Hi everyone and welcome to a brand new episode of Good Game Nice Try. I'm your host. So gentle. Aaron Bleyaert, it's very early in the morning for some reason we're taping in the pre-dawn hours and this is my pre-dawn voice and with me is always this. Sonja Reid, that's pre-dawn for me. That's very early. Oh my god, that's a very soft. There's a software to get into it at 10.09am. It's early for me. I'm a late night boy. I was up late watching horror movies. I'm a late night boy,
B-O-I. I guess. I'm just, I'm on a grandma schedule, sorry. I'm on a grandma schedule. All right, well, you know, I can see something and I'll say this. I'm a little tired because it's early in the morning for me, which is before 1pm. It's early in the morning for me. But I have never seen you or Jen this excited. You guys have, your faces are lit up like Roman candles, but with less burns on it. We are glowing. Why are you glowing? What's happening?
Jen, what's up? So it's very exciting. You guys know my obsession with Stardew. I've made that very, very, very, very, very exciting. I know. Real shocking. Well, a few weeks ago, Concerned Ape, creator of Stardew, announced his new game, Haunted Chocolateeer, which is the most endearing title I've ever heard for a game. Yeah, it's kind of cute. And it looks like Stardew, but you're in like a castle making chocolate for ghosts. That's what? I know.
It looks adorable. It looks so fun. I've, I've, I've questions. Oh god. Where'd he do? Okay. How can ghosts eat chocolate? Yeah, right. Thank you. Did no one ask this question? I thought they ate human souls. No. Have you ever seen the movie Casper? He eats chocolate. It just goes right through his body and onto the floor and then they sweep it up. So debunked. I love that debunked. Next. Ghosts can have chocolate.
Ghosts can have chocolate. Ghosts can have chocolate. I don't want to live in a world where ghosts can have chocolate. I'm not going to lie. Exactly. It's not right. I just thought they eat human souls, but maybe that's what it is. Maybe, wait a second. Maybe this game is, it looks cute, but really you're going out and taking souls from village people. You go on a murder spirit. Murder spirit and, and view the chocolate with souls for ghost
to eat. You put them all in little chocolates. Now you guys are such big fans of Stardew Valley. What would you like to see from concerned apes new game, the haunted chocolate here? What do you want to see in this game? Honestly, I feel like it's already on a good trajectory to being something that I'm really, really going to enjoy because all the things that I loved about Stardew were all of the mystical stuff. Yes. Right. Anything that is kind
of like mystical and magical and that is this entire game. It's all just spooky, mystical, chocolate shop. Like my favorite part of Stardew is going to the mines and fighting the monsters. And this is all just like fighting monsters and in the footage, they showed that you could have a bow and arrow. Oh, perfect. So sold. Oh my God. Sign me up. You know what? Killing sprees, starting to sound a little, a little more likely. You know, God,
there are all these weapons in this chocolate game. Oh my God. So you, are you, are you going to play this play? Are you going to jump in? Because did you jump in the Stardew Valley? Did you play at all? I did play a little Stardew Valley. It wasn't really my thing. But I agree. The mystical stuff, the witch, like that stuff is cool. It reminds me kind of like in mad with Mad Max, you know, the movie Mad Max, one of the Mad Max's, it was where
they had this high, a big highway fight. Like Mel Gibson is in this, it's like Mad Max 2 or something. Yeah. And then for the new one, they were just like, everybody loves the highway fight. Let's just make the new movie all highway fight. And it, and it kind of sounds like that's what they're doing with the haunted chocolate here. They were like, everybody loved the mystical stuff of Stardew Valley. Let's just make a game that's all
mystical stuff. Honestly, not mad. Yeah. You know, I love playing all kinds of games. Maybe I, you know what, maybe Stardew didn't catch me, but maybe this will. So there we go. I'm into it. I feel like we really missed out on the three of us having a cute little farm together. But I think us having a little chocolate shop. Let's make a co-op chocolate shop. Be real cute. G3 chocolate. G3C. I love you. So I think, look, guys, I think the
haunted chocolate here, I think has a lot of promise for G3. And so we got it, we got to give it a shot. I'm less a farming guy and more haunted castle guy. So this is right up my hand. Perfect. Perfect. Our guest today is a video game journalist consultant and one of the minds behind the relaunch of G4, which is happening on November 16th. He's also returning to host his show X Play on the network. He's a wealth of knowledge of
video games, truly like an icon in my life. And, and I think for many, many, many people who watch G4, we couldn't be more excited to welcome the one the only Adam Sessler. I have to say, like, Adam, to me, like growing up as a nerd, I think it's you're on the Mount Rushmore of people who I love in a mart, truly. Like it's, it's, it's so great. Because you were there doing what we all wanted to do before anyone knew we could do it. You were
doing it. Yeah. No, no, no, I mean, it started in 1998 and I didn't even really understand what was happening at the time. Yeah. It was one of those like, I left college not that long before I had a job that I was woefully unprepared and unschooled for. I was actually working at a commercial bank. It was a Dutch bank and I was giving money to our helping
money get given to large oil companies and international construction firms. So, and then suddenly I just auditioned for a thing and I got it and then I was like, Oh, I guess the video games are much bigger than I thought they were. So it was just always quiet thing. I did by myself. And I get, you know, for, for me is a Gen X or who play these games in the 80s. It wasn't something that you bandied about like the nerd flag didn't fly. Yes.
