raycevick

Q&A: May 25th, 2022

Alexander Asks
Cyberpunk years latter when?

Likely after the expansion is released. Though, it will be a massive undertaking, so don't count that as a promise.

Jorge Asks
Thoughts on NFS: ProStreet?

Decent. It makes a lot more sense when judged in context for the era; it was to the 2007 car scene what Underground was to 2003. Only problem is its gameplay was a lot more like other racing games on the market, and just d...

Recommendations: Taxi by Nova Twins (Single)

I've previously recommended this group's song "Antagonist" which seriously slaps, and Taxi's a similar mix of funky bass sounds, infectious riffs, and tangible energy. Marking their album for a listen is definitely a no brainer for me.

Between these two songs and their appearance on Bring Me The Horizon's dramatic 1x1, it's apparent these two have the ability to do anything.

Post-Mortem: I'm Jealous of Warhammer

This isn't the first time a video spawned from an old Randomly Mine article. Often, my posts on Friday act as a testing ground for future content. Not always, sometimes there's subjects I very deliberately setup in the format of a mini-essay or rant, but in the case of "I'm Jealous of Warhammer" I had a feeling it'd be a video one day.

If you've watched the finished video, you already know whic...

Q&A: May 18th, 2022

The Great Leveler Asks
What feature (s) do you wish more games would have?

It's less I want more games to have a certain mechanic, but for there to be more exploration of certain mechanics in games. I think Alpha Protocol has the best conversation system found in these cinematic Action RPGs, but there's not really been an opportunity to explore that, as very few games have continued it's take on the dialogue wheel.

One thing I definitely wish more game...

NEW VIDEO: I'm Jealous of Warhammer (Rough Cut)

Hey everybody!

I apologize if you were expecting a longer video after the last project. It was my intention to release this within two weeks, but then my Doctor assigned medication which knocked on my ass for... two weeks! Wonderful...

This is a rough cut, but all that's really missing is music, Q&A, and a couple split-screens from my friend and Shambles competitor THE DOLLAR, so I'm expecting a weekend or Monday release.

Of course, there's still room to change or improv...

Q&A: May 11th, 2022

RupertLitterBin Asks
Can I ask a question?

Only if it's not about Halo Wars.

Jake Malone Asks
What is a company that you think people defend way too much?  PS. Its nice to see someone else who appreciates Cyberpunk :)

The real irony of this question is that a couple years ago, my answer would've easily been CDProjektRed. I understand there's fans of Assassin of Kings, and the original game, but for the most part,...

Raycevick's Recommendations: The Witcher

It seems that the reputation of video game adaptations is very rapidly fading between Netflix's Arcane, Castlevania, and now, The Witcher. No, I wouldn't count this show as being on the level of either of those programs, but that doesn't mean it isn't damn entertaining, or remarkably well made and acted.

The acting especially, and not just by Henry Cavell, but everybody in the cast, especially in Season 2, where Ciri gets so much chance to shine.

The occasional boring storyline, o...

Q&A: May 6th, 2022

Apologies for the delay of this week's Q&A, and Randomly Mine. The last few days were quite hectic, but I'm back in the saddle, and hoping to have a rough cut of the latest video ready to post for everybody on Patreon.

In the meantime, time to catch up...

Juhana Linnavirta Asks
If your face was shaped like an F1 track (current or former) which one would you want it to be shaped like?

Suzuka would be quite shocking to look at...

Raycevick's Recommendations: Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

I really didn't give this game the credit it deserved back when it released. I think it might've been from comparing this game to everything else on the market, rather than letting the game stand on its own.

Are the graphics as technically impressive as other titles of the era? No. Does it have an art style that has aged a million times better than most of them, and is realized extremely well? Yes.

If you miss the days when Third Person Shooter didn't automatically mean Cover Shoo...

That Mass Effect Shooter...

…on Mobile.

Mass Effect Infiltrator (a very annoying name for search engines giving you Infiltrator CLASS gameplay instead) was made by the same team who made the beloved Dead Space Mobile, and like Dead Space Mobile, people have gone through the effort of remastering its APK, despite or encouraged, by the games not being available for purchase anymore, thanks to EA's usual disinterest in pre...

