Sacred Symbols, Episode 326 | Stirring Ghosts
Added 2024-09-26 16:00:16 +0000 UTCWith a fresh State of Play now behind us, it felt like a good opportunity to publish this week's Sacred Symbols early for our paying audience on Patreon. And yes: There's cause for celebration. After years of dormancy, Sony-owned studio Sucker Punch has finally revealed its sequel to 2020's Ghost of Tsushima. It's called Ghost of Yotei, and it launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 in 2025. But the recent presentation was chock-full of other games, too, including lingering remasters from times past, like Soul Reaver and Lunar. And -- yes, indeed! -- the rumors surrounding Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered are real, too. From Hell Is Us and Fantasian Neo Dimension to LEGO Horizon Adventures and a new Yakuza title, we've got a lot to discuss. We wrap things up with listener inquiries, as is our tradition. Is the games industry missing a vital source of positive energy by eschewing live events? Will Square Enix ever port the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy to modern hardware? Could Helldivers 2 be in the midst of a major comeback? Do the New York Jets have Colin feeling a special sort of way?
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Introduction
0:09:08 - San Diego live show video
0:10:07 - Cinema frustrations
0:23:16 - Jets win
0:28:53 - Concord update
1:15:04 - Stellar Blade trademark lawsuit
1:20:58 - Tetsuya Nomura is considering retiring
1:28:26 - New Like A Dragon game
1:35:09 - Assassin's Creed Shadows is delayed
1:45:19 - Decapolice is delayed
1:47:42 - Unicorn Overlord surpasses one million copies sold
1:48:15 - Secret Letter??
1:51:02 - What Are We Playing?
02:08:42 - Astro Bot DLC
02:13:42 - The Midnight Walk
02:17:22 - Hell is Us
02:24:00 - Metro VR
2:29:43 - Archeage Chronicles
2:31:55 - Palworld
2:34:43 - Lunar Collection
2:44:57 - TMNT Shredders Revenge DLC
2:45:41 - Sonic Trash
2:46:40 - Fantasian
2:48:35 - Dragon Age
3:03:45 - Alan Wake 2
3:06:01 - Hitman VR
3:10:48 - Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver Remaster
3:17:09 - Fear the Spotlight
3:20:39 - Towers of Aghasba
3:22:28 - Lego Fortnite
3:23:45 - Dynasty Warriors Origins
3:26:06 - Monster Hunter Wilds
3:27:53 - Lego Horizon Adventures
3:34:00 - Horizon Remaster
3:48:22 - Stellar Blade Update
3:49:45 - Non-game Announcements
3:55:16 - Ghost of Yotei
4:13:53 - Overall Thoughts
4:28:32 - Return of Live Presentations
4:36:39 - New Xbox?
4:43:11 - FFXIII Ports?
4:44:58 - Helldivers 2 Updates
4:53:30 - Using Guides for Platinums
Comments
Ok
Jake Nunley
2024-11-23 20:25:24 +0000 UTCIf you guys are unable to see how the female protagonist bs os being shoved down our throats, you are oblivious to whats is happening, I love Lara Croft, grew up playing her games, Fem Shep being so badass, now with the news customization option in Destiny 2, I switched to a female character, but my first pick will always be a male char, pop your bubble guys, its happening.
Marco Maluf
2024-11-09 17:42:50 +0000 UTCThey never sold out here in NZ. You can still order them today
Homz
2024-10-05 20:12:05 +0000 UTCKinda hard to mess that up tbh. Especially if it includes dualsense features
David P
2024-10-03 19:30:12 +0000 UTCDustin, please buy panzer dragoon saga for the saturn. Thanks
David P
2024-10-03 19:29:44 +0000 UTCThey could sell a Playstation Dildo, and Colin would sing to the heavens about how great it is.
Bailey Callis
2024-10-01 23:16:39 +0000 UTCI think you can see the exact shift in Ellies character from TLOU 1 to 2. Would have been nice to have some more of that vibrant and sweet side of her from the first game that perfectly contrasted the bleak and hopeless setting. Woman can be strong and likable!
Bailey Callis
2024-10-01 22:03:49 +0000 UTCI see how it's hard. That's the lens these guys view news and discussion. Not sure if reddit or anywhere else would be thaaat much better. It's all just toxic trash right now.
Bailey Callis
2024-10-01 22:01:00 +0000 UTCThe Yakuza/LAD games are very melodramatic and very Japanese. The series is both engaging and over the top. For low stakes entry, I recommend checking out 0 or Kiwami 2
Jack
2024-10-01 18:01:58 +0000 UTCIt's very simple really. When the left create something by themselves, you get Concord, and you get the result that Concord delivered. So the only way they can spread their message to a wide (but considerably shrinking) audience is by infiltrating loved and respected IP and shoehorning in their nonsense which a very large % of people have zero interest in. See: Star Wars, LOTR, Dragon Age, Suicide Squad, Spiderman, etc etc etc. Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft etc. in for a very rough ride in the future. People have finally started to notice what has been going on for years and are simply refusing to take part. Defenders of this practice are welcome to keep playing, but no amount of gaslighting or insults is going to turn the tide. Reap what you sow.
Nick Lone
2024-10-01 16:21:13 +0000 UTCThe “just wanting to exist” gaslight will always be funny
Brandon V
2024-10-01 16:03:17 +0000 UTCTrue, the trans community is far worse
Brandon V
2024-10-01 16:02:28 +0000 UTCHopefully Yotei’s lead voice actress doesn’t have any input on the script. That lady needs help
Alec Davis
2024-10-01 15:55:56 +0000 UTCYeah I noticed that too in the comments. Even though Colin is very balanced when It comes to culture war stuff, some people want him to be all on the ''everything I don't like is woke'' crowd. And it really is a story of the ''the boy who cried woke''. AC: Shadows, Ghost of Yotei, Dragon Age they whine about everything. And when there are some cultural issues that are actually important no one takes you seriously. Like when that EA employee just blatantly talked about her racist hiring practices
Dennis
2024-10-01 14:55:14 +0000 UTC100% agreed… referencing the very existence of people as a forced political message is not right.
