Fire Escape Cast #120

Summary

Fire Escape Cast #120 – November 17, 2025

Hosts: Dan Ryckert, Mary Kish, Mike Minati
Theme: The Fire Escape crew reunites to talk about their recent adventures, media they've been enjoying, and a slew of games and hardware. Dan details a visit to Valve HQ with juicy hardware scoops, the group debates bar fight tactics, reviews movies and TV shows, and dives into recent and upcoming game releases. Plenty of laughs, signature tangents, and familiar Fire Escape comfort fill the episode as they near Game of the Year season.

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Main Theme: Old Friends, New Hardware, and Game Chats

The original Fire Escape trio is back and in rare form, mixing old-school bar banter with deep dives into new tech, games, and culture. Dan returns from a trip to Valve HQ with embargoed hardware impressions, but the gang also spins off into highly entertaining discussions about fighting tactics, movie theaters, upcoming GOTY plans, and what defines a good trail mix.

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Episode Highlights & Key Discussions

1. Reunited and It Feels So Good

Timestamps: 01:05–03:36

• Dan is finally back after missing the previous episode.
• Banter about Chris Plant's taste in “weird” games—like “Queue Up,” an esport coin-toss game.
• Chuckles over “jam games” and suffering/shortcut preferences in play styles.
• Dan’s “spectacular politician” potential, draft-dodging, and self-deprecating humor about being cowardly:
  • “Being a coward is underrated.” – Dan (03:09)
• Mary: “You would make such a spectacular politician. Not because you know what you're doing…”

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2. If Someone Attacks You with a Knife In a Mall…

Timestamps: 04:38–14:58

• The crew debates self-defense tactics—including hiding, calling the cops, and pantsing the attacker.
  • Mary: “I would pull his pants down.” (05:00)
• Extended riff on dirty fighting ("Groin and eyeballs are the great equalizer" – Mary, 07:40), gendered assumptions, and whether getting kicked in the vagina compares to the balls.
  • Dan: “Would kicking you in the vagina be like a thigh or more?” (08:37)
• Family anecdotes: Dan’s dad hiding under a pool table from biker gangs; his grandpa's combat valor creates a “transitive toughness.”
• “Slowest Gun in the West” is agreed to be a good self-preservation tactic.

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3. Movie & TV Catch-Up

Timestamps: 15:21–21:45

• Discussions of Deadwood, The Chair Company (“screenshot the funniest part!”), and Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus sci-fi show on Apple TV:
  • Dan: “…one of the most effective pilots I’ve ever seen.” (16:10)
• “Begonia” and its “stressful and funny” tone compared to Chair Company; Emma Stone’s standout performances; Jesse Plemons talk.
• Mary: "There's a relatability to his character—he's sensitive because he's had tough experiences..."

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4. The Movie Theater Revolution

Timestamps: 21:49–24:10

• Mary raves about an ultra-premium theater in Portland: 18 seats, couch seating, meals and drinks delivered, gourmet specials.
  • Dan: “That sounds like a perfect experience.” (22:27)
• Nostalgia for sneaking booze versus today's pampered cinema experience (“We’ve gone soft!” – Mike).

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5. Giant Bomb’s NYC Retreat

Timestamps: 26:24–29:03

• Dan recaps a whirlwind Giant Bomb house retreat: basketball vs. Mike, VR pranks, a Mortal Kombat tournament, “hanging out and laughing and eating McDonald’s.”

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6. Hardware EXCLUSIVE: Valve HQ Visit

Timestamps: 31:39–49:16

A. Three New Valve Devices Unveiled

1. Steam Controller (Steam Deck Controller)

• Mashes a Steam Deck into a gamepad.
• Dreamcast/Xbox hybrid shape, dual trackpads, haptic feedback, and special grip sensors.
• “Feels like a better version of the Dreamcast controller.” – Dan (32:57)

2. Steam Machine (Valve-Made Mini PC Console)

• Small, powerful PC for the living room: 6x the power of Steam Deck.
• Switch-like cross-compatibility with Steam Deck SD cards.
• HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, customizable LED bar.
• Dan: “Valve made a console.”
• Price not yet announced—speculations circle $500–$700 range.

3. Steam Frame (VR Headset)

• Standalone wireless VR with local streaming dongle (“foveated streaming” for massive performance gains).
• Super light, “best VR headset I’ve ever used.”
• “It's so light… comfort level is definitely the best I've used.” – Dan (41:29)

Group Impressions:

• “If you're in that Steam ecosystem, you have so many options… It’s seamless.” – Dan (45:10)

Accessibility and Price Concerns

• Mary: “If I’m spending $700, I’m building my own PC.”
• Modular design unclear; likely not user-upgradeable.

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7. Game Impressions & What They’re Playing

A. Donkey Kong Bonanza (Switch 2)

Timestamps: 50:24–57:34

• Mike gushes: “It’s the most capital-V Video Game of the year.”
• Praise for creative platforming, environmental destruction, and puzzle variety.
  • “You can almost climb anything or break anything, throw a boulder at something. They're not precious about it.” – Mike (54:57)
• Dan: “Donkey Kong’s not doing Witness puzzles.”

B. RV There Yet (Co-op Game)

Timestamps: 57:39–65:57

• Mary explains this $7 co-op “friend slop” game: physics puzzles, buddy slapstick, clutch-driving, lunch breaks, winching each other out of danger.
  • “It's just a really fun, stupid game to play with your friends…” – Mary (58:00)
  • “The more I say [about the surprises], the less… just play it!” – Mary (65:01)

C. Arc Raiders (Extraction Shooter)

Timestamps: 67:16–76:11

• Dan’s first extraction shooter: “best use case” of PS5 mic, proximity chat, and emergent social stories, from alliances to betrayals.
  • “Gamifying trust is a really cool thing” – Mike (73:00)
  • Dan’s sister Kayla “screaming threats” becomes a meta-strategy.

D. Ball X Pit (Indie Auto-Shooter/Brick-Breaker)

Timestamps: 85:10–92:12

• Ball X Pit reviewed as “Vampire Survivors meets Balls with a Z”; rapid-fire, auto-shooting chaos with creative upgrades and base-building.
  • Mary: “They're trying a lot of stuff and a lot of it works… I got really excited by all the ideas.” (90:10)
  • Dan: “It’s saying all the right stuff for me.”

E. Mortal Kombat Legacy Collection

Timestamps: 93:10–99:49

• Dan dubs this one of his “Mount Rushmore” series; heaps praise on Digital Eclipse’s documentary approach:
  • “It’s a fantastic collection… the most fascinating treasure trove behind the scenes.” – Dan (96:46)
  • “I push back on the idea that it’s all about competition—it was always the personality of Mortal Kombat.” (99:49)

F. Other Notables (Quick Hits)

• Henry Half Head: Cutesy puzzler; Mary played with audio off, found it pleasant but “for kids.”
• Lumines Arise: Dan evangelizes the sequel to the cult puzzle classic—“Tetris Effect before Tetris Effect,” intensely musical, beautiful, and “drug binge” friendly. (104:23)
  • Mary: “This is really up my alley. I love the old drug binge.”
• Monster Train 2: Mike’s favorite deckbuilder.
• Dead Take: Mary reviews this FMV horror puzzler starring a “Who’s Who” of game actors.

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Memorable Quotes & Banter

• “Being a coward is underrated.” – Dan (03:09)
• “Groin and eyeballs are the great equalizer.” – Mary (07:40)
• “You would make such a spectacular politician. Not because you know what you're doing…” – Mary (03:36)
• “It's the most capital-V video game… just joyful, smashing everything.” – Mike (54:41)
• “We’ve gone soft. I want my tailbone to hurt when I get up.” – Mike (24:17)
• “I think I could win the lottery and it's gonna be really funny.” – Dan (111:10)
• “The slowest gun in the west is such a tactic!” – Mary (14:49)
• “If I were to say there’s one part in the last episode that just made me cackle…” – Dan, on The Chair Company (15:59)

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Community Q&A

Media That Speaks to Your Soul

Timestamps: 120:41–131:07

• Tyler from Baltimore asks: What piece of media aligns perfectly with your interests or connection?
  • Mike: Annihilation & Alan Wake 2 (“felt like it was made for me”).
  • Dan: The Wrestler (“They respected the business in a major way.”)
  • Mary: Tommy Boy (“I feel really seen by that entire film…” – for its depiction of Ohio, blue collar life, and lovable idiocy.)

Gaming Complaints You’re Tired Of

Timestamps: 133:03–140:52

• Dalton asks about overplayed gamer complaints.
  • Mary: “Yellow tape” and hint systems; easy/hard difficulty debates.
  • Dan: Nitpicks about “missing” classic series DNA (“Breath of the Wild is the most Zelda game”).
  • General consensus: Don’t play it if you’re not enjoying it—“not every game is for you.”

The Most Important Element of Trail Mix

Timestamps: 141:06–155:13

• A heated debate ensues: raisins, nuts, M&M’s, and the utility of each in a bag of trail mix.
  • Mary: “If trail mix doesn’t have cashews, I’m like, this is for a…”
  • Mike: “You need that bit of sugar—M&Ms keep you coming back.”
  • Dan: “Not raisins… the flavor’s fine at best, but they’re just annoying.”

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Upcoming & Housekeeping

• Fire Escape Game of the Year live stream: December 6, from Minneapolis.
• Next episode (#121) – final before GOTY.
• Patreon and merch support—bonus series with Vinnie Caravella (Total War: Warhammer III campaign).
• Mary shares Portland fall photos and dog updates.
• Dan teases a new Giant Bomb website.

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Notable Moments & Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |:----------:|:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:| | 03:09 | “Being a coward is underrated.” – Dan | | 07:40 | “Groin and eyeballs are the great equalizer.” – Mary | | 16:10 | Dan on Pluribus: “One of the most effective pilots I’ve ever seen.” | | 22:27 | “That sounds like a perfect experience.” – Dan on gourmet movie theaters | | 32:57 | “Feels like a better version of the Dreamcast controller.” – Dan (Valve reveal) | | 41:29 | “It's so light… comfort level is definitely the best I've used.” – Dan (Valve VR) | | 54:41 | “It's the most capital-V video game… just joyful, smashing everything.” – Mike | | 93:10 | “I just fucking love Mortal Kombat.” – Dan, on the new Legacy Collection | | 104:23 | “This music is fucking tight.” – Mary (Lumines) | | 120:41 | Mail: Pieces of media that “feel made for you” | | 133:03 | Mail: Most tired gaming complaints | | 141:06 | Mail: Most important trail mix ingredient |

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Tone, Style, and Chemistry

The banter is irreverent, self-deprecating, and warm—the hosts never lose their easy rapport or willingness to go on tangents. They shift between information-rich hardware and game analysis to earnest talk about cowardice, bodily harm, politics, nostalgic media, and snacks. If you love deep game talk mixed with genuine friendship and big laughs, this is classic Fire Escape.

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a deep cut of everything Fire Escape fans love:

• Major Valve hardware scoop with hands-on impressions.
• Unfiltered, hilarious digressions about movies, fighting, and morality.
• Detailed new game impressions alongside indie gems.
• Pop culture riffs, personal stories, and running jokes.
  All this while setting the table for their annual Game of the Year madness.

If you missed this episode: You’ll want to catch Dan’s Valve hardware details (31:39–49:16), Mike’s Donkey Kong Bonanza gushing (50:24–57:34), Mary’s new favorite co-op game (57:39–65:57), and the perennial debate of raisins, fighting dirty, and what makes games great (most of the episode). The crew is in top form: deeply knowledgeable and deeply ridiculous, sometimes within the same sentence.

Transcript

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[Mike Minati]

Hello everybody. Welcome back to the Fire Escape Cast. It is Monday, November 17. It is 52 degrees and cloudy in Tacoma, Washington. Thank you for coming back. It's good to see you. Dan.

[Dan Reichert]

Hi.

[Mike Minati]

You're back.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm back. Back. Yeah. Yeah. I was gone the last time.

[Mike Minati]

Chris. Chris Plant nobly sat in to fill your steed.

[Dan Reichert]

If I'm going, you can only bring people from Kansas City. That's the rule. So. Thank you for getting Chris. Yes.

[Mike Minati]

How was your contract? He was good.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah? Yeah. Good man. I like that guy.

[Mike Minati]

But people liked him.

[Dan Reichert]

Sure. I saw him at your wedding, Mike.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, I know. I love the dude. Mary, you were here.

[Mary]

I was here. Me and Chris get along so well. Like peas and carrots. I didn't even think about it. I was happy. It was bliss. We. We enjoyed ourselves. But we're back and it's really nice to have the three of us together again.

