is I. Oh, let me do it like george does it, um, because he used to yell this out like what does he say mumsy?
Speaker 1:mumsy. Yeah, thanks, mumsy. Then we have oh, it fell on me again your gt fan club. Thank you very much.
Speaker 3:Everyone really appreciate it and then we have got my favorite pete, and that is pete brocklehurst. Big shout out to you, pete. Hope you have a great weekend, whatever you're doing and wherever you are yeah, brilliant.
Speaker 2:Thank you, pete can y'all do the next two, because I'm gonna take the last one. Oh, we stepped, okay, he stepped up.
Speaker 1:He has stepped up. Okay, well, next up. We have Love Him or Hate Him. It's the wonderful Billy Marmite. Thank you, Billy.
Speaker 3:And then we've got Simon Says this, Simon Says that. Don't listen to that Simon. Listen to this Simon, the only Simon, the best Simon, it's Simon Pryke baby.
Speaker 1:It's Simon, it's Simon Pryke baby, and we just have to add in that we are contractually obliged to say this next person's name this way. But I mean, I always struggle with this, but someone has stepped up to take the reins this week. So, Seb, away you go. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, he is a former fantasy critic champion.
Speaker 2:This man is the only man to take down Street Fighter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 with one hand. Ladies and gentlemen, he is the living legend himself. This is Fat Zen.
Speaker 3:Plot twist, plot twist.
Speaker 1:I didn't expect the squeak.
Speaker 3:I didn't realise you had a balloon full of helium next to you to have a sip on for the end.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was just going to keep it raw and rag it all the way through, but I got through the twisting.
Speaker 1:Brilliant. Yes, thanks to all you guys. As we always say, you know, a little goes a long way and we really appreciate you. And, yeah, if you're interested in that, in that quiz, the meetup done by the wonderful digital mongery, and hit us up on on the discord or, or you know, I say questions at unofficialcontrollerpodcastcom or dms, on um x or on instagram, anything like that, and and we'll fill you on in where to come and you know how to join and be part of the membership. But, yes, thanks again to all those um, which I think leads us on to uh guys, I'm gonna start with. I'll start with scott this time. I'm gonna say what are you hoping to play?
Speaker 3:well, I'll tell you, there's 52 of them in a pack. I'm playing. Well, not in balatro. There's a lot of cards if you keep adding them in a booster packs. I'm gonna be playing balatro, balatro, bal, bellatro. There's a lot of cards if you keep adding them in the booster packs. I'm going to be playing Bellatro, bellatro, bellatro, baby.
Speaker 1:I did think you'd say that Funlina.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I can't. I'm not even going to entertain anything else. I'm enjoying it so much. I just want to say thank you again. Digital Mungery Sorry, seb, that I didn't listen before and R climbing up that table, so watch out, I'm going for the top baby.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're putting, you're putting the hours in mate yeah next thing you know it'll be two weeks.
Speaker 2:Two weeks from now he's going to be starting dave the diver and I'm going to be like I am going to be I already played spreading the word. Spreading the word dave the diver.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was another one late onto that, but is there anything else you're going to play, scott?
Speaker 3:no, that's it. So I probably want to say, seb, what are you hoping to play?
Speaker 2:Scott, I'm really surprised. I thought you'd be playing the biggest Nintendo game this week.
Speaker 3:Donkey Kong DK.
Speaker 2:Donkey Kong. He is the leader of the. Did you know? I saw.
Speaker 3:It didn't quite make the news, but apparently I saw an article today when I was researching for the show that apparently they spent longer developing Donkey Kong than they have with GTA 6 from many different sources. Really, that's wild, apparently so. So I mean I did when I last was on a show with George, which was a while ago. That was when a direct came out. I hadn't watched it at the time. George gay was a briefing um, I have checked it out and I tell you what. Um, I think george is quite right with his comments. It's some of it does. I'm interested to see how it gets all put together. I mean, it's going to be a very, very good game, um, but some of the like mechanics were smashing things up sort of thing for no reason and just being a bit creative.
Speaker 3:Um, seems a bit alien game is yeah, it's a complete different spin, um, but no, I haven't pre-ordered it, seb. Um, I will hold off the excitement, um, but I will be playing it, I'm sure. But to be fair, by the time we talk next time I'll probably tell you I'm 10 hours into that and all you just remind me.