You just kind of kept it, you know, among your closest of friends that you played D&D with and that at school, you're like, Yeah, rock. Yeah. And you didn't say games the same way. Obviously, it's a lot different now. And I that was right at that cost as there was slowly moving out of something that was regarded as niche and kind of foreign. What it is today where I don't even know how many games are out there. Yeah. Or if they're even games.
No, it was unbelievable being, you know, again, a kid growing up having this like secret love, the secret passion. And then for me, especially seeing video games on cable was like I was very mind blowing. And it was very just ahead of its time. And I remember being able to look on TV and being like, those are my people. My people are out there. I see
you. I see what you're doing. Yeah. It was one of the neat things back in the era of tech TV, even where it was even less true for extended play, explain whatever iteration of the show that that, you know, is your flavor that like even the show like screen sabers that the way that they interacted with the audience, like they were already starting to
do that collapsing of the distance between host and audience. That obviously has gone completely out the window in the era of YouTube and Twitch, where I think probably sometimes for the poor person that is streaming, they would appreciate a little more distance. But yeah, it did for tell of things to come good and ill. Yeah, absolutely. Like what is it at a mean to you now that it has gotten so big and to be on the journey from then to now,
do you feel like you need to reinvent yourself? Do you feel how are you feeling about the new launch of G4? How are you feeling about your role being thrust into you've been here through the whole thing? And now are like again, the tip of the spear for G4 coming back. If I am the tip of the spear, they probably need to get a better grindstone. That's the first thing I would say. No, I'm terribly excited about it. And there's just kind of a
whole panel of feelings that I have. But one of the key ones is I feel so much less pressure to act like I know everything. Like games have diversified so much that I actually feel better going out there and being like, I don't get League of Legends. It just looks like it just looks like a little bunch of things that are banking each other on the head. I mean, that's essentially when you boil it down. That's legal. Yeah, it is. But it
degenerates such like, oh my god. Yeah, it's happening. We have people that are at this new G4 that can look at that and go, I get it. So good. I don't have to pretend that. I don't have to pretend like JRPG's make a lick of sense to me. We have many people that can do that. And that I think that's all the more important because to even try to present the idea that I have my finger on the pulse or in the pie of like all the
different genres that are happening out there. I mean, it just the the lie of that would become pretty apparent. And so I love that. But I also it is interesting working with a lot of other people on camera who are I think significantly younger than me. Yeah. And there's I mean, there's such a different way of regarding games, talking about games.
You know, it's it's it's already been quite a learning experience. And I almost want to remind them what I probably do all the time that like even when I started out like it was a vacuum like the like honestly with with with with Canada in mind, Victor Lucas and Tommy Tallerico making judgment day. It wasn't even that. I think it was I'm going to play in
the name. Oh, electric playground. Like that was the only other game out there. And it was kind of there there was a lot of kind of fumbling in the dark trying to figure out like what works, who's the audience, what is the audience, we should be talking to how reactive should we be to the audience, how much we tried actually lead the audience. Um, you know, it's a lot of that has been worked out all the while like, you know, games have gotten
bigger and bigger. That's true. Yeah. Absolutely. And now we are slowly encroaching on the eve of the relaunch of G4. So it's it's it's close. I can tell because either I'm excited or it's in China. I'm having hot flashes. I don't know. I don't know what's happening. But for people who, you know, it's obviously going to it's going to touch so many gamers nostalgic little tiny hearts. Um, you're bringing back some some old favorites. You're
adding some new flavors. Can you tell us about the lineup that you have? Yeah. Um, I'm obviously the two standard bears. I guess we'll call them. That's a tack of the show. Kevin Praer is back with that with with with with with a bunch of other very, very talented and fun people. Uh, then X plays back and and there's me and I'm joined also by, uh, the Black O'Cogge, very, very popular. Uh, I guess you to write it still find that
diminutive. Um, and then, uh, the completionist Gerard, uh, great. Which which is, oh, it's one I, I'm like, Hey, can you do that thing that I don't have the patience to do? Like, like complete this for me. I'm going to go have some dinner. Uh, you know, like that's the dynamic that I'm trying to establish. She's been rebuffing me every single way. Found a perfect person for it. So, so, so we have those and obviously, you know, they're
