822: REVENGEANCE

Hey, everybody, it's Friday, it's the the day, it's the end of the week. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just gonna knock the hell out after this podcast is done. Welcome to the Giant BombCast Revengeance. Uh remember me, I am your host Jana Choa joining me on this lovely, lovely Friday afternoon. He is the virtual reality artisan of our artisans, Jeff Grubb, Remember me. I had to do it. As soon as you said that, yeah, let's do let's do it. I thought you were going to introduce Jamericai there. Oh, I mean special guess like I turned off non video participants in the call here. Uh, we got a we got a full house. Here, we got we got a full house and you got it. Dude, we're gonna we're gonna cut out, cut it out. I'm sorry, I'm gonna stop referencing full House House coded how Uncle Mike he wasn't the uncle. Sorry, Yeah, I am here. I man, I watched a lot of Full House as a kid. Yeah, I was like really intrigued when Uncle Jesse and uh Rebecca moved into the attic and they had a they had a living space in that attic. That just seemed like a really ideal setup to me. I was like, that's what I want. I want to live in someone's attic someday. Well, uh, fitting in on the attic row of the podcast. Here, we've got Dan reichert, Hello, Yes, I think I have an attic. I have not been there. Are they going to know that you're living there? By? You think? Are you gonna ask for permission to live in the attic? Why did that be a fun surprise? Already very well established? I'll be like, well, you didn't know I was here for two months at this point? Are you in my attic right now? Mm? Have you checked your attic? I don't know if I have one. There's a square on the ceiling in one room, and I don't know somewhere you have an attic? Probably we got the Uncle's horrify. We got the most Uncle Jesse coded person of the crew, Lucy James in the house. What does that mean? I've never seen a single episode of this What does that mean? And we got our uncle Joey of the crew to more Hussein? What are you talking about? Is full house? The one the houses in a near Yeah, And we've got some just goes seven miles across. Everything is. But okay, I've seen those, okay, all right, in our own Olsen Twins, here we have Nikki Grayson, Yeah, and Turbo shown that horse. Oh where are the twins? Where are the twins? You are the young I can't tell your part. I mean remember when we fell off that horse. Still, yeah, you all know that John Stamus is a giant Disney Oh god, damn cares. I think it's an interesting interesting it's not interesting. I love how I love how everyone goes. Oh for he goes. I think that's an interesting fact. I'm gonna start doing that Backlar makes fun of my tuna sandwich, but I like it when he makes fun of Mike's dusky stuff. So I'm like, oh, I'm just a hypocrite. Sure, well, aren't we all last? But certainly not the least. We've got the Milkman, the paper boy, and Evening TV himself Jeff Beckler. That's pretty good. I like that intro. I'm sorry to say, still an almond milk boy these days. It's still what we're talking about. Milk, milk. Yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah, you know, I kind of I think I'm at the point where I don't care anymore. I'm gonna I'm gonna drink no. I care about the planet for sure. Four of us live in California. You're actively trying to make our lives. Yeah, whenever, every time you drink no, every time you drink a glass of almond milk, Barley can't eat that. Wow, my dog. That's an incredibly funny thing to like visualize, Like your dog goes hungry because I'm putting the splash almond milk in my coffee. But uh yeah, I don't want I don't want that to happen. So, uh sorry, Barley, we barely knew you. We gotta. We've got a stacked roster on today's show because we're doing two things today, folks. We're doing We're doing a review cast of Prince of Persia Lost Crown, Lost Crown. There we go, found it. That's it. And after a quick breaking break, after we give our thoughts, feelings, opinions, and emotions on Prince of Persia, we will be doing a fantasy draft on Fantasy Critic lovingly catered by Turbo Shan. And if it sounds like nonsense to you, we'll explain it. Don't worry, stick around, It's gonna be fun. Yes, all the British people who Sean lovingly explained what any of this meant earlier in the week, they have to have soccer drafts or something absolutely fantasy soccer. And let me rephrase that love and explain to the British people who don't give a ship about sport. Yeah, I mean, come on, we didn't British sports, you know. I know we got a bunch of people in the house today, but I wouldn't want to talk about anything not related to video games. Prince of Persia or this draft slide. That's what's that? That? What is that? It's it's basically like a sidekick. It's got a keyboard on it. Yeah, the screen pops up. Yeah, it sounds good to me. Games on there. You can play games. It's got Windows on it. It's got a decent rising processor on it. I like the idea a ton. I am finding it's not quite as comfortable to use as a sidekick. Was my thumbs kind of barely reached the center there? Uh? But yeah, I mean sorry, grab grab, I sorry, I just who gives a ship? What the fuck does what is that? This is a very meticulously crafted replica of Roum, the vacuous spider from Blood Bone. It looks like that, looks like a len it looks like an alpellet, like just bones. This was created for me by Max Coville, you may know from Oh Wow, okay and Imagine Games Network. The detail on this thing is wild. Yeah, he is exremely talented. It is a perfect recreation of what if it tastes like I have not licked it or eating it yet. I don't think oh we can talk about that, not games. There are people on here who haven't tried the soda trick that we figured out during you be out. Yeah, Gona, I'm gonna go get one real quick. I'm gonna go get one. Can. Go get a carbonated can if you have like a stringer and really don't have can. Okay, all right, it was insane, all right, Everyone goes to crusted this until Jan does it. Okay, Okay, since most of them are gone, I'm gonna say right now, if you all are talking about the tapping, tapping doesn't work. That is not our level, Sean. This is what you just said is horseship. You have my frame ring, It's what are you talking about by side. This is not my faults. I think it's because it's running grade on my I don't know. I can't do anything courage in my office. I was watching Better Call Saul this morning and I saw this and I was like, I wonder if this works. And I brought it up on UPF and all of us tried it. So who wants to go first? Okay? So I missed the explanation. I was getting my for you. I want the surprise of someone who has never done at first. I've never done it. Yeah, Lucy goo, Lucy go. We're not working, we promise, I promise you. Crazy hey, Lucy, I just get it down. I probably got out of it all right, this okay? Okay, now now Lucy, uh said? And don't everyone well if everyone wants to do it the same time, you can do everyone want to do it simultaneously? Yeah, let's go everyone progressively aggressively. Now, everyone set the cans down. Do it. You don't want to be left out and in you're gonna get for real, all right, now, just rotate it now, just slowly, just kind of rotated, keep going. Go ahead, do it on plat surface like ten times. I don't know. I don't know if it matters, but just I want you to know that I am surrounded by very very expensive we all were we all we all wear everyone's rotatinget like how many times more rotations to be safe? Like I'm just so, I'm just like spinning this thing on the trying to understand this. It's a centrivical force thing. It makes the bubbles do a thing where they don't you know, you're not going fast enough for some critical force. Yeah, ok, everyone hold your hands up in the frame. Oh no, I'm getting a paper towel to fucking I'm going. I'm ready, I'm ready, all right on the count of three, one two three, all right, Dan, count it one two three, all right. It's fine. Crazy about this when I understand why, lawlessly, why is this crazy? I think it's like still cent tropical force because they're like you're probably like just slowly spinning the force only when you like go step. Yeah it is, and folks, let's get to the review of the week. It's not fast enough for Prince of Persia, the Lost Crown. Wait a minute, we're just gonna walk away from this. Typical force is not a speed that depended, don't want a hodah, and then we just sort of move on. I want to break this down. I don't want to do the TA talk. Just the guy explain the trick afterwards. No, it's magic, it might as well have it basically is magic. No, it's not surrounded by children, it's not talking about don't believe us. I don't know. It's in teral forest. Then then I don't know. I don't know if else to do. I'm sorry. So one hundred percent success, right, all nine of enough for done it. But it works. I'm going to I'm going to a wedding this weekend and I'm bringing this trick. Ever, you'll be what they do is they have the one that is, they shake it up and then they pretend to transfer it to the other one, and so you like open up the other one and you squeeze it and then you squeeze it on our friends. You can do like a little magic trick or whatever. Oh that's fun. Yeah, but somet do it at a wedding where people are dressed up. But like a kid's birthday. This is not true. You had a kid's wedding that says it's just a thirty five to forty five seconds of waiting. The spinning doesn't do anything. No way, if you sugar Cana vigorously waited thirty seconds, no, but it would still spray wet. If someone has two cans, we could do like one. Yeah you do it straight, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll make a TikTok. I'll make a TikTok about it and perfect, fantastic, fantastic. Homer Sipson almost died in that episode with the clip show. Oh God, I want a clip show so bad. Oh, My whole existence is one clip show. Jan Amen, Sister Amen, Uh, Dan, Mike. As far as I know, you two are the only ones that have beat Prince of Persia so far, you've beaten it. I have. I've been playing it. I ain't beating credits. I'm not but credit a couple days ago. Yeah, beat it. I want to get your two thought your two's thoughts on the game. First. I think it's in the discussion with Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid Shadow Complex. You know a lot of the best in the history of the genre. I think it's it's right up there, and I think it does new things that it's clearly made by fans of the genre, but it does things that like none of those games really do. Uh, And in terms of like mobility and especially combat and boss fights, I think it might be the best in the genre. Oh yeah, I think that my kind of like top tier for metro venuees, and I like that genre a lot. It's maybe my favorite genre is like Dancer at that, Super Metroid, simply The Night, a lot of their sequels. Then more modern you have the Ori games in Hollow Night and Pritz Persia goes right up there with them. It is absolutely top tier Metroid Vanua and it is kind of hard to think of a game, any two D game where the platforming and the two D combat feels this