The Switch 2 Is Eating Everyone’s Lunch

The Switch 2 is starting to feel less like a side console and more like the place where everything shows up, and that changes the whole mood of a gaming week. We’re coming in hot off our own playtime too: Forza Horizon 6 swallowing hours, Outbound delivering the kind of calm “camp, craft, and breathe” loop you can keep installed forever, plus early thoughts on 007 First Light and a surprisingly sticky return to Mass Effect Legendary Edition. On the nostalgia front, Donkey Kong 64 landing on Switch Online hits hard, even if modern button mapping reminds you the N64 era had its own kind of chaos.

Then we get into the main event: Nintendo Direct reactions with a wide-angle look at what Summer Games Fest season is really saying. We talk Switch 2 ports, performance trade-offs, and why day-and-date releases matter so much more than arguing about a few visual downgrades. If you’ve been waiting for the handheld to get “real console” support, this is the kind of lineup that makes people look twice, whether you’re Nintendo-only or you already own everything else.

We also pull on two threads that matter beyond hype. First, we finally explain why South Korea keeps “leaking” unannounced games: it’s largely GRAC and the Game Industry Promotion Act forcing ratings info into public view. Second, we react to Xbox leadership outlining five hard realities and a “next 100 days” business reset, from shrinking margins and rising hardware component costs to overextended studios and platform infrastructure problems, plus what that might mean for exclusives, Game Pass, and future hardware plans like Project Helix.

If you enjoy straight-shooting gaming news with real opinions, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Cold Open And Chaos

SPEAKER_05 0:20

Hello and welcome to the Unofficial Controller Podcast, your weekly gaming podcast, episode number 323, with me, George, and this week joined by a returned and rested time-served RGT, whose Summer Games Fest to my stinky wet fart. So don't don't even look at me, don't even dare, because the only thing that matters right now is the YouTube viewer. Apparently, uh sorry, audio listener, traveling down the B17 somewhere in uh Devon. But um, YouTube needs an intro and an update. So we're gonna talk the Nintendo Direct, we're gonna talk about the Korean, Southern Korean Gaming Board, LinkedIn News, where, why, and how. Bit of investigative journalism, not by us, by someone who knows what they're doing. Uh, we're just gonna talk about it. And then we're gonna finish off with some sad news from Xbox after such a courageous forward momentum. Uh there's some skeletons in the closet that have come out that um not very good news attached. So, with all that said and done, you know what's coming. YouTube's happy because it the the the algorithm's been fed, it's drivel, it needs to know. If you've hung around this far, don't go anywhere. It's not a beg. I'm not gonna beg you. You're better than that. But just look at me and my colleague RGT as really a way of judging whether you are doing okay with your life. Users as a sounding board. Every week check in. Are they still there grinding this out? Oh dear boys, yes they are. How am I doing? I'm basically living on the streets, therefore I'm doing better than these two tramps. Uh without further ado, RGT, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Apart from sleeping rough, I'm fine.

SPEAKER_05 2:13

Um, no, yeah, we don't need to be doing that. They, you know, even the homeless man can use this video, YouTube, it's free, to know that they're doing better with their lives than we are. Oh, yeah, that's fair play. We provide a service, gaming news, community, all that sort of good stuff. But that's that's really secondary to what we do is we boost people's morale just by existing. Exactly, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:37

No, I've been told that before many a times. Yeah, it's not a compliment. I know, yeah, but I'm used to hearing it. So good, yeah. If if anyone's struggling with a life, just look at me, and they go, Yeah, mine ain't quite so bad. Look at that. Jeez. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:52

I mean, yeah, let's let's skirt round that. Let's let's move somewhere nice, somewhere comfortable. You're out on tag. Um uh bizarre image of you I can't believe this. Right uh deja vu.

SPEAKER_04 3:09

I was gonna say you said this before.

SPEAKER_05 3:11

I had a feeling of you, an image of you hanging out of your kitchen window with your foot just inside, so the tag wasn't triggered because you're out on tag. Um doing the barbecue, having a few ales.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

I mean, yeah, yeah. What we'd done, we we we Mrs. RGT is a genius at inventing things, so she got a stepladder and an iron board, yeah. So I laid on it, barbecue underneath, so I would cook away just to the side, so I didn't barbecue my own nipples, yeah, and then and then just had the foot. Oh, a little bit of pork belly.

SPEAKER_05 3:43

I was into pork belly cook from the butchers for a while, they'd surf it up on the counter. Um, my dear wife um sort of said to me, That's probably got nipple on it. And after that point, I kind of I swerved away from it.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Oh, okay. I thought you'd have been all over that a lot of rash. Well, mmm, I'm back.

SPEAKER_05 4:11

Yeah, it's been a little bit professional. Well, you've not been around. Uh Tom went deep. He got he turned up as Henry Caval and then went deep on Bobby with talk about games and you know, like roguelikes and things like that. Yeah, they they went at it like two young, two young books, basically. Wow. Yeah, it was a joy to watch. I was just I bet it was. I was kind of just on the periphery, like, ooh, like you look at these two young fathers, you know, got a little bit of a little bit of blood in their pencil, you know, a little bit of uh little bit of pep. Yeah, yeah. You know, I think people say lead, I said blood. I don't think it matters, I think the euphemisms combined uh both things fit.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

I think so just full up with it and they just let it go. That's basically what it was, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 5:03

Pretty much. By the end of it, I thought it was snowing. It was a little bit more like sleet, if I'm honest with you. But you know, I'm not here to yeah. We had video as proof, so go back and check. I I definitely will now. It's on the YouTube. Anywho.

SPEAKER_04 5:22

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 5:22

So uh out of tag at home, I suppose everyone wants to know what does a reforming criminal say reforming, but what have you been what what have you been now let me phrase this to you in the right way?

RGT’s Recent Games Rundown

SPEAKER_05 5:38

What have you been playing?

SPEAKER_00 5:41

I have, but most of my hours to save.

SPEAKER_04 5:46

What was that?

SPEAKER_05 5:47

That was sort of I don't know how, but you sort of managed to just sort of turbocharge a great load of tea all in and you know, and I was like, ooh, when you went for it, I thought that could be art.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

I I cover it well because at the moment I am in screaming pain. So yeah, I sort of inhaled it rather than drunk it. Yeah, at the moment my lungs are on fire. I don't know why, but for some reason I was concerned for you. And uh I'm concerned at the moment. I'm just trying to Well, you're concerned I was concerned. Yeah, I'm concerned about myself, so that was a lot of tea went down and it was hot, so yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_05 6:25

Just swallow it. Well, I have, but it can't be that should sort it out.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Well, I missed this show. Um 4's Horizon 6 is well just my hours in at the moment. Um, and if you want a review of that, we now have our review side of the website up and running where uh Captain has done a review of Forza Horizon 6. So uh yeah, go and check that out. But yes, 4's Horizon 6. Um, I'm about 30 hours in. Um I'm absolutely loving it. Disappointing at the start um because you fire the game up, you get that Xbox controller, you then start, and I'm so used to them haptic feedbacks, them adaptive triggers.

SPEAKER_05 7:11

What's it like being back in that Incosystem, do you think?

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Wow, thanks for asking. Um it's it's um it's great using the Series X again. Um it's just it just feels a bit dead when you use them triggers compared to you get so used to a PS5 and that it just doesn't feel right. But moans aside, game itself, graphically, aesthetically, incredible, absolutely incredible. Yeah, it looks stunning, scenery, mountains, water, one of the best looking games this gen for scenery. Um, you've got your character models, they're a bit, you know, as is sort of thing, but it's huge, there's loads to do. You've got daily challenges, you've got the weekly challenges, you've got your career mode where you have to get your wristbands, and there is no end of events, it's a big world. There's over 500 cars. You can pick your favourite cars, you can customize them, do what you want to the cars. It's not you don't have to grind to get money, it's very easy to get money. Um, it's definitely the best uh Falls Horizon game there's been, in my opinion. I think it's absolutely stunning in Japan. It just looks really good, the events are really good. Um, I just think overall this is just a phenomenal game and at a very, very good price. So I bought a physical copy of this, Amazon. Um, I think it was £50, and then they done a you know, like Amazon do, they do a price check when they send it to you, and they re-reimbursed me about £6. I got it for £45. So I thought for a modern game, physical, as good as that, that's that's a bargain, probably half a price of something that Nintendo try and knock out at 80 quid. So um, overall, Forza Horizon 6, superb game. Um, and like I say, check out the review on our website. Um, I mean, yeah, very good review. I mean, Captain's done 100 hours, he's finished the main game, he's now trying to you know 1000 G so he's he's all in on that. I'm only 30 hours in, and it's just a really good game. Really good 900G already, or no, I'm like god, I don't know what I'm at, 400, I think, something like that. So not too bad, but yes, Forza Horizon 6. I have also been playing Outbound on my Switch 2. Um, played a demo on my PC. Um, and then when it came out, it went straight on offer straight away. So it was like I think it was 15, 16 quid, I think.

SPEAKER_05 9:40

On this is a camping game where you like Minecraft the top out of it.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

You can do, you can do. I've now put a um uh what do you call it? Not a view and a bit of decking on the top now, so you can climb up and sit out on the top there. Um, it's just my chill game. If you've had a stressed day, just put out band on, go and find a campsite, have a little look around, get some materials, find some um new blueprints, and you know, is it a road that never ends, or do you end up getting somewhere if you keep um my first one was to get to a fire watch tower. Yeah, so you work your way out, doing these little campsite stop. You can build as you go, but there'll be other little side missions to do. Like there's a bit you need to build a bridge. To build a bridge, you need to do a certain blueprint. You find that blueprint from a tower, and then you just and you can there's no rush to anything, you just take your time, do your little bits. And I've now um got some cooking recipes to make some juice and jams and stuff. So I'm gonna start there.

SPEAKER_05 10:46

Do you have to keep your health like your food thing, your satiation meter?

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Yeah, you have to eat and you have your tiredness meter and you have your your hunger meter as well. Um, so you have to make sure, but then there's a lot of things like I crafted these boots. So if you then hit tired too late at night and you're away from your van, that'll kick these boots in. You can get back quick, so you can get back to your van, little things like that. Um, but the food, as you craft better food, you get more and more energy from it. Um, you also have to, because your engine's like uh sort of a hybrid electric engine, so you have to put things in to boost boost the energy up, you know. So you you can you can um I think you can use like uh you craft these wood blocks and that and pop pop in the engine and that that will charge it up. That takes a little while to charge up so you open the bonnet and yeah, it's it's it's it's unique on that on that front, but as a camping game, it's bloody. What are we teaching our kids? Yeah, don't don't go and stick a lump of timber in the room.

SPEAKER_05 11:47

But you can know more about Minecraft's periodic table than the real one, and now they're gonna be walking around shoving bits of wood in the boot of their car, wondering why it's not fully charged.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

I I I I I they could have put solar panels in this game. Yeah, this isn't a simulation, that's not a simulation. I want it to be, yeah, that's not. Um, it's I can understand where you're coming from. It's it's got that side to it, the way you camp, the way you eat, the way you park up, light your campfire, blah blah blah. But it is just so chill. That's what I like about it. You can, you know, and there's so many multiplayer.

SPEAKER_05 12:22

Um, could I be sat in the seat next to you and me and you were like, hey, going on a little bit of sure now?

SPEAKER_00 12:30

I'll have to look into that and more equally because I think I know you say it's a bit stupid how you can build all this stuff on the top, right? But I think the reason is that it's give the game a bit of longevity because you know there's only so much you can do to a camper van. So I suppose they've that added that to add in more things to find and craft.

SPEAKER_05 12:48

Does it not use your stamina to set all this garbage up when you get there? But oh, don't mind me, I'm just gonna go up on the roof and rebuild the deck in and the shower and the outdoor bar.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

No, well, the decking sort just stays on there. Once you've crafted it, it's there, and that puts a little door in with a ladder, so you walk in your van, climb up, you can go on to the top. As your other stuff goes, it goes in like an automatic thing, so you will stop, press a button, and that'll fold out so you don't use your stamina. So it's uh it's a bit like uh I suppose Tears of the Kingdom, something like that, where you'd build a project, but it's really good, um, really chilled. Bargain for the money. I don't know if that's still that price now, but yeah, I've been enjoying that. Um definitely something I can keep on the system and just keep going back to um whenever you want a little chill out on the game. I've also been playing 007 First Light on the PS5.

SPEAKER_04 13:39

Um tell, play tell.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Um again, not too far in. I think I'm I don't know, nine or ten hours. No, seven or eight hours, I think. Seven or eight hours in. Um, yeah, great entrance to the game, really good entrance to the game of how the story unfolds of this sort of alternate telling of Bond and who he was and how he becomes involved with um MI6 and how you be and and they've set him out as this sort of, you know, he's a bit of a lad, he's you know, he's a bit rogue, do you know what I mean? Doesn't take authority very well. So they'll tell him to do something in a mission one way, and he'll go off and do something else and cause explosions, and you know, he's more of a rather than a posh bond that's come through eating, he's he's he's more the other way, you know. And I like that, I think it's really cool. And you start off by you do this open and segment, um, which takes quite a while, which then gets you the invite to become an MI6. Then you have to go through your training, you have to go to Malta, you have to do your MI6 training. This is four or five hours of the game. You have to do your fitness runs, grab the flags, then they start sending you out into real-world scenarios, finding try and find this info, track him, find this. You need to get this, and that's all part of your training to then you get your first mission where they drop you in, which is what I'm now on. So it takes quite a while to get through that. Um, as in is it like Hitman? I think what most people will be saying. Some of the sort of follow-in missions and secretive missions where you're, for instance, in a nightclub and you've got to follow someone, get some information, or you know, take someone out is very hitman.

SPEAKER_05 15:23

This was my this was always my concern the game and the developer.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

It doesn't seem as in-depth as hitman so far. That's the relief. Yeah, because I always found hitman games far, you know, there is you although there was options in a hitman game, as if you slightly done something wrong, you were caught. Do you know what I mean? You have to really follow a sort of well, this doesn't seem like that. You can you can like for instance, I I there was a guy who sort of found me backstage, I clumped him, that set the alarm out, so I quickly put him out, and then that said, um, uh, because that says on the screen, I can't remember how they put it, but um emergency, you know, you've been spotted sort of thing. You take him out, and then it goes back to under control and and you've sorted it. So there's little ways round it like that. Um, but I think this I think it's a great story for Bond. Um, I've only done one driving bit so far. I'd when I was training, I had to learn to drive the the Aston Martin. That felt a bit woody, the driving, but I am coming off the back of Falls Horizon 6, so it is gonna feel a bit, you know, it's a bit of a bolt-in on the game, but I'm looking forward to going further with it. I've seen some gameplay footage of different missions, and that looks really good. Um, so yeah, really enjoying that so far. I've also been playing Mass Effect. Um, it is our uh RGT back to the past.