going to have many elements that are the same. But also a lot has changed. Yes. Obviously there's a lot of nostalgia that we want to play on. But we also want to make ourselves open to sort of the new audiences. Uh, I think there are some people that if they were watching X play back in the old days, they shouldn't have been. They were too young, uh, who now may be a little bit like, Hey, I don't understand. I can't tell you how many parents have said
that they're planning to sit their kids down and watch it. Whoa. Yeah. That parts need. That's cool. That's cool. That's what that, that part is really neat. Um, but yeah, uh, we also have a new program because we're going to eSports has happened in the interim. Yeah. Boosted. And that's with Oveli May, uh, and in, in, in, in Frost. Uh, she's kind of like share one name. Trust me. I, I, I admire her so deeply that I'm like, you are
one of the people that deserves the one name. Like, pull it off. Yes. Yeah. I mean, and the thing too, it's like, it's, it is so funny to hear you say like eSports have sprung up in the mid, you know, it's like because the world is so different. And one thing I think I'm really looking forward to with the, with, uh, the new G4 is not just nostalgia, but the fact that I do think, and I don't know if you guys feel this way, but it's so interesting
that like, there's no center mass for something. Like I, I think G4 really affected me when I was younger because it was like, Oh, here's a thing and it's all here. I can go here and learn everything I need to. And I think with the G4 going away, this, that kind of doesn't exist to me. Like I don't really have a place. If I need, I guess I go to IGN. I, I mean, I, I don't really know. So I'm really looking forward to not just the nostalgia
part of G4, but the, the new shows are going to be great. And just to see people kind of all in one place, I know, Oh, I could go to G4 and, and, and not only enjoy what they're doing, but like learn and, and see things I'm not seeing because the word, it's a hard thing. The video game world right now to me is really hard to get my arms around. Does
it, do you guys feel that way? Absolutely. And yeah, yeah, to touch on that too. Again, like not only just hitting on the nostalgia of it, but you've really, especially, you know, with the, the new, the new shows that are added to your roster, I feel like you've really just expanded the umbrella of nerdism. Like you really have encapsulated so much, like with esports, dipping into D and D. It feels like everything that kind of is in that world.
Now we have, we have our place back. We've got it at home. Yes. Yeah. It's, it's, it's, it's a really interesting point you make. Who do I just show my media training or what? Uh, yeah. Um, but that was what I think made G4 successful at, at, at, at a time. And then became almost the double edge sword, uh, because with the rise of YouTube, uh, the
ease with which you could get video online. So that happens. Let's say around 2010, it really, really, really starts, you know, you start to see the beginning of the sort of gamer YouTuber phenomena. I would say around 2011, 2012. And suddenly this idea where, oh, God, I have to wait till six to learn about the games that everyone else is talking about immediately that like, you know, all of a sudden like that immediacy, like I want
it and I want it now was being served. And I think that's that, you know, suddenly we were competing against that in the interim. It's like, yes, that has a great deal of value. But yeah, you don't have that centralized place. It's, it's, it is bolcanized, uh, and
that you don't know where to go. You don't, because the same guy that can really teach me about the newest Western RPG might not be the person that I will go to for Persona five, if I wanted to learn any more about Persona five, but the probably is somebody out there who's like, Oh, I need to go back to high school for a hundred hours in game form. Uh, it's, and you know, we're trying to bring enough people together. Obviously have them
trusted by the audience, which that audience better trust them. I completely trust them. Uh, and, and, and kind of get all that and that helps with discoverability. And that, that, that's always, this is really true in the indie game world. And I think it's becoming increasingly true, even in the triple A space that it's so easy to not even know that a game is available. If you're relying only upon a handful of sources that may not see that
as the priority for them to talk about. Uh, and, you know, by trying to do something that's fun to watch, whether it's completely your interest or tangential to your interest, uh, you know, you can just keep it on all day long, be it, which be it on, uh, the, the, the cable stations, be it on YouTube. I'm just going to really hit all the different ways that, uh, that, that, that, that, that, that you can watch us, uh, and that it's like,
you know, it's, you can have it in the background initially and be like, hold on. They, they said a word that is of interest, you know, and then you dip in. So yeah, yeah, even as far as indie games, yeah, I feel like my, my knowledge and breadth of information for indie games is so severely lacking. And I feel like my, my one outlet is, is, is play is Aaron. He's my, he's my, he's my friend who I can go to. He's like, he's always got a hot list
of indie games. Um, but now it feels like, and especially I would love to talk about, um, your amazing crew of people of incredible internet people that you've gathered together. Cause now it feels like I have, I have those friends I can just go to now. I have a broader range of friends. I can just check in with her. Thank you. Thank you for saying broader.
