Switch 2 already getting left behind

Xbox rarely says the quiet part out loud, but this week they come close. George and RGT unpack a massive leadership statement that admits real pain points, from pricing fatigue to a fragmented console experience, plus a sharper focus on PC, cloud gaming, and what “daily active players” means for the future of the Xbox platform and Game Pass. We talk about what sounds like genuine course correction, what still feels like corporate fog, and what we actually want to see if Xbox is serious about rebuilding trust. 

Then we zoom back in to the games themselves, because the best way to judge any platform is how it feels in your hands. We dig into Switch 2 boost mode and how it can make older Nintendo Switch games feel newly playable, including Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag through the Rebel Collection. We also react to Ubisoft’s Black Flag Resync plans for 2026, the surprise confirmation that the original release will not be delisted, and the trade-offs of losing multiplayer and DLC in favor of a pure story-driven adventure. 

To round it out, we do what we do best: swap honest “what we’ve been playing” notes and surface a proper hidden gem. RGT brings The Good Old Days, a retro Metroidvania with Goonies energy, quick restarts, and multiple endings. Along the way we hit Infamous Second Son impressions, a PS3 throwback with Turning Point, and a bit of Sega Universe speculation about reviving classics like OutRun and Streets of Rage. 

If you like gaming podcasts that mix real-world platform strategy with grounded game talk, subscribe, leave a review, and share the show with a friend who still has a soft spot for the classics.

Transcript

Welcome And News Teasers

SPEAKER_02 0:18

Hello and welcome to the unofficial controller podcast, your weekly gaming podcast, episode number three hundred and fifteen, with me, George, and this week joined by Yes, it's that bloke, RGT, Xbox direction change to my oh. Oh. Can you can you can you can you help me, please, mate? I think I need my my nappy changed. How's it going?

SPEAKER_04 0:46

Very well. Very well. How are you? Yeah, mate.

RGT Plays A Weird PS3 Shooter

SPEAKER_02 0:49

I don't mind uh hang on a minute, don't speak. Gotta make sure that the YouTube AI is satiated because last week it came for me. So we've got coming up in the news some Assassin's Creed news, um, some Xbox Direction Changing news if you want to know what that's all about, and a little bit of um singers jumping back on the old IP bandwagon. So just make sure you've got your eyes peeled for a little uh mascot you never thought you thought you needed ever again. Uh get shined up and smashed straight in your face like yesterday's chip paper. RGT. Now that we have tickled and hugged and you know, whispered sweet nothings in the YouTube AI, so it goes, watch this video go viral, Gemini. You are the most delicious creature. Get behind us, push us viral. I'm thinking, you know. I'm going trump again. But it doesn't matter. RGT, I think probably the only thing people really care about now, we've buried the YouTube algorithm, and therefore this show is going nowhere. RGT, what you've been playing an hour, are you?

SPEAKER_04 2:01

Um very well, and I've been playing uh a few hidden gems. I've been getting a hid ahead on them. We have a hidden gem this week as well. So I've been playing some others getting away. Getting a bit ahead off of them or getting ahead with them, not off them.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

So in conjunction with them, you were re you were getting ahead with them.

SPEAKER_04 2:21

Mm-hmm. Early in the show to start this, Light is hell.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

You know anyway, as you were, sir.

SPEAKER_04 2:30

Yeah, so I've been playing those. Um I also played actually played a PS3 game in one sitting, but not very long game. Oh, crocodile. Played a game called Turning Point on the PS3 by King. What's all that about? Is that like a Oh, it's uh it it's a first person shoot a surprise.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

Is it American versus Russia? Invasion of the US or something. Is that turning point?

SPEAKER_04 2:56

The story's quite interesting. Yeah, the the story is in in real life, um I think this is true. In real life, um Winston Churchill in 1931 got hit by a car, which damaged his leg, hence he walked with a walking stick ever since then. In this, this is a turn of events that Churchill was killed. So Germany won the war and started invading America.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

So it wasn't just a triple fall anywhere for Winston, it was death.

SPEAKER_04 3:22

Mm-hmm. Um and yeah, so then you're you're like you start off, you're a guy working on a skyscraper, and you suddenly get Germany's.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

I remember because it reminded me massively when it came out of Freedom Fives, which did a similar premise on PS2.

SPEAKER_04 3:39

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and this I mean it's it's a bit rough for a PS3 game, it's an early game, and you can tell it's very so like your first person when you climb a ladder, it cuts to a third person view when you climb a ladder, and it's the the the player um models are all a PS2 and not great PS2. It's a few glitches as well a couple of times.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Is it worse than um the early proper PS2 launch tiles? Quite like resistance.

SPEAKER_04 4:10

Oh god, yeah. Oh wow, this is proper PS2 looking throughout, you know, the models, the textures, everything. It's just like a PS2 game running on an HD system. Um it's very short. I completed it in four and a half hours. Um yeah, but it's by Codemasters as well, which which amazes me. But obviously, it was I think it was 2006, maybe seven games.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

Did they do Freedom? No, no, no.

SPEAKER_04 4:38

Was that Capcom done for no Capcom? Was it done Freedom Wise? Um, but yeah, I quite enjoyed it. I was alright, it's quite a good story, and it's one of the final mission took me a while to get through. That was a little tricky, but the rest wasn't too bad. I mean, it's worth playing for if you just it's what we would say is a rainy day game. You'd sit in, you can get through it in an afternoon, chill out at home, play something different. Like I say, it's a bit glitchy. A couple of times I got stuck where I was shooting out of a window, went a turn to run, and he was just like and I'm like, oh god, what is it? I was looking round, what am I stuck on? What am I stuck on?

SPEAKER_02 5:15

What was that? What was that?

SPEAKER_04 5:17

What was what?

SPEAKER_02 5:20

W what you just did, what happened there?

SPEAKER_04 5:23

That was my character being stuck.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

But what his gun got stuck in the wall, his body got stuck in the wall. I heard that.

SPEAKER_04 5:31

There was a brick on the floor and my foot had gone over the brick, and I just couldn't get over it. And eventually I fell through the floor and that crashed, and then yeah, had to then replay that whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 5:41

I love it. Yeah, so it's it's a bit glitchy, it's a bit rough, but I'll be furious if this was happening to me, but soon as it's happened to you.

SPEAKER_04 5:49

Oh, and there's this is this level at the end where you're on an airship and you're you're trying to get through to the like final bit of this airship, and when you go in this big open bit, because it's a massive airship, there's guys up above, and I kept doing this level where I was trying to pop them off. I thought, right, I've cleared everyone out. There's planes in this airship as well. I've cleared them all, I'll go through, and then one would just suddenly come and get you near the end. I thought, I've missed one, I've missed one. I'd done this about five times, didn't realise that when I come out to this room in an airship, there's a little room to the left with a sniper rifle in.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

Makes it a lot easier.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

The game led you the right way, and you just bolched through. Nearly did it though.

SPEAKER_04 6:27

Nearly did it a couple of times, but and a couple of times you can you can blag it a bit, like where you get to this room at the end of that airship area, there's two guys in it, and they're waiting for you with guns, but they can't shoot for the window at you when they see you're on the railings. But when you go in, there's a hatch. So I just stood near the hatch, so they just waited below. So I just dropped a grenade down, done, right? I didn't have to shoot through to the final, yeah, through to the final bit. But yeah, it was it was good fun, but it is it's be warned. It looks like a really good PS3 game when you see the box and code masters and the artwork, and when you start playing it, you think oh this is a this is a bit rough, but it was okay. It was a bit of fun for a Sunday afternoon. Um, I've also started Infamous Second Sun.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

I saw this picture you sent me. I thought that has to be it. Now, what's your take on it, lover?

SPEAKER_04 7:19

You are absolutely bang on. It's it's infamous. Um, in regards to I'm glad I played the other two because you know about your blast shards and bits and pieces to pick up and use your powers. This time you use smoke, which can be a bit hard to find where to get the smoke to start with, to work out to get it. But it looks I'm playing on a PS5, so it's obviously upscaled a bit, but it looks very good for an early PS4 game. Plays well, plays similar to Um Infamous, and you climb in your buildings, you can you pick up your your power.

SPEAKER_02 7:53

You've definitely got more weight in heft though, and it you feel different. I think it's no, no way near.

SPEAKER_04 8:00

No. But you are right, it's it's not an essence of infamous, but it I don't know what it is, whether it's because it's better graphics or you're I don't know whether it's the graphic style, it doesn't it's not infamous gameplay, but not in an infamous game. It almost feels to me like a bit like a watchdog's game or something like that, the way the uh the bad guys are with their roadblocks and bits and pieces and the armor they got on. That always reminds me of a watchdogs game or you against the corporate and all the rest of it. Yeah, but I'm quite enjoying it. I know it's only a short game, it's only about 10 or 12 hours long. Um I'm only about an hour and a half in, maybe two. So I'll play some more and hopefully get it done. But yeah, I you are absolutely you hit the nail so well on the head, you're absolutely bang on 100%. It there is something about you're playing it, and you're just like when you played infamous two after playing infamous, you're like, Yes, this is infamous, but better. You're playing this, yes, it is better, but it's it doesn't feel like infamous.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

It's not infamous anymore. No, no, it's very clinical, it's very sterile. Infamous felt dirty, grimy. I'd buck a filter on it. I think the graphics had a bit of a cell-sheded sort of edge to them. They weren't, they're obviously trying to be photorealistic, but the PS3 art style the shows just sings to it on PS4, PS5. It looks amazing, as you say, especially for a launch game.

SPEAKER_04 9:26

Imagine getting this in your console, you'd be like, wow, yeah, it does look very I mean that picture I sent you. You think I mean when was this game out? 2013?

SPEAKER_02 9:35

I think it did have some patches along the way, being a genuine PlayStation game, and I might not be surprised and thinking it probably got a PS4 Pro patch, so it's definitely gagging for a bit of PS5 in its life. Yeah, um, looks good, plays well, is fun, actually looks great on PS4 as well, but best treated as a separate game for me. Yeah, it's I almost feel I've heard better things about the DLC. Kind of got a little bit more infamous in it going on. Oh really? First light, I think it's called, where you play as the female.

SPEAKER_04 10:11

Yeah, I've got the disc of that as well. I got it for my birthday, along as well with second son. Um but you're right. I you almost feel and this is gonna sound harsh, I don't want to sound harsh, but it's almost when I started playing it, I thought, yes, infamous again, here we go. I like the introduction with your brother being the sheriff and bits and pieces and and the beach and everything's really cool, great graphics. And after about an hour, I thought, I feel quite disappointed.