SPEAKER_05 16:44

Which version are you playing?

SPEAKER_00 16:45

I am playing the is it the legendary version on the PS5 I'm playing.

SPEAKER_05 16:51

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Yeah, because I know I'd spoke to you and you said that's probably the best route to go down.

SPEAKER_05 16:56

I think it is for anyone who's coming to it now, especially because it slots that one makes one slot better into the way two plays and three plays.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Yeah, and it's um I've started this game so many times and it is it's just all a bit obtuse and a bit full on at the start, but this time uh this is why I love doing this um Gen 7 playthrough because it get you know you feel you have to push through because you're playing in the group, and now I've now it's all clicked. I've now I'm now going to my third planet. I think I'm about 20 hours in now going to my third planet, really enjoying it. Combat's good. Um, I've sort of kept two guns I really like and upgraded them. I sort of got my team to how I think I should be. Um, yeah, really enjoying it. Good depth of the game for a game that's as old as it is. I know this.

SPEAKER_05 17:43

Have you been then sorted the water problems out?

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Is that in the um Navario?

SPEAKER_05 17:50

Yeah, I think you end up taking the tank all the way down these long corridors.

SPEAKER_00 17:54

Oh no, I haven't done that. I did do one right to put the water back on in a place. So I had to go down in the cellar and do the yeah, there's more to that place. Yeah, oh cool, yeah. So I've been over there. I'm now going to my third planet, but really enjoying it. Um, really great game. I know it's gonna be a lot of hours, it's gonna tell us all a while to do it, but there's a few of us involved in that, so it should be good fun to play through together and look forward to playing more. And finally, um, I've been playing a game I've been wanting to play for ages on my PS Vita, which is the Batman Black Gate.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Hmm.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

I have this. So um I've always heard good things about it, and I thought, oh, I really want to play this, really want to play this. So got it, um, started playing it, and it suddenly just clicks to me. I just think, God, you forget how good the Vita graphics are. I mean, this is 2013, this machine come out, and it's so really playable. And I've seen a lot worse graphical games on a Switch than this black gate. It looks so good. I know it's more of a 2.5D, um, but so far, yeah, really good. I'm only an hour or so into it. I've been chasing Catwoman and doing them sort of missions and learning you know how to um use your vision to solve mysteries and and your fighting techniques, which is very similar to them sort of games, which is you know, you get the warning when someone's gonna hit you, triangle to block and then square to punch. But yeah, great little game for the Vita, really enjoying that, and like I say, it just makes you realise if you haven't played Vita for a while, which I hadn't, and then you go back to and play this, you think, God, you know, no wonder we were impressed with this machine in 2013 because you know this must have been an absolute powerhouse back then, but yeah, brilliant. Um, and that is pretty much it for me. Um, what about you then, George?

George’s Switch 2 Gaming Binge

SPEAKER_05 19:39

Um, well, Donkey Kong 64 made it onto the Switch online Nintendo 64 suite of games. I've been enjoying that, it's been a real blast back in the past. That has um DK64, a little bit of a learning curve with a button mapping, although when I was playing it with the Pro Controller, those problems kind of dissipated quite quickly. Um it's still such a great game. You know, I I look, I know I've got a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in this, because as soon as it started up and it was passing that music, you get to the bit where it says and it puts like a 4.3 screen on, it says DKTV, and as in sort of oofing round the levels uh with the music playing, it's like yeah, this takes me back. I used to let that roll sometimes, just look at the graphics. I mean, things have moved on, but um still fun watch. Um I remember I I was reminded though how long it takes to get going in the game, like the whole K-Rule intro. So, oh my god, let me put the controller down. Boring. Um other than that, mate, it's and the control issues with the way it's mapped. Yeah, I was saying to you, I think on the phone that it'd be better if if you had one of those switch online N64 controllers, you'd be having the time of your life with this library, but through the switch to Joy-Cons, lesser say with a controller or a pro controller, but still to some degree. It it's a it's a bit of a it's a bit of a mess. Um, but I'm working through that and I'm doing well. Um another thing of Donkey Kong related, but we'll we'll skip past that because I think we'll talk about that in the news. Um Stumbled across WRC eight in the switch sale for £1.59. I watched the trailer, it was a montage of half decent footage of a rally car, uh kicking around some digitally created terrain to a pretty decent sound track. I was like £1.59 through my money at uh Nintendo. I said take this. Downloaded. Looks good for the Switch one because that's what it's for. It looks good on the Switch too, uh, handheld or TV, maybe lesser so, because it's a bit it's a bit on display. Um, I like the aspects of the controlling of the team, uh, the way you build up your skill points. What I don't like is a classic switch issue. I'm trying to control a rally car that requires I don't know, thank God it was £1.59. Because I'm trying to control a rally car with a deafness of touch, and I'm having to bat bap bat bap bap bap bap bap bat bap the throttle on and off, and I'm like spinning off, obviously, because that's blipping the throttle too much. I hold it down, and it just literally is gonna keep going until the bloody cows come home. So all of a sudden you sat across the top of speed, so you've got to wheeze off a bit, then you're slowing down. Uh, and the car becomes unstable when you slow down. All of a sudden, you you kind of start to get a little bit of a wobble on. So I'm gonna try and persevere because there's something about it that's quite fun.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

But yeah, I used to love WRC games, but I feel your pain. I mean, with Gear Club 3, I thought that was a really good sort of driving game for the Switch, you know, to get their own sort of inheritant racing game. But again, you go to overtakes that and you either flat out or you're nothing, and you just think you need finesse. Now, even more so for you a rally, having that either just blipping it must be yeah, that must be tough.

SPEAKER_05 23:36

Especially when the first real circuit that you end up at. We did some trial ones um where it's just like practice where you're with the team practicing your skills on like practice courses. The first one, a little bit of practice, just a little rally cross course. Um little bit of practice was doing pretty well. Got the gold. I thought, hang on, you know, this is a sign that maybe maybe this is doable. Now, don't get me wrong, you get infinite tries and zero damage if you're in that section. So there were times where I was skating across the finish line on my roof. Um that's not acceptable, as you can imagine, in a main rally. The first rally you do I suppose they were thinking baptism the fire. Uh it certainly was, because you're in Sweden. And my meteorology says to me, weather's looking good. I think, oh right, okay, fine. And then I look down a little bit further. Snowing. Oh Sweden. Oh well, it might be okay. Game loads up. Ice I mate, hundred yards, 150 yards, carnage roof.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Yeah, I remember even when Ice played a rally games back on the Pierce 3 and 4. You have ice is you just have to learn to play the game completely different with ice. Now, with a with a trigger that is on or off, it must be an absolute nightmare. I don't know what to do anymore. You almost have to go too slow anyway to learn how ice works in that and learn to draw. But with a throttle, it is either flat out or I don't know how you do it. I I don't know how you would do it. You must be all your power away.

SPEAKER_05 25:39

But we used to, but this obvious, I think this game is set up with analog input in mind. So when you digitally input, it's like, okay, he wants to flat out, doesn't he? Alright, there you go. Spins the wheels up everything. So yeah, a bit a bit odd. Um another game that I downloaded, I've gone for a bit crazy. I've kind of like, I don't know what it is about. You've changed. No, in your face. I don't know what it is about the Switch 2. There's something about, and we'll know about this when I move on to the not this game I'm going to talk about, but the one after. There's something about that slim ass form factor. It's not a Steam Deck, it's not a gaming lap he handheld PC, it's not this big thing with fans sticking it out. You can hold them up for me till the cows come home. You look like you're playing a game gear that just uh took Royd and learnt how to lift. It's I'll it's it uh it's on the edge. It is on the edge. It's it's it's it's game of maxim for sure. And if I just coin that phrase, I'll take it. The switch is slim, it's so slim, but so nothing to it. Um imagine my happiness when uh a game I've been eyeing up across a crowded Nintendo Switch storefront, catching its eye. Oh hello, there it is, farmer Simulator Signature Edition. It's got mod support now. Imagine my glee. I think, oh, hang on. Therefore go, that means the map on playing on PlayStation. I can get on Switch and I can hide in a broom cupboard and just be happy till the cows come home.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Is it a cloud save or is it no?

SPEAKER_05 27:25

I just wanted to have that map on that device to have a totally different farm on in a totally different part of the map, living a totally different lifestyle. Uh unfortunately, not all the maps have made it on to the Mob Hub 4 Switch yet. So I'm I'm happy that it's up, it's running, it's it's fresh. This was very much what like uh farming simulator was like when it launched on PS5. You could go in the mods, and there were barely any maps of interest to me. It's very similar. I found an American map that I'm kind of just experimenting with, playing around. It's obviously got the built-in maps that came with it. Um I'll be honest with you, I'm used to playing a game farming simulator on the Switch from like 2017. So I know a lot of people were a bit harsh on the frame rate, the graphics, blah blah blah. But to me, I just feel like I've ripped at the 21st century. I'm so happy. I went in the tractor area and there was like an absolute smorgasboard of old cases and international to download. I was like, oh yeah, so I'm into this. Generally, it it's an absolute, it's everything you know, it's the same controls mapped to the same buttons. You just need to close your eyes and imagine you're playing on PlayStation. It's all the same positions of buttons. As soon as I started looking down or second guessing, I was like, oh no, I can't. I can't. Why am I not hitching up to this trailer? No, use the force, Luke. Yes, you're right. Switch off the targeting computer. I don't need it. Um look, you're top George, you're targeting computers off. What's wrong? Nothing. I'm okay. Get away from me. Um so once I did that, uh, you know, I fell in love with it um all over again. So I'm looking to racking up some owls in there while I wait for an appropriate British map or Irish map. I'll take anything at this point uh to come along. I want tight lanes, I want brick stone walls or hedges, and I want to do a bit of grass cutting, and I want to do I want to do a bit of bit of wheat, maybe dabble with a bit of livestock. Um I started setting up a sheep farm last night because I stumbled across a farm I could buy, so I sold up the farm on the map I've got and moved lots up and two smoking barrels to this farm I bought the top of the map. Um and I was just last night as I turned it off, working out to build a sheep basket. That's why you hear YouTubers. So you came here for Fortnite news, and what you got was a smattering of farm. You've reached you've changed your whole life. The youth are like, oh god, oh my god, they've all just completely flat like month's gone in, what's going on? He's ripping all the posters down, she's ripping all the posters down, what's going on? I mean a farming thing now. Putting in up John Deere pictures and pictures of cows. I guess that's acceptable. Up on the wall. Fent filth, but I guess it's acceptable putting that up on the wall.

SPEAKER_00 30:19

Massy Ferguson.

SPEAKER_05 30:21

But I guess it's acceptable we'll put it up on the wall. That oh yeah. Get them other ones down. Let's put that one up prior place. That looks good, that looks brilliant. Yeah, mate. Um, so there's Farm and Simulator. I was like, that's something else to make me happy. The switch, because it I'm I'm gathering like I've got Skyrim on there now, I've got Fallout 4 on there now, I've got SWRC, I've got my Donkey Kong I've always wanted on there now. I'm everything's coming up, George. So that's all I'm saying. Look, next week, watch me come on in tears because I don't know, something terrible has happened. But before I finish, one last thing I've been playing on my Switch too is I've gone back to Star Wars Outlaws. No pressure to get it finished to talk about it on the show. Just enjoying as I'm playing it through.

SPEAKER_00 31:17

Are you playing it on the switch? Are you did you say? Yeah. Yeah, okay, yeah. Because you played PS5 originally. Pro. Pro, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 31:25

This is a little bit of a step back. There were times when I was playing it. Yeah. This is gonna sound brutal because it does look good on there, but there's times when I was playing it where like textures popped in and people's faces just loaded up as I was talking, and it it all felt very Witcher 3 on Switch 1. But not not that it was bad, not and not that Witcher 3 on Switch 1 was bad at the time, you know. It was a it was a compromise. But you know, when you're seeing these things pop in, I thought, yeah, this is early days, you know, and they're being quite adventurous. This is like a this is a true this gen title. I mean, it's it's it's it this this this is brave. Um for the most part, like it looks okay. There were some times where I was climbing outside of Toshiro base or wherever it is, and I looked down and there were some trees in the distance that I distinctly remember looking very tree-like on PS5 and on switch two it looked like a little bit of wire wool on a on a lobby stick. So I don't know, I don't know, but you know, generally if you didn't know about the other one, you you would think it was great. You know, I walked when I first got there and walked up past and the the stormtrooper stops you. Mate, you know, he looked fantastic up close for a handheld game as well.

SPEAKER_00 32:54

I say, well, that's my point.

SPEAKER_05 32:55

I'm sat on the sofa with a couple of pairs of old ear pods in my ears, and it's doing the switch to is doing the can use those to give you like a pseudo 3D surround. So I'm hearing things like you know, the illusion does work, you're hearing things behind you. I heard some of it's off to my right, but like way off in the distance, so I turned to look at it and was like, what? And then moved my character and was like, oh, right, yeah. And I even adopt it, put it 4K on the TV. That does improve things, I have to say, quite considerably. HBR implementation, the lights like, that looks that that does look tasty. Um, but I kept my air airpods in, and I was like, yeah, I can almost live in a world where I maybe could wear a headset. This is oh god no wow, I never thought I'd hear you say that. But you know, playing a big game with the surround as poor as mine is, or you know, it's as good as I can make it. Um still is the better experience because you don't get that discombobulation, I suppose. Um but you know, I'm I'm very happy. Um the other thing I've been playing on my absolute piece of dirt, Game Lab. Uh we don't endorse them anyway, but let's see when I've bought two. Uh Game Lab uh piece of garbage. I've been playing some uh Chaos Engine. Bit nostalgia, a bit funny uh and Donkey Kong Country, mainly. Um yeah. I'm having a bit of a Donkey Kong overload. I don't know what's happened to me, but uh with all that said and done, RGT, I would say it it's time to what we affectionately

Nintendo Direct Reactions Begin

SPEAKER_05 34:55

call the news. We got the darkest regions of the internet to bring you the latest stories. First up, RGT, it's been Summer Games Fest, and we've had lots of people, lots of uh companies doing these directs, pulling them out, and Nintendo have done one. Jim Norman's pulled it all together into a cohesive article article over on Nintendo Direct, so we uh implore you to go check that out. Um Jim Norman fell off his skateboard this week. Uh he's grazed his knee, but uh it happened outside a primary school. A teacher came running out with a green piece of wet tissue, miraculously wiped wiped his wound away, um fixed his bike, and he he was uh good to go. So good good to know because he had all that summer games festival to write up. So uh here he is, RGT. Now First Out the Gates. Uh did you see the direct? That would probably be a good precursor.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

Um I didn't, but I did um I saw sort of a lot of the games that were uh released. I saw the uh what was coming out.