It's, it's actually one of the key reasons, uh, I was very happy to come back to G4, uh, was, you know, not only have games themselves expanded, but the people who play games and are happy to do so. It looks like hell of a lot more like this country than I was the first to admit it. Oh, G4 was overly male and overly white and, and, and like that, that is just not that even back then that was not demonstrative of who was playing games. And,
but that's not become a far more important thing to be representative of. Yeah. I will say it's, it's so funny because yeah, I mean, in a certain sense, you know, I really, the first thing I thought of, the first thing that popped in my head when I heard G4 was
coming back, I was like, it felt like G4 was so ahead of its time. Not obviously, it's just in terms of things like a tech of the show, the way you guys were talking about games, the like not just with knowledge, but like not talking down to your audience, but like being inclusive. And, and it's almost like G4 had to go away for the industry to catch
up. And now they're back, you guys are back. And now what I'm going to see on G4, because I've been watching you know stuff on Twitch and these things, like is going to be where the gaming industry and nerdery in general is headed. And in terms of like the representation we're going to see on screen and these things, like it's really cool. Like I kind of feel like video games had to figure their shit out. And now, okay, we're back. And now let's,
okay, everybody back in the rec center, let's go. And now we can get around. Yeah, no, that's, that's, yeah. I mean, it is kind of, I mean, I'm probably really happy that I didn't have to be on camera when a lot of things were changing in the game industry, and how games were covered and all that stuff. But it wasn't like I wasn't paying attention.
And it, it, it was something that had to happen. It happened almost like a tsunami. I mean, it was just, it just, like something had built up, built up and then everything finally started to just kind of like right in itself. Yeah. And, and, and we're getting back in, I think once again, where there's a desire, not just to see, what, you know, to be able to get everything in one place. But there is a way that people feel validated when something
like games is handled on a television. It's, you know, because there's good stuff that's on YouTube. But for, for whatever reason, that context is, it's, it's why obviously, Aaron, like it was such a big deal with the Clueless game segment that it, it was just like, whoa, they're talking about games that as big as the industry is, it's still very rarely, at least until fortnight and even then intersects with the mainstream. Yeah. And
I mean, I, I can't even tell you this is happened back in 1998. And it still happens now. Where I like, I'm in a cab and there's nothing wrong with the cabbie, but they're like, what do you do? I'm like, oh, I'm, I'm back doing my old job. I do a TV show about video games. Oh, games I hear they're getting big. Yeah. He's like, there's a lot of money in that. I'm like, kind of, yeah, a little bit. Yeah. And it's just like, there, there
still isn't, it like, got you, you can just watch local news. Yeah. Or, or, or, or, or like, non-local news, national news. And it's still like, oh, well, something's happening in the world of video games. It's just like, hold that strange stuff. Yeah. You're, you know, they're making me while they're making like a last of us, you know, series for HBO Max with Padro Pascal, you know, and you're kind of like, yeah, I think, you know, I think
it's out there. Well, I mean, it's, it's also it's like that like we still haven't even broached that understanding that games are so big, you should pay attention. Imagine having to turn to a parent and be like, I need to talk to you about the metaphors. Like, I need
to sit down and talk about NFTs now. But it is, it is, there is kind of a sense. And, and I do agree it does feel like, it's hilarious because it's still kind of even to people like us who are in the industry treated as a bit of a shadow industry, but it's making billions and billions of dollars. And again, I think that that it does feel like the trap is set for G4 to come back and be like, Kapow, here we are. We're back. This is happening. And now this
is the platter everyone can come in. And that's one thing, you know, you talk about, you know, Kulis Gamer, I was with Kulis Gamer. I'm always so proud of the fact we managed to hit both gamers and non gamers. And that's one thing I'm so excited about G4 coming back is it's, you guys are in the Venn diagram of people who are very deep and they have like favorite game devs and
can tell you all the composer. But then also people who just like comedy and like entertaining stuff in pop culture, we're all, they're also in the door, you know, and very much so Kulis Gamer was inspired by my love of G4 and X-Play and, you know, attack of the show and all that, you know, even that type of humor. And it's, it's also really cool because again, like games are an art
form now. They are a way to tell stories. No, no, it is, it is. I mean, I thought there was a fast, I believe, I wanted to attribute this to Peter Segal, the radio host of Wait, Wait, don't tell me on MPR. He, I remember last summer he was playing Lefford dead, not, not Lefford dead. Sorry, last of us two. And he made the kind of like, it's kind of surprising that like, I think the best commercial storytelling I'm going to experience the summer is coming out of
the video game. Yeah. And it's like, yeah, it's probably the worst thing to endure during a global pandemic. What games are you excited about right now that you've been playing AAA or, I mean, especially Indies, what games do you want to have a little more to tell people about that people should be playing out there? I mean, the, the, and I'll, I'll, I'll be frank, I haven't been great on the indie games this year, but the ones that really stood out to me was Deaths Door.
