Two games, but after Dark live from San Francisco, the home of self driving cars, and.

Uh uh I don't know what else.

Some bridges, bridges we got, luke that all you got?

How much you know about your city?

Yeah, that's that's it, right, like driving cars and bridges.

We got bridges.

But the self driving cars can't actually go over there.

It is true, they can't.

True.

Yeah.

No.

Uh.

It's GDC week, which here in U in s F which doesn't really probably mean a lot to the audience at home, but that's the Game Developers Conference.

It's it's like one of the few things in our industry that actually happens here in the city.

So it's exciting for us because it means we get to have developers come in, which we uh have had throughout the week, which means we've got a lot of cool stuff coming out, but we don't get anyone here because uh, you know who wants to be on this show anyway?

Hi, kurtin Divina, Hi, I'm Kurrent Divina.

Hey Holm was this damn it?

I like half looked, I like half looked.

I didn't even see your finger And that's Jacob Decker.

Hi.

Yes, actually, well I was gonna ask if you've done anything for GDC.

But I guess I know that, but the audience does.

It's all pretend.

I don't, Kurt, have you done anything cool for GDC this week?

I've been locked in this room with me for basically every single day of the week.

So I have done lots for GC, but not at GDC.

I've not gone to I've not been able to go to GC.

I've not been able to go to any talks.

I've not been able to go to the show floor, even though the show floor would be just be showing, like would be corporate people like, hey, you live and you should come to Cincinnati.

We'll give you a dollar to make a game in Cincinnati.

There's a lot of you know, initiatives like that on the floor.

Do you make a game with a dollar in Cincinnati?

Talk to go to the booth, you man, I can make some games.

Can give you a We'll give you a couple of games.

We'll give you a dollar and some skittles.

Come on live in Cincinnati and make games.

Because every study's got a game initiative like that.

I don't know if that's true, so, but no, we've I've been in here interviewing lots of developers, seeing lots of games true hands on, hands off, some embargoed, so you got to wait a bit.

Yeah, I'm exciting stuff.

Yeah, what about you?

You do anything around GDC?

Nope?

Cool.

GDC is a.

Really weird one because I never.

Feel it's the Games Developer Conference, so uh, with that title of mind, it's geared heavily towards game development, so it's not your typical sort of showcase of games in most cases, like in Summer Game Faster, you know, Rest in Peace E three or something of that nature, or packs E three is dead.

Richard all three of all Richard Lee in the office I've been shot killed, turning me and I forget what the conversation was, but he's like, bro, no one knows what E three is anymore.

And I was like, is that true, Richard?

Yeah?

The back and I kind of to think about it where I was like, no, like what do you mean like?

And then I was like, when was like the last E three twenty nineteen, yeah, which I'm like that six years ago?

And I was like, oh, I one and only at least you made it to one.

Yeah, you know that that that is like a sizeable generation of like people who play games that have like grown up and like with no context of like E three not experiencing it, like maybe they've heard about it but didn't actually like care.

I mean, I don't think that.

I don't think people who are actively paying attention to care about it.

But I think no, I have faith in those young's They want to know, like where did we Where did I come from?

Where did where?

What are my roots?

If they care about video games, at one point or another, they'll look up a VHS YouTube rip of E three in nineteen ninety five where they have the real Mortal Kombat actors doing kicks and like booth babes and all those things of the past, which most of it should I think.

I think once like a YouTuber makes like a video that's like what you would be there used to be this thing called E three, they've probably already made that.

The mecca of gaming or whatever.

Yeah, and like it gonna be so good back in the day, Like you're not gonna believe how big this A.

Four and a half our video essay?

Yeah on the booth babes.

Yeah, they say, like, don't give away my ideas?

Are you gonna are you going to become a booth babe?

Yeah, I'm going all in.

I mean I feel, look, who am I to say anything?

But I remember talking to a few, uh, I remember having a conversation with people how like, obviously booth babes are weird because it's a sexualized objective kind of look at making women flashy on it and what was a male dominated audience.

But having spoken to some of those and heard down the grape line for a lot of them, it was a just a good gig.

It was just a good paying gig.

But this is a this is where my whole support for you know, if you want to do that, you can do that.

Yeah, I think anyways, all I'm saying is like a you know, like a local, like a co op owned booth babe.

Yeah, like industry, like.

You know, with proper health insurance.

Yeah.

Game show.

When I went in twenty eighteen, they were doing Japan.

I'm sure Japan as well, because because even like my first three is twenty fifteen, and I think at that point there were like virtually no booth babes anymore.

But then I went to a Brazil game show and I was like, all right, this industry is still alive and kicking in Brazil.

I support and empower anybody who wants to be a babe of any gender.

Or booth men like the techan boys.

Oh oh yeah, christ those were some summer some summer game fest.

Like the best part is like so summer game Fest, there was these two tech and men who are so fucking ripped.

I think we like all have pictures of them, but I didn't.

I was too intimidated.

People believe they weren't real.

Like there were somebody who was like that that's a that's not that's a statue.

Yeah, yes, yeah, everyone thought that's a real human breathing person with muscles.

Yeah yeah, they were that fake looking.

I saw them there and then I saw them again that EVO.

They were also there for EVO, and I was like, look at it.

I'm like, I hope you're going to be at every trade show I go to now and son, I just see those tech and boys right there.

So yeah, anyways, no booth babes a GDC as far as we were because I didn't.

I didn't walk the show florid and see them unless they're made of AI.

Mm no.

Uh.

This is podcast about video games.

We've been talking about it, and we we we've been.

Playing some mm hmm.

Should we talk about the big one this week?

Well?

Wait, what is the big one?

Yeah?

Because there are two big ones?