SPEAKER_05 36:09

So I actually watched a couple of bits and then actually stumbled across it, sat chilling on the sofa on the switch. It came up on the front screen, direct, pressed a button, pressed another button, and I was watching it on the handheld.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_05 36:25

Flick the kickstand out, popped it down. This is brilliant. If you could do this though, give me a YouTube app for it. I don't ask for much. That'd be nice, wouldn't it? That'd be ideal on there. I don't want that for anything else. I just need that. You say you're working on it, Google are working on it. I'm not being funny, Google, but you've got some of the brightest minds in the business. And you've had this guy working on this app for 12 months. I would say seeing as people have been able to access YouTube through like broken trailer links and stuff on the Switch 2, probably need sacking and get it done. But first out the gates was Rhythm Heaven Groove. Now we saw a great trailer there where you had to kind of match the button presses up to different things. I don't think it's mind jam.

SPEAKER_00 37:23

No, me neither. It's got that very papa the rapper sort of aesthetic to the front, you know.

SPEAKER_05 37:29

It's giving me uh Wario wear vibes.

SPEAKER_00 37:31

Yeah, yeah, it's true. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 37:34

Okay, well, we won't hang around here. Uh, one surprise was the recently announced uh PlayStation 5 and other platforms, the Ominutia Way of the Sword. It appearing in a Nintendo Direct for the Switch 2 was to me quite a surprise seeing all these concurrent announcements of what look to be quite graphically high fidelity graphical games. Was a noticeable knockback on the visuals, but nothing too crazy. Uh, are you excited for that RGT?

SPEAKER_00 38:08

I think so, yeah, because it's been a while since we've had an ominutia game, and I I think, and like you say, are so good now that we're getting this almost releasing you know the same time as the PS5 and other consoles. Um, whereas before with the original Switch, the gap was so big. Um if you did get one, hence like Witcher, it was a longer, a lot longer down the line, and it was a bit challenging. But now with with the tech in the Switch 2, you know, you can have 4K, you know, some of these games you can have your your 60 fps, and um, yeah, it's made it a lot closer. And you can have your cake and eat it, my old friend. And also, I suppose with I know the Switch 2 is nowhere near like what the Switch was at the moment, as it's still young, but I suppose they're looking at the install base already and thinking, well, to port this over, we'll probably already do you know a few million sales, so it's worth doing, and also because there isn't a great deal of switch two games out there, so I'm gonna I'm gonna get I'm gonna get a little bit crazy.

SPEAKER_05 39:13

Second biggest platform this gen already, damn near. And by the time it's finished, it it damn will be. So you can come at me in the comments and say, oh, Xbox Series X numbers, series S numbers compiled. Switch two's got the legs on PS5 and Xbox, it will get there, and it will be either the biggest or the second biggest platform by the time this gen is done.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

So if you're not on that, I'd be I'd be surprised at the PS5, but I mean when you think what that the Xbox series of consoles are only sold 28 million, I think PlayStation's a hundred. I've I think this I think Switch 2 is gonna be up there. It is gonna be up there.

SPEAKER_05 39:50

This Christmas we'll see another wave of OG Switch owners who now see the reason to move to the Switch 2.

SPEAKER_00 39:55

Yeah. I mean, it's and what has the Switch 2 done now? Is it 17, 18 million, nearly 20 million? So it's not even far off the Xbox now. It's been at just over a year.

SPEAKER_05 40:04

It's got legs, yeah. The price point is high, but it's lower than the other two. Mm-hmm. And this is an acceptable family, kid-friendly device.

SPEAKER_00 40:17

And also, whereas before me and you had PS5s, Xboxes, you had the switch as that portable one. Now you can have a switch to is your main console, you're not missing out on anything.

SPEAKER_05 40:30

Well, we were saying this when the Switch 1 launched, and then towards the end, you would have been desperately looking. I mean, if you were OG Switch only, I mean you'd have been buzzing when it came out, but by the time the day before the Switch 2 came out, you'd have been. Yeah. I don't know. I played one right up until the death, and I still loved it, so Yeah, yeah. What am I talking about? Uh next out the gates was Dragon's Dogma 2, Dark Arisen. Again, uh a little bit of a blurb here. Latest game in Dragon's Dogma series comes with new content, spirit cat comes, dynamic, action RPG together with porn, companions, shallow boxer with a mic again here, the listener of viewer. Uh anyway, yeah, Dragon's Dogma. Are you into that RGT? Another big game coming to Switch 2, though.

SPEAKER_00 41:24

Yeah, I've never played the Dragon Dogs Dragon's Dogma games, but I know they were they've got a good fan base.

SPEAKER_05 41:30

Yeah, I think uh I think that's gonna be great on there, mate.

SPEAKER_00 41:34

I nearly bought the Switch because it's this Dragon's Dogma 2, isn't it?

SPEAKER_05 41:38

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:39

I I nearly bought the first one on Switch, but when I was watching the game plan out, I thought, oh god, that does look a bit framy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll take that. So, but then this one you suddenly think, oh, this is a step up. This this looks decent, a big RPG, it's got that sort of Skyrim vibes, I suppose. Yes, yeah, looks good, looks really good.

SPEAKER_05 42:01

Skyrim, but a hell of a lot more Dungeons and Dragons, yeah, I'd say. Um, then we get another announcement absolute jawdropper. Uh Stellar Blade, Humanity's Last Hope in Stellar Blade, take on the role of Eve of the 7th Airborne Squadron and Battle to Reclaim Earth and Mysterious Forces. This story-driven action adventure features fast-paced combat built around dodging, parrying, and unleashing powerful combats alongside cinematic exploration and intense boss encounters. Experience Eve's journey at home or on the go with gyro 2, Joy-Con, Gyro, Joy-Con. Two gyro controls for activities like fishing. Whoever thought a woman in a bikini needed to fish, but now all our problems are solved, and you can do it with a Joy-Con. That's all you can do. It's a simmer down. RGT, another big graphical powerhouse making its way to Switch 2. What's going on?

SPEAKER_00 42:51

I know, and also it's I know it isn't, but when you think of Stellar Blade, you just think of PlayStation, you don't think of it being anywhere else. So now, you know, if you are a Switch 2 owner and is your only console, you've got a big some big games coming. Do you know what I mean? And you're not missing out on what the bigger boys have got at all. So Stellar Blade again, great game to have on the system, and you can have on the go. So everyone's a winner.

SPEAKER_05 43:19

Um, out next, just to just to simmer things down a little bit, we've got um orbitals joined forces with a friend to bravely navigate this wild co-op retro anime adventure together. You'll step into the shoes of the daring duo, Maki and Amora and the journey through space. Will you be able to save their home? This look great.

SPEAKER_00 43:38

Yeah, I've I've never even heard of this game before, but yeah, that anime style looks really cool. I uh really like the look of that. Something really different.

SPEAKER_05 43:49

I just thought, as I was watching it, I thought, wow, if they'd had something like this on Mega C D, it would have sold gangbusters. You know, this is fresh. Oh god, it's good, it's got that kind of aesthetic to it. You know, it I really was quite into that.

SPEAKER_00 44:03

Um it's also it's also that which is really popular at the moment as that co-op in it, like you know, uh a way out and things like that. They started a whole new trend of gaming together, which uh in this sort of anime version looks fantastic, it's great fun.

SPEAKER_05 44:20

Really good. Uh up next, we talked about last week, but uh Raymond Legends Retold is also making its way to Switch. Um a little bit more of a pumped-up sort of like a movie vibe to this one this time round.

SPEAKER_00 44:35

Almost looks a bit of a Pixar thing, doesn't it? Right.

SPEAKER_05 44:37

Yeah, I was getting ratchet and clank vibes, if I'm honest for you.

SPEAKER_00 44:42

Yeah, no, that's a good shape, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_05 44:44

Uh kind of I don't know whether they'll bolt all these CGIs together would make sense and have that as a movie you can buy or packed in with a game. I I don't know, but uh being good though. Yeah, graphically though, I it it's it's on another level again. Um I don't think we laboured the point probably last week, but uh interesting to see the direction. But you know, you've got other games. Um here's one we've talked about before RGT, Big Walk coming out 4th of August 2026. It's the co-op online Walker Talker from the creators of Untitled Goose Game. Where you set out with your friends and and do some crazy stuff. Um, you kind of look like little pingus. Um yeah, I don't know why, but when I said pingu, I kind of felt like I I need to engage with Scotty and a talk about Big Walk. Uh see if see if he thought they looked like little pingus. Um hoping to have Scotty back soon, so uh keep your eyes appealed for the biggest thing in Switch Entertainment news. Uh check out Marathon Gaming. He's one of our co-hosts, and we love him very much, and we know you do too. So he'll be he'll be back with us very soon. Um here's one that I as soon as it loaded up, I thought, I know a man who'll be into a slice of this. I know a man who'll be pre-ordering this. One piece grand gourmet looks like a slice of your heaven, RGT. What's going on with this?

SPEAKER_00 46:17

Um, One Piece is not really, I've never really been into One Piece.

SPEAKER_05 46:22

Forget that.

SPEAKER_00 46:23

But yeah. Um, but a floating restaurant with a straw hat crew. Yeah, it's got me written all over that, and it you know.

SPEAKER_05 46:31

If you get me any of these little sim games or life sim games, oh mate, just some of the bits I saw in it, I was like, oh god, this is oh, if he sees this mum, Mum's hey, get the priory on the phone. Yeah, yeah, here we've lost him to another one.

SPEAKER_00 46:48

He's ordered two special editions, one to keep sealed, one to open. He's ordered himself a straw hat. And he's now making a raft in a local pond.

SPEAKER_05 46:57

But he's playing his switch cross-legged on. I think this looks great. Detach it from one piece or attach it to one piece. I don't give a rat's ass. Attaching it to one piece means this is just gonna get under so many other people's noses, uh, and it's gonna sell a lot more as a result. I think this has got shades of Dave the Diver. Oh, definitely. I think people are quite excited about that. Um, but they also announced some Pokemon Pocopia DLC. It was the underwater expansion one, I think you get for free, and then tickled under your nose a load of paid DLCs, classic Nintendo. Uh, I kind of to be honest with you, that's heroin dealer tactics, isn't it? It's something for free, next one you got to pay for, sort of job. Naughty. Uh be frowned upon in every other front, you know, the other uh gambit of the world, but seemingly here we endorse it.

SPEAKER_00 47:46

Yeah, it's fine, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 47:46

Yeah, totally fine. Fire Emblem, Fortunes Weave. Uh that's not our GT trying to look down with the kids, it's uh it's a new instalment of Fortunes Weave Fire Emblem, 17th of September 2026. That's set to drop soon. Look, that's not my bag, but more for everyone who's into that to get into over.

SPEAKER_00 48:07

I know Tingle Juno, one of our great subscribers, I think he's really into the Fire Emblems. Oh boy.

SPEAKER_05 48:13

If he had any you've seen him, that's now emptied all over the floor, and he looks like a piece of desiccated coconut next to it.

SPEAKER_00 48:20

Uh yeah, I wasn't going to quite put it like that, but um, yeah, I think Well, what would you have said? Just he's really into the games, he really enjoys them, and he sits down in his game and library, gets served up a switch to with Fire Emblem Fortunes weaving, and procures a little brandy and just sits there and has a little puff. So I think that's more what Tingle Tuna does. He's he's uh he's a delectable gamer, he's he's a man that you know expects a certain amount of class when he plays these special JRPG sort of tactical games. He's he's a man who knows what he wants.

SPEAKER_05 48:56

You know, we can see the reflection of what you're doing in your glasses, don't you? Really? Yeah, so stop that. Yeah, blur that out. Up next, Ninjala 2, the Uncharted Planet. Uh I'll be honest, this this one didn't really get me going in any way, but it's due out in spring 2027.

SPEAKER_00 49:19

Well, there was a first one.

SPEAKER_05 49:21

Well, what did get me excited was DK Challenge. Now, at the top of the show, I one of the things I didn't talk about is this. Um, I've had a go on this. Um, it's quite fun, it just basically bolts together um Donkey Kong Bonanza, which you don't have, but if you go left in the menu, it takes you through. I was a bit disappointed, it's really only the Super Nintendo games, so it's a bit like this is the only DK you've got in you.

SPEAKER_00 49:47

I've done a few of these, aren't they? With uh sort of nice remix and things like that.

SPEAKER_05 49:51

Yeah, it it's fun, it's it's put together in a nice way. Um, nice little celebration of Donkey Kong as a character.

SPEAKER_00 49:58

It's good for Donkey Kong fans, in it, I suppose.

SPEAKER_05 50:00

Yeah, I look I've enjoyed it. I've loved having the branding on the console. Um great to look at. I like the silhouette style of it all. Yeah, big into it. Um you ought to have a go at that, by the way. Drag your switch two out and have a go on that. Yeah, we'll be able to do that. Um jiu-jitsu and Kaisen Rumble server vibation.

SPEAKER_00 50:20

Well done, well played. I thought, here we go. Waiting for the saliva to spray everywhere with this one, but no, no, no, no, another level of like gluing.

SPEAKER_05 50:32

This is going nowhere. I saw this and I was like, oh shit. Yeah, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright. Break out the loctite loctite Jesus. No, it's fucked already. Break out the five double three. Um Gorilla glue. That ain't gonna cut it here. We need like a real high high bond uh thread locker. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:00

The old advert so the bloke was held up in his suit on a on a wall they dangled from the air. Yeah, I think we should do that to you. I'm I'm amazed how it comes back to me again. I just see you as that guy. That'd mess up the tag people seeing me that high in the air.

SPEAKER_05 51:25

That's what we'll do.

SPEAKER_00 51:27

Yeah, you'd have bonded me to an old door.