[Mike Minati]

Discovered that none of the games I like this year are cool. And all the games that are truly cool I've never heard of on Steam because they have like 12 reviews. That's what I learned from Plant.

[Dan Reichert]

Wait, wait. Okay, give me. Give me three games the Plant loves.

[Mike Minati]

Couldn't have even. Couldn't tell you half of what they're called. No, they all sound. Oh, no, no, no. I got one. Queue up.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, Jan was playing that today. I think Jan's into that. I don't really know what it is, but there's a certain thing that's a Jan game. Is there gambling in it?

[Mike Minati]

It's a. It's supposedly the only fair. It's about an Esport. Esport players, I believe. And the sport is just coin tosses. So it's like, okay, that's a jam game. Fair.

[Dan Reichert]

That's a jam game.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary]

And I think it evolves into something that's more than that. I think he likes baby steps, which was an interesting.

[Mike Minati]

He like baby steps.

[Mary]

It's an interesting difference between us, but I think he was like, I live to suffer and love the challenge and got really into the consistency of it.

[Mike Minati]

No, Plant was saying, Plant is playing it the opposite of how Grub was playing it. Plant was playing it, like, anytime they gave him a shortcut, he's like, yeah, I'll use it. Like, he. He was saying how that game is just about how we don't accept help when it's thrown at our face often to make things more challenging for us. It's. It's Chris Plant. He's always got, you know, he's got. He's got interesting, insightful takes on stuff. That was what he was saying.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I like it when things are easier. Yeah, Yeah. I like shortcuts and that's a pretty spicy take. Yeah, yeah. Like, being a coward is underrated. Like. Like, Right. Like you just. You're safer if you're a coward. Right. Like after 9 11, my grandma said she would, like, you know, send me to Canada if they tried to draft me. And I was like, that sounds fucking great.

[Mary]

Oh, you're a draft dodger.

[Dan Reichert]

I would have been. I would have been a draft dodger.

[Mary]

I. This only adds to my assumption that you would make such a spectacular politician. Not because you know what you're doing, but because you ride the wave of charism and, you know, just ego and maybe just. I don't know. I don't know anything about that, so it's not my problem.

[Dan Reichert]

But I would do it in, like, a nice way. Not like a, you know, malevolent way.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary]

Like some kind of, like, ignorant surfer, you know, you're just like, I didn't know about that travesty.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm just here to have fun of.

[Mike Minati]

The video game industry.

[Dan Reichert]

What's that?

[Mike Minati]

I said you're the EB Farnum of the games industry.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, really?

[Mike Minati]

He's the coward in Deadwood?

[Dan Reichert]

Never mind. I take back the coward thing. I'm a tough, brave man.

[Mary]

Yeah, he's always a brave man.

[Dan Reichert]

You don't know that.

[Mary]

I do.

[Mike Minati]

You just said being a coward is underrated.

[Dan Reichert]

I wasn't talking about myself. I just think if cowards want to do that, that's fine.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

I don't know, Dan, are you secretly being really brave and tough at night when we're not around? Well, we're never around, but you get what I mean.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, you know, I'm just kind of patrolling the streets, you know, just making sure everyone's, you know, in line. Yeah.

[Mary]

Well, let me get you like a scenario. Like you're in a mall and somebody in the mall is brandishing a knife and they're being threaten.

[Dan Reichert]

Do you approach hide and coat rack, call the cops?

[Mary]

Yeah. You're a coward.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay, how about this? So my. Well, let me. Here's the genetics fact.

[Mike Minati]

What would you do, Mary?

[Mary]

I would. I would pull his pants down.

[Mike Minati]

All right, that's okay. That's a better option than trying to like, knife.

[Mary]

Because instinctively he's gonna try and pull him back up.

[Mike Minati]

And that's when you knee him in the face.

[Mary]

That's when you chop them. Yeah. You gotta do something.

[Mike Minati]

What is it? Eyes, ears, foot, face. I don't know. Dan, what was the scenario you were going Eyeballs?

[Dan Reichert]

I. I've never been in a fight. My dad has not either. But he said there was one time he was like, going to the bar.

[Mike Minati]

Decades, crazy 80s, for the record.

[Dan Reichert]

What? That I've never been a fight on.

[Mike Minati]

Both of your accounts, that your dad hasn't either. That's crazy to me.

[Mary]

I'm sure there's been some kind of advocate for official verbal fight.

[Mike Minati]

Sorry, let me clarify. I'm surprised your has your. Wait, he's never been in a fight. Has he ever been punched?

[Dan Reichert]

Not to my knowledge, no.

[Mike Minati]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Mike Minati]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

I almost did like one of the last times I went home for Christmas and we were drunk and he tried to light my beard on fire and I almost punched him in the face. So I probably almost come the closest to punching him in the face. But he was at a bar once in like the 80s or 90s, and he overheard some, like, biker guys being like, hey, let's fuck this place up. Let's cause some trouble. My dad got really scared and so he grabbed a pool ball and he dove under the pool table and just brandished the pool ball. So that was the closest he's been to being in a fight.

[Mike Minati]

The closest he's been to a fight is hiding under the pool table.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Meanwhile, my grandpa, his dad was a combat medic in Korea and had to pull the dead bodies off the field. And he got a bronze star for valor in combat. So transitively.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, we got some, right?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Not far from the tree at All. Yeah, Mary, I want to go back to the knife thing. You pull his pants down, but what if he's coming at you?

[Mary]

You gotta remember, never do it while he's coming at you. He's gotta be.

[Mike Minati]

What if he's sprinting at you holding a knife, saying, I'm about to stab you calmly so you know he means business? They say it like, normal tone. They've been planning this.

[Mary]

I. I am a dirty fighter. Meaning I don't play by the rules and I don't owe anyone's shit. The winner is the winner, period. And so, like, is there sand that I can throw? Is there. You know what I mean? Like, can I throw a wedding cake?

[Mike Minati]

You can push him into.

[Mary]

Move something in front of us. My goal isn't to, like, yeah, do this equally. It's to just ruin him with objects. So I would be looking for something that I could throw at him from a distance while, like, maintaining space. I would love to tell you that I would, like, lurch forward and go after him, but when somebody has a knife, I have to create distance and probably hurl shit at them until they're distracted. And then ideally, once they're distracted, pants them.

[Dan Reichert]

And then.

[Mary]

And then they are super distracted, and that's when you make your move. And that would either be like an elbow or probably some kind of groin or eyeball situation. Groin and eyeballs are just like the great equalizer. You take out one of those.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I was just thinking those are the. The two I would go to if I was in a fight. I think I would go right to.

[Mary]

Fight without their balls.

[Mike Minati]

Do one of these.

[Dan Reichert]

No. Oh, the throat thing. Yeah.

[Mary]

We are assuming. We are assuming that the knife brander is a boy, which I find really a fun form of misogyny.

[Mike Minati]

Now you.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary brought that up.

[Mike Minati]

I thought.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary, I'm not a doctor.

[Mary]

Part of the.

[Mike Minati]

You said pants him before we ever caught him.

[Mary]

Part of the problem, I do assume. I assume sex is mostly dudes. Yes.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary, this is earnest question here. I am not a doctor or a woman, so I don't know the answer to this.

[Mary]

We know this. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

If you.

[Mary]

If you were running, I was going.

[Dan Reichert]

To get to the vagina. If you were running at someone brandishing a knife and someone kicked you directly in the vagina.

[Mary]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

What would that. Would that be like someone kicking you in the thigh or is there more going on there?

[Mary]

Is it the knife brander or somebody else? There's a third.

[Mike Minati]

No, no, no, no. I think. I think the scenario is. Doesn't Matter what he's asking is, does it get. Or does it hurt to get kicked in the vagina?

[Dan Reichert]

Right. Mike, let's cut the chase here.

[Mary]

Right. Okay, so a cooter booter is still pretty intense and does not feel good.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mary]

I don't think that it will result in you puking, so it's not debilitating.

[Dan Reichert]

In the way nuts are.

[Mary]

I think it would be. I would imagine it's probably like getting kicked in your knee where you'd be like, oh, okay.

[Dan Reichert]

That's nothing compared to, you know, like, it wouldn't.

[Mary]

It would feel bad. But, like, balls, I think, is, like a removal of, like, your conscious. Like, you have to, like, sit down.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. No. Balls will just stop you. And it is a flashing boss weak point in a Resident Evil game. Yeah.

[Mary]

I've been punched in the boob before and it hurts.

[Dan Reichert]

Now, would that. Would that be different than. Because guys have nipples? So is there a difference there?

[Mary]

Yes, because there's like. There's. There's like a whole bunch of different stuff then.

[Mike Minati]

Have you seen a woman before?

[Dan Reichert]

Look, I know not only do we.

[Mary]

Have nipples, we have boobs. And the boobs are tender. They're. They can be tender.

[Dan Reichert]

There's not, like, extra organs in there that are sensitive, that we don't have a world.

[Mary]

It's not like we have a second heart. No, but they're like.

[Dan Reichert]

So there's more flesh.

[Mary]

Sensitive tissue.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Okay.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah.

[Mary]

All right.

[Dan Reichert]

You have little testicles inside your boobs or anything?

[Mike Minati]

No, but I feel like boobs would be more like the pain would be commensurate with getting kicked on your butt cheek. Or is it. No, it's probably more sensitive, isn't it?

[Dan Reichert]

Butt cheeks aren't that bad to get kicked in.

[Mary]

They're like, probably the best place to get kicked in. Yeah, you got all that cushion for the pushing.

[Dan Reichert]

Right.

[Mary]

I don't even notice it. If I were to get punched anywhere on my body, I would probably say ass. And then if I was, like, my least favorite place, it would probably be my face. But boobs would be up there. That's miserable.

[Dan Reichert]

I guess I would say, like, thigh, ass, and, like, shoulder or, like, you know, kind of like bicep. Like, those are all punches that are. That's gonna be fine. You're gonna get a bruise.

[Mary]

You're gonna be fine.

[Mike Minati]

Charlie Horse.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah, got him playing.

[Mary]

Yeah, but I think you welled on.

[Mike Minati]

Down a couple summers ago on his arm.

[Mary]

Did I?

[Mike Minati]

During the Pac man tournament fiasco.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah. That was scary.

[Mary]

I did Punch you? I was like, when Dan was like, I've never been in a fight. I was like, man, when was the last time I had a fight? It was probably like two Tuesdays ago. I'm always scrapping with somebody.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary, I wonder you against my sister. I wonder how that would go.

[Mary]

Your sister seems pretty vicious.

[Dan Reichert]

She's a lie.

[Mary]

I probably would, I probably would brandish a cheat. Meaning like pocket sand, you know, some kind of, you know, piece of wood. I would, I would have to use something against her. I think if it was a, if it was a battle of mitts, I think she would beat me. But I think if we could, if, if it was just like to the death, then I, I would find a way.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. I punched her a lot and her punches like just even like on the arm or whatever I was punched by.

[Mary]

There's no question she's stronger than me.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, she's nuts. Because I got punched by like high school bullies all the time in the arm and gy class and like these are like, that's like 17 year old boys. She punches so much harder than anyone that ever punched me in high school.

[Mary]

Very impressive. Yeah, I always liked to have a. Like my best friend in high school was always like just really strong and pretty impressive and I felt really cool walking next to her because people didn't want to fight her. She fucked them up. So I, I think, I take your question and I think I would, I would find a way to befriend your sister and then we would. And then we would beat up men together. I think that would probably be.

[Dan Reichert]

Love you. She listens to the podcast and she's a big fan, so I think would.

[Mary]

Not punch you in the boob.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. We got a tag team here.

[Mike Minati]

I, I think my. Someone was running at me with a knife.

[Mary]

In a mall.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, I like, I would start, I would definitely like if I had no choice, but I would, I would start looking for weapons for sure.

[Mary]

Yeah, it's like such a nice reaction. What's around you that you could utilize, especially if they're running at you like.

[Mike Minati]

Dan, if you're just perfect because you got everything.

[Mary]

Like if you're just gonna ostrich Dan, like you're making yourself very susceptible.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I wouldn't ostrich because that. Ostriches leave their whole everything out for the whole world to see. I would be.

[Mary]

Yeah, but you're so embarrassing that sometimes people like ignore you, like you're no longer a threat. So people just like, don't they just like Leave you be. I think that would be like, a.

[Dan Reichert]

Tactic of mine, like in, like, a bar or something. Somebody was gonna kick my ass or something. I just go, listen, like, look, you got nothing to prove here.

[Mary]

Like, you know.