Sure, well, what's to come out till next week?

But the embargoes up, embargoes up.

There's like the big one and then there's like the bigger one for us probably in terms of.

US three, US three.

Yeah.

When he said the big one, only one game game to my mind.

And that game is.

Why don't we talk about Adam Fall first?

Then well, hold on, why don't we?

Why don't we?

I I feel like we're gonna have a lot less to say about the other game, you know, sure, so I would say, let's talk about the other game that starts in an a ass ass Ends Creed.

The band Shadows of the Damned.

Assassin's Creed came out.

It's out right, it's out, It's out, it's out.

Okay, cool, you can buy it right now.

You can buy it right now.

Jordan Remay reviewed it for us on game Spot gave it an eight out of ten.

Assassin dude, Jordan has played every fucking Assassin he has game, Like, actually played them, Yes, actually finished them.

And then the best part is if you watch the Game Spot show which Jordan Remy is on, where we talk about Jordan's review of Assassin's Creed, It's almost like every time I said you've played all of them, Jordan was like, why are you?

Why are you putting on?

Is it not true that you've played all the Assassin's Creed games?

Like I don't understand, I'm not shaming you or was I.

Anyways, continued only uh no, Well, I was gonna say, if you want to hear Jordan's opinion, you should go watch that episode of the Game Spot.

Never watching it, I find it okay.

So I think Jordan I would What I would say is I think Jordan's review is the perfect review.

If you're somebody who is very I would say similar to Jordan, because I think there's like two kind of camps with Assassin's Creed.

Now there's people who you know, are like I, I love Assassin's Creed, I know what it is, I'm okay with what it is, and I just want, you know, more of that, or I want it kind of like you know, like within that sphere of Assassin's Creed, right, because it's like I think it's easy to kind of dunk on Assassin's Creed, but like it is popular, and it's popular for a reason.

People like it.

Jordan likes that kind of game, and I think if you are into that, like Jordan, is like a good metric for like, is this going to scratch.

That itch for you?

The person who likes Assassin's Creed?

And I do not mean like that's not me being like I'm not trying to be derogatory or anything like that.

I don't know if I'm coming across that way, but like no, like I mean that, like Jasony, like you know, it makes sense.

This is all the set up my perspective, me the person who once really liked Assassin's Creed.

I loved Assassin's Creed.

Did you just walk around with like a hood?

I did have an Assassin's Creed T shirt at one point, but you did you do the hood?

No?

Cool?

No, I didn't do that because that's not because that's not very.

Cool, because you like you didn't jump off a building into and went like to.

A hay Band spider man.

Man Peter Parker who Peter parked that ass over there?

Assassin.

Yeah, yeah, you could have been you could have been a come on, you got a hood on it right now, you gotta.

Throw it up.

And this is like.

An assassin.

I don't know what they do.

It's oh my god, I can't see you.

The crowd once again for has tricked you into doing an impression of God.

Dammit, yeah do is Enzio?

Let's see you?

Sure do you do that?

Well?

I don't even know.

It's he's just like Italian assassin man.

I'm not gonna do that.

No, no, you do it.

You're Talianule.

Never played an assassin's creed game.

What do you think the Italian assassins man?

Sounds like fucking mean you stuff fun, get the funk out of my way.

And he's you know, it's just like shaking people in the streets, throw me balls all over the place.

I think I would have liked Assassin's creak.

That was it.

I'm fucking walk in here?

Is that what it's like?

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, he's done by It's voiced by Sonic guy, right it is.

Yes, Yeah, it's gotta go fast, Roger Craigs.

I'm gonna asassinate you for there.

I'm coming for you.

Pope is a pope.

There's a pope in the one?

Yes, yeah, I would you fist fight the pope in that one?

Damn?

Should I please?

Game?

No, because you only do it.

You gotta play like fisty hours.

I mean, the pope is barely standing on two feet right now in real life.

So if there's any.

Time, yeah, I mean the pope, the pope is like in his deathbed when you show up and just start watching.

Got all right?

Cool?

Anyway?

I did at one point like Assassin's Creed and used to wear hoods and used to wear hoods and and say get out of here.

I want to come up and I you, You're not gonna know what the fucket you.

But eventually, you know, the lester wore off.

I don't know, I just kind of did it.

I think four was the last one that I was like really enjoyed, which was Black Flag, and then and then after that they were like we're making two at once, and I was like, oh a, didn't you.

Unity and Rogue and where were you.

The day of Union and Rogue released?

I don't know.

What a question, that's the least question.

Wanted me to ask that to Jordan because I knew where I was where were you just behind the counter at a game stop.

It was the worst fucking day of my life.

Oh, that must have the people up with hoods and like yeah, and confuse Grandma's being like not even But that's the thing.

It didn't didn't have.

To be confused, Gramma.

It could just be like normal personally, like hey, I'm going to pick up then Assassin's Creed.

I was like, what one and they're like, I don't know, the one for Xbox, like Xbox or six yr Xbox one, like you have like a series like you know, like deduction you had to go through in order to do it, and.

You should just like everyone a little piece of paper, yeah, like a little checklist, and they like checked the books.

Then there were the older folk who were buying them for their kids, and it was like that's when I got real confused because there was like actual they don't know what the system they have.

Yeah, So it was a nightmare.

Imagine working at game stop when the Xbox series X and S came out, or the Xbox One, or you know, just working at a game stop.

Yeah, probably, mm hmmm.

Do you want to put five dollars down towards the pre order.

Oh god, I hate that all right, as that's great shadows.

Anyway, Okay, the whole reason I was setting this up was to say, like, I am no longer someone who's you're a lapsed fan, a lapsed fan, but I always pop back in to be like, maybe this one will rekindle the lost magic.