good. Now going to the other side of that, Nikki, I know you mentioned yesterday when we check when we're streaming out the game that you don't have a lot of experience in the metroidvania genre or amalgamation of genres. How do you feel with your time in it so far? I have really really enjoyed it. Yeah. The first where the fuck do I go? Game that I played in this style was Metro Dread and then I was like, oh, well, I like this, I'll try a different one, and then everyone that I tried subsequently did not hit for me. And then coming to this, I was like, all right, I'll give it another shot. Why not twenty twenty four New New Year knew me? Maybe I like search action games. I'm just trying to like use as many of the non metro ADVANUA words that I know. Yeah, we are on the Saction Action. Yeah, yeah, Saction. It's great. I also am so grateful, I think to this team. I think the fact that they have this team worked on Rayman, which is a game for children, right, Like when you think about like the way that you like, I don't mean that in a way that is like to like denigrate the game, but it is like that is it is a game for kids. Right there you go. And I think a lot of the ways that when you design games for a younger audience, you have to be more perceptive and considered in the choices that you make because you don't know this could be a person's first game, right And Raymann Legends, I think, is excellent at looping you into what many people would identify as like basic mechanics, but showing you them in new ways and dragging you along that way. That learning from that from those Raymn games is so obvious and clear here because it does not care if it is your first or one millionth It teaches you all of these things in a way that feels considerate and not for me did not feel too handholdy. I felt like I was like being brought up to speed appropriately. And there's all the accessibility and like difficulty, like concessions that you can make for yourself. You can make it harder, you can make it less hard, you can change the pairy window, you can change the amount of damage that you take. Like. There are so many little things that will allow you to tune your experience that make it feel really good. Turbo Sean and Jeff Grubb, I feel like you two are titans amongst this a specific search action Castle troyd Castle of Troy, Star Castle of Troy. How does it feel for y'all? I mean, we've talked Dan and Mike lightly touched on how they think it ranks up super high on its own. What is it doing different than what's come before it? Yeah, go ahead, Sean. I think it's not necessarily about what's doing different. I think it's about the fact that it's an amalgamation of everything that came before. It is learning the best lessons from every Metroid Vania, every Metroid Castlevania, of games themselves, just taking all these lessons from different games and bring them into one. When we did the GB plays the other day, I was comparing it to a lot of stuff, but I also made sure to like emphasize I want to emphasize here it is good to take things from other games, like systems where developers have just solved problems already, like getting lost in Metroid Vane games. It's a big problem, but they solved it back in frigging two thousand and two, where you know, Metroid Prime and Fusion will just put a waypoint on your map and not tell you how I get there, but just be like, when you're ready, go in this direction. Just every Metroid Veane you should at least have the option for that, And that's exactly what is here. It's an option. You can turn that on, you can turn it off you don't want it. Just taking from other games is a good thing when you don't need to reinvent the wheel, right grub Yeah, absolutely, it's you could see the lessons learned and you know it feels like that good thing where like a lot of times a fan of something can make something and it feels like a cheap imitation. This feels like someone that like you know, read the metroid Vana encyclopedia and fully understood like what to do with that stuff. That's and that's like a hard thing to pull off. I think a lot of that comes down to, you know, the this ray Man team, it's a ub Arts, is that the name of the studio. They have a history of making great games. They're highly skilled, and I think they've had the time and the space and the budget and the resources to take this energy of really enjoying Metro Advenus and do something with that. That that comes through in the things like the small little improvements. Obviously all the accessibility options, but you know, the pinning the pictures to the map is the kind of thing where I like, someone comes up with that because they've been playing Metro a Venue as their entire life, and like why why hasn't anyone done this yet? And you hear them talk about it and they say like it was actually a very challenging thing to pull off, especially because they have the Ubisoft Connect system, the system cross safe stuff, So like taking a screenshot in the game on the switch has to work on PC and when you take one has to transfer over. So it was very challenging for them, but they knew how important that was because that is a real innovation. But it does go back to this is a game that reminds me of a lot of other games in the best kind of way. There's something about a metro advenue game where it's it does always feel like going back home. It feels like going back to those games. And yet as long as you are giving me some new scenarios, you're keeping me engaged with the combat, the searching and the action is both good. I'm probably gonna come out pretty satisfied. And they just nail it here. I mean, Mike was saying though, when we were talking about a Triple Threat. It's got it all. It's got the combat, it's got it, it's got the exploration, and it's got the traversal, and it all is just top notch. And they and they know how to use it. They know how to paste it out, they know how to spread it out throughout the map, like here's going to be a little tough platforming section and here's gonna now here's a boss sphere. It's like you just got that ability and you have it, like used it yet in combat. Well now we're gonna we're gonna force you to use it, and now for the rest of the game, you're going to be thinking about how you can use that throughout every scenario. And it's just really well made. I want to give a quick note on the uisav Connect thing that I was shocked by is I started playing it on PC and I could tell within like two hours that is like, oh, I fucking love this game and I heard it runs pretty good on switch. I would love to be able to play it on the go or you know, in the living room or something. So I was like, I'm fine doing that. Two hours again playing it on the switch. I downloaded on the switch and it just had my safe Like I've never really done the Ubisoft Connect stuff before, but like I did not even consider that it was possible, Like I'm used to like Steam and Steam Deck, you know, going PC to port mobile that way, but like it just fucking worked. So I was able to go back and forth from PC like high repress rate and everything and then go play you know, while'm watching TV in the background in the living room, so like that works perfectly if anyone's wondering. We talked a lot about it. I remember when it launched, you be Connect with Assassin's Valhalla, and it was busted as hell for me, Like it broke all the trophies and achievements and everything. And but yeah, using it like the PC. The PC launch launcher had a big update just before this, and it's just I know, you know, we have enough launches, We've got theme epic whatever. This sounds really nice. Lucy, what's your history with Prince of Persia. You're a fan of the series at all? You like the Jake Gillenhall movie maybe, oh yeah, ever walked out of We're not proud of that one. We had a cheerleader. I've got someone had to help from voting, some help platform spread the word of the little guy sponsored by like but like no who bills the local Minnesota Now, So, Lucie, you like how they've taken a Prince of Persia. He's got a cool new haircut. Huh, Well he's not the Prince, right, that's sure, right, this guy. I mean, the one thing I'll say about it, I I loved Prince of Precious Suns of Time. I never played Prince of Persia. I played what was it too? Two Thrones Warrior. Then then was the third one was two Time? No, no, no, that's okay, I can't do that anymore. Sorry, like the reading ones, and then and there was it like the remake with that Nolan North was the Prince. Yeah, the eight one which they abandoned because they had the movie Tian one that they had to go back to the more like kind of Gill and Hall of traditional look. But I love anyway, I really, I really like this game. And I'm not a big Metroid Venier person, I will say that they were. Yeah, But the one thing I will say that we haven't ready touched on is it Platforming is incredible, puzzles are incredible. Combat whatever story is not. Well, that's why I was gonna ask you next, because Tam you mentioned earlier today on game mess that that's like the only like, if we're picking knits, that's the only part where it starts to fall short. Yeah. I don't think that the narrative is particularly compelling, and I don't think the characters are also very compelling, which is a shame, because they do have like the setup for something interesting with the immorals and the whole like leaning into the mythology of the region and that kind of stuff and the simov and stuff like that, but it's just there's something about the writing that doesn't feel like it coalesces in a really interesting way. It just feels a bit disjointed at times. I am a person who loves story. I love reading things and you know, like looking at descriptions of items in that kind of stuff. But in this I found like within two hours or three hours and I was like, I'm bonding through all of this. I don't care about it. It's it's kind of like very forget. And also it kind of weirdly that element of it where it is there's a surprising amount of reading required because the things is in environment, and it really breaks the pace which is quite smooth and quite like breakneck. When you get into the actual platforming element of it, it kind of grinds to a halt and it it's one of those things where it kind of takes you out of the flow state. So I've reached the point where I'm just like, I don't I'm not going to engage with that. I'm just gonna blitz through it, like description necessarily long, like how many as you come across and you hit up on it and it's like, what is the six paragraphs of text that's nothing to do with anything to give you a tip or something, but it never does. No. One of the things I noticed about the actual voice lines and everything is that clearly at some point someone said make this more like Hades. There are some lines that Sargon that Sargon in particular says that I'm like, oh, you just wanted you wanted him to be your Zagarias. And that's again taking from games that have done it so great, but I think in this one maybe missed the mark a little bit. For me, it's interesting enough to get me from A to B, but