SPEAKER_05 51:30

Yeah, get some like well, we'll attach you a load of balloons, we'll get you up to 50,000 feet. Thanks. Wow. Anyway, this is like vampire survivors basically. Um what's more to know? Um from the creators of vampire survivors and Suheichi games, diving into Intense Survivor Royale where you eight players compete, but only one can stun victorious. Fight cursed spirits while competing against other players for points using simple movement controls and auto attacks. Victory comes down to smart position in precise time and strategic choices. So, one thing I did quite enjoy was your kind of versus the game for a while, and then you get ranked on leaderboard, and then that leaderboard will post through certain players, and then it's versus one-on-one. Ah, oh wow, so it's yeah, it's an interesting take. Um, Lords of the Fallen 2. Uh, that's making its way to switch two in fall of this year. Uh Lies of P, another uh graphical powerhouse, making its way to Switch 2. Slight walk down on the graphics, if I could be so bold. But again, here it's in the palm of my hand. I'm not complaining, but gotta paint the picture as it is. That'll be 6th of August 2026, but an absolutely massive game size-wise to have on the machine there. Um, Devil May Cry 5, Devil Hunter Edition. Hey, it helped launch all the other machines, so it might as well come here and out switch along. Uh, that'll be out 23rd June 2026 again, looking really great and chasing 60 frames per second in both TV and handheld, uh which is staggering. Uh Muramasa Revenant Blades, that's due to land in 2027. Uh Behold the Legend Demon Blades refined to new heights, breathtaking beauty for a new generation. Xenoblades RGT. Uh, I turn to you now, sir, as a resident Xenoblade Stamboy. Tell me everything, because there's some interesting news here also affecting the game you didn't you bought not that long ago.

SPEAKER_00 53:45

Yes, well, they've done the digital version of Xenoblade Chronicles, the Definitive Edition, which obviously was originally a Wii game that they then ported to the Switch, and then they've now enhanced it for the Switch too. I did watch just before recording this, I watched the Switch Up Boys um review of it. Um looks really good. 60 FPS stopped all the popping, looks really good. I've got the Definitive Edition Xenoblade Chronicles. I have I've only started Xenoblade Chronicles, I've never carried on. Um, but this is really, I'm thinking, well, you've got to pay $7.99 to get the Switch 2 version. You don't get a free upgrade, but I think I am gonna do that and yeah, get Xenoblade Chronicles to play. So I've played X, but I haven't played 1, 2, and 3. So um yeah, I've done that um with the upgrade pack. Uh and there's also gonna be a physical reverse version released on July 30th. Um additionally, the digital Nintendo Switch 2 editions of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be available July 30th and December 3rd, respectively. So I haven't got two and three on the Switch, so I might get the Switch 2 versions if uh Getting bought, cowboy. Getting bought, but yeah, um it's really pushed me to actually play Xenoblade Chronicles as I've only played X, so yeah, I'm looking forward to that for a for eight quid.

SPEAKER_05 55:04

More news. What's coming up next?

SPEAKER_00 55:06

Oh no, this is gonna be a pre-order for me, this one. Xenoblade Genesis coming out in 2027. Uh a new beginning for the series. Um, it's coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2, so um that'll bring over a few of the people who haven't dipped into a Switch 2 yet, but are massive fans of the Xenoblade games, and there's a big community on the Switch for that. Um, but this looks good, looks a bit more med not medieval, but it's got that more you know horseback, that sort of vibe to it. Um, yeah, it looked good from what I saw the trailer. Love the graphic style. Um, yeah, I'm all over this. I shall be I should be pre-ordering this um to get day one, I think. You've never played a Xenoblade game, have you, George?

SPEAKER_05 55:50

Um no, I might I might have a copy on Wii U somewhere, but uh Yeah, I originally got X on the Wii U, but then got the Switch version to play. Uh up next, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort to come in this year, 22nd of October. Um, this looked fun. Obviously, a Switch to take. Um, use the Joy-Con 2 controllers now as rackets, bows, or even handles. Um, some interesting ways of using the Joy-Cons illustrated in this video. Obviously, if you've played the Switch Sports before or the one on the Wii, it's an evolution of that. Looks great, seems to incorporate the new Mis as well, so people seem to be very happy with that. Um, next out was RuneScape Dragon Wild. Again, this was also announced in the PlayStation Direct, but also making its way to Switch 2 on the 15th of September this year. Um Hello Kitty Partyland is coming on the 29th of October 2026. Here's again Star Fox coming out 25th of June 2026. George, we knew this. Yeah, but then they slapped us on the back of the legs that just brought me an image of Bond and Casino Royale on that chair.

SPEAKER_00 57:10

I did, I forgot to say what I've been playing. I have tried the demo actually of Star Fox.

SPEAKER_05 57:14

And that's what I want to talk about in addition. This demo had me all in. The Star Fox characters, when you see them on the Switch 2, they just look so good.

SPEAKER_00 57:26

They look fantastic, the lighting as well, and when you're in that that's well, you can see on here, but the the green sort of as you're in that asteroid belt, and uh it looks phenomenal just takes the N64 game, the bones of it, and I know this sounds children, but that's that is what they're doing, and they drop this on top of it, but it lifts it now.

SPEAKER_05 57:45

There is like voice dialogue and the sounds and the visuals are obviously all up, but this thing and also you think I was smiling from ear to ear, dude.

SPEAKER_00 57:55

Yeah, and also, I mean, I was thinking the other day before I played the demo, just thinking, is there a place for Star Fox now? A game on rails, sort of on rail. I was thinking this, and I was thinking, you know, times have moved on, but I played it and thought, do you know what? I'm all in on this. They've done it, they have done it, they'll be buying an N64 game and made it look better than they ever will. And I just thought, yeah, I liked I got involved with the characters, I loved the dialogue, I love the way they looked.

SPEAKER_05 58:26

What's the incredible RGT is it's the same game under the and bear that in mind because we've got some interest in these coming up. Final Fantasy Resonance RGT now. Bet this got you wetter than Duncan Goodhue's earlobe and the hundred meters. Um 22nd of October 2026. Stop messing around and attaching weird names to these. So just decided to look, Final Fantasy sells, Donkey Donkey Resonance would never sell. Let's attach a name to it. This thing looks great, by the way. And I think it just gets that added uh kind of prestige to it that they've actually attached a Final Fantasy name to it. I think some say it's brave, and I'm I'm like, no, no, no, they obviously believe in it, and I think it's good that they're doing this.

SPEAKER_00 59:18

Well, I think with games at Octopath Traveller, they've realized that there is a market there for these, you know, 2.5D, whatever they are, HD. But they look so good, they do, and I mean I I played the demo of a game which will crop up on here in a little while, and which I'll speak about, and I just thought that was fantastic. And you know, I think Star Ocean done it as well with one of their games, and there is something about it with them lovely graphics with pixel characters. This yeah, I'll yeah, I I think I'll uh I think I'll be purchasing this one, I think.

SPEAKER_05 59:52

Nice. Okay, well, up next is Picanookie 2. Uh comes out in 2027. I've got no idea what's going on. They talk of robot frogs and an all-powerful potato. If that's your cup of tea, get in on that.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:06

The font looks a bit like Pikmin, doesn't it? But I don't think it's anything to do with Pikmin.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:11

But no.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:12

It's strange, yeah. It thinks of that, I suppose. But yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:15

Uh Dragon Quest Monsters with the World coming to Switch 2 and Switch on 3rd of December 2026. Monster taking centre stage from the iconic swine to brand new faces, score with hundreds of new monsters of scout, train, and battle alongside. Mix and match your favourites or create your new entirely new companions through synthesis to build your dream team. Next out the gates was the much talked about Dusk Bloods of Switch 2. Step into this PvPE multiplayer action game from software, where you take on the role of Blood Swan. Fight through a world overrun with enemies using weapons abilities while occasionally forming transient alliances on your path to victory. Basically, an online from software game where you and your mates attack your vampires. Look, it looks cool as all hell. I don't pretend to understand it, but I'm sure if that's your bag, you'll be all into it. A little bit of a splash across the bowels of Splatoon Raiders coming out 23rd of July 2026. Um Deltarune, chapter 5, making its way to us on the 24th of June 2026.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:21

Now, have you ever played a Deltarune game? Sorry to interrupt. I haven't, no. No, because this one, I mean, when I did watch some of the videos, everyone was in the comments saying, What about Deltal Rune? What about Deltarune? They seem to have a big community around the game. Um, I've never played myself, but it seems very, very popular. Um, so this is I don't know if this is done like episodes or anything, or how they do it or what, I don't know. But yeah, there was a lot of excitement for this one.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:48

Um, your job to report back, having completed all the Deltarune games up and to this one, so you can give us a little bit of a background on it. Very useful. No problems. Oh, what hang on. I'm sending you off to enjoy a video game. Why are you getting angsty with me?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:05

Oh why are you so horrible?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:08

Tell I've been a while a while, you've changed. No, I'll tell you one thing. Oh, you got you got new friends on here now. I'm back and oh, you're spinning it like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here we go, yeah. Yeah, don't worry, Bobby. We don't need him.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:22

Do you know what? If you want to spin it like that, let's not let the truth get in the way of the good story. Up next, metaphory fantasia, 12th of November 2026. Just give the boy enough rope to lang himself. That's what I say. Uh enter the royal tournament, fight for the throne and for the future. Control your destiny, face your fears, and awaken magical archetype powers that lie dormant in your heart. Team up with the compelling cast of characters and embark on an immersive journey that promises hours of captivating exploration, exhilarating discovery, and dynamic combat. What was I gonna say that blends turn-based strategy with real-time action? Minecraft. This year it's getting an update. It's not the much promised uh next gen update that all the other consoles are promised, but it's getting the vibrant visuals upgrade, which is gonna transform this from uh a flat mess to something that looks pretty cool. You'll get it for free if you're in the game, which I'm all for. Um, Atelia Korea, the Night Kingdom, and the Guide of Memories coming to the console in 2027. RGT explain to me this this year, Christmas time 2026, we're gonna see Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 on Switch. Now, yeah, I know I keep saying it, it's downgraded, but not that much. You got it in the palm of your hand. This thing looks great.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:52

Um you wouldn't have had it if it was still a original switch, so no, you wouldn't, but this is early days. Oh yeah, yeah, but we're getting a lot of content coming over earlier than what it was on the Switch. A lot of games that wouldn't be run on the Switch.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:08

I look mate, I thought the Switch 2 would be like a PS4 kind of port machine, like we'd start to see the Assassin's Creeds come through. But no, actually, they're not gonna desecrate us like that, they're gonna give us shadows. Like, what crack are you smoking here, guys? You've got a library you could literally whore out, and switch two owners would turn up and like beg to be covered in it, and uh, and you're like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Get get the latest thing working on switch two forward. We're gonna treat them like pups this time. Unbelievable. I wanted to be treated like a pup.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:46

I wanted that. You'd have you'd have bought them all for the tenth time, didn't you?

unknown 1:04:49

I would have!

SPEAKER_05 1:04:50

I without a shadow of a doubt, I'd have lapped them up like a hungry dog. Uh, but there you go. So Space Marine 2 on the way. Observer system redo. Again, it's already on the get on the switch and kind of looks half passable if I'm honest, is getting a proper switch two version. So if you're into that, get hyped up. Unbelievably daisy Batlands 2026 making its way there. Um, these are all in like a snap reel towards the end of the video. Um, we also found out that Switch 2 I've got Metal Gear Solid 1 Master Collection on the Switch. I am very happy to know that the whole set will be sat there in my little Nintendo Switch carry case, and I'll have all the games in there. I mean, what more could one really ask for, if I'm being honest? So I'm buzzing. That drops 27th of August 2026. Obviously, got Peace Walker in there as well, so I'm happier than a pig and doo doo. Uh Rise of the Tomb Raider dropped in that moment, the 20th anniversary switch 2 edition, um, which got uh Everybody, uh including me, quite excited. Um good game, good game. Look, a game that kind of at times looks as good, if not better, than Uncharted does on PS4. You've got that same range of exploration. It it's Lara take going back to her roots. It's and and then to f you know, so much good stuff going on. So let's let's see that supported because obviously the predecessor to this dropped what maybe six three to six months ago, switch two edition version as well, and a switch one version. So yeah, I'm thinking about maybe getting these great game to take on the go. I can imagine me and Rachel getting a cabin somewhere, no TV, pull the switch out of the bag, start playing this. You could both sit and just lose yourself in it, couldn't you?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:47

Yeah, you can in them games as well.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:49

Just with the little doctor, just with the little standout, just on the bedside table, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:54

Oof. Brilliant.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:56

Yes, please. Um Tales of Eternity Remastered, dropping 16th of October 2026. RGT get a little bit sort of hot

Big Switch 2 Ports Debate

SPEAKER_05 1:07:05

and horny over that.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:06

I think so, yeah. I've been sort of collecting the Tales games of late, so uh yeah, I think I'll uh could be picking this one up, I think.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:12

Time to start picking up on a whole nother format. Um something I got quite excited about, rushed to the store thinking, oh, my loyalty has finally been rewarded. No, no, no upgrade path at all, just the switch 2 version for 20 quid. Fair price considering I just bought Mud Runner for a fiver. Uh yeah, I know, don't come at me. I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know. I prefer it though. I don't know why. Although when I loaded it up the other day, I sat there playing stuck up to me nuts and guts in mud, and I was thinking, why do I like this game again? Like I've taken a two-wheel drive capable vehicle only through the biggest swamp in Russia to pick up a log. I don't think you meant to do this, George, do you?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:02

That makes it a challenge, or more challenging, I should say.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:05

Oh mate, you know, my winch was screaming. Luckily, we're in a forest because there's plenty to bloody wrap your tackle round, I tell you. Um Snowrunner, it was dropped, spam on the day. Switch 2 version, looking looking good, actually. If you've been sort of starved and you've been playing Snow Runner, I mean I've got it on PS5. Yeah, put it on Pro.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:33

What do I normally play it on predominantly now?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:36

Switch.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:37

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Blip blip blip blip one at a time. But it doesn't matter because we're traveling slow. Um, but to see this drop, I was like, yes, it looks good. He's dragged it up. Um I used to have to squint and pretend. Now I can just sit and marvel. Um thought of you about this fitness boxing three, your personal trainer, Nintendo Switch 2 edition, 16th of July 2026. Shakes his head, but what he doesn't know, he shook his head and he did that little trump face, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:08

Hmm.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:09

Hmm. Why would you apply this to me? Well, I tell you why I apply this to you, and you need to get sharp because you're the new title fury of the show. We are big enough now as uh I know where you're going with it, and don't even bother. No, no, no, simmer down.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:24

I know where you're heading. I'm not doing charity boxing match. Simmer down.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:29

We're big enough now as an entity where we've been invited. Now, don't you ever say I don't look after you, right? Don't you ever dare say I don't look after you. Because I've signed you up to a charity boxing event.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:47

There we go. I could read you like listen, it's on ITV3.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:52

Yeah. Who am I fighting? Well, this is the best bit, okay?