[Dan Reichert]

You know, you can kick my ass. It's fine.

[Mary]

And everyone's embarrassed, like, go, let's go back to your dad. You think that those burly bar guys who were like, let's fucking ruin this place, do you think they're going to, like, grab the ankles of a sniveling little guy peeing his pants under a bar? I don't think so. I think they just were like, that's sad. And then they went and beat up some other guy. Like, I just think there's an element of it of like, could you beat me? I'm going to go after this guy. But if you're sad enough, I think they just leave you alone.

[Mike Minati]

Alone, right?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

I think for a lot of. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, bar type guys who want to get in fights, like, you know, forever, you know, like pro wrestlers, when they go to bars after the shows and stuff, back in the 80s and 90s and stuff, you would get drunken bar guys. They're like, oh, these wrestlers think they're tough, these fake wrestlers. Let's go start.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

And it's like, yeah, we don't do that to, you know, a record. Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

I think, yeah, it's the macho thing of, like, trying to prove you're more alpha than the other person. It's like, what's the. Was it the Coen brothers western series on Netflix?

[Dan Reichert]

It was like, oh, the Benedict Cumberbatch Tales of the Cumberbatches. Whatever. Buster Scruggs.

[Mike Minati]

Scrugs Tales of the Cumberbatches. Yeah, we got there. It's like, oh, the fastest gun in the west is always fighting because everybody wants to, like, prove they can beat him and stuff. So I feel like they're always looking.

[Dan Reichert]

So if you're the slowest gun in the west, you're just living your life.

[Mary]

Slowest gun in the west is such a tactic that be.

[Mike Minati]

That would be you, Dan.

[Dan Reichert]

Cool. I'm. Hey, I like it.

[Mary]

But he's living.

[Dan Reichert]

He's.

[Mike Minati]

I would love to see you duel. Be like.

[Dan Reichert]

Give me a second.

[Mike Minati]

Time out, time out, time out. Wait.

[Dan Reichert]

Tie my shoe. My cowboy boots.

[Mary]

And then you dive under the table.

[Dan Reichert]

Call the cops. Yeah. Sheriff Timothy Elephant, please. Second Deadwood reference.

[Mike Minati]

I got Matt Zoller Seitz's book about it, the Deadwood Bible or something. I want to rewatch it. Soon and read that along with it. Good movie. That show's still really good. The movie was good, too. Season four, for all intents and purposes. Speaking of shows, I. A couple things. I started the chair company.

[Dan Reichert]

That's great.

[Mike Minati]

I'm not gonna spoil anything. I'm not gonna talk about the show I like.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a hard one to spoil the chair.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. I mean, it's. For sure.

[Dan Reichert]

It's one.

[Mary]

Are you guys fully caught up?

[Mike Minati]

No, I didn't watch last night. I didn't watch the.

[Dan Reichert]

Are you, Mary? Yes. Do you. Okay, if I were to say that there was one. No, no, no, no.

[Mike Minati]

There was one part that just every single episode.

[Dan Reichert]

You know what I'm talking about, Mary.

[Mary]

Say what Your question again? Mike was protesting.

[Dan Reichert]

If I were to say there's one part in the last episode that just made me cackle.

[Mary]

You know that I know what you're talking about. We don't even need to. Ridiculous.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm gonna.

[Mary]

I'm gonna watch ridiculous show.

[Dan Reichert]

It's really fun.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, it's.

[Mary]

I had, like, Mike do us a favor and take a screenshot of the part that you think that Dan and I are referencing right now and post.

[Dan Reichert]

It to us on Instagram. Okay.

[Mary]

Post it to us.

[Mike Minati]

Just no contact, no context.

[Mary]

Just live that on the social media.

[Mike Minati]

Something tells me it's probably not appropriate, but do it. I'll. I'll try.

[Mary]

I want to know what you think is the most. Is the funniest part of that episode.

[Mike Minati]

I have been saying I've got the worst pillow in town. Quite a bit.

[Mary]

I love that. There's a lot of it. There's a lot of good lines.

[Dan Reichert]

Pluribus. We started watching that yesterday.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, yeah. Wait, what is that?

[Dan Reichert]

It's Vince Gilligan. It's his new show. The new one. Yes, yes. And he's doing Sci Fi. And it's like. I don't think I realized how badly I wanted that. I know he worked on, like, X Files back in the day, but I never saw that. This is, like, one of the most effective pilots I've ever seen. I won't say anything. We went in totally blind, and what's it on?

[Mike Minati]

Holy.

[Dan Reichert]

It's on Apple tv. Apple. Yeah. I know who the. Has it, but it's. It's incredible. It's so good.

[Mary]

All right.

[Mike Minati]

Why do I know. Why do I know that act? Oh, she's from.

[Dan Reichert]

She's from Better Call Saul. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. She's awesome.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, she's great.

[Mike Minati]

We're gonna see her. That's right. Yeah, she's.

[Mary]

I saw the Begonia.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I saw that, too.

[Mary]

Bugatti.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I thought that was fantastic.

[Mary]

I think it's such a good ride. They carry tension throughout the whole film. And you guys are gonna think I'm crazy, but I actually think it's very similar to the Chair Company in the sense that, like, it's weirdly stressful and then funny, and you're like, I don't know if this should be funny because it's stressful, but I can't help it. And I laughed a lot during Begonia when I felt like I should be upset or, like, stressed out.

[Dan Reichert]

I can see because it's got, you know, again, without spoiling it, it's very surreal. And there are definitely characters that have some really wild thoughts about what's going on, and hearing them with the utmost certainty. Like, you know, Tim Robinson talking about the Chair Company and Jesse Evans and stuff in this. Like, it's.

[Mary]

They're both characters that are, like, taking the situation so serious that you're almost, like, laughing at them because you're like, these are ridiculous. The Chair Company has, like, really good moments where Tim Robinson is still such a ridiculous person. Right? Like, he's. He has these really weird quirks that carry him and his character. So even though the situation is wild, it's like, why did you make this decision? It's such an absurd decision. Begonia's quite similar where the lead characters are making choices, where I'm like, this is a ridiculous decision that you chose to do this. But they feel so strongly about their choices that it feels endearing and honest. That's probably the weirdest review ever. But I actually. I think I came home from Begonia and watched that Chair Company and was like, why are these so similar?

[Dan Reichert]

Also, I just. I realized, like, every time I've seen Emma Stone in the last, like, few things I've seen her in, it's just like, is she just incredible at every possible type of role you could throw her way?

[Mary]

She's one of the best actresses of this. Of our generation, for sure. I mean, she's so. So talented.

[Dan Reichert]

Comedy, drama, everything.

[Mary]

How does she do it? It's just so committed to her roles. Yeah, she's good.

[Dan Reichert]

I forget, did you see the Curse with Nathan Fielder? No. You did?

[Mary]

Yes. I actually haven't finished it, so.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh. Oh, well, that's.

[Mary]

I know. And I heard that's when it gets good.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, yes.

[Mary]

That one has a slow burn.

[Dan Reichert]

It does, but. And I'll say by the end, specifically the end. End. Is like, oh, shit. That makes this all extremely worth it. And not that it was bad ever, but it is a slow burn. But, yeah, she's incredible in that, too. But, yeah, Begonia, incredible. I want to watch the rest of his stuff. I hadn't seen. You know, Bonk has seen a lot of that stuff. The Lobster and Poor things and his other stuff.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, you haven't seen the Lobster?

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Mary]

Oh, wow. I wonder what you'd think of that. I find that movie, like, hard to watch.

[Mike Minati]

I liked it back in the day. I liked. Yeah. I also like the. Is it because Jesse Plemons is in Begonia, right? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love his. He's. He's amazing. He always.

[Mary]

He's great.

[Dan Reichert]

This is kind of unlike his other roles. Like, he's always just kind of a creepy little freak in everything he's in. But this is maybe his creepiest little freak role I've seen. Like, he is just really unhinged in this one.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, he was in Civil War for, like, two and a half minutes, but it felt like an hour because he's terrifying.

[Dan Reichert]

But that's the thing is, like, he's really, like, imposing and genuinely scary. And, like, he's a scary character in this, too, but in the way that he's just, like, not. He's detached from reality, and you feel like he can kind of do anything, but he's not this, like, this threatening, like. Mary, how would you describe that? You've seen Civil War, right? Like, there's a difference in the way he's threatening in these.

[Mary]

Yeah, he's insane in one of them. In this one, I actually think he feels quite sure of himself while also being completely insane. Totally. But I think in this one, there's a relatability to his character. Like, he's sensitive because he's had really tough experiences, and so you empathize with him. Whereas, like, in Civil War, like, that's just a psycho.

[Dan Reichert]

He just seems like a violent, aggressive, awful person. Yeah. Where's this one? He just seems very broken. And in all.

[Mary]

Every character in Begonia, I was like, oh, I kind of feel for this character, but they're all wild, so. And excellent acting from everyone. And I know you guys mention the main two, but there's a third one in there who's also an excellent actor, and I have no idea who the hell that guy is.

[Dan Reichert]

Plens's dude. His family member. Yeah, he was. He was fascinating in that, too.

[Mary]

Yeah, he was great.

[Dan Reichert]

Great. I really love that movie.

[Mary]

Yeah, I saw it. Oh, I Wanted to tell you guys. Yeah, look him up. So while you look up that, I'm gonna describe a movie theater in Portland that I. I am always so surprised that they do this, but it's a movie theater where they, they. It's like a. It only has like 18 seats, and the seats are like couches. And so it kind of feels like a home theater, but it is a legit movie theater with really nice surround sound. And then they cook full meals and deliver them while you're watching the movie. And when you order, you order two drinks and they give you a drink when the movie starts and a drink when the movie's halfway finished.

[Dan Reichert]

That sounds like a perfect experience.

[Mary]

If you ever come visit me again, I think I'm gonna take you because it's so weird. It's just so weird when you're like, I'm gonna go see a movie, but the whole experience. We're gonna go see Begonia, and he's in the hallway with us. And then the guy before he takes us to our seats, he's like, well, before I do that, let me show you our specials. He pulls out an iPad and he's like, we have scallops now. We fly our scallops in three times a week. These are never frozen. So I really want you to consider this Atlantic local salmon. And he's like, going through all these, like, super nice high end dishes. They do surf and turf and shit like that. And then you sit down in your little couch and they give you this massive menu of options of, like, pretty nice high end food that I thought was, like, cooked quite well. I was surprised with how high end this kitchen is, considering it's a fucking movie theater. And then the people who sat next to us brought their own goddamn blanket. And so they're like eating surf and turf with their own blanket on top of their legs. It's surreal. It's very strange, I gotta say.

[Dan Reichert]

I know a lot of this stuff started with, like, Alamo drafthouses and stuff before the pandemic. But I do feel like post pandemic theaters just had to kind of like step up their games in a lot of ways. Like, hey, come on. I know you can stream everything, but still come over here and like, you get all these recliners, you get like all the sound and like, everything just seems like. I really like going to the theaters now.

[Mary]

It was so advanced and everything about the place just feels so odd. And yet I keep going back because it's really nice to have a full meal with your. With your Movie. Plus getting a drink halfway through the movie given to you, I was just like, oh, yes, please. I deserve this. It was great.

[Dan Reichert]

That sounds.

[Mike Minati]

I miss sneaking vodka in, like, games.

[Dan Reichert]

You can still do it.

[Mike Minati]

I wish that was the only option. We're pampered. We've gone soft. I don't need a meal during my movie. I want my tailbone to hurt when I get up.

[Dan Reichert]

It's still the smart thing to do to sneak it in because it's way, way cheaper. They're not MacGuffins that I am.

[Mike Minati]

Not to save money. No, no, no, no, no, you're not. Hear what I'm saying? I missed when that was a survival tactic, not just saving 10, 12 bucks. In my day, before you two came up, we had to. I had to boof vodka and then let it out during the movie. Like a fucking. Like a water cooler.

[Dan Reichert]

No, in my day, I was working at AMC trying to find people who snuck in alcohol and get them kicked out.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, I was. I was on boof patrol 247 at the movie.

[Dan Reichert]

I wouldn't have got you. It was in there. No. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mary]

It's like a little meerkat with a wine bottle sticking out of his ass, making sure the police aren't nearby.

[Mike Minati]

Is there alcohol, Matt? No, it's sexual.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay, cool. I've got the farsight from Perfect dark, looking into your rectum. Taste it.

[Mary]

This. This is alcohol.

[Dan Reichert]

Get out of here. I'm gonna call your mother Earthiness.

[Mike Minati]

Think of some Brett.

[Dan Reichert]

And then lastly, show aid.