it's not as compelling and it doesn't need to be because everything else is so great, Like this is a minor blip on it otherwise. Yeah, right, it's actually in the history of metro games, it's like a decent story when you compare it to all the other metro me like, yeah, it's most of these metro viney games. Like I know people are gonna go mad because hol on Nights has a story, Yes, we get it, but like I don't really pay too much attention. Like Super Metro is probably one of my favorite games of all time. The story in it is bare bones. It's it's it is like a setup and a premise more than anything else. So it's not a killer that it doesn't have this this kind of like get engrossing story to it. I think a lot of Metri thing is smartly make the story more atmospheric and kind of will create things that you kind of discover. Metric times the best example of that. Yeah, So I think this game does brute force, like two character's gonna talk to each other. I think it does that a bit too much. Yeah, back, I was gonna say, I think it's kind of like a symptom of the history of the franchise where Suns of Time specifically kind of put story back into a as a major component of Prince of Persia and that was m Yeah, and and and they did it again with I mean like it was kind of downhill from there with Warrior Within, and they did it a bit of that in the the really awful Prince of Persia and then even the Sense of Time remake. This is it feels like that. Yeah, I feel like this is more a case of like, oh, we them thinking that story is a pillow of Prince of Persia and us kind of going, actually, we don't really give a shit about that when the rest of the game is just good and you can time is just like yo, rewind game like that, No one, no one? Yeah, while running I remember while running being a big gimmick there, And did you notice the air dash and this is so good? When I saw that, Yeah, is that doing? Oh yeah, it is okay great? What did you want? Jan Backler? I noticed that you were playing this on the guided mode and I decided to check it out as well. And like you know, metroid Vane is the tourists for making you backtrack and you kind of lose a thread. How you been finding with a guided mode on? Yeah, I don't have time to play this game in a way that you're like supposed to or something. I gotta tell me where to go, tell me what to do. But on top of that, this is the way that's supposed to be playing though this has been it for a long time and a lot of games. What I was talking about earlier, that is what guided mode is is just playing a waypoint and then just being like, yeah, but we're not gonna tell you anything else. We're just gonna tell you how to get there. Yeah, that's my complaint. I wish they would. I wish they would a lot. You could go to the little girl by the map. The map, Yeah it's fifty to fifty. Oh that girl's got a map. Yeah. Yeah, when you're and you can hear something, you can just go grab a map. It's fifty Okay, I'll buy her. I'll buy her map. Yeah. I'm stuck in a part where I can't like get to a spot, and you know, I play. I think I played like five hours or so, and and then I was like, oh, I can't get to the spot. But without a doubt, didn't even think twice about the guided mode. That's what I want. I want that. I want that Jeff accessibility option to be there so that that helps you skip certain platforming sections. Well no, I don't want Yeah, you could do that too, right, you can skip like yeah, I think you can also change uh stuff in platform and like timing and things you can. Options are great, like has been doing really great works accessbility. I love how that's implemented here. It feels it feels real good. It feels like it respects my time, and I like games that respect my time. The Perry Windows and Default and some of those platforming sections are like, you know, I love platformers maybe my favorite genre. And some of those are like the timing require like optional side stuff. I don't know if any you did the thing where you had to collect the three bells all in one thing where you're like, yeah, sh it's hard. Yeah, it's fair, yeah, super challenging. Yeah. There are rooms where it's like, oh, I'm this is Celeste now, yeah, you've done is You've just turned this inside the lest which is sick. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah, B side Celeste it's fun. There's a lot of there's a lot of video game in this one. It is literally that they take the idea from celest where it's like the B side stuff where instead of like was it a cherry and Celesti, it's like a coin in this yeahs coins yeah, yeah, the safe round. Yeah. And you can't like you can't like put down your teleport thing either. One of the abilities is that that would be cheating. So the coin goes back if you use that, so you have to actually get back to Safe Harbor using your skills. And I love that stuff. I love that. I love having those challenges to sprinkle out throughout the game. If it was like a challenge room to go to even in the game, I love, like resid e belfour, I'm like, I love going those challenging rooms once I'm in there. But like they did like breaking up the flow of the game to go in the challenge rooms, So I'm not going to do that right now, maybe I'll do it later. So having it like, no, this is just right now, you stumbled in one, just do it. I love that I always end up doing them and really enjoying them. Any of you made the mistake I made a few times of like during one of those really long things where you have to like air dash around spikes and double tier like do all this stuff, and I would try to make myself a checkpoint by dropping my shadow guy, and then I would forget that I did that, and I would get even further like and it would warp me back. You always have to hold it. You could hold it to cancel. You have to hold it first. Yes, I got used to doing that because I did that a couple of times. Yep. Mike, you said yesterday that this is the best two D combat. Do you still stand by that? Yes? Absolutely. I mean, like in terms of like that there's it's a little bit like Orion the Will of the West, and that you have like your mix of melee and you have a bow, but this is more fluid and this has really good juggling, And boy do I love juggling in my combat games. Where you can kind of do a combo that lifts them up in the air, then you jump up with them. You do another combo that shoots them away. Then when you get the air dash, you can air dash to follow them and hit them three more times. And it feels so smooth when it can lay them with arrows, Like do a couple of hits to laying with arrows. Yea. I used the arrows at all during like the Oh okay, so good. It's like Dante's shooting people with guns and keep them there for a little bit, close the gap and you can get a lot. You can upgrade it and have like you know, thirty plus arrows. It's a huge help. Yeah, yeah, And it turns into a frisbee yeah, Frisbee, you warped to, but you can warp to. That's sick as hell. I felt so good at the beginning when I was loving it so much earlier on, and then I looked at the control mapping and I saw there were like five or six buttons that had unknown ability on it. I was like, oh, man, be honestly, don't tell me. I think I got like a weird bug in the game where it's like press RB to do something, and okay, I got it early and I couldn't do anything. I still can't do anything with it, so I will eventually have something on RB. I had a thing that said press RBU to bound towards item or enemy or whatever, and I was like, what the fucking I kept trying arbing it was, kept trying a thing. Later on I got the actual thing and I was like, oh, go, that's what I was talking about. Okay, go, okay, good. Good to know. It's great. Every new ability to get feel substantial, feels like you're going to use it in It is not a bespoke, just use it in this dungeon sort of thing. It is going to change the way you play the rest of the game, and that's you know, one of the great things about my metri vengous is those payoffs of getting a new ability, realizing how to use it, and then having that thing unlocking your mind, where like, here are all the places I can go back to. I can't wait to go back there and actually now conquer this thing that I was pretty close to conquering, and now I have the ability to get over that hump, and the game like naturally fills that loop for you, right like, because if you have been using the screenshot tool that is in the game, it's not then like you have to be like, ah, fuck, I don't even remember, which was an issue for me in Metroid Dread right Like. I mentioned this earlier this week, where it was like I would get abilities and I'd be like, I'm pretty sure there's a place for me to use this, but also I can't. I kind of can't be fucked to go back and do it. I'm like, it's okay, but now I have a list of these locations like that I could look at very easily, So it's like closing that loop, and it isn't it is uh incentivizing you to actually go back and use these new abilities. It makes you feel like, it makes you feel still attached to all those things, like, Okay, it is reasonable to go back there because I know what to do when I'm there. Yeah. Well, it's so smart with the maps up because it does the screenshot thing, which is probably the biggest thing it does with the map, but it also has like the breath of Wild map markers where you can kind of set your own like language for the tokens and all that. But then also so it'll auto add these smart markers where like if I'm trying to enter this room from one side and it's blocked off from something I can't do, it will make a little arrow on the map and it'll like just so you remember, like okay, I need to go back from this way, it'll tell you that that arrow is telling the player you can only get in it from this other side, so like you know right away when you look at it going forward. Yeah, it's a big thing in Metroid venues where they'll put like some kind of marker like you know, the door is red on your map or sign, so that tells you, hey, like you haven't been able to go through this. But it's very rare. I don't know if I've ever seen where it specifically tells you, hey, this was blocked from this side, you need to go this way if you want to like get through it here later. It's so good. I think it's also check all some smarkers, so that's pretty good. Like that like that, like that. I also like that you can kind of create builds in the game, like with the necklace stuff espectally. I for the longest time I had every time I opened my map, I would hate this bird chuck. It was driving me insane. And it turns out it's one of the amulets. Is like the bird is constantly chapping to tell you things. I turned that that's not like the tradition whatever. It doesn't take an ambulant slot. There is the thing you can buy that like makes athing. But I've like built my character around counters. So like I'm Paris, so every time I do a parry, I get like energy back, I get my special meter filled, I slow down time, and I've been like developing it so like the time bubble is bigger and bigger. It's like a real But you can also do Yeah, you can also do