You know, it'll it'll get the spark back and it and it's not happened.

And unfortunately for me, I played like four hours of this game and I went, I don't I don't want to keep playing this.

Did you even play as both protagonists?

No, kind of because as right, start off Yosk at the very beginning for like like twenty minutes and then switches to no Away, the other protagonist, and then you just keep playing as an Away for like twelve fifteen hours until finally Yoske comes back into the story.

So I didn't even get to that point because I was just like, nah, I'm good.

It's really weird, how much like the opening of that game feels like this is like why is there two protagonist.

In this game?

Like it's just seems like that was Jordan's per review.

Also, by the way, since we are doing this live.

If you do have questions in chat, oh yeah, uh, drat them in chat and then we will answer them at the end of the show.

Yeah, where we're going to build up some questions.

If you have questions regarding either Assassins created, anything we talked about, or whatever, the whole question.

Yeah, if you want to share a lemon bar recipe.

No chat, I want to know where you were.

Yeah, yeah, Evin, was it like August seventeenth, twenty twelve or something twenty fourteen?

I think fourteen?

That was off thirteen, fourteen fourteen, because twenty thirteen was black Flag, wasn't it, because that's when that there was a launch title with the Xbox One in PS four which came out twenty to twenty fourteen.

You are correct, I mean you were correct.

I just still it from me.

I'm just like, yeah, yeah, November twenty fuck.

Nikki's November fourteen twenty fuck.

Okay, great, okay, November, thank you Nick, Thank you Nikki.

Thank god.

I was so in the last minute plot twist.

I've played two and a half hours of Assassins.

Whoa yeah, expense to copy, thanks Jan And you know what I like it?

Oh you do?

No, Actually, I haven't played enough to actually give like an opinion.

But one day you've even gotten past the tutori.

Well that that was my favorite thing because before I played it, you pointed out You're like, yeah, this game has two tutorials for some reason, and I'm like, huh.

And then you play it and it has straight up two tutorials, like for just the basic combat.

And it's like, should I get into my my theory, my theory.

Jordan also has a conspiracy theory.

Okay, I'm gonna get into my conspiracy theory for this game, So play this game.

I'm gonna also, sorry, I am going to straight up spoil the first like two hours.

But I'm going to spoil the opening of this game, so if you care about that, just gip ahead, you know.

I like, yeah, live.

Funk off like whatever exactly opening of the game.

He plays that way, and her village is being attacked and and like her her dad gets killed, and that is the the.

Well sorry to spell something, yeah I really care.

And that and that is like the crux that like sets off this entire journey where she like seeks revenge against this like group of people that murdered her dad and you're playing it, and you're like, okay, like whatever, it's weird because like the dad has this like really long extended death scene that's like you're really supposed to care, but I'm like, I've just met the dad like two minutes ago.

I don't really care.

Sorry.

They're like all right.

Then it proceeds to flash back and then start setting up the Dad afterwards, and you're like, oh, that's kind of weird like that you're like now introducing all this like setup for the Dad afterwards.

And as Jake pointed out, at this point, you've you've done a couple of like gameplay sections as nowway that are kind of satorializing, like combat and stealth.

When it goes into the flashback, the dad goes and now we will do our morning training, and then it goes into a training sword and you do like a training combat tutorial for the combat that you've already been doing and it doesn't teach you anything new, And I'm like, well.

And it straight up teaches you that at the beginning.

When you play as Yaske too, yes, it is like slightly he feels slightly different, but it's still the same buttons you're hitting.

To do exactly, so you're like, why hold on, why am I doing a tutorial for combat?

I already know this is weird.

And then the flashback continues, and then it kind of just like abruptly ends, and you're like, okay, all right, I guess I have a little more context for the dad now whatever.

It doesn't it end after you eat breakfast or something too like that.

It's weird.

It like it ends in a very like abrupt way, and you're like, that was kind of awkward.

So then game keeps going for a bit.

You finally get to the the like you can now explore the open world.

The tutorials done, the setups, there go the One of the first things you find is this like shrine.

It's like right next to the opening area.

I go up to the shrine.

I'm like, oh, that's the thing, let's go up to it.

You do this little mini game where you like meditate and like hit some buttons and.

You met you meditate and press buttons while you're meditating.

It's not meditation, I know, it's I actually find that.

I mean the game very aggravating.

I don't find it very meditative, but meditating is supposed to be You're not supposed to be rhythmic.

You're it's like boom boom, and it's like little chimes are happening.

It's supposed to be peaceful.

Put the damn controller.

Don take a deep breath in breath life anyways, Okay they should They could have used you the like microphones, like they hear you breathing in h So then you do this minigame and then suddenly it goes to another flashback that continues exactly where that last flashback ended.

So breakfast or yes, like you know, right after breakfast, people are attacking the village.

This is all like you know, two years before, and you get more tutorialization of the combat, and then you're like and then it abruptly ends and that sequence is over.

You go back to the open world and you're like, Okay, that was weird, And then every time you go to a shrine, it does another one of these flashbacks.

What's really weird is that these flashbacks feel extremely well produced.

They are like full on like story cut scenes, but the game is not telling you that, like it's not pushing you towards these it doesn't even like on the map, it's not like, hey, you should really go check this out.

It's just a thing you discover and every time you do it, it's the same thing.

Like cuts back to where the flashback ended, kind of awkwardly has a tutorial section that's like, now you're kind of learning stealth, and now you're doing this, and you do it like five times, and then the last one it stops right where the game begins with her village getting attacked.