SPEAKER_02 10:36

Yeah, just it just feels like in feeling just feels like an empty crisp packet.

SPEAKER_04 10:42

Yeah, it's it's it's almost like someone's made a really glossy sort of clone of Infamous. They've tried to clone it and it's not actually infamous.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

You know, I feel harsh on Sucker Punch for this, but it made me feel harsh as well when I have relayed numerous times about how I think the first time I played it was about back in the 21, beginning of 22. I was just looking for a game, maybe Christmas, that new year, just to tie me over. Dragged this off the shelf, was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then got into the city, and all the impetus to really continue forward went away. I've gone back to that save and been a bit confused. So I've started it again and got to the same place, and my records see it exactly the same time. My interest in the game just waned big time.

SPEAKER_04 11:26

Yeah, it's weird because it introduces your power-ups like it does in the other infamous games, similar premise, um, similar, you know, your powers work the same, but they're a different rather than electric, they're smoke.

SPEAKER_02 11:39

But smoke's freaking cool when you go to the roof, though, in it.

SPEAKER_04 11:42

Yeah, and that looks cool as well. How it's done the lighting, and that's brilliant. But the thing is, it's just I don't know, it's it's missing something. It feels empty. It feels yeah, I'm I'm just not sure. I can't put my finger on it.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

The thing is, the city's full, but it's empty. It's soul, I think it's just lacking a bit of soul.

George’s Switch Gaming And Boost Mode

SPEAKER_04 12:00

Yeah, it didn't have that sort of edge that Infamous One and Two had, that sort of new IP, PS3, they made a PS3 sing with it, and you just think, yeah, it's not happening here. I don't know what it is, but I'll carry on playing. Hopefully, I'll enjoy it some more. Um and finally, when I finished turning point, I thought is another game I haven't finished before. I've started like twice on the PS3. I've played, I think I played the PS4 version of the store I started and still didn't finish, and that's Mafia 2. So I've started that. So I'm gonna that's my next PS3 game I'm gonna play through. Um so another one to tick off the list of the shelf. So yeah, I'm gonna I've played literally that that first part you do the army section and then you then start getting what's like Mafia 3 2. Okay, yeah, where you you um you go off in the army, don't you, and fight in Italy and then you come back and you sort of you then you get sort of enlisted in the mafia sort of thing. I've just started that bit, but yeah, that looks good, plays well. Um decent game on on the PS3, good looking game. Um and it's quite I've I've I kept thinking I'll play it at the wrong time of year because you when you come back after your your mission in the army and that's all snow everywhere, I remember it. And and I'm thinking, oh, I should have played this in December, but you know, it is what it is, I'll play it now, and yeah, I'm enjoying it. Um, but yeah, apart from the hidden gems, that's all what I've been playing. What about you, George? What have you been playing this week?

SPEAKER_02 13:29

Um let's let's get on to it. So, not been at home, so gaming has been a little bit light. So the light gaming that I've done is um a bit of farming sim, got my fields finished on the switch, um, ready to go again. So I just need to uh fertilize, and I don't mean like that, I just mean spread some uh maybe bio all over it. Um and then I have also been playing a little bit of easy delivery co and I'm just grabbing a delivery local. I'm not playing this game anywhere like the wanting to play it.

SPEAKER_04 14:08

I can't mean to go back to that. I need to go back to that.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

Turn it on, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, do some deliveries on that one first map, bam bah bah ba-bam, build the money up. I'm in a bit of an energy c hole for want of a better word. I'll be honest with you. I keep when I get out of the vehicle, it shrinks, it keeps saying energy low, energy low. And I'm like, oh, okay. So I park right near a vending machine, bowl straight out of the vehicle, grab it, and I'm like trying to drink it, but the like the ice is closing, what and then I start panicking, get in the truck, and the can I'm holding kind of goes in my inventory, but I don't quite know how to reselect it so I can drink it again. So I think I've got about a 20-pack of monster in the back, but my guy just doesn't have the ability to get his tin out, so he has to go buy a new one every time.

SPEAKER_04 14:55

Yeah, there is there is a quick quick button to do that, I think. I think it's L1 or something, you press and the can't there, and then you drink. That's a bit of an odd why of it.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

You can't drink in the cab either, so that's no, you can't, you have to get out, which is yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:08

So I ended up my first few missions, I kept, even though I wasn't out of energy, kept grabbing the can as I went. So I always had a few on me, but even then you sometimes still forget and run out.

SPEAKER_02 15:18

Well, look out for me in Easy Delivery Co. because I'm basically parking in your front room uh and I'm just gonna come in straight in with you.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

Yeah, get it back.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

Yeah, no messing about, mate. Um, so a bit of that. Decided to revive the so I've been away, so it's all switch to based stuff. Decided to revive my F1 manager game after being sacked when I was taking uh my very nostalgic Bigatti quest team through. So I've reinstated myself, got a new team, things are looking good, things are looking great. So um, yeah, we're expected to be midfield this season, and we've done nothing but get sort of in the top ten or you know around the five uh fifth fifth place or area, and in the race we're often running as high as third. So yeah, we've had a good we've had a good do. Been unlucky with some safety car decisions and other stuff. So yeah, that's still great. And by the way, and I'm building to this, I'm building to this. The switch twos like boost mode for handheld of switch one games. It's made that F1 manager game on Switch.

SPEAKER_04 16:29

Oh god, yeah, I forgot about it.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

Do you remember when that was an absolute broken mess? Now, when I got switch to it did improve it. Now, this boost mode, I can get through the whole intro video with no stuttering. Like full sync.

SPEAKER_04 16:43

Is it really crisp the graphics up as well?

SPEAKER_02 16:45

It's crisp the graphics up, and the textures pop up in like 0.001 of a second, so it's barely an issue anymore. Or if you're not looking for it, you don't notice it. Looks really, really caveats. Let's throw them around everywhere. It looks really good for what it is. They've made it as good as they can make it look. And at times, do you know what? In handheld, yeah, you'd be forgiven for thinking you're playing like a full fat, you know, big boys version. Um the road to this though, I also what were the news that we've got coming up and other things around? I decided to uh boot up my copy of Assassin's Creed Black Flag on the Switch. Because all this talk of the re-sync re-release and all that sort of good stuff made me think, well, I kind of like this game, not as much as Rogue, I have to admit. I think probably Black Flag was a bit overhyped, but let's go back and see what's there. Well, I tell you, what's there with the Switch 2 running and boost mode handheld baby? Oh yeah, this looks good. I've been having a blast. Is that on it?

SPEAKER_04 17:55

Is that on the collection, Assassin's Creed collection?

SPEAKER_02 17:57

Yeah, it's called the Sales Edition, and you get it and Rogue, which Rogue was the PS3 version that they an Xbox 360 version they brought out in the gen crossover. It's actually quite good and is a feeder to Unity in itself. So I think it came out around the time of Unity for the last gen. It's a short game.

SPEAKER_04 18:18

I have got an Assassin's Creed collection, but I don't know which one I've got. I think it's one, two, and three, I believe.

SPEAKER_02 18:23

No, it wouldn't be one. No.

SPEAKER_04 18:26

There's two maybe that is the one I've got then.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

There's the Ezio trilogy, and then there's this sales trilogy, and then or sales double pack, and then you can get the I think you can get three separately. Remastered. Maybe if three might come with um oh, what's that one where you play as that lass?

SPEAKER_04 18:49

He's three, isn't it? You play as a blame.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

No, there's one where you play as a lass in New Orleans. It was a Vita exclusive, and the names just slipped away from me for a minute.

SPEAKER_04 18:58

Oh not um Liberty Liberation.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

Liberation, that's it. Yeah, that's actually quite good. Um, although, you know, next to a full fat version, it does feel a little bit bare bones at times, but but but but but but but but you know. Anyway, I'm here to talk about the original Switch version on Switch 2, and it looks great. I was well happy with it. I was sat there in my room looking at this game, oh wow, lights are off. So, as Tom OG would call it, graphic enhancers on. I'm sat there, I'm taking it real slow, taking the boat out the first time. You got Matey on board, and it's like, hello, I'm Nigel, or whatever his name is. So funny. He's got his hair bristling in the wind. I was like, this looks bloody brilliant. Got to Cuba or Havana or wherever it is, you go first, and I was walking around doing all the things they have you do there, tutorial drivel. I just wanted to get to the bit where I had a boat, still not there, but just doing some of the Assassiny bits. I remember when I played this on my playthrough of all the Assassin's Creed games, this first bit did my head in and soured me to the game because all the demos, all the trailers are all about being in the boat, except they make you earn that in this game. And I remember like, oh, it's all you wanted me to play a pirate game running around tailing people. This is doing my bloody head in. Um, but it's coming, so I think I might just keep notching away at that. I've been playing it with the sound off and just reading the subtitles. Um, me and Rachel have been watching a thing on Netflix, I think it's a BBC Australia thing called now. Let me get this right, because I call it Grifters, but it's actually called glitched. It's a little bit like Twin Peaks meets home and away. Jeez.

SPEAKER_04 20:50

That's uh that's a combination.

What A Hidden Gem Means Here

SPEAKER_02 20:53

Go check it out. So I've been kind of doing the two. Um yeah, and that's that. I think that brings us to an end. So oh, hang on. No, rewind. What were we playing? Oh, don't know if we talked about this last week or not. Been playing a little bit of the expansion of Witcher 3 on PS5 pro yeah. Playing on to pretty what graphics on it, absolutely unbelievable. When you start on it, they take you to a new area. Um, I didn't want to do the DLC with a new area, but I'd obviously clicked on the wrong bit. So I end up in new area, and there's a bit, I can't imagine what this would look like on the switch. I was tempted to actually run it through again on switch to see what the difference was like because you turn up, get through a little bit of a cutscene, and after a ride, you end up in this really quite exciting battle with an ogre. Graphically looks stupendous. He's ended up with like a box on his head or something, and it looks really comical. And then there's also a load of sheep running around, and I could while I was playing it. Like this fidelity-wise, graphically wise, this looks everything is there, and everything is full on. There's no glitching, no, it just looks so pure. And as I was enjoying this graphical fidelity and resolution, I just thought to myself, what would what on earth? Can you imagine like beh and it just sort of skates in as a white block with like four black beh beh beh and I'm swinging around and the ogre's got like four frames, like oh god. I haven't played it yet, but that's what I imagined. So I'm going to report back what that scene looked like when I played it on Switch. Because on PS5 Pro, it looked photorealistic at times. It was absolutely stunning. I kept saying, I can't quite decide if it's photorealistic to Rachel or whether it feels like a real pain like fantasy image just come to life. It was fantastic. The colour palette, sumptuous. Um, I'm done. I'm done. I'm spent. I think I've probably all over that. So um doesn't leave as much where else to go, does it really, mate? So you pre-warn me on the way in that you had what's known in the UCP circles as a hidden gem. Um now I know that the fans know the old schools, know what's coming. But to the new schools, they're like, What is a hidden gem? Well, basically it's a game that RGT thinks that you forgot about that's available for a great price. And you think, oh yeah, I know, but this hidden gem thing sounds like you've been going for a while. Sure has, pal. If you want to join the Discord, you can go on there and look at them all, just in a little review. Big boy. Order website, hold up. Sorry, hold up, hold up. Big boy did writing, but if you're like, no, I don't want to go anywhere near the Discord, I don't want nothing to do with it, I'm not that guy. I don't want to download another app after Grinder on my phone. I'm done with it. When you're all done with that, just go on your browser, www.motonofficialcontrollerpodcast.com.