like other you know, defense or dodging, based ones where it's like I'm not going to counter, I'm just going to stand in place and dodge and it's going to like do damage it on the way out and that kind of stuff. So they there there's just enough a room for you to create a kind of build that's your own and cater to your own place style, which and there's a ton of que ton And there were bosses where I noticed that, like, my, so you have this like athra ability which is like a rage meter type thing, and you can do these big super text when you fill it up. And so like I ran into a boss where I was like, Okay, I'm not doing a ton of damage, but when I do this adorability, it's really fucking them up. And so you can go back to the tree where you can like shift out your ambulance to be like all right, any amulet that like as I take damage, increases my anthwerbar and all that, and went back and it totally worked. Yeah. I did the one where I just like, if you time the hits later in your combo, you can get another hit and then you can upgrade that to get another one and another one. I always like, now, I always love that addition of a combo in any type of game, I feel so cool. Yeah, especially when it's like at the end of the combo, now it's up to timing. It's like, okay, I have to really be engaged in this. And it took me a few hours to like feel comfortable doing that in combat, and now that I'm doing, it's like it feels good every single time. Also, the other thing where it's like a lot of the enemies have a specific thing that you can counter, which if you nail it goes into a very cinematic kill the animation execution animation, which is really cool, and it does incentivize you to try and aim for that because the damage it does based on you nailing that is much more significant then just like dodging it and trying to chip away at the health. So if you miss your perry, you get you get punished. Think of like you know, bald Bold charge and like punch out. You know there's a little bull boss that charges at you and you're like, oh shit, I know he's doing it, and you got to wait and get the perfect timing. And it's that risk reward is the exact same. And then and if that stuff just sounds like your kryptonite as a player, Like you hate the Perry window, you can make it bigger. You can make a bigger Nikki. You made your bigger, right, That's what I did. I made a Peri window bigger, and I'm hitting all this ship. I think that's the thing. Right. It's like, I I do not feel like the way that y'all. I know that immediately. I made that window bigger, and I do not feel like I am having a different experience from all you have it at the standard window. Like it's I I feel the same way about all this stuff so like, and it does not feel punitive to me as the player who like would like is asking for that option. A good video game feel when somebody can take an arrow or projectile at you a new Perry and then sends it right back at you can do that. Until yesterday when Grubb did it, it was crazy, you know what. I really hope this game doesn't become this year's Hi Fi Rush, where it came out everyone loved it and then kind of got forgotten a little bit towards the end of the year. I hope, if they're smart, they will wait until like middle of the year and then release a d OC update or something like that. People. Yeah upside down, Yeah, yeah, there you go, Rogueliate. Now you can see the spirit that's overcoming Richter or something. Yeah, on the giant bomb scale. Anyone want to like throughout theirs, because I haven't finished it, I'm very close. I'm like, this is a five out of five for me? Yeah? Important? Yeah, important, important, That's all I need. It's important. How about how about you, Dan and and and Mike, you guys, Are you guys feel comfortable giving a star rating or like a smile? I think it would. Yeah. As I was playing it for the first like ten hours or so, I was thinking, like, this is a five star if I decided to like write a review of it. And then there was a bit in the middle where I was kind of like what Backler was talking about, where it's like, all right, there's like a couple of places I need to go to, and I was just found myself kind of just like walking around the same areas a bunch of times. And that was a very brief moment where I was like, I wonder if this is a four star. I wonder if this is wearing off on me and I got right past that and it went right back into loving it. So like I think by the end, I think of this is like a five star game. Yeah, I know that part where you're at it's got part would be a little bit troublesome. People. But that girl that sells you the maps that the haven talk to her, she also gives you hints, so you'll buy hints from her and she'll tell you, like some some helpful bonuses and stuff. Over on gainesbeed dot com I have my written review and on our system I gave it a four and a half stars out of five. It was like only like a full star system, I would have just gone five, Like my only things are just some presentation or aesthetic things, Like the music is fine. I wish it kind of went a little harder, and there were moments, especially the last boss fight. I was kind of surprised is that the music seems sort of mellow and quiet, not huge stuff, but maybe just you know, those those little things there that I thought something, but the music's weird. I was listening to all I had it pause while I was doing some other work last night, and during the pause menu, it was very quiet, like very understated and then it just like kept picking up and picking up and adding more instruments, and it's it did start to go hard. I'm like, where is this When I'm playing the game. It's not like the music's bad, it's just it's just there's not enough of it. It's kind of exactly better than Ride to Hell. We also, nothing's quite that good. We also this is the first this is the first game that the TikTok voice is in for making it finally into a triple A release. Oh wow, yeah, good for good for TikTok. I'm sorry, I don't know. There's a there's a character go ahead that that little sprite that I think lights up the sewers. Her voice is basically a voice that a lot of people use on TikTok to introduce their videos. They'll do the text of speech thing like here's how to make a million dollars. It's a can't you do it? Lucy? Oh yeah, I mean I'm here to light your way in the sewers section of Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. Yeah, the one, the one in the game is that kid tts voice that used to pay right, Okay, yeah, it's it's a different one that I texted Lucy immedia. I was like, is this the TikTok voice? I was gonna say, because that one sounded really weird? What's going on? Well? They, I think they said that, like they just they use it obviously as placeholder, and then they forgotten the which is so real. It's so real, Like, oh, we fucking forgot. I don't do not understand how you missed that Man Time game called Ride to Hell Retribution the other day and they had a caution tape and it just said temp on it instead of caution. Why not just why not just put the caution instead of tempt? They had the right bond in color and everything. That's weird, Well, folks, weird. I think it's rare that a game is getting getting its flowers across the board. Here a giant bomb dot com I think I'm tell me if this is too bold? My friends? Is this an early spoon? Yeah? Yes, yes, absolutely, all right, all right, get your spoons ready. Jan You first weren't in love with it, and then you watch it playing. You seemed like there was a couple of things that kind of struck your fancy. How are you feeling now, Oh, I'm completely in love with it. It's a five out of five game. I just needed. The initial half hour of it just wasn't necessarily grabbing me. And I think I get that. I think it's just evident that these or on the writing just are not its strongest suits. But yeah, virtually everything Nickelodeon comparison you made, it's like it feels like a kind of a cheap Nickelodeon show. Yeah, Tech, let's attack trifecta this week, folks. We're never going to talk about Tocic Power Juju ever again. No, I'm sorry, Nikki. Maybe we'll tack about it after this break. Oh god, it's fine if we never talk about it again, folks. That is our review of Prince of Persia the Lost Crown. We like it. It's a good game when it comes out. Think about buying it. But hey, also, maybe just sign up for you to be Self plus or whatever the fuck. There's description fifteen dollars a month. You get and play that in Avatar and over the next month, and that pays for itself real quick. There you go, baby. After a quick freaky break, we will be back with Fantasy Critic, where we will be drafting games and figuring out who comes out on top and who eventually is going to be on the bottom. After this break fading to black. Now before we get to the fantasy critic Dan Reikert, I'm talking to you. I just got something in the mail I want to show and tell real quick. I love you. Know Seaman for the Dreamcast? Oh no, I you know it came with a microphone that you plug in your Dreamcast controller. There's a Man two for the PS two that came out in Japan. Unfortunately I can't play it because you have to know Japanese to play it. But they went further and I bought a very stupid thing. I bought the Special Edition of Seaman two, which comes with the most buck up PS two controller you've ever seen. It's got a microphone in it. Why someone described this for the audio? It looks like Captain Nemo's compass as a place. Okay, someone else explain it, all right, it looks like I'm sorry, I'm just d controller. Yeah. If you see a dream Cast, it looks like the frog in it. It looks like it came out of the motion picture Atlantis. Yes, yes, well, people were talking about Disney again. USB connector. I wonder if I could make this work on PC. You want? Yeah, this is even stupider than I expected. I love it, man, I want that's a great box too. It is. Yeah, Yeah, I feel like I love the I love the sands. Sarah on Seaman, it's very good. Learn Japanese, just so I could play Seaman too. Brand would be my god, learn Japanese. I want you to learn Japanese. I kind of wanted you to put in salt water and see what happens. Like no active protecting this thing, Turbo Shan Jeff Grubb, please exxplain the rules of Fantasy Critic, not only to us, but for the folks at home. Yeah, so, just to like lay down the ground work here and then we'll get into the nitty gritty. It is exactly what it sounds like if you've ever played fantasy football, fantasy baseball, something like that. We're going to be drafting games for our published companies. We are all virtual publishing companies. We will be picking from a list of games on the Fantasy Critics Dot game's website. We are going to be selecting from new releases, games that could come out and are unannounced and remakes. There's a handful of things. You'll get the idea real quick. How does the point scoring mechanism work? Turbo Shawn? So if a game scores above, boy, I should note the threshold. I believe seventy seventy seventy? Is it some your seventy five seventy? It's seventy? Okay. If a game scores above seventy, for each point above that is scores, it scores one point. And then if you're above ninety, what the fuck is going on? Are do you two passing notes like you're in class or something? What's happening? Do? I gotta make y'all no, sile, I just I had a post it on my monitor that said Fantasy Critic twenty twenty four on my monitor for like three months, and now that we're doing it, I can throw it away. I got so apparently. Yeah. Anyways, the game scores over ninety points, each point above is worth two points, so that incentivizes and if you pick if you're under seventy, you're gonna lose points, yes, right, which comes into the points. Yeah. So this and this other part is important, and this one really pay attention to because you can't drop this game, right, Well, there's the let's break it. Okay, So we're picking games today. We will eas to be picking five. I looked at the list of games. I'm like, Okay, if we each did four, the be thirty six. That's that feels almost too reasonable considering why I actually went down the list. How many games are eligible? So we're gonna pick five each today. But then on the flip side of things, Yes, Lucy, can we have like if I picked I don't know final seven reboth, Could Nikki also have that? Or is it each Yes? Because this is mimicking fantasy sports. Each game is essentially like a player, so like once someone takes that, yes, So the flip side of picking games is counter picking games, which we will each do one of today and one of later in the year. But all you need to know about today is that counterpicking is you're predicting that game will do poorly above that and it has to be a game that someone else selected. Yes, so you guys are gonna you guys are gonna hear that. I know it went through one ear and out the other. Once we get to there, we'll explain it again. But those are the basics and am is you're picking good games. You are counterpicking games that either you think will do poorly or not come out release, and counterpicking will be its own like round right. Yes, yes, we will have one round of counterpicks at the end since we reach counterpicking one. Okay, okay, Well, first of all, before we start the draft, I think it's very important that we go over the most fun part of fantasy creation, which is everyone's publisher names. So here I will explain the draft order as well as talk about everyone's publisher name. Going down the line, we have one two more with his publisher grow up. So this was this was randomized, This is randomized. This is okay, all right, I'll take it. Uh. Second is Dan rekerd with Records Market. Third is JERF with important Collective Uh. After that we have Janford and Sons with cut the check games. After that we have myself, Turbo Sean uh Lucky feet in Oh my god, you can't say that that what's wrong with you? Not? Just google it and then and then also R and then three and then four. At the end of it you can really get is this the space shame thing? Close close? That's a different rabbit that they want to fuck okay one rabbit. After I go, we will have one Mike's Minati and his Critical Path publishing. After Mike is grub with Grub one out games, then we are not good. It's very good, great, very good. It's worse than mine, honestly. Then we have Lucy James Games with Lucy James publishes games that's great. And closing things out, we have Nikki with their good video games TM, so we will be boxing's good. It's like the Nintendo Seal. I think we should just hop right into it and get going. Well, I want explain to our one first because there was a question about this. We will go down the line and then we will go back the opposite direction for round two. It's serpentine like snake. So like Nicky is picking last in round one, it will be picking first in round two and drafting. So you go back to back and then we'll do that until we've each picked five and then after that we'll do the counterpick stage. All right, right? Yeah, So who's like the commissioner you shown right? Imagine the league? Cool? So if you you know any bribes, would you paya? Wait? The rewards we can figure out, like who what the first place person gets, but the last place person has to play the worst reviewed game that someone selects to completion. Well a reason. If it's like an MMOs, you've got to play at least like, you know, twelve hours of it or something. And also the games we pick have to be listed as available on That is correct, that's right. So the money games that are not allowed here are any games in or will be in early access, and any games are deemed remasters by the site. Remake makes it good if it's expected to have a full release, it's not gonna give if it leaves early access. If it's confirmed for one point, that will change things. But fantasy, what about the remake? Remake is fine, remaster is not. So. Remaster is basically just like, oh it's in ten eight p now that's what they define a remaster nowadays. Got it about expansions, Oh, thank you, thank you for bringing that up. No, no, no, because unfortunately d LC expansions are lumped together on fancy creek. That makes things way too much. Yes, unfortunately Dawn Trail will not be eligible, but that's really the only major expansion that shadows a delC in my head is how I see that one again. It gets messy. Eligible Maybe we'll get a nice gold spoon for the winner. Okay, yeah, we should figure out how to get a get it, get one made. That sounds smart. I'll forge it. Just talk to your's elbow. He knows all about gold. All right. Does everyone have the site pulled up? Yes, I commissioner games. I hit the games tab right or the master games list. No, you need to be on our league, dan, Oh, I have that. Okay, this whole page is gonna activate and stuff. Don't worry automatically, and you're gonna be on the clock. Right. We gotta we gotta moving, I believe. So it's been a while since I've done one of these, So I'm just gonna hit okay, and let's start drafting. Okay, tam is first up. You should see something on your screen that allows you to pick a game. You're on the clock, Tam, I don't see anything. Nothing's happened here, get it. The draft is currently in progress. Oh, it says draft game. Okay, there you go. Do I need to I don't see albums. You're gonna see what it's your turn? Okay. You can look at the watch list in the meantime. Okay, I've drafted a game. Okay, we just saw you, just like Tam picked tech and eight. Okay, it's automatically on to me. Yes, that's right, I don't see anything popping up. You refresher and then it says that the top draft game. I don't see games. I had to Does your screen look like I can't see Jans? Well, I mean on the if you could just check the stream real quick, I have to get past the it's all mind games. I like it, Dan, Yeah, hang on, is my timer going? I don't see it time. Yeah, mine looks like Jans Okay, so you Tam, where did the pop up at? So it popped up right at the top, underneath the giant bomb text. No, I don't have in an orange strip? No? Do you have multiple tabs open? Yeah? I have the games list on another one if you can close. I had to close both of them. I had to close taps open and I had to close both of them and then reopen one and then it refreshed. Are you signed in? Uh? No, you know your dad at the worst. Oh wait, it's my logging input on the other. Hang on a second, Hang on a second, log in over here. What's my email address? Oh? No, I think this makes you ineligible? Yes, hang on, Oh jeez, oh, I don't know if I saved my log and stuff. I don't know which email abuse are you? Like my dad? What the fuck? Dude? Sorry? If cats to checking im, it's not that. Wait a minute, wait a minute? Work what huh? No, you don't worry about you get locked in. Don't take there's no time. It's my turn. I'm taking your pick. Wait you're fine, You're fine, You're fine. Yeah. What what's the reason why Haites is not eligible? Early access is access? And uh, it's not going to be out this year. I don't know for this year. Then you'll be able to go in and draft it with some of the money. I suppose. I suppose we didn't mention this, so now it's a good time to talk about this. Each of us are given a budget, like you know, fictional dollars to spend throughout the year. There will be a bidding system on a given week where if you want to get a game, you put in a dollar amount for it here on the website, and then at the end of the uh sometimes Saturday evening, it processes all bids. If you the winner, you get that game add to your roster. So with something like eighties, it is early access. If it gets a confirmed release eight it'll change which to the game and then you could bid. Honest, another fucking jet budget is for this season. It's for the season, yes, and and the bidding happens every week. It starts on Monday and goes through Thursday. Right. The system we do here is simpler than the early League Jeff so, oh man, that's music to my ear. Yeah, it should just be a Saturday evenings seven Eastern. I think it is. It processes all bids and then we just start a news cycle and it, you know, goes intoday. I mean, no, what I definitely have had to use an email address because, like I'm searching all my signing with Google. Yeah confirmation right, Oh my god, No, I don't think so. I just signed in with my like I didn't sign it with Google, and then I did it that way and it was all right, visual bees right, this is the authentic fantasy drafting. Okay, okay, real quick, I think about it, I hear about it. Hang on, okay, okay, the drafting draft their game we got all right, that's what I'm gonna do. Okay, draft game now, it's probably starting thing. Okay, No, it's gonna desire Why I have to go through pages? Okay, where's Prince of Persia? You can't okay with you, commissioners. Since my wife just started the PlayStation to pay so exclusive Final Fantasy day, Okay, I just gotta be the commissioner. You can't play along. I'm drafting Final Fantasy. You can't do that. You can't do that. I wanted to do that Final Fantasy guy, you know? Yeah? Yeah, any ways, is Jeff's turn? Now? You dan my game? Which would have been more fun. Yeah, I'd like to choose a lot of numbers after they've been drawn. What's gonna be the most important game of the year? Backlar, all right, I'm gonna already. I think we're at slim pickens. I don't know about that to be ambitious, but I think right now you should be good. I gotta go back into the here experience. The person has one thing ad minded, and that's take Yeah, what do you mean Michael Jordan's not available? All right? Help like, yeah, that's good. That's getting I think you know, I've I've been a little Mike who asked you. I've been a little little, little little itchy lately, so some some might call me ich John. Look at this bastard makeawn and then stealing my game? You Okay? That is that legal? Though? Is that picking? Picking? Is picking a game that was on the list? Legal? Yeah? Yeah, I've heard some games that are going to get delayed this year and I'm keeping that information of myself. Yeah. This is the beauty of games, that being like the physical trainer for the giants and not telling anyone about what you know. I like it, I know, I know. Okay, Okay, this