My conspiracy theory is that, oh, all of this was supposed to be the intro to the game, and they cut it all out and then sprinkled it throughout because they realized that the opening would have been way too slow or something like I don't like, I'm not I don't know anyone at you be soft, like I'm not gonna like confirm, like I have no idea.

This is just a theory playing this game, but you play it, it feels so awkward and like why am I doing these in it?

You could potentially play this without ever you couldn't.

You could skip them.

You cannot experience where you could find them, like hours in and being like, oh now I'm just to sneak.

Here's now how to sneak, And here's the back.

It's so bizarre.

It's really bizarre.

It's really bizarre, and like because you play it, those those flashbacks and you're like, well, this is at least giving me context for like who the dad is and her relationship, and like it makes the part his death at least, you know, makes sense.

It's very strange.

I've never seen that in a game before, where it's like so obviously like feels chopped up, you know, and like they just like maybe I don't know, maybe they had like some sort of epiphany of like, h like it's just not working, but like we also don't want to, like, you know, we all put all this hard work into it.

I don't know, I don't I don't want to get overly speculatively about it, but like it's just I think it says something that when you play it, it feels weird and disconnected and yeah, it just feels off.

I mean, even with all all that out in the beginning, I feel like for the two and a half hours I was playing, I never got to the point where it's like explore, like I felt like it was still moving.

It a very oh I agree.

Yeah, So it's like part of me is like I'm glad they that stuff wasn't all in the beginning, because I also was like get moving.

And as we'll talk about with Adam Fall, that game just like falls, like it kicks you out the door, Well, you kick a guy and then you go out the door, and then it's like all right, here you go, and then you explain.

What Assassin screen shadows feels like.

And then I just played like forty minutes of Adam Fall.

It is the absolutely opposite liked.

Game opens guys like I'm bleeding out and you can choose to help him, but apparently also Jan Luke and Jake, really you actually don't have to help this dude.

You could just kick him right in the face, take his key, and leave, and that's exactly what I And then the moment you walk out, you like beat up a guy and then world open no like no direction, no like hud at the point you where to go.

So two big games this week, ye, yes, well no one of them is a big game.

One of them is kind of a.

Sleep double somewhere between Double A and Triple A.

Yeah.

I will say it seems like we're about to like kind of change subject.

But there are some things that, like, I've kind of been enjoying an Assassin's Creed even though I'm not very far, I can already tell like, after I do it, you know, three or four times, I'll be bored.

But I do like the combat.

I think the combat is it's not like super intense or crazy, but it does feel like the best version of this combat that they've been doing for a while for the most part.

Like there's still some weird like floatiness to it that I've never really been a fan of, but I think like it feels pretty good to play.

The stealth I'm enjoying.

The stealth feels way better.

I like the grappling hook how you can just kind of like, yeah, climb up anywhere.

And I also think this game looks incredible.

I've been playing it on Ultra Wide.

Well, certain things, like some of the cut scenes, some of them are good, some of them are okay.

But like the world itself, I've really been digging, especially the season changes, Like I don't know how much of that adds for gameplay.

I know that was kind of a big maybe not a big, but like a marketing point was like, oh yeah, seasons change, it affects the gameplay upon that was you could swim through.

Now you can slide on or whatever.

Right, cool, But I think visually that's really cool, and I kind of wish more games would play with seasons in a way that, yeah, this does maybe like a more dynamic more a more dynamic game could have done something cooler with it.

I haven't played enough to really say yeah, but I'm probably gonna play a little bit more, at least I think because for me, like, I played the first Assassin's Creed and I thought was okay.

I tried the second, did not like it, tried Brotherhood, not a fan for some reason, played all of three even though I didn't like it, played a little bit of four but liked it but didn't love it like and then just kind of like didn't play any of them until Origins, which I actually really liked Origins.

I thought Origins is probably like the last decent story they've had in an Assassin's Creed game.

Yeah, but that's another thing I've heard about this Assassin's Creed is and just U BEI Soft Games recently.

I think Skillett mentioned it in his review, but I definitely noticed it in Star Wars out where they do this thing where they like have like a very story heavy setup and then there's no story for thirty or forty hours and then it's like, okay, now we have story again at the end, and like it just throws pacing up the Yeah, it like.

Forces you to like do things in any order.

But because of that, it's just throwing like characters and like that they just come like so fast and heavy and you don't remember any of them.

I definitely feel that with this game, where all of the dialogue and all the characters were just like going over my head.

I'm just like I don't care about any of this, Like I find it extremely dull and boring.

I agree with you that I think like the stealth is actually like pretty good.

It does feel like they finally have like come back around to emphasizing stealth in a major way, which Assassin's Creed has not done for a while.

And because to me, it's like it's called Assassin's Creed like it was built with the idea of like stealth, so like stealth, you know, seeing them kind of like put another an emphasis back on that is nice, but it's just not doing anything new enough for me that I found myself.

You can go prone quickly, Yeah, you can go prone.

That's cool.

You know, they're like, oh, we should do that, like you know, we like, no one's gone prone in forever, Like where could that be.

It's not like we have a franchise where a guy went prone.

No, okay, all.

These years and they finally were like, what if you laid down, if.

You laid down, took a nap, It's fine.

It's just it's I don't for me, It's just like it doesn't do anything interesting for me.

But I'm just like I'm bored, and I don't want to keep playing it.

You know what I do want to keep playing Adam Fall, which is the new.

Rebellion.

Yeah I was my brain went RPG, but I that's not.

I don't It's not an RPG.

It's the new game from Rebellion, which revival game.

The survival kind of but it's not of survival and like drinking water and eating food, you know.

Yeah, it's it's the new game from Rebellion, the people who made Sniper Elite, which I've actually never played a Sniper Elite, so I have no they're good.