SPEAKER_05 1:09:56

Because there's all sorts of like there's some dude off Big Brother or whatever, and some woman off some cake show or dancing programme. I don't really know. But for some reason, they wanted to reach out into the gaming community. But one day, for one reason, the spirit of God shined down on us, and we were a show that was on top of an algorithm. And they were like, Oh, these guys seem like they've got something going on. Contacted me on the email. I said, I've got the perfect guy. They said, Listen, glad we've got hold of you. Who is there in the ecosystem that's uh the same level of you that could put up a good fight against RGT? Well, thinking like an absolute player, knowing that everything that gets done on YouTube is from like basically the mid-rith up. Okay, I told him Mags was six foot five. Mags, ever the opportunist, obviously bit the hand off. He signed up to it. He'll do out, mate. He'll turn up Mags, he'll turn up to the opening of an envelope. Of course, he's gonna turn up to a celebrity boxing match. He's got his manager on, signed up a local gym. He's all on Insta giving it the hoo-ha, right? All we need to do for you is get fitness boxing three, so you can look a little bit like you know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:21

Best bit bang him out in the first round. Basically pick him up and floss with him.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:27

That's the scale of you to mags. You're literally gonna pick him up like a toothpick and just sort of rag out the breakfast that you had this morning. Throw him down on the rib. One, two, three, it's boxing, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. I'll qu I'll be the ref. I'll angle it. I've wangled this. I can wangle spraying black on his shirt. Car, job done. Right? Well, quick count him. Carry you out, wicked bed chair. That's you in on ITV3, which is what like 50,000 folk watch that.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:02

It's probably people listening is gonna believe you.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:05

That you're gonna floss with him. I know that's a bit far-fetched, I know that's not gonna go down. Obviously, it's gonna be thing is what you know, I'm a little bit confident, but it's a little bit like I'll be honest, it's a little bit like uh David and Goliath. Yeah. And I'm a little bit nervous, he's gonna come in. I don't think he's gonna do it, I don't think he's gonna be on toward because he's quite gentlemanly, but I can see him tripping over his laces, head putting you in the crotch. He's it's the perfect high. Yeah, and you're down. And I don't I don't know if I think the mag's legacy needs to be solid in that way. Um but hey. Anyway, fitness I'll rough ride you all over the shop. Uh up next, Ever Bloom. Now I genuinely yeah. Now, listen, hear me out. Now I've signed you. No, John. I genuinely did think of you when I saw this, but is this your cup of tea or is this a step too far for you?

SPEAKER_00 1:13:13

It's probably a step too far for me. Wow, where does the line get drawn? Well, there's a cute little fox on the front, and that might be not aimed at my demographic, so uh yeah, a spit much.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:24

It's a farm me game exactly as you like, so don't judge your book by its cover because that's what you're doing here. I don't want you doing that. Do some research, get it played, get a key code, come back to me, let me know. I've missed you so much.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:38

No, you haven't. I have this is this is a punishment. No, Mr. No. I'm gonna grill him. I'm signing him up for boxing matches, I'm gonna make him look a fool. He's on tag a lot. Running me. I'll teach you to miss a couple of shows.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:58

You haven't missed this is the humour of the show, you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:04

I you're gonna learn, boy. Yeah, OG's forgotten the humour of the show, and Bob is just relearning it. I don't think he knows what tag is. He will do after this, he will. Final Fantasy 14 online early access coming early 2026. That didn't surprise me, is it? Oh mate, what the hell? Take it on the go, whatever you need.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:29

The thing is, I mean, when did Final Fantasy XIV online come out? 10 years ago? Oh, yeah, and there's still millions of people playing it, it's so popular, so you can understand why they've done it, but you just think it just sort of you don't really hear a lot about it, do you know Final Fantasy XIV? So then this comes up and you sort of look into it and think, geez, there's still people really, really into this, still playing it. Yeah, massive game, massive game.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:53

Up next, some of the news that's dear to my heart. Although glad I didn't dip when I did. I was uh we'll go into it. Kingdom Hearts Collection 1 to 3 coming out 8th of October 2026. So why would they do that, George? Ah, I take a while, I'll do that. Because Kingdom Hearts 4 also got revealed for the Nintendo Switch 2. Obviously, we've got no release date on that, but what I want to go back to is Kingdom Hearts Collection 1 to 3 coming out 8th of October 2026. George, you should be so happy. I am, but I'm not one of those people that bought the cloud version. If you suffered through purchasing Kingdom Hearts Collection, I should imagine quite a few people who own a Nintendo Switch did this, they might have been happy. They had cloud, good internet, they're laughing, they're buzzing. Guess what? That's getting delisted. So you can't buy that now. That's done, that's toast, that's shit, that's garbage, it doesn't work properly.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:51

So if if you've bought that, you cannot use it anymore.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:54

No one will be able to buy it going forward, and the servers are gonna get turned off. But there's a silver lining, there's a silver lining here because you would think that if you'd bought Kingdom Hearts already and especially a cloud version, the right and proper thing to do would be to reward those people just with a free download of this. I mean, that would make sense, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:19

You're gonna get a discount, not much, if anything. I don't know, we don't know. But this to me feels a bit disingenuous. I feel like all the people that bought that cloud version, they have now that version has just gone.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:33

So they're basically saying you either buy this one or you don't have it at all. Kind of.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:38

That's and that's the rub with this cloud gaming dribble. That's the kind of wider point. I've probably not nailed all the points spot on, but it did make me think, hmm, this is not right.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:53

And also with Kingdom Hearts, isn't there like 2.5 and things like that of the game?

SPEAKER_05 1:16:58

That that would all be in this package.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:00

That oh, that is all in there because I never quite understood which ones you play in what order are then. They always seem to be. Oh, good. Yeah, but I I'd be interested in this, but I do feel for people who had the cloud version, that is uh that's quite brutal, to be fair.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:14

I just I don't know, it's just a bit blind. They've got yeah, but guess what? There's gonna be people that in that audience, they're the most guaranteed people that will buy this. So even though we're gonna absolutely dump on them, they are gonna pay us cash money for this.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:30

And there'll be small print on that saying, no, sorry, you didn't own this game. You just you just rented this game, you don't own it as a cloud game, you know, and it's yeah, it's nice.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:40

It'd be interesting to see how the Switch actually handles that because when that goes, the icon, that virtual card, in theory would still remain on the machine. So that's going to be an interesting when you just click it and it'll just say unavailable.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:55

You can't play this.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:56

That's what it'll do.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:57

That's brutal. That is brutal.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:59

Um, one last thing though. Uh, and this is obviously why I asked you to keep the Star Fox thoughts in your mind. Viewer, viewer, listener, listener, listener, listener, still love you, listener. Probably more, maybe a little bit more. Well, but that's why the numbers aren't doing very well on YouTube, Georgie. Not very nice to the viewer, viewer, viewer, viewer. We can all get along here. Um Legend of Zeldorck Arena of Time, a remake which bounded around on the internet, kind of took the magic away from the reveal, but guess what? We saw Link sleeping in his treehouse. And I thought, oh my god, if if this is an overlay, and I I don't know how a one-for-one overlay like Star Fox how that would work, but I'm willing to entertain you giving it a try.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:52

I wonder if they were gonna use a Breath of the Wild engine, but I don't I don't think so.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:57

I think they could they're digit I don't know what engine they used to obviously do Star Fox, but I think they just need to do the same, they just need to just drop and get it.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:05

If they make it like a one for one, I mean I'm I'm gonna buy this anyway, because I I haven't I've only dabbled with Ocarina of Time, never played through it. It's quite N64 games, are a bit of a stretch to go back to nowadays, I find.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:18

Um this is sadly true.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:20

Um, but you know, if it's a one for one and you just play it, you know, over the top of what we essentially was an N64 game, but in the modern graphics, I'm all over this. I think it's brilliant.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:32

The only thing is about is the kind of scale, like and and obviously in a like the it in the N64 version, you can't penetrate deeper into the forest, so they're gonna have to be quite clever not to be just chucking invisible walls in front of you to so they want to give you a realistic picture of a forest, but then you can't further penetrate it or do anything, so it's gonna be interesting how they manage all of this.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:56

I'm sure they've done an impeccable job based on what's that might be like something they've done with um when you try to get to the tree in a breath of the wild, I think, and the forest has got that poisonous fog round, so you couldn't get in, you know, until a time that might do something like that to keep you out, but still have the texture. But I don't know, yeah. It will be.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:17

Um, so I generally thought that was a pretty good Nintendo Direct, actually. I thought the PlayStation direct or whatever it was called, uh prior to play state of play prior to that was um was a good effort from them. I think it was uh a very kind of obvious twist back to oh, don't worry, guys, we're always about you know, we've always been about these games, don't worry about that. It did kind of smell like that. But I'm happy for them to do a course correction and make a visual sort of uh representation of said course correction in that. I think this one year on from the switch's launch, pretty much to the day, I think is is an absolutely brilliant score report. A we'll give them an A. I don't want to go too nuts, but there was enough in there, I think, to get people excited. I felt like there was stuff in there for maybe people like me that kind of just sit slightly outside the Nintendo ecosystem.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:12

I think so. I think there's also a lot in there for people who are Nintendo through and through, these switched to day one owners, and they're looking, you know, this is their main console. I love Nintendo, and then they look and thinking we're getting what everyone else is getting. We're getting these big games, we're getting our our own IPs, we've got greener time, and yeah, it's they're looking after that broad portfolio again, you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:33

Obviously, with the much that new modified release of farming simulator, we're getting the snow runner upgrade, they're still thinking of a much wider portfolio than the traditional Nintendo gamer. And I did think that came through in this one. It was a bit like, well, hang on, we've got pro gamer games, we've got Stellar Blade, they've chucked all that up. And I think as a as you say, if you're a Switch 2 owner, if you've always been in this ecosystem, you you've really got a lot to shout shout about. And I think if you're on any of the other systems and you're looking over here, I think, yeah, if you can if you can afford it, I think a switch 2 would be an absolute bracking console for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:13

I saw a few people online moaning saying, Oh, well, we're getting Devil May Cry 5. How old is that game? Blah blah blah. And I think you you're not thinking because people like us who own various consoles and are lucky enough to own various consoles, and you suddenly think, Oh, I wouldn't mind playing Devil May Cry 5 again. You're gonna part on your Switch 2, you're gonna get the better version of it, you're gonna get the version that you know is more up to date and modern and get a new, you know. So there is that, but also it's appealing to people who are Nintendo only and haven't played it before. It's it's quite clever the games have used. There's they've like you say, it's a very wide broadsheet of keeping everyone, ticking the boxes for everyone to uh pretty much have something to play, and you know, and that's really was my takeaway, and then that little sort of chef's kiss.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:56

Like I say, like rumors and spoilers, they really do take the legs out of some of these things. Because if I had not known anything about that, I'd have been literally crying, I'd have cried. Uh bit strong, I wouldn't have cried. Uh, anyway, don't worry because Nintendo have done stuff. Um, we've got some news here. This is still like the cook report here. We've got some real good stuff.

Why South Korea Leaks Games

SPEAKER_05 1:23:20

Um, Robert Ramsey's gone out there uh to answer a question. Many of us have often been thinking. We finally now know why Korea leaks so many unannounced games. Uh they've been in the wars because Robert Ramsay fell off his e-scooter just outside of Quicksave, smashed his head off some old lady's tartan shopping bag she'd left outside and scared her small dog. I think it was a pug. Some sort of shaved King Charles Spaniel, maybe, I'm not sure. Uh it bit him. So not only Yeah, it's a lot of drama anyway. Um good old GRAC. South Korea's video game rating board, it's short for game rating and administration committee. For years now, this organization has been leaking unannounced games of all shapes and sizes. Basically, when the GRAC lists something, you know it's real. And it's probably only a matter of time until it's officially revealed. And why does GRAC why does the GRAC out these projects in the first place? Is it just a recurring clerical error? Is there something dodgy going on? Well, we finally have an answer. And unfortunately, the truth isn't quite as exciting as you may have hoped. Korean website Game Necker, as per automaton, has done us all a massive solid and investigated situation. Turns out it all comes down to South Korean law. Yes, these often extremely high-profile leaks happen because the GRAC has to make the publisher public by law, or more specifically, because of the Game Industry Promotion Act. Publishers might not like it, but the GRAC can only keep a game secret during its actual review period, the time when it's being assessed and assigned an aid rating. Once a rating has been submitted and approved, the information must be made publicly available, and so that's why so many titles pop into existence at seemingly random times. In short, if companies want their games to be sold in South Korea, they need to submit to this process. In the knowledge that their unannounced project could and probably will be blown open. So there you have it. Unless South Korea changes its laws at some point in the near future, these are perfectly legal leaks, are gonna keep happening. RGT problem with a global community, a global business is you have to launch in different marketplaces and conform to different rules. South Korea are shopping video game shadow drops for us, left, right, and Chelsea. Is there a solution? Do you care? Does it matter anyway? Is it just part of the process? What's happening?

SPEAKER_00 1:26:01

Um yeah, like you say, the different laws around the world is definitely a problem for these devs and game companies. But yeah, I've always wondered how they released air, and I knew it'd probably be something about whether they have to release foot uh release information in that country first or what, but now seeing this, we obviously know why. I think it is a shame. Um I don't think there's nothing better than waiting for a reveal completely in the dark, getting that excited about a game. Um, when you already know that game's coming, and then you're then seeing the footage, it takes the shine off for me. Um I didn't know about Xenoblade Chronicles Genesis, so I was so happy to see that. But I wouldn't have been so much, you know, it takes the shine. If you know what's coming, it takes the shine off even wanting to watch it because you already know it's coming, it does, you know, it is a shame, but it's their laws, I suppose, and whether there's a way round that or something that could be addressed um for the games industry, I don't know. But I I think I'd like to see it change where things are kept a bit more secret, I would say, anyway.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:10

Well, I guess you don't release there until three months after it's been out everywhere else, and then even secrecy. I I don't know. I guess if some people started looking, I'm sure you can find these release classifications in other countries if you look hard enough. So I think it is what it is, but it's nice now that we've got some meat for the bone.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:30

Yeah, it's nice to know why why it happens, and it's not so underhand as what people thought it is actually a a law and a regulation there.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:38

So you went full boba

Xbox Memo And Hard Truths

SPEAKER_05 1:27:40

this week though. You got your green camo on, you dressed up as a Series X using a little bit of stingray magic, and you've you've sat backstage, you've picked up some gosteras. What's going on on the Xbox news?

SPEAKER_00 1:27:51

Well, he's over on Pure Xbox with a good friend of the show, Fraser Gilbert. Well, how's he doing? He's all right, he's uh took up a new hobby at the moment. He's he's he's heavily and I mean heavily into the Sinclair C5 modern scene. So he's he's joined a club, um the C5 Owners Club, um, and he's modified his Sinclair um to look like a Mario Kart. So he wow, yeah, yeah. So he dresses as Mario and he he he poodles round Luton in his in his little C5. Looks very good, he's done a great job. Um he's got the sound effects on the little button as well. So he carries a little plushie of a uh red shell between his thighs. So oh wow, mm-hmm. Yeah, it looks really good.