SPEAKER_04 24:20

Bang on.

SPEAKER_02 24:21

Press the enter key, bam, you're there. Don't look for me. Don't look at me for tech advice. I think I just showed my hand there, didn't I? A little bit. A little bit. But also they're listed. And they're all listed there, and you don't have to make friends with anyone.

SPEAKER_04 24:33

So and they're listed on there in um consoles. So you or all your brands. So they're listed as Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox. Um, so Sega, bits and pieces, Mega Drive, so all listed in consoles.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

If it's a When you said brands, friend, I didn't know whether you just roped through a steer and branded it.

SPEAKER_04 24:54

That would have been better, but no.

SPEAKER_02 24:56

What do you think your brand would look like in a hot iron? Would it just be RGT in a collection of letters, or would you have like a RGT with flames on it? Well, hmm.

SPEAKER_04 25:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:09

Flame actual flames left imprinted on the hide of your victim. Yeah, that's what I usually do. I have to admit, I couldn't sit down for a week and uh that's I like to get that iron proper hot.

Hidden Gem Spotlight The Good Old Days

SPEAKER_04 25:25

Anyway, should we do the hidden gem?

SPEAKER_02 25:27

Yeah, so you want your um contractually obliged theme tune?

SPEAKER_04 25:32

I certainly do, big boy.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

Sum time Zafe lost than alone parser games to look through, sat here on now He's like the Lone Ranger Radin Hand Bring here the engines to me Word to the wise I got so wrapped up in the performance I lost my place in the song.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

I did see, but you you pulled it off well.

SPEAKER_04 26:19

And I forgot the words. You pulled it off well, though. You sort of done a little bit of an intro, then straight into the good.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

I rocked up at the quarry this afternoon. I said, get some of your finest flint gravel out. I said, What are you planning on doing? And I just basically got me by the legs. You know the wheelbarrow race at school? Mm-hmm. Just I'll let my arms go. And he kind of dragged me back across it and I kind of scraped it down my throat with a bit of a backhoe action with my front teeth. Um I think it was a worthy sacrifice.

SPEAKER_04 26:54

I think so. That gravelly voice is uh give me the fizz. So Anywho, do you want to play the guessing game?

SPEAKER_02 27:04

Bit of a mayo spillage, mummy. Um yeah, I uh you didn't have any mayo on your plate.

SPEAKER_04 27:13

Anywho, this game came out last year.

SPEAKER_02 27:17

Guessing game? When did it come out? Last year, okay. Right.

SPEAKER_04 27:21

Um 2025, October. The developer the main developer if you look at it. Is Yoko Go Systems one of your favourites?

SPEAKER_01 27:40

What's the other one?

SPEAKER_02 27:42

What there was a couple of developers.

SPEAKER_04 27:45

Oh yeah, it doesn't say that. Um on the on the on the box art as Anxus Anxus AKS Y S. So I don't know if it's different regions had different, but if you look 'em up as your cogo says.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

What sort of game is it?

SPEAKER_04 28:01

Um it was published by Gravity, first of all. Um it is a retro metroidvania. It's released on Steam on PC and Switch. They're the two you can buy it on.

SPEAKER_02 28:19

It's the game I told you about, isn't it? Ultros.

SPEAKER_04 28:22

Nope.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

Um asked you anyway.

SPEAKER_04 28:25

Ultros is on PS5 in it, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 28:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:28

Yeah, and this is only on PC and Switch. So just listen, listen in future.

SPEAKER_02 28:32

It's a guessing game, you pervert. How am I meant to do that without saying names of games as a guess?

SPEAKER_04 28:37

Because I'd already told you it was already on PC and Switch, so Ultros is on the game. Not saying this again. Um, and then we've got as a single player game. Um, and that's about all I can give you.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

Well, I'll tell you what. Cue my run of unbeaten guesses. We now arrive in a world where I am naught for naught for a while. Um maybe Axiomvert's on PlayStation.

SPEAKER_04 29:07

Good sh good shout, though. I don't think you'll get it. I would imagine you've probably never heard of this game.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

Blasphemous 2.

SPEAKER_04 29:15

Nope.

SPEAKER_02 29:17

What is it then?

SPEAKER_04 29:19

It is the good old days.

SPEAKER_02 29:21

What the drivel is this?

SPEAKER_04 29:23

I'm glad you're enthusiastic about this.

SPEAKER_02 29:25

Um hold it up again so I can see the rating on the front. Bloody hell.

SPEAKER_04 29:30

I've just seen that. I I have no idea why that's another thing.

SPEAKER_02 29:33

You know, this is a family-friendly show, you bloody arsehole. You can't be wheeling that stuff in here.

SPEAKER_04 29:38

You know, it's a family-friendly show, you bloody arsehole.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

Finish the sentence. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:45

No, I'm not. I'm not allowed to myself. Anyway, this is a love look to Goonies. If you're a Goonies fan, this is basically a Goonies game.

SPEAKER_02 29:55

Show me the back of it again. Show me the back this time. Hold it up so we can all see it at home. Say something so it comes to you.

SPEAKER_04 30:02

What do you mean so it comes to me? So the camera comes on you. Yeah, all over. Yeah, yeah. So this is yeah, good old days.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

Now it was good that you showed us that. That's that was actually helpful because now I see what it is.

SPEAKER_04 30:16

It's got this lovely sort of not a scanline filter, but almost a CRT sort of VHS filter over it. So um, yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. Um, and basically you're in the your your character you start with is called Sean. So I suppose that's a bit of a love letter to Sean Bing Me Bob, who was the main character of the Goonies. Um, and you're called, I think your group is rather than called the Goonies, I think you're they're called the Nuggies instead. And then you've got the other characters are similar. The bad guys in it is the old woman and her sons that look exactly like them, exactly the same. And basically, you start off um there's a guy come to the house, looks like a bit of a mafia guy. They say, Your dad, you we know your dad's run off, but he's left 30,000 of debt. If you don't pay it in 24 hours, you lose your house, you and your mum are evicted. Um, and then he also adds that underneath the house, they know there's these all these ancient caves, which your family has the rights to, so you have to go and get all this, you have to get 30k in 24 hours, basically. Um, but they've also kidnapped your friends, which makes no sense as to why they've kidnapped your friends because you're gonna get the money anyway, but they actually tap the pee out of themselves for doing that because you say, Well, why have you kidnapped my friends? They're like, Well, I don't know, actually, it doesn't really make any sense, but it makes a bit of a game of it.

SPEAKER_02 31:43

So are they tied up in the dungeon underneath your house?

SPEAKER_04 31:48

Well, as yeah, that's all like a big map underneath your house that you have to you have to go through. You can there's hidden money and bits where you jump and you do platform and you can get backwards and forwards, and as you find your friends, they have different powers. So Sean has a bomb, right? So you can't hit enemies or punch enemies, you'll see bats and rats and things, but you can put a bomb which will have a lot of two-second delay, you get out of the way, and you can blow up. So you can kill enemies like that, but that's mainly used for blowing these. You'll see these little doors with skulls on. You blow them up, you get a key, and the key can be used on different doors as you backtrack and go through. And as you uncover the map, you'll see your friend will be you'll find bits of map as you go, which open it up, and you'll see your friend in an area try and get to them. So I got my first friend, which is technically a bit like Chunk, I suppose, but his power is he can break walls with his head, so now you can go back to areas that you couldn't clear before with the bombs, and then he'll break through, and so on, and so on. You pick up power-ups like a raincoat, so you can get through water areas which have waterfalls. When you try and walk through them before, they kill you. So the good thing is, whenever you die, you just start back where you were and you carry on, and like I say, you have 24 hours to get 30k to save your house, but you can do that in about three or four hours. But the the replay value is there's eight different endings, so you can go through at these different times and collect, but each time you start, you've got everything you had from your last run, so you'll have your power-ups, you have your your characters, you don't have to rescue all your friends for the end to do it, but you know, if you want to, there was an achievement for that. But it's just a great little fun game. I mean, there's not many reviews on Metacritic for it. Um, I think it went under the radar a bit. I don't think many people know about this game. Um, two or three of the reviews are like 40 out of 100, and I'm thinking that's harsh because it looks lovely, I think it plays quite well, it's quite unique what they're done. It's definitely a love letter to the Goonies, like I say. Um, and it's just a very enjoyable little game. I mean, if you want this on Steam, I think it's about 15-16 bucks on Steam. If you want a copy on uh switch, physical copy, um, which I've got, I got this on sale for 16, but it's gone up a bit now. It's about£25 at the moment, as it is, but it regularly goes on sale on Amazon. You can pick it up straight off Amazon, so wait till there's a sale and pick it up for 15-20 bucks. And I don't think you'll be disappointed if you like Metroidvania's, it's it's not as too intense Metroidvania.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

Um you know the new proposed scoring system that you whispered in my ear at OL. How many fingers on your shaft would you give this?

SPEAKER_04 34:35

Oh, well, out of ten.

SPEAKER_02 34:37

You can only get you've only got ten fingers, haven't you?

SPEAKER_04 34:40

Well, I've got eight, but um I would out of ten fingers on my shaft, I would probably give this a good solid seven fingers.

SPEAKER_02 34:53

Right, okay. So it's not the full ripper, but it's damn close.

SPEAKER_04 34:59

It's damn close. That's a good seven shafter.

SPEAKER_02 35:02

Yeah. Yeah. But I would yeah, definitely getting in with that, aren't you?