[Mike Minati]

I'm going to see Chris Fleming on Saturday at Carnegie Hall. Those who don't know, he's a comedian who's been kind of blowing up a bit, like, his clips and whatnot. He's very funny.

[Mary]

Conan loves him. His number one guy. I see that clip.

[Mike Minati]

I heard the podcast saying, like, he would go to Conan's house for parties, and then Conan would just, like, make a show of throwing him out every time. And I couldn't tell how much that was amped up, but, like, it's a really good bit. Like, Chris Fleming would go into Conan's house during parties, and, like, people would try to talk to him and converse, and he'd be like, not now, I'm being hunted. And then would, like, kind of sneak around the party, and then Conan would see him and sprint at him from across the house and throw him out.

[Dan Reichert]

I can just picture Conan, like, whenever he does that enraged thing, like, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

So I'm looking forward to seeing Chris Fleming. I'll report back. He should be good. Anything else new either. Updates? Dan, you've been gone like a few weeks.

[Mary]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

New York City. Yeah. Yeah.

[Mary]

Did you have a good time? What were some of your highlights? What was like your favorite part?

[Dan Reichert]

It's one of those things where it's like 24 hours, but in your head it felt like it was like a three hour stream or something. Just because it's like you're so loopy. And so many things happened. Like it's some point. I played basketball against Mike Minati. I kidnapped Jeff Grubb and dropped him off in the woods in the middle of the night. Vinnie and Alex came by. I put Jesse Vitelli in a VR helmet, made him watch Love on a Leash. And Noobs did a Mortal Kombat tournament. Just a lot of stuff happened. And it was just a lot of laughing and eating McDonald's and getting a ton of support from people for a new Giant Bomb. And, yeah, very. Just across the board, extremely positive experience. Good, good old bonding with the team. Got a big Airbnb together. We watched Naked Gun. It was my third time in, like two months of watch that. Yeah. Just hanging out. Just. It was one of those things where the trip ends and you're flying back and you're like, wow, that was just really pulled some stuff off there and had a lot of fun. So, yes, feeling very, very, very good about Giant Bomb right now. Have been for basically since May, but.

[Mary]

Especially now feeling great about it since the transition.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, yes. So it's looking. Looking very good.

[Mary]

That makes me happy. I'm glad that you guys are doing well. I saw you guys on Twitch a couple times and. And stopped by as my corporate overlord. It's fun to do that.

[Dan Reichert]

Yep. Yep. It was fun seeing you there.

[Mary]

Sometimes the chat will be like, I wonder if it's Mary or if it's Drew.

[Dan Reichert]

Does Drew have access?

[Mary]

Yeah, he does.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, really? Okay.

[Mary]

Yeah. Yeah, Boy, you never know. But I think be careful with him.

[Dan Reichert]

He gets a couple of those gin and tonics. And I mean, Drew will say anything.

[Mary]

Just because he is a pure soul. I actually, I think that he wouldn't unless he, like, asked for permission. Like, that's the kind of person he is. So if you see someone chatting, it's gotta be me because Drew would never do that without being like, am I allowed? I would like to say xyz. Like, he's just too good.

[Dan Reichert]

Drew Scanlon reporting from at Twitch account.

[Mary]

Yeah, yeah. He would be, like, more honest.

[Mike Minati]

I don't know. I think he's a flight risk. I think that guy's nothing but trouble.

[Dan Reichert]

There's no one I would feel better about if I got on a plane and they were there greeting me in a captain suit. But Drew Scanlon, Great. We're going to do just fine.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, I meant, like, as a metaphor.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, sure, sure. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

But ironically, he has a pilot's license, though.

[Dan Reichert]

He does, Yeah. I think he can do anything. He could be an astronaut. No problem. I'm sure.

[Mary]

Now, if somebody was coming at you with a knife in a mall, who would you want next to you? It has to be a personal friend. It can't be like, okay, you know.

[Dan Reichert]

I have a good answer for this. It's someone I've been to a bar with numerous times. It's Samoa Joe. That's. That's the guy. I've never felt more secure than drinking with Samoa Joe.

[Mike Minati]

I still think I can take him.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my God, Mike. Do you know how much I would pay to watch that?

[Mike Minati]

I think actually, like, I've been playing a lot of Donkey Kong Bonanza. I think, like, he would punch through me like you punch through the terrain in the first layer. Once you've upgraded your power, I would just. I would just explode or be pancaked against a wall.

[Mary]

All the particle effects would look so cool, but you would be super dead.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

I like substance, as well I should. I forgot we watched the substance. Oh, he's awesome.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. Speaking of, there was a point in that movie where I was laughing so fucking hard. I mean, I thought many parts of that were funny intentionally, but there's other parts where it's, like, just horrific. Horrific. And it was the funniest thing ever. Cathartic, but funny and horrific. That movie's awesome to be more unreal. Especially, like, the more the movie goes on, the more I'm like, damn, I forgot I didn't grow up watching her. So I was like, I never saw her at her peak, but she still was killing it.

[Mary]

G.I. jane?

[Mike Minati]

No. Oh, yeah, A few times.

[Mary]

Charlie's Angels. Full throttle.

[Mike Minati]

She was one of the. Was she one of the Angels?

[Mary]

She was the villain. She was wearing, like, a bikini the whole time.

[Mike Minati]

I gotta go check.

[Mary]

A villain. Just so you know, villains wear bikini.

[Dan Reichert]

I saw the striptease poster a lot.

[Mary]

Oh, yeah. I forgot about strip teeth.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, I've seen this photo.

[Mary]

Yeah, I think I have these downloaded.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 1997 AOL Y. I had a BlackBerry full of just specifically for photos from that movie.

[Mary]

From Charlie's Angels. Full throttle.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, yeah. That and bedazzled. Do you want to talk about video games?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

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[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

You've seen some quote unquote Valve stuff.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh yeah.

[Mike Minati]

What's going on with that?

[Dan Reichert]

This is my first time getting to talk about it because of the embargo timing and stuff. You. So I haven't even told you guys about what this is.

[Mike Minati]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. We're recording this pre embargo. It will be coming out after embargo. I got. I went out to Seattle to go to Valve HQ and checked out three new pieces of hardware that they are working on and it's. I'm very excited about all three of them. So it is Steam Decker. Steam Jake Decker. Yes. Yes. They have a Steam Steampunk version of Jake Decker that lives. Steam Upper Decker is the second one. I thought you hadn't to know about this. Mary.

[Mike Minati]

Mary.

[Dan Reichert]

What the hell.

[Mary]

I should work in marketing. Tell me more about this Steam Upper Decker. I'm excited.

[Dan Reichert]

So first thing is the Steam controller. So that is a controller that basically imagine you took the Steam deck and you just cut out the screen and you went whoop. And you put it all together. It's got the track pads, it's got the sticks in the same situations and all that. Like all the layouts very, very similar. It looks weird. If you look at the photo of it it's gonna be like what is that thing? But when I first held it, my first thought was like this feels like a better version of the Dreamcast controller. Which like in terms of just like.

[Mike Minati]

Just kind of the shape.

[Dan Reichert]

You know the way if you cut.

[Mike Minati]

Out the screen from a Steam deck and you put it together, what I'm imagining it looking like is something like this. Like this though. Switch two. Like square. Ish. Because I feel like if you just mash the sides of a Steam deck together it would come out like looking square.

[Mary]

Is it square? What's the silhouette?

[Dan Reichert]

It's. It's think like Dreamcast. Actually I could send You, I will send you here. We'll get. We'll get a live react here. Okay, I'm sending the image in our private discord here so you two can react to it here. Here is the reveal of the Steam controller. What do you think of that?

[Mike Minati]

Kind of like Batman vibes.

[Mary]

It looks like the Xbox controller but somebody pulled its pants down a little bit.

[Mike Minati]

You, you and pantsing. Yeah, that looks really on one. It's not bad looking. I like it.

[Mary]

It's got it. I think it's good looking that the Xbox controller has like, you know how like the PlayStation controller is skinny and like fits smally in the hand and the Xbox controller is like kind of fat and thick. Yeah, this is fat and thick and also long. Strange.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's so. It's also got stuff that like. So it's got the trackpad and stuff you can see visually. But then there's stuff too that like, like I'm sure people are gonna find really weird cool ways to deal with this. But like it's got this capacitive stuff on the grips to where based on like how hard or how far your palms are from it. Like for instance, what was I playing? I was playing a first person shooter. I was playing Cyberpunk and they had it where it's like if you grip it fully, it kind of activated the gyro on it. So you could like, you know, you could aim around in first person with the motion which the. The gyro stuff feels incredible on this. In fact, if it's in like mouse mode and you're doing like, like a mouse cursor, it is, remember like the, the Wii remote, you know, had the, the lag and stuff when you're pointing. It sounds good in theory, but it felt like this one felt like using a mouse. It was incredible. But yeah. So the capacitive stuff, I'm curious to see what people do with that because that's a unique implementation there. But yeah, it's got the back grip buttons and everything. It's got the trackpad there. But it is. It looks like just like a tall controller basically.

[Mary]

Tall. Like what's up with the double trackpad?

[Dan Reichert]

I think so what they want to do is in all the stuff I'm going to talk about here is they. For the video folks who were really doing it.

[Mary]

Double track pad.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah. They want everything to kind of be similar in terms of the Steam UI and the controller experience. Just kind of one to one across this hardware and what people know and like about the Steam deck and everything. So that's why there's no big swings in terms of, of control layout with.

[Mike Minati]

What I was gonna say. What's. Yeah, what is, what is the. Is this meant to become like the de facto PC controller or.

[Dan Reichert]

No. So let me move on to number two here. Actually right now.

[Mary]

They took this Steam deck and broke it out into two pieces of hardware. Is it a fat ass controller and a fat ass screen?

[Dan Reichert]

Nope, there's number two. They made a gamecube.

[Mary]

Yeah, it's a cube. It's a perfect cube.

[Dan Reichert]

That is the Steam machine, which IPC hardware. Out of the three, this is maybe the one I am the most excited about. It is, by the way. So I'm sending you a picture now. There's like an A bar, there's like an LED bar on the front. It's just like a black cube basically. But there's this like LED bar that it can, you can customize it to be like, you know, power. You can have it be like download. You know, it can be a process.

[Mike Minati]

Looks like half of a Series X kind of. If you were to cut it like a.

[Dan Reichert]

It does look. It is actually smaller though. It is more akin to the size of a GameCube, I would say. And power wise. So this is a console. Steam Valve made a console. It is six times more powerful than a Steam deck. And so if you were to get this and you just. It's got a HDMI out and it's got DisplayPort out. So let's say you just put it under your TV like any other console, hook it up via hdmi. You could take it on day one when you own it and you could take the SD card out of your Steam deck, pop it in there and all your games and everything are right there. And since it's all using the same UI and everything, like you don't have to redownload a bunch of stuff. It's just using the same game, the same system and everything. So they just straight up made a console.

[Mary]

So they made a switch.

[Mike Minati]

The idea being that now you can, like, now it's easier to play PC games in the living room, et cetera, on a tv.

[Dan Reichert]

Exactly, exactly.

[Mike Minati]

But also, and by presumably, what is the hardware like compared to a Series x or a PS5? Do you know?

[Dan Reichert]

So I guess I asked that a bunch, you know, just like, okay, we're talking like base, base PS5 here. Are we saying. They were a little reluctant to say things like that? Okay, Mary's lifting up her keyboard right now and shaking out. Is that Beer. We have beer there. Is that what's happening?

[Mike Minati]

Oh, Coors Light.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, she's Coors Light in the. Oh, my goodness. Mary. This is. This is. I've done this before. This is not good.

[Mary]

It's pretty brutal, you guys.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm sorry, Mary.

[Mary]

Keep going.

[Dan Reichert]

That's tough. It is six times more powerful in the Steam deck. That is what they told me, basically, so they were not going to. I've got the specs here, so I don't know. Are you. Are you a specs guy, Mike?

[Mike Minati]

Enough to get a.

[Dan Reichert]

What do you want?

[Mike Minati]

Like, what's the video card in it?

[Dan Reichert]

The video card is A semi custom AMD rDNA 3.26cu. Supports 4K gaming at 60fps with FSR ray tracing supported. The CPU is an AMD 6 cores in 4x86. Comes in a 512 gigabyte model and a 2 terabyte model. And it is going to ship with one of those Steam controllers.

[Mary]

What's the price?

[Dan Reichert]

That's the bundle price. That is not announced. So I don't. And like, you know, I think it's one of those things where, like, I think the new reality now is like, you're gonna see a lot of things announced and people being like, I. I don't know, like, look at the Switch. You know, it got announced and they had to change the price of accessories and stuff like that. It's just the current state of things.