SPEAKER_05 1:28:38

So he's why did you make that kind of scuttery noise when I said wow, there you kind of there was something gutteral in it.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:46

Um maybe just a bit of indigestion. Or might be that T revisited me from earlier that I chugged boiling hot in one. So yes, I recall that.

SPEAKER_05 1:28:58

I didn't know whether that happened in this dream or in the previous dream that we've had.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:04

Um I can't remember. It might have been this dream. Can't remember. We share dreams. Um, but yeah, so great work with you, C5 fella. But yes, he says Xbox leaders outlined five realities that will be addressed over the next hundred days. A period that's said to be about resetting the business. Um last night, around the same time, that reports suggesting Xbox was in line for major job cuts, Ashama and Matt Booty unveiled a message on the Xbox Wire website that they shared with Xbox employees earlier in the day. The memo talks about how the first hundred days of Xbox involved plenty of successes, such as a significant uh number of updates, the game pass price decrease, the Xbox player choice feedback website, and various other positives. However, it also outlines that the next hundred days are all about resetting the business and that and that it'll involve surprising and potentially even frustrating realities along the way. Um As I said on X, we just shared with our team the realities we need to navigate as we work to reset the Xbox business. We won't succeed by hiding hard truths, nor will we succeed by doing the same thing and expecting different results. Um here are the here are the full transcripts of those five realities that will be addressed. One, over one billion players chose to play Xbox and our games each year for a total of 72 billion hours across console, PC, mobile, and streaming, excluding much of China and a few other properties. Our franchises are also among the largest and most beloved globally and are now breaking records in TV and film going sorry, TV and film going forward. Our competition is attention. There are more great games, TV series, franchises creators, content formats, apps, etc. than ever before. Number two, we will end this fiscal year at about a 3% accountability margin, down year over year, excluding Activision Blizzard King. Over the past five years, we have spent over 20 billion on ongoing investments in our content, platform, and hardware subsidy, but our annual revenue has declined nearly half a billion during that time. Going forward, this cannot continue. Three, we're we are in a hardware competent crisis. When I joined as CEO in February, the price we paid for console storage components was over two times as high as we paid last fall. These costs have since doubled again. As we planned for 2027 holiday season, we expect another significant increase, taking us over five times the prices we paid only two years earlier. Memory costs have followed a broadly similar trajectory. While the entire industry is facing components crisis, we believe we have been impacted more greatly than any uh many of our peers due to the choices we made over the last half decade. We are currently unable to make as many consoles as players want to buy, and we need a new business model and partnerships for hardware as we remain committed to Helix. Number four, we expand our studio system when we needed a pipeline of content to meet multiple strategies across subscription, streaming, and devices. In the process, we have found ourselves overextended as we execute on changing strategies in a landscape of more readily available content. We are the fortunate stewards of industry-defining franchises that have enormous potential and player demand, but we have not adequately funded them to compete and win. At the same time, we as we saw this past weekend at showcase a reliable pipeline of first and third party exclusives and new IP criteria to our success. We need to reassess the balance between these and our investment priorities for the next five years. Number five, our current platform infrastructure is not built for the battle ahead. Our systems are overly complex, spanning hundreds of dependencies, which hinders our ability to move fast. We've become too reliant on vendors to operate our systems and must become more self-reliant on engineering culture to build for the future. We must increase the value we ship to players while decreasing the time it takes to do so. Going forward, we evolve and rebuild our stack and look at capabilities across all of Xbox and potential MA to help us win in hardware, PC, mobile, and streaming. As you can see, there are some serious areas of the business that are going to be reconsidered here. The 3% accountability margin is something that's been brought up a lot on social media already, a figure that surely has to improve. And you can see how it's mentioned that annual revenue has declined to nearly half a billion over the past five years, excluding Activision Blizzard King. Bloomberg's Jason Trier points out that a 3% margin isn't necessarily terrible, but will look that way to Microsoft. The hardware component crisis has been discussed a lot recently, including by Asha Sharma herself, and it is interesting that once again bring up the new business model that apparently required for hardware going forward. They also say that they are planning for 2027 holiday season, which might be the target window for Project Helix. Point number four could be where the job cuts come in with a reference to Xbox Studio system being overextended and franchises that haven't been adequately funded to compete and win. We'll have to see how it pans out. And finally, there's a bit about the overly complex complex platform infrastructure. Everything in that fifth reality sounds pretty good to us, but it sounds like it's going to take a long time to fully realize. Um, if you want to have another read through that, go and check that out from Franzi Gilbert over on pure Xbox. Um yeah, interesting. Uh we started off with Asher doing these little changes, keeping everyone.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:50

Can I can I can I say RGT, look, look.

SPEAKER_00 1:36:01

Ninety-two days gone. No days. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:07

Um like I say, um they were doing so well.

SPEAKER_05 1:36:17

Now I think Ash has done quite a decent chunk of the business from what you've given me there and what you've given the listener and viewer, viewer, viewer. Um there's some meaty things going on there. I don't disagree with any of the plan on paper. What I'm nervous about RGT, and this is this is a conundrum that presented itself to me the other day. As gamers, we go on about exclusive selling consoles. Exclusive sell consoles. This is what Xbox need, they need exclusives.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:50

Well, that's never worked. So what the hell are they gonna do?

SPEAKER_00 1:36:57

I don't know. I mean, there was I noticed there was the odd little dig at the previous um people in charge of Xbox with you know you can only sell to the people that have got Xboxes though.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:12

And if you need to generate revenue and there's not enough people there, you've got to put them somewhere else. Now, I felt like the multi-format thing could have worked because it kind of did get a little bit of kickback when they said they were going back to exclusives. Now, Forza Horizon 6 has hit and landed or will land multi-format and has all been from all seven done, it's it's it's been covered everywhere, everyone's enjoying playing it. You are, everybody is now. If that then settled and everyone enjoyed it, and when the Helix came out, they said, Boom, here's seven. All the PlayStation boys are like, Oh yeah, can't wait to play that. Bam! Explosive. Oh crap. At that moment, people then who've experienced these games, maybe a couple of iterations of them, doing the Anna Jones, oh Crycake, exclusive bag. Next Gears of War after you've played E Day and uh um, I think they're making that.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:12

Yeah, they're making that exclusive, aren't they?

SPEAKER_05 1:38:14

Too soon. It's too soon. You've got to let people taste the cake before you take the cake away, and then hopefully, maybe they're either gonna double dip, or if they've fallen in love with the franchise that much, they'll move.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:26

And it seems mad as well, because the the rumours are that game is nearly 99% complete for PS5 and they pulled it.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:32

It'll be done. The other one percent pressing print on the CD printer in the corner of the office.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:41

Um, yeah, you're right. I think it's it's a tough one. I like you say, you've you've you've got a 28 million user base, 30 million max user base. I mean, I saw some reports the other day, the first week or first two weeks of Forza Horizon 6, there were 6 million users on Games Pass, but they sold 6.8 million copies. The Games Pass numbers have dropped heavily just lately, and I think that's worried them as well because that was your steady subscription income, which is really tailed off, and you now think, right, we need to make some changes. Um, what them changes are, I mean, they've sort of said here what a lot of it is speculating, you know, with with your CEO chat, your CEO talk. Um, but it looks though there's gonna be that there's a lot of words like streamline used, they're gonna reduce the size of the business, close studios, try and level it out. Devices are getting expensive, but like you say, you needed you need the hardware out there to sell the software if you go and exclusive. But if the software is if the hardware isn't out there to map many people, I don't quite know what you do, especially if Game Pass is down, which was your you know the last iteration of Xbox management, that was their big thing, and it's failed.

SPEAKER_05 1:40:02

I think that needs rumping down to a kind of 40 quid a year type scenario, have some Xbox classics on there, and anything that they've produced to this point is there for you to dip into as you please. Post that I think they need to move to a model where the games are paid for, and they but they also simultaneously do a big thing about a physical release.

SPEAKER_00 1:40:25

I think you're right, and I think a lot of this has come about from them selling games on PlayStation and suddenly making big buck on these games. Somebody sold brilliant on PlayStation, they're suddenly thinking, Well, I think jumped the gun on GameSparse.

SPEAKER_05 1:40:39

The one element of this obviously is a little bit disconcerting to me, especially what no one can uh disagree with is uh semi-depressed worldwide market, business market, is streamlining and and job losses, etc. Obviously, a lot of talented people are gonna be wondering where their next mortgage or rent payments are coming from. And I know first world problems and everything, but that's a big concern in first world, and if you haven't got anywhere to live, you've suddenly got yourself a big, big issue. Um so yeah, you'll you know, hopefully the hammer comes down gently where it comes down, and I hope those people are very quickly swept up, obviously, the part of some big organisations. And I think really, as we go into next year, the bad news ticker isn't gonna get much above sort of 30 days, I don't think, because they've said this now. They'll let the smoke settle in the dust clear, and then they'll be saying which studios it is that they're shutting down or getting rid of or streamlining, and then they'll talk about the backstage offices at Xbox. And I think one thing she hinted at that I think was quite important was these third parties that are running our systems. That's out of your control, that's a dictated spend. Your Microsoft, for God's sake, stick it in a server farm, stick Xbox on the front door. No one will care. That's absolutely fine. Run it yourself with your own employees. You're big enough to. You're big enough to, or incorporating to your back end servers at uh wherever it is, Regnond. You know, just things that she's saying make sense, but obviously within that there are people that are cut back, there are businesses that are let go, there are people that are streamlined, there's good studios that are shuttered because they've been badly managed by the hierarchy at Microsoft and Xbox generally. Uh it will be interesting to see out the wave of games that we saw when they finally all come out, which studios are still going to be standing.

SPEAKER_00 1:42:42

I think it's also she's a bit confusing with some things because she makes a big point about chip prices, which I think is very refreshing for them to come out and explain it like she has as to why the consoles have gone so much more pricey rather than Nintendo and PlayStation hardly release anything and just put the prices up. It's refreshing for her to sit down and say, look, I'm sorry they've gone up, but we know five times the price we're paying for chips, fine, right? She's saying hardware sales are down because of the expense, we're charging more for consoles. Yeah, Project Helix looks as coming out next year. You're like, well, hold on, you're you're contradicting yourself a bit there. Maybe she hasn't.

SPEAKER_05 1:43:18

Well, there is news this week as well of like like a load of different SKUs of Project Helix to make sure that they can hit all the different price points in people's pockets, and we're entering into a completely splintered next gen again, aren't we?

SPEAKER_00 1:43:32

I mean, there's rumours with PlayStation at the minute that if PX6 comes out, it's gonna be 2030 again. There's a lot of that coming out that they're you can make a console now, but with these chip prices, is it gonna sell? If you're if you're knocking a console out at £1,200, you know, $1,500, is it gonna sell? You know, I she's saying she, you know, if you're making a console, I've already said this project helix is gonna be over a thousand bucks, right? If you're making a console, you know, as people are even saying $1,200 for this new console, yet you're complaining you're not selling hardware. I don't think that's gonna help improve the system. No, I I you know if you want to sell, you need to sell to the mainstream gamers that are out there, the hundreds of millions of people that are playing. Don't gator off to an exclusive few because you're not gonna sell many. So I don't quite get, but then you don't know what they're signed up to from the previous management. She might be trying to manage what's already been signed off. So who knows?

SPEAKER_05 1:44:31

I yeah, to one of your points, uh, or to PlayStation or Xbox's point, they're kind of correct. You know, if if they don't release until 2030, what if the chip price situation never gets sorted? What the hell are you gonna be asking for a console then? Like 2500 quid.

SPEAKER_00 1:44:52

Well, you you won't. I mean, that's why I think PlayStation, the rumours are that's 2030, or maybe will it be a PS6? I mean, surely it's gotta be, but you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:45:05

Uh you're settling in for the long haul at this point, aren't you? Um so yeah, we've reset the clock on Xbox. It's sad, but I think it was the skeletons in the closet that needed airing, RGT. I think you know, she's come on board and she'd been making little changes, been listening to the gamers. I think she's listened a hell of a lot, and I think a lot of these changes reflect that. So, you know, fair.

SPEAKER_00 1:45:30

And also, I think from previous management used to trail off on God knows whatever stuff they used to say, which nine times out of ten was a lie. It's nice, she's honest, she's coming out and saying, 'Look, it's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better,' and the reasons for that are this, and the reasons for that are this, and we're gonna have to do this. So, although it's not great news, she's being honest about it and explaining why they're gonna do it before she does it, which is very refreshing. That's not just a studio shut, nothing being said. Tango, for instance, you know, it's it's been explained beforehand and the reasons why. So I think that is refreshing. Yes, we've all me and you have been talking about a game crash for two years now. Um, this is really starting to kick into momentum now with these chip prices. Um, companies making poor decisions well overhead and with Games Pass, or whether it be Sony trying to get any live service games, it's it's a very tricky period. Um, and I think we're now starting to feel the full force of that. So sad however it may be with job cuts and price increases, but yeah, it's it's gonna be a rocky road ahead, I think. Definitely.

SPEAKER_05 1:46:43

Um, and then so to summarise, we've had some a great Nintendo uh direct, which was wonderful to see, some good surprises and a little bit of uh something for everybody there. Um we found out by Career Leaks games, and it's not for the Kim Jong reasons you thought it was, and then we've also found out some sad news about Xbox and had to reset our timer on Xbox's good news clock. So um yeah, looking to see that get to triple figures at some point in time. RGT.

Housekeeping TikTok And Website

SPEAKER_05 1:47:13

Now, a bit of housekeeping, yes, not book it straight at you. Yeah, you've got it, you're on tag, you might as well do the prison swap out. While you're doing that, I'll let everybody know that we've got an absolutely brilliant TikTok. I don't know how that works, but I'm old, you know. The youth were watching, they're like, what, what just go on your ticky tocky, type in your dicky dockey unofficial controller, picky pocky, and it'll come up. Alright? Don't worry about it, it'll be there, you'll find it. Some very funny videos, very uh well created and uh edited. Um would you another montage? I want a Tom montage just of him sort of pruning himself.

SPEAKER_00 1:47:52

Looking like First Light.