SPEAKER_04 35:05

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:07

Um, yeah, without a doubt.

SPEAKER_02 35:08

I like this new. Are you gonna go back and retrospectively score them all as fingers on shaft?

SPEAKER_04 35:13

I could do. I mean, it's gonna take me a while to do all that. There is nearly 30 of them on there, maybe more. Keeps captain out of mischief, doesn't it? Doesn't, yeah. I'll give him the new shaft rating, and then he can I'll give him all the fingers and then he can uh he can list them all. Um but yes Do you remember proposing this? Uh no, not at all. I think you might have just made this up on the spot.

SPEAKER_02 35:34

I don't think I'm intelligent enough to just make something up like that on the spot. Uh everyone knows it's got a little bit edge to you. You've got that edge to you. That's that's yeah, that's on you. That's that's all on you.

SPEAKER_04 35:45

Thank you. So, yes, seven shaft or eight in the good old days. Give it a go. It's it's very good, great fun. I think it's little definitely a hidden gem. If you like Metroidvania's, nothing too complicated. You like that sort of love letter to 80s movies, you know, Goonies, bits of pieces, pick it up. It's great fun. And it plays well on the Switch 2 as well. So plays really well. So, yeah. The good old days. There we go.

News Desk Setup And Banter

SPEAKER_02 36:09

Nice. That actually took me by surprise. I knew nothing about that game. And after you showed me the back of it, and I could see what sort of game it was, and then you went through in your eloquent description and shaft on rating of it. Um, yeah, I'm I'm very pleased. Well, that I think draws an end to the what you've been playing hidden gem section. So let's go um let's drag our fingernails across the YouTube AI's uh delicate areas to make it happy and give it what we promised it earlier. RGT, it's time for the news to scout the very darkest regions of the internet to bring you the latest stories. First up, Father, son, holy ghost, pushware, Nintendo Live, pure Xbox. Oh dear. I'm a little bit paranoid that there's some of this stuff's gonna be a clip clip.

SPEAKER_04 37:02

Yeah, if you haven't seen our our YouTube short from last week, go and check it out because it's uh has clipped all our silly moments into one three-minute clip.

SPEAKER_02 37:10

So it's and they're out of order, which makes them even better.

SPEAKER_04 37:13

And it's just quite funny. It's actually very funny. Eve I I never laugh at myself, but even bits that I say in there, what the way they're put in out of order by Captain himself, as usual.

SPEAKER_02 37:23

Um absolutely hilarious.

SPEAKER_04 37:25

So, yeah, go and check it out, our YouTube short.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

Over here, then Mead Fruit, we've got um good old Liam Croft. Now how's Liam do? Oh, I'll tell you what, tell you what Liam's gone and done. Um uh he's decided to take up his ancestral ancestorial forebears. Edit that, make it sound good. And he's decided to get a little farm in Scotland. Now he's found one right next to Paul McCartney's place, and apparently him and Paul have been going horse riding together, naked from the waist up. So they're wearing a pair of tight chinos, belted, riding boots. From the waist up, they're completely naked, and they go ride their horses through the uh very cold Atlantic Ocean. Oh wow. Um, Paul pays for a photographer to come out in a helicopter and take action snaps of them. Oh wow. So, yeah, I think Liam's probably made it. I don't think his crop's doing very well, and I think four out of his five sheep are dead. Um, some would call him a failed croft, but uh we call in Liam. He's been busy anyway, he's been digging around trying to find some Sega news, and uh underneath an old crisp packet and a copy of Me Machines, he's found this. Sega to revol revive old IP like Outrun Streets or Age of Nights in new Sega Universe project. New projects to celebrate their anniversaries. Oh yes. Sega has revealed plans to celebrate some of its legacy IP this year in the form of anniversary projects under the new banner of Sega Universe. While it's not confirmed every project will take the form of a new video game, the pitch from the publisher is as follows We'll shine a light on beloved past works that can continue to be cherished by old fans and share new ways to enjoy with them that transcend the world of games. It all falls under the slogan of No Old, Stay Gold. It highlights the following series, classics are celebrating their anniversaries and their inclusion in the Sega universe. We have Fantasy Zone, Outrun, Streets of Rage, Renter Hero, Guardian Heroes, Knights, aka Knights into Dreams, Dynamite Decker, Secure Wars, and SGG, which to anyone who doesn't know is the Sega Gaga Gagaga game, which allows you to, I think, run Sega.

SPEAKER_04 40:06

I think it was a bit of a jab DC.

SPEAKER_02 40:10

Yeah, um, I would love to play that. So all the above are celebrating a landmark anniversary in 2026, spanning from a 25th anniversary of Sega Gaga Ga-Ga-Ga-Gar, all the way up to Outrun's 40th birthday. In between them, Streets of Rage turns 35 and nights will be 30. 30. Uh, you can go online to YouTube and watch the trailer if you're that way inclined. The initiative's official website get sets a scene. Time has passed, with changing eras, some things were lost. Still, there is an impulse that never changed, a glare that never faded. Not to turn that recklessness into nostalgia, not to say those were the good old days. That frenzy is still alive somewhere, even now. Never rusted, never dulled. So let's do it again. Next time, even bolder. Wow. Of course, this isn't the first time, so it really is. Sega has shared the world of a word of IP revival efforts inside the company under its power surge marketing banner. It announced games in the Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, and some shinobi franchises. Uh, that was back in December 23. I remember talking about on the show. And only Shinobi Art of Vengeance has released from the initiative so far. Bear with me, RGT. Yeah, no worries. Pint of gin keeps the kidneys in the bin. The official explanation of the Sega universe adds games and characters born in the past, transcending generations and borders. They continue to live and in the same universe even today, beyond the games, expanding into film, music, fashion, and even further forms of entertainment. While changing form, the experience is constantly updated. Everything here remains in someone's memory and is passed on to the next generation. RGT, what do you make of all this? And if you're listening, viewer, viewer, viewer, viewer, viewer, viewer, viewer, or watching, why don't you comment below? Because that makes me feel good about myself. And if you've got this far, which is probably a thick end of half hour into the show, you don't smell like someone who gives up easy. You're willing to see this through to see if we have some underlying message. TLDR version, probably not, but stick around for a fun time anyway. RGT, underneath all this marketing hype, drivel and uh for want of a better better word, um good ideas, but let's face it, sounds like marketing room drivel. Is anything good gonna come of this? Because I like the point Liam makes about we've had all this before. That's my knee, don't worry, it's not a bald man's head emerging from my nether each when I was editor Phil.

SPEAKER_03 43:02

Just how do you get Philip?

SPEAKER_02 43:04

Just adjusting his flat. Tell you what. When I was a kid watching uh Star Trek The Search for Wales, I used to think that Captain Kirk was a hero because he could hold his breath for damn near three minutes. Well, tell you what, Phil. He ain't come up for air over 300 episodes, apart from the bleeding. Hey. I don't know how, but you're not wrong. Um parked. Wrapped up pretty bow. What is that rhythm? Nailed. Anyway, what do you make of all this?

SPEAKER_04 43:57

Is it me or do you say uh promise a lot? Of stuff that doesn't tend to come out sometimes. How dare you what happened to can you remember about a year ago, 18 months ago, they released their remake in Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Shinobi fruit.

SPEAKER_02 44:12

A bit longer ago than that, mate. It was in 2023.

SPEAKER_04 44:17

Really? Oh but what happened to those? I thought they were coming soon.

SPEAKER_02 44:23

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:24

They've never appeared. Now you've got these.

SPEAKER_02 44:26

I think they did that dangerous thing that studios do is they got all excited that they decided to do something and then just.

SPEAKER_04 44:32

I thought they'd actually done it.

SPEAKER_02 44:33

And then they're like, oh huh. Oh, how long does it take to make a game these days? Probably about four years, boss. Oh Unreal Engine 5, what's that?

SPEAKER_04 44:43

Oh, oh, jeez. So no picks or something.

SPEAKER_02 44:46

User Zookie's getting defrosted. Getting some easy start sprayed in his nose.

SPEAKER_04 44:51

Come on, you're an idea, get all of it.

SPEAKER_02 44:59

Wheeling in front of the computer. Yeah, no. We're not on C anymore, mate. No, come getting going. Um, I know we want that, but we don't want it. Get on with it.

SPEAKER_04 45:15

You just sort of think, well, I mean, yeah, okay, they're what do they say they're calling this anniversary games or something?

SPEAKER_02 45:22

No, I think they call it the old stay gold announcement.

SPEAKER_04 45:28

Oh, right, okay, but I mean, I know you know, like you say, that Sega Gaga game, I mean, that would be quite handy to play that because we've never sort of. What was it called again, mate? I say not fiddling.

SPEAKER_03 45:47

Yeah, roughly.

SPEAKER_04 45:49

Oh my god. You'll have to clip that out, Captain. Um yeah, YouTube warden. Um that'd be handy playing that, but you know, it's just they do relaunch a lot of stuff, don't they?

SPEAKER_02 46:04

Oh mate, uh, and I don't know why. They continue to kind of they know they've got some really great stuff in the locker. They really do. But and they could capitalise on it, and it seems like they've got the idea they should. Um, but give us some games so we can decide. Because I don't really know what a modern version of some of these games even look like. And I think even Sega are a bit like, well, we're gonna we're gonna we're cross-generational, cross-platform, cross-media entertainment. I does that mean what what it's on a mobile phone, doesn't it? That could mean that they're gonna put the outrun soundtrack on iTunes.

SPEAKER_04 46:45

Do you know what I think they should do?

SPEAKER_02 46:46

They're gonna make an action figure out of nights and then they're gonna make a game out of one of the most least popular things on there.

SPEAKER_04 46:55

If they want to make bring these games up a bit more modern, get the guys who've done a rise and chase turbo and get them to make outrun. Get them to do a version of Outrun, like a Ryzen Chase Turbo, that'd be brilliant. Because it's got the retro, it still feels a bit old, but it's on the modern systems, looks good. That'd be a great compromise for those, I think. That'd be great.

SPEAKER_02 47:14

I would I don't know how I would feel about that. Oh, I'd like that. I understand the logic. I it makes like bam, yeah. I understand Horizon, boom, outrun. I understand that they're probably great bad fellows. I understand the output probably equals like a banging game. But someone in me says, No, I don't want that. Sega do it, Sega do it, do it now. While you've still got a little bit of something about you, make some games.

SPEAKER_04 47:41

Yeah, I know what you mean. I should do. It's just gonna be probably a rehashed version again and re-released version yet again.