And I know this is a team of two that eventually I think grew a little bit for the end. It is, oh, it's exceptional level design. It's, it's got a small touch of dark souls. Very, very small. And I think at this point, dark souls has to touch everybody. It's the ghost pepper spice on every. Yeah. I'm a little diablo. It's, but it's one of those where
it seems like, okay, which way do I go? Which way do I go? And you're constantly being kind of moved around and you're always going to see this other place that you can't get to immediately that you're right adjacent to and then you kind of like, okay, if I'm going to get there now, now I can get this. It's got, you know, the Metroidvania bit. I got this thing. So now I can go back and get it. But it's very, very elegant. I, I'm just going to be controversial because I've
already done it. I consider it to be far better at what it does than Metroid dread. Okay. Yeah. I'm the apostate that's like, it's, yeah. Metroid, it's doing tradition for tradition sake. Yes. And as I actually, I believe I used this quote in the review, we, we, we seem to excuse it. I mean, I'm so tired of being told that tradition excuse is bad, bad design. It's like, yeah, I'm going to beat you with a high school production of Fidler,
if I hear that one more time. And it's also, when it's one of these venerated franchises that like has had sputters and starts and hasn't been around, everyone seems to want to be so delicate around it. And sometimes they're, they're, they're, they're the, the act that way about Nintendo in general is if somehow if we say something wrong, you know, it like we, we, we, we, we, we could end the illusion or end their, their, their, their, their run of success. And so it's like a plotting
grandma Thanksgiving for, you know, not peeing herself and using the end word. It's like that, that, that, that, that, that's something to celebrate. Right. It's exactly. Yeah. Not, not every single Mario game deserves to be put on a pedestal. Yeah. And, and, and they're like, no, I mean, I'm not, everyone's totally reevaluating sunshine. And I'm like, I don't need to reevaluate that, that wasn't that fun. I'm, I actually wasn't even that enamored of Odyssey. I consider Galaxy 1 and 2
to be just the gold standard of, of, of, of, of what I want to see. They were so inventive. Yeah. Yeah. Again, that's why I think like these indie games are really fun. Because, you know, with, with the advent of unity, you can make a game. Yeah. Yeah. And, or even just a visual novel in Rennpire or whatever. And you can have a cool new idea. And I love that just in entertainment in general. And I don't understand why, um, you know, like people I think have gotten past the
thing where Star Wars, every Star Wars movie needs to be good. People now are fine with this one suck. It's not just Star Wars, this one. Man. I like that. That's a hill with so many dead people on it. Right. But I'd love to get there with video games as well. And video games aren't quite there yet. But I think like, you know, if you look at Star Wars and you're like, okay, this sucked, make something good. And then they make the Mandalorian. I'm like, well, there we go. Well,
hello. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. They did. Exactly. And who guessed the best Star Wars we were going to have in three generations is fundamentally on television. Yes. And so I would love to, for us, as a collected to drag games into that also, especially because we're spending so much more time with all these characters. Well, in Indy, I think, is so central to that because, and you hit it, unity, you can take chances. Yes. Yes. Time, which is a very valuable commodity that you learn
as you get older. But like, that's what you're really spending that like the cost of making games has come down for that aspect. And that's where you can start to do the experimentation. Something works. Yeah. It's kind of like fashion, you know, except it trickles up. It doesn't trickle down. You know, you get something that's mature and then you have something that's prediparte. Okay. You know, that's that's based upon those ideas. Yes. I do things other than games.
I watch fashion shows with my wife. Yeah. And you're, I know, you're totally right about the Indy side of things too, where I feel like with AAA titles, there is less room for risk. It feels like there's less room for error. So it's like, we can get another call of duty. Cool. We can get another battlefield. Cool. We can get another Mario game. Cool. But yeah, I feel like there's so many better opportunities for telling like really unique stories and taking complete risks in the
Indy space. Deathloop is a great example that if it wasn't for smaller games that we're doing the road lines, they wouldn't have said like, hold on. What if we take what arcane is so well known for and move it in this other direction? And and and it's when I find something interesting and this kind of goes back to the something new. I'm obsessed with pacing in games. My other issue that I have with Metroid because Metroid like gives you that thrill like look at something new.
I'm going to open up that door. What's behind the door? And then like, Oh, I can't actually get there because they blocked the way and I didn't realize that. And I spent the last half hour trying to do that. It like that is just that that that that just went once again. Like I have an improv background. Like that is a block in the in the highest corner where I've committed myself to something in the guys like you're stupid. Yeah, that's and you're like, I can't build on that.
That's right. Yes, handing me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So what do you what do you think? I guess recently that you've been playing or something that you've really enjoyed that you feel like hits that nail in the head as in terms of pacing? I want to get I'm going to post it for this. I actually quite liked Far Cry 6 because they did a few. They they they made some changes to
a formula that I thought was it was a little beyond stale. And they they they they didn't reform at any kind of revolutionary way in terms of like I'm going to the area and I'm shooting the things or yeah. But they changed the story in two huge ways where the character you play is actually voiced and articulated within the story. You're not silent person that happens running up to going, did you see the thing over the hill come with me? Right. Yeah. And and they made the story
actually motivate what you're doing that. And by by by using Giancarlo Esposito. Like they would always show up at the beginning. You're like, oh, kind of cool. And then like maybe they call you on a radio and be like, I'm silly. And then you see them at the end. Yeah. And like that was it. And you're like, okay. And then you just kind of meet all these other cartoon characters along the way. Here he keeps on showing throughout it. And you get that
sense of ever present. Oh, this isn't good. And all the missions for the most part, there are some fun silly ones, which are nice accents. But you know, most of the missions, at least the excuse for doing them all has to do with the true matter at hand. And on top of that, you don't like a lot of Ubisoft games. It's like there are three types of ways that, you know, you can configure enemies. You know, it's usually this this mini fort structure, this mini fort
structure, this mini fort structure. And they actually dispense with that so that so many times I would go into something. And just because I've seen it eight times before, things were changed up enough that I had to reconsider what my approach was. I screwed up a lot more. So I couldn't just straight stealth. It's great. And then it's like, ah, I made a mistake. So now, okay, let's just shoot everybody. I'd be like, oh, look at me. Yeah, exactly. It's, you know, I want someone to
respect my man. And I felt that game did. You bring up something really interesting about the different fort structure and this stuff. Like because I think a lot of people never quite give enough credit to when a game that controls the the the flow of the game get out of the way of the story. It's like editing. We always notice when it's bad. Yep. You know, and my my go-to example is was that game dead rising where it's like zombies in a mall. And I had a fun time playing
that game. But there was only you could only save when you were in a bathroom. And the bathrooms in the mall, they're like two bathrooms. And I was like, fuck this all the way across the mall that's safe. And I just stopped playing it. And like if the X button doesn't do the thing that I need it to do, I'll just stop playing. And people are given enough credit to like the logistics of games, which I think, you know, and that's great. When it's working well, we don't notice. Yeah,
we don't know it. It's just kind of in the background. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's it's and that's true of level design. That's that's that's that's that's true. The intuitiveness of the of the controls. So yeah, we we we don't appreciate how important that pacing that flow is. I mean, the thing that we usually celebrate is I looked up and it was two o'clock in the morning. And I did. Yes, know, I've been playing that long. That really should be kind of like that means the game has done
something very, very well. Whereas like the the the emphasis on difficulty bragging rights and all that kind of stuff. Those I think people are missing the force for the trees. Is that difficulty isn't inherently bad. But difficulty for difficulty sake because some kid that was in your you know, playtests said like I needed more difficult. I don't know how to value myself. Other one. Exactly. Man, well, I have to say this has been such a thrill. We're almost out of time time flies when
you're having fun. But we like to end every interview with asking our guests. They're they're best game in their worst game. So you know, not objectively, but more emotionally. Oh yeah, the game you that you you disappointed you or hurt you the most and the game that you absolutely love. Let's start with the game. Let's start low and go high. So what's a game that just you just oh my god. I can't just get some to your skin your skin. Yeah. There's quite a few.
I'm going to buy myself some time to properly answer your question. I'm very famous for hating on the Aquaman game. The other very famous negative review was for a game that no one remembers called Drake of the 99 dragons. I mean, we were talking about two games that were just functionally not there. Right. In terms of the game that broke my heart that like came into my house, torched my dog and peed on me as I slept. And then didn't even leave me a washcloth. That
would be Mass Effect in drama. Oh, I mean, you do not know how much I love Mass Effect. How much and this is one of the few times where I knew the signs were bad. Like there's just. I've been in this game. You know, we had seen anything. We hadn't seen anything. We hadn't seen anything. Then it's some event that EA was doing that. Well, I think it was games come because it was not a three. And that already is a hmm. Why now? Why not with the why why not with the most eyeballs possible.