Speaker 1:I'll just quickly jump in here. It's a bit random, but when you said that you'd seen the news article, there's a YouTuber called Retrohead great lad big game collector and he done a short the other day and this was on the BBC News here in the UK and they were talking about retro gaming, which is unusual for them to be talking about retro gaming on on the main evening news. But the first mistake they made was they said people are buying retro games now because it's such a cheap hobby. Uh, and then secondly, they had a super nintendo in the studio with a controller at the front, but I had a nes cartridge in it that's messed up, that's funny and you're like, yeah, get your researchers to do the research for you.
Speaker 1:That and he done a little short on it, saying the bbc is to double this up, double file for him, and it just made me laugh. They do that a lot.
Speaker 3:So it's funny you mentioned that um, the retro hunter. I don't know if you're aware of that shop which is in, so he's actually put on facebook today. So my friend ali, who owns that store, he's actually on the radio at 7.30 and that'll be on the 16th of July, so it would have been passed by the time you guys listen to that. So he's on the radio talking about games. I know he's got to be careful because the last time he spoke to journalists they didn't listen to anything he said and they just made the article up.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, they do mix yeah they do tend to mix things up quite a fair bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:That's the BBC for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we've gone off a bit of a tangent now. It's my fault, sorry, but yeah. What are you hoping to play then?
Speaker 2:Seb, I'm going to be playing college football, a lot of college football. Yeah, I'm backing. Oh my goodness, go Texas State baby. It's a new thing, man. They added a lot of new features in this game, especially with their version of the franchise mode where you take home of the school and kind of run with it and try to operate their athletic program. I'm like I'm just trying to make sure, like I like taking a small remote school here in Texas and trying to build up, build that up into a juggernaut year after year, every year. So I'm like that's, that's kind of what my addiction is. Outside of um. I'm going outside of um. I'm gonna try to finish the altars because I think I'm on like act two, going into act three that's interesting.
Speaker 1:That game, that's really interesting. Oh, my goodness, I gotta send you the link, because this it's, it's actually really cool.
Speaker 2:Well, I know you have xbox. I don't know if you have game pass, but it's. It's on game pass as well. Um, that one I was going to recommend to you rgt, harvest, moon, the lost valley and sky tree village it gives me kind of harvestella type of vibes it is. I know it's for the switch because that's the the code they offered, but I don't necessarily know if there's anything else else there. I played the demo of that. That's pretty it's and that's what I'm saying. Kind of gave me harvestella anything harvestella.
Speaker 2:My ears are pricked up yeah, it's called harvest moon um the lost valley and sky tree village so I'm like that was decent. Um, it's not quite for me but I I liked um what I played that one um pad upon one and two replay um, I'm probably going to jump into that a little bit. I had never really played padapon back in the day, so interested in in jumping into that and seeing um scott I was gonna mention this one to you because I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think rgt's for sure. I know rgt's in this movie, but there's a little little um ip back in the I think this was the 80s, called robocop. Have you ever heard?
Speaker 3:heard of Robocop. Oh, of course I've seen Robocop Very good film.
Speaker 2:Anyways, robocop Rogue City, a really underrated game is out this week on Game Pass as well.
Speaker 3:So I'm like I think I got it on PS5 when it came out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I'm like that one's a fun game for people who haven't played that. I might go back and try to get the trophies for that, because that's something like five to six hours long, so but I will definitely play. I'll be playing the alters and college football and then that's pretty much it, because, yeah, tonight I am excited because I'm going to go see superman yeah, I've been seeing a lot of people online going to watch that.
Speaker 3:I've seen the trailer. Yeah, it does look good. I've seen a lot of films lately but yeah.
Speaker 2:RGT Matt. What are you going to be playing? What are you hoping to play?
Speaker 1:I want to get Singularity wrapped up. I've got a busy weekend and we all know why that is, but hopefully when I'm back we will be um getting singularity done. Um, gonna be plenty more for forza motorsport 2 um, really enjoying that. Been wanting to get back into a car game with a bit of modern and upgrading your car and going into the races. Love all that, love all that gran trismo vibe. So, yeah, looking forward to playing that little bit, maybe a little bit more final fantasy 9 um, and for when I'm away at the weekend it will be super pocket with me, um, and just playing on that um with me.
Speaker 1:Evercade cartridges, um, but I think that'll be pretty much me. I believe, um, I do believe. Gentlemen, I think we are about there, about the end of the show. Thanks everyone for listening, thanks for joining in, as always, thanks for people who subscribe, thanks for people who have been long term listeners. We really appreciate it. And it just leaves me to say there's nothing wrong with being given that unofficial controller. It's what you do of it that counts see you later, guys.
Speaker 2:Bye, thanks for watching.