SPEAKER_02 47:48

You know, we've had all these Mega Drive collections and Sega collections and you know, pure Alan ports, we've had pure arcade ports, we've had home console ports, we've had handheld ports, we've had revived re-issue reissues, we've had all sorts of stuff.

SPEAKER_04 48:06

And it's a shame because you know you can do it. When they made 8 Run 2 on the original Xbox, superb game. When they made Coast to Coast 2006, so good, those games are brilliant, you know, they're really good. So they can make a modern version of the games, they can't, but yeah, I know what you mean.

SPEAKER_02 48:22

Yeah, well, modern-ish RGT, when was that? 2006?

SPEAKER_04 48:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Early 2000s, so yeah. But at the time it was the tech, so they managed to do it then, but I know things have changed. But yeah, we'll see. I'm not sure. You know, I was really excited about that announcement with the Golden Axe and Streets of Rage 3D versions on modern consoles, blah blah. Never heard no more about that. So I don't know. We'll see. We'll see.

SPEAKER_02 48:50

What's this next bit of news, you salacious scrum?

SPEAKER_04 48:53

Well, this is over on Nintendo Life by our friend Liam Doolin. Um Do you want to know what Liam's been up to? Of course I do. He's got a bit of a side hobby now. He's taking up sewing. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 49:08

It's a little bit toned down for Liam.

SPEAKER_04 49:10

Well, he's he's good with his fingers. He's quick with his fingers, so he's good he's got a knack.

SPEAKER_02 49:15

What does that make you giggle?

SPEAKER_04 49:17

Just the word fingers makes me giggle. Uh really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:21

You didn't laugh when you said about putting them on your shaft earlier.

SPEAKER_04 49:23

No, because that's a that's a very recognised way of rating the game.

SPEAKER_02 49:27

And when you think about your fingers in conjunction with Liam, you giggle a little bit.

SPEAKER_04 49:32

I did. But I still think this time next year there'll be a shaft rating on the front of boxes. GTA 6, eight out of ten shafts from RGT or the other fish controller podcast. Oh, yeah, but we call it a shaft rating, don't we?

SPEAKER_02 49:48

Are you well, I don't know. You denied all knowledge of it minutes ago, and now you suddenly.

SPEAKER_04 49:52

I love it. I'm taking this on, this is my new my new system. Um but yes, anyway, Liam Doolan is taking up uh So him because he wants to do it.

SPEAKER_02 50:00

RGT reveals he's trying a little doll hands and everyone's expectations.

SPEAKER_04 50:15

Sorry for the auto listeners for just being childish. Um Liam Dillon is sat up sewing because he wants to do a tapestry for his uh his local town Chip and Norton in the Cotswolds. So he's he's learnt to sew with both hands, very quick, lot of say finger action, because he ain't got long to the summer fate where he's gonna present this tapestry of Chip and Norton in the Cotswolds. So keep going, Liam. You're nearly there, son. You're nearly there. He's even included Clarkson's Farm, little tractor and Caleb on there. So yeah, it's gonna be interesting. But anyway, Liam says um Ubisoft confirms original Assassin's Creed Black Flag will still be available. Recynct is a 2026 take on the original legend. Uh, although Assassin's Creed Blackfriard Recync is skipping the Switch 2 this July, we do have some good news about the original game that fans are sure to appreciate. According to Ubisoft Singapore and Black Flag Resync creator, uh director, creative director, sorry, Paul Fu, the new version of the Swashbuckling Adventure in 2026 take on the original legend, meaning the existing versions of Black Flag across various digital platforms won't be going anywhere. This was revealed alongside the news that Resync would not include multiplayer or the DLC. Uh Paul Fu says, with Resync, uh we've made it a clear choice. It is a pure story-driven adventure, and we're fully focused on Edward's adventures in the Caribbean. As a result of this focus, um, we have elected not to have the multiplayer and not have the DLC. However, Resync is built from the ground up with new story, new content, and news and news systems. Uh but we're staying true to its action adventure routes. Resync is a 2026 take on the original legend, and for those of us who are curious, the original will still be available. So there you go, black uh flag fans. If you still want to pick up the original pirate themed experience in the future on a select select digital store, you shouldn't have to worry about it being delisted. Switch and switch 2 owners can currently access the original Assassin's Creed uh 4 Black Flag title via the Rebel Collection, which was released in 2019. Here's what we had to say about it at the time. Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag looks and plays phenomenally well on Switch, and this is a the and is the complete package with all DLC included. Black flag is a revelation in portal mode and looks and performs almost flawlessly as you blast your way around the Caribbean on Edward Kenway's Captivating Pirate Adventures. Um and they just go on to say if you play Black Flag game on the Switch, uh glad to hear it. We'll still be available when Resync arrives in July. And if you want to have go and have a look at that over on Nintendo Life, you can give them a comment and let them know about your your um views on Black Flag and the original versus Recync. Um, yeah, I actually watched a trailer on this Recync yesterday, actually. Uh an eight-minute sort of trailer. Yeah, I tried Black Flag on the PS4. I played about the first half hour and that just did not gel with me at all. That felt a bit glitchy, didn't feel great, that was didn't quite know what was going on. And I but I always keep thinking about going back to it because I thought, well, I think I would enjoy Black Flag with the pirate side of it and bits and gas.

SPEAKER_02 53:42

It's a really obtuse opening. Yeah, it was really obtuse. As I explained to you in the what you've been playing, it really makes you earn the feeling of being a pirate, but that almost you earn it so hard, you grind so hard, you do so many ridiculous trail missions and other drivel that you when you finally get it. It's a lot like that, so I couldn't understand why you bounced off it. But you know, it's a solid enough performing game these days.

SPEAKER_04 54:13

But it did look good. That eight-minute playthrough I watched of it, it does look very good, and they've they've modernised the controls and modernised the combat, and it did look quite good. And I sort of got me thinking, ooh, I might actually have a go at that again. But that's nice to know they're not tatting down the old one, and very unlike Ubisoft to not put the DLC in and not put the multiplayer in.

SPEAKER_02 54:32

I thought that'd have been all over this, unless they're gonna release it and charge later, but maybe yeah, but even so, um I think the DLC was something called Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry. I think your second mate, first mate on the ship. Um, he has a little bit of a I don't know, maybe a 10-hour DLC. It's not massive. Um, it's always reviewed well. I think you can get it as a standalone game. I think I got it as a PlayStation for Game of the Month sort of thing back in the early, early days. Worth playing, worth checking out, looks quite good to be fair. Um, plays a little bit differently as well. But back to point here, um, it's the most after the Ezio trilogy and maybe the cries for remake of one, Black Flag has been the one that people talk about still that they have fond memories for.

SPEAKER_04 55:31

I know a lot of people say it's their favourite Assassin's Creed.

SPEAKER_02 55:34

Yeah, it's not mine, but there's a lot to enjoy in there. It's got lots of the elements of the things I liked about three that I enjoyed, um, but ramped up to 20, I would say, which reduce my enjoyment a little bit. But um, yeah, it's fun to crew your ship, to follow the story round, to indulge your pirate fantasies. You can go whaling, you can jump off your ship at any time, you're around the Caribbean, so it's beautiful blue seas, crystal clear palmy sand islands that's got a little bit of a story thread on it that you can find like a dead pirate, maybe. There's always a little bit of something on these, even smallest of outcrops. They've um even on the Switch 2 when I was playing the Switch 1 version, it's still very decent game. It's it's solid looking. There's lots of detail on the textures. There are a few repeated signs and shop fronts I noticed, but I'm gonna give them that. Who's looking when you're belting by doing parkour? Parkour shout out for the office fans. Um, but um yeah, you're not really meant to be looking at that. I know I play these slightly differently, I play them through a more historical eye and always end up feeling a little bit disappointed. But when I let go and just have a bit of fun, there's a lot to be had here. Makes a lot of sense for them to rebash this out. Um what was that one we got recently? That little Assassin's Creed game with the guy out of um Basim, is it out of um Valhalla?

SPEAKER_04 57:18

Oh Mirage.

SPEAKER_02 57:19

Assassin's Creed Mirage. I think that might be as close as we're ever gonna get to an Assassin's Creed 1 remake, unfortunately. Uh viewers, viewers, viewers, viewers, listeners, listeners, listeners, listeners. Trying to keep everyone up here. Very, you know, inclusive here. That's why your name's RGTBQ now.

SPEAKER_04 57:38

Wow. Um anyway, back to Assassin's Creed. Yes, I'm glad they're um I'm glad they're keeping the originals on there for people to buy, you know, especially they're gonna have to really on Switch as it's not coming to Switch 2. So strange one why they're not bringing it to Switch 2.

SPEAKER_02 57:54

That's one of the things I also wanted to get into. Why? Why they bought Star Wars over, yep, and the uh Assassin game.

SPEAKER_04 58:04

Yeah, it's very strange that in the Ninja Samurai game. Unless they're gonna do a staggered release in six months' time, release it to get another boost of sales from it, but maybe.

SPEAKER_02 58:14

Um maybe try and get everyone on the Switch too who feels a bit bummed out to go and buy this Rebel collection, which is the correction from the beginning of the show because I called it the sales collection, but it's the rebel collection.

SPEAKER_04 58:25

Ah, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:26

And it's the two on the disc. You wonder if everyone's gonna go get this again. I would have probably got it because I wanted to do some research for the show, uh, even though I've got it on PS4, PS3. Anyway, microwave, yeah. I'll play it anywhere, mate. You know me. Um so glad it's coming back. Nice to see it getting a bit of a rejuvenation. Interesting that they're going to have new story missions. On the I watched a 20-minute like what we're doing with it, and it was voiced by the guy who voices Edward Kenway, Welsh actor. And I think they've had him back to record new lines and dialogue. So that's good.

SPEAKER_04 59:08

Because I also noticed as well, because I always thought when I saw original Black Flag, the sea never looked quite good enough for me. And I thought if they could do like the uncharted four, I didn't like it the first time. I like the uncharted how they done it with really look tropical sea, but they've done that on this rethink, they've done that, and that looks nice.

SPEAKER_02 59:24

It looks really sea mechanics in Black Flag, though. I mean, when I took that boat out for the first time on Switch 2 the other day, I first of all looked at the sea and like don't forget I spent a lot of time on the sea. I first like, mmm, but then as we got out from between the islands and it levelled out a bit more and the boat was dipping and diving in it, I was like, mmm.

