Best Games of 2024 (So Far) And Anger Foot Review | GI Show

<v Speaker 1>What is going on? Everybody? Welcome to the Game Informer Show,
<v Speaker 1>a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us
<v Speaker 1>every Thursday for a discussion of the latest gaming news, reviews,
<v Speaker 1>and exclusive reveals, alongside Game Informer staff and special guests
<v Speaker 1>from around the industry. I'm your host today, Alex van Aken,
<v Speaker 1>joined by Marcus Stewart. How are you doing, Marcus?
<v Speaker 2>Feeling good? Proud to be on the longest running episodic
<v Speaker 2>weekly podcast in Game Former history.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's true, that is true. Rounding us out as
<v Speaker 1>always Kyle Hilliard.
<v Speaker 3>As sometimes Kyle as most of the off.
<v Speaker 1>It, with a staff as small as as we are.
<v Speaker 1>You know, we we do what we do.
<v Speaker 2>I thought you're playing a Kyle Hide like an alter
<v Speaker 2>ego this week. This week he's Kyle, but sometimes.
<v Speaker 1>Else sometimes he's more like Jackal.
<v Speaker 3>I'm rapidly googling Garth Brooks's alter.
<v Speaker 2>Jack Is that what you said, Jackal? It was like,
<v Speaker 2>is that his alter ego?
<v Speaker 1>Jackal Jackyl?
<v Speaker 3>Oh Jackyl like doctor Jackyll doctor.
<v Speaker 1>I was like, I'm from the South, all right, I
<v Speaker 1>mispronounced some things.
<v Speaker 2>Sometimes I want to see the Jackal side of Kyle.
<v Speaker 1>Jacqueline Hide, Jack I mean Jekyl, doctor Jack and mister
<v Speaker 1>h k y l l sounds like a j M
<v Speaker 1>for like laughter. I've been jackling all day.
<v Speaker 3>Come on, this is a family show, Alex. We talk
<v Speaker 3>about jackling.
<v Speaker 2>It kind of sounds like Cats the musical because they
<v Speaker 2>say jel jel Yeah, which we all know what Jelico is,
<v Speaker 2>of course. Yeah, stop talking about it.
<v Speaker 1>My favorite character from rudd Racks, Red Racks.
<v Speaker 2>What is wrong with me today?
<v Speaker 1>Rug Rats, the botleg version. I like, I like, I
<v Speaker 1>like rug Rats with someone.
<v Speaker 3>Surely someone sells racks for like to display rugs at
<v Speaker 3>a carpet store, and it's called.
<v Speaker 2>I want to start a rug store just to do that,
<v Speaker 2>and it will just look like the Rugrats logo.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>Well, welcome to the show everybody. Thanks for tuning in.
<v Speaker 1>It's been a busy few weeks for the Game and
<v Speaker 1>former crew. We've got a lot of travel going on.
<v Speaker 1>People are out, as you know. I was out last week,
<v Speaker 1>and I'm sure I'll be out again soon.
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I guess I'm out at the time that
<v Speaker 2>you're listening to this.
<v Speaker 3>That's true.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I'll be away. Yeah, yeah, you'll be away, but
<v Speaker 1>we make it work. Everybody pitches in, puts on a
<v Speaker 1>good show. Thank you for listening everyone, We really appreciate it.
<v Speaker 1>Today on the show, we're going to talk about Big
<v Speaker 1>Topics going to be our our midyear Game of the
<v Speaker 1>Year awards. Marcus came up with this idea. I thought
<v Speaker 1>it was a good idea to revisit kind of our
<v Speaker 1>Game of the Year awards last year and kind of
<v Speaker 1>using that to what do we think about the current
<v Speaker 1>games that we played for the first six months of
<v Speaker 1>this year. So we go through those. That'll be fun.
<v Speaker 1>We're going to chat about Rusty's retirement a bit and
<v Speaker 1>then but first we're going to talk about Angerfoot, which
<v Speaker 1>is a game I have a lot of interest in.
<v Speaker 1>This is the Devolver Digital published game from I believe
<v Speaker 1>Free Lives, which I believe Free Lives is one of
<v Speaker 1>Devolver's secret secret weapons. They're down there and I think
<v Speaker 1>Cape Town, South Africa, I believe, And they worked on
<v Speaker 1>anger Foot, which is really good. They've worked on taror Nil,
<v Speaker 1>They've got a lot going on.
<v Speaker 2>Those are very different games. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so it's it's it's pretty cool and why wait, wait,
<v Speaker 1>I might be wrong. On that hold on.
<v Speaker 2>No, yeah, Tarnell, Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>Okay, yeah yeah yeah.
<v Speaker 2>Gorn yeah, bro Force Genital of course.
<v Speaker 1>Sticking to the stick man. Yeah, I think, like, yeah, yeah,
<v Speaker 1>they're doing their thing. But Marcus, even playing this game,
<v Speaker 1>I played a demo like two Steam x Festigo or
<v Speaker 1>when they first released it and really enjoyed it. But
<v Speaker 1>I you've like played it properly, right.
<v Speaker 2>Oh, I've not only finished it, but as of right
<v Speaker 2>now you can read my review up on the website.
<v Speaker 2>I gave I love this game. Yeah, I gave it
<v Speaker 2>a nine out of ten.
<v Speaker 1>That's awesome. That makes me so excited.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you you brought that up.
<v Speaker 3>I think it was in a morning meeting or something,
<v Speaker 3>and it's like Anger Foot has always looked cool to
<v Speaker 3>me and interesting, but I was surprised when you're like, no, no,
<v Speaker 3>this is like this is getting over the eight cresting
<v Speaker 3>like into the nine zones, which is special.
<v Speaker 2>I think it is. It's it's a game I've had
<v Speaker 2>my eye on two because it's just such a weird,
<v Speaker 2>simple premise of the idea of this's like this first
<v Speaker 2>person game where you just play as this really angry
<v Speaker 2>sneaker head who just kicks things, and that's you're just
<v Speaker 2>going around kicking people and you send them flying, and
<v Speaker 2>that's the game basically, but it is more than that. So,
<v Speaker 2>like the general premise is that you live in this
<v Speaker 2>place called Crime City, and this world everyone is okay,
<v Speaker 2>well it's it's believe it or not. It's actually better
<v Speaker 2>than that that place. Really, yeah, he would have thought,
<v Speaker 2>but no, Michael Madson, No, but everyone is a criminal,
<v Speaker 2>including yourself or some form of deviant and you get
<v Speaker 2>your prized collection of like sneaker stolen by these four
<v Speaker 2>different gangs. There's a game that's just called the Crime Game,
<v Speaker 2>and then there's another gang that's like the Debauchery Gang,
<v Speaker 2>and one is the Business Gang, which is like I guess,
<v Speaker 2>like white collar crime. And so you go out to
<v Speaker 2>try to get your shoes back. And the best way
<v Speaker 2>I can describe this game is that it's like a
<v Speaker 2>mix of like Hotline Miami with a bit of Doom okay,
<v Speaker 2>where it's like a first person and you're going into
<v Speaker 2>these worlds or these levels, I should say, and they're
<v Speaker 2>all pretty small, but they're very densely packed, and some
<v Speaker 2>of them are pretty almost like labyrinthine like they have
<v Speaker 2>like some of them at different levels. Some of them
<v Speaker 2>have like alternate routes you can go and you're just
<v Speaker 2>trying to plow your way through those and kill everybody
<v Speaker 2>in there and reach the exit in one piece. And
<v Speaker 2>if you would like to as quickly as possible, you
<v Speaker 2>don't have to go fast, but there are like optional
<v Speaker 2>rewards for completely getting under like a minute or even
<v Speaker 2>in some cases it'll be like, hey, if you can
<v Speaker 2>finish this thirty seconds, you'll get like a gold star.
<v Speaker 2>So it's like, okay, I could I actually do that?
<v Speaker 2>And I use the hotline Maami comparison specifically because it's
<v Speaker 2>like playing a first person version of that game where
<v Speaker 2>you can go you can die in like one or
<v Speaker 2>two hits, depending on you know what you're getting hit by.
<v Speaker 2>All the enemies have different weapons like guns and other
<v Speaker 2>weird things that they're thrown at you, and you know
<v Speaker 2>you've got your foot that you can just run up
<v Speaker 2>and just kick people and you can send them flying
<v Speaker 2>and it kills them in one hit. So it's about
<v Speaker 2>like just entering a room and seeing like how quickly
<v Speaker 2>can I kill everyone in here before they can kill me,
<v Speaker 2>and just like it. So it's like constant movement and
<v Speaker 2>just like very like making split second decisions about like Okay,
<v Speaker 2>who's in here, which enemy type is there? Who should
<v Speaker 2>I what's the order of operations to like get in
<v Speaker 2>and out of this room without getting shot? Like should
<v Speaker 2>I take out the shield guy first, or should I
<v Speaker 2>take out the crossbow person up on the perch somehow?
<v Speaker 2>And if they can't shoot me. But then also there's
<v Speaker 2>a gas car gas barrel in here, maybe I just
<v Speaker 2>shoot that and kill everybody and just move on. And
<v Speaker 2>you can also use guns too, despite the name, like
<v Speaker 2>you don't have to just kick everything. You can pick
<v Speaker 2>up all the weapons that the enemies drop, and the
<v Speaker 2>gunplay feels really good. And that's where I kind of
<v Speaker 2>use the Doom comparison, because it's like it's so fast,
<v Speaker 2>like the game's only on PC for now, and it
<v Speaker 2>runs so well, and it's all about just like speed
<v Speaker 2>and just like very quickly like just popping off headshots,
<v Speaker 2>moving on popping off headshots, moving on, blasting them with
<v Speaker 2>a shotgun. And then when you run out of bullets,
<v Speaker 2>you can throw the guns at people and it stuns them.
<v Speaker 2>So that's like a strategy and itself like shoot you shoot,
<v Speaker 2>throw the gun. This guy's done, I'm gonna kick him
<v Speaker 2>in the face, move on, or you can Sometimes a'll
<v Speaker 2>just throw a gun even when has bullets, because sometimes
<v Speaker 2>it's like I don't know, my brain's like it's actually
<v Speaker 2>maybe quicker if I just throw a gun at you
<v Speaker 2>and trying to shoot, yeah, because I don't want to
<v Speaker 2>have to worry about missing bullets. But like it like
<v Speaker 2>more accurate throwing a gun.
<v Speaker 3>Is it in with the hotline man? In comparison? Is
<v Speaker 3>it also a game where you're like dying and restarting
<v Speaker 3>a level often, yes, quickly.
<v Speaker 2>You are dying very quickly and you're starting very quickly.
<v Speaker 2>It's like itawn because when you die, you do start
<v Speaker 2>the stage from the beginning because they're not that long,
<v Speaker 2>which can sting when you're going through like a very
<v Speaker 2>difficult like gauntlet of enemies and you feel like you've
<v Speaker 2>cracked the code, like in Hotlin Mammy, we're like, oh,
<v Speaker 2>I've finally gotten past that weird like choke point or
<v Speaker 2>bottling that I kept getting killed in and now have
<v Speaker 2>this like last room that I haven't quite solved the
<v Speaker 2>like how do I get past this? And then you
<v Speaker 2>die and you got to do it all over again.
<v Speaker 2>But I think the thing that kind of sealed the
<v Speaker 2>deal for me with this game was I never felt
<v Speaker 2>discouraged from trying again, Like every time I died, no
<v Speaker 2>matter how much it sucked, I was always so excited
<v Speaker 2>to jump back in because, on top of it playing
<v Speaker 2>so well, it has just like this fun chaos about
<v Speaker 2>it because we're one every almost everything is destructible, Like
<v Speaker 2>there's such fun destructibility, Like you're kicking, dude, You're like
<v Speaker 2>kicking doors, Like every time you go through a door,
<v Speaker 2>you just kick it off the hinges and send it
<v Speaker 2>flying into whoever'son other side. But there's a strategy there too,
<v Speaker 2>because you can kick it at an angle and send
<v Speaker 2>it like I'm gonna hit the guy that I know
<v Speaker 2>is in the corner of this room, so I'm gonna
<v Speaker 2>kick the door and just kill him immediately. With this,
<v Speaker 2>you can kick like you can break objects with you
<v Speaker 2>can kick gas barrels into things, and like when the
<v Speaker 2>game is just like at its most like just gleefully entertaining,
<v Speaker 2>things are just like breaking up like around you and
<v Speaker 2>exploding around you. Like the this is like a physics
<v Speaker 2>show piece because everything just ragged dolls when you kick it,
<v Speaker 2>whether it's enemies or just like just weird things like
<v Speaker 2>gas can like uh, not even gas, but god like
<v Speaker 2>oxygen tanks that you can kick and it just flying
<v Speaker 2>all over the room and it might kill you. You
<v Speaker 2>don't know. It's just like you just gotta stay away
<v Speaker 2>or it might take somebody out. The enemies can kill
<v Speaker 2>each other too, so you can set them up like that,
<v Speaker 2>like just killing friend yeah, like friendly fire, so like
<v Speaker 2>I kicked people in the path of like incoming projectile
<v Speaker 2>so they could take it for me or stuff like that.
<v Speaker 2>Like there's so many little things to play with, and
<v Speaker 2>there's so much It's one of those games where like
<v Speaker 2>the longer you play, like you can play this pretty mindlessly.
<v Speaker 2>I'm just going to go in a room and kick
<v Speaker 2>and shoot people. But then the more you replay a room,
<v Speaker 2>you start to see the depth of strategy where it's like, actually,
<v Speaker 2>there's more I could do here if I like study
<v Speaker 2>like what's around me. Like this game does a good
<v Speaker 2>job of encouraging you use your surroundings around you. And
<v Speaker 2>even like I mentioned before, with the alternate routes, like
<v Speaker 2>you'll go down one hallway and you'll see like just
<v Speaker 2>a door that maybe takes an alternate hallway that might
<v Speaker 2>put you behind the people that were in front of
<v Speaker 2>you before, so you can like flank people or surprise them,
<v Speaker 2>so then you can kind of like just speed up
<v Speaker 2>your time or just increase your survivability. But then also
<v Speaker 2>when I mentioned before about like completing optional objectives, like
<v Speaker 2>either just finishing the stage, but finishing it either without
<v Speaker 2>dying or taking damage, you're earning these stars that are
<v Speaker 2>used to unlock these kind of like ability granting shoes,
<v Speaker 2>and you can love them. Yeah, and there's these are
<v Speaker 2>like the real game changes because you can only wear
<v Speaker 2>one at a time, and they either have like perks
<v Speaker 2>like oh, you can respawn after die, or like you
<v Speaker 2>can die you prety much get in an extra life
<v Speaker 2>so if you get killed, you'll immediately come back and
<v Speaker 2>keep going, or some of them are like cheat codes,
<v Speaker 2>or like one of them just activates basically big Head
<v Speaker 2>mode for all the enemies. All the enemies have like
<v Speaker 2>giant heads, so it makes it easier to get head
<v Speaker 2>shots in One turns off the gravity, so like everything
<v Speaker 2>including yourself is just floating around you, so you're just
<v Speaker 2>kind of like swimming through stages, kicking people and then
<v Speaker 2>that completely changes the dynamic of how we encounters work.