SPEAKER_05 1:47:53

Yeah, basically. Um yeah, and I'm sure he's got plenty of material again. He seemed to bring out the very worst in me. Uh anyway, go check out the ticky tocky. That's where the clicky-clocky happens and the the the the vidivoki. There's some vidivoki on there. I don't really know what that's all about, but Captain Scarlet he he does things, he performs things on there, he even cropped up on there himself. Um a little bit scary. He looked like a kind of rehabbed Montepello. So uh, you know, I don't know what uh he's going on there, but he looks good. He looks well. Could have picked any celebrating picked him. Hey, look, you know, I'm I'm not I'm not in I don't know many celebs. Um so go there, check that out. If nothing else, just so you can see Captain Scarlet. He's not a marionette, he's a real man. Um also we've got a website, uh, and that's where you can go. Uh and Captain Scarlet, he's put finger to keyboard, pen to paper, he's played Falls of Horizon 6 to the living death, he's killed it, stone dead. There is nothing more that you can do in that game, so he's reviewed it very eloquently, if I must say. And that's the sort of standard of review that you expect from the UCP. Definitely. You get it a fingers on shaft rating, have to admit, I scrolled down.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:17

Was a little bit taken aback by the the logo that we that we ventured. I had to look twice. I the the the the he look, he did what we asked. Yeah. And it it looks great, but on first glance, it looks a little bit porn hobby.

SPEAKER_00 1:49:34

Um I did have to look twice at that, but he's done a good job of uh his uh website his invention of a shaft.

SPEAKER_05 1:49:42

Yeah. Your website, this website is completely safe for work. So obviously, if you're a bit locked down at work and you get a little bit of the get a little bit of the blood rush on you, just zoom in on that a little bit and it'll it'll uh should get you should get you over the line anyway, if nothing else. Um So there's a website. Tell you what, George, you could sell some to the Arabs. I don't know. I think my I think my magic juice might be failing me a little bit here, but work with me. If you've got this far, hit subscribe. If you already did that, don't do it again because it means you're just unsubscribed. Um, I know a lot of you are a bit hypnotized, so you kind of do that sort of thing, and I don't know what's going on. I'm like, oh, we're viral. No. So it's just messing with us, uh, just teasing us, just sort of tickling around on the edge, but they're not just subscribe, all right? It just makes everybody happy. If to that note, if you're watching us here, there's a whole slew of other videos. Probably not down there because they're not probably not that popular, probably down there as probably the next video of the series you normally do watch. But you know, click on our show logo here and then come in and oh look, there's loads of videos. But the hell, these guys have been around a while. You're absolutely right. Uh we've we've we've certainly paid our dues. Uh, so there's absolute smoggers border content there. We also do another show, absolutely free. Yeah, this is free. Yeah, it is. Um do another show, completely free. It's called Flashback. That's where we pick a date and time randomly from gaming past, and we go there, and RGT pulls out some news stories, probably out of his shoebox, knowing RGT, um, and we read out the news from the time, we talk about the games that are out in that moment, that very time, and we talk about those uh in detail and our memories of them. And then we bring back a UCP Legend Stingray to see us out when we pick a VHS, a mold-covered VHS, uh some classics, and then also a video game that would have been coming out that following week, just like the classic UCP episodes that you're just going back to watch episode one of on the YouTube. It's not video, but stick your headphones in, and you're all good to go.

Discord And Community Invites

SPEAKER_05 1:52:00

Um is that everything?

SPEAKER_00 1:52:02

Do you want to do is there a community community announcement? If you want to contact the show, you've got questions at unofficial controller podcast.com. Um and we've got a Discord as well. Jump on there. There's various links on the show's Instagram or my Instagram at RetroGamer Thomas, jump on there. There's a link tree, and you can jump and come out, join our wonderful community on Discord where we do various things from quizzes to challenges to our RGT Back the Past, where we do Gen 7 playthrough games, and you can be part of the vote to choose what game you play. And like I say, at the moment, it's Mass Effect. So everyone's welcome. Very warm and friendly game of paradise there. So come and jump over and come say hi. And this and this next one's for you.

SPEAKER_05 1:52:43

You've been listening and probably view view viewing since day one. You've been like, I love these boys, yes, I do. Listen, you're missing out on so much. You love us? Well, what better to sit down on a Sunday morning when the show drops at whatever time it is with you in the world? Because we're global, and don't you worry, we got you covered. If you're in Iceland and you're like, I love this show and I want a t-shirt. Yeah, we'll send it to you. RGT will attach it to a pigeon. He'll get it to you. He's that skillful. We'll get it to you anywhere in the world. Don't you worry about that. Um, but if you're thinking, I'm a fan of this, I've been listening to it since episode one. I want to think of myself a little bit OG. I've been silent but violent. I've always been on the periphery, I've never got inside RGT's inside leg measurement. I, you know, I know about the Daddy Zilla moment, but I don't know. Um I was there, but I don't know. You know, there's loads of stories and inside stories with the whole show taking you right back to the beginning to now. You know all of it. But what you don't know is there's so much more for you. Now, admittedly, yeah, George, but you're a con artist. No, I'm not really, because it's from as little as three dollars a month you can support the show. The show will be free, it will always be free. But guess what got sent out recently? Or by the time you're listening to this, you'd have received your subscriber special episode. Yes, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:54:10

So if you're listening to this, the subs have got their special episode.

SPEAKER_05 1:54:16

Yeah. So you're sat there, probably an episode of Flashback and an episode of UCP, and you think you've got a bulge in sack, or there's someone somewhere, pals, absolutely busting at the seams, because he's got the sub special hanging in there. He's got three for the price of none. Basically. No, for the price of three. I don't know what the price is. RGT knows the price is. I just turn up and smile. Um, I don't mix well.

SPEAKER_00 1:54:47

They um, yeah, they're uh everyone is in the subs list from three dollars, you get you get benefits, which includes your quarterly, so four times a year you will get a special show, which the subs vote for themselves. So we give the options to what you want us to talk about.

SPEAKER_05 1:55:04

And they do my favorite yogurt flavours.

SPEAKER_00 1:55:07

Yep. Uh I'll run through the tears quick, shall I? So three bucks, you get your name read out on uh every show. You get access to your unglorious chat section of Discord and you get the um special show limited to just you subscribers. Um five dollars, you get all that, plus you get a single piece of yearly art merch, which is being sent out within as you're listening to this. They will be sent out. So I notice a few of you subs have noticed me contact you all for um, these are the top-tier subs for your t-shirt sizes and your design of choice from our downloads, or you can have the classic UCP or flashback. So, yes, so for five bucks you get all what you get in three bucks plus a yearly art merch, eight bucks you get all that, plus you get a yearly art merch mug as well, and ten bucks you get all that, plus you get a t-shirt. So, if you're in for the ten bucks, you get your name read out on every show, access to the unglorious chat or Discord, you get your subscribers special show that you voted for, you get a single item of yearly art merch, you get a yearly art merch mug, and you get a yearly art merch t-shirt. So, yes, absolutely fantastic.

SPEAKER_04 1:56:13

And I I don't even have a cook to call my own.

SPEAKER_00 1:56:20

That's limited edition merch, as far as I'm very limited edition merch. So, yeah. So, yes, and they are as of listening to this, they are being sent out now to all our subscribers if it interests you. Yeah, check out on support the show on your podcast provider, and um, yeah, you can gain yourself a few extra little perks. So we might as well start reading out to people who do give us a few extra little perks, shouldn't we, George?

Subscriber Tiers And Shoutouts

SPEAKER_05 1:56:44

Yeah, uh, you go first, sir.

SPEAKER_00 1:56:47

Well, we'll start with the wonderful Gascon. Thank you very much, my man.

SPEAKER_05 1:56:52

He is he is an OG. He confessed that he's been there since the OG. He's been silent but violent, but then he's yeah, and then he's clear out the mist.

SPEAKER_00 1:57:01

Yes. Now now and now, which is even better, is he who's his brother lives in Australia, saw his flashback t-shirt and said, I want one of them. So now his his t-shirt this year is another flashback one, and that's going out to Australia to his brother. So I said, if you're listening, Gascon's brother, I'll be putting you a little package together.

SPEAKER_05 1:57:25

Is he Australian? No, he can't be. No, it's like Wayne Shane, he's like a shame.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:31

Shane Connecticut. Shane Con. Gascon.

SPEAKER_05 1:57:34

Let's imagine it's that. I imagine him. He's he's got he's got one of those big Aussie mullets, blonde, it's probably down to his ass. He's got an absolutely massive handlebar, proper handlebar, he's literally flip-flops, flip-flops, they don't call them that though, do they?

SPEAKER_00 1:57:56

They don't call them flip-flops, are they claims?

SPEAKER_05 1:57:57

Sliders flop flips, mate. There's maybe a bit of a flop flip-flop. Dunno anyway, we've got a cut down in short jeans, mate, right up to a little bit too high, all a little bit like cockpants, and I'll ripping around. Absolutely ripping the living snot out of them.

SPEAKER_00 1:58:16

They call them thongs.

SPEAKER_05 1:58:18

Absolutely ripping the living snot out of me, cording me, thongs, mate. Boom, up down, there we are, right around the station, chasing down a couple of sheep.

SPEAKER_04 1:58:29

Boom, head rock over. I went sideways, bam, crashed into an ambo. Luckily, he was there dressed as a bush, came out, saved me. Little bit of that wild bush magic, fixed me, let back together, stick me back on the court, bam! He knew how to fix the carbouretta as well. Bam! Off I go, mate. Got the sheep back in time for a barbie. Yeah, if there's any stereotypes in, mate. Absolutely none at all.

SPEAKER_05 1:58:58

Um, thanks, Shay. I know, I'm sorry. I got a bit.

SPEAKER_00 1:59:07

We're in the anyway. Thanks, Cascom. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_05 1:59:10

Oh, that's what happens in the sub list. I'm really sorry. Yeah. Up next, the man that I've already probably, you know, called Marty Pello, but he's much better looking than that. Captain Scarlet. Thank you for all that you do.

SPEAKER_00 1:59:23

Yeah, brilliant. And uh, for a first review, you you got talent now, mate. Very good.

SPEAKER_05 1:59:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:59:29

Next up, we have who has been renamed by the UCP and Seb specially is Retroid, but we know him as RetroEd. Um, yes, another one who's uh a great subscriber and a great listener to the show and an all-round amazing guy. So, yes, thank you very much, Retrohead.

SPEAKER_05 1:59:48

Up next is the one man George Fan Club because he needs I need no others. Well, I do, but you know, he's the first and he's the only Sarlos. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 2:00:01

I hope you well, and then as we always say for this guy from Trump to Trump in a week, for any financial advice, contact firm returns. Thank you again, young man. Perfect.

SPEAKER_05 2:00:16

Uh up next, um Bobby did some legal trickery. Trestles is no more, but the building and its management have been lifelong signed up to supporting the UCP. You wonder how we do so well. Some of the legal trickery on some of these American businesses in these sponsorship deals have been very lucrative to us. Um, so corner house, thank you. Um yeah, thank you very much. Thank you. Um next oh, and by the way, legally you're obliged to give anybody who goes in and mentions the podcast 50% off. 50% 50% off a black americano takeaway.

SPEAKER_00 2:01:00

Oh, okay. Since I thought you meant anything, well, that would have been bankruptcy in a week because we're big over there. Exactly. Um next up, we have a guy who was playing Dreamcast on online in 2026. That's Roast Space Monk. Absolutely brilliant. The guy is going for the full set, but yes, he was playing online again. Absolutely awesome. I mean, legend.

SPEAKER_05 2:01:24

There's a man who's not just got length, but he's got girth. There's a lot to him, there's a lot going on. Uh up next, a man who has been branded with a ring on his finger, and very happily so. Him and his beautiful wife. I've seen pictures of them sipping uh mythos on a Greek beach. Looks absolutely picturesque, exotic. Uh, I I I believe it to be Greek, I don't know. Uh, but anyway, um, it looks wonderful. You look like you're having a great time. Um, and I wish you both very, very much happiness. Um, yeah. Saw some great wedding photos on the Instagram as well, which I was very happy to see. I saw one though where he was getting sort of hoisted up in the air, looked a bit dangerous. Um, so I hope they've brought our boy back to us safe. But in the meantime, stand me Bandley.

SPEAKER_00 2:02:18

Yeah, he looks like he had a wonderful time, I think. He uh great the pictures as well, especially modern day cameras, that looked fantastic. And I thought, there's our little badabinster. There's our little badabinster. Oh, he does. Oh, he does. He he looks he looks like a CEO of a big business with his moustache and glasses.

SPEAKER_05 2:02:40

Tech billionaire.

SPEAKER_00 2:02:41

Oh, he does, yeah. Thank you as always, Badabinkster. Next up, we have the man himself. We mentioned him with the Far Emblem game, the connoisseur of the classics. It's Tinkle Tuna, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_05 2:02:56

Up next, the man who you've got to give him the respect for he does a lot for the show. He gets quizzical, quizzical.

SPEAKER_04 2:03:05

I wanna get quizzical.

SPEAKER_03 2:03:08

Let's go, quizzical. I wanna see your game matter talk, give me math work, anyway.

SPEAKER_00 2:03:18

Yeah, I wonder when that was gonna stop then. You're in the moment, it stopped right there.

SPEAKER_05 2:03:22

Um, it does let's quizzical on the Discord, it does so much more. The challenge except to the organizers the prizes, always wonderful stuff. He's he's a self-automated uh Discord bot with a heart of gold and um just a great soul. And I tell you what, we are very lucky to have him. And if you happen to have him in your life, you're a very lucky person too.

SPEAKER_00 2:03:48

He's a great guy and works tirelessly for the show, and we wouldn't have half the things on Discord or half the things we do because of him. So thank you very much.

SPEAKER_05 2:03:58

Without him, not because of him. The way you worded that is sounding.

SPEAKER_00 2:04:03

I don't know. Did I say that wrong? I don't know. Sorry if I did, but you know. But we love him. Yeah, we do love him very much, yes. Have you said him yet? So Digital Monker. There we go. Yeah, we go. Well done. Next up we have Are you are you back on the show? Um if I'm allowed, but I based on this week's performance. No, then um, next up we have the floss 360 himself.

SPEAKER_05 2:04:30

Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:04:32

Exactly. Um the floss 360 man himself. He's been smashing these all over Suffolk and even out in Corfu when he went out there recently showing them how a floss 360 is done. Um beautiful to see, especially in them gorgeous beaches.

SPEAKER_05 2:04:49

So I heard the other day that um one of these not Tony or what's the other one?

SPEAKER_04 2:05:01

Any yeah, give me another name Christian Ozoi. Yeah, yeah, that rings a bell.

SPEAKER_05 2:05:10

He did the floss 360 inverted.

SPEAKER_00 2:05:15

Inserted. Wow, so he went in and out in in the 360.