SPEAKER_04 59:44

Yeah, not so much mechanics. I thought mechanics are okay, it's just yeah, it's just that that sort of Caribbean Sea. I don't think they quite got that right, but now on its resync, it does look very good.

SPEAKER_02 59:54

I think you should maybe have another little look at it.

SPEAKER_04 59:56

Yeah, maybe, maybe, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 59:58

It's probably a little bit clearer and bluer than you remember. Anyway, so good news, keep your eyes peeled, uh Assassin's Creed fans. Um, even I'm excited about that. Guess what, RGT?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:09

What?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:10

Sorry, I was a bit excited then. 78 days since the last incident at the Xbox factory. Got a new bit of news here. Fraser Gilbert, he's been uh he's currently riding round on a couple of minks. Uh, you know, the small rodent that gets harvested for coats. He's he's kept a couple alive and he's somehow grafted a couple of slippers onto their backs. So now he's kind of locked them on his feet and they kind of just glide him around. He feeds them through sort of osmosis through his skin, and the combination of his sort of dead skin cells from his uh math elite's foot gets quite bad between his toes. Uh they seem to be alright, although I think they're suffering from what can be described as a yeast overdose. I think some of their urine fermented the other day. I had a little sip of it to make sure not wasted. Anyway, uh good luck, Fraser.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:04

Um Yeah, um you had a lot of sleep this week, George or Why are you looking at me like that for? No reason, no reason. Just sometimes I do worry about your mental health.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:13

I feel offended that you've even thought about my mental health. No, oh good. I don't like I don't like the idea of me being a consideration in your brain. My brain being in your brain.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:28

I mean, if Fraser comes past the window just gliding on some minks, then I will apologize straight away.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:34

Absolutely. People thought he was doing, you know, the whole sort of leg slide thing, you know, where you sort of twist your feet and you can move, you can travel without moving, a bit like uh the lead singer of Jamirakuo, OJK. He's an absolute lizard on his feet, that guy.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:52

Jamiraku.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:53

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:56

I thought you could say Jamira Quim.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:58

Oh. That that's the word for a ladies' private parts RGT. Oh, is it on the show? Sorry, I do apologise. Yeah, I think yeah, too right. Umbelievable. Uh anyway, O'Draser put pen to finger to keyboard and came up with this. Xbox leadership issues massive statement on the future of the brand. We have work to do. Wow. Wasn't that big, was it? Oh, get ready for it. Oh, okay, sorry. This might be one of the most important messages we've seen in 25 years of Xbox. New Xbox New Xbox boss, Asha Sharmer and EVP, Matt Booty. Uh and the best thing about this shot on um the best thing about this shot on pure Xbox is they're both facing away from the camera. So Matt Booty's showing booty. And Asha Sharmer is also showing booty. Um, showing it to us, the viewer, viewer, dealer, dealer, but not to the audience. So just so you know how this went down. They've issued a massive statement to employees and subsequently the public today about the future of the brand, outlining how Xbox needs to evolve in the years ahead. It starts off by mentioning that Xbox was built by people willing to try things that others wouldn't, and the brand needs that spirit going forward as well. However, both Sharma and Booty admit that players are frustrated with issues like a lack of new console features, high prices, a PC presence that isn't strong enough, and more. Let's get into their words. New feature drops on console have been less frequent. Now PC presence isn't strong enough. Pricing is getting harder for people to keep up with, and core experience like search, discovery, social, and personalization still feel too fragmented. Developers and publishers are asking for more. Two, better tools, better insights, and a platform that helps them grow faster. At the same time, a new generation of players is coming online with different expectations. Their time is split across games, media and everything else competing for attention. They expect more content in familiar places, want to shape the worlds they play in, and want to create and socialise together, not just play together. These changes are happening as the industry reshapes around us. The statement goes on to say that console remains large and stable and that Windows is increasingly where competition is most intense. While more players are choosing subscriptions and services as their primary way to play. This, along with the state of the global competitive industry, means Xbox leadership believes that the model got us here won't be the one that takes us forward. Instead, Xbox will operate in the following model in the next era. Xbox will be where the world plays and creates. We will build a global platform that connects players and creators everywhere. Console is at the foundation, delivering a premium experience, and cloud brings that experience to any device. You can play where you want, and your game's progress, friends, and identity stay with you across console, PC, mobile, and cloud. Xbox will be built to be affordable, personal, and open. We will offer flexible pricing so it's easy to get started and keep playing. The experience will adapt to you, letting you customize how you play, helping you find what you'll love and connecting you with the right people. We'll be able to open up to all creators from individuals to the largest studios, giving anyone the tools to reach a global audience and help their games growing over time. Our new North Star will be daily active players. Sharma and Booty mention that Xbox has four priorities, which are hardware, content, experience, and services. Hardware includes ensuring that Project Helix is delivered to lead. In performance and play your console and PC games. Content involves growing the portfolio and expanding into additional markets such as China. Experience involves improving the user experience for players and creators, and services involves fortifying games pass with clear differentiation and sustainable economics, and returning the business to durable growth with strong cost discipline. Just to name a few of the bullet points for each section. Meanwhile, they'll also revaluate areas like exclusivity and AI as they go. Finally, it's confirmed that Microsoft Gaming is being ditched in favour of just Xbox, and the team recognises they're now a challenger brand and will need pace, energy, and a level of self-critique that should feel uncomfortable. They say that when Xbox is at its best, it should align with the following ten bullet points. Number one, oh Ashams come down from the mount with the Xbox Ten Commandments. Number one, earn every player. Number two, protect our art. Number three, stay rebellious. Number four, progress over perfection. Number five, signal over ceremony. Number six, core before more. That's cool. Outwork, number seven, outwork the problem. Number eight, speedy's learning. Number eight, makers over managers. Number ten, clarity. My good friend, I added that bit is kindness. You can go and read the statement over on the official Xbox Wire website if you are dead. Uh we summed up the key bits here. We did that. No Xbox did that, pure Xbox did that. But I read them out. I put my mouth around Fraser Gilbert, basically. Um, from our perspective, it's really nice to see Xbox being so transparent and the journey ahead, and we're encouraged by what we're reading here. How about you? Let us know in the comments below. But before you do, sit around and listen a while. Because RGT's portable Pew and is about to give you his thoughts on Asher Sharma's 75 days without an industrial incident. RGT, do we need to reset the clock to zero? Or do we hand Asha Sharma another six so she can go 76 days without an incident to Xbox? Thoughts, my good friend.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:33

I think it's just more good news. I think if you notice, apart from the little bits and pieces she's been doing with um achievements and bits and pieces like that, she seems to be slowly rewinding the damage it was done with the last CEO and trying to take it back again to where they were before, making exclusives, decent hardware, communicating with gamers. So yeah, getting rid she's got rid of this is an Xbox, she's now got rid of Microsoft games and bringing it back to Xbox. It's all good stuff. Get it back to where they were and then really push on. And yeah, I think it sounds brilliant. Again, she seems to have got the backing of Microsoft, which Phil Spencer towards the end did not have. He was literally moved aside, you're doing this now. Um, and because I you know, if these were his ideas, they've they've really backfired, and and she's unraveling that. And she talks a lot, she talks a lot of sense. She seemed to make really good decisions, she seems to be stabilizing the brand before moving it on. Um, yeah, I think this is uh more good news than another tick in a box of Asher, I think.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:48

I'll tell you the way I see it. I see she's got some tools in the toolbox, my good friend, that have been available to Xbox CEOs and directors for Time Memorial, I would say, and they are just little tweaks, little changes, bringing exclusivity back. I think that needs that needs consideration. I think it needs to be on the right titles because I think it could stifle um some of their wider brands and cost of money. We know when they put Games Pass exclusive on um card exclusive on Games Pass, it destroyed uh a big chunk of their revenue that they normally would have expected. So I would say some games probably you're gonna have to leave multi-format, maybe the ones that you always had, and then bring your games back home and maybe a selection of some of the others. You could maybe get away with bringing like Crash Bandicoot exclusive to Xbox. You can maybe get away with bringing two or three other you know, Bethesda games down to your Xbox, but then maybe leave your Elder Scrolls and your Fallouts as you you know experiment with something like Starfield, have that exclusive, but Elder Scrolls is a bit of a cash cow. I mean, we know that can sell games anywhere, and we can they Fallout count, especially with its cross media penetration. Sody, obviously, they've done similar things with Last of Us, but then obviously locked down PlayStation. Uh, Xbox could probably do the same with Fallout. Um, would it help push the needle for them?

SPEAKER_04 1:11:22

I think a little bit, but um yeah, I think I think we said this before, but I think Asher, when she took over the job, she went right, she said this big list of things that needed doing right now. I think when Phil Spence was in charge, Sony were running away with it, the single player games, all the rest of it, they were taking big chunks of the Xbox community, and he panicked and tried to go a completely different route. If you can't beat them, buy them, so try and buy all the studios up. Let's go. This is an Xbox, it's double down on Games Pass, everything backfired. So I think, and I think the Xbox really lost their identity about who they were. And I think she's now come in to say, right, hang on, let's stop all this. We don't release this all at once as well. We don't give them a big chunk, we'll we'll stagger the releases of the news of what we're doing, little wins. We're gonna take this as an Xbox away, we're gonna take Microsoft Games away, we're gonna and to start really bringing it back in. Let's find Xbox's identity again, and then let's go forward together as a as a game hardware developer and software developer.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:25

The brand's bigger and more popular in some ways than it's ever been, but I think it's carrying a lot of bad news with it. Yeah, yeah. Um, it's a recognised name in gaming now. You can walk in anywhere and find an Xbox merchandise, either a bed spread or a sign or a door hanger or a mug or a drink spot or a pack-up box. You know, it's up there with Sonic in terms of like this is a brand, and it doesn't really feel like it's going anywhere. It felt very on very shaky ground back end of last year. It really did feel like it was hanging in the balance as a hardware manufacturer for sure. Um, but Ash has come along, put her hand on the tiller, steered a different way, steadied it off. Lots of different things. She's listened to the fans, but not completely, but understood the message updates, updates, updates, achievements, dash, little bit refinement, happy days, what's next? In the background, she'd been working on this. I've got him described as a master plan with Matt Booty. Um don't know what his part is to play in it, but um getting back to these core ten tenants of what Xbox should mean to people, I think is really important. And I do agree with probably most of those. Um, some of them I find a little bit egregious, like protect the players. What does that mean? What does that mean? What does that actually mean? From what? From what massive global gaming corporations taking their money from and Microsoft.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:51

I think protect the players, what she probably means is a bit more basic than that, and it's basically let's keep them on an Xbox, protect them, don't let them go over and buy a PS5. We need to give them a reason to buy the hardware and to play the games. Let's protect them a bit on this system.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:07

Well, I think that I think that's the problem with these sort of global tenants that these um companies put out. They're very wishy-washy. What it means to you, it means something else. If I asked them to define it, yeah, they'd probably come up with a total different third pillar than me, and you're like, oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:21

Oh, yeah, it's all corporate speaking.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:23

We're gonna supply them with Xbox condoms. Oh well, that's protecting them for sure. Um, I'm not I want to see some of this consolidate down into something that feels I want to. This is nice, it's great, it's a little bit like the Sega news. Oh, look, direction. Yeah, but what does that mean? I'm I'm gonna walk south in ten minutes, but what does it mean?