Q&A: April 27th, 2022

Dominik Jaworski Asks
What you think is a good rule of thumb for how much a remake should change from the original? (You ever hear the complaints about Demon souls remake being too faithful in gameplay, but changing the art direction?)

I've not heard about the complaints in regards to Demon's Souls, but I think it's like any piece of art. There are no rules. Resident Evil 2 Remake for instance, I don't consider to be a remake, at least not in the traditional...

Raycevick's Recommendations: Step-Grandma by Salvatore Ganacci

More specifically, I'm recommending the Music Video, which I don't normally go for. Typically, irrespective of their budget, I find they just don't flow together with the songs themselves.

This one?

Nuh uh.

The music video helps make the song.

Just watch it. 

You'll thank me later.

The Chains of Genres

In my last video, I brought up the infamous Jamie Gresimere quote…

"In Halo 1, there was maybe 30 seconds of fun that happened over and over and over and over again. And so, if you can get 30 seconds of fun, you can pretty much stretch that out to be an entire game."

In it, Jamie himself explains his issue with it, and clarifying what he really meant. In that same interview with T-Posers, he made another point ireelevant to my topic at the time, but act...

Q&A: April 20th, 2022

DizzyDwarf Asks
Would you consider destiny a mmo?

Nope, but it's definitely the offspring of MMOs, a live-service. When people call Destiny an MMO, it doesn't surprise me, because many of the MMO conventions are in Destiny. The grinding, looting, raiding, and more grinding. That is what I think comes to peoples minds when they think of an MMO.

It only seems silly when you take the genre term literally, in which case, it's definitely not a massively mul...

Raycevick's Recommendations: Weight of the World by Battle Tapes (Single)

There's still more material for me to recommend from Battle Tapes, but this was their last release. Whether its a tease for the groups' direction or their swan song, I don't know, but it's an endlessly catchy track all the same.

I think what I love about this group is to satisfy my thirst for distorted synths without being depressed. It's a song that spawns a smile rather than a grimace, and as much as I might be a fan of Nine Inch Nails, HEALTH, and KMFDM, it's nice to have some fun on...

What Do I Want in a Max Payne Remake?

For those that don't know, there's a bit of a dream scenario regarding the Max Payne franchise recently, which is nice, giving that as a fanboy, I would've gotten excited for a Short Story published on Archive Of Our Own what with the lack of material lately.

Remedy themselves is remaking Max Payne 1&2 in their purposed built Northlight image, funded by Rockstar. Two of the best Action games ever made being remade by a team who's still making notable titles with the support of one o...

Post-Mortem: EA's Goldeneye "Successor"

Because I succumbed to doom scrolling through world events in February, pausing the Patreon and not posting content, Youtube's analytics were screaming at me everytime I dared to log into the site.

Red-arrows flooded the screen with decreasing views, subscriptions, and monetization. It always happens at some point, but when you do these gaps, that's when payments can dip to sub $400-600 a month.

And there I was steadily working on a video about Goldeneye Rogue Agent...

I was...

Raycevick's Recomendations: Apex Legends

This game has come up an awful lot of times on this Patreon, but I've never actually come straight out and recommend it... and I can't really think why.

I don't play Siege, Fortnite, League of Legends, Destiny, and dropped out of Warframe. In short, I don't really play many live services on the regular. Apex however, is the game I always come back to every couple or months, and fall in love all over again with its lovable cast of characters, beautiful worlds, funny banter, and phenomena...

Control for Convenience

How was your Thursday?

For those who don't know, I'm part of a weekly livestreamed series called "The Shambles Championship" where, to be fair, these types of crashes are expected and part of the entertainment. However, this wasn't caused by reckless opponents or driver error, but netcode.

Recently, Codemasters released a patch for F1 2021 that, according to swaths of forum posts and canc...

Q&A: April 6th, 2022

SkyGenz Asks
What are your favorite movie tie-in games? I think X-Men Origins: Wolverine might be one of the best ones.

The problem for me is that I've not played very many of them come to think of it. So almost by default, I have to go with either King Kong or Goldeneye N64. Probably King Kong as it's a much better adaptation of the material, though granted, Goldeneye was much more limited by technology of the time.

The Great Leveler Asks 2022-04-06 13:01:04 +0000 UTC View Post

Raycevick's Recommendations: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

It's sad, having no more films from Martin McDonough to recommend, because I easily rank up there with all the greats. The writing, directing, and performances in his films are sheer poetry, and Thrill Billboards doesn't change that. What changes is how much more dramatic it is.

For those who've seen In Bruges, and Seven Psychopaths, the comedy is still there. Many sequences are outright hilarious, they just stand out even more because of the tragically beautiful drama taking place in t...

NEW VID: EA's Goldeneye "Successor"

No, it's not an April Fools joke, it really is a new video, scheduled for release this weekend. Let me know what you think of it, and also please leave feedback on what Thumbnail would be best suited. I've not had contact with Stoofer, so I've had to do everything on my end.

2022-04-01 19:45:08 +0000 UTC View Post

99.9%

That's the status of the video. I'm waiting for one animation from someone. As soon as it arrives, I'm uploading, and y'all will get to watch before the official release on either Saturday or Sunday.

I'm look forward to sharing it with you all, and thank you so much for the continued support!

Best wishes,
Lucas Raycevick

Q&A: March 30th, 2022

Sayn_Raincloud90 Asks
What is a good instance of the gameplay serving a particular set piece/story moment whilst not limiting the players options/moveset?

Spec Ops immediately jumps to mind. Obviously, it does limit your via the situations. You can't just avoid the crowd of people throwing rocks at you, but you aren't choosing prompts, you're remaining in the world while you make the choice.

Really, I think that's what players want. They want setpieces...

EARLY CUT: EA's Goldeneye "Successor"

Hey everybody. 

February was a rut to say the least, but the last few weeks this month have been spent writing, recording, and editing this latest video, and I want to try some new things not just for the videos, but for Patreon too.

Starting today, I plan to upload rough cuts and complete videos early for all Patrons days in advance of their release, and I want to follow up their launch with full post-mortem reviews, going over what I like and dislike. It'll hopefully establ...

Raycevick's Recommendations: Antagonist by Nova Twins (Single)

The following came as a result of exploring the features from Bring Me The Horizon's "Post Human Survivor Horror EP", an album I'm still blasting this year, also recommended. Nova Twins were featured on quite a serious track in 1x1, but Antagonist is definitely not that.

It's fun, catchy, and delightfully simple. At first, almost to the point of me not recommending, but not everything needs to have the pathos of a Portishead album. This Nova Twins single's just a banging track with a ch...

Quality Isn't What We Need

It's pretty common for people to say they prefer quality over quantity. Often it's said because it even sounds nice. It sounds "proper" to wait for a gourmet meal than shoveling down another Big Mac, but there's a component to this bullshit food analogy which many ignore.

Look how much better the latter is doing than the former.

Transferring the topic to video-games, with the release of Elden Ring, I've seen a lot people pointing to it and saying "See!? If you just make a good pro...

Q&A: March 23rd, 2022

Dominik Jaworski Asks
There are some meme pics out there comparing a Doom/quake level to a Call of Duty campaign level. Basically to show that level design has declined level (or perhaps just map design). Do you believe that level design has, on the whole, gotten worse?

I'd say it's changed.

What I think a lot of people forget is how many people wouldn't finish levels of older games. I distinctly remember being a dumb kid, and not like Half Life 2, bec...

Raycevick's Recommendations: Holdfast: Nations At War (Update)

I believe this is the first time I've ever recommended a game I've previously recommended, because of a new update. Holdfast Nations at War's a game I've not played as much as I'd like to, but really enjoyed each time I do log on with friends. It was previously about the Napoleonic Era, but has recently been expanded to included World War I.

For those who didn't care for Battlefield 1's beginner friendly version of WWI, Holdfast might be exactly what you're looking for with it's 150 pla...

Contrast & Imagery

Latest excuse to talk about Arcane #27…

One of the things this show does quite brilliantly is direct contrast.

It's not something it created, contrasting imagery and sound is something that's been done for generations in all forms of art. Arcane's just one of the most obvious examples of it.

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