SPEAKER_05 2:05:22

I don't know what it all means, but he did a floss 360 inverted, inserted. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 2:05:29

And landed it. I think he's laying a challenge down now. I think we could have a bit of a internet floss 360 off on YouTube. So ball border try and get it all in. So we need to see we need to see evidence of the uh the inserted inverted, if you can. Get practicing son. Be careful, use Vaseline, stops the chafing. So, yes, ball border, thank you very much. Do you know? Oh no, oh no, I'm just still recovering from that. Start with a flannel and work your way up to a beach tower.

SPEAKER_05 2:06:11

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_00 2:06:13

Problem is you know we're gonna get a picture of this, and I'm worried what the picture's gonna be, but just spit on it.

SPEAKER_05 2:06:21

That's all I can say. Right up next, a man who you know, I tell you what, he needs no lessons in insertion because this man penetrates. Why are you laughing? He penetrates behind enemy lines like nobody else. Carry on. Uh, because he's he's a shadow operative for the show and also for his full-time job. Um he's he's a he's an agent of darkness, he's a soldier for hire, he's a merc. He lives on the edge of darkness perpetually.

SPEAKER_00 2:07:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_05 2:07:03

He only ever sees through the medium of night vision. To him, the world is a mass of grey, green, and black pixels. He can't feel, for he can never remove his Gore-Tex gloves in case he needs to tug on his weapon in a heart in a moment's notice. Don't forget, Boba is fully inserted at full penetration behind enemy lines. He he he makes no listen. Boba's the sort of character, right? He was in Baghdad when you were in your dad's bag. This guy is a veteran, he has seen everything you could possibly imagine. Um so thank you to him for what he does supporting the show and what he does in the Discord. If you even think you're getting away with it, that's only because he's letting you in a sub-Discord he's set up where only you exist now, and you will be trapped in there forever. That's the sort of doggy you're messing with. Thank you, Boba.

SPEAKER_00 2:08:11

Yeah, thanks, Boba. My god, do I need to make any plans for my future? Bloody hell, son. What's up? That was long. I thought you'd like that. It was interesting.

SPEAKER_05 2:08:23

Yeah. I kind of like bimbled into it, really, with only innuendos in mind, and then by the time I got in there and I'd set off a couple of boba flash bangs, I didn't really know where I was. Uh so I've got sort of I just sort of backwalked out of there and in the smoke hoped I'd got away with it. But what you're telling me is I didn't.

SPEAKER_00 2:08:42

No, definitely not. Um, next up we have your wonderful red-headed stepson, who'll probably be very happy to see Rayman on the Switch 2, because he's a big Rayman fan, and that is Ginge. Thank you very much, Ginge.

SPEAKER_05 2:08:55

You won't catch him dead with the Switch 2 in his hand, though. He'll be sat two centimetres away from his router just to find the portal, like an absolute good boy.

SPEAKER_00 2:09:07

I think he's got a switch. That's a kid's toy. Because he won this Mario Kart. That doesn't mean he's got it, mate. It's ginge. He didn't sit in Dixon's doing it, did he?

SPEAKER_04 2:09:21

I wonder what you said there. Dixon's. I think anyone listening back would be like, yeah, James.

SPEAKER_00 2:09:26

It's an old entertainment shop in the world.

SPEAKER_05 2:09:29

I'm just saying, it sounded like you said he was sitting on Dick's sand.

SPEAKER_00 2:09:33

Anyway, thank you, Ging. Who we got next.

SPEAKER_05 2:09:37

The man who makes podcasts about podcasts, talk about inception, inception, inception. And within that inception, somewhere is a micro bubble where he talks about old school catalogues. His name's Harvey Retro. I implore you to check him out, Enigmatic Productions. He's a big supporter of us. We're a big supporter of him. In fact, I'll be honest with you, I want to give him a massive pump. Probably reach around, give him at least three, send him on his way. Hope you have an absolutely smashing day, Harvey, and I hope the world's treating you well. If you want to even sniff how talented this man is, look at the podcast start where I'm gripping on a rock like someone's out of the Goonies, and RGT's gripping onto my Goonies, and he's screaming out loud. Uh he's a little bit scared. He's all and and obviously all the boys, all the cats from the show, apart from OG, but maybe he's hitting in the smoke. George wouldn't have said that three times if it wasn't. But I've searched that for hours and I can't find it. Search again. Um card and I'll feel you'll find him. It's true of anything.

SPEAKER_00 2:10:44

Uh so there you go. I think you might need to laugh at caffeine a bit.

SPEAKER_05 2:10:48

Why? This is all part of it. This is all part Harvey Retro's an audio listener, so this is all part of that. It gets lost in video. Yeah. If they could hear the audio performance, it would be a totally different scenario, you can.

unknown 2:11:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:11:04

But anyway, thank you to Harvey Retro.

SPEAKER_00 2:11:06

Thank you, Harvey, as always.

SPEAKER_05 2:11:07

Um a master of his art.

SPEAKER_00 2:11:09

Definitely very, very good. Um, next up we have the wonderful Emma Sharp, who is now turning into a longtime supporter of the show and listener. So, as always, Emma, thank you very much indeed.

SPEAKER_05 2:11:20

Where we'll be with that, or I'll tell you where we'd be nowhere. Tell you where would be nowhere, nowhere in Greece, nowhere in America, nowhere anywhere else that she's been a lobby. Because I tell you what, she's had three littering fines and three flyposting fines, but she gets us out there. Like I always say, she sees an opening, she's straight in it.

SPEAKER_00 2:11:42

Yeah, without doubt. Brilliant, thank you, Emma.

SPEAKER_05 2:11:46

Some people use words Emma uses actions. That means something. Yep. Be like Emma. Um that means I get to thank Greg. I tell you, where he's nowhere near. But I'll tell you where he's somewhere near. My heart. Very near, very dear. He's been on the show. He's a longtime supporter. He's a man who made the dream a reality of working in the industry. Yep. And now he's someone. And Forever Skies is an amazing game and should check it out right now, unless there's something wrong with you. Like me. In which case, fix that. Buy the game, improve yourself. That's an advert.

SPEAKER_00 2:12:31

Wow.

SPEAKER_05 2:12:32

Stick it on the box.

SPEAKER_00 2:12:33

Yep. That's gonna get clipped. Um I hope so. Next up, the one we have to thank daily, really, and that is Mumsy.

unknown 2:12:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:12:42

We wouldn't be here without Mumsy. She's all our Mumsies. Yeah. So thank you, Mumsy. We wouldn't have a first console without Mumsey. We wouldn't have had the new games without Mumsy. So thank you, Mumsy.

SPEAKER_05 2:12:54

Nope. You wouldn't have watched Mumsey Undress in a silver marble pong clone. You wouldn't have seen that inverted upside-down image. Some say that's why Bull Boulder first did the 360 inverted, so could look in it.

SPEAKER_00 2:13:08

I have heard that actually.

SPEAKER_05 2:13:09

Yeah, exactly. So if you've heard it, it must be true. That means I get to thank the RGT Thank Blue, which seems a strange place for me to end up. But I need to thank two of the most beautiful people on God Screen Earth. They created him, they nursed him, they birthed him, um, they raised what can only be described as one of the most beautiful people I have ever met inside. And out.

SPEAKER_00 2:13:33

Well, thank you. I was a bit worried then. Getting a bit worried then. Yeah. I wondered where that was heading then.

SPEAKER_05 2:13:43

Exactly there. The pause was for effect. And I rope a doped you in and then I undercut you.

SPEAKER_00 2:13:47

You certainly did. Yes, thank you, RGT fan club. We love you for it. Who's next? Next we have Silent But Violent, one of the toughest men out there, apart from Ginge. That is Pete Brocklehurst. Thank you, Pete, as always.

SPEAKER_05 2:14:03

I get to thank the immortal, yeah, ever dangerous Billy Marmite. And now I need to. Well, what do you want to do? Do you just want to crack one out, or do you want me to sit and watch and guess what you're doing?

SPEAKER_00 2:14:19

What what what would you would you like to yeah? Let me let me crack one out and you have a little guess what what I'm geefing to. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_05 2:14:30

What is it that that's like that now?

SPEAKER_00 2:14:32

Like, how has it become that it's a geef? I don't know. But anyway. Here we go.

SPEAKER_05 2:14:40

Here we go. Like me, oh, I don't have to watch, do I?

SPEAKER_00 2:14:45

Look me in the eye. I want to see you just see me hit that full excitement. You ready? Oh. Oh. Go ahead and guess. What was the key for you?

SPEAKER_05 2:15:10

Oh god, I hate that got I that got out of you on screen then because when you said look for it, I don't know why, but subconsciously I then did, and there was a little bit on the geef where you sort of eyebrow fluttered, and I'll be honest with you.

SPEAKER_04 2:15:25

My little excitement vein popped out of my head.

SPEAKER_05 2:15:28

I saw more.

SPEAKER_00 2:15:29

I oh god, poor Donna. What she clips all these and keeps them. Oh god. Come on then. What was I geefing to? Come on. Thank you, fat tank, by the way.

SPEAKER_05 2:15:48

I think you had stumbled across an AI image of Ashley Sharma holding up her 100-day um no bad news sign.

SPEAKER_00 2:15:57

No, that was the reveal of Xenoblade Genesis.

SPEAKER_03 2:16:02

Oh.

SPEAKER_05 2:16:04

Okay. Yeah. Well, with that all said and done, I must say thank you to every single last one of our supporters. We love you. We couldn't be here without you. Um definitely not. To all those that are listening for free, you're getting away with it. And we're grateful for you. But you know what? It would be an absolutely massive win, not only for us, but for you. If you just three $3 a month for us and you can get as involved as you don't or in as you like, but then it would all be open to you as a menu, and you could even rock yourself around in a t-shirt because I'm making sure that anybody subs for the first time is going to get a t-shirt straight out of the gates, even at $3. RGC's furious at me, and I'll be honest with you, the bank manager tells me the whole podcast makes no sense, and I should probably fold it tomorrow. You're making a difference. So click subscribe and then go hit up the buzz sprout and find us some way of sending us some money. We're very grateful to you. We should make it easier, but when you finally get there, we know you love us. So welcome to the team. It's an exclusive club, and for that, there needs to be some sort of architecture. Um RGT, when are we giving out the polo shirts? Because I think it's time for croquet.

SPEAKER_00 2:17:13

We're gonna give out polo shirts, are we?

SPEAKER_05 2:17:15

Yeah, like uh with a woven two woven croquet clubs on the chest, and then on the back, like UCP croquet croquet or something in gold. Um I'm thinking on like a deep broil blue.

SPEAKER_00 2:17:29

Wow, yeah, I've got some work to do then.

SPEAKER_05 2:17:33

Yeah, and maybe have the logo look a little bit wimbled and need it actually be polo.

SPEAKER_00 2:17:37

Yeah, no problem.

SPEAKER_05 2:17:38

Oh croquet, sorry, I don't know why it's croquet, yeah. But they're mallets, aren't they?

SPEAKER_00 2:17:42

Yeah. Yeah. And I'll uh I'll see what I can do.

SPEAKER_05 2:17:47

I want men's and then a women's payload as well, you know, where it kind of Yeah, no problem.

SPEAKER_00 2:17:53

Easy.

SPEAKER_05 2:17:53

Yeah, not for me. But obviously we need to need them for the women.

SPEAKER_00 2:17:57

Yeah. Yeah, we can put different numbers on so we have a whole team.

SPEAKER_04 2:18:01

Uh yeah, probably gonna need two me and you are you are you uh yeah, we'll we'll we'll we'll we'll we'll we'll we'll make that work. I guess I'm wearing a tailored woman's, am I? Yes, definitely, because that ain't gonna go on me.

What We’re Playing Next

SPEAKER_00 2:18:27

Anyway, um what are you hoping to play? Uh more 007 outband will always be there, sort of burbling away in the background, a bit more Batman Blackgate, Falls Horizon 6, because it's just an amazing game. Um, I want to start Xenoblade Chronicles, but I need to get a few of these done and moved on, I think, before I jump into Xenoblade. But yeah, so pretty much uh that I think. And with these sort of new games that are coming out, I I feel like I'm gonna have to be doing some overtime to pick all these up because there's some good games coming there. But yeah, so I think those for now, I think. What about you?

SPEAKER_05 2:19:06

Um, I think I'll probably continue with a little bit more DK64. I think that might be one of my forever games, just sort of as you say, burbling array in the background, um, which I'm quite happy with. Um, I think probably continue with a bit more outlaws. I'm finding that quite enjoyable. And then I'll probably on my um piece of shit, I'll probably continue playing some like Donkey Kong Country. I do not endorse it at all, but so much so I bought two. But a great way, this one's even worse than the first one, but um, I'm gonna have to do some computer jiggery pokery, which I'm not that pleased about because I'd rather probably staple my penis to the back of a horse and then slap that horse on its ass. You didn't like doing that the first time, did you? No. Um, and now I'm gonna have to you know possibly mess around with it, get Sonic on there. Why would the 16-bit console that they play was 15,000 games not ship the Sonic? The hedgehog. They've got but should we be praised because it's got the game gear? All the every single Sonic game for Game Gear is on there. So don't don't panic. Don't panic, because you could play that if you need to. Just not the one you want. Just chemical zone on there.

SPEAKER_00 2:20:20

That would look on that screen.

SPEAKER_05 2:20:25

I mean, yeah. I I I on the other one I've got, it's got it on, but it's as good as you know it is. But this one for some reason That's annoying. Only half the ROM list has been added to the thing. It's pure laser. Yes. You get what you pay for, all right?

SPEAKER_00 2:20:43

Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 2:20:44

What I should have done is pay 300 quid and got bad bigster on the phone. Yeah. Instead, I chose to show, throw money at a drop shipping store. Yep. Don't be like me. And if you've learned anything from this video, you're better than me, you're doing better than me, you're thriving, you're surviving, and you're one of life's winners. Uh if you've got this far, hit subscribe. If you've already done it, don't unsubscribe yourself. Just if you haven't, though, just click it. And if you get really lazy, it's gonna pop up at the end of the show. Hit it then in the moment of panic. Like, oh god, what did I do? I didn't dirty. I'm gonna subscribe. Commit.

unknown 2:21:20

Okay?

SPEAKER_05 2:21:20

Because you see so many people you watch, you don't subscribe. But then you come back again the week later. Make it easy for yourself. Yep. That's it. I'm not gonna say bell on notification, blah, blah, blah. Just just do it. All right, with a silent but violent kind. We'll just appear and we'll do on the show on Sunday morning. Then I'll like on Wednesday afternoon. We'll spring you in, we go like one bit of flashback, brother. Yeah, that's what we're all about. And that's all we have time for this week, listen. As always, thank you for your time. We look forward to the pleasure of speaking to you again next week. Until then, happy gaming. And remember, there's nothing wrong with being given the unofficial controller. It's what you do with it, the chaos. See you all, GT.