[Mary]

But no screen. And here's the thing that's like, really interesting about this. Unless the third thing you're gonna announce announces the screen. But the thing like.

[Mike Minati]

Wait, what screen? What are you talking about?

[Mary]

I'm saying there's no screen. So when you're talking about, well, it.

[Mike Minati]

Connects to a tv.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's like a console.

[Mary]

As I was saying, when you're talking about a Switch or a Steam deck, it has a screen built in. And screens are really expensive to produce right now because of the stuff that's in them. This has no screen, so obviously you have to plug it into one. But what I'm saying is that the price point is going to be distinctly less because it doesn't have to pay for a fucking screen. You're paying only for like a piece of hardware. So I'm actually thinking it's going to be around $300.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I think it's so much more than that.

[Mike Minati]

The specs you just read off are like, I don't disagree with you that like, they're saving money by not having a screen, not making it A handheld. But the specs you were just reading are like a good. A decent PC.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. And when you think about like the price of modern consoles, you know, like.

[Mike Minati]

They'Re not 300, I would say it's not 700, I would say like five, six.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm operating off of no information here. If they said 700, especially for this two terabyte one, I would not be shocked. So. But they have not announced it yet. So. Yeah, I mean, I would think of this more akin to like a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X or something like that, you know, versus comparing with things with screens and stuff like that, like all these components and everything and bringing things in from all over the world. Like, I think everything is in flux right now.

[Mary]

So what's the third thing?

[Mike Minati]

I know, wait, let me guess. Is it it the next VR?

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Mike Minati]

Okay. Is it the Vive too?

[Dan Reichert]

It's the steel frame. It's the Steam frame, so.

[Mike Minati]

Oh no, wait, was the Vive them? No, that was htc, but they worked.

[Dan Reichert]

It was like a third party thing they did. So yes, it was involved, but they did. The index was.

[Mary]

I wonder if they're gonna do a new half life.

[Dan Reichert]

Let me make sure.

[Mike Minati]

Still going on VR.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. So it's a good one maybe. I think it is the best one I've ever used for sure. Like, so I'm showing you the picture here of kind of the whole suite of stuff. The front of that VR headset is the computer. Basically it's all a local thing, like the meta quest, but it is so light, so it's got the computer basically on the front and it's got the battery in the back and they have got it balanced extremely well. So in terms of comfort level, it is definitely the best I've used. And so something I think is really cool here is it comes with this dongle and you can use it locally. So you can use it like a meta quest. Three, you can play games locally on it and everything. But that dongle will plug into the Steam machine or a PC and it will just send the gameplay, like all the gameplay information, graphical information, everything goes over the dongle. My understanding is not using the Internet, it is just using it locally, just kind of beaming it there and then it will. So that way it's like if you have bad wifi or something like that, it's not going to be super hitchy and shitty because it's using your wifi. This dongle will send it. And just the gameplay stuff, just the stuff needed for the gameplay versus like you know, Discord voice chat, other Internet applications and things like that. So we, we, we. They turned on some debug filters for us when I was using it. And they have a thing where it's like they have a 10% of your view basically. Like, which sounds like a very small amount, but like they turned, they, they toggled it on and off and it's like, like basically the center of your view, no matter where you're looking, with both your head and your eyes, it's got eye tracking. They are putting way more like horsepower into that 10% window that the center of your eyes is looking at. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

What's that called?

[Dan Reichert]

And they're doing the thing. They've done it in like standard non VR games as well, where it's like, you know, it'll be. Is it dynamic rendering or. I forget.

[Mike Minati]

No, there's a, there's a. Cool, I'll look it up. Something like that.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I think they had a term for it here they called like foveated streaming or something.

[Mike Minati]

Foveated, yes. That was what I was thinking of.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, they were using the term foveated a lot.

[Mike Minati]

I think, I think Meta also used that. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay, okay.

[Mike Minati]

And maybe not to the extent you're talking about, but that's. I knew I had heard that phrase before and I didn't see this stuff yet.

[Mary]

But it's all wireless and so you're not connected to anything.

[Dan Reichert]

At no point will you be wired. I mean, I don't even know if.

[Mike Minati]

That'S a possibility to charge though. Like you could plug in so you don't have to. How would you, how do you charge this thing?

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I would just assume like anything else, you just plug it in when you're not using it.

[Mike Minati]

Right. But if you have zero, if you have zero battery, I'm just refuting the fact that you'll never be wired. If you have zero battery and you want to play it, you're going to have to have it plugged in.

[Dan Reichert]

Wired. That's probably an option to just play.

[Mike Minati]

I'm being an asshole.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm sure you can plug the fucking thing in. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

How do you charge this thing?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, no, it's, it's, it's really solid. I, I remain skeptical of Just like VR in general because until they're actually like, look, Half Life Alex kicks ass. And I played Half Life Alex beaming off of the.

[Mary]

Such a good breaking game.

[Dan Reichert]

No doubt this will be the best way to play it. Just like super easy streaming.

[Mary]

That's what I'm saying, is there gonna be a new Half Life?

[Dan Reichert]

They didn't say anything about that.

[Mary]

But Half Life, Brad.

[Mike Minati]

Oh my God. If they, if they in some world did like announce that this is gonna launch with A Half Life 3, they. That would just. I mean there's, that's a no, I'm not actually thinking it's gonna happen. There's no way. What they need to do, if anything, like, I think this lineup's kind of cool. Like, I think it all looks good. I like this aesthetic. It's ten times better than the monstrosity that is the PS5 that I've still not gotten used to seeing in my home. The console itself, the design of the console itself, yes, I think this stuff is all slick looking. I like all this. It's packable.

[Dan Reichert]

Like when I go home for the holidays, I'm not bringing a fucking any modern console outside of the Switch. Like, this thing is very packable. And I think more importantly, the thing I kept thinking about here was someone like my sister who loves video games. Games. Just her whole life has loved video games, but has never had, never played games on a PC. You know, never, never had that. Like, this is a way to like, like if something's just on Steam, she's not playing it. She's. Even if it's like super for her and I would love for her to check it out, I'm never going to recommend it because she just doesn't have a way to play it.

[Mary]

Right.

[Dan Reichert]

This is, this is a console. This is a box that you plug into your tv, but it has access to your entire Steam library.

[Mary]

I will say the use case for me is like, when I play PC games, I have to go on upstairs into my work station where my gaming space is. And that's fine, I can do it. But the thing I really want to do is play PC games on the couch in the comfort of my home. But I don't have another PC set up there. So I play my Steam deck on the couch. This I would connect to my tv and I think that is kind of the game changer for me.

[Dan Reichert]

So here's another thing too is let's say, okay, Hades two runs great on the Steam deck. You play it on there. Then you can also go play it on the Steam machine on your tv. Same thing I said about the SD card works with the Steam frame as well, where you pop it in there and all your games on Steam are there. And so even 2D games. So like anything on Steam, I played Hades 2 in the Steam Frame and did the thing where it blew up the screen super big. The resolution was awesome. Like, it was a super comfortable, cool way to play that game. It's got the split controllers. I sent you guys the photo here. You can see it's, you know, if you've seen like a Meta Quest controller or something like that, it looks similar, but it was a very comfortable, cool way to play Hades too. So, like, if you were in that Steam ecosystem, you have so many different options here that, you know, assuming it works the way they're saying it will, and the way I experienced it working is it's just this seamless way to, like, I don't know, do you want to play it on a Steam deck, on a plane? Do you want to play it on your TV at home? Do you want to play it in VR? Like, it's really, really cool stuff they're doing here.

[Mary]

Very cool.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. There's like a world in which, if I have all of them, I'm in here playing Rainbow six Siege on mouse and keyboard, or a strategy game on mouse and keyboard. But then I'm like, oh, I'm. I'm gonna go hang out in the living room with Amanda. I bring my Steam deck. And then my brother texts me. He's like, hey, do you wanna play Apex on Steam? And I'm like, sure. And then I bring. I come back in and now I'm all of a sudden on this console. Like, that's the seamlessness. And also, like, I trust Valve to figure out the software side of things and the platform side of things and the hardware now at this point. So that's all super promising. I would like to have that full suite as of now pending. Yeah. To Mary's point, like, how much I'm.

[Mary]

Gonna have to pay for how much is it? Because I don't know. Yeah, I'm saying that rhetorically. It's. Dan, how much is it? Because I have computers that when I build them, it's nice because then I can replace pieces. What's kind of frustrating about buying a PC console is like, again, that's why I bring up the price point is like, if I'm gonna spend 700, I'm gonna build my own PC and then replace pieces as I need to. This is like a one and done Cuber.

[Mike Minati]

Or is it modular, did they say?

[Mary]

I doubt it.

[Mike Minati]

I do too.

[Dan Reichert]

Look at the spec sheet here. I want to say they said something about, like, they might have said, like, certain elements of it could, like storage and things like that, but I don't want to say anything for sure because.

[Mary]

I'm only seeing two USB Cs and one. No, wait, yeah, two USBs and one C port.

[Dan Reichert]

And it's like, okay, here, four USB A ports, two USB three in the front, two USB, two in the rear. Yeah. Okay. I'm not seeing anything on the spec sheet about modification, but, you know, TBD on that. I don't want to say anything like that.

[Mary]

I doubt it. I mean, usually in. On consoles, they don't want you like opening her up and like fixing it. So it's just like, again, for a PC situation, especially for people who are like playing multiplayer games, you're gonna need to hook up your mic and, you know, like other components. And so anyway, when I'm like streaming, I need to have a rig. So I probably. I would never use this for like streaming, but for gaming casually. This has a market, but again, only to a certain price. At a certain price, like just build.

[Dan Reichert]

These days, any new piece of hardware. I'm just always bracing for it to be more than people want or expect. Yeah, probably fair.

[Mary]

I think I expect the worst.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary]

I'm still so hopeful. I'm so hopeful that it won't crush me with its cost.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I. By the time this episode goes up, the announcement will have officially gone out from Valve, but I. I don't think they're going to be announcing the price this soon.

[Mary]

So I think they know better. With what happened, plus all the other stuff, it's probably still actually like malleable based on tariffs and a bunch of other factors of what it will end up being.

[Dan Reichert]

Yep.

[Mary]

Crazy cool, Dan.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, very, very. Like, that's the thing is like, they don't. They are very selective and when they reach out to press and stuff like that, and every time they have reached out, it's been for a good reason. And so, yeah, we. We took the trip and went out there and it's like, oh, okay, you guys have some. Some real cooking here.

[Mary]

It's no games.

[Dan Reichert]

Very excited. They didn't announce anything about, like, games or anything like that. I played.

[Mary]

What did you play?

[Dan Reichert]

I played Hades 2. I played half Life Alyx. I played. There was. I forget the name of this game. It was a. You're on a boat talking to a dude. I don't know, you know, a boat.

[Mike Minati]

Boat Spirit Fairer.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, it was a storm. There was a guy with a hat on a boat.

[Mike Minati]

Bit. Sea of Thieves.

[Mary]

There's only like two games.

[Dan Reichert]

It was like an indie game.

[Mike Minati]

I wasn't aware, man of Badan Turn of the older.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I played Cyberpunk. I played Metal Gear Solid Delta. I played. You know, they said like, the Steam library as of now is like, it can kind of run everything at like 4K60.

[Mike Minati]

The. The.

[Dan Reichert]

The Steam machine. So cool. Yeah, cool. Oh, wait, sorry.

[Mike Minati]

And they. There's no, like, launch window early next year. Oh, gotcha.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Minati]

So, like, I would see, like, I wonder if. Yeah, I wonder if we'll see price stuff like, before the New Year's or not. I don't think so. I think if they're going to. They do it right now, but yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Cool, Cool.

[Mike Minati]

Speaking of new hardware, I caught up and got a Switch two. And so far I've played a bunch of ports for like, work purposes just to test stuff out, but tried Mario Kart as well. Cool stuff there. That game is like. I don't know that I'll keep going back. I was never the biggest Mario Kart.

[Mary]

Person console seller, in my opinion.

[Mike Minati]

That game is not. But fucking Dan, I'm. I'm not trying to be mean. When you talk, when you talk a big game about Nintendo games, I think you, you'll be the first to admit, like, you really like Nintendo games.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I, I think you're.

[Mike Minati]

You're capable of looking past your Nintendo mark.