SPEAKER_04 1:14:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:45

Where am I going actually?

SPEAKER_04 1:14:47

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's this was quite this is one of the biggest or the biggest statements she's done so far as to the biggest statement, yeah. So it's a lot to take in from it, but I I think the most important thing of there is I mean, they took the games away from Xbox with Phil Spencer and made up Microsoft Games dev, and she's now managed to pull that back.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:08

It's now Xbox Games, which I think is the way more recognizable brand for gaming for that division.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:14

And it's like, yes, no, we're we're we're the gaming side of Microsoft, you know, we don't need Microsoft controlling the games, we'll be doing these, and I think, yeah, good shout, very good shout. And I s it is just undoing the past mistakes, which there was a lot of. But come on, let's get let's get Xbox back. Give me a reason to turn that Series X on. I have pre-ordered Forza Horizon 6. Oh well, I I I still think the best place to play that would be the PS5 with the dual sense, but that's not coming out until it's gonna be a bit delayed. So I thought, do you know what? No, let's get a physical Series X game, let's pre-order one, let's get back on that on that Xbox.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:54

Where did you pre-order that from?

SPEAKER_04 1:15:56

Amazon.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:59

Be interested to see what turns up, mate.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:02

$54.99 as well, which for is a good price for a modern day game, and one which is their one of their leading IPs, if not the leading IP. So uh yeah, so looking forward to it. So yes, well done, Asher. Good work again.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:17

Yeah.

Housekeeping Site Discord And Subscribe Push

SPEAKER_02 1:16:18

Yeah, RGT. Yes, mop, book it, get this place cleaned up. It's an absolute shit tip. Time for some housekeeping.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:28

Nice. Um, first of all, we've mentioned it already on here. Website, unofficial controllerpodcast.com. Um, if you can't find it on the search, add the www.da start, and then you will go straight to the website. Um, we say every week. I know you're probably bored of hearing that. There's plenty on there, all the challenge accepted. There's the winners, there's um galleries of things we've done. Um, like OLL and bits and pieces, there's hidden gems, there's loads on there. Go and check it out. Captain's done a fantastic job. It's a great website. We're very proud of it. Go and have a look on there. If you want to contact the show, anything you want to let us know about us questions at unofficialcontrollerpodcast.com. Um, let us know if there's anything in the news that interests you. Anything you'd like to know about the show, if you'd like to join the Discord, pop us an email or let you know. Um, we're on TikTok, we're on Instagram, we're on X. Check out the link trees on there because you will find links to join our Discord if you would like to join our Discord. More the merrier. We've had a few new people come and join recently, and they seem uh very pleased with the Discord. It's all good. So come and jump in there and join it. Um what else? What am I forgetting, George?

SPEAKER_02 1:17:35

Don't oversell the Discord RGT, you killed it.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:38

I'm moving on. You're moving back to it. I'm moving on. Shush. YouTube.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:42

Like, comment, subscribe. All the time. Oversell the hell out of this.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:46

Yeah, comment down below. More comments the better. Um, we're getting people who are joining with comments each week. That's really good. Hey, really telling me one thing.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:53

I'll tell you one thing that's grinding my gears. Loads of people are watching, loads of people are watching them. We're very grateful for that. That's not grinding my gears. But all these people come and watch. None of them subscribe. Yeah. You've come in the shop, you've used all the stuff, you've at the peanuts, you spilt Bombay mix all over the floor. Just hit subscribe on the way out, smash it, destroy it.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:16

Give us a sub. And if you've got friends who are gamers as well, let them, you know, let them know about this, and they can come and sub as well. And we can because you know, we're we've been going a lot of years, well over 300 episodes now.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:29

And we're not recruiting hard enough. No, not recruiting. Hang on a minute, hang on a minute.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:33

Oh, god, he's off.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:35

Yeah. That is a big deal. You are an absolute legend. You're a gamer, you've sat down, and I tell you what, you've got a pain threshold unbeknownst to man. You make Chuck Norris look like a cry baby. You have persevered this far. I'll tell you what you do. You work for us now. What you're gonna do is you're gonna go out there, spread yourself amongst the gamers, your work friends, you're gonna tell them about it, but not to the point of boredom, because no one ever listens to a recommendation. What you're gonna do is nick the phone. I know, I don't advocate you really, but it it's for us, so it's useful. Nick the phone, go on their app and subscribe to everything on the podcast, on the Spotify, on the YouTube, mainly the YouTube. We need to push that up. Right up. Um we need to get the numbers up.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:23

Yes, definitely. Yeah, we do, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:25

Ten fingers on a shaft rating out of ten fingers on a shaft rating, please. I think that needs workshopping RGT, I don't believe. Is the mic positioned? Can you see my face?

SPEAKER_04 1:19:38

Oh, yes, I can.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:40

What a sad sight. Sorry. I look like oh you I look like a middle little aisle Ryland doll that's been left too close to the heat exchanger in the factory, and they're like, oh crikey.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:58

Oh d slap a half price on that one.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:03

Slap 50p on that.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:09

But yes, uh, come and uh give us a sub.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:11

Is that a Rylandol or Simon Weston? I can't work it out, but uh you know, whatever.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:19

Wow. Um yeah, give us a sub, please. Yes, please. Um yes, so I think it's all a housekeeping done, I believe. I think so.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:28

You've made a hey, look, look. Place. I looked at the floor, it needed sweeping. And now look at the floor it doesn't need sweeping. It's been mopped.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:38

Mopped it all up. Mopped, ropped, and topped. Yeah, lapped it up a lot, bang, done. Ooh. You don't look about, do you? Nope, I don't. Get to it straight away, don't mess about, bang, done.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:54

Anyway, shall we do our subscriber list? I'm just happy you're in the saddle off your trot. I thought, well, you know, I'll see where it goes. I've arrived at the subs list. Yeah, we'll do it. We thanked our wonderful supporters. Um without them, I tell you what, I'd be nothing. They literally are the reason I feel like half a decent human being 60% of the time. And without them, I would feel like a nothing 100% of the time.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:26

This show would definitely be nothing without them, and flashback in bits and pieces, because they uh they keep us sticking along, and we're very, very grateful for every single one of this group that without them.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:36

The lights would go off mid-recording, we'd lose all this because it wouldn't be able to save. I've only got a 286 running DOS. What have you got?

SPEAKER_04 1:21:48

Um I've got an IBM. Wow. 1994, so I'm on green screen. Wow. Yeah. So that's quite hard getting Nintendo Life up on a green screen, but you make it work.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:02

Yeah, I make it work. You're the retro guy.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:05

Exactly. So I roll.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:07

Yeah, mate. You're not happy unless you've got a USB dongle hanging out at some it's right. Let's get into it. Yes. Right. Let's do the subs. Get fired up. Hang on, are we doing seriously? What we're gonna do?

SPEAKER_04 1:22:21

I think we do serious. I think we do proper series for it. Let's do a serious one, see what they think about it. What dead straight? Dead straight. I think we do a dead straight. Well, I'm even pointing my pen. I say serious I am. Dead straight, and then comment down below on YouTube whether you like the dead straight or you like us being absolute lunatics.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:39

Yeah. And you will decide going forward how this happens. And if no one comments about it, no one does. Dead straight. We'll never do, we'll never do a subs read that again.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:52

I think we're contractually obliged to do that, but we'll do it dead straight every week. No messing about, no silly punzo innuendos, that'll just be name, name, name, name, goodbye next week.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:03

I'll be honest with you. You're setting me up to fail.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:06

Mm-hmm. I like doing that.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:09

Because I don't know how I can get through this list of lovely people without reverting to form. I know. Like I'm looking at it now, and I'm starting a little bit of sweats just appeared at the top of my head.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:19

I'm like, oh I love seeing you struggle. Gives me a little fizz.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:26

Second time you said fizz in a sexually aggressive way about something that you would do to me.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:31

Fizz just makes me excited, that's all. You you've taken it down the sexual route.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:36

I've known you a long time. Off air, you've often referred to fizz as your sexual um dynamism, really. Your your urge. I think that's probably what you refer to it as your blood rage. Um, you know, mate, if you're a Vulcan, you'd need to ponfire. I'm telling you right now, you'd be getting ponfarred off left, right in Chelsea. Because you're very, you're very, oh, you're very et up. Look at you now. You're absolutely steaming with rage.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:08

Gazcom, as always, thank you very much, young man. Um, he was showing off on uh Discord the other day his uh Atari 800XL. So that was what a little setup that was. God, that looks smart. Joystick every I was like, yeah, I want to be friends with you, Gaz. So uh, yeah, thank you, Gazcom.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:28

He's too cool for us to look at, really.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:30

He is very cool. He's a very cool guy, very knowledgeable, great gamer, yeah, brilliant. What you doing? Yeah, yeah, yeah. What the hell? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, thank you. We're honoured. So what have we got next?

SPEAKER_02 1:24:46

Come on, very just great thanks, special thanks to Captain Scarlet.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:52

Oh, this is a struggle for you. I love it. I'm just gonna watch you every time you read a name out. Oh yeah, fizzy viszy. Right, next up we've got as Zeb would call Retroid, but we call him RetroEd. Thank you, Retroid. I think that was on the edge.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:07

I don't think I think that was a little bit I think you sorry, I think you took the piss.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:12

Can we just keep the language to a zero, please? Anyway, who we got next?