<v Speaker 2>My maybe my favorite one is when you kick doors,
<v Speaker 2>they explode, So I take that helps so much with
<v Speaker 2>clearing like rooms of enemies. You would just kick the
<v Speaker 2>door down and then it would just explode immediately. It
<v Speaker 2>could kill you too, if maybe the room on the
<v Speaker 2>other side wasn't that big, So you're just taking an
<v Speaker 2>explosion into your face. So but I like the chaos
<v Speaker 2>of like I don't know if this is going to
<v Speaker 2>kill me or not, but I'm gonna do it because
<v Speaker 2>the success rate is generally pretty high. Yeah, So it
<v Speaker 2>just created a really cool incentive. They're like I want
<v Speaker 2>to get some I want to see how many of
<v Speaker 2>these shoes I can unlock it. There's like a I
<v Speaker 2>want to say that I believe there's like there's over
<v Speaker 2>twenty maybe like twenty five ish. But they're all like
<v Speaker 2>fun and they all do weird little things, and like
<v Speaker 2>I tried them all once, and even the ones that
<v Speaker 2>didn't like sing with me in the moment, I would
<v Speaker 2>find like a use for them later on of like
<v Speaker 2>oh this state this shoe that negates fire damage. I'm
<v Speaker 2>in a world where like I'm running into flamethrower enemies
<v Speaker 2>for the first time. Maybe I'll just wear the shoes on.
<v Speaker 2>That's one lest thing that can kill me, and then
<v Speaker 2>I'll combine with just the the stage variety, like they
<v Speaker 2>introduce new like stage gimmicks, whether it's like dodging a
<v Speaker 2>sniper rifle like fire on a rooftop, or there's one
<v Speaker 2>where you're navigating like a busy subway and you're like
<v Speaker 2>hopping across incoming subway trains and trying not to get
<v Speaker 2>run over on top of just trying to kill everyone
<v Speaker 2>and then also trying to manipulate the enemies to get
<v Speaker 2>hit by the trains and they're like popping off the
<v Speaker 2>cars and stuff like that. Like there's there's some really
<v Speaker 2>cool just like variety, and they also don't really repeat
<v Speaker 2>ideas that often either, Like generally, if you see something
<v Speaker 2>like a big thing, they'll do it once, maybe twice,
<v Speaker 2>but they they tend to keep it moving and it's
<v Speaker 2>it's just fun. It's one of those games where you're
<v Speaker 2>just like I'm just like smiling and I'm like this
<v Speaker 2>is just gleeful fun, just carnage, and it plays tight
<v Speaker 2>and it feels just really satisfying. Constantly like everything you do,
<v Speaker 2>whether you're like you're kicking dude. You can kick like
<v Speaker 2>five guys at once if you line them up once
<v Speaker 2>and you just send them flying over a cliff or
<v Speaker 2>just like get like a crossbowman and pale like ten guys,
<v Speaker 2>and like the physics break in ways that doesn't even
<v Speaker 2>feel like a bug, or if it is a bug,
<v Speaker 2>that it feels like they were like, ah, keep it
<v Speaker 2>and it makes it fun. Is like enemies will just
<v Speaker 2>go straight like spaghetti moods. Sometimes you just hit them
<v Speaker 2>in such a way or and it just adds to
<v Speaker 2>just the overall chaotic theme at a game. But it
<v Speaker 2>is it is a well made game, Like the design
<v Speaker 2>is really nice. There are times where like some of
<v Speaker 2>the enemy placements a little questionable where it's like I
<v Speaker 2>don't know if I could have gotten through that without
<v Speaker 2>getting hit at all, just because like some enemies will
<v Speaker 2>just be in blind spots that you know. Again, going
<v Speaker 2>back to Hotline Miami, some of the success comes from
<v Speaker 2>like trial and error of like, well, there's no way
<v Speaker 2>I would have known that guy was there to shoot me,
<v Speaker 2>so the first time I'm gonna get killed by them,
<v Speaker 2>But now I know and I can plan for it,
<v Speaker 2>Like there definitely is an element of that which you
<v Speaker 2>know can be annoying, but I kind of let it
<v Speaker 2>mostly slide for this game, because again, every time I died,
<v Speaker 2>I was like it was like that split second of
<v Speaker 2>like damn it, and then like, well I get to
<v Speaker 2>play that cool sequence again. So I'm okay.
<v Speaker 1>Is it?
<v Speaker 2>Is it hard?
<v Speaker 3>Because like Hotline, Miammy is a game that I've neither
<v Speaker 3>of the games I was able to ever finish. I
<v Speaker 3>kind of just lost traction because it just became too
<v Speaker 3>challenging at a certain point.
<v Speaker 2>It is. It is hard. It is, And I will
<v Speaker 2>say it gets hard quicker than you think, Like I
<v Speaker 2>would say within the first like world, because there's worlds
<v Speaker 2>and each world has about fifteen levels, and I'd say
<v Speaker 2>even by like halfway through the first world, you're you're
<v Speaker 2>gonna be like, oh man, I'm dying a lot. And
<v Speaker 2>maybe that's you know, you're getting used to the flow
<v Speaker 2>of the game too. But there were sequence or there
<v Speaker 2>were multiple levels where I was like, I'm on, I've
<v Speaker 2>been on this for half hour. Like this level I
<v Speaker 2>can get through like under a minute. I've been stuck
<v Speaker 2>on it for a half hour. Yeah, I mean that's
<v Speaker 2>not a bad thing necessarily. I was just just curious
<v Speaker 2>what to expect if I dive into this thing, you know. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>and it again, I think the challenge is like the
<v Speaker 2>challenge was always my fault. Like every time I died,
<v Speaker 2>I was like, Okay, I know what I should do different,
<v Speaker 2>and then you fall into the trap of making the
<v Speaker 2>same mistakes agags, you either forget what you said you
<v Speaker 2>were going to do this time or just like stuff
<v Speaker 2>like that. Like it was like it was always like
<v Speaker 2>I could identify, like, Okay, I know what I have
<v Speaker 2>to do here. I just have to to execute, okay,
<v Speaker 2>and then once you nail it, you're like, all right,
<v Speaker 2>I did, and it feels like a genuine accomplishment. But yes,
<v Speaker 2>it is. It is a challenging game, but it's a
<v Speaker 2>challenge that I enjoyed for the most part. And yeah,
<v Speaker 2>it was it's fun, man, It is a It is
<v Speaker 2>a fun game.
<v Speaker 1>That's awesome. Yeah, I I really want to play it.
<v Speaker 2>Said, right, yes, I watch. Yeah, Yeah, I don't know
<v Speaker 2>what the platform plans are beyond that.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well didn't taror Nill was just PC at first, right,
<v Speaker 1>Yeah that sounds right. Came later, Yeah, that that's super cool.
<v Speaker 2>I am.
<v Speaker 1>I love that you loved it so much because it's
<v Speaker 1>one of those ones we're like, man, I really hope
<v Speaker 1>this pans out because the idea is super cool.
<v Speaker 2>Uh.
<v Speaker 1>And just hearing how they implement like shoe culture into
<v Speaker 1>this game that's all about kicking people, it just like
<v Speaker 1>makes total sense.
<v Speaker 2>But is that what shoe culture's about?
<v Speaker 1>No, but I mean like anger foot Let's yeah, it's
<v Speaker 1>just like it. It makes sense within that world. Uh,
<v Speaker 1>and it and it it kind of elevates, uh, elevates
<v Speaker 1>the mechanics as well, because it's like, oh, they're sneaker
<v Speaker 1>heads and you can do new sneakers to get new effects.
<v Speaker 1>That's super cool, I think, And I really want to
<v Speaker 1>play it really bad.
<v Speaker 2>The only thing I'm surprised that this game doesn't have
<v Speaker 2>is like a leaderboard system, because this feels like something
<v Speaker 2>like a Neon White where it's like you want to
<v Speaker 2>compare your performance with other players, Like I got through
<v Speaker 2>the stage into thirty seconds, it took no damage to
<v Speaker 2>you know, try to beat that. It's because it's so
<v Speaker 2>it has that speed running element. I'm surprised there isn't
<v Speaker 2>anything like that. I feel like that would have been
<v Speaker 2>a nice touch.
<v Speaker 1>But and how long did you say it took to beat? Uh?
<v Speaker 2>Probably it took me around ten hours.
<v Speaker 1>Oh cool, so pretty meaty.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and maybe you know, I guess depends on how
<v Speaker 2>good you are. But I I kind of flew through
<v Speaker 2>it too, like I didn't replay stages very often, you know,
<v Speaker 2>just and also because I was on a deadline, so
<v Speaker 2>I kept it moving. But yeah, about ten hours.
<v Speaker 1>Awesome. Well, I've been playing a game called Rusty's Retirement.
<v Speaker 1>I bet Marcus has heard of this, have you, Kyle?
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, yeah, I'm familiar with this. It's like a like
<v Speaker 3>a passive kind of farming.
<v Speaker 1>Game, right, yeah, yeah, I've.
<v Speaker 2>Been not confused with a Rusty Rabbit that other Oh.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Rusty's Retirement is the one that plays.
<v Speaker 3>Three D S game with a Rusty character in it
<v Speaker 3>as well, where you could have all it was like
<v Speaker 3>a free to play Nintendo game, actual prices.
<v Speaker 2>It was a dog I think.
<v Speaker 3>But anyway, yeah, this is not those games.
<v Speaker 1>No, no, this is this is in the same little
<v Speaker 1>universe as Haiku the Robot. I think it was like
<v Speaker 1>a metro as a side scroller of some kind, and
<v Speaker 1>that if you've played that game. That character is in
<v Speaker 1>this little game. But I actually want to pull up
<v Speaker 1>the fact sheet real quick so I get the credit
<v Speaker 1>the developer because it's a it's a very small game.
<v Speaker 1>It's mister Morris Games. Uh so it's like this this
<v Speaker 1>game to have, dude. He put out Haiku the Robot
<v Speaker 1>on Switching Steam and now Rusty's Retirement out on Steam.
<v Speaker 1>But it's a little passive gardening kind of farm builder.
<v Speaker 1>It takes up i'd say, I mean, it's on the bottom.
<v Speaker 1>It's been on the bottom of my screen for days,
<v Speaker 1>including right now. It's probably like a fourth of my
<v Speaker 1>screen the bottom of my screen, and the rest is
<v Speaker 1>just my normal desktop. So yeah, it's it's it's a
<v Speaker 1>bit weird in that way because it's playing over top,
<v Speaker 1>but it's almost like an ar experience in a way, right,
<v Speaker 1>Like you're playing this game over top of your normal desktop.
<v Speaker 1>But it's a it's a passive game mostly. You you
<v Speaker 1>start out with the plot of land and you are
<v Speaker 1>slowly building plots to plant seeds, and so you start
<v Speaker 1>off with like wheat, and you get like beats and
<v Speaker 1>lettuce and you know, carrots and onions eventually, and Rusty
<v Speaker 1>is the character that you start with, and he's just
<v Speaker 1>a little little farmer guy. He is processing your food,
<v Speaker 1>he's helping to grow it, and you are slowly building
<v Speaker 1>up two resources biofuel and currency like money. And there
<v Speaker 1>is a little conversion where you can you can convert
<v Speaker 1>biofuel into money. But all those both of those resources
<v Speaker 1>are for like using robots, like you can have you
<v Speaker 1>can have like a watering bot that flies around your
<v Speaker 1>farm and waters things. You can have a harvest bot
<v Speaker 1>which harvests the fully grown plants, and then you can
<v Speaker 1>have like another there's there's a lot of them, right,
<v Speaker 1>and so your biofuel will fuel those those helpers. There's
<v Speaker 1>also other uh you know, things that you can build
<v Speaker 1>on your farm that uses both of those currencies. For instance,
<v Speaker 1>like you can build each of the characters kind of
<v Speaker 1>unlocks a different section, different functionality if you're farm. So
<v Speaker 1>the first one you get is Haiku. That's that's the
<v Speaker 1>robot from the other game. Haiku will help you water
<v Speaker 1>and harvest and build, so just like a general helper.
<v Speaker 1>The next one you can get is Sonnets Shop and
<v Speaker 1>she will sell you decorations for your farm. So if
<v Speaker 1>you want to like spruce it up that sort of thing.
<v Speaker 1>You can unlock that shop, and all of these are
<v Speaker 1>like your choice, they aren't you know, they don't have
<v Speaker 1>to be an order. These are just the order I
<v Speaker 1>did them in. And then there's one, two, three, four,
<v Speaker 1>five other houses you can unlock. Some of them will
<v Speaker 1>help you get statistics for your farm so you can
<v Speaker 1>better understand, you know, what's going on behind the scenes
<v Speaker 1>if you want to, like mid Max, what's going on
<v Speaker 1>in your farm. Another one will you know, help upgrade
<v Speaker 1>your robots to make them more efficient. Others will like, oh,
<v Speaker 1>you can dig for fossils scattered around the farm, very
<v Speaker 1>like animal crossing in that way, right, and you know,
<v Speaker 1>similar progressions like you are slowly building up your little
<v Speaker 1>plot your uh there's eventually I think you can like
<v Speaker 1>unlock you can expand it. But it's just a little
<v Speaker 1>fun game. I've really enjoyed it. The soundtrack is like
<v Speaker 1>really it reminds me of Minecraft's soundtrack, like that ambient piano,
<v Speaker 1>very relaxing, and so I just keep it on in
<v Speaker 1>the background on It's been on this whole time we've
<v Speaker 1>been podcasting. Yea say, like great music playing.
<v Speaker 2>Honestly, like looking up on Steam like I didn't know
<v Speaker 2>the feature where it just sits at the bottom of
<v Speaker 2>your screen and like the game's actively almost encouraging you to, like, hey,
<v Speaker 2>do other things while this is running. Like we've designed
<v Speaker 2>an interface where it only takes up like a third
<v Speaker 2>of your screen so you can do other things. And
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, I don't know if any other game has
<v Speaker 2>any ever done that. Maybe it's the first time I've
<v Speaker 2>ever seen it, but that's such a good idea. Ye,
<v Speaker 2>Like I'm like hovering over the buy button now, and
<v Speaker 2>also because it's on sale for like five fifty nine,
<v Speaker 2>but I like, oh I want to that sounds like
<v Speaker 2>so nice.
<v Speaker 1>Nice. Yeah, it's it's sort of yeah, yeah, there's definitely
<v Speaker 1>a lot more going on than just that. Yeah, you're
<v Speaker 1>really like you're directing things and then you are essentially
<v Speaker 1>hiring the little workers to do it for you, right,
<v Speaker 1>and so.
<v Speaker 3>You can set you can I was gonna say, that's
<v Speaker 3>my question is like are you making like decisions every
<v Speaker 3>five minutes?
<v Speaker 2>How are you how much are you engaged?
<v Speaker 1>Like right now we've been talking, since we've been talking
<v Speaker 1>about this game, they have harvested one of my little
<v Speaker 1>four by four plots, So right now as we talk,
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna go and plant more radishes. I'm clicking my
<v Speaker 1>radish button right now, and I've just planted all of
<v Speaker 1>my radishes. Oh my corn, I need to plant a
<v Speaker 1>little corn here.
<v Speaker 2>Done.
<v Speaker 1>No, I'm done for another five minutes.
<v Speaker 2>Probably gotcha.
<v Speaker 1>But I on my screen, they're like, I'm watching them,
<v Speaker 1>you know, go and ghost they're watering them right now. Yeah,
<v Speaker 1>my bio fuels going up. Yeah, could you if.
<v Speaker 2>You play your cards right just a point where you
<v Speaker 2>almost never have to touch it?
<v Speaker 1>Like, I don't know, I haven't gotten that far.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, can you do like Final Fantasy Gambit system of
<v Speaker 2>like I got my gam so on point that I
<v Speaker 2>barely have to touch the controller? Eight they got it?
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I don't. I don't know. It definitely seems to
<v Speaker 1>be like that. There's like one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
<v Speaker 1>There's like there's seven I would say content menus where
<v Speaker 1>it's like each of these seven tabs has a different function,
<v Speaker 1>and I've got three of them that still haven't been unlocked.
<v Speaker 1>And then there's like a another tab or you can
<v Speaker 1>it has all your characters on there that that help
<v Speaker 1>you and you can adjust their behavior. So for instance, Rusty,
<v Speaker 1>I have his order. His order is the default order
<v Speaker 1>that he comes with when the game starts. So his
<v Speaker 1>first priority is to move things. Then his second priority
<v Speaker 1>is to build things, then to collect biofuel, then harvest,
<v Speaker 1>than water and then for Haiku, I've got Haiku kind
<v Speaker 1>of the opposite. Haiku's first priority is to water things,
<v Speaker 1>then harvest, then move, then bio fuel, then build. And
<v Speaker 1>I don't know if so far I only have two
<v Speaker 1>characters that let me kind of do that. I don't
<v Speaker 1>know if that's like it's not a large game, so
<v Speaker 1>that might be the extent of that. But like on
<v Speaker 1>the side, on the left and right sides of my
<v Speaker 1>screen as well, there's oh, I see the button now,
<v Speaker 1>So if I get six thousand coins, I can clear
<v Speaker 1>a bunch of space on this farm to be able
<v Speaker 1>to do I guess, build more things. So but it's fun,
<v Speaker 1>it's cool. I'm enjoying it a lot. Like Marcus said,
<v Speaker 1>it's pretty cheap on Steam five bucks or so. I
<v Speaker 1>mean for the soundtrack alone, I think it's nice.
<v Speaker 2>So I just added it. And I think you guys
<v Speaker 2>know that I keep a list of like pretty much
<v Speaker 2>my own like evolving goody list of like category and
<v Speaker 2>stuff like just help me remember to revisit when we
<v Speaker 2>get to that. Yeah, and one of my columns is
<v Speaker 2>the best mechanic and I have added the multitask mode
<v Speaker 2>from this game to that because I so love I'm
<v Speaker 2>so in love with that idea. There are several games
<v Speaker 2>that I play regularly and I'm like, and I wish
<v Speaker 2>they had, you know, you had a finangle it your
<v Speaker 2>something like oh, I'll put this on my second screen
<v Speaker 2>or whatever. But it's like, man if Bilato had that
<v Speaker 2>or or something where I'm usually always watching something when
<v Speaker 2>I'm playing those or that'd be pretty good.
<v Speaker 1>So yeah, there's also a focus mode on there. So
<v Speaker 1>in the settings options, there's a focus mode which doubles
<v Speaker 1>the production time of all the things in the game.
<v Speaker 1>So if you're playing the game a little too much
<v Speaker 1>and you're getting distracted, you can click back button and
<v Speaker 1>it will take longer to do things, so you're checking
<v Speaker 1>in less.
<v Speaker 2>That's cool, like that idea, like you're doing way too
<v Speaker 2>much slow down. Yeah, yeah, that kind of game. Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, there's a you can like customize like how big
<v Speaker 1>the taskbar is, how big a sidebar is. You can
<v Speaker 1>select it so it's always on top of your applications
<v Speaker 1>or not if you want to cover it up, like
<v Speaker 1>if you open certain things. Yeah, it's cool, pretty robust,
<v Speaker 1>little little toy here that we got, so I recommend it.
<v Speaker 1>Check it out Rusty's retirement. But I guess that's all
<v Speaker 1>the game, that's all the things we've had.
<v Speaker 2>It's a light it's a light week. Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I I could say like I've kind of
<v Speaker 1>bounced around on things lately, like just looking at my steam.
<v Speaker 2>You know.
<v Speaker 1>I've played a little more super Vibe. I talked about
<v Speaker 1>that a couple of weeks ago. There's been betas for
<v Speaker 1>that that I've been playing. I've really been enjoying that.
<v Speaker 1>But I kind of just been bouncing off of a
<v Speaker 1>lot of stuff I've been playing. It's mostly been playing Fortnite,
<v Speaker 1>sadly to say, despite all the great games out I
<v Speaker 1>just yeah, so having a little game that's that's uh,
<v Speaker 1>some something new like rust of his retirement, but is chill.
<v Speaker 1>It is nice.
<v Speaker 2>I've been using this sort of like low lever in
<v Speaker 2>for the summer to try to finish the games that
<v Speaker 2>I started earlier in the year, which are pretty much
<v Speaker 2>all the gigantic RPGs that all came out at the
<v Speaker 2>same time. Like I've been playing Final Fantasy Rebirth and
<v Speaker 2>have been making good progress there and then and like
<v Speaker 2>Stellar Blade, which I never got to finish either. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>so I'm trying to like use this before we get
<v Speaker 2>to the falls. There's like big stuff like Dragon Age
<v Speaker 2>and Avowed and then a few other things that's like.
<v Speaker 3>A little window here, right.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Yeah, that's like let's just grab it by the neck.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, one site all the juice that My plan is
<v Speaker 3>once I finish elden Ring, which I am on the
<v Speaker 3>Final Bots, I'm going to go back to Persona three reload,
<v Speaker 3>which I am about like twelve hours in or something
<v Speaker 3>like I'm really I'm trying to do. I want to
<v Speaker 3>do Yakuza, Final Fantasy and Persona this year. That's like
<v Speaker 3>my is to do all three of those. I'm so
<v Speaker 3>jealous that you've done Final Fantasy and Yakuza.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah two out of three so far. Yeah, Yakuza, I'm
<v Speaker 2>like further or like I've put less time into than
<v Speaker 2>Final I've committed to Final Fantasy first and then going
<v Speaker 2>back to to like a Dragon, So yeah, we'll see
<v Speaker 2>you're doing it wrong.
<v Speaker 3>I just I'm already not to spoiler, not to spoil
<v Speaker 3>our conversation about our favorite games of the year so far.
<v Speaker 1>But yeah, let's let's go ahead and get into that topic.
<v Speaker 1>So yeah, like I said, Marcus had a good idea
<v Speaker 1>to do our middle mid Year Geet Midyear Goaty awards.
<v Speaker 2>Say right, yeah, I mean the idea behind this, and
<v Speaker 2>I I feel like this is our like an abridged
<v Speaker 2>version of what it would sound like if we actually
<v Speaker 2>recorded our Game into Year conversations. Okay, uh, because you know,
<v Speaker 2>I enjoy listening to those talks from like other outlets,
<v Speaker 2>so we don't do that for our own reasons and
<v Speaker 2>a lot of work. But I figar like, hey, you know,
<v Speaker 2>it's we're over mid year. Technically, let's check in where
<v Speaker 2>are we at exactly what people are liking, and it's
<v Speaker 2>seeing what everyone's Game of the Year list is. And
<v Speaker 2>then this will give like the viewers a glimpse into
<v Speaker 2>maybe how we determine our categories. I mean, obviously we
<v Speaker 2>do when we really do it. We have the full
<v Speaker 2>editorial staff and it goes on for hours and hours
<v Speaker 2>over multiple meetings, but like this is like the samper
<v Speaker 2>version of it. There's only three of us here, right,
<v Speaker 2>It's like not nothing set in stone here, but just
<v Speaker 2>more than just the opinions of us three, right, I
<v Speaker 2>guess exactly. And it will be interesting to see if
<v Speaker 2>anything that we say today winds up sticking when we
<v Speaker 2>do get to November December, and then we can say
<v Speaker 2>that we called it the three of us only.
<v Speaker 3>I mean we are a vote, you know, part of
<v Speaker 3>the voting body, so it won't be that.
<v Speaker 2>We can't influence that.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah. Yeah, I also liked your idea, Marcus, of using
<v Speaker 3>like our our categories that we ended up on last year,
<v Speaker 3>which are categories always shift and move year to year.
<v Speaker 3>There's a couple that will there's a lot that will
<v Speaker 3>be consistent forever in theory, but there's a we will
<v Speaker 3>we will make new categories and delete old categories depending
<v Speaker 3>on what the year looked like, you know.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and I just grab some like if you guys
<v Speaker 2>want to throw anything that we did last year that
<v Speaker 2>that isn't here, feel free. But yeah, we can jump right.
<v Speaker 2>Should we start with the big one with everyone's current
<v Speaker 2>game of the year. Do we want to start there
<v Speaker 2>or do you want to work up to that?
<v Speaker 3>I maybe work up to I actually wasn't ready for
<v Speaker 3>it to I don't know.
<v Speaker 1>If I pull up my app.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. See, this is why I keep this list because
<v Speaker 2>I actually I have every I have a list of
<v Speaker 2>every game I've beaten in every game I've played in
<v Speaker 2>general this year.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah see, I have a list I've been curating since
<v Speaker 3>two thousand and nine of every game I've ever beaten.
<v Speaker 3>Same but I don't put years on there. I just
<v Speaker 3>it's an alphabetical list, ordered by console, of every game
<v Speaker 3>I've ever been Okay, yeah, which I which I accidentally
<v Speaker 3>deleted once in my Google drive like a year ago,
<v Speaker 3>but I found it in like the deleted files I was.
<v Speaker 2>It was.
<v Speaker 3>It was a scary moment in my life that I
<v Speaker 3>almost lost that file. I make I make backups.
<v Speaker 2>Now, well what if we if well, how about we
<v Speaker 2>saved Gody for last and we start with like genres
<v Speaker 2>like best genre. Let's do Yeah, I was all right,
<v Speaker 2>how about this, We'll start with best action game. What
<v Speaker 2>do you guys think is the best action game of
<v Speaker 2>the year so far? Because right off the bat, I'm
<v Speaker 2>gonna throw in there it's for me, it's either anger
<v Speaker 2>Foot and I'm I'm gonna be hesitant there because I
<v Speaker 2>could consider that a shooter too. Yeah, if we divide those.
<v Speaker 2>But also I think Stellar Blade is a serious contender
<v Speaker 2>and there I really like the combat in Stellar Blade.
<v Speaker 3>I think it's Stellar Blade for me even over this
<v Speaker 3>might be highly controversial, but like I think elden Ring
<v Speaker 3>Shout of the ar Tree is certainly allowed to enter
<v Speaker 3>all these categories. But I like Stellar Blades combat and
<v Speaker 3>action more than I like elden Rings. I the thing
<v Speaker 3>that I love about elder Ring is exploring and that world, sure,
<v Speaker 3>you know, and Stellar Blades world is kind of whatever.
<v Speaker 3>It's it's it's interesting, but it's mostly forgettable. But like,
<v Speaker 3>I had a lot more satisfying action moments in Stellar
<v Speaker 3>Blades so far this year, so I would lean Stellar
<v Speaker 3>Blade myself.
<v Speaker 1>Are we counting early access for Hades too? Are now?
<v Speaker 2>Sure?
<v Speaker 1>I mean that would be mine.
<v Speaker 2>Early access is bigger than the base finished Hades one
<v Speaker 2>for me. That's a good call. I didn't think about
<v Speaker 2>Hades that's who.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean, I have not. I don't really like
<v Speaker 3>playing early access games. And it's funny that that that
<v Speaker 3>metric that people use mark as I hear a lot
<v Speaker 3>of like, hey, Hades two is early access, but it
<v Speaker 3>already has more content than Haites one, And I'm like,
<v Speaker 3>I don't care if it's eight times as long. If
<v Speaker 3>it doesn't have a conclusion, I don't want to start
<v Speaker 3>the race, you know, like I just don't want to.
<v Speaker 3>I don't want to start running the marathon if it
<v Speaker 3>ends at you know, like two miles before it's supposed to.
<v Speaker 2>You know, it has a conclusion. It's just a big
<v Speaker 2>sign that says, come back later when we've made more stuff.
<v Speaker 3>Oh, and you know what I do. That's I love
<v Speaker 3>when films have that at the end of them. You know,
<v Speaker 3>it's like alias, like we're actually going to cut the
<v Speaker 3>credits early and you know we'll come back to it.
<v Speaker 3>But yeah, So I have only given Hades to like
<v Speaker 3>an hour with the intention of just like giving this
<v Speaker 3>a shot. I'm not really committing to this, And in
<v Speaker 3>that like one hour, I was struggling to get a
<v Speaker 3>handle on the combat because it is a lot different
<v Speaker 3>from Hades one. So it rubbed me the wrong way
<v Speaker 3>a little bit. But that's that's me also acknowledging I
<v Speaker 3>just need to learn it, Like I just need to
<v Speaker 3>figure out what's different about it and embrace it. You know,
<v Speaker 3>I think if we lead this to a vote, as
<v Speaker 3>we do in our real discussions, I think I might
<v Speaker 3>still lean Stellar Blade only because I feel like and
<v Speaker 3>and maybe correct me if I'm wrong, but like, I
<v Speaker 3>feel like we never really count early access titles in
<v Speaker 3>a lot of these categories.
<v Speaker 2>Generally we don't. Am I misremembering? Okay, yeah, I mean
<v Speaker 2>we can. We can that vision for the purpose change that. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>we do. We that's true.
<v Speaker 1>But you know a game that I really like that's
<v Speaker 1>an action game, I would say Astro Duel too, would
<v Speaker 1>be in the conversation for me. Yeah, I haven't played
<v Speaker 1>Stellar Blade or I haven't started Eldon Ring yet, so
<v Speaker 1>uh yeah, so I'm pretty limited on the action category.
<v Speaker 1>But it sounds like Stellar Blade is the front runner
<v Speaker 1>for for the purposes of this conversation, let's.
<v Speaker 2>Lock it is to their temporary reward. I guess this
<v Speaker 2>is like, don't hold it for I'll get don't you
<v Speaker 2>can hold it?
<v Speaker 1>You can you can hold money when we're doing our
<v Speaker 1>game of the year category, or is will like bold
<v Speaker 1>certain things to come back to, or like oh that's
<v Speaker 1>a lock for sure, or that's got a it's not
<v Speaker 1>for sure in but it's above others in this conversation.
<v Speaker 1>So it's yeah, right, what's X Marcus.
<v Speaker 2>Let's do best RPG because that is going to be
<v Speaker 2>that is already a competitive category and we're only halfway
<v Speaker 2>through the year.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean big, big ones to shout out at
<v Speaker 1>the start. Uh, Dragon's Dogma two Persona three Yakuza or
<v Speaker 1>like a Dragon rather Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Paper, Mario.
<v Speaker 1>I really need to play that paper.
<v Speaker 2>Mario Unicorn. Oh for lord, yeah, I forget. Technically that's
<v Speaker 2>more strategy, but it's also.
<v Speaker 3>Ye yeah, yeah, I I my, I have my answer
<v Speaker 3>with the bullet.
<v Speaker 2>I know which one stands out for me?
<v Speaker 3>Oh yeah, yeah, it's like a Dragon like that that
<v Speaker 3>has been That has been my favorite. Not to get
<v Speaker 3>ahead of ourselves here, but probably my favorite game of
<v Speaker 3>the year so far.
<v Speaker 2>Favorite RPG.
<v Speaker 3>I like the speed of the combat in that game,
<v Speaker 3>and like I always was enjoying the combat. But there's
<v Speaker 3>another RPG in that list that you just mentioned, Alex,
<v Speaker 3>where sometimes I would get kind of annoyed with the combat.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, which one is?
<v Speaker 2>It's a rebirth.
<v Speaker 3>The rebirth would kind of uh grade on me sometimes
<v Speaker 3>and get frustrating unnecessarily but I really like A Dragon
<v Speaker 3>is my personal.
<v Speaker 2>Favorite RPG so far this year. Yeah, you know what,
<v Speaker 2>I think, I'll I'll hop on that train because I
<v Speaker 2>I I've played enough like A Drive, Like I'm several
<v Speaker 2>chapters into it, and I do love like they they
<v Speaker 2>have like perfected that system from what I've played so far,
<v Speaker 2>Like whatever rough edges were in that first game are
<v Speaker 2>pretty much gone, and they've made it better with the
<v Speaker 2>way you can lie, you can like purposely line people
<v Speaker 2>up and like knock them into things or into your
<v Speaker 2>your teammates in really fun ways. And also just beyond
<v Speaker 2>the combat, just like the RPGs of like you know,
<v Speaker 2>assembling your party and kidding them out and doing all
<v Speaker 2>the open world side stuff is so much fun. And
<v Speaker 2>I haven't even like I haven't even unlocked the like
<v Speaker 2>animal crossing stuff, so I still haven't even seen everything
<v Speaker 2>in the game like has to offer on like that
<v Speaker 2>in And I do like Rebirth a lot and I'm
<v Speaker 2>enjoying it. But yeah, yeah, because again from what I've
<v Speaker 2>played of it, I'm like, yeah, and again I'm only
<v Speaker 2>committing to finishing Rebirth first because I'm just further along
<v Speaker 2>and it's it just makes sense. It's also the more
<v Speaker 2>spoilable one, you know what I mean? Yeah, I don't care. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>like I've that's probably the real motivation. Like I've not
<v Speaker 2>been spoiled about the ending. I just know that people
<v Speaker 2>seem torn on it. So I'm just trying to just
<v Speaker 2>get to it as quickly and thoroughly as a can.
<v Speaker 2>So I think i'll i'll co sign Like a Dragon A.
<v Speaker 2>Do you feel strongly in any direction, Alex Or have
<v Speaker 2>you not played a lot of the RPGs this here?
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I've played a good amount of Persona three.
<v Speaker 1>I really liked it. I haven't finished any of the
<v Speaker 1>major ones. Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm planning to sew
<v Speaker 1>just for context. I'm I have two goals for the
<v Speaker 1>end of the year. One is to beat Like Dragon,
<v Speaker 1>which requires me to start it, but I want to
<v Speaker 1>beat that by the end of the year. And I
<v Speaker 1>want to beat metaphor Refantasio. Oh those are my two
<v Speaker 1>RPGs on my list this year. There's a couple of
<v Speaker 1>other smaller ones that are kind of rpg ish, like
<v Speaker 1>on that list, maybe right that you, Yeah, I need
<v Speaker 1>to buy it because I didn't get a code.
<v Speaker 2>We might talk about paper Mario in another category.
<v Speaker 1>So it's all right interesting. There's a lot of weirder
<v Speaker 1>games that came out this year that like what category
<v Speaker 1>does this fit in? There's a lot of games I've
<v Speaker 1>been enjoying, like small all our things. Uh, you know,
<v Speaker 1>obviously we'll get into like Balatro and stuff like that
<v Speaker 1>and uh Pacific Drive. Yeah, Summer House. There's been there's
<v Speaker 1>been some cool things. I'm looking through my steam play
<v Speaker 1>right now.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I'm trying to avoid like, I mean, we don't
<v Speaker 2>do this anyway usually, like but I don't want to
<v Speaker 2>be like, oh, just indies.
<v Speaker 1>It's like, oh that's yeah, yeah, a thousand extrasists I
<v Speaker 1>want to finish.
<v Speaker 2>Oh right, yeah, which that's more of like a visual novel.
<v Speaker 1>Whatever cryptomaster, Like what would that fit into? You know,
<v Speaker 1>there's a lot of cool games coming out, but.
<v Speaker 2>Technically at RPG like a dungeon crawler and into something
<v Speaker 2>just from what I've played of it. But yeah, I
<v Speaker 2>think so are you for for the RPG specifically? Are
<v Speaker 2>you what was? Where are you all at like a
<v Speaker 2>dragon like a dragon camp?
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, okay, I'm down with that. I mean, I I
<v Speaker 1>feel like I'm out of that conver station mostly just
<v Speaker 1>based on what I've played. I'd probably give it to
<v Speaker 1>Persona because nothing else is really contesting it for me.
<v Speaker 1>But I don't like it enough to try to go
<v Speaker 1>to bat. Yeah, like not that I don't like it,
<v Speaker 1>but like I'm I wasn't in love with it. Like
<v Speaker 1>I really liked the social sim stuff, I like the setting.
<v Speaker 1>I didn't love the dungeons in that one. So I'm
<v Speaker 1>really looking forward to Metaphor. And I've said this on
<v Speaker 1>the show before. I want to play Persona five Royal
<v Speaker 1>for the custom built dungeons, like the handmade dungeons, right, rather.
<v Speaker 2>Than the randomization.
<v Speaker 1>It's just like, not that it doesn't do much for me there.
<v Speaker 1>I think if that piece was different in Persona three,
<v Speaker 1>I probably would have stuck with it and beat it
<v Speaker 1>because I was really enjoying everything else about it. But
<v Speaker 1>but yeah, I think I think y'all have a good
<v Speaker 1>pick there.
<v Speaker 2>We did. We're doing a Kyle well this if I've
<v Speaker 2>thrown down the list, this next one I think is
<v Speaker 2>more of an Alex category than me, at least I don't. Yeah, yeah,
<v Speaker 2>I mean honestly, so I was gonna the next is
<v Speaker 2>best shooter? Should we just like wrap this up and
<v Speaker 2>give it the hell divers and just move on.
<v Speaker 1>No, no, we shouldn't. No, okay, okay, no, no, we
<v Speaker 1>definitely shouldn't because.
<v Speaker 2>Come out so far.
<v Speaker 1>Well you know this is the curse by the December
<v Speaker 1>release the Finals, which came out before our right after
<v Speaker 1>our end of year conversations last year.
<v Speaker 2>That's right. I remember we had a discussion, but do
<v Speaker 2>we We weren't sure Whinning was coming out.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it was allowed to be on It was on.
<v Speaker 2>Early it was in early access at that point, but
<v Speaker 2>I think it was.
<v Speaker 1>Allowed to be on personal lists or whatever. But we
<v Speaker 1>said we would revisit it next year. This year, and
<v Speaker 1>let me tell you, I've been playing the Finals all year.
<v Speaker 1>It is such a good place. They've continually added new modes,
<v Speaker 1>new weapons. They've they've added this new UH. One of
<v Speaker 1>the characters has like a spear and a grappling hook
<v Speaker 1>that you can hook people with or you can like
<v Speaker 1>pull the UH for for reference. The Finals. Have you missed?
<v Speaker 1>It came out in December at the Game Awards at
<v Speaker 1>like the I think it came out like right after
<v Speaker 1>the Game Awards. It's stealth dropped and it's like an
<v Speaker 1>it's it's a very uh man. I haven't talked to
<v Speaker 1>talk about the finals in a while. It's a team
<v Speaker 1>based shooter where like all of the classes are split
<v Speaker 1>into different body types, and so you've got the small
<v Speaker 1>guy that's won the medium in the heavy and they
<v Speaker 1>all play a different role, and you are vying for
<v Speaker 1>these cash boxes around this map, this ever changing map
<v Speaker 1>because it's got like the it's got physics based destruction
<v Speaker 1>and like, let me tell you, you can raise these
<v Speaker 1>levels to the ground. And the fights and the the
<v Speaker 1>emergent moments that this game offers are so fun. Me
<v Speaker 1>and Leovader play it a lot, and I think I've
<v Speaker 1>put like fifty hours into it this year. I've really
<v Speaker 1>loved it, and I think the player base is kind
<v Speaker 1>of like I think it's still pretty solid, Like I
<v Speaker 1>never have issues getting getting matches. But they've added in
<v Speaker 1>like really cool new modes, like I said, a lot
<v Speaker 1>of new maps and characters. They've added in, like new
<v Speaker 1>weather they like. There's certain one of the cool things
<v Speaker 1>about this game is there are a lot of level modifiers.
<v Speaker 1>So this is this Las Vegas map where sometimes you're
<v Speaker 1>in like this Las Vegas strip and sometimes it's the
<v Speaker 1>Sandstorm version where everything's just covered in sand dunes because
<v Speaker 1>it's kind of set in the future and just like
<v Speaker 1>you know, climate change.
<v Speaker 2>I remember seeing that, Clay. I've only played this game
<v Speaker 2>once and it is with you out.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that is my number one shooter with a bullet
<v Speaker 1>this year. I do think like Hell Divers two is
<v Speaker 1>a good multiplayer game. It is a fun shooter as well.
<v Speaker 1>I think a lot of the moments in that weren't
<v Speaker 1>necessarily because I don't know. I don't want to disparage
<v Speaker 1>Hell Divers. It's a good game, but for my pick,
<v Speaker 1>as far as a shooter goes, like, the finals is
<v Speaker 1>what I've continually gone back to, even amidst playing Hell Divers.
<v Speaker 1>You know, I go back and play more finals.
<v Speaker 3>Well, Alex, I'm sorry to break this to you. I'm sorry.
<v Speaker 3>This is how you learn. But two out of three
<v Speaker 3>of us have beaten a shooter this year, and since
<v Speaker 3>it just it wins by default because Marcus and I
<v Speaker 3>have beaten it. And of course it's Suicide Squad killed
<v Speaker 3>Justice League.
<v Speaker 2>Sorry.
<v Speaker 3>I was looking down the list, I was like, what
<v Speaker 3>shooters have I played this year? And I was like,
<v Speaker 3>oh my gosh, truly suicide squad. It's like the only
<v Speaker 3>shooter I've played and beaten this year. The game is
<v Speaker 3>The game is many things, and I guess a shooter
<v Speaker 3>is one of them. No, I like, I think, I
<v Speaker 3>like the finals. I think that's a good a good pick.
<v Speaker 2>You know I will like. And I say that I
<v Speaker 2>have not played nearly enough Hell Divers, like I've played
<v Speaker 2>a couple sessions, but not nearly as much as I
<v Speaker 2>should or would like. But I did play that one
<v Speaker 2>night with you, Alex in the finals, and it was
<v Speaker 2>very impressive what I played. I only stuck with it
<v Speaker 2>because I'm not the biggest multiplayer guy in general, but
<v Speaker 2>for what I played, if it like everything you described,
<v Speaker 2>I was like, oh, this is like really cool. Like
<v Speaker 2>the destructibility in a game I think is super impressive.
<v Speaker 1>And also the way that they let me. I wish
<v Speaker 1>I could boot up the game to double check. I'm
<v Speaker 1>pretty sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because I've done this. They
<v Speaker 1>also have like some very like consumer friendly practices with
<v Speaker 1>their live service. So if you unlock a battle pass,
<v Speaker 1>am I right in that? No, I'm wrong in that.
<v Speaker 1>I'm wrong in that that's Halo that lets you keep
<v Speaker 1>your battle path after and continue it. But I do
<v Speaker 1>really like the cosmetics in The Finals, and they and
<v Speaker 1>everything's priced pretty fairly. And the cool thing about their
<v Speaker 1>cosmetics is when you buy outfits, each of the pieces
<v Speaker 1>like your head, your chest, your bottoms, your wrists, whatever,
<v Speaker 1>can mostly be mixed and matched with any other costume,
<v Speaker 1>and so you get like these cool like, yeah, it's
<v Speaker 1>just just fun. And they've they've supported the game really well.
<v Speaker 1>There will have been a lot of content and yeah,
<v Speaker 1>I just I I know that game is going to
<v Speaker 1>get buried by Hell Divers too, but I think it's
<v Speaker 1>it's my favorite. The Finals is my favorite shooter. I
<v Speaker 1>think the I think Hell Divers will maybe be on
<v Speaker 1>my top ten.
<v Speaker 2>Do you think you'll maintain this to the end of
<v Speaker 2>the year, like this is still the best, like of
<v Speaker 2>all the shooters still yet to come this year, you
<v Speaker 2>think this.
<v Speaker 1>Will There's a couple that I'm interested in. I think
<v Speaker 1>Wild Bastards. It's a single player shooter, but it's the
<v Speaker 1>follow up to Void Bastards, and I played the demo
<v Speaker 1>of that and really liked it. But that almost strikes
<v Speaker 1>me as more of like a action game rather than shooter.
<v Speaker 1>I don't know. There's a lot of systems going on there.
<v Speaker 2>I don't like that.
<v Speaker 1>We Yeah, it's gonna be tough.
<v Speaker 2>About shooters can only be dumb and simple.
<v Speaker 1>I'm saying Wild Bastards has a lot of other things
<v Speaker 1>going on.
<v Speaker 3>It transcends just shooter, right, It's kind of.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm also keeping my eye on Call
<v Speaker 1>of Duty. I guess, but I uh and I guess there.
<v Speaker 1>I don't know if you want to count it as
<v Speaker 1>a shooter Buckshot Roulette, I wouldn't say it is, but
<v Speaker 1>it does feature a shot. And have y'all seen this game.
<v Speaker 1>It's very inscription coded.
<v Speaker 3>Okay, like it kind of looks like, uh, this is
<v Speaker 3>like a horror game. Oh interesting, I was thinking it
<v Speaker 3>was like a deer Hunter kind of thing.
<v Speaker 2>Oh yes, I have seen this, okay, yeah, yes, this
<v Speaker 2>is this came out.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah yeah, it's out now for two dollars.
<v Speaker 2>It's got positive Oh I should check this out. Let's
<v Speaker 2>just bite us because it's only two dollars. Yeah, but
<v Speaker 2>positive reviews. I'm good with that.
<v Speaker 3>I like the finals as being our best shooter on
<v Speaker 3>this unofficial list. That could change in any of.
<v Speaker 1>You know, I think I'm gonna get like when we
<v Speaker 1>do the whole game. In former staff, I have a
<v Speaker 1>feeling I'm gonna lose to hell Divers.
<v Speaker 3>To you, now, I don't know if there's like a
<v Speaker 3>lot of I think I think West likes hell Divers,
<v Speaker 3>but I don't know if there's like a lot of
<v Speaker 3>devoted hell Divers.
<v Speaker 1>Okay, because I will go to Bachelor finals.
<v Speaker 2>I think it's you and you and West.
<v Speaker 1>They are going to get into a fist fight if
<v Speaker 1>you're playing, like if you're playing Apex or Siege your
<v Speaker 1>call of duty and you're kind of wanting something new.
<v Speaker 1>And he didn't play the finals, go and play the finals.
<v Speaker 1>It's so good. I love it.
<v Speaker 2>That was That's a longer. It was one of the categories.
<v Speaker 2>I thought it would be like, oh, hell Divers, move
<v Speaker 2>on next.
<v Speaker 3>But yeah, speaking to move on next X Defiant Okay,
<v Speaker 3>So best puzzle.
<v Speaker 2>Is an interesting category. I mean, I have not played
<v Speaker 2>this game, but Loreline it layser eyes for hearing everything
<v Speaker 2>that you've said, Kyle, and everyone I know that I
<v Speaker 2>trust and generally like line up with in terms of taste, Like,
<v Speaker 2>I know I will love this games. I also love
<v Speaker 2>puzzle games. And everything I've heard is like, yeah, I
<v Speaker 2>love everything you're describing to me.
<v Speaker 3>Well, here's there, here's my grenade I'll throw in. There
<v Speaker 3>is Balatro puzzle game.
<v Speaker 2>See.
<v Speaker 3>I was going to bring this up for strategy game
<v Speaker 3>or maybe road. Do we have best road.
<v Speaker 1>Strategy game?
<v Speaker 2>Strategy Belatro is closer to a strategy game. Personally, If
<v Speaker 2>I had to sign it's something.
<v Speaker 3>I'm good with that because I would love to see
<v Speaker 3>Lareli and the Laser Eyes take puzzle because I love
<v Speaker 3>Laura Lyne. The Laser Eyes. The rare instance of a
<v Speaker 3>game that I started.
<v Speaker 1>About Lorli and the Laser Eyes.
<v Speaker 2>You may, is it gonna hurt my feelings?
<v Speaker 1>I'm I'm scared to play it because I think it
<v Speaker 1>looks ugly.
<v Speaker 2>I don't tell you, man, it's got an awesome style.
<v Speaker 1>I need you to tell me that. No, Alex, you're
<v Speaker 1>being dumb. Oh see it in motion and play it.
<v Speaker 1>It's you can look at trailers and see it in motion.
<v Speaker 1>I mean it's it's. It's it's a really cool noir.
<v Speaker 1>It's it's a game that just like exudes mood. It's
<v Speaker 1>just got obviously exaggerating I say it, Yeah, it looks bad.
<v Speaker 3>No, I love the way it's one of the highlights.
<v Speaker 3>For me, it is like exploring that creepy mansion with
<v Speaker 3>that noir black and white style. I really like, is
<v Speaker 3>it a third person or first person? It's third person.
<v Speaker 3>It feels a little it feels like you're playing a
<v Speaker 3>resume of one a little bit right, Like the controls
<v Speaker 3>are better than that, but it's isometric cameras in a
<v Speaker 3>creepy mansion and you're walking around solving puzzles. You're never
<v Speaker 3>in danger.
<v Speaker 2>Well, but I've heard someone say, like it's Resident Evil
<v Speaker 2>without the combat.
<v Speaker 3>It's Resumeal without zombies, with with really cool rewarding puzzles
<v Speaker 3>and and a narrative that sneaks up on you. Like
<v Speaker 3>it's like one of those things that.
<v Speaker 1>Is anyone that I should play by the end of
<v Speaker 1>the year, Like is this It's gonna be a big time.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, absolute, I mean it is a game that I
<v Speaker 3>don't flat out recommend to everybody. It's like if you
<v Speaker 3>don't like puzzles, you know what I mean, Like if
<v Speaker 3>you don't get joy out of Like, oh, I found
<v Speaker 3>this note in this room on the second floor that
<v Speaker 3>like had a clue for how I need to arrange
<v Speaker 3>things in this room downstairs, Like I don't.
<v Speaker 2>I do.
<v Speaker 3>I don't think it's necessarily like flat out for everybody.
<v Speaker 3>But I really liked it, Like I don't I all
<v Speaker 3>of us we are dabblers, right. We start games and
<v Speaker 3>we don't finish them, like that is a big thing
<v Speaker 3>that we do. And this is like a rare instance
<v Speaker 3>of a game that I played like an hour up
<v Speaker 3>and I was like, well, I'm finishing this thing. I
<v Speaker 3>was not assigned to review that game. I loved it
<v Speaker 3>so much that I played it.
<v Speaker 2>And beat it and reviewed it.
<v Speaker 3>And I really, especially as I've been doing this for
<v Speaker 3>as long as I have, I don't do that, you know.
<v Speaker 3>I mean, I'm just like if I if I'm like
<v Speaker 3>I'm not really feeling this game, I piece out because
<v Speaker 3>I got other things to move on to. And Laura,
<v Speaker 3>I really just sung to me, and I really liked
<v Speaker 3>it a lot.
<v Speaker 2>So I will I will co sign your Lorelei enthusiasm,
<v Speaker 2>because well, I can't think of any other big puzzle
<v Speaker 2>game those Botany manner right, which you say like Botany
<v Speaker 2>manor which she thought, God, that's right, that's right. I forgot. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>I didn't really like that. That'll be interesting. I really
<v Speaker 2>like the game and given an eight seven five. I
<v Speaker 2>have not been. I haven't. Yeah, that's it because like
<v Speaker 2>we haven't played the other ones game. Yeah, we should
<v Speaker 2>commit to that.
<v Speaker 3>I'll play botany manner you play Laura Lee.
<v Speaker 1>I'm sure we're gonna include it in Platformer. But Animal, well,
<v Speaker 1>it is a pretty big puzzle game.
<v Speaker 2>That is.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I wouldn't it's I wouldn't put it as a
<v Speaker 3>puzzle myself personally. I like Animal wel a lot, to
<v Speaker 3>be clear, and it has tons of puzzles.
<v Speaker 2>I would say it is because it is like you're
<v Speaker 2>not really doing combat in a game. You're just jumping
<v Speaker 2>to rooms and solving puzzles. It's like a puzzle. It
<v Speaker 2>is closer to like a fezz than a metric, like
<v Speaker 2>everything you do is some weird riddle.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I still yeah, I don't know. Something feels off
<v Speaker 3>about calling it a puzzle game to me, but I
<v Speaker 3>don't think you guys are wrong at the same time, Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>Because if that's in the running, then that gets my
<v Speaker 1>vote because that's probably my favorite game of the year
<v Speaker 1>right now. Yeah, for the sake of this conversation, we
<v Speaker 1>could call it the platformer if you want.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean, it's I mean, I do have I
<v Speaker 2>do have best platformer as a as a thing we
<v Speaker 2>can discuss, but even then it almost feels weird to
<v Speaker 2>put it there. That is not what I need. Game
<v Speaker 2>four is like you can't wait to jump around.
<v Speaker 3>It's that funky thing where like I like Laureli puzzles
<v Speaker 3>system better. I like solving puzzles in Laura l I more.
<v Speaker 3>But I like Animal Well, like holistically, like in total
<v Speaker 3>everything about you know, although yeah, I still think I
<v Speaker 3>like Laurali Moore. I think Laura I just clicked with
<v Speaker 3>me a little more. Which is that thing of like,
<v Speaker 3>that's not me saying I didn't like Animal Well, Animal
<v Speaker 3>L was great. I liked Animal L a lot.
<v Speaker 2>You know, let's just put let's just how about that
<v Speaker 2>botany have all grown some flowers after solving a really cool.
<v Speaker 3>I mean, can we do best Metroidvania this year? You know,
<v Speaker 3>Prince of Persia, Animal Well can kind of be in there.
<v Speaker 3>I feel like there was another one too this year.
<v Speaker 1>We had this conversation on the behind Souls.
<v Speaker 2>He could we could do that if we want, we need.
<v Speaker 1>To have like best toy or best experimental for some
<v Speaker 1>of the ones that are like hard to.
<v Speaker 2>Play Best Miscellaneous.
<v Speaker 1>I think are like Shushino the Learn Japanese with Photography
<v Speaker 1>game Summer House. There's been a couple we're not.
<v Speaker 2>We can't just give out participation trophies. You're just making
<v Speaker 2>up awards for everybody.
<v Speaker 1>Well, what do you what would you put a summer
<v Speaker 1>House into? What would you put I mean that's like
<v Speaker 1>Ashineo in I mean, well for the first one Summer House.
<v Speaker 2>That's like a sim basically like a like a city builder.
<v Speaker 2>It's basically a city builder, like a very small version,
<v Speaker 2>but it's a city builder.
<v Speaker 1>I mean it's not like you're not managing systems or anything.
<v Speaker 1>You're just placing things for the joy of making.
<v Speaker 2>I mean it's like I said, that's like the core.
<v Speaker 2>It's like the city builder at its purest form. If
<v Speaker 2>you have all the complicated stuff. It's like a shooter, right.
<v Speaker 2>It's it's shooters are only good when they take all
<v Speaker 2>the systems out of My favorite shooter.
<v Speaker 3>Is uh is damn it? What is that game called that?
<v Speaker 3>I've played so much of Content Warning because you aim
<v Speaker 3>your camera at monsters I've played. I've actually played a
<v Speaker 3>surprising amount of Content Warning this year because my daughter
<v Speaker 3>loves it, so we play a lot of content.
<v Speaker 1>Warning that's cool.
<v Speaker 2>So we're we are on best platformer right now? Which
<v Speaker 2>are there a.
<v Speaker 1>Lot of them? There is a couple of games. So
<v Speaker 1>that's a couple of games I have not finished that
<v Speaker 1>I that are going to be in the conversation at
<v Speaker 1>the end of the year. That wouldn't be in it
<v Speaker 1>right now for me, probably number one Rooftops and Alleyways,
<v Speaker 1>the Parkour game, although them are maybe more sports game
<v Speaker 1>is Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip. Is that a platform or
<v Speaker 1>is that more of an adventure?
<v Speaker 2>I don't even know what that is? Like a game
<v Speaker 2>you made up is Little Kiddy Big City a platformer
<v Speaker 2>that is more adventure game? Adventure game? Okay? Yeah?
<v Speaker 1>Uh animal Well, Yellow Taxi goes.
<v Speaker 2>Yellow Taxi goes room. You talked about a lot.
<v Speaker 3>I mean for me, I mean I am ole and
<v Speaker 3>Prince of Persia Lost Crown.
<v Speaker 1>Is like a breakaways in the conversation.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, like as far as like jumping around, I don't
<v Speaker 3>know that I've had more Funia.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's a good call. That is a two D
<v Speaker 2>platformer and the the platforming feels so good in that
<v Speaker 2>game with the especially when you get more of the
<v Speaker 2>abilities and stuff. But that actually might I think that
<v Speaker 2>is my number one or my pick for that. This
<v Speaker 2>tiny terry game.
<v Speaker 1>Looks got to win something.
<v Speaker 2>Man, it's got it's I mean, it's it's more of
<v Speaker 2>a puzzle game than a platformer. And we already gave
<v Speaker 2>that award at Okay, when we were.
<v Speaker 1>Going the it was that was not clear that we
<v Speaker 1>were we are considering for that category.
<v Speaker 2>I mean, it is a platform in the sense like
<v Speaker 2>it is a puzzle game wrapped around I feel.
<v Speaker 1>I feel like, how.
<v Speaker 2>Many platforming I'm just saying, but I mean, even then,
<v Speaker 2>are you, Prince of Persia's platforming to me kind of
<v Speaker 2>stomps all over animal wells it's.
<v Speaker 3>A better platformer, but focuses like platform.
<v Speaker 2>You conspired against me, perst of all you should This
<v Speaker 2>is how these meetings work. Is you should notice by.
<v Speaker 4>Now knives are drawn, alliances or how about a category
<v Speaker 4>best game published by a YouTuber's.
<v Speaker 2>Best donkey, best donkey published games are the options here?
<v Speaker 1>We need a best experimental.
<v Speaker 3>That is that's interesting. Best experimental is an interesting idea.
<v Speaker 1>That's like music experimental music, alternative genre alternatives platforms.
<v Speaker 2>So's like we have the best platform. We have best alternatives.
<v Speaker 1>I think best experimental should be a category.
<v Speaker 2>I think I honestly, I think puzzle is where Animal will.
<v Speaker 2>I think that's where it that's its lane. And again
<v Speaker 2>this is this is on year, mid year. By the
<v Speaker 2>end of the year, when more people have plot.
<v Speaker 1>I will be I will stand on guard. At the
<v Speaker 1>end of the year, I won't be.
<v Speaker 2>Lola I hasn't. They don't. They're renting the trophy.
<v Speaker 1>That's well, la la Land situation.
<v Speaker 2>You've played Animal, well, right, did you finish? Yeah? I
<v Speaker 2>beat it.
<v Speaker 3>You beat it, okay, So I I because, like if
<v Speaker 3>we wanted to like put it to a vote, but
<v Speaker 3>you haven't really played Laurel.
<v Speaker 2>I though, right, I haven't played it yet.
<v Speaker 3>Because you could like be the tie breaker. But it's
<v Speaker 3>kind of unfair to put it on you because.
<v Speaker 2>You Yeah, I mean, I'm only going by your enthusiasm
<v Speaker 2>and everything I've seen and heard about Loralai and just
<v Speaker 2>like I think the puzzles in that game sound so
<v Speaker 2>cool and it is, like hell, it's.
<v Speaker 3>Sometimes in Laurel and the Laser Eyes. To solve a puzzle,
<v Speaker 3>you have to enter an old school PS one game
<v Speaker 3>and play the PS one game. Does Animal well do that? No,
<v Speaker 3>maybe it might.
<v Speaker 2>I don't know.
<v Speaker 3>There's a lot of secrets in that game.
<v Speaker 2>Someone's yelling like, uh dug, all right.
<v Speaker 1>I won't derail us again.
<v Speaker 2>No, it's fine.
<v Speaker 1>It's I like Prince of Persia going there.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, give the princess due for a while. That is
<v Speaker 3>one that I like. Even as I was.
<v Speaker 2>Playing it in what January, I was like, we got
<v Speaker 2>to make sure we don't forget about uh lost crown
<v Speaker 2>here later this year, you know, because it's going to
<v Speaker 2>feel so long by the time December rolls around. But
<v Speaker 2>I really liked that game a lot. I also have
<v Speaker 2>This isn't something that is in this list, but that
<v Speaker 2>game is also in my personal list of best mechanics.
<v Speaker 2>That dimensional claw thing that you can do where you
<v Speaker 2>can just suck up enemies into another dimension and then
<v Speaker 2>spit them out wherever you want. I love that thing.
<v Speaker 2>I was like, that's such a cool idea. All right, category, Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>we got a we can invent this one best remake
<v Speaker 2>slash remaster, because we've gotten quite a few of those already,
<v Speaker 2>So I guess to sort of lay out the field,
<v Speaker 2>there's the paper Mario. Yeah, okay, there's Mario versus Donkey Kong,
<v Speaker 2>which is a remake. Yeah, there's Persona three reload. There
<v Speaker 2>is oh gosh, hold on, are you trying to avoid
<v Speaker 2>the elephant in the room? Are you like saving it
<v Speaker 2>for last or you're talking about Final Fantasy? I mean
<v Speaker 2>I guess there is that. Yeah, Final Rebirth. That is
<v Speaker 2>is Absolutely it's a rebirth. Some might say they're like,
<v Speaker 2>it's beyond a remake, which I didn't play. God, everyone
<v Speaker 2>would like to. I keep forgetting that game came out
<v Speaker 2>now the studios around anymore. Unfortunately, another Code recollection, two
<v Speaker 2>remakes and one I beat that first.
<v Speaker 3>Or rather than rather than a third of a remake
<v Speaker 3>and one.
<v Speaker 2>It's more remakes. So it's better than Final Fantasy. I mean,
<v Speaker 2>is is the answer of Rebirth? For me?
<v Speaker 1>It'd be Persona?
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Are you saying have you played Rebirth?
<v Speaker 1>I have?
<v Speaker 2>Okay, I'm just curious both okay.
<v Speaker 1>I mean, Rebirth is really impressive, but and almost feels
<v Speaker 1>just like an entirely different game.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well you can say the same about Rebirth.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, or I'm talking about Rebirth you are talking about
<v Speaker 3>you talking about yeah, okay, in a.
<v Speaker 1>Way that almost I don't want to get into I'm
<v Speaker 1>not going to say anything else.
<v Speaker 2>Territory kind of yeah, okay, I mean is that is
<v Speaker 2>that a a thing that we hold against Remax is
<v Speaker 2>like the how faithful it is, even if it's by
<v Speaker 2>design not meant to be totally faithful.
<v Speaker 1>It's so it's weird because I think Persona three Reload
<v Speaker 1>brings a game that was very hard to play, uh
<v Speaker 1>and makes it, you know, accessible as a fantastic sound
<v Speaker 1>Best soundtrack of the year, I think, which is a
<v Speaker 1>different category.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we do best music, which probably yes to Rebirth.
<v Speaker 2>I mean, yeah I did best music here and yeah, well,
<v Speaker 2>I mean Haities two has some really good music, but yeah, yeah,
<v Speaker 2>Rebirth soundtrack is fantastic.
<v Speaker 1>Rebirth is just so different from what it came from. Yeah,
<v Speaker 1>it's just it's hard to It's just it's like apples
<v Speaker 1>and oranges.
<v Speaker 2>I guess depends what you if you're down for what
<v Speaker 2>that game is doing, and I guess this would apply
<v Speaker 2>like were you down with remake like the first game?
<v Speaker 1>As like, but how about like all the mini games?
<v Speaker 1>I mean, they're they've bloated this game. They've like they've
<v Speaker 1>inflated it. Right, it's done a good job. Remaking those
<v Speaker 1>mini games at a point that there might be too.
<v Speaker 2>Many of them. They had to. Yeah, but they did
<v Speaker 2>a good job with the at least remaking the existing ones.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean I I I didn't play the original,
<v Speaker 1>so like y'all will have to tell me, like what
<v Speaker 1>is it was a category? Y'all probably decide. Yeah, I
<v Speaker 1>really like Persona three because it brings that game that,
<v Speaker 1>even though Final Fantasy seven is leaps and bounds like
<v Speaker 1>very impressive, I could play the og Final Fantasy seven easily,
<v Speaker 1>but again, it's like apples and oranges to what this
<v Speaker 1>new thing is said.
<v Speaker 2>I got Final Fantasy seven at home.
<v Speaker 1>Where Persona three was really hard to play, and it's
<v Speaker 1>cool to be able to play that now with the
<v Speaker 1>content and added content and all that.
<v Speaker 3>I mean, I idle and rebirth myself. And this is
<v Speaker 3>someone who's only played about ten to twelve hours of
<v Speaker 3>reload Persona three, where Persona three kind of kind of
<v Speaker 3>feels like an older game to me at times. And
<v Speaker 3>that's okay, But rebirth, sure, I mean, the highs of
<v Speaker 3>rebirth are high and the lows are frustrating.
<v Speaker 2>I certainly had plenty of lows with rebirth and moments
<v Speaker 2>of frustration.
<v Speaker 1>But also disclaimer, one of my best friends works on Rebirth,
<v Speaker 1>so I'm like trying.
<v Speaker 2>To stick in it to him.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, but yeah, I mean that if we're taking you know,
<v Speaker 3>this isn't necessarily a vote, right, it's it's a matter
<v Speaker 3>of discussing, uh, excitement and stuff like that. But I
<v Speaker 3>think I would lean Rebirth personally in terms of all
<v Speaker 3>the remakes that I've sort of looked at and played.
<v Speaker 2>This year, I mean Rebirth, Yeah, pretty amazing. I have
<v Speaker 2>not played either version of Person of Three, so I
<v Speaker 2>cannot compare them unfortunately, but I guess as a final
<v Speaker 2>Fantasy seven fan that has not finished Rebirth yet, so
<v Speaker 2>I don't know where I'm going to land on that
<v Speaker 2>ending that seems to have split the fan base and
<v Speaker 2>have them fighting each other. But from when I played
<v Speaker 2>so far, like you mentioned, like very high highs, some
<v Speaker 2>frustrating lows, but like as a re just as a
<v Speaker 2>reimagining of that world, it is, I am constantly just
<v Speaker 2>like gobsmacked of like, wow, look what they did with
<v Speaker 2>this thing that looked like crap, like or you know,
<v Speaker 2>it was old, Like you're like, oh my god, look
<v Speaker 2>at the gold saucer like what they did to it,
<v Speaker 2>or they did the Cosmo Canyon in all these places,
<v Speaker 2>so it's less like which I guess like that's like
<v Speaker 2>the purest distillation of like a good remake is when
<v Speaker 2>I look at it and then run around in there,
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, Wow, this is the game that I always
<v Speaker 2>imagined it was playing it the first time as a kid.
<v Speaker 2>But now the technology is called up to my imagination.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, you know yea, And the gap between Persona three's
<v Speaker 3>PS two release and this one is smaller than you
<v Speaker 3>know seven and Rebirth.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so give give Cloud in his co his temporary trophy.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, all this could change. Maybe good months, I'll be like,
<v Speaker 3>you know what, I finished person of three on that game.
<v Speaker 2>Silent Hill too is coming out in October. Maybe everyone's
<v Speaker 2>down on Silent Hill, wait till they prove you wrong.
<v Speaker 2>And it's and and technically metal Gear Solid three is
<v Speaker 2>still slated for this year. We'll see, right, technically coming
<v Speaker 2>out this year. Love confidence there for me, but we'll see.
<v Speaker 2>All right, what about I have best hero slash Villains
<v Speaker 2>slash dork. We could just condense that to favorite character.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well I did, I did?
<v Speaker 3>I know? I was sort of giving Suicide Squad a
<v Speaker 3>hard time earlier. But I do think Captain Rang is
<v Speaker 3>like a great dork. Yeah, Like he was like a
<v Speaker 3>highlight for me of of an otherwise disappointing game. I
<v Speaker 3>was like, I I hate this guy for all the
<v Speaker 3>right reasons, if that makes sense. Like he's he's he's obnoxious,
<v Speaker 3>but in a fun way. That like ended up being
<v Speaker 3>like a highlight of the game for me. But I
<v Speaker 3>wouldn't he was not my favorite character, but he's my
<v Speaker 3>favorite dork, you.
<v Speaker 1>Know, because if the game was finished, I would say
<v Speaker 1>Molina Way, I really like her for favorite character, you
<v Speaker 1>give her.
<v Speaker 2>I mean, it's a temporary award for a game that
<v Speaker 2>is temporary.
<v Speaker 1>They definitely want they've said they are. Yeah, the announcer
<v Speaker 1>in the finals.
<v Speaker 2>That's you know what? Uh India the character I.
<v Speaker 1>Heard I was talking to. I was at Leo's place
<v Speaker 1>last weekend and he was telling me about that game
<v Speaker 1>and I really want to play it.
<v Speaker 2>Hey, Kyle, did you ever get around him?
<v Speaker 3>No, I want to play it. Yeah, I have it.
<v Speaker 3>I got it and I have it downloaded and everything.
<v Speaker 3>I want to play it.
<v Speaker 2>Okay, she her, Well, I mean I really liked that
<v Speaker 2>game a lot and but her as a character. She
<v Speaker 2>is on my like short list of like at the
<v Speaker 2>end of the year, I will bring her up as
<v Speaker 2>like best hero I guess or whatever we decided to
<v Speaker 2>call it this year. But yeah, India, the character is
<v Speaker 2>is pretty high up. Yeah. And also I mean he's
<v Speaker 2>he's not much different from his original introduction. But Itchi
<v Speaker 2>ban is is like just.
<v Speaker 1>Like yeah, I was just thinking it was like, yeah.
<v Speaker 2>He's like the free Space. I mean, this category, it's name,
<v Speaker 2>it's it's best character presented by ich Ban Kasika.
<v Speaker 1>Like another Crabs, Treasure has a lot of good characters
<v Speaker 1>in it. I really like Krill. That's the main the
<v Speaker 1>main character, I.
<v Speaker 2>Believe, and he has like personality, like he has dialogue.
<v Speaker 1>And oh yeah, it's like it's a really really funny game.
<v Speaker 1>Like the charter, your character talks to people.
<v Speaker 2>I wasn't sure if he was defined, you know, but
<v Speaker 2>it sounds.
<v Speaker 1>Like oh very much, so very much so.
<v Speaker 2>I like the Joker and Bilattro that like Taunty, when
<v Speaker 2>you lose, you always makes some puns about just you
<v Speaker 2>sucking at the game, even when you do well, like
<v Speaker 2>you can get to Auntie Aid and lose and he doesn't.
<v Speaker 2>He doesn't give you any credit.
<v Speaker 3>Well, so here's what do chi bond best character, Melon,
<v Speaker 3>Melon Away, best hero and Captain boom Range, best dork.
<v Speaker 2>There you go? Sure that did we have? Was it? Character?
<v Speaker 2>We have? Hero? Villain?
<v Speaker 3>Dork is what we have, which you know, we can
<v Speaker 3>define it however we want. But uh, the best character
<v Speaker 3>represented by Ichibon. It's like, yeah, Electronic Gaming Monthly used
<v Speaker 3>to give the annual ICO Award or they're just like
<v Speaker 3>they just kept giving ICO an award every year.
<v Speaker 1>This is the show where everything's made up and the
<v Speaker 1>points still matter.
<v Speaker 2>Let's see best is again? This is when I expected
<v Speaker 2>to be a runaway but best DLC Slash expansion. I mean,
<v Speaker 2>does it even any competition? Honestly? You know for.
<v Speaker 1>Google?
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I was typing it in or is that you guys?
<v Speaker 3>But truly, I don't know if there's any is there even.
<v Speaker 2>DLC? I finished over the Break that was very good
<v Speaker 2>and very fun and in another if elden Ring hadn't happened,
<v Speaker 2>it probably would get it. Yeah. Yeah, I mean I
<v Speaker 2>gave the game just shy of a ten Shadow of
<v Speaker 2>the Tree. It's it's incredible, So yeah, we can just
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I would be shocked if that changes at
<v Speaker 2>the end of the year, honestly, Like, I can't immediately
<v Speaker 2>think of any other DLCs planned other than this second
<v Speaker 2>part of Allen Wake the Lake the Lake House one
<v Speaker 2>that I think it's supposed to be like a bigger thing, right,
<v Speaker 2>But yeah, I think Elden Rings probably they could probably
<v Speaker 2>just not show up at the actual award shows early.
<v Speaker 2>You're done, just say that's not Yeah, it's hard to.
<v Speaker 4>Do.
<v Speaker 3>We want to get into They're just like, psych do
<v Speaker 3>you have some DLC.
<v Speaker 2>I mean I would, I wouldn't say no to it.
<v Speaker 2>I don't think that's happening. We could jump to our goaties.
<v Speaker 2>The other only categories I have left are the console
<v Speaker 2>exclusive or platform exclusive, so like best Sony Exclusive, Best Microsoft,
<v Speaker 2>which I mean, we could probably fly through those. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>I would say, like Best Sony Exclusive. I mean, it
<v Speaker 2>probably comes down to Final Fantasy or Stellar Blade or
<v Speaker 2>Hell Divers Hell Divers.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Hell Divers. But that's because of personal preference.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think.
<v Speaker 3>I think I think maybe surprisingly among those.
<v Speaker 2>Three, I really like Stellar Blade. Stellar Blade is kind
<v Speaker 2>of where I'm leaning to as much as I like,
<v Speaker 2>but I would be surprised if it wasn't Hell Divers.
<v Speaker 2>By the end of it feels like hell Divers, Like
<v Speaker 2>there's nothing objective about these awards. But that's the closest
<v Speaker 2>to like almost an objective answer because of just the
<v Speaker 2>impact it's had of like it's it almost feel like weird.
<v Speaker 2>It would just come down to like, oh, maybe we're
<v Speaker 2>not all like the diehard fans, but there's no denying
<v Speaker 2>that game's success the like. But then also, like, these
<v Speaker 2>are our awards, nobody the other editors are. This is
<v Speaker 2>just this is just what we like, right, Yeah, and
<v Speaker 2>this might be the only time we could give it
<v Speaker 2>the Stellar Blade before everybody else shows up and says
<v Speaker 2>idiots and hell divers. Yeah, I don't know what Alex
<v Speaker 2>or are we steamrolling you? Do you feel strongly?
<v Speaker 1>I don't feel steamrolled. I The only one I cared
<v Speaker 1>about making sure my voice is heard on was best Shooter.
<v Speaker 2>There you Go, which I wrote down. We gave it
<v Speaker 2>a suicide squad by accident.
<v Speaker 1>He slid out.
<v Speaker 2>The real Captain Boomerang, move right there? Oh he might
<v Speaker 2>there is here all right?
<v Speaker 3>Now, here's the best Microsoft exclusive is going to be
<v Speaker 3>just a matter of figure out if that exists, truly,
<v Speaker 3>Blade help Blade the first part.
<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, actually it might be. I think he did it.
<v Speaker 2>I think the puzzle best puzzle game of the year
<v Speaker 2>was figuring out the best Microsoft.
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna go to bat probably for a Word of
<v Speaker 1>Warcraft at the end of the year, or Call of
<v Speaker 1>Duty probably for best Microsoft Exclusive.
<v Speaker 2>Oh but those aren't soft exclusives, right, that's your your
<v Speaker 2>that's a technicality, right, call of Duty is going to
<v Speaker 2>be on every platform. Yeah, that said that's on everything. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>they said that's on everything. That That was one of
<v Speaker 2>the reasons why they bought that deal went through with,
<v Speaker 2>like no, no, no, we're not.
<v Speaker 1>Gonna Warcraft is only available on the on the launcher
<v Speaker 1>that is owned by Microsoft.
<v Speaker 3>Now, I mean they're only there are other best PC though, Yeah,
<v Speaker 3>I would. I would think of that as PC can
<v Speaker 3>you play they have they have other stuff like they
<v Speaker 3>on a console.
<v Speaker 1>Well, no, I think I'm getting into the and the least.
<v Speaker 1>I think we need to rename these categories the best
<v Speaker 1>Xbox Exclusive best.
<v Speaker 3>Well, that's what we used to that's what we used
<v Speaker 3>to call it, but we changed it because it's like
<v Speaker 3>there's console and PC exclusives now, right, like, yeah, so
<v Speaker 3>it's like there's some games. Yeah, it's funky.
<v Speaker 1>It's weird because Microsoft, yes, clean weighted, I mean Microsoft
<v Speaker 1>implies Xbox. I'm I'm being I'm a little turd.
<v Speaker 2>I know, you mean a little captain boomerang, Yeah boom
<v Speaker 2>is it? Is it help Blade by Default? I like,
<v Speaker 2>I mean right now, I mean it is, Yeah, all right, congratulations,
<v Speaker 2>Let's help Blake. Like a game that you go like, oh,
<v Speaker 2>I guess that technically is only on Xbox right now.
<v Speaker 2>I just didn't think about that.
<v Speaker 1>I haven't turned my Xbox on once this year.
<v Speaker 2>Uh is the record or huh? Are you going to
<v Speaker 2>break the streak er best Nintendo Exclusive? Yeah, I was.
<v Speaker 3>I was thinking Paper Mario. Actually, I was trying to
<v Speaker 3>think of because like Princess Peach was man, Yeah, Marvus
<v Speaker 3>Donkey Kong was generally liked. There's stuff coming out later
<v Speaker 3>that I'm very excited for.
<v Speaker 1>I can't wait for that Zelda game.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Zelda, And yeah, there's a Mario and Luis Mari
<v Speaker 2>versus Donkey Kong.
<v Speaker 3>I mean I feel like it comes right now at
<v Speaker 3>the half point, the halfway point. I think it's mar
<v Speaker 3>Versus and thousand Your door, which I lean very much
<v Speaker 3>thousand your door in that situation.
<v Speaker 2>Sure, I can sure. And some of these are just
<v Speaker 2>sort of like victim of circumstances. Yeah yeah, and again
<v Speaker 2>this is probably it's temper ary. It's a little you know,
<v Speaker 2>these are by default almost paper awards, so it only
<v Speaker 2>makes sense that Paper Mario gets his little cardboard cutout.
<v Speaker 2>I guess you could also throw Luigi's Mansion two in
<v Speaker 2>that discussion, which is again, that's a fine game. I
<v Speaker 2>don't think that's going to beat it.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, congratulations to Paper Mario that that's in your door.
<v Speaker 3>Not to be confused with the GameCube game from a
<v Speaker 3>decade ago, what was that one called?
<v Speaker 2>It was? It was the same title. I was trying
<v Speaker 2>to get you to say the title again. Is there
<v Speaker 2>a piece best piece? See exclusive? There has to be surely.
<v Speaker 3>Kind of this is the this is the Alex category.
<v Speaker 3>When we have these discussions for like Alex, what do you.
<v Speaker 1>What do you think best PC?
<v Speaker 2>Actually right now, Anchor Foot only on PC? And I
<v Speaker 2>love that game. Yeah, no, that's on everything. Yeah, I
<v Speaker 2>played on Switch.
<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, I'm dumb, dumb, yeah, yeah, it was a
<v Speaker 1>power that's early Axis. Oh, I forgot yeah, yeah, what
<v Speaker 1>about I.
<v Speaker 2>Haven't played or I haven't played the full game, but
<v Speaker 2>Children of the Sun.
<v Speaker 1>I didn't really like that game, No, I thought. I
<v Speaker 1>played it for roughly two hours. It didn't click with me. Sure, unfortunately.
<v Speaker 2>Many shoot Adventures is a switch.
<v Speaker 3>I don't think it is. I think it's just no
<v Speaker 3>PC because I.
<v Speaker 2>Think that's one of the things I like tilted my
<v Speaker 2>head out of. Was like, really only on you see
<v Speaker 2>this game? Right, you're right?
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, because I haven't played it yet, because it sounds
<v Speaker 3>like I would love it, but I just haven't because
<v Speaker 3>I just haven't broken out the uh steam deck is Probably.
<v Speaker 2>That's is one too where I'm going off reputations. I
<v Speaker 2>have not gotten around to it, but I want to play.
<v Speaker 2>But everyone everyone has gone like nuts for this game,
<v Speaker 2>so I almost like, well, I guess everyone else likes it,
<v Speaker 2>so I guess it's good.
<v Speaker 1>I think. I think based on what we've played, it
<v Speaker 1>sounds like it's anger foot.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah for people who have played it on this call, right, because.
<v Speaker 2>I loved it.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I love the demo, so I think based on that.
<v Speaker 3>I think it's for the temporary win.
<v Speaker 1>Out of Rusty's retirement. The only one I think.
<v Speaker 2>He's early axis.
<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, yeah, there is a lot of There are
<v Speaker 1>a lot.
<v Speaker 2>I mean there are several Early After category for best
<v Speaker 2>Early Access Games, so there's quite a few of those.
<v Speaker 2>So but yeah, let's give it the anger foot. Let's
<v Speaker 2>get angry at how excited we are to give it
<v Speaker 2>this award that we're angry. He nailed it. It's like
<v Speaker 2>the Arsenio Hall bit from Chappelle Show where he went
<v Speaker 2>to the party and he enjoyed the free cheese so
<v Speaker 2>much that it made him angry and he just started
<v Speaker 2>slapping people because they didn't help him how good the
<v Speaker 2>cheese was. Actually, don't all right, let's get to the
<v Speaker 2>big one, guys, the moment everybody has been waiting for
<v Speaker 2>for at least the first six months of the year.
<v Speaker 2>Game of the year parentheses so far, so.
<v Speaker 3>Far brackets for these three Game Reform editors that is like, yeah,
<v Speaker 3>I don't know if we want to just throw out
<v Speaker 3>like I don't know if we each have a single pick.
<v Speaker 1>I think we should do that.
<v Speaker 3>I think for me, at the six month point of
<v Speaker 3>the year, mine is is like a dragon infinite.
<v Speaker 2>Well, I think yeah, actually it's seven months k.
<v Speaker 3>That's that's where I'm at but I yeah, I would
<v Speaker 3>love to hear if you guys, because I'm guessing we're
<v Speaker 3>all gonna have three different picks.
<v Speaker 2>Mine has been the goady with a bullet and only
<v Speaker 2>one game has challenged this, and it's going to come
<v Speaker 2>down to semantics. But it's Blatro that has been my
<v Speaker 2>game of the year since I played it. The only
<v Speaker 2>game that has even attempted or has approached its position
<v Speaker 2>is elden Ring. But again the semantics thing of like,
<v Speaker 2>and you know, we'll figure this out way, I guess
<v Speaker 2>when we get there. Of like the years when we
<v Speaker 2>can an expansion win Game of a Year or a
<v Speaker 2>DLC can win Game of the Year, do we is
<v Speaker 2>it even worth arguing? Is that going to get its
<v Speaker 2>own thing? And you know we'll crossed that bridge when
<v Speaker 2>we get to it. But other than that, those are
<v Speaker 2>one and two for sure so far so bat I.
<v Speaker 1>Think my my my top three right now and this
<v Speaker 1>this will change, I'm sure, but number three my top
<v Speaker 1>three is are the finals, Animal Wel and Balatrow, and
<v Speaker 1>I think Balatro wins for me. I think it's my
<v Speaker 1>current game of the year. Wow, Okay, I about thirty
<v Speaker 1>five hours clocked in it, not as much as some people,
<v Speaker 1>but I really really have enjoyed that.
<v Speaker 2>I think I've got about ninety between the Steam and
<v Speaker 2>Switch because I have some versions of it.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I've beaten it several times, like I've beatn Mini runs. Yeah,
<v Speaker 1>I'm I go like the sixth or seventh difficulty on
<v Speaker 1>one of my decks, now fifth, the fifth.
<v Speaker 2>I think I still play it regularly. I guess still
<v Speaker 2>my like, oh I just want to play something, but
<v Speaker 2>I don't know what yet. I'll play around a b
<v Speaker 2>lootro and then gets yeah back into what you're like, Oh, yeah,
<v Speaker 2>this game's awesome.
<v Speaker 1>So Balatrow is my end of night play while watching
<v Speaker 1>TV kind of game. And recently I've replaced that time
<v Speaker 1>I've been doing like making art and Blender for like
<v Speaker 1>my game, and so if I wasn't doing that, I
<v Speaker 1>would be playing Balatrow. Game is awesome.
<v Speaker 3>I honestly like, I like Bollatrow as ours our you know,
<v Speaker 3>million asterisks game of the year so far, option I.
<v Speaker 2>Think I like.
<v Speaker 3>I I really like Bollatrow a lot. And it's like
<v Speaker 3>I don't like card games, I you know it, like
<v Speaker 3>I don't like poker. I don't play poker, but like that,
<v Speaker 3>I got into Balatrow and it's like and it's a
<v Speaker 3>testament to its design and it's sort of style and
<v Speaker 3>like I I beat what do you guys call like
<v Speaker 3>a run? Like I beat I got through a run
<v Speaker 3>after playing it, like after it kept me up late
<v Speaker 3>for like you know, a week or two, and once
<v Speaker 3>I hit that point, I felt comfortable sort of backing
<v Speaker 3>away and I was like, all right, I I completed
<v Speaker 3>that goal. So I haven't returned to it very much,
<v Speaker 3>but like, I really had a great time with it,
<v Speaker 3>and I love I love when a game like I
<v Speaker 3>think Marcus and your review or when we were discussing
<v Speaker 3>it early on, it's like it reminds me a little
<v Speaker 3>bit of Vampire Survivors of just this like left field,
<v Speaker 3>like whoa this is? This is fantastic? Where did this
<v Speaker 3>come from?
<v Speaker 2>You know? Not only that, but also the power escalation. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>like you start out with like you're not really doing much,
<v Speaker 2>but then when you get enough jokers and you've got
<v Speaker 2>you know, you've you've strategically picked your jokers to where
<v Speaker 2>you're popping off effects left and right, and you're like
<v Speaker 2>scoring just an obscene like obscenely high score paying like
<v Speaker 2>a pair of twos. It's like, I my master plan
<v Speaker 2>has come together. This is going as.
<v Speaker 3>It's nice when you focus in on one ability, right,
<v Speaker 3>like just playing pears and you're like, I'm leveling the
<v Speaker 3>crap out of pairs and so like even if you
<v Speaker 3>could do like a full house, you're like, I'm I'm
<v Speaker 3>doing pairs because it's going to be more points.
<v Speaker 2>You know, You're like, this isn't even my full power.
<v Speaker 2>I got this whole hand. I know that you control
<v Speaker 2>over that. I should have the score meter catching fire
<v Speaker 2>to my best mechanics, because they really does. When I
<v Speaker 2>see that thing, just like light, it makes me so
<v Speaker 2>happy and it's got that NBA jam kind of quality
<v Speaker 2>to it in that sense.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.
<v Speaker 3>So yeah, Balatro, I like, I mean, yeah, you guys
<v Speaker 3>feel good about that, right, Like for podcast choice, Yeah.
<v Speaker 2>Our interim interim interim Game of Year, like yeah, boxing
<v Speaker 2>there's like interim champions sometimes of course of course.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, this is the things to boxing.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we love boxing on this podcast. Boxing and Hope.
<v Speaker 2>For my two favorite things my favorite.
<v Speaker 1>Boxers, Yeah, yeah, I love it.
<v Speaker 2>One of them one of them is wrestler.
<v Speaker 1>I mean I do I do think boxing is cool.
<v Speaker 1>I don't watch it. There's a lot of sports like
<v Speaker 1>that that that I think are cool that I don't
<v Speaker 1>watch hockey. I love I should watch hockey. I should.
<v Speaker 1>I should watch hockey. I should watch boxing. I wish
<v Speaker 1>I watched basketball more.
<v Speaker 2>I mean, do you need to no like I should?
<v Speaker 2>Like you want?
<v Speaker 1>I just like I like them, you know, the Mighty Ducks.
<v Speaker 2>Will do it for me.
<v Speaker 1>For Rocky Fair Fair, we should.
<v Speaker 2>I was gonna say, what are we gonna say, Kyle?
<v Speaker 3>Oh, this was more just sort of like, I'm not
<v Speaker 3>saying we should discuss who should win. But I do
<v Speaker 3>wonder if at the end of this year, if there
<v Speaker 3>if we do have like an early access category or something,
<v Speaker 3>you know, I just didn't get Flowers to like eighties
<v Speaker 3>and there might hyper Light might be out later this
<v Speaker 3>year too, and the out there there's Manner Lords, Like
<v Speaker 3>there's a lot of cool early access titles and any
<v Speaker 3>and rogue titles, Like we could even just blend it
<v Speaker 3>down even more, you know, and just focus it on
<v Speaker 3>early access rogue titles that we wanted to, you know, But.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I'm gonna buy for our best experimental There's another
<v Speaker 1>game I think that's interesting to define.
<v Speaker 2>The parameters of what what constantly experiment.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think it just doesn't in one of those games,
<v Speaker 1>it doesn't fit well into the other categories.
<v Speaker 2>That misfit Basically that sounds the Island of Lost Toys
<v Speaker 2>sort of thing.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, we can forge of like yeah.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I like genre, like best genre to fire or something.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, you know, and.
<v Speaker 2>We you think we could get away. We call it
<v Speaker 2>best miscellaneous and we just put the abbreviate like m
<v Speaker 2>I sc period maybe in charge.
<v Speaker 3>Man, we can do whatever we want. You know, it's
<v Speaker 3>all we could. We could explain it in the text.
<v Speaker 3>You know, We've got a couple of sentence ourselves.
<v Speaker 2>Uh for familiar with like our game of the year,
<v Speaker 2>like if maybe if this you've come to Game Informer
<v Speaker 2>this year and you haven't seen our game of the
<v Speaker 2>Year stuff. These are not all the categories that we
<v Speaker 2>normally have. We have other stuff like that. I just
<v Speaker 2>excluded just I just want to take a time. But
<v Speaker 2>you know, we have like best developer, best publisher best,
<v Speaker 2>like music best and like, uh, we make up categories
<v Speaker 2>based on the year of like oh, there was a
<v Speaker 2>lot of this kind of thing this year. Let's do
<v Speaker 2>a category for like we're discussing now with early access stuff.
<v Speaker 1>We also normally have like five of these conversations before
<v Speaker 1>we nail things down.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, people go off and play games. I haven't had
<v Speaker 3>a chance to play, and we probably I.
<v Speaker 1>Would say, like collectively, we probably spend like ten hours
<v Speaker 1>at least like discussing.
<v Speaker 2>Oh, if this was the real thing, we'd still be
<v Speaker 2>on best like RPG.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean it starts like two months out. Really, yeah,
<v Speaker 1>I would say, and like we take breaks, we go
<v Speaker 1>play other games that are like in the running. We Yeah,
<v Speaker 1>it's a big process, but this is like a very
<v Speaker 1>condensed you know, this is a good exercise.
<v Speaker 2>It reminds me of things that I need to sort
<v Speaker 2>of like prioritiz Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>It reminds me of neny den Alla. You all pull
<v Speaker 1>the wool over my eyes when it comes to best
<v Speaker 1>puzzle game at the end of the year.
<v Speaker 2>So a year to figure out that animal well is
<v Speaker 2>one hundred percent of puzzle games. And there's no getting
<v Speaker 2>around it. I mean, you gotta play Laurel I.
<v Speaker 1>And see if.
<v Speaker 2>You hate the art direction or whatever your hangout is
<v Speaker 2>with it.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean, I taste is like subjective entirely. But
<v Speaker 3>I am surprised to hear that that's the thing that's
<v Speaker 3>kind of turns you away, because like that is a
<v Speaker 3>I thought was like one of the more enticing things
<v Speaker 3>about it.
<v Speaker 1>But like green shots might not be doing it for me,
<v Speaker 1>but in motion, you know, I might like it.
<v Speaker 2>Alex is like more like Laurel. I and to close
<v Speaker 2>my eyes thing, Well, no, I mean I.
<v Speaker 1>Don't, don't. I I don't want to disrespect the artists
<v Speaker 1>like they're better than me what they do.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, try it out. I'm gonna try out Bondy.
<v Speaker 1>Their for their first game Hearts. I thought the our
<v Speaker 1>direction was phenomenal in that I love the way it looked.
<v Speaker 2>So if you sap some of the color from that,
<v Speaker 2>like that's kind of where you're at.
<v Speaker 1>That's the vibe. Ok.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, because you're kind of like Laurel. This is a
<v Speaker 3>weird you play as Laurel, I think, right, Yeah, the
<v Speaker 3>woman that you are playing as in the game, like
<v Speaker 3>she fits that kind of style of Cinar Hearts kind
<v Speaker 3>But anyway, yes, second.
<v Speaker 2>Just remind me of another category that we discussed is
<v Speaker 2>like best art slash graphics. That is always an interesting
<v Speaker 2>conversation because it's it's that weird divide of like like
<v Speaker 2>technical fidelity versus like art direction.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I I do want to give a big update
<v Speaker 1>on Russy's retirement. I have now built I built Echo's
<v Speaker 1>workshop during the time of this podcast. Echo helps upgrade
<v Speaker 1>robots to make them more efficient, so I built his workshop.
<v Speaker 1>It looks really cool, but Echo himself is like a
<v Speaker 1>giant worm. That's kind of disgusting. Now, I don't know
<v Speaker 1>if I like it.
<v Speaker 2>Was it challenging to make the workshop with that constitute
<v Speaker 2>a puzzle?
<v Speaker 1>Would you say, no, it's a puzzle game strategy. Maybe
<v Speaker 1>I don't know. I don't know, but I don't like
<v Speaker 1>the worms, So I might not recommend this game because
<v Speaker 1>I just got and I hate him.
<v Speaker 2>No, sorry, because he's a worm.
<v Speaker 1>He's weird looking.
<v Speaker 2>Have you watched Due Maybe you shouldn't watch Dune.
<v Speaker 1>I loved because they keep the worms in the sand.
<v Speaker 1>You know where they belong?
<v Speaker 2>Wow, lines in the I guess in the sand. I like,
<v Speaker 2>I like to think of lowly worm for busy world.
<v Speaker 2>Richard scared people like.
<v Speaker 1>No, I love that worm. That's a great worm. First
<v Speaker 1>one I loved, okay, I thought was, remember this is
<v Speaker 1>an abomination kind of worm unless he's retirement.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, bet worm is it?
<v Speaker 1>Is it?
<v Speaker 2>Earthworm? Jim?
<v Speaker 1>The best worm is the Richard Scary wormah.
<v Speaker 2>With the best worm in media?
<v Speaker 1>I guess, yeah, yeah, definitely trimmer worms.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, those are those are.
<v Speaker 1>I think at this point cultural relevancy. The dune worms
<v Speaker 1>have a popcorn bucket made after them. Who else can
<v Speaker 1>say that they are backed by?
<v Speaker 2>Is that hard to do? I mean, I guess the
<v Speaker 2>popcorn bucket part, I guess specifically, but I was like.
<v Speaker 1>That's what I'm talking about.
<v Speaker 2>Intend to just give those out to anyone pretty much?
<v Speaker 1>Yeah?
<v Speaker 3>What other worms have been so iconic that they get
<v Speaker 3>a poppy they inspired that?
<v Speaker 2>I don't know. Richard Scary worm popcorn bucket. That's because
<v Speaker 2>he's animated Busy World film starring Chris Pratt as Low.
<v Speaker 2>It's kind of any day now right, any day now?
<v Speaker 1>All right, well, any day now this podcast will end.
<v Speaker 1>Let me tell you should.
<v Speaker 2>We run down or real quick or winners temporary winners
<v Speaker 2>for just just list them? Yeah, they'll do the outro. Okay,
<v Speaker 2>so game Informers, mid Year Game of the Award winners.
<v Speaker 1>Which can three staff editors.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, and also are temporary slash, interim slash. They don't
<v Speaker 2>mean very much. Yeah, nothing counts. Don't take it at
<v Speaker 2>phase value. Yes. Our game of the year so far
<v Speaker 2>is Balatro, the best Sony Exclusive, Stellar Blade, Best Microsoft
<v Speaker 2>Exclusive It's Newest Saga, hell Blay two, Best Nintendo Exclusive paper,
<v Speaker 2>Mario twe thousand Year Door Remaster. I guess in parentheses,
<v Speaker 2>Best PC exclusive Angerfoot, Best DLC slash Expansion Elder Ringshadow
<v Speaker 2>of the Er Tree, best remake slash remaster of Final
<v Speaker 2>Fantasy seven Rebirth, Best Hero, I guess best hero.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, like character hero. We kind of let this one
<v Speaker 3>slide it kind of.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well, best hero Echibon Kazaga best but also maybe
<v Speaker 2>Melina Way because she's not a villain. But then best
<v Speaker 2>dork is I think, unanimously Captain Boomerang, Best Action, Stellar Blade,
<v Speaker 2>best RPG Like a Dragon, Infinite well, best shooter the Finals,
<v Speaker 2>best puzzle or Lie and the laser on controversy. There
<v Speaker 2>absolutely not best platformer. Prince of Persia the Lost Crown,
<v Speaker 2>and that is it. So if you want to God
<v Speaker 2>for now.
<v Speaker 1>Already say that he started.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean you want a sandwich like bookended, So yeah,
<v Speaker 2>Cards exactly, so I guess we'll see what sticks at
<v Speaker 2>the end of the year. Guys, we should not tell
<v Speaker 2>any of the other editors about this and assume they
<v Speaker 2>don't listen to the podcast. Yeah, and then we can
<v Speaker 2>say a.
<v Speaker 1>Couple of them do.
<v Speaker 3>But be cool, guys, be cool, just be cool.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah these picks and be like we already figured it out, guys. Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Well, thank you all for listening or watching this
<v Speaker 1>episode of the Game and Former show. If you enjoyed
<v Speaker 1>it and you want to support us, please consider grabbing
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<v Speaker 1>Follow us on Twitch, twitch tv. Slash game Informer replays
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<v Speaker 1>doing some Yeah yeah, sure, YouTube, dot com, slash game Informer.
<v Speaker 1>We've got a lot of cool videos going up there.
<v Speaker 1>We had a last week, we had a Hadies two
<v Speaker 1>interview with gen Z that has been getting pretty good traction. Yeah,
<v Speaker 1>so go check that out. We've gotten more. We've got
<v Speaker 1>some dragon Age interviews coming up as well as you know,
<v Speaker 1>always putting up MGTs whenever there's something to show off.
<v Speaker 1>So uh yeah, do all that. Follow the crew here.
<v Speaker 1>Follow Kyle at Kyle M. Hilliard, Follow Marcus at Marcus
<v Speaker 1>Stewart seven, Follow me at It's Van Aiken. Shout out
<v Speaker 1>to Matt Storm aka DJ Storm at getting our podcast editor.
<v Speaker 1>Go listen to their podcasts, Fun and Games, Reignite podcast,
<v Speaker 1>which is a BioWare focused podcast, and that's gonna do it.
<v Speaker 1>Thanks all, appreciate you have a good week. Bye,