[Dan Reichert]

I have given so many bad reviews to first party Nintendo games. Pull up a list if you need them. Paper Mario, Color Splash, Star Fox, Zero, all on Nintendo all day.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, those games suck, though. But, like, I'm just. Yeah, when you really like Nintendo games, I'm always like, oh, cool. And then also when I hear that Giant Bomb likes a 3D platformer, I'm like, what else is new? So I was like, okay. I went into this game with high expectations because it's the Super Mario Odyssey team and because it just. I've heard a lot of people say it's really good. That game is fucking good. But I realize people who are listening to this have probably heard a lot of people talk about this game.

[Dan Reichert]

So far.

[Mike Minati]

I won't like, harp on this game too long, especially because we've got Game of the Year coming up soon. I'm going to save it some stuff for that. I'm only two. Two worlds in two layers, quote, unquote. You have so much to come, not counting sub layers. So this nomenclature is weird. You're basically, instead of going between worlds, you're going deeper and deeper into this planet toward the core. But of course, once you get down to a certain one, you're outside in a lagoon or hilltops or a forest, et cetera. But I don't think this game is. Is perfect by any means. I think the camera, I mean so those who don't know you can break almost everything in this game. It's Donkey Kong. You're just smashing almost non stop. You can punch upward, you can punch downward, you could punch forward. You can surf on these explosive blocks. You can punch through walls. You're doing this ground slam to highlight collectible items like bananas or seashells or whatever the thematic item is in that world. And you're highlighting them like with a sonar ping when you slam the ground. Which is a really nice creative use of that. It's gonna happen when you get into tight tunnels in this game. The camera's not gonna know how the fuck to react. It gets a bit annoying. I forgive it just because again they are letting me basically dig into the bowels of this game with by punching the ground and minecrafting my way through the environment. But like the amount of creativity on display is just unreal.

[Dan Reichert]

The joy.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah it's the like it's the most like capital V, capital G video game of. I'm trying to remember. I think we, we've talked about this a lot. Like Mary, you would love this game. I think like it. Obviously the Switch 2 is not everybody has one. But like if you get it, I would actually like. Now I know how much I like this. I wish I had gotten a switch to sooner. The worlds are gorgeous. The fact that like it's super reductive at this point to like compare it to Super Mario Odyssey. But I will say that that team is so good at classic Mario games are just like genius in the way that they can introduce an idea and then put a twist on an idea and then like test you to master the idea. Whether against a boss or just like a more difficult world world. The fact that they can still sort of pull that off in a wide open world. Like these areas are not completely wide open, but for all intensive purposes they kind of are. Especially because you can just dig from one side to another in certain cases. The fact that they can still to onboard and tutorialize such like fun creative ideas. But then by the time you get to a different part of the map, it's just you've mastered it and now you're being tested in a really creative way against a boss. Like, like I also just love that half the time the solution is just to smash things like everything they're under. No illusion that Donkey Kong needs to be anything Other than an ape that really fucking likes bananas and smashes everything. It's amazing.

[Dan Reichert]

Donkey Kong's not doing witness puzzles, you know. No. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

There's no secret thing happening in the sky that you need to draw a line across. It's just. It went in doubt climb something. Or you could almost climb nearly anything as well. Unless it's a certain surface or break.

[Dan Reichert]

Anything, throw a boulder at something thing. Yeah, they.

[Mike Minati]

They are not precious about, like. It's just. I come across, like, there's this lagoon that's been drained or like there. This water source up in the sky has been plugged up by this villain. And you're trying to remove these butt plugs to let the water flow back down. But of course, there's a monkey trying to fish in a lagoon. And you can see his thought bubble or his conversation bubble from a. Like a few feet away. And he's just like. Like, finally some peace and quiet to fish. And then I come through slamming the ground and breaking all the palm trees and, like, basically just destroying the pond. He's like, well, now I gotta find somewhere else to fish. Like you can. The world. And the NPCs are so nonchalant about you just wrecking everything. Oh, it's the. It's. It's amazing.

[Dan Reichert]

It's the most like. Yeah, just hop into a world and run around and stuff up. And you're gonna. You're gonna just come across fun stuff to do and specific challenges and stuff like that. But you really can just aimlessly go through the world and punch stuff. And it's not. It's not totally mindless in that way, you know.

[Mary]

Right.

[Mike Minati]

I was gonna say, much of the time it can be mindless and you're just smashing stuff. And I'm like, going into a trance, just destroying everything because it's so satisfying and the haptic feedback and it's such a crunchy game. It feels amazing to play. But then other times, there's like, oh, right. It's the. It's this team. They know how to create a puzzle, which, again, they're not gonna be the most complicated puzzles. But every once in a while, I have had to stop and think a bit, or at least, like, look around and take in the environment and figure things out. My next step. But it. Yeah, it's just. I also. Oh, God, I love that there's. There was one point where I thought of you, Dan, and I was like, oh, my God. I think they made this game for Dan Reichert. Basically, you have to hear one character Talk or read his. His, you know, a rant for like 60 seconds, which by this game's measurement is a long time. And I was like, oh, I wonder how Dan felt about this. And then all of a sudden you get a banana just for sitting through the dialogue.

[Dan Reichert]

Which times, congrats. Here's a golden banana.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. And then Donkey Kong. Like, of course now I got a skill point. And now all of a sudden I can punch through harder terrain. No, that game's amazing. It's just like, I love Super Mario Odyssey. I liked Astrobot for, for what it's worth, and I thought that game was like, just joyful and they had a blast making it. And it's just unabashedly a video game. But like Donkey Kong Bonanza, I. I don't know that another game this year compares in terms of just like, it's not trying to be anything other than what it is. And what it is is they just nailed almost everything they've been trying to do so far. And yeah, it's great. I'm glad they came a whole bunch. Yeah, it's. It's phenomenal. I like it quite a bit.

[Mary]

I'm glad.

[Mike Minati]

Mary, what have you been playing?

[Mary]

I've been playing a little game called I Should be like one of the best titled games of the year. RV there yet. Which is a co op or what we've been calling. What do you call it, like Sloan Slop Friend Slop game. About four people who need to get in an RV and go to a destination on a map. But most of the time you're smoking and drinking and chilling by the water. And it's just a really fun, stupid game to play with your friends because there's nothing truly serious about it. There's a complete dedicated button to smoking. And so you just constantly have a cigarette in your mouth and you're like all smoking while you talk to each other and planning what you're gonna do. So the actual, like, gameplay is, is that the RV can get stuck on the terrain. It puts you in some, like, really precarious situations. Mud, really tall, steep hills, you know, precarious mountaintops, etc, and so you need to be able to use the tools to get your RV through these physical puzzles. There's a winch, which is my favorite. It's kind of op. And you can attach a cable from your RV the front or the back to pull your RV through some of these spaces. There's also like wedges that you might want to put. And then just like classic stuff like a wooden Board. And so you put the wooden board in front of the tires. If you're stuck in the mud and.

[Dan Reichert]

Things like that, you can also attach the winch to other players. So if you're playing with four players, if we were doing a stream, I attached it to Jeff Bacalar and suddenly Mike Naughty's driving the RV and it's dragging Jeff Bacalar along.

[Mary]

So funny, like the situations that you get into. But, like, it really is the surprises of the game that I think, think made us love it so much. Like, you know, running into the trees to be like, I wonder what's ahead, and then running back and being like, bear, bear, bear. And there are bears in the game and elk. For some reason, that can impact your gameplay. So we. We laughed a lot about all the crazy antics we got into. The RV is a stick shift, which is a very funny thing to play in a video game. So you have to, like, push in the clutch, go into first and second gear to be able to drive. And the game is just. It's just very cheeky. What does it say? It says, like in the instructions, it goes, oh, if you never learned how to drive a stick shift, it's time to learn. And so it's just kind of like making you try these things for the first time. I think when the coffee cup is full, it has the option to drink. And when the coffee cup is empty and you're holding it, the option for action is to do nothing. It just literally says do nothing because there's nothing in the coffee cup. Like, these guys had fun making this stupid game and allowing you to play.

[Dan Reichert]

And there's fun stuff you can do too, where it's like, almost like air traffic control, arms and stuff. So if you're like, you know, you can move arms individually to point. Like, oh, you're far away. It's. I told you guys about the movie Sorcerer or it's with the truck, the drawbridge. Yeah, it's a lot like that. It's a lot like there's. It's like William Friedkin Sorcerer to, like, lay down, you know, planks and stuff across, like a river. And you're driving an RV across it and one person's on the other side. Okay, go this way, go this way. And you've got the Prox chat and all that stuff. You can also just kind of wildly motion towards things. It's. It does. There is that good mix of, like, actual gameplay there. And it's not just total chaos, but also, like, they know what kind of game they're making. And there's enough silliness there too.

[Mary]

They knew what they were making for sure, and they kind of honed in on that. There's a lot of stuff that isn't really final, but. But it's fine. Snakes in that game are just like a straight up. Like, it just looks like a long piece of brown. It doesn't have any snake qualities, but if you get close to it, it will bite you and poison you. So they, like, knew where to put their. Their energy, and it was not in snake animations. This thing looks.

[Dan Reichert]

They put in a bunch of chubby little dudes. That's your guys.

[Mary]

They put in a bunch of chubby little dudes. There's hats that you get to wear. So a lot of things to enjoy about the game. I also will just say it's. It's lovely to actually sit and rest and look at the beautiful vistas the game puts you in and have a cigarette. I just kept. I kept finding myself being like, it's time for lunch, A little lunch break, right? Like, let's have a little cigarette and, like, enjoy the view. And we would. We would do that a lot. The cooking in the game is very silly. So health is you. You know, you can break bones falling and stuff like that. And one way to get your health back is to eat. So when you first start, there's these frozen patties, and if you come across a grill and you light the grill, you put the frozen patties on the grill, and after, like, I don't know, 10, 15 seconds, it literally goes. And a full burger with lettuce, cheese, onion, tomato comes out. It just kind of pops out, and then you go collect it and eat it. I think it's. It's whimsical and cheeky and fun, and I loved it. Like, some stuff I wish they did a little differently. I find that most problems can be solved with the winch, and I wish that they pushed the player to try other things. I found that in almost every situation, we'd be like, we can winch our ways out of here. But it's more interesting to lose. I think it's more interesting to be challenged with a situation where you cannot use the winch and you have to, like, brute force your way through it. The way you lose this game is everyone dying or your RV taking so much damage that it is essentially broken. And then you start back at your last save, but you can repair your RV at every save location. I found that very rarely did we destroy our RV and had to Start back at the save. And so I would have liked the game to challenge us even more. But the situations that it put you in is very whimsical when one of them was just a massive ramp that shot up and then a huge gap to get to the next area. And so it's like whoever's driving needs to be able to get into fifth gear very quickly and know what they're doing. And the rest of us are just holding on for dear life. And we. We had a good time. Like, the whole time we were laughing and pushing each other off cliffs. You can also pick each other up and throw. Throw each other, which I think is fun. A great friend slot game, especially in between rounds of peak or some other crap that you'd play with your friends. I think it's great.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm pro friend slot.

[Mary]

It's like $7, too. I like, bring up cost a lot with these things because, like, when you talk about friend slop or like, just some random stuff that you're like, I don't know if we're gonna love it, but it'd be nice to try it. I think under 15 is the amount of money where it's like, if it's less than 15, I'm not gonna worry about that. That's the cost of a movie ticket. It's a cost of like, like couple beers at a bar. I will do that for an evening. And if we never play it again, that's worth it. But when the game is like 30, 40 bucks, that's like, well, better be good, you know, like, that's. That's like a lot of game dollars.

[Dan Reichert]

Especially games that like, really kind of require you to have friends to really enjoy, like, these. It's smart.

[Mike Minati]

It's easier to say, hey, go, go. Come play this with me. It's seven bucks.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, baby.

[Mary]

That's right. I think it's very alluring price point point for you to have one night with your friends where you try and drive an RV together. And there's lots of surprises. I don't want to, like, spoil them. Because if people are like, oh, I'm kind of interested, the more I say, the less, don't look it up. Because, like, it's. The fun part is discovering the stupid things that are in this game.

[Dan Reichert]

That's a good point about the money, too. It's like, you know, if you're just trying to convince a friend to get it, it's like an Uber to a bar is going to cost way more than that, you know?

[Mary]

Totally.

[Dan Reichert]

Let's Just hang out. Out. Yeah.

[Mary]

I think, and I actually think that is what happened and why I played it, is that we were all gonna go out, and then it. It didn't work out. And I was like, listen, I think it's eight bucks. Whatever. It's 7.99 for $7.99. This is an easy game evening for you to have fun all night and play this and enjoy it. So I think that alone is why it's a. It's sold for me as a quality experience.