SPEAKER_02 1:25:18

No, we can't. Up next, the one man George fan club. We know him as Carlos. I know him as Carlos. Thank you, Carlos, very much for your kind donation.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:28

Thank you, Carlos. Next up, we have the wonderful firm returns. Thank you very much as always for your continued support of the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:37

Up next, Trestels, New York. Thank you for your support. Trestles, New York.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:46

Um, yes. French place. Yeah, thank you, Trestles. Um, next up we have Roast Space Monk. Thank you as always. And I will oh, Roast Space Monk. Um just quickly, I've got you that Breath of the Wild uh manual. I've also found a Tears of the Kingdom one, so I'll chuck that in. So you'll have Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild coming to you from OLL, alright? So all done. Little little gift that you weren't there. Who we got next?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:17

Are you gonna speak or I might thank you very much for your for your kind support. Badabinkster. Stammy Bane. Gratsimile. I like your little face.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:30

Gratsimile.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:33

I have to kind of air over to get the word out. It's a bit strange. I uh yeah, I probably learnt Italian through the medium of teams with no camera, so yeah. I don't know what I'm doing in mind. If they ever saw I'd be like, George, crikey, mate. I get the hands, but I don't get the head.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:53

No, you went you went Trump then.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:55

Not a problem for me, though, I'll tell you now.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:58

Get down, Phil. Um next up Phil just read his little head up. Next up we've got Tingle Tuner. Thank you as always, Mr. Tingle.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:13

Thank you to the wonderful digital monkery. Thank you for your very much beloved support.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:20

Yes, thank you very much. And we have an awesome old order, thank you very much. The man, the legend of the floss 360.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:31

Codename Boba. Situation going brown.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:45

It did sound like the start of an eighteen episode.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:48

I thought you might like it, you know, do a little bit of voice work here for you.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:52

Next up we have your red headed stepson Ginge. She's just now got platinum eight hundred and seventy.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:58

He's not actually my stepson.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:00

I know that.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:01

He's the sort of single mother that I was, you know, his kid.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:08

Okay. Um, but well done in your 870 platinum. Don't forget thousand platinum party we're gonna have to do. And you're getting them thousands of big meters.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:16

The thing is, by the time you thank you by the time you congratulated him for this, he's already got twenty more.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:22

Probably, yeah. He's probably now a nine nine nine. I've got to quickly whip up to Nottingham in about four hours. You gotta what? Whip up to Nottingham in four hours.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:33

I don't know what you thought I said, but yeah, no, I thought that's what you said. Who's next? My turn. I get to say thank you very much for your kind support, Harvey Retro. Um, for all the years that you've supported us. Very grateful. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:47

Next up we have Greg, nowhere near Berlin, another long-term supporter. Thank you very much, Greg.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:53

Seeing as you don't really care for her, I'll thank Emma Sharp for all her lore support that she gives us.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:59

I do apologise. I've skipped over there. I do apologise, Emma.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:02

Sorry to I'll say thank you to Mumsy. Thank you, Mumsy, for squeezing me out and then sort of supporting my me financially and mentally and physically sometimes to the point where I am here now alive still. Thank you for you.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:18

Thank you, Mumsy. Next up, we have the wonderful RGT fan club. Thank you as always. You're very special people, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:25

So thanks to the ode PB, aka Pete Brocklehurst. That's anything else.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:33

Next up, we have the awesome Billy Marmite. Cheers, Bill, as always, brilliant support.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:40

And finally, straight thank you to Fact Zangiv for your support. Do you know what you've done here, RGT? You've took the momentum from the show, you just drive it straight into a brick wall.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:53

Exactly. And do you know what? That is the best ten minutes of my life watching you struggle like that. Seeing your face grit and fighting your.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:00

I feel like this is gonna have repercussions. I feel like massive unsubscribes come in.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:05

I don't think so. I think people are gonna say, look, bring back the silliness or we're gonna. And we'll say, Yeah, we will.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:10

Alright, subscribe as it subscribe.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:13

Exactly. Subscribe or in back. But it's quite fun watching George trying to be straight. But yes, thanks to everyone on the back.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:23

As soon as I said Pete Brocklehurst, I wanted to say Bratfurst, and then I was just I my head was gone. It was like, oh no, you can't, he can't even entertain this.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:30

I could see the inner struggles you were having because your brain was chucking all these comedy lines out that you were just going, really, just just deplorable. Oh, yeah, definitely deplorable. I'd be lowest of the low, but yes, but thank you to everyone on that list, as always. Um yeah, like we say, we wouldn't be here without you guys, so absolutely brilliant.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:54

Yeah, absolutely. Sorry, I was just trying to close my phone down and do something else, and I was sort of left legs of Kimbo by RGT, left me stranded, looking like I didn't care. I care, I care more than him, I care more than anyone. Um I I appreciate you. You've you've grinded, I've grinded, we've grinded, the show's grinded, and this is where we're gonna go punching up, we're gonna go next level. You watch it. This is how we go take over the world. Two years from now, we will be everywhere. And you're gonna be one of those cool kids that was like, No, no, I was there at the start. Well, episode 300, but I've gone back and listened to them all. So I know everything, the law, I know about RGT, I know about all of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:36

Um the farm and plane crash, the submachine you name it. You can't El Paso, you can't make this up.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:45

You can't make this up. A year and a half recording in New York.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:49

Mm-hmm.

Next Week’s Games And Final Wrap

SPEAKER_02 1:31:51

Uh yeah. That was a blast. That was a Trestles era. That certainly was. RGT. Yes. We've done that, so thank you very much to the subs and thank you to everybody who's getting on board the UCP train. Um you're very welcome. Seats at the front, seats at the back. Let's get going. We've done all that. We've been very grateful, we've been very humble, we've done that bit, we've said our thanks, we've paid our dues, we've done a show, we've served the show up, RGT, but we can't get out on the show until I ask you what you're hoping to play, RGT. What are you hoping to play, me, old mate?

SPEAKER_04 1:32:26

Definitely more in for my second son. See how I get on with that. Um, yeah, like I say, it's it's different. We'll see. We'll see how we do of it. But I do really want to play through because I'd I'd like to play the series of them, and but we'll we'll see. Mafia 2, more of that on a PS3. Um, I've just finished May's Hidden Gem, so I've just got to play a bit more of that to finish the the write up of that, and I've been playing June's Hidden Gem as well, so I've got just got to write that one up so I'm getting ahead of myself. Um, and there was something else I was looking at playing, and I can't remember what it was. Um I've been looking at playing um I want uh get the ROM of Sensible World of Soccer because that's the version I want to play and haven't played at since my Amiga days, so I want to get in and have a good season and transfers on that. But I'm struggling to find the ROM at the moment and play it. But so yes, so some sense he will definitely be played this week. How about you, George? Um, what are you gonna play that on? You your little amiga, you say? Oh well, I've my little A500 I've got. I've got a stick for that with a load of games on, but I've lost a stick, I can't find that. So then I've got an emulator which I had on, little handheld emulator, can't get that to work. So I've got about five, I've got Jaguar, I've got C D32, I've got Mega Drive, I've got uh I've got about five different versions of Sensible Soccer, but I haven't got Sensible World of Soccer because it only came out in Amiga and DOS, so I need a ROM to play that version. So yes, I'm having a bit of a mare of it at the minute, but I'm sure I'll find a way to do it. So bad of Bingster, I'll be contacting you.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:08

Um why have you lost the stick that came with your Amiga 500? What sort of an idiot are you? Why don't you just leave it plugged into it?

SPEAKER_04 1:34:15

Because it wouldn't fit in the box when I packed up from my old games room. Um, so I put it separate, and I remember thinking to myself, I'm gonna put it there so I know where it is, but I can't remember where that place was. So yeah, so I've got the I've got the little A500 sitting next to me here, and I loaded it all up the other night, got it all wired up, ready to play. Oh, where's the memory stick? Can't remember where I put it. So and I love it, it's such a great little piece of kit as well. So cute, but yeah, I'll work out a way to do it, don't worry. So, yeah, sensible world of soccer, hopefully. Okay, yeah. Is that it? Yep, that's it. What about you?

SPEAKER_02 1:34:49

Right. Um, I need to get sat down stuck into something on PS5, Claire Expedition 33, or maybe some Witcher 3, I don't know. Something to enjoy anyway. Um, but I'm probably, let's face it, gonna end up sat slumped in the corner somewhere playing black flag on the Switch 2. Um, either which way, I'm hoping to find some level of enjoyment out of gaming over the next week. Um, going to be a little bit more settled, a little bit more at home, a little bit more usual business, hopefully. So maybe a return to usual next week um with some of that modern gaming talk that we bring you on the UCP. Don't forget that uh if you'd like a slice of retro, you can head over to our sister show. Flashback, available on every single podcast player you can imagine. But if you want the list, then something like I don't know, YouTube Music, Amazon, Stitcher, TuneIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Podbean, you name it, every single other thing that's clamoured to have the show on there. We're on it. And we're loud and proud and up front, so everything which way you want to listen, you can do. Um, flashback is available in all those places, and it's also available on YouTube if you're watching this. If you're listening, you're one of the OG old schoolers. Let let's let's just make this pack between us. We're still here, we're still there, we're still getting you to and from work in your car. All right, steady on that was a pheasant. Jesus wet.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:18

Jeez, yeah, slow down a bit. There's a speed camera up there.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:21

Boom. Careful.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:23

I'm looking at you, badabinkster.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:25

Just drive it in the ditch. Speed ticket, gone. Awesome. Brilliant. My license is clean, yours is dirty.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:41

Smell my cheese, mother.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:43

Anyway, um I think that brings it to the end, doesn't it? I think we're there. I think we've had a good time. I think we've there. We've thanked everyone. I think we've directed everyone to the places they need to go. I think we've served up some gaming news. You've said what you've played, I said what I've played. We even give them a bonus, bonus item in hidden gem. So that was like when you bought a whisper and then you didn't realise you bought a whisper gold, and you just got an absolute plosion of caramel in your mouth.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:17

Sweet, sweet caramel.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:18

Sweet, sweet, sweet caramel. It's got a real great viscosity to it. Slide down your throat like something so it would escape from a lozenge, aka um a locket. Or a whole soup. I think lockets have got the real Oh, they're they're the old school.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:36

Yeah, when they crack and release, it's not uh that honey nectar run down your throat.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:43

Just lines it feels like an advert from an old Duckham's advert where it's like some 1040 going down your neck. Oh yeah. 10 dub 40, baby. So 50.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:58

Shall we wind a show up?

SPEAKER_02 1:37:59

Uh yeah, maybe. I suppose we ought to. Um that's all we have time for this week, listeners. As always, thank you for your time. Look forward to the pleasure of speaking to you again next week. Until then, happy gaming. And remember, there is nothing wrong with being given the unofficial controller. It's what you do with it that counts. See you later, RGT. Later, Governor. See you, everyone. Thanks, RGT.