I have no frame of reference for like how much of this game is taking from those games.

Like I'm coming into this very like fresh to this developer, but I think this game like is like amazing, Like I'm I'm really really into it, Like I know the the the the tagline that like, because when when someone first told me about this game, because I never heard of it, They're like, oh, yeah, it's like a it's like a Fallout type game.

I was like, oh, okay, it's not like a Fallout game, which is so adult, but I mean it's it's I'm the closest comparison I would say is Stalker or like far Cry too, Like it kind of has more that elements where everything is very like deliberate, everything is paced, a.

Lot of shit working.

Again, yes, there's a lot of.

Friction in the game in a way that is I find like so like engaging where it's like, you know, like combat is like difficult.

You can die in like a hit or two.

You know, you have limited ammo.

You you have to like think on your feet, and there's like interesting little I don't know, uh, like immersive.

It has like immersive kind of like moments that you get out of like a like a far Cry game or like that.

I only I've only played like forty minutes of it.

But the one thing I do want to talk about and go back to it is like I think last week or a few weeks ago, I was at a bitch fest about the fault three opening and nonsensical and weird.

That is like, so, I'm so proud of you for being a boy.

I'm so proud of you for here's your own.

Pity, here's your own pit boy.

And then you deal with the bully who's like cockroach.

Here's a baby, gone boy, go shoot up can or two and it just takes like fucking and you take a test.

You take a goddamn test and it takes like an hour and a half get through, and then you get outside.

And by the time I do the im like I'm fucking done.

I don't want to be a part of this.

I was this game the hinjhow to.

This game is like ten minutes and then you are shoved into the open world.

You're like, go, we're not telling you shit.

That's all you get, and like hear it, like that's like it's not comparable to fall Out anyway, but it's funny to hear this comparisons like be like you should start up find them fall and compare that to it.

But that's the opening because this game just.

Goes and it's and from there it's extremely open end.

Yeah, you know you can you have an opening area, but you can go to any of the little areas in the game.

Like immediately there is like it gives you like a direction to go in with the story, but like you can totally ignore it and just do something else.

And like I went on a completely like tangent that I thought was just like I'm doing a side thing, and then it wrapped back around to the main story and I realize, like, oh, I think I just unlocked a path to lead to like one of the game's alternate endings, like and like that's awesome, Like like no matter what I do, it does eventually like very naturally, just like loop you back in like the main objective.

That's what I was gonna say.

It feels like because I was exploring the first area somewhat thoroughly and I felt like I found multiple clues that like pointed me towards my objective, even if I was just off the beaten path doing something else, and I kind of like that natural sort of quest development, I guess, especially compared to something like we just said, it's not like Fallout, but like the whole like just marker on the map and it's like you go and talk to the guy and he's like, you do this for me, and then you go do it and come back and talk to him.

You know.

Yeah.

I mean, I guess to explain what anfhol is because we really haven't.

I mean, do you wake up at music?

Is that the whole thing?

Like do not know what's going on?

Or do you.

I don't think you know what's going You're not supposed to know what's going oka.

I think you just wake up and you're like where am I?

So you wake up this guy and has math Suit's like I'm believing.

Now you gotta give me a bandage and if you me, you help them, if you're Kurt.

Well, it was great because the punching that game, I just immediately and has ragged.

All to the one and then I realized we bashed against the door and like broke his neck.

But when you punch in that game, it's just two fists on screen, just like just like going back and forth.

It's not there's no rhythmic sort of fighting.

It's just like you just kick and kick and go.

You will get attacked by birds in this game too.

When you're like a murder of Froze.

There's something so goofy throw or throw your weapon at them.

Yeah, And.

That was the other thing is like, once you get into the world and it's open to you, all you get is a strange phone call from a phone booth.

That's like, oh my guy, that's it.

That's all you get, and you're out.

You gotta go.

And it's more or less you said this in your preview, that's like a detective game, like you're more so investigating what the fuck is going on, and you actually get like leads that then take you to different areas.

But like I only had small hands on time with it, so I was like, I'm just gonna push whatever this m is to my limit.

And I was I can't play cricket bats like throwing them over my head at these dudes when you stuck a knife in a guy's face.

Yeah, when you get guns, they're all rusty and fucked up.

And as you point out, uh, it does the Peter Jackson King Kong game thing where you have to check your AMMO to know how much like you actually have to like h so you're not there's I don't know, there's there's this sort of like a dancy sort of thing you do where you can't you're not just constantly reloading your gun because you're not actually seeing how muchmm you have in the first place.

Heerio.

It's more methodical, I guess in that way.

And I don't know, like I'm excited to play more.

I have no opinion opinion yet other than I fucking saw a group of dudes just doing their thing and I threw a Molotov cocktail at them.

It was the best feeling in the world.

But there is one of the most effective Molotov cocktails I've seen, thank you very much, thank you.

And there were like six people and they were in a puddle.

They could have just laid down, but that it's not that type of immersion.

But uh, the the and the and that brief moment, it was just like really good to play in an opening of a game that at no point told me that I had to do anything.

Yep.

It was just like, go, You're in the world, figure it out.

Go.

I like that, And from what everything I played so far.

It just it keeps that spirit going like it it has not at any point been like hey, you gotta go do this, like you know, it's like a main objective, but like the way you get there is up to you.

Another thing I really love is the there.

So there's the open world areas.

In each area I would say like has a very different like flavor to it, not just visually but almost like the way enemies are populated with like allies.

So like the first area feels very just like okay, it's full of bandits.

It's kind of here to give you like the basic flavor.

But then you'll go to this other area and it's actually like a village and it's like okay, like this is like there are no enemies here.

Technically it is like an open village where you can go around, you can like talk to people, you can get quests and edit, but also you can at any point kill anyone, like you can kill all the major quest givers.

Yeah, there was like there was a saddle his guitar as a guitar and he was like, well, I'll see you later, and I was like, can I kill this guy?

Like Kingdom ten times?

Like I don't know if I can.

So then it took out a gun and shot in the face.

I was like, oh, yeah, I can kill them, all right.

Yeah yeah, one of the major quests that I did that led to that, like, oh, I think this is an alternate path.

Like there were multiple moments during that quest where I could have like abandoned that quest or like antagonized them or just on my own decided to like you know, snap their neck or whatever, which is like awesome.

I just love that game.

Lets you do that, and it's like fine, like yeah, I keep going yeah whatever.

I mean, even like down to like some of the some of the like mechanics you may not even get because like you haven't found the metal detector, which is a pretty key part of the.

Game to find a flashlight.

Yeah, like you don't have a flashlight and you have and you found it in like ten minutes.

And it took me like an hour and a half to find a flashlight.

So I was just like you, blundering through dark corridors trying to figure out where I'm going.

Yeah, and you just find it right away.

And the flashlight works like the Doom flashlight where you can't have the gun and the flash light out at the same time.

I love it.

It's oh so good there there you mentioned dark areas.

I will say one thing that I have not loved about this game or found like a little bit of friction with is in a bad way, is because the combat can be so brutal in how quickly you die.

There are some areas where I just get shot out of nowhere and I had like no context for it.

Yeah, Like that can be like a little annoying where you're just like, okay, I don't even I didn't even feel like I was given the opportunity to see this enemy and not in like not in like oh they ambushed me, just more like is that a guy over there?

And all of a sudden, it's like and you're like, I'm dead, and like that can be a little frustrating, especially in like I went to this castle and there's like an underground you know, cavern in there, and like that area is like so dark and you can barely see.

And there were times where I'm just like I feel like I'm just kind of stumbling around and getting killed in a way that wasn't as fun, nothing like game breaking, but like that moment, I found the game to be like a little like, eh, it's okay, or like you know, the enemies can can sometimes, I don't know, be a little brain dead in a way that can be where they just like rush you or you know, like so I wish that stuff was like a little stronger because I think it would make the game, I don't know, like feel like in comparison to other games that I think I've done it better, like a Stalker or or like a far Cry, like that feels like just not quite as up to stuff as those games.

But it's by no means like a huge distraction.

It's just like if I had to come up with a thing that I a criticism so far, it would be that.

There are like because I remember in my preview one of the criticisms I guess ahead at the time was the AI because I could they especially melee, people would just charge me and I just kick swing kick swing.

But I feel like it it's not maybe it could just be in my head or maybe now that I've played more, it's like a little different.

But it doesn't doesn't feel quite as bad as it did during that preview because even like when I was watching you play and you got flanked.

Yeah, that was I don't really I don't think that happened when I was playing it before.

It could have just been the situation I was in, Nick, you are you okay?

There's a hand coming from a dark I'm I'm, I'm, I'm I'm shocked.

So while the while they're doing whatever they're doing.

Uh, yeah, there was a there was a moment when all these enemies were coming through like a small doorway, and I was like, I got these, I'm gonna just funnel these through, and all of a sudden, a dude like ran around the other side of the building.

It's like a little thing that other games have done, but still it.

Just was like, oh my god, jeez.

Yeah.

So I feel like maybe there's like moments of it.

But then also like in that same encounter, I think you saw a guy on the horizon.

Like oh yeah, yeah, we were a dude through a trap, which I was like, but then he just kind of was on the hill go this way, No fuck, you want to go this way?

Just kid.

It was but I will say they have the enemy.

AI do one thing that I think is like so so simple, but like say bloody, yeah, every every video game they should.

All go bloody you you throw a cricket bat.

No, it's it's when they, uh, they don't immediately attack you.

Oh you know, like you'll like encounter them and they'll be like, hey, back off, and if you back off, they're like, yeah, that's right, and then they keep going.

And I like genuinely love that because I think about other games like of like a Fallout where it's like I don't know, you're running across a bandit and they just immediately like time to kill you, and like, I don't It's just something as simple as like, you know, because because when that happened, you're like, yeah, you're a video game enemy.

But the fact that they like have some level of like self preservation of like we don't necessarily want to pick a fight with you, we just will if you like get in our space is like very subtle, but a very like cool thing that I'm just like, I think every video game that like should do.

That more sure.

I'm I'm really curious to see if that like develops, because I know when I was talking to the director, he was saying that, like there's a faction system and if anything, it's sounded like that's probably the thing that was most inspired by Fallout far from Vegas in particular.

Yeah, I'm curious to see like how that sort of stuff affects gameplay.

Like I wonder if you know, you piss off one faction enough, they're not even gonna give you like a hold on, let's step back, and they just you know, shoot on site.

Yeah, versus like one maybe you've buddied up with and they're like, oh, hey, pow, what's up.

You know, he bro.

I've done a little bit of that and and it's a little hit or missed for me, Like so and went and I attacked the Druids, which were the like weird force.

So yeah, yeah, we're like, yeah, living in the castle, and they're like the castle is their base, so if you're there, they're gonna kind of agro more immediately makes sense, you know, we're like an intruder attack your home.

They're going to be more aggressive.

After I did that quest though, I did kind of keep going and I eventually like sort of sided with their faction.

And and they forgave you.

Well no, that was kind of the weird part was like it seemed like they did and for this specific quest.

It was like, hey, like they're cool, they're not going to attack you.

And then it's like you're with them now, and I'm like okay, like great, and then I'm like I'm going to leave now.

And then immediately as I left, like a bunch of them attacked me, and I was like, okay, so I thought we were cool, but then it seems like it's not, or like maybe it just wasn't clear on how that worked, but yeah, it seems like they still wanted to kill me anyway, So sure, what's up with that.

The one thing I'm curious about that I noticed pointing this out, it's like people in these gangs, like Norwegian the ones, I uh, look like like these Yeah, I look like these Norwegian death metal dudes with like white face paint black things, like like black paints, smeared down.

They're wearing like crazy feathers.

They look like birds, they look like crows.

They look like they've been living in the wild, and they're acting like they're wild.

But the moment I like killed them, I realized they had like really clean dap, like really close like faded damper haircuts.

I was like, what's what's going on?

Here.

Why, like, are these guys this is what they do on the weekends.

It's that British plaiting here and then they just yeah, they're like yeah, like back off.

But then during the week they're just going to their normal desk job.

I don't know what's going on.

So anyways, I have nothing to add to that other than I'm curious.

You know, hair develops.

Yeah, how why are these why are they taking so much time to look fucked up?

But then they spend all this time getting their hair cut and combing it properly and putting proper hair products.

In it unless.

They're reused assets from Sniper Linked.

Oh oh, I don't even think of that.

Damn.

I will say the game can look a little rough on the character models.

Sometimes some of the faces maybe don't look as a as A I don't know, expressive, expressive or or like highly detailed is maybe you would expect in twenty twenty five.

But I think the art direction more than makes up for it, especially in the environmental details, like you can tell it's not it's more double a I guess, But I think it still absolutely is punching above its weight in terms of like the art direction and also it's like I don't know, I think I care less and less about it.

I don't give a shit over Like the game is very sharp looking, as we were saying, like there's there's just a lot of actually a lot of grain, but you know, if you squint your eyes through that blur, that blurry vision, you see a really really well designed sort.

Of vista in world.

But I don't know, graphics never make or breaking experience for him, No, I agree, but it was enough that when I still play the game and like went out to the open world, the way the world has presented to you with like that red phone booth box and like there's two of these press hills and like the weird anomaly in the background and these uh and these like paths going in production, I was like, it's a sick shot, Like yeah, awesome, so yeah, yeh point punch and above its weight, punch, above the atom all absolutely uh.

So obviously still early kind of impressions on this game, but it's like my biggest surprise of the year so far, you know, like I like I knew like Monster Hunter, like, ah, it's gonna be great, and does seem like this.

Game went from like nobody knowing what the hell was to suddenly.

Like like, oh, I want to tell everyone to go check this game out.

I mean especially you know, Sniper Leite Deaf like they've been making They've made other stuff, but like they've been making Sniper League games right long, and like this game does borrow some DNA from it.

I think when I was talking to the director, he had talked about how that sort of open ended objective style they kind of tried to carry over.

But the difference was that Sniper Lead, those open ended objectives are kind of just like a localized just to one map, while this they were trying to like have those objectives spread across the entire world.

I will say, like I've played some Sniper Lead.

I do like those games.

They're kind of like hit Manny in a way.

But I think like you can kind of play with the environment a little more in Sniper Lead.

There's a little more.

There's a little more there's more tools in your in your toolkit I think to like really manipulate AI.

And I think part of that just has to do with how that game is designed versus this one.

This one feels a little more personal up close and and because of that, I feel like your kit might be a little more limited, but I think it works.

I don't think it needs to be like this crazy immersive sim where you're doing all these wild stuff with enemies.

I think it's like a it's a pretty good balance.

I agree.

That's how we have a thing to talk about.

We have a thing to talk about because if you've been one this podcast, listen to this podcast orb and following, listen to here us talking about something that we've been working on for a really long time.

It's finally out, Yes.

The Stalker documentary, How Stalker to Survived the War?

Oh man, where do we even start?

Finally it's on YouTube.

You can watch it.

It's about forty five minutes long.

It documents let's see it, documents Jesse game World, half the team that evacuated right before Russia invaded Ukraine, and sort of the ways they had to adjust and change Stalker two because of the conflict.

God, I think I pitched it to the PR team in June of last year.

Yep, we flew out in September.

We shot it over the course of a week.

We came back, started editing layoffs.

Lost Chris Morris, who was like pretty instrumental, and I mean still was throughout the entire project, but like you know, there was we had a plan and that plan just kind of like evaporated after that, so we I don't know, we got Richard's help and kind of pushed through.

But yeah, I'm super proud of it.

It's yeah, I don't know what else say.

I feel like that was like a quick version of it.

But yeah, I think there's just a sense of relief like it came out, you know, yeah, at least for me, there was a moment where I was like, is this gonna happen?

I don't know, Yeah, but I'm really glad we did.

I don't know.

It's just, uh, it feels very it feels like the most important thing I've worked on a game spot, which is like because like I don't know, we talked about like silly.

Video games, yeah, a lot of times, and it's just like like.

Stuff that's like not frivolous, but like like you're not gonna like it's not gonna matter in like a week or two, and that's okay, there's nothing wrong with that.

That kind of stuff, Like I like doing that, but.

It's like this feels more like I don't know, there's like we're we're preserving and telling someone's story that can that can like live on for much longer and should be heard by people.

So I'm I'm just really like glad we were able.

To get I just want to give a big shout out to and Jake had already mentioned, but Richard Lee, who's in the credits for Stockertoon, is also in the back room.

Richard is basically the reason why this thing like really got over the finish line, like all through like YouTube.

You two actually went there along with Chris Morris.

I was just like two of my thumbs most of this time.

But I mean like I helped.

I tried to do my best the way I can.

But yeah, it was.

If it wasn't for Richard, I don't think this thing would even really exist.

So and if it did, it would have been no.

Come on, Richard, it's.

More than a thank you, like come on, So yeah, to your point though, John Wick, it's I never describe this job as I never say I'm a journalist, even though like a lot of people call themselves games journalists and that's fine, and like I go and do a lot of what I'm doing with like journalistic content, you know, like the way I cover games, but I would never call myself a journalist.

But I think this is one of the few projects that I've done where I was like, oh, this actually feels like I not journal It sounds bad.

And it was like, this actually feels like journalism.

But like you're gathering, yeah, gathering information, you're putting stories together.

It's like you had the interview many people string something together.

It wasn't a story that was just like given to you on a piece of paper.

You have to do research.

You then had to go and like quantify the things you were saying with educational.

Like yeah, got all this stuff fact.

Well that is like that is the job.

Like, that's what you have to do to be able to make sure the story is being properly told and represented from all angles.

That's being a journalist.

So you did it.

Yeah.

I think the biggest relief was like, after working out for so long and some of the some of the guys that you see game World saw it and they, i mean, like, is probably not what they described because reliving those memories I'm sure are terrible, but like they were happy with how it turned out and That was like a big relief for me because not that I not that I was trying to like I don't know, I was worried something would be off or something would be wrong, you know, like you want to do it justice.

Yeah, you know what.

I feel like you did them a disservice in telling their story.

Yeah.

Anyway, give it a thumbs up when you watch it, watch the whole thing through, leave a comment like juice that algorithm.

Come on, let's let's get it on YouTube.

Recommend them or too, uh.

Like subscribe?

No, what do you kids do these days?

Share it with your mom or your guardian if they enjoy it or not.

Nonetheless, I have make sure they watch it to the end, like share, subscribing, comment and all that jazz.

But all that aside.

I've talked about that game end they'll see and I'll probably wean off of it.

But I mean, I also just think soccer two rules, so good game.

It's true.

Yeah, yeah, I was playing a lot more to capture for that thing, and I I played it some when it came out, but I didn't get to like really sit down and play it.

And I was playing a lot more, and I was like, damn, a man, A.

Man, Hey stalker, cool stalker man?

Hey, hey guy, real cool you you shoot you killed stalker?

Yeah, man, that's what they're always like, that's just my stalker.

Every time I told that given to someone, I'm like, I have one guy that I quote basically, you're a cool stalker guy.

Dude, Yeah, listened through his pants.

That's a bug.

I think they got rid of where they walk unfortunately.

Yeah.

Uh well, we're gonna start winding down this podcast.

But do you want to ask do we have any questions?

We have any questions?

It'd be real awkward to answers.

Now, yes, oh great, where were you?

And okay?

Cool?

Okay, great?

So I mean, how do you have have enough time to cares the great question?

Where were you playing it?

Like?

Where were you in that environment?

Did you see like a do you get a letter that says, hey, this is Creed Brogan un came out?

What about it?

Why we didn't even talk about it?

No, get a job like Kirkland products.

They are more Kirkland.

Well I there.

I do think they're toilet paper is pretty good.

I'm pretty sure that's the toilet paper I buy is Kirkland.

I have to go back at my at my corner market.

That's the one I choose.

The job done.

I also have a good day.

So I remember getting the the big peanut butter pretzel like the bins and and you know, destroying those is.

Yeah, I think.

I think like my favorite Kirkland product, hot You have the hot dogs?

Do they make hot dogs?

Well, I mean Kirkland's Costco brands?

It's Costco?

Yeah?

Wait do I hate?

Wait?

Then?

Does is Kirkland carried at other places other than Costco?

I don't know.

I don't know, so maybe I'm lying.

Do I tolet paper?

I'll have your toilet paper.

My answer is the chicken bake rap?

Okay?

Cool, but you can't buy it separately anymore.

They used to sell it frozen.

It's a meme, right, you're doing the meme?

Oh?

I genuinely like the chicken bake rap?

What's the meme about it?

Don't worry about it after jan you got something else.

Uh.

People are also asking your thoughts on the burger chain.

Red Robin gives a fuck.

I've been there, questions.

I've been there once and way too many.

Times because Rochester, New York is a sad calling.

Well in the suburbs is a sad culinary place, right, I've been there quite a few.

Times, if you remember anything about it.

It's like the corporate you know, Russia's the Apple, Bee's and burgers or whatever.

Like the chili is a burger is like sort of thing.

Red Robin.

I like that part.

Uh, thankfully I don't have to look at I don't see those in San Francisco.

I don't remember the last time I've seen one a person anyways, Only what do you think of Red Robin?

Nothing, That's what I was gonna say.

I don't remember anything about it, and once I couldn't tell you a single thing about it.

People like the burger is all they have is that.

The whole point they got fries too, probably is that it jam.

Probably, I hope that's it.

People are also saying they love the doc.

Great job, thank you, cool.

Thank you very much.

That you should just you should have.

I appreciate everyone who's giving us the time of day, but I appreciate you, uh saving that for last last of it.

Anyway, I think we're gonna call a wrap on this podcast because you asked me anymore about fast food plays and like gives a ship I don't know.

I got other things.

We'll go home and investigate whether or not we have a Kirkly tilet paper, and please report back next week.

I have a chicken enchiladas.

Yeah, I'm in my fucking no, absolutely not.

Rather, I'm never gonna forget that.

Well, unfortunately me neither.

I'm sure they have the cheesecake factor, along with every other monstrosity that's this god damn planet.

I'm Curtrent Divino, you're Curtain Divina, You're Jake Decker, that's me.

I'm John Lokzecki.

Thanks again for watching, everyone, and we'll see you the next time