[Dan Reichert]

Chance.

[Mary]

Does it need work? Absolutely. Our RV bugged out, I think, once. Yeah. It just totally couldn't handle the physics, and it was a total mess. But other than that, I mean, I just think it was really fun. We also had the same discovery of holding onto the wench. I fell into a snake pit, and they threw the wench down to save me. And I was like, holding on to this wench over a snake pit.

[Mike Minati]

Stop saying wench. It's not wench.

[Mary]

Winch.

[Dan Reichert]

What?

[Mike Minati]

Winch?

[Mary]

I like saying winch.

[Mike Minati]

No, the, the tool is a winch.

[Dan Reichert]

You say the same w. I, W.

[Mike Minati]

E. Oh, yeah, you're from the mid. You're both Midwest, I guess.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Italian. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

But you're saying they're different words.

[Mary]

How dare you?

[Dan Reichert]

No, it's like, jim. Jim. Winch. Winch.

[Mary]

Yeah, Winch. Winch.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

No, they're different things.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, no. Oh, I know how to spell everything.

[Mike Minati]

But I don't know how to say anything.

[Dan Reichert]

Not from that.

[Mike Minati]

That's Dan.

[Mary]

That's a good Dan impression.

[Mike Minati]

I, I, I got cool hardware news for you. Speaking of Dan, you played Arc Raiders that with Giant Bomb, folks.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, I've been playing that a lot with different groups. Played it with Giant Bomb, play it with Bonk. Play it with my sister Kayla. It is a fascinating game. I've never played an Extraction shooter before. Every time I've read about them, I have been, I guess, more disinterested than actively turned off at the idea. It's just like, okay, so you go into a multiplayer thing, and you're just getting loot, and then you can die and lose everything. And it's like. That doesn't sound appealing to me. Yeah, this one just kind of like, I, it seems like this is the one that made it accessible to kind of mainstream, you know, or skeptical people of the whole extraction shooter thing. It is close enough to, like, a pubg or a Helldivers experience, but also has, like, I can't speak to other extraction shooters because this is my first One. But I do understand what it is offering that is very different than other games of the Silk. And that's. It's the interactions with other players because it's PvP versus so it's like the main things you're kind of running into and actively getting into gunfights with are arcs, which are these floating things. It's hornets and wasps, basically these drones and stuff. You can shoot out their rotors and stuff. And it's. Even those encounters are really cool. Like, there's a lot of really good animations and everything and all these different, like kind of robot arc characters. But then there are also other human. You know, if you do solos, you're. You're prone to run into solos, you know, or you play with up to three. And it does very much change the way the games play out. Where it's like if you're playing trios, they tend to have more violent encounters with other players. I don't know if that's just by nature of like, okay, people getting a group of three together or more kind of hardcore about this or there's more kind of tension because there's three people here. But I've seen enough and played enough like solo as well any in duos to know that like, it kind of decreases the amount of aggression as you're doing that. Because like Bonk plays largely solo and I've watched her play a lot and it's a lot of like, you know, you'll run into a person there and, you know, you turn on the microphone. It's got prox chat and everything. But, hey, I'm a friendly. Oh, don't shoot. No, I'm a friendly. And like, oh, yeah. Okay, cool. Do you see this over here? Or like, oh, yeah, I tried to kill that thing over like actually having these moments of like human interaction and stuff and then they don't kill each other. And then there are times too where it's like, oh, okay, you went to extract, extract. And at the very end, somebody like right before the elevator came game kills you. Even though they told you that they're friendly and stuff, you approach with your gun out and stuff. Like those moments of tension at the.

[Mike Minati]

End of which thing.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah. But it's also prone to like, God, we did a stream. I implore anyone to check this out. It was Unprofessional Fridays with me, Jeff Grubb and Kayla, my sister playing. And it was the funniest fucking thing I have played in so long because, Kayla, I am trying to be the voice of reason here, and I'm trying to like, approach other people, like, whoa.

[Mary]

We'Re cool, we're cool.

[Dan Reichert]

Hey, hey, no, no, let's work together. If you want some stuff here, go ahead. And Kayla is just screaming threats at them and just being the most vulgar. Just talking about how she says, I'm gonna full frontal your ass or I'm gonna be your stepmom's mom. Doesn't even make sense. But like, she was like, she would just get in people's faces and scream so much that most of these encounters, the other teams just ran away because they didn't want to deal with her. Would be like, apologizing for, hey, I'm sorry about my sister. I'm sorry. No, no, she's not gonna hurt you. She's not gonna hurt you. And people just taking off and like leaving loot for us because they were scared of my sister.

[Mike Minati]

So that's unreal. She's the. What's the character? And the wild card character in Heat at the beginning.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, oh, what's his name? Yeah, not Wayne. Not Wayne. Gross. Yeah, yeah, she's that. And it's just like what she is. Just. Yeah. It's so many different types of gameplay. You can get between like just that peaceful kind of looting and extracting of a solo game. But it's also really good for, like, I've been playing on PC and PS5. It is probably the best use case I've ever seen for the PS5 mic situation where it's like you've got the mute button right there. You've got like, this game doesn't require. If you're playing solos, you don't need a headset on. Like, I'm someone who really doesn't like wearing headsets when I'm playing games. So it's just a thing where it's like, oh, you see someone in the distance or someone in the same building as you, you just unmute and you're like, hey, I'm a friendly. No. Yeah, go ahead. There's some loot back there. Okay, cool. See ya. All right. Don't shoot. You know, like. And then you mute again. So it's, it's really, really good for that. Yeah. And sometimes you'll have like, you know, doing a trio's thing. You run into another trio and then it's all six of you fighting against some huge, you know, this bastion creature, this mother, like all these, these leapers, these big robots and stuff like that. And it's, you know, it's the best case of like, Emergent gameplay, I feel, where it's like everyone's kind of getting their own stories and it's really unlike things you would see, like, you know, a Pubg, a Fortnight, a Helldivers, you know, you see something, you're shooting it. It's. It's more nuanced here in a really cool way.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. The social experimentation there is like the compelling thing. I think technically the ability to do that in Escape from Tarkov exists. But I would say percentage wise, 90% of the time in Tarkov, you're. You're fighting the other people, like, right away. The fact that they created this game in this world in which it kind of. You can. That's an option to be. Not pacifist, but, like, team up is really cool. And. Yeah, I agree. I think this is. It's a pretty accessible take on the genre, especially compared to some of the more hardcore ones.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I can't tell you the amount of times I've turned to Bonk and be like, wow, I've never had an experience like that where it's like me and Bonk will be playing together and we'll run into another couple and we'll just be like, oh, shit, are we about to die? And then we talk for a second and then we're like, oh, now we're just kind of working together and stuff. And I like, oh, cool. Then we go our separate ways and everything's like, that's fucking cool. I've never had anything quite like that. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Gamifying trust is a really cool thing. Or like the. I guess among us sort of traded on that when it was blowing up in a different way. In a social, like, purely social situation. This. The array of objectives that you have to complete or the options to complete. And like, the. A number of factors that can happen once you do team up. Up can just make the tension either escalate or it can maybe mitigate it in some respects because then you get through a bunch of tough fights, but you still have to extract with those people. And sometimes that at the end is.

[Dan Reichert]

Like the tension of just there. Like, you all have guns and you're all just waiting. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

You can get like a genuine. I felt a genuine sense of betrayal playing that game with just a stranger I just met. It's like. It's like, oh, okay. It makes Journey look like infantile and retro. No, I'm joking. But it's a similar thing where it's like you can have a meaningful experience with someone and then if they. You over at the End it genuinely. I'm like, I thought we had something.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't like them as a person. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

To be clear, I have been that the person betraying people you mainly to like see how it worked at the beginning.

[Dan Reichert]

There's no excuse. If there were one thing I would criticize it for, it's that in a genre that I've heard is mostly about getting loot and hanging on to it and getting better loot, it's. I find that like I'm constantly just having to like deal with inventory management and like, I don't know, I got a million pieces of plastic and rubber and metal and wires and tubes and it's like I'm not super sure what I need to. You know, like, there's certain obvious things to level up and you can level up your guns and your kind of workbenches and all that stuff and there's certain quests tied to things. So like there's some obvious ones and it's got smart stuff with like tracking certain things you need in the field. But ultimately I've spent a lot of time just looking at a grid of shit and like old metal and rubber and being like, I just want to get rid of. How do I just clear up more space here, you know, what can I get rid of? So that stuff is kind of laborious in between, but I don't know. The special moments while you're, you know, in the shit are worth it, I think.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. I don't want to forgive it for the inventory just by. Just because that is a big thing in extraction shooters. Because I agree. I do think they. A lot of the new. I think a lot of the loot could be more interesting, more like compelling just on at face at first glance. And I would say like they do have some good quality of life things for sure in terms of how to rearrange your inventory and stacking certain items and whatnot. But they still definitely have a ways to go with that because yeah, it's not. Are you playing mouse and keyboard or a controller?

[Dan Reichert]

I'm muted myself. I'm mainly playing on PS5, but I tried a little bit of PC. It's kind of. I kind of been doing a little mouse and keyboard for inventory management and I switched switch to controller for the actual game.

[Mike Minati]

That's what I was going to recommend because like on PC those games are so much more doable between the actual runs because you can just click and drag stuff right click, left click, etc. Scroll. I don't know. Time tail is always Time that I think keyboard mouse are better for that kind of stuff. But which to go back.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm very excited to hear what you think once the Steam machine and controller come out, because that, like, that was the best, like, mouse on a TV experience I've ever had by a long shot.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, speaking of that, I tried the mouse mode with the Switch 2. I did not love it. It did not feel as. I don't know when I would actually just use that. Like, I'm not gonna play Cyberpunk or I'm not gonna play Metroid Prime.

[Dan Reichert]

It's the thing where, you know, by the time Switch 2 is done, there will be seven games that utilized it. And, like, one of them was Mario Paint on nso. You know, it's. Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

No, but that's good to hear that.

[Mary]

The is it accessibility thing, where it's opening it up for.

[Mike Minati]

It could be.

[Mary]

I can see that other ways to utilize it. To me, like, that has value. Right. For other people to be able to be able to play in different ways. I just don't see a. A good reason that I would use it.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I thought with the Switch too. I. I've thought about it in that, like, I think it'd be cool, like, on a plane. And if I want to play Metroid and, like, set it up, you know, use the kickstand on the tray and then play with mouse and keyboard. I, I would at least try that, but I could also see myself doing it for 15 minutes and being like, I'll play with the controller. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

I don't know what world. It would be more than a gimmick for me, but.

[Dan Reichert]

Dragon Drive, we're all playing Dragon Drive esports, right? Wheelchair basketball. No. Setting the world on camera.

[Mike Minati]

Should I be playing that?

[Dan Reichert]

No, no one's playing it.

[Mike Minati]

Oh.

[Mary]

But we are playing Simpsons Fortnite.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, yeah. Mary, did you check this out or just.

[Mary]

No, but I'm curious about it because obviously it's Simpsons.

[Mike Minati]

I, I. No, I was just gonna make fun of your transition. No, it wasn't. I didn't have a transition. Dan, how was the Simpsons?

[Mary]

Yeah, I'm, like, really curious about it because I, I love the Simpsons game, and I always thought that the Simpsons is such a good. It's just a really, really. It's a really good thing to have as a video game format because it's so playful and stupid. But I don't know how they did it historically.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, they have really run the gamut between, like, some of the worst games I've ever Played are Simpsons games. And then like some pretty good experiences. I won't say like, I don't think there's an all time great like the arcade game. Yes, Everyone has fond experiences of. I don't know, you play with infinite quarters or whatever on free play. It's pretty basic.

[Mary]

The driving one.