And what they showed had no action. Didn't even clarify anything to monsterative of gameplay. How it might be similar. How it might be different. I think I believe they're trying to position it as what they could do graphically. I honestly don't remember. But it was so loud in what it wasn't saying that I'm like, this is good. I was like, I give it a chance. But I'm like, hope, you know what they're just holding back for something better. I just like the jackasses
that are always fighting with me. I finally understood. But I'm like, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. And then I heard about kind of some of the bad things that were happening with the gougly eyes and stuff. And I'm like, well, little day one patch will be fun. You just pull your ears and you're like, no, no, no, no, no. And then I played it. And you know, ever so often in San Francisco, I'll go to a random place to get a pot sticker. Just why I wanted to want a couple
of some walking somewhere. And it's like, I don't even know the place. I'm getting a strange pot sticker. And I really love my pot stickers. I really care about like how the meat, how the pork is seasoned and all of that. And then there's some places where they don't really put much meat in there. But they make it look like it's good because they stuff a bunch of cabbage around it. Ah, that was the experience. I'm having stuff. But I kept on thinking, but the pork is just
deeper inside, right? I think another right? No, no, no, no, no, no, it's gotta be that. It's gotta be that. Yeah, yeah. And yeah. That one just, yeah. Heartbreaker. Well, so what's the game then that brings us to life that makes you blossom inside that you absolutely. All right. So what what what what I usually say is go to goblins because that was just the first game that I played and I love playing it. It's just kind of my love of that
game of playing it at this bowling alley where like right around my house in El Serito. It's not there anymore. I actually used to figure out a way to hold on to my bus money and trick my friends parents into giving me a ride. So I would go play there on a Friday. I'm not going to use that one. I think the one that I consider to be the true watershed moment when I saw exactly where games could go would be the original Deus Ex. Oh, man. Where I it's just like wow, the
choice is the way of thinking through like, okay, am I going to do it this way? Am I going to do it that way? I just I remember this one moment where because the the the danger of that game is that by doing something where you could do it so many different ways that the teams weren't big enough. The math like you just couldn't always ensure that the player wouldn't paint themselves so into a corner they couldn't get out of. And I well, I brought my paint one day and I was in the
rafters with a sniper rifle with one bullet. That was the I think the only bullet I had. And there were two is towards the end of the game. There's these like robot guys and they're like really tough. And there are two of them. And I knew one thing if you can shoot them in the head and get them, they'll explode. And the way in which I just kind of weaned my way to the right place. And of course, I'm just f-sixing the crap out of the game at this point. And I get them
in my sights. I shoot them in the head. I hear the explosion. I have no way of surveying it. I have to drop down into danger. And both of them are gone. And this was all kind of my invention of how to solve it. And I'm like games are the best thing ever. And it's like it's that's the dragon. I'm chasing. I don't know how many times. Wow. When I'm playing. That double head shot. That is a high. That is a high. I know. And the thing too is and again, I think that's the thing is
these moments that we feel in games. These emotional moments are to me greater than anything, you know, a show, a film, a book, and give me because we did it. You did the thing. Exactly. Exactly. You're in it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You, you, you, they did 85, 90% of the work. But that 10% makes your experience one actually worth retelling. Yes. Whereas, you know, when you go see a movie, you saw the same thing as the other guy. Yes. You're just going to be a hit with your while in
the 1012 bucks in the popcorn. Perfectly put. Perfectly put. Well, Adam, thank you so much. Oh, no, thank you. Absolutely. Sessentially. We are all highly, highly looking back, I'm looking forward to the G4 coming back and it changing, changing the game as it did before. Yeah. So shall it do again. Good. It can't be more excited. So it's changes good. G4 of course, as we all know, launches November 16th. Very, very excited for that. And check out
Adam. He's hosting X play. Do it. I will. Yes. We should have a little watch party. Honestly, I'm putting it out there. Have a little G4 watch party. Little watch, you G3 G4 watch. Perfect. As we make our haunted chocolate. Stick around for our launch party and also stick around here. Don't leave it just yet. We're going to be all right back just taking a quick little teensy break. And welcome back. All you stayed. Thank you. We got a fan request.
Hey, at Sky Core 54 says, guys, can you talk about post apocalyptic games specifically Metro Exodus? Thanks. Smiley face. Now, I haven't dived too deep into the Metro franchise, but have you? I played some Metro Exodus. Okay. Well, because I love post apocalyptic games, I love post apocalyptic games. And really a pop culture. I love anything post apocalyptic, except for the last 35 seasons of Walking Dead. Got the hold. But I did play some Metro Exodus
because somebody was like, this is a great game. I think what I love about post apocalyptic games, Metro Exodus, I think made me realize what I love about post apocalyptic games is like wandering the wasteland. Yeah. I love the quiet of post apocalyptic games. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah. I mean, it's very fallouty. It's the same thing. I just love I love wandering the wasteland, even when I got bored of doing missions, I'm like, I'm just going to see how far I can walk before
I get my ass handed to me. And that was honestly, that was half the fun. But my my thing with Metro, and the problem with it for me personally is anytime I see some kind of like a combat stealth game, anything that's stealth. I know that personally I'm going to have a bad time is I can't I can't do it. Yeah, but here's a question though. In fallout, you don't play stealth. Why are you just trampling around? Hi, everyone. I'm here in the post. Oh, what's up there? No, uh, you know,
death clause. Hope there are no turrets. I'm also stealth and fallout. Are you not? No. Oh, no, I'm not. No, I listen like a dead sprint around that map. Yes. Absolutely. If there, if there is any game possible that has a stealth option, I am electing for everything, but because I, despite how how how small and nimble I may be in real life, it does not translate to video games. But I it's just are you getting killed every two seconds? No, I just kick everyone's ass. Okay. Oh,
yeah, in the beginning of the game, you have no armor or any weapon. I was kicking with your what, your fingers, you're slapping people the death slappers only. You're insane. Absolutely, but that's that's my problem again. Any stealth game. I just I'm not I just can't I can't get it. Well, you know, I'm glad we have this conversation because if the apocalypse happens, I'm not coming over to you, do it. I'm staying away from you. You're not one of the people I'm getting in my Jeep and
picking up. If you're going to be trampling around post-apocalyptic like, yeah, that's right. Fend for yourself. Become the cannibal king yourself. I'm long range. I just can't sneak. You you sneak in. I got the back. Oh, okay. So I own the back. I see. I see. You're a coward like me. Yes. You're far away. Yes. Oh, okay. You're going scopes. You're going right. We're more similar than you think. Okay. We meet back around on the other side of stuff, which is coward.
Fingered. No, yeah. I think I I absolutely love post-apocalyptic games. And here's something that's really interesting. You know, Quarmac McCarthy wrote the road, which is arguably one of the best apocalypse post-apocalyptic novels of all time. But he's also before that, he was known for writing almost all this books take place in the West. And they're almost like modern day Westerns.
And I think that if you're looking for, if you played every post-apocalyptic game, I would urge you to get into something like red dead redemption because there are a lot of elements that have that I love about post-apocalyptic games that red dead has also like wide open space creeping around. Expiration. Expiration. Like not having a lot, you know, like, you know, only having like four bullets in your gun. So I think Westerns aren't really seen as post-apocalyptic.
But they're kind of like pre-apocalyptic. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's a similar vibe in Westerns. I see what you mean. I see what you mean. And honestly, just on a whole, I feel like red dead is just a game that everybody should play at some point. Great. I think if I was going to throw any kind of suggestion, the one game that came to mind is, I mean, the Half-Life series. Half-Life two, anything like that. It's kind of, I don't know if it is that post-apocalyptic. It's not really
post-apocalyptic. It's kind of like, it's post-post. It's just post-post. But it kind of has a similar vibe. When you said tunnels and spooky stuff in Monster, it's the first thing I thought of is just taking the train in Gordon Freeman and everything. Yeah. If you like Metro Exodus, I think you would like, yeah, Half-Life. I think you'd like Half-Life. But the thing that I want to see from any kind of
post-apocalyptic game period is just more VR. Like with Half-Life Alex, that was so good. It feels like it takes any element that is so good in a like in a stealth kind of post-apocalyptic game like that. Like, you have to sneak it scary. You're kind of waiting around. It makes me think of budget cuts where you have to sneak around. At its core is not that spooky, but you're throwing little throwing knives and you have to be stealthy and sneak around. And when those robots come at you,
it's even terrifying. They're huge and it is uncomfortable. So if it's that, but something actually scary, like post-apocalyptic, like Half-Life vibes, I feel like it just does so well in VR. So I want to see more games like that in VR. Great call. And again, I think VR at least right now really shines and really excels when the game works on like lighting and sound cues
to kind of make to direct your action. And that's why you've seen so many horror things work well in VR, like Phasmophobia or whatever, because lighting and sound, it's telling you where to look, which is great. So I think yeah, post-apocalyptic games would be benefit from that very well, for sure. But yeah, post-apocalyptic. But also look at Western games too. I mean, truly cowboy stuff is very apocalyptic. So yeah, that's going to do it for this week. This early in the morning
is like an apocalypse. It's a wasteland. It's an emotional wasteland for me. But I think still before noon. We got through it. I'm going to have some lunch. So we'll see you guys all next Friday. Good game, nice try is produced by Jen Samples and Nick Liao. Our executive producers are Joanna Salataraf, Adam Sachs and Jeff Ross. Engineering by Will Bechton with Engineering and Sound Design by Chester Guasta, talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Patista and Brick Khan, special
thanks to Lisa Burm and as always, music by John Danick. I switched to the Xbox.