Daniel Bush
2024-10-01 09:54:11 +0000 UTCJust a quick note to say the Concord discussion is NOT boring. In fact, I was eager all week for this episode to hear the follow-up response to the critics since the news broke. I feel the same about revisiting the Gamepass discussion. It's not boring. It's topical and it's interesting.
mcarbra
2024-10-01 09:18:19 +0000 UTC22:48 the original xbox is tied together with britney spears' "britney" record for me. the xbox came out nov 15, and that album dropped nov 6, so i was still "in the zone" so to speak when the xbox launched. so much so that i ripped a few tracks to the xbox with some other albums and so like "protected" would come on while playing project gotham racing. so to this day both things are very closely tied together for me. i get nostalgic for that album when i play halo or pgr.
Keith Huntington
2024-10-01 08:00:48 +0000 UTCDustin is the worst Kingdom hearts defender ever 😂 Talks mad shit about it constantly.
Bailey Callis
2024-10-01 00:59:11 +0000 UTCYou called the feature “explicitly exclusionary.” How is having the feature exclusionary? It’d be like saying “They have eye scars, but not nose scars, so the eye scar is explicitly exclusionary.” Just because there’s features you want isn’t there, it doesn’t mean the feature that is there is what’s exclusionary. That makes no sense.
Jared R
2024-10-01 00:05:19 +0000 UTCI don't think that is the worst, I hate the ultra leftist ideology that has infested the gaming industry but I see the culture war stuff so much that having a show that doesn't indulge into that kinda refreshing.
Fotis Lyto
2024-09-30 23:05:08 +0000 UTCWhat is there to talk about the game? We saw almost nothing, a weird looking cgi cut scene and a few quick flashes of gameplay that looked extremely similar to tsushima. I am pretty sure when more is shown people will be able to have more to say about it.
Fotis Lyto
2024-09-30 23:02:52 +0000 UTCNazis exist. Where is the swastika tattoo?
Brandon V
2024-09-30 21:47:01 +0000 UTCThe Portal is still bargain bin junk no matter how much Colin chooses to glaze it.
Bailey Callis
2024-09-30 19:59:09 +0000 UTCJust chiming in to say I agree with how the comments have been lately. It's exhausting!
Gooch Gobbler
2024-09-30 16:52:57 +0000 UTCThe trick to the movie theaters is getting AMC A-list. IMAX showings usually have quiet crowds since it's a premium format, and it's covered under A-List. I've also found that the crowds are very polite for smaller movies, which happens to be the ones I like.
Brannon H
2024-09-30 14:33:46 +0000 UTCDustin's concert balcony story has happened to me at least a half-dozen times -- sometimes even at stage front -- and it's ALWAYS a guy and his girlfriend... Always. It's as if he's using the girlfriend as some sort of buffer to make the offense seem unintentional/accidental. Just gotta hold your ground. Shit sucks, though.
Kevin Cooper
2024-09-30 13:35:43 +0000 UTCI love that the section is labeled “Sonic Trash”. 😂 Thanks so much for your continued fight against the abomination that is Sonic the Hedgehog.
Del Griffith
2024-09-30 12:54:46 +0000 UTCThe comment section on this episode in particular is sad.
TheMuff1nMon
2024-09-30 11:59:15 +0000 UTCRight because that is the same. Comparing the trans community wanting to just exist to Nazis that murdered millions is wild. Brain rot
TheMuff1nMon
2024-09-30 11:55:04 +0000 UTCI have no issues with more options in a character creator but female players can’t create an image of themselves if they are more well endowed witch is weird.
Garry
2024-09-30 11:42:13 +0000 UTC🤣
Alan Wake 2 - Alan WOKE
2024-09-30 01:45:54 +0000 UTCWhat argument? I was responding to the statement that someone can make “any character they want.” Instead of building a feature lots of people can use, they built one for .005% of the population and excluded most of their audience. Nobody is moving goalposts. I’m not even sure which goalposts you’re taking about, frankly. I didn’t set any. The point is that there’s a great blueprint out there for this feature that would’ve been more inclusive. Sorry that upsets you. Enjoy the game.
Jimmy G
2024-09-29 23:48:23 +0000 UTCWell, Colin’s shadow acct, I mean, ‘Adam Barnes’, I suspect that he’s seen it ;)
Saint947
2024-09-29 21:53:24 +0000 UTCI appreciate Colin being one of the only people in games media to even acknowledge the “obvious” identity politics these game studios are playing. With every journalist simply dismissing it.
Austen Wheatley
2024-09-29 19:54:22 +0000 UTCIgnoring twitter culture war controversies would be a nice change to the show IMO
Sam Strajack
2024-09-29 19:28:58 +0000 UTC“Can’t be understated/overstated.”
Alan Wake 2 - Alan WOKE
2024-09-29 18:46:44 +0000 UTCThey all still say could care less but I couldn’t care less anymore
Billy boob
2024-09-29 18:00:56 +0000 UTCIn a series of good to god tier RPGs, Final Fantasy XIII (and her sequels) is the only one that is truly awful. It's a glorified movie that makes you read an encyclopedia to understand the good parts, and "combat" that's about as exciting as your average mobile fare. I'm trying to muster up the courage to go back for that platinum, but god it's a slog of a not game.
Suk.mexe
2024-09-29 14:42:24 +0000 UTCThis isn’t a good argument. The options aren’t “be inclusionary to all or be inclusionary to nobody.” It’s so easy to see the goalposts moving no matter what they do. “You let people have top surgery scars, but not prosthetics?! You let people have top surgery scars but didn’t make a wheelchairs an option?! You let people have top surgery scars but didn’t let them have a shriveled arm birth defect?!” Games have had various levels of character creations, inclusions, features, etc for decades now. Nobody gets up in arms about it until it’s doing something they don’t like. If you don’t like the top surgery scars, just say you don’t like them rather than making bad-faith arguments.
Jared R
2024-09-29 14:39:59 +0000 UTCBioware not being the same company that made all those bangers is a hard pill to swallow. Dragon Age looked terrible.
Pan Ic
2024-09-29 12:55:50 +0000 UTCEven with only 5 seconds of screen time Micah comes out with gold like "punch vessel"
Greg McDonald
2024-09-29 10:59:25 +0000 UTCThe large majority of people don't care about playing as a female character. They care about token diversity, women who are 'strong' but really just arrogant and insufferable, which leads to terrible characters. The change to female is just a minor red flag to me, as you say Colin, I'm noticing. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with Ghost of Yotei at this stage.
Wesley
2024-09-29 10:11:12 +0000 UTCChris my guy, I have literally never heard you mention stop motion since I started listening a few years ago… I will eat my own arsehole if you play The Midnight Walk within three months of it coming out.
Cormac
2024-09-29 09:20:49 +0000 UTCExcept people can’t make any character they want because this feature is explicitly exclusionary. Do you want a c-section scar? Nope. Heart surgery scar? Nope. Single mastectomy scar? Nope. Any other scar that can be placed where it has deep personal meaning to you? Nope. Body scars that can be placed anywhere and resized have been in RPGs for well over a decade at this point, and would’ve made everyone happy. No excuse for a new AAA game to not be inclusive.
Jimmy G
2024-09-29 08:02:35 +0000 UTCA few of us have told him he’s mixing up glean, gleam, and glom, and he still persists.
Alan Wake 2 - Alan WOKE
2024-09-29 03:22:22 +0000 UTCI wish I could downvote you.
Alan Wake 2 - Alan WOKE
2024-09-29 03:20:43 +0000 UTCThere was nothing wrong with Corey Barlog using his experience as a father to influence the new direction for God of War. There was nothing wrong with Neil Druckmman drawing from his own cultural heritage to influence The Last of Us Part II. There is nothing wrong with Corrine Busche wanting herself and other members of her community to be represented in the game she is directing. While it is often mentioned how welcoming and kind this community is, the comments under more recent Patreon posts have lacked empathy and often come across as needlessly rude.
Jacob
2024-09-29 01:59:45 +0000 UTCChris’s take on what is considered pandering is so brain dead. Back then it was games that had mass appeal to the player base that were actively buying and supporting the games. Today developers and publishers are actively making decisions that truly pander to a small yet very loud group of twitter warriors and in doing so actively work to alienate those that have played, loved, and invested in these games all these years. Having female protagonists isn’t the problem, but the general disdain that the industry as a whole seems to have towards who average gamers typically are, is.
rkk10a
2024-09-28 23:34:16 +0000 UTCThere's nothing wrong with the scars in Dragon Age. Trans people exist. It's optional. I'm glad the choice is there so people can make whatever characters they want. The world isn't ending. There is no secret cabal in the trans community trying to brainwash you or your children. You're all making up an imaginary enemy to throw your vitriol at instead of caring about real issues in the world. There have been so many unwelcome and frankly disturbing comments in these threads recently regarding this "culture war". Please tone down the hateful rhetoric people.
Morgan
2024-09-28 22:39:43 +0000 UTCStick it in Mass Effect sure, but you can’t deny that it’s a bit ridiculous for DA
Daddy T
2024-09-28 21:56:51 +0000 UTCWait till people look into the actress playing her, oh boy
Daddy T
2024-09-28 21:55:35 +0000 UTCI’ve mentioned this before but Sony is holding out for PS6. We’re gonna get a hand full of first party titles and a ton of 3rd party games until then. When the PS6 drops, Sony wants to hit the ground running. They already are on pace to sell over 100 million units. Plus GTA6 will make the PS5 the must have console. The next gen Xbox may be a big hit. Only time will tell but Sony isn’t risking that happening. Which is why I think the PS6 will hit the ground sprinting.
Michael Mashpotato
2024-09-28 15:49:02 +0000 UTCWokered Wokebols
Ryan
2024-09-28 15:05:27 +0000 UTCThen I shall scream into the void here every week, because I just can’t hear it one more fucking time.
Saint947
2024-09-28 14:24:14 +0000 UTCChanging the word “retarded” to “Autistic” did not change the meaning. Gender Disorder was a MENTAL ILLNESS untill 2013. I don't give a fuck what any adult does in private. I don't care that people want to become Decepticons just do it after your an adult instead of getting in on this bandwagon of weirdos destroying their lives young.
Otacon_Ocelot
2024-09-28 13:02:00 +0000 UTC*LGBT people exist and make art that contains aspects of their existence* Mouth breathers: “This is so forced!!!”
Cam
2024-09-28 12:42:33 +0000 UTCFebruary is very packed too. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 will be massive on PC as long as the bugs aren’t too excessive. Avowed will draw players through GamePass, and Monster Hunter Wilds will be huge.
WashedAF
2024-09-28 11:42:30 +0000 UTCThank you. I always skip the openings lol
Bobby Sparks
2024-09-28 07:05:48 +0000 UTCColin won’t hear it. He ignores all write ins that correct his grammatical fuck ups
Adam Barnes
2024-09-28 05:59:16 +0000 UTC🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Adam Barnes
2024-09-28 05:58:29 +0000 UTCBecause of the State of Play. Colin explains this in the opening of the episode
Adam Barnes
2024-09-28 05:58:01 +0000 UTCTrust Colin to pick a pro-Horizon write in. Yawn.
Adam Barnes
2024-09-28 05:57:21 +0000 UTCWhy was this show on Thursday instead of Friday? Are they changing their usual time?
Bobby Sparks
2024-09-28 05:02:26 +0000 UTCOh my god, I can’t fucking take it anymore: It’s “ostensiBLY” not “ostensively”— All *three* of you get it fucking wrong.
Saint947
2024-09-28 03:38:30 +0000 UTCLol so what is he doing then? (Look I know we’re close to an election so we all know you “guys”(questionable) are in total lockstep.)
CUMSoftware
2024-09-27 23:08:41 +0000 UTCMan i would love if Colin just flipped his journalist hat on once a week and out did all the industry journalists and broke all the stories
Reuben Barrett
2024-09-27 22:07:30 +0000 UTCI think there’s a real conversation to be had about the inclusion of top surgery scars, but I think attaching it to “How come you can have this, but not this” brings the conversation down and is deflecting on your part. There’s a ton of things character creators do or don’t let you do. This is the first BioWare game I’m aware of that even lets you do anything to the character’s body proportions. My honest to god good faith guess as to why it’s limited with breasts and butts is physics and clothes/armor models having to adjust for them. It’s the same reason this is the first game player females can have long hair (but where were the people complaining about the lack of feminine hair options?) Anyway, if you want to talk about top surgery, pronouns, whatever else, talk about it. Just talk about it without tying it to another nebulous issue though.
Jared R
2024-09-27 21:25:00 +0000 UTCThe thing that drags the “culture war” conversations down and makes people not listen are all these bad faith arguments and just blatant spreading of misinformation. I’d love to have a genuine conversation about historical liberties, trans people, and everything else. The “woke culture” or whatever you want to call it does indeed make having these conversations hard to have to begin with, but then the opposing side responds by just lying and screaming and getting very hateful and weird. It’s exhausting.
Jared R
2024-09-27 21:14:27 +0000 UTCNeoliberals in general (conservatards and libtards) suffer the same problems in this regard. They all see their world view as the only valid one.
Joshua
2024-09-27 20:39:09 +0000 UTCWait but I agree with his point and still support Dragon Age. What is it about top scars that you find unjustifiable? You agree people should make games based on their own life l, so what is wrong with trans developers putting their scars as options in the games they are building? It would be like boycotting dragon age because a white blue eyes developer added blue eyes as an option , I don't quite understand your logic
Joshua
2024-09-27 20:37:18 +0000 UTCYeah exactly, I know Colins not bigoted but in the gaming audience in general it feels like if you aren't white or male you have to justify your inclusion in your game.
Joshua
2024-09-27 20:34:32 +0000 UTCAC Shadows is going to have soft sales whether it ships now or in three months. The delay has nothing to do with polish or adding more content. It's over for this exec team once sales figures are in, so they pushed it back to give leadership a few extra months to strategize before the board and shareholders shake things up. Ubisoft will be a very different entity by next winter.
Jimmy G
2024-09-27 20:33:40 +0000 UTCInteresting thank you. I just don't see why the scars would be a problem either way though. If a trans person with breast scars made the game, then it would be no different then a white developer with blue eyes putting blue eyes in the game.
Joshua
2024-09-27 20:32:19 +0000 UTCYou have a very clear and fair explanation thank you. I think if I were to respond to what you say you believe Colin is saying, I'd tell him that if they are outwardly speaking about inclusivity then there may be a point here. But if it's just a trans person whose has top surgery that made the game then it's not at all confusing why they'd put character traits that represent them as a developer in the game they are developing, in the same way like how you said if you a white guy made games about white people that should also not be problematic.
Joshua
2024-09-27 20:30:45 +0000 UTCIf you read my comment in good faith without snark you'd quickly see I didn't say I don't have an agenda ( I quite clearly have a leftist agenda) But the culture war has nothing to do with me, leftist preach class consciousness and see liberal/conservative identity politics as a distraction to divide the people. I don't care if you are gay or about gender neutral bathrooms I care about workers earning the money they are owed.
Joshua
2024-09-27 20:23:17 +0000 UTCRegarding the movie theatre conversation -- on multiple occasions recently I have gone to see violent, R rated movies, and parents have brought in their screaming, crying infant. Every single time they refuse to take their baby out of the theater. I get it. It's challenging to go see a movie when you have a newborn. But seriously, who the fuck brings an infant to see Oppenheimer and Deadpool and Wolverine? (I had the same experience at both of these films.) I just dont get it. If you can't get a baby sitter, please for the love of God just wait and see the movie once it has a home digital or bluray release.
Austin Eller
2024-09-27 19:17:29 +0000 UTCA Horizon game where you create your own character and join the clan you’d most like to work with would be amazing. They should just do that for Horizon 3. Have Aloy kidnapped by aliens or whatever.
Jimmy G
2024-09-27 18:32:03 +0000 UTCThe follow up conversation on Concord was fascinating 👍 I could listen to that high level discussion forever!
Joe Perez
2024-09-27 17:55:07 +0000 UTCI think for Yōtei they will still be able to share assets due to it still taking place in Japan. Even based on the trailer it looks better but not drastically different. Spider-Man 2 is an anomaly for sure.
Jacob
2024-09-27 17:21:23 +0000 UTCI love the small chuckle Chris let out at the first mention of Concord lol
Greg McDonald
2024-09-27 17:15:33 +0000 UTCMy counterpoint to this would be that continuing a story and remaining in one setting should help game development take less time and be cheaper. They talked this episode about Yakuza doing that, reusing a lot of assets and animations, and cranking games out like crazy. Gene’s spoken to the director about that, and even he said he was confused why games feel like they have to reinvent the wheel every entry. By that same logic though, Spider-Man 2 should have had that same advantage, but they somehow ballooned their budget to a stupid amount. So I guess if that’s going to happen with Sony studios, you’re right, maybe anthology is the way to go. If you’re going to go big, go as big as possible, I guess.
Jared R
2024-09-27 16:45:12 +0000 UTCYou’re right. My poor wording distracted from my overall point. Thank you for pointing that out. I should have said that one of the most prevalent and interesting aspects of fantasy is how it reflects and allows the reader to associate it to the real world, not that doing so is the central point of it. I appreciate you talking through it with me.
Jared R
2024-09-27 16:40:48 +0000 UTCSaying that I'm making a semantical argument doesn't make me wrong. Again, the problem with your argument is that you don't understand what the genre is. You're asserting that a fantasy world that doesn't mirror ours is a pointless exercise, but I'm wondering what your basis for that is. That seems to be just a made up point to sound right when you're not really saying anything at all. As I said, there are often metaphors that mirror the real world in fantasy and you seem to agree with that, but that is not the "point" of the genre. The "point" is not to mirror the real world. That literally goes against the definition of the genre. You're making two different points. One is that the "point" of fantasy is to mirror the real world. That is not true. Your second point is that trans people don't inherently go against the logic of a fantasy setting. That is true. Mixing the two makes your argument weaker. Instead of making a grandiose claim about fantasy as a genre you would be better served arguing that trans people in the fantasy world of Dragon Age is consistent with that world.
Zac Lebeau
2024-09-27 16:36:28 +0000 UTCJust like with the false Japanese goverment assertion (which you did not respond to) this is not true. Ubisoft did not "falsify a Japanese historian". He is a Japanese consultant/ translator and said the game was being received well by the Japanese community. But some did not take his comment at face value because he used to work for SBI. Which is fine if you want to dismiss his opinion that way. But I can't find were Ubisoft claimed he was a historian. Maybe the propped up his comments, but that is hardly a controversial thing to do. Or did a low level Ubisoft employee call him a historian? No offense, but your comments make me wonder if you actually read about the stuff you are saying is a big deal. Because it seems like these are just statements copied from anti-woke youtube and Asmongold Streams. With no actual interest in finding out if their statements are true. That's how games like ZAU become unwilling victims of the culture war.
Dennis
2024-09-27 16:04:46 +0000 UTCColin sure says package alot this episode
Angel DeJesus
2024-09-27 15:59:26 +0000 UTCIt is a big bummer that the entire conversation about Ghost of Yōtei focused on the protagonist being a woman rather than their impressions of the game itself. I know some people are upset that they are taking an anthology series approach rather than continuing Jin’s story, but this seems like a very smart business decision. Games are taking 4-5-6 years to develop and doing traditional sequels or trilogies means you won’t finish a story for almost a decade. Treating each game as its own unique and standalone story while leveraging the IP is an excellent idea. I was also very pleased with the end of Ghost of Tsushima and satisfied with where Jin’s story left off.
Jacob
2024-09-27 15:44:04 +0000 UTCVideo Game Outsiders now the only game podcast you can rely on to regularly call out the bullshit infecting the industry. This show used to be great for that, but now they seem to be more interested in riding the line and not offending anyone. Constantly downplaying the obviously leftist slant that is harming this industry and mocking the people who notice it.
Brandon V
2024-09-27 15:36:04 +0000 UTCI want a swastika shaped scar. Don’t like it, just don’t use it.
Brandon V
2024-09-27 15:05:24 +0000 UTCChris loves to gaslight on behalf of the leftist nonsense that is clearly harming the industry and lowering the overall quality of games and Colin is completely disinterested in calling out the bullshit on account of his need to not be seen as a typical right winger (as if that’s a bad thing)
Brandon V
2024-09-27 15:04:15 +0000 UTC“I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history - true or feigned- with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.” Sure, Tolkien hates direct allegories like how Narnia is to Christianity (which is what he’s responding to in this quote, people seeing Frodo as some sort of Christ figure), but it’d be foolish to point to his works and say that there’s not real world influence in it or that he doesn’t want you to draw applicable things out of his work.
Jared R
2024-09-27 14:02:49 +0000 UTCCommon Chris win making your snowflake ass cry
Breno Bezerra Bluhm
2024-09-27 14:00:10 +0000 UTCI’d say all the games are enjoyable, they’re just super long.
NeO JD
2024-09-27 13:57:23 +0000 UTCDid Dustin ever finish Chrono Trigger?
Shadi Haddad
2024-09-27 13:56:16 +0000 UTCTolkien famously hated allegory.
WashedAF
2024-09-27 13:55:43 +0000 UTCRegarding the Portal talk. I just bought one the other day and I'm so happy with it. I'm so burnt out after work that I often find myself skipping playing some PS5 so I can go relax in bed instead. I'm making way more progress in what I'm playing now as opposed to before just from being able to play an hour or so in bed at the end of the day. Great purchase!
Joe Horton
2024-09-27 13:42:16 +0000 UTCDirect quote from Ubisoft: “We want to address an important problem of perception that has been affecting the company’s performance.” Japanese gaming social media is almost entirely against the game, Ubisoft’s PR falsified a Japanese historian Hashimoto Kazuma to misrepresent Yasuke in historical terms and were exposed for it. If you honestly think this is a nothing burger in gaming terms you just haven’t been paying attention. The game is being delayed specifically for messaging purposes because the narrative and PR are bad. Ubisoft are worried, this isn’t arguable. https://screenrant.com/assassins-creed-shadows-japanese-government-investigation-controversy/
The Rose Experience
2024-09-27 13:06:18 +0000 UTCHe's probably being sincere. Libs truly believe their ideology is the only true moral "reality" for want of a better term. It's why they start shitting and crying when someone has a differing opinion.
kunsam
2024-09-27 12:58:33 +0000 UTCThe "Japanese Government'' did not give a statement about their ''displeasure'' for the game. A representative of NHK party of japan asked the government to comment on AC, to which the foreign ministry gave such generic response and they quite literally said ''It wasn't their concern''. They did say the game should not violate public order or morals, but that was more a broad statement about all media pertaining to Japan. And the only reason they even made that statement is because the NHK formally asked them to. The usual suspects want to make this into something unprecedented, but it is literally a nothing burger (not everything about AC is, but this narrative is)
Dennis
2024-09-27 12:51:59 +0000 UTCDagon Age….just go google the director of the game. This shit is Forced. The vast majority of people do not like that shit. The rest just don't want to seem “mean-spirited” or want to rock the boat, cowards! Get that shit out of video games!
Otacon_Ocelot
2024-09-27 12:35:16 +0000 UTCThe Japanese government thing is a total nothing-burger and was blown way out of proportion by people who don’t know anything about the Japanese government. It was the equivalent of someone from a no-power party like Jill Stein asking the education department to comment on the inaccuracies of AC3's depiction of the American Revolution and the DoE replying with "We’d like to remind everyone that this is historical fiction. We’ll investigate if there’s evidence of anything being actively harmful or immoral being targeted towards kids.”
Jared R
2024-09-27 12:33:09 +0000 UTCYou’re wading into semantics here. Mainstream fantasy from LOTR, to Star Wars, to D&D to Narnia, etc. mirrors our world to make a point. Whether it be allegories or unavoidable comparisons to WW1, Vietnam, racism, WW2, religion or whatever else, the point is to point out something fundamentally true about our world in the framing of the fantasy one. That’s the crux of storytelling in general. A story in a fantasy world where absolutely nothing mirrors our world in any way would just be an excercise in absurdity and not be interesting in the slightest. It brings me back to my original point. If every fantasy story of any consequence has components of the real world in it, because you need that to tell a story people engaging in it will relate to, then there’s no more reason for trans people to be out of place than there is for humans in general, or sickness, or war to be.
Jared R
2024-09-27 12:23:01 +0000 UTCOh see but it is about definitions. Your claim that fantasy is about imitating the real world goes directly against the definition of the genre: 3. a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world. You say it's not about definitions but it's about the genre and media literacy, but those things are all related. Knowing the genre at the very least means having a loose grasp of the definition of the genre. Being media literate at the very minimum means understanding the point of what you're consuming is. You don't seem to know the genre or be very media literate if you think the "whole point" of fantasy is to imitate the real world. Fantasy worlds often have elements that metaphorically mirror parts of our society/"our world" but that is NOT necessary to the genre that that is NOT the "whole point" of the genre.
Zac Lebeau
2024-09-27 12:11:30 +0000 UTCThe downplaying of the issue surrounding AC Shadows just isn’t accurate. This is a big issue for Ubisoft. How much it will effect sales is unknown but when the Japanese government issues a statement about their displeasure with the game you have a problem. Also, the absolute catastrophe of Ubisoft lying about their supposed Japanese historian who was entirely discredited and then disappeared entirely. To say it’s a minor issue that I don’t know why Ubisoft address is in a word, ignorant. It just seems that the crew really haven’t paid any attention as to what is going on around Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Also Chris not saying this game is important to Ubisoft when AC is essentially their biggest IP is laughable.
The Rose Experience
2024-09-27 12:10:47 +0000 UTCGotta love people whining about their agendas getting noticed and then trying to gaslight like your the crazy person for noticing. It's pure activism and pandering to put top surgery scars in a character creator. It's obvious and stupid.
Matthew Cooper
2024-09-27 12:05:01 +0000 UTCWould a cell phone or a Desert Eagle be inconsistant with Dragon Âge? Sure. Is the idea of trans people? No. There’s already been trans people in the series. But I’d also argue that trans people would fit into most major fantasy worlds with no issue. Again, almost every series explores gender roles, mental health, and has a concept of medicine. If you have those elements, you have the basis for trans people making sense.
Jared R
2024-09-27 08:51:18 +0000 UTCIt’s not about the definitions, it’s about knowing the genre and media literacy
Jared R
2024-09-27 08:45:47 +0000 UTCColin the band you were talking about with djent is not a genre is Periphery.
Josef Barker
2024-09-27 08:26:10 +0000 UTCIncredibly astute point and it’s precisely why Im not buying DA4.
YP-Berserk
2024-09-27 07:38:03 +0000 UTCChris isn’t playing devil’s advocate
YP-Berserk
2024-09-27 07:35:21 +0000 UTCEntirely depends on how something is written and presented. Is it CONSISTENT with the world you are using/created?
YP-Berserk
2024-09-27 07:34:17 +0000 UTCColin please don’t waste your time worrying about people on Twitter man. Trust me it’s not worth it. You know what’s true and that’s all that matters. Nothing you do will ever change their perception or opinions of you and the work you’re doing. You’ll be fighting this fight until you can’t anymore. Also, a lot of them are bots anyways. I know it sucks and it’s hard to deal with but dude it’s not worth your energy
tone
2024-09-27 07:28:06 +0000 UTCFantasy Noun 1. the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable. 2. an idea with no basis in reality. 3. a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world. What part of any of those definitions makes you think the "whole point" is to imitate our world?
Zac Lebeau
2024-09-27 04:47:43 +0000 UTC@Jamin great take, if people focused more on creating artwork that was reflective of their own genuine upbringing and culture I think the creative world would be way more interesting. And that includes work created by LGBT/minority groups, Tales of Kenzera comes to mind as a recent example of the latter. my least favorite thing in the universe is media that tries to pander to everyone in the name of "inclusivity," resulting in watered-down bland diluted pablum that supposedly appeals to everyone but in reality appeals to no one (Concord being a recent excellent example). Fuck trying to include everyone. You'll never actually accomplish that so it's a stupid goal. If you make something genuine it will speak to people regardless. You should try to be respectful, sure, but you can never please everyone and you shouldn't try, that's not what the goal of art is. Go in hard on what you uniquely understand, and don't presume to speak for what you don't. That's what *actual* diversity is.
Supes
2024-09-27 04:40:12 +0000 UTCthe whole point of fantasy is not that it imitates our world.
Supes
2024-09-27 04:21:58 +0000 UTC"don't like it, don't use it" is a massive deflection, and deep in the dark pit of your screwed-up heart, you know it. It's propaganda, plain and simple.
Supes
2024-09-27 04:20:50 +0000 UTCIt should be an echo chamber because normal people don’t want that shit in the game.
WashedAF
2024-09-27 03:44:12 +0000 UTCPutting it in the game is political and stupid. Go play with your pronouns in Concord
WashedAF
2024-09-27 03:42:44 +0000 UTCPretty hilarious that Sony appears to be passing/has passed the torch from all their protagonists except for Aloy. You MUST play with the astroturfed character.
WashedAF
2024-09-27 03:40:32 +0000 UTCI had to use my portal as a second controller after one of my duelsences came down with a bad case of stick drift
Chris Adams
2024-09-27 03:14:11 +0000 UTCIf Colin said PlayStation was gonna start giving away ps5 pros I would believe him.
Brenden
2024-09-27 03:12:27 +0000 UTCI'm sure it would be a much better show if they just circle jerked in an echo chamber and validated your opinions
IceCreamRickShaw
2024-09-27 02:41:59 +0000 UTCWait a minute. So a few weeks ago you guys clamor over the potential power of the pro. But this episode, you guys complain about how games looked to good to give the ps one nostalgia vibe.
The Central Long Islander
2024-09-27 02:03:10 +0000 UTCThe “that doesn’t belong in a fantasy world” argument doesn’t really hold up to me. The whole point of fantasy is that it imitates our world. There’s politics, there’s racism, there’s war, there’s religion, there’s love, and there’s loss. Regardless of what your personal views of trans people are, to say surgery scars are “out of place” feels like not a great argument. Nobody would bat an eye at an Elf with a prosthetic arm or a Qunari dealing with PTSD or a Dwarf with terminal illness.
Jared R
2024-09-27 01:13:05 +0000 UTCI always enjoy seeing your post, and you upset the right people. you would be a treat in the discord
Scott
2024-09-27 01:04:07 +0000 UTCI’m so with you. When he kept saying “I’m noticing” I kept thinking “Noticing what? It seems pretty obvious this is here for trans people. I don’t see anything trying to be hidden here.” It felt like a conspiracy theorist noticing water is wet. “Do they know they’re sending a message?” I’m sure they know they’re sending a message about being pro-trans people.
Jared R
2024-09-27 00:38:17 +0000 UTCI can't speak for Colin, but here's how I see it. At any point if one tries to be inclusive and have representation, then it's fair game to critique why something ISN'T represented, as therein lies an agenda based on the initial purpose. If you can have scarring, why can't you have big breasts? Both represent a select group of people, so why is only one included, and the other excluded? This is the same argument for any representation. If you can have a white character, why can't you have a black character? If you can have a man, why can't you have a woman? Using that logic, the absence of the opposite will always be seen as controversial because the whole point of the initial action is to be inclusive. The question then becomes, why was one included and not the other? That's what creates the divide and the perception of the agenda. In my views, people just need to be more understanding and accepting of people who create things based on THEIR identity. I am a white man. If I create media, it will be heavily influenced by my upbringing and experiences. I should not be criticized for not representing black people, or trans, or Muslims, or Christians. I can certainly be criticized and called out for disrespecting them, but I should not be criticized for not including them in my creative ideas. When Colin says he notices, he is saying he notices the developers pushing the idea that they are touting themselves as inclusive. They are making it a focal point, trying to show they are welcoming people by doing this. In reality, the point is mute because again, why can't you have big breasts? What it really is, is the developer is creating media based on their experience. It is actually NOT representative of all people, nor should it be. But they will never say that. That's the controversey. They can't say it's not representative of all people, because that defeats the very reason they say they are doing it. In my opinion, the solution is to just make things for yourself, and tout it as just that (not, "I make this to represent all people and be inclusive"). It's then up to the audience to deal with it and respect that individual representation.
Jamin Fuller
2024-09-27 00:29:43 +0000 UTCLunar remasters are GOD tier. My favorite announcement of the show by a good margin.
Cameron
2024-09-27 00:27:06 +0000 UTCThe critique is of the hedging. Hedging in this case being someone who softens their stance by adding uncertainty or suggesting alternate interpretations in order to avoid making definitive claims or to leave room for doubt. It’s a form of gaslighting. I haven’t personally seen anyone involved with Dragon Age say these scars are for breast cancer though. I mean, they call it “top surgery” in the game, which is a trans euphemism for double mastectomy. Pretty obvious what it is.
Jimmy G
2024-09-27 00:24:05 +0000 UTCWe know why, biological men in woman face are envious of naturally pretty women
Scott
2024-09-27 00:03:53 +0000 UTCDamn I just noticed this went up early.. now my last couple hours of work can melt away
Tristan Kimball
2024-09-26 23:48:06 +0000 UTCYou can't be this dumb. Why does the game's character creation let you have "top surgery scars" yet it won't allow you to create a regular woman with big tits? Politics are all over it. You're only upset because collectively normal people are finally getting sick of it.
kunsam
2024-09-26 23:42:32 +0000 UTCGotta love Colin whining about top surgery. It’s a choice, don’t like it? Don’t use it. Bringing it up and whining is political and stupid
Joshua Jones
2024-09-26 23:03:47 +0000 UTCThink you guys forgot to note everything Asspyr touches turns to shit. I was excited about LoK until I saw that name attached. Believe it when you see it folks
Hugh Jalode
2024-09-26 22:48:19 +0000 UTCIf it’s up to me, I pick a female playable character every time. I don’t wanna stare at a dude the whole time. Gooners rise up.
Alan Wake 2 - Alan WOKE
2024-09-26 22:35:34 +0000 UTCPlz just start from Yakuza 0 you don’t need to torture yourself with the ps2 games
Moistescarjoe
2024-09-26 22:29:43 +0000 UTCFor a second there I thought it was Friday… oh, well! Early Sacred AND I got a PS5 Pro preorder in - it’s a good day.
Brett Altmiller
2024-09-26 22:20:04 +0000 UTC“Only broke people won’t buy the ps5 pro” lol
Pianopower
2024-09-26 22:09:13 +0000 UTCBuT tHEy MaKe YoU pLaY aS a WoMaN?!?!!!!!! :/ boycott! /s
Adam Barnes
2024-09-26 21:43:30 +0000 UTCYou’re a leftist but you’re not involved? Lmao, this is like Ubisoft saying they don’t have an agenda
WashedAF
2024-09-26 21:14:33 +0000 UTCLove the talk on Concord. I find it so interesting diving into how it all went wrong.
Adam Martinez
2024-09-26 21:01:21 +0000 UTCReally wholesome moment with Colin surprising Dustin with the Pilgrim dev writing in. Well played, sir! ❤️
Meatball
2024-09-26 20:29:23 +0000 UTCBro probably thinks Kill Bill is woke too.
Special Needs Cannon
2024-09-26 19:50:13 +0000 UTCHahaha Chris playing devils advocate for endless mentally ill gay shit in games! Who would’ve thought?!
CUMSoftware
2024-09-26 19:38:05 +0000 UTCAgreed.
Adam Martinez
2024-09-26 19:10:29 +0000 UTCI'm so excited for Hell is Us; PlayStation has a gigantic hole in their game library for a third person action game set in a open/semi open world with a mature story!
Zac Lebeau
2024-09-26 19:08:15 +0000 UTCWith full respect I keep not quite understanding Colins point with his culture war arguments " I don't care but I'm noticing." I'm not even disagreeing I'm saying I don't even understand what the point being made is. At around 2:55:41 I literally don't understand what his critique is here. He used almost the same exact verbage with AC Shadows and I still can't figure out what the problem exactly is. Maybe it's because I'm leftist so I'm not involved in the liberal vs conservative culture war but I don't get it.
Joshua
2024-09-26 19:07:57 +0000 UTCWhen talking about Halo and Lego, the Lego group has guidelines on not using military themes for sets. Could be why Halo was never considered for Lego while Mega Blocks has no such restriction
Stevie Walnuts
2024-09-26 19:00:24 +0000 UTCPumped for another Ghost game!
Pauly Twos
2024-09-26 18:53:40 +0000 UTCColin, The Concord talk is not boring at all. I find this story fascinating purely from a business aspect. Please don't ever think we are bored by you talking about the business of video games.
Context Should Matter
2024-09-26 18:53:38 +0000 UTCYou're poor. Be smart with your money, you may be able to buy a Pro by GTA 6 launch. Start by canceling your Grindr subscription.
Rufián
2024-09-26 18:51:10 +0000 UTCAnything in the 30th anniversary collection was sadly (as expected?) a shitshow. Regular Pro was fine, I managed to order without any problems :)
Jordan
2024-09-26 18:50:08 +0000 UTCHey Colin, I know that you find it impressive how PSPortal can work across countries etc. But this is exactly how multiplayer games work. Every players data all over the country is swapped at the speed of light, so much so people can play twitch shooters like CSGO at 120fps+ and never notice lag. Also, if streaming PS5 to Portal is working so well for you at home, it's quite likely streaming PSNow or whatever its called also works just as well.
WhatDarrenPlays
2024-09-26 18:48:41 +0000 UTCThat PS5 pro edition sold out…mostly to scalpers, mostly . The rest tho, ….Am I supposed to feel bad for people that wanted to waste their money but couldn’t? Fucking please 🙄 My empathy isn’t wired for such bullshit
Pianopower
2024-09-26 18:42:56 +0000 UTCThere is no freedom from me. Only freedom through me. Nice tits.
Rufián
2024-09-26 18:38:10 +0000 UTCGo away
Jason Thompson
2024-09-26 18:36:59 +0000 UTCThank you for the early gift! I’m off on Thursdays so this was a nice bless
Philip Dunphy
2024-09-26 18:18:21 +0000 UTCWow, did not expect to see this early!
StewDog
2024-09-26 18:15:26 +0000 UTCAh, our resident self-loathing closeted gay guy is here! It’s 2024, Bud! Be true to yourself!
Alan Wake 2 - Alan WOKE
2024-09-26 18:04:57 +0000 UTCYoooooooooo
Nick La Creta
2024-09-26 18:01:19 +0000 UTCWas it really that bad? They're still available four hours after preorders went live. I'm genuinely surprised they didn't sell out faster.
Jimmy G
2024-09-26 17:53:50 +0000 UTCNo luck. 😞 -Dustin
Dustin Furman
2024-09-26 17:46:39 +0000 UTCConcord and now Ghost of Yotei. It's glaringly obvious... The little hats have infiltrated Sony HQ. Deploying their LGBTQ/feminist sickness onto Sony gamers. You hate to see it.
Rufián
2024-09-26 17:45:00 +0000 UTCColin Baby Boy, you don’t need an Ethernet cable for that bad boy to work well. Got my PS5 on Wi-Fi and I’m at work on it. Just gotta have good internet and Wi-Fi.
William Haynes
2024-09-26 17:40:56 +0000 UTCGot me all fucked up. I thought it was Friday and got mega stoked
Zack
2024-09-26 17:29:57 +0000 UTCThe fact that Colin can go on a 47 minute monologue about Concord business wonkery and keep my full attention is impressive. Man’s putting more work into one section than other podcasts put into an entire episode. The depth of thought is truly impressive. Proud to be a supporter.
Alan Wake 2 - Alan WOKE
2024-09-26 17:28:49 +0000 UTCDammit man, now I need some hotcakes
Lovat
2024-09-26 17:07:52 +0000 UTCColin - Periphery “Djent is Not a Genre”
John
2024-09-26 17:03:45 +0000 UTCAnyone in the discord know if the guys got the 30th edition?
john spatta
2024-09-26 17:03:10 +0000 UTCWow unexpected
BatmanBeyond
2024-09-26 17:01:15 +0000 UTCLet’s gooooooo
Woopy77
2024-09-26 16:56:41 +0000 UTCLove the early ep, but I would’ve enjoyed hearing their tales of trying to get a Pro. As expected, it was a shitshow.
Ricky Coogan
2024-09-26 16:54:50 +0000 UTCDamn it’s weird to know that none of them got the 30th anniversary edition and they don’t even know it yet. Unless Colin snatched one up
Special Needs Cannon
2024-09-26 16:37:42 +0000 UTCChris, our prayers are answered! Legacy of Kain is back.
Kameron Clem
2024-09-26 16:35:17 +0000 UTCI dig it early. Thanks
Robbie Agnew
2024-09-26 16:34:37 +0000 UTCOhhh it’s like that?!
Adam Martinez
2024-09-26 16:27:18 +0000 UTCHey, we're all premature from time to time. Can't complain!
Queef Wellington
2024-09-26 16:26:40 +0000 UTCNow this is why I pay you guys money 😁
Shawn Kelvey Jr
2024-09-26 16:14:04 +0000 UTCEarly Sacred LETS GO!
Michael Welter
2024-09-26 16:11:54 +0000 UTCBummer, I was legitimately looking forward to hearing the reaction to The Last of Us season 2 trailer tomorrow, guess I’ll be waiting for next week. 😕
Clay Moore
2024-09-26 16:05:46 +0000 UTCCan’t wait to dial in 💪🏻
Tanner Kading
2024-09-26 16:05:06 +0000 UTC🙏🙌🙌🙌🙌🙏 Pray to summon the legendary 6 hour episode.
Ryan
2024-09-26 16:04:17 +0000 UTCA day early? Okay I'll take it.
Josef Barker
2024-09-26 16:03:53 +0000 UTCOh you sons of bitch for this
Tom Gentry
2024-09-26 16:03:52 +0000 UTCFor a second I really thought it was actually Friday as I sat down to eat lunch and saw this
Joey B
2024-09-26 16:03:44 +0000 UTCHell yeah, 5 hour episode 😊
DuckFeathers
2024-09-26 16:03:26 +0000 UTCtime log off of work for 5 hours
Jay
2024-09-26 16:03:09 +0000 UTCI thought I was tripping when the thread went up a day early
Ethan Barcelos
2024-09-26 16:02:57 +0000 UTCHell yeah, friday came early this week
Breno Bezerra Bluhm
2024-09-26 16:02:41 +0000 UTC5 hours let's goooooo
Eric the human
2024-09-26 16:02:17 +0000 UTC