[Dan Reichert]

So that's the hit and run. I never went all the way through it. I know. I don't know why I didn't. Like I loved it was on GameCube, PS2 and everything. I just never played it. I guess not. Virtual Bart, Bart versus Space Mutants. All these things. Even the Simpsons game for the movie. Like Virtual Bart had the egg throwing thing. The tomato thing was good. But like I always wanted to love Simpsons games more than I did. I remember there was a PC game called Virtual Springfield. And I hesitate to even call it a game. It came on a CD that looked like a Homer donut donut. And you put it in and it was just the most like mid to late 90s CD ROM thing of just kind of like it wasn't FMV. It was just you could kind of walk through Springfield like it was a missed game or something. And just the idea of like exploring that space that I love so much from the show being like, oh, wow. I never thought about how like to get from the Simpsons house to Most Tavern, you had to go down here. I didn't know this was by here. Oh, that's where the nuclear plant is. And I get to walk around like that was such a novelty. And I feel like again, not having played Hit and Run or Road Road Rage or whatever, I had never really experienced that in the game. As well as Fortnite. Here is Fortnite. First of all, the opening, like when the, you know, the bus is going through. It's the full on Simpsons going through the clouds thing. But it says like Battle Royale and you drop down out of the. It's Duff is slurp in this. But all the logo and everything looks the same and it's just okay, well, there's the power plant. There's Burns Mansion. There's downtown. There's the Jebediah Springfield in the city hall and everything. Here's Evergreen Terr and Flanders's house and everything. It's just so cool. And like visually it all looks incredible. It all looks just like it looks like the Simpsons. But you're also, you know, you're playing a solid snake and running into Flanders's house and Goku comes in. You got to shoot him with a gun. It's just insane fever dream that I can't help but laugh at. But also, it's Fortnite, so it's a really good game. And they do.

[Mary]

Can you go in the house?

[Dan Reichert]

House? Oh, yeah. You go into the house? Yeah, you can go into the house and like, you can go up to the Simpsons couch and press X and you're sitting on the couch. So I was solid Snake sitting on the couch with Kayla, who is Vegeta, and we're doing like a couch gag together. And like, Marge is walking around. You can talk to him and get missions from them. And there's so many gags. Like, the people who worked on this so clearly understood, you know, the Simpsons and everything, where it's like, it's. I'm sure there are a million gags and stuff that happened in seasons 12 through 600, whatever they're on now. But it's. It's going for the ones where it's like, okay, you see a rake on the ground and it's like, oh, I. I bet they do the thing. And then you walk up and the rake happens, and it's like all these little bits and jokes and everything. And Blinky the three eyed fish is one of the items that gives you a boost and stuff.

[Mary]

That's good.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Instead. Yeah, instead of Duff, it's just Slurp. So you can get like six packs of Slurp and stuff like that, and it gives you boosts and it's just. Just incredibly well put together. Stuff that, like, as a Fortnite fan, this all works great as a battle royale game. And as a Simpsons fan, it is such a good love letter to the Simpsons. Like, it's hard to say that it's not the best Simpsons video game experience ever. Again, not having played hit and run. But it's. It's. It's perfect. It's so much better and bigger in scope than I. I could have expected. The whole map is just spring.

[Mike Minati]

Here's my question. I don't know if you two, like, have a definitive answer. My impression is that the crossover between Simpsons fans and Fortnite demographics would. Would not have been that huge.

[Dan Reichert]

Right. Because the Simpsons isn't really hot now. And Fortnite.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, I was surprised. Like, everybody I've talked to says the same exact thing. It's like, super faithful and, like, just packed to the brim with Easter egg kind of stuff. But, like, someone was saying maybe it's like, you know, like, well, the children even.

[Mary]

Even know about the rake joke.

[Dan Reichert]

That's the Thing I've been thinking about with Fortnite a lot is that like, yes, they do have modern stuff where they'll have Sabrina Carpenter or K pop Demon Hunters or something in there. So they're smart about that. But also you look at how much that is like, here's Ellen Ripley from Alien. Here's the Terminator, here's the Simpsons. Here's like, you know, Mark Hamill from the original trilogy. It's. They kind of are casting a wide net here. And I think somebody brought up to me that like, oh, it's a lot of people that own these IPs of like old classic sci fi action, whatever things. It's like this is a way to introduce kids into this old.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, you automatically get like cool points just by being in for a point.

[Dan Reichert]

Right.

[Mike Minati]

I feel like.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, but like, but also modern current things. Again, K Pop Demon Hunters, huge. They're in there. You know, it's. It really is a kind of staggering achievement what they've done with this game. The fact that it is still a really good video game and it is just, just objectively the wildest roster of IP in video game history. It's like not even fucking close, you know?

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, no, I've. I've heard the same thing. I've heard people who, they're like, like, I was talking to Burt's. He was playing it and showing his daughter because like he understood all the references. I don't know her knowledge of the Simpsons, but I also imagine there's a decent amount of parents that are like showing their kids stuff in there too, which is kind of cool.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, Ellen Ripley and stuff like that. That'd be so cool. Like a kid who's like kind of getting into sci fi or horror or something. Oh, yeah. Oh, that's from Alien. Do you want to that. Yeah, yeah. Unless you're Jeff Baklar and you don't let your kids see anything cool until he turns 30.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, is that happening?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah, yeah. His son's like a 24 year old hockey player and he can't see Jaws.

[Mike Minati]

Wow.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's really. Sounds like B. Yeah, Jaws, that's just.

[Mary]

A rite of passage.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, that's like the coolest movie you can see when you're six and you should see when you're six.

[Mike Minati]

I'm 34 and it's still one of my top five movies of all time.

[Dan Reichert]

And I. So. Yeah, yeah, no, I. I have this conversation frequently with him. It's insane. Change.

[Mike Minati]

Is Bacalar a shitty dad.

[Dan Reichert]

He's a bad person. I think first and foremost, and I think that translates to the dad thing.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

And you haven't even met his son.

[Mike Minati]

His son's a. I've met him a handful of times.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, really? Oh, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

We play hockey together.

[Dan Reichert]

How much it's missing from your house after he showed up.

[Mike Minati]

No, wait, have I told you the story? When they came over a couple years.

[Dan Reichert]

Ago, what do you do?

[Mike Minati]

They all three of them came over, and they were in our kitchen for, like. You guys have been in my apartment? The kitchen's kind of the. The first place you go. Not 10 seconds in. We're catch. We're starting to catch up. Like, barely, like, took a few breaths to catch up, and he just goes, I'm bored. So I had to. I had to drive back and show him where rocking.

[Dan Reichert]

Threw him out the window.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary]

Give him a yo, yo.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. It was the funniest thing. I wasn't even mad. I was like, this is hilarious.

[Dan Reichert]

You're just really into this.

[Mary]

Ball and cup now. Yeah. You got to give him something.

[Mike Minati]

Not ball and cup, but Ball X Pit. Mary, you've been playing. Oh, God, I'm fucking on tonight. It's the cinnamon orange clove tea I drank.

[Mary]

Ooh, that's not alcohol. Ball X Pit is a game I heard other people talking about, and so I was like, I am susceptible to impressionism. I needed to know about this game.

[Mike Minati]

What are you talking about?

[Mary]

I think I got influenced.

[Mike Minati]

Okay. Gotcha.

[Dan Reichert]

Interesting.

[Mary]

I don't think impressionism is the right use. Come on.

[Dan Reichert]

That word.

[Mary]

But I. No, I got funny. I got Ball pit. This is a Vampire Survivors meets Balls with a Z. If you ever played that on your phone. Balls with a Z.

[Dan Reichert]

Wait, you're not Talking about balls 3D for the sake of Genesis and Super Nintendo, are you? Because balls 3D with a Z. Wait, is there. Is there a phone game ripping off balls 3d?

[Mary]

I. I don't know.

[Dan Reichert]

Now I recognize one. Balls with a Z. Z.

[Mary]

Balls with a Z is a phone app.

[Dan Reichert]

Whoa.

[Mike Minati]

I forgot about Balls from Super Nintendo.

[Mary]

A ball.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, my God.

[Mary]

Coming at you, and you want it to ricochet and hit as many balls as possible. And the more that it hits. Kind of like Brick Breaker. But like, okay, it's a. It's a bit more.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, my God.

[Mary]

Strategic. I feel like Brick Breaker is just like, hurry up and shoot.

[Dan Reichert]

More than balls 3D. The Battle of the balls.

[Mike Minati]

I'm.

[Mary]

Yeah. More than the weirdest 3D. The Battle of the Balls with a Z.

[Dan Reichert]

It's with a Z. I, I, I'm.

[Mike Minati]

Having one of those moments where I, I know for 110% for a fact that I have not accessed this bring wrinkle in my brain in probably 30 years.

[Mary]

Is it something?

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. I don't know what emotion this is. There's got to be a German phrase for it. Sorry, sorry. But ball X Pit.

[Mary]

Okay, so half vampire survivors, half brick breaker. Balls.

[Dan Reichert]

Phone balls.

[Mary]

Phone balls. So you are auto shooting. You can turn it off into like manual shooting. But I don't know why you would do that.

[Dan Reichert]

I always do.

[Mary]

Auto. Yeah, I don't know. And so auto shooting, as you collect the balls from the things that you have killed, you level up with three options. This is very Vampire Survivors. Right. And then you continue to shoot. But the mechanics of the pit is, what's interesting is like they're constantly shooting stuff at you and you have to again strategically try and get it in an area where the ball is just going to go crazy and bounce back and forth all inside of this space. Doing that is like quite rewarding and feels really good. And then for some other reason, when you've finished the game and beaten it and that feels really good when you get all the way to the end and you've killed the boss. I think there's two mini bosses that you complete with are different challenges. It ends in a boss fight.

[Dan Reichert]

There's a timeline on the side that.

[Mary]

Shows you correct, that tells you when you're complete and when you finally beat it. And that felt really good. It unlocks new levels, new characters. That's what's actually interesting about it. It's not just beating the game. It's beating the game on like different character sets that are a lot more difficult on different terrain sets that are diffic difficult. And then it has another area that's just straight up farming. And that was very different to me. I was very shocked by this. You like unlock spaces. You plant stuff like wheat and stone. You don't plant stone, but you. I don't have to, I don't have to explain myself to you. Wheat and wood and stone. And then you send your little brick breaker guys out on an angle and they, they farm.

[Dan Reichert]

There's a timer for like your, your farming or your harvesting time and stuff like that. So like there are ways that you can like, okay, I need to get a bunch of weeks. So I'm gonna make this corridor here and they're gonna be here. And I really liked that idea. I thought that was a fun Thing. It's like I really did, like, just the. The actual, like, missions, like the arcade style, just because they do clever things with that. Like, there's the one character that's the two characters, and they kind of like mirror each other's balls and stuff.

[Mary]

They do silhouette and there's one person that only shoots balls from the back. And so you're constantly. Where you're aiming is actually backwards because everything shoots from the behind mind of the game.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. And it's got that vampire survivors thing where it's like, okay, I've got this build going where it's like, I've got these ghost balls that, like, will go through things. And so now I'm gonna try to get all these things and like, evolve different powers together that work together well. So it's very Vampire survivors in that way, which I'm a huge sucker for. And then I do, like base building stuff too, and I like roguelite stuff. So, like, it was saying all the right stuff for me. And then when I got to the base building stuff, I still like this game a lot, lot. But the base building thing just didn't. I never got excited about it. When I got back, like, I think a great Roguelite is like, you know, a Hades or something where I get back to the hub and I'm like, okay, let me go. Like, who can I talk to? What can I cash in? What can I upgrade here? This one I get back, I'm like, I guess I'll put a wheat thing here and then I'll bounce them around. Like, it's. I did not love the in between stuff in this game.

[Mary]

I don't care for the in between either. I think it's an interesting choice and it's nice that they're testing it out every time you see another Vampire Survivor and Esque game. And I do think this is the most different of the vampire survivors. They've. They've made so many vampire survivors, but this is a very different take on it. I. I got really excited by all the ideas here. They're trying a lot of stuff and a lot of it works and some of it doesn't. I don't think, in my opinion, that the farming works. I don't get excited about it and I don't want to do it, but I think it's a neat test. I also think. Think some of the binding, so when you choose two different items, you can merge them into like a super item. Some of them are just so much better than others. It's really hard to not be tempted to go with the same build each time, because certain builds are just freaking insane, and other ones, I think are a little bit more blase. I have a lot more to play with it. I think I've only unlocked, like, 10 or so characters and five different lands, maybe four different lands. So I'd really like to play a little bit more of it. But I will say, like, when it comes to Vampire Survivors, I would have liked to see more, like, insane on the screen. Obviously, Ball X Pit does get to be fantastical on screen, but you're never. It's never as crazy as Vampire Survivors where, like, every square inch of that screen is an arrow or, like a dart or some magical, magical force field. This is just like you're shooting balls wildly at the screen and hoping that they kill all of your enemies through their bouncing. It's very satisfying, nevertheless.

[Dan Reichert]

Did you play megabunk?

[Mary]

No, but I have watched people play megabunk on. On Twitch, so I know what that.

[Dan Reichert]

One is as well, I think, because it's one of my favorites of the year. I think what you're saying it is. I think if you tried it, it's another one of those cheap ones too.

[Mary]

I think it's like, yeah, it's less than 10 bucks or something.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I would marry you, but it looks.

[Mary]

Like it's less than 10 bucks. You know what?

[Mike Minