Categories
Episodes

Season 10, Episode 35

We’re pulling levers and pressing buttons at the following link.

First of all, there’s no show next week. Just want everyone to know that next week we won’t do a show, so no Tuesday update. I’ll be in Seattle for PAX where I’ll get to play Obduction in VR.

Speaking of Obduction…

You kinda have to know me to understand where I’m coming from when I talk about Obduction. Hopefully, over the 10 years we’ve been doing this show you might have some idea already. Cyan, who made Obduction, shaped me as a gamer. Their Myst series is where I fell in love with gaming for the first time. It opened my eyes to puzzle gaming, great storytelling, and beautiful imagery. So here we are with Obduction and I am through the roof with this thing. It’s hard to express how I feel when playing this game. There’s frustration, sure, because some of these puzzles are difficult. But there is also a sense of wonder and surprise and, well, every feeling I ever had when playing a Myst game is right back here with me during Obduction. I could use the cliches of feeling like a kid again or something to that effect and I wouldn’t be wrong, but it feels like so much more than that. It’s a reunion. A return.

They say you can never go home again. But in a game, you can do exactly that. You can return to where it all began. In Obduction, I’m home…again.

Categories
Episodes

Season 10, Episode 34

We’re honing our sneak skills at the following link.

This is how the console generations end. With an upgrade. I’m completely fine with this. Microsoft recently laid out some intentions on where they see the next Xbox going and, if it all works, it’s not a bad direction to be headed in. We talk about it in the episode but going the direction of the way PC’s work seems really simple and straightforward. When I upgrade parts of my PC, all the games I already own still work on it and home console gaming will hopefully follow suit. The Neo reveal from Sony in September probably won’t be that step for them, but Microsoft seems to be intent on making that happen starting now with Xbox One and even more so with Scorpio’s release next year. However, it’s probably a given that whichever way works is the way the competition will follow.

Categories
Episodes

Season 10, Episode 33

We’re pretty sure there’s multiplayer in this episode at the following link.

No Man’s Sky is now out among the public and most people seem pretty satisfied with it. Unless you’re playing it on PC. Looks to be a bit of trouble there. I’m not playing the game but that has more to do with what the game is than all the other things surrounding it. I don’t do those kinds of survival games. What I want from No Man’s Sky is probably in the game, but there seems to be quite a bit of work and what looks to me like frustration to get there. Eventually down the line during a steam sale or even something good out of Black Friday, I may end up playing the game. But nothing I’ve read, or seen, or heard of has me changing my feeling of this game from the last post I made about it on last week’s episode.

Bring on the Deus Ex.

Categories
Episodes

Season 10, Episode 32

We’re uploading a day-one patch on this episode at the following link.

I don’t have the least bit of excitement for No Man’s Sky. However, I am totally interested in how it will play out this week in reviews and public opinion. It was on my radar at some point, I can’t remember when, but I lost interest the longer they took to make it. And the excessive amounts of times they would show footage without answering a single question. But whatever…it’s here now, right? So where’d my hype go? I don’t know, but I’ve lost interest. I’m curious how it plays and looks on PC, but that’s about it as far as my own involvement.

Then there’s what everyone else thinks about it. Keep in mind, however, I’m not watching this like some twisted NASCAR fan who only goes to see the crashes. I said it on the show and I’ll say it here – every time I have a bad feeling about a game prior to its release, I want to be proven wrong. Always. Every time. Let me eat my words so I can have something to enjoy that surprises me. It happened twice with Wolf and Doom. Here’s hoping it happens again with No Man’s Sky.

Categories
Episodes

Season 10, Episode 31

We’re selling this episode ten days early on eBay at the following link.

Lead. Follow. Or get out of the way. If speculation is correct, Nintendo seems to have chosen the act of getting out of the way. Although, one could argue that Nintendo was never in the way to begin with. They are sidestepping and doing what it is they do VERY well, and that’s handhelds. Outside of phones, Nintendo has the handheld gaming market locked down and can only strengthen this grip with the NX console – again, if speculation is correct.

Also, to the guy who spent $1,300 to get No Man’s Sky ten days early – bravo! First, for the courage you had to spend that kind of cash on an eBay item. And second, you can do whatever you want with your money, so go right ahead and do it. The things I’ve spent my money on before give me no room to judge you and what you do with your money.