might backfire on me because this this could totally get to suicide squad. What I am drafting? Metaphor Refontasio. Wow, that Persona teams game? Yes, Fantasy Persona. If that hits, I feel like that's really gonna hit that I know how to play. He made up a game for his first pick, Okay, pretty simwhere I was gonna go with this one for I'm gonna go with the Persona three ship that would have been my number two. Yep, that's rough, all right, I'm ready to gribble one out, scribble one out. Let's see here, man, you guys did just take all the good ones. Huh? All right, Okay, well he's got ideas. M I am going to have faith in Capcom and I am going to do Dragons Dogma two. Nice, all right, su Persia. He said it should be eligible, and he said it like a semester planning. He's like, what do you mean, Van Duel, I can't bet on the winner. What do you mean metacritic fluid number? You know it could go Oh my god, Lucy, it's coming out. Huh you know what it does come out? I picked If it comes out, I'm fucking quids in. Yes, but it's a risk. That's a risk. Okay. I can't wait to see. So now Nikki gets two games in a row. Here, okay, I get to now right? Yeah? Yeah, are you locked in? Okay? So I am logged in draft game. Oh, there we go, show my watch list. It doesn't really make a difference, but I do want to make a correct choice. So what I'm gonna do here is, oh, go to the page two. Here we go, fucking watch this bang NCAA wow o. Fucking okay, who I love around the technicality, I forgot to mention because anything any of us was gonna pick any of them yearly installments that are like the same essentially each year, like you know, a Madden are not. But technically this isn't a yearly installment exactly. This is a new probably Willoughby. But yet I think I'm gonna go with Rise of the Row and Oh I think y'all love those ones. I'm out of puns now, ship, I'm drafting. I'm draft I'm drafting here. Hey, yo, I'm drafting here. Uh there is one that I is anyone else like really scared that someone else is going to take their game? Yeah? Of course, yeah, gone, there's no games coming out. I've gone for Rise of the Golden Idol. Oh really good. We have some selection bias. That's one of the people that love that the game are going to review it. That's gonna be really choice. That's a whole different. That was my thinking with n C double A is that only people who are going to like that one are going to review it, so the number is going to be big. Yeah that's good. I'm learning so much. This is just like fantasy it is. Yeah, I feel like, Yeah, I'm feeling good. I'm just looking for my thing here. And give me a second, and then I hit the back button of my mouse, so I got to rule on my page. All right, there we go. When I select my game, let's just move on without talking about it. Why, okay, it's just insider trading here, lollipop chains, Oh you okay? Main line, amazing mainline. However, okay, when it comes back, that is such a huge No, there's no way this game's coming out this year. Do you know why? Why? Because because March tenth, Mario Day is a Sunday this year, they're not going to do a direct on a Sunday. They're not going to win ounce a new Mario game on a Sunday. Therefore, it's not coming out this year. Thank you so much. My whole logic, I don't understand the logic. Now, yeah, Mike, we've got a few more games. Can you please make something? No, I want to one's gonna pick it so much sweeter way, the game's coming out. A very good chance of games coming out. They're going to watch a switch to this year. What do you think is going to be the watch game? If not the New Mario. Obviously not your fault, but come on, of course, the New Mario's coming out this year. Cool. Cool, And now pick a game. We're on a schedule. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. I don't need to be holding things up. God Day only picked this one yet. Yeah, we'll go with Star Wars out. Yeah, I mean, I hope you're right, Like I want to play that for sure. Yeah, Jeff grubbs so much, it's just the worst. Let's see, where is it? Where is it? I'm going with Penny's big breakaway choice. You only want to dickhead like that is just my best spirit of football. Very British of you. Yeah, whatever, check check my discord. Dam being a parent inside of trading. Leave grub alone. He's rocking seven frames a second right now, stop motion grub ship damn it. I'm no, that's stupid. Folks watching my stream at home, that's a I'm watching you be silly. You're being I mean, is it stupid? No? Jan, Jan, you can do it. Do it. I'm not watching the stream. What did you do? He's about he's about to take in Bontes. I might as well be a dead man. Might as well. I've turned around, do it a coward? You I've heard, I've heard the taking into double a football number one. You would never do that. I did draft it. I did it. He's done it. At least last place is on a possibility for anymore. Everyone's gonna remember how courageous I was. Just then you're like, don't know, I love Someone in chat said that you're throwing, which is very fu Wait, let me choose this unannounced Okerina of Time remake ye come yeah, okay, I'm done. Care to Heart of Chernobyl. Right, well again, what's the score that has to get above seven? Empty? Okay? Okay? If I if the game I want mix it to me without anyone picking it, it's gonna be insane. All right, Well, damn pay Princess b showtime and it is TAM's pick now, okay I will When do you laugh like a dock soul's NPC that you went that TAM's default state. Yeah, I don't like how we're being mean to each other. Now, No, this is what happens. Oh wow, wow I think that's actually that's a good pick. Wow. All right, dam you also get the next one. Yeah, okay, let's you deserve it. Isn't there a time on I don't think it's thumb dress, but not in this one. I thought we had one, but maybe that was something that my league manager turned on. I'm gonna I'm gonna take it. I'm gonna do a risky pick. Yeah you might as well. We're in We're in the round. No, it's a bad sign that, uh pick before. Okay, this is this is both a risky pick and hoping and dreaming situation. All right, we should announce this. It is a podcast, don't forget. Yeah yeah, oh yeah, considered it. Yeah yeah mee solid, Dan, You're on the I'm in this to win. I'm not going for my own picks here. I was worried about Delta. Yeah so many. Yeah you did absolutely, Yeah, but like but you made the fucking choice and like drop that. Don't worry. Yeah yeah, no it might last year Mike Final Fantasy seven rebirth and that never came out. Yeah he was convinced. Okay, all right, right, record two that's not no well yes, yes, picket no way, no, no, no, not happening pict with confidence. Pick get more points the more above seventy it is right, yes, okay? Yes, one or negative one points wins right point above. So I have his scores eighty. You get ten points. All right, all right, sorry speak amongst yourselves here. Okay, well, I guess this is a good opportunity to talk about drops because typically you cannot drop a game because I'm make things so easy. But if your a game later in the year gets confirmed to not be coming out this year, you can drop it and another one. Okay, yeah, and you just drop it for your roster and you have a free SLNE round. But he mentioned about counterpicking that you want counterpick games that won't come out that still obviously goes through we you'll break even all get like emailed and notified about these kinds of events. No, yeah, what fa for Mario? I think it's gonna be like mid eighties. Yeah, that was the one I was eyeing. That's smart. Yeah. What if a game is definitely coming out this year but has not been officially announced. What it's like? What's that situation about? That's like Mario situation. Yeah, yeah, there's just a list. There's a game that I think should be in this bucket that is not well it's not if it's not listed, it's not listed. What did you pick they should put the Venom? Venom should be in I picked Oh yeah, that's a metro. It's that black Light oaster. Met me and him but both played that, and it's machine Yeah from Final Fantasy six. This is how I play fantasy in real real life. Okay, okay, oh, he's going Power but World. Let's go wait wait wait wait early Oh it's early access. It won't let me because it's early access, right which who World? Yeah? I thought it was. No. I think I think Power World is in early access right now. They must not have updated it or something. No, maybe it's not. I don't know. Ye is in early access now, Okay, Oh, that's what's happening. It is getting it is getting a Xbox release, I believe. Does the you elected and then just go through with a warning. Jan, No, I I tried to have to Okay, you would have to allow the tag. I would have to manually do that. I don't think I do that during the raft. Well, actually, hang on, hang on, hang on. I got I got another one in my pocket. I got another one. He's got one Jan in his pocket. Nice, I've got one Jan Blue Fantasy m Grand Blue Fantasy Reeling. Okay, interesting choice, Okay, I'm feeling good. I have so many that haven't been picked. Yeah, it's a question which one do I do next? Just not the one I want to pick. Okay, it might be I'm curious if you were going to this one next. This could go either way. Well, I mean released this year year, it's going to be. I'm going with Dragon Quest three HD two D Okay, okay, nice, got a sure thing like Mina of the thinking about that thinking Mina right now, good pick, get pack. All right, there we go. Let's take a look here. Uh yeah, I'm going for the safe dad pick. This is one that I think is going to review very well. It is Microsoft Flight Simulator twenty twenty four. That was literally my next fit. That's f pick. It's a smart pick. It's a smart but it's a safe smart pick. He's like, you know what, I do need life insurance exactly. I will contribute to my one K I will match. So my pick is I'm so glad none of you went for this one. The new game from the Chinese Room still wakes the deep Dand's favorite game. He loves the trailer for that one. That's the oil rig around the oil rigged. Yeah, yeah, Chinese Room, I have faith in you. Back to back packs again, I get back to back right. Yes, I'm so nervous. If they let me down on this, I'm gonna be livid. You'll be let down. I'll be let down. See it's hard, right because you It's like, will you will I like this game? No? Probably not? But will people like it? My chance? I'm not gonna play Final Things. Yeah, that's why I'm gonna take Mario versus Donkey Kong. I just like first person there, I'm sorry, I don't mean a rupt jam. What were you trying to to? That was early access power, trying to drift either way, I have over ridden that tag if you want, that's what it is. I was gonna say, I'm looking at it right now and it's available, so we'll just save that for Jan. Yeah, yeah, we'll save it for We'll save it for a jam. You don't have to take a jam, but if you want to now gonna work? Yeah, well we'll see. We'll also we'll save it for Jan. If anyone else has any questions like that, you feel free to bring it up. And I can. Nikki, did you pick? I was like Ni said, we'll save it for Jin in a funny way, and the database or something my back. Hurts explained how you colluded, what happened. Shaun just did it to be nice to Jan, and Nikki said, I don't give a fuck. It's not even worth it. This game. This is the people who brought the Craftopia Like that game is awful. I did it because it was funny. Yeah, he did you a faith. I wanted the nameless. He jumped on that gade. Damn it, I've picked mine this Assassin's Creed code name red. Oh right, that is a game. That's a game they've announced it probably this year. And if it's not Wow, in the words of in the words of Brandy Pittford, can't believe you would suck me on this medium were going to because I knew if I didn't, you were going to take three Mari. I was worried about you specifically, and for good reason. Yeah, a good reason. It turns out, so everyone's really like rolling the dice pretty early on. I feel like, for the most part, well, metro Pric four I feel good about I know, I feel good about that too. I think that's the smarter and this this is why I wanted to do five each, because I feel like once we start stretching a little. It's fun to see what people are willing to gamble on. Yeah, I will take the Squire. Oh you that's huge. Yeah, that was going to be my actual pick before I picked. Shocked, still shocked, me too, shocked, shocked and appalled. I will go with Unicorn Overlord. Yeah. Man, that's not a real game. I listen, I got the wildest publisher name. I'm just picking all the games. Is this a vanilla ware like RPG? Yeah? Played with the naked kids. It's it's another one of those. All right, who's up? Who's on the Jesus Christ? This is U Jen, It's me. It's me. World of GUTU great pick, World of two? Sorry, where's the where's the order? The order gets all yeah, smudged up right memorized at this point, you're soon I think your next Yeah, you're you're after me? Yeah? What do you guys mean? Like, just look at the list? I mean doing projected points now? No, no, but if you stroll down, that's the order. We're dumb yet. No, I'm going to get the rosters. Cut the check, cut the check. What we got? Take your time, Take your time. I think we're on the second to last pick. Right, yeah, yeah, these are important picks now, I mean they're all important, and you already picked uhm bones would still this one's been more important because of that. We're all I can't wait to roll the tape back and everyone's reaction. I get suicide squad at this point, Mike, sit down. I thought about it. I thought about it, though, Yeah, I didn't see why did yet? I picked Wow remake. Actually really good pick, actually, I think okay. I went with the definitely idea, the one with the hopeful idea that the freaks that love Silent Hill just just go for it. Yeah, that's that could be a risky one. I that one could go either way. I think critics are gonna be happy with it. Bet it. Oh that one? Yeah? Oh fun? All right, I'm going to pick this game I'm very excited for and totally didn't just see you just now in Google to see who made it. I'm going to go with earth Blade. You don't stop talking about earth Blade. Yeah, I'm the celest people, and that game re beat really well. So I remember seeing this game. Man, oh wait, they're making a metro venue. Yeah waits a metro venie. I don't know who's going to pick honted chocolate tear. But then I googled it and they're like twenty twenty five at the earliest. Yep, louverine. But then I was like, Blade is not coming out to everyone knows that, is it? Not? Fuck? No, it's probably it's got a really long Wikipedia page. Okay, that's good, right, No, that's bad. It doesn't have one. It's barely a Wikipedia man. Sure, yeah, yeah, you're fine. You're fine? Is it? Do I get to know? Yeah? Yeah, not that you deserve. Actually no, I thought we're just doing five. Yeah, because he's doing I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I take that. Yeah, he's doing four and five. Got it. Let's see it, tim m m all right, let's start with this one, the Sparking Zero series. The freaks do love those games. We're talking about self selection earlier, Like, I think that's gonna be one of those This is where you need to start thinking about like easy eights. Yeah, and like you just get those easy points on the board. Okay, I lost this is I think I think it might be. We're good. There we go. Okay I considered that. Yeah, okay, surprise that's still there. Yeah yeah, same, all right, so I picked paper Mark. That is that's totally fine, right, Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't have let it. Okay, I'm gonna go with the sequel to one of my favorite games. Gonna go with Frost Punk two. Okay, yeah, shut up about it. Yeah, that's an easy eighty six eight. All right, I'm going They had a religious police force that would enforce my rule as law, and it was a very good game, So I recommend it. Go play everybody. I've chosen Blackmith Wukon. Wow, I didn't know you support toxic workplaces. Back hard with my entire story. If I hypothetically after this I wanted to get rid of a game, maybe like hypothetically Power World, you am I stuck until the end of time. So I believe I've set it up so everyone gets one free drop, and then after that needs to be a game that is confirmed to not be releasing. Okay, okay, I have a question. Then really quickly, Jan I'm proposing a trade. I will not yet, not yet, hang on, we got let's get this done. Nikki is like twelve steps ahead. I'm looking towards the future and I see visions of Janna Ah that was on my Radar. I like it. It's good that it doesn't have cover art, right, I mean, it's definitely there's so much choices. That's what it's like boiling cold water. It happens faster. Yeah, three of mine have not had covert Nikki, so you know, it's fine, It's fine. Let me see, I'm scrolling down the list here, see if there's anything better than the next one that headlined up. A lot of these are like, I don't know if these are No, I'm not just picking based off ward play, all right, fuck it, I'm saying this is the year that the remake of Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy up definitely wanted. There is There is no way there is a video game on this planet called Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War. Yes, in Japan. Apparently this game, this remake has been just sitting there apparently for a long time. I'm like, if this is the last year of the switch they're putting out this year, and that was like one of my only other games I was looking at all right, switch Fire so right mm hmm, okay, yeah about something other than this, yes, about Disney. I got a couple ideas. I think they're good ideas, so I'm not like scrambling here. Yeah, I think I'm gonna go if I had been Chronicle hundred Heroes. Okay, I was saying by doing that one too. Okay, let's see here. I love how my list is a bunch of RPGs that may or may not release. And then yeah, okay, I'm gonna think about that one and then just look around one more last one last time. This is my last pick. Okay, I'm gonna ste on it just for a second. I did enjoy that. I think I think Dan's got the best lineup so far. I think does I think Tam does I think I do. I think when all my games come out, I will. I mean, I mean it's very dictated you come out. We're in trouble for how like nervous everyone sort was about having enough gamespec. I think we actually all have like pretty well rounded list. No, you're right, there's more than I thought, really, all of us will I mean better. Sorry, just doing a little research. Hell, you're checking emails or something, you know, I'm just doing reaching out. He's hitting his sources to the bolts are eligible or not? Something, just googling something real quick all right after it's like, can you imagine after we go we finished drafting, everyone say there five days the drafting, Yes, could inspire thing. Everyone acts like it was gonna be big. I've not heard of this. This looks cool? What is it? Just looks really cool? Dead so oh that was yes? Yes, no, actually is is the no? The shows team were doing the other top storybook one look cool. Yeah, okay, I got mine. It's not what I thought that. That's fine, I'm gonna go with this instead. This was always a backup. I'm gonna go with skate story. Oh, I just you know, yeah, I was just thinking, what's the game that backlare once? And I just it's cool Pinball. I just feel like I hope that game comes out, like yeah, yeah, I hope. So all right, second last, we got Lucy. I'm looking mm hmm as the person who uh takes care of all the reviews on game spot. I have. I'm in a position to do something very funny right now, insane scandal like just for one spoon, I want to get used in some YouTube video. I don't think it's to participated. I've heard it, okay, so I have I have one that I want. I'm just looking through and making sure there's nothing the last morning I can't wait for. Magically, reviews are going to come back in full force on giant bomb dot com. No one's going for some reason that will ritten by jan I thought that was a bug on my screen. I was about to like smash it. Okay, in that case, I'm just gonna go with my heart. Yeah, I'm gonna pick Phone Stars. Let's get definitely want not bad. I've heard people people really enjoyed it, like someone game first and whatever. So okay, it's interesting some of the games that haven't been picked. Yeah mm hmm, Hey, no, Phone Star, it's your game on I got you? Excuse me? Oh god, they're building Trek's house at Universal Orlando. Okay, I don't even know. I'm between I'm between three right, and it doesn't matter because it's the last I'm going to talk about them out loud. I mean we one of us could bid on it. I'm okay, Well, let me hit show with this. Does anyone want Power World? And I'm just saying that you didn't. No, do not have an asset here. I just I just think that, like I'll give you Power World if you give me a first next year and then screen which screen. So before we did all this, before we did all this, we're talking about like do we want trading on or not? I was like this, this is why I want trading, just the thought that we can't trade future draft picks. It's not like draft whip trading. Could we do more than five? Like could you like trade two for one? Well, your entire roster for the year dan is capped at ten. We're gonna be able. We're gonna be able. We have one hundred virtual bucks is what it is. Under one hundred dollars, dudes to were gonna be able to use the bid throughout the rest of your so games, get out a summer games. We will have love bids in the middle of the year. And on top of okay, that's awesome powerful. I want to do five today because that way you fill out your roster a little bit more. You gotta think a little bit more about what we want. Power. That is devious and I love it. M that's what I do. I'm going to take with my fifth pick in the twenty twenty four Giant Bomb Fantasy Critic draft of the New York Good Video games TM select another Crabs Treasure. Oh that was the other one I was I was thinking about that's a fun it was a fun demo. Yep. Oh, we go back around for the counterpicks. I actually didn't realize that. So Nikki gets first counterpick here picking up shit Kick. Yeah. So you're picking the game that you think is going to score below seventy from the games that other people have selected. So we have a pool of games that we selected. You need to either think it's it's gonna score bad or you're you think it's not going to come out this year. Those people are pick my own game. No, that's why I scored. So the worse it does, the further below seventy. It goes both same rules. You get what points and if it doesn't come out, is it just like a standard, like it's a which is good? Still break you break on which for sometimes that's what you want to do, especially if you're going to be counterpicking the last Sure, sure we get one counterpack. I think that today. So today they are counterpicking one. But by the body, like I think it's October, you need to counterpick another one. Eventually by October I gave up the time to like build the Master. This is such, I'm I have such. I don't know which game do I think is going to be worse? I do think it is worth pointing out. It is a really safe thing to go with the game. You don't think it's going to come out because zero very good for count stop it. Oh yeah, we didn't say that. We didn't say that if the game that you counterpick does above seventy, you lose points. So I last year, for example, I didn't think Allen Lake two is going to come out, so I counterpicked Alan like two. Guess what that didn't help me very much for me? I lost that. Yeah, because it did above ninety so scored really well, which means that like he called that out and that didn't that's the risk reward you're going for there. And it's only one person one count pick person, right, liken't for now? Yes, three people can't count a pick, right, Yeah, it follow it follows the drafting rules. Yes, okay, my camera died, don't don't be alone. It's okay. And so it does not come out. It is not zero as in like a zero metacritic. It's zero is in just nothing happens, right, yeah, zero. Right, but that's a good pick. Yes, yeah, I believe it. Oh man, I am so torn I hacked it. I'm going to take Oh boy, there's no way I'm gonna know. If Earth It's coming out this year, like in the middle of my or game, he is not going to be good. Maybe the next Mario sucks. Maybe don't get back. Maybe it's blade Ethlade counterpick. C p k's counterpick, not California Pizza Kitchen. Same. I thought the same, right there, I'm I'm going to pick I'm yeah, pick you should h I'm gonna pick your you pick. I'm gonna I'm gonna pick dragon Ball Z because I don't know. It's a cod doing a like that's smart. It's basically half life three f oh no, yes, is like crazy. Yeah. But also every dragon Ball game like this one professional, this one is like it's very very easy to get. Right, you might be right, very surprised. I was gonna say, if we if we come back to this in a few months time, all right, I was not actually expecting for Sculling Bones to still be on the table for me. So I'm just like I wanted Beta. Yeah, Oh that's right, that's right, I'm sorry, Yes, yes, yes, yes, laugh and laugh laughing. I think, okay, go for it, Mike. I might just look, it's not there's no way it's gonna like even if it's somehow some pleasant surprise, it's gonna be like seventy five and I lose five points, It'll be fine. But then why would you why would you choose to lose five points if you think it's gonna score some as little as possible. If I think there's a game on here that's like definitely not coming out real quick, I want yes, Silk Song is there and be incredible. Yeah, but that game got it? There are There are a lot of question mark games. Are they coming out this year? At some ways? Skull and Bones, he'll safer as a game that, yeah it's coming out this year, won't be any good though, probably. Yeah, I'm gonna just go on Bones. Okay, that's what I would have done. Yeah, thank you, Jeff. Well, then now I now it must have been the right choice. That's what I'm trying to say. Yeah, all right, Lucky, all right, this is perfect because this is where I get to I get to my insider trading knowledge. Lucy, I played that film Stars Beta and it fucking sucks. So yeah, taste, Yeah, weird tastes like loving Splatoon and knowing all about that. Okay, well people about it was that people liked it. Like a minute, I thought it was neat. But yeah, I'm sure, but I think a worse for me. I like Mike was talking about, I think it's going to score like seventy five is It's like, okay, if I lose five, hit my little threshold five, I only lose five. Good in these counterpicks don't hurt you no matter what. If you have the game, this is Yeah, you don't need to worry about it. Yeah. I like if it if it gets confirmed that's not coming out and you drop it, it still counts as their counterpicking. Jam. Wow, that's right. Come on for audio listeners, I picked Holiday Silk song. I I wonder if that's a switch to launch game. Maybe I think they would. I think you want to They would be like, are you saying that they cut the check? They have cut the check? This is hard? Huh, It is hard. Yeah, I went late the other way, so you know it's difficult. I think I feel good about this sort of do you pump do you pump, but do you though? My first strategy was pick a game you've never heard of, but there's too many of those. But honestly, but the more you've never heard of it means to me, always means the higher is going, the better it's going to do. Probably, uh, this is this is definitely gonna be a controversial take. I'm more betting that it maybe doesn't come out this year because I think review wise it could kind of go either way. But I'm gonna pick Silent Hill too. Yeah, yeah, I see that, all right, just type all right, No, there's a drop out of all the games you can pick here, you can't. You can't save your counterpick for later. Eddieman mouse asks and check. We are going to get a second counterpick later in the year. I know this is risky because if it comes out, it's probably gonna review very high. Picking Metroid Prime for Okay, I think that's I was thinking of that one. Yeah, up for the switch one this year apparently this summer? Right, sure? Yeah? So what what is grub? Remind us of our bet with the two pey? What is? I totally forgot what sakes are? I don't remember how that up already. Yeah, gonna work for and that has to play hockey Madden twenty five, Oh, Madden twenty five, right, is it right? If it's called Madden twenty five. First of it's called Madden, like I don't know what the hell is because they call it double Super Madden, Madden Maddens. And if in mine is if it is called that, oh I don't remember someone else looking up someone look it up, figure it out, figure it out, figured it right? Okay, Tim, what's your campaign? Mmm? Mmm? Okay, I'm go with this complete all right? See what was what was it? Fire emblem analogy? Yeah? Alright, Jane. Should we have everybody read their their their publishing games. Yeah, let's go from the draft order. Yeah yeah yeah. So my my picks are Second eight Brothers, A Tale of Two Sons remake, Solid Snaky Delta, Dragon Ball Z, Sparking Zero, Hell Divers two, and my counterpick is firearmm Genealogy or The Holy War remake. I have Final Fantasy seven Rebirth, Princess Peach, Showtime Paper, Mario Thousand, Near Door remake, earth Blade, and Frost Punk two, with my counterpick being Metroid Prime four. Okay, I am one of two people who has drafted something that no one else counter chose, which is very good. Good job, Mike Manatta, you and I were This feels good, doesn't it. I'm Coward's one pick. We're I guess we're just asking for it. I chose hell Blade to Stalker two. All chose Baby Steps and Black Myth Wukong. My counterpick was Silent Hill two remake. I feel like I got a target on my back today because I got two counterpicks and someone stole one of mine. I have like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, Skull and Bones, Grand Blue Fantasy Reelink Sound Hill two remake, Visions of Mana. My counterpick Hollow Night Silk Song. Okay, I would like to assure all the Pokemon fans, the furry fans, and the feet Pan that Lucky Lopny Feet Inc. Will be publishing Metaphor Refuntasio Penny's Big Breakaway, Dragon Quest three HD two D, Unicorn Overlord and Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War remake. You're a Penny Broke Away. Okay, that was like, where did Pennies Big Breakaway go? Early on? And we definitely won't be going anywhere near Foam Stars my counterpick Mike Manatti's Critical Path Publishing has picked Persona three Reloads, Star Wars, Outlaws, Mina, The Hollower, The Plucky Squire, and Eilden Chronicle Hundred Heroes, and my counterpick is Skull and Bones. Come on, everybody in grub one out games with these games, Dragons, Dogma two announced, Mainline three D, Mario Platformer, Microsoft Flight Simulator twenty twenty four, Metroid Prime four and Skate Story, and I counterpicked Power World. Uh. Lucy James Games, head of Lucy James Publishes Games Publishing has picked Hollow Night, Silk Song, The Rise of the Golden Idol Still Wakes, The Deep, Assassin's Creed, Code Name Red, and Foam Stars. My counterpick is Dragon ball Z, Sparking zero Z, my name, I felt good, we got Nicky's gotta go. Oh, I have to release my game. Sorry good. Video Games TM has selected the NCAA Football Rebeat, Rides of the Rodent, Mario Versus Donkey Kong Remake, Another Cribs Treasure, and my counterpick is earth Blade. Wa. Thank you so much, everybody. We had a great week of shows. I picked Power World. I picked Power World. It was really fun. In the moment about Mario or something like that. Oh yeah, No, I'm saying it's not happening this year because they can't announce it because that was the thing, announce Mario Day. They can't because it's on a Sunday. You at home there can now, bet, I mean you can and you cannot. I don't know, figure it out amongst yourselves on who you think is gonna win. I'd love to see who y'all think is in the lead. And you know, y'all don't have to put my name. It's fine, we can. You can't. You get you know, you'll get some podcast points in your little pockets. You can't hold podcast points over people. It's a little bonus we get, you know. Oh, I thought you were to say something. You see it? No, listen, No, this news is two hours old. I didn't realize that Henry Kissinger had died of a heart failure. Well I didn't die, I know, but I was like, he died, rest and piss died, and then I was like, wait, I knew that. And then the reason I came was because it's the hot failure. Are you are you? Are you drafting Henry Kissinger? No? Are this the war criminal draft, folks. That does it. For today's episode of BombCast for Vengeance, As Nikky said, it's been a fantastic week of lots and lots of fun videos. Go check them out. They're all on the YouTube, they're on the website, to go check them out. No game mess on Monday because it is a holiday here in the States, So we'll see you next Tuesday for an episode of the Giant BombCast. What a lovely bunch of fuckos we have assembled amongst us. Go I have a great weekend. We love you, We'll see you then. Goodbye, good But this is my dream, our phone. Uh. The Giant BombCast is brought to you by Skull and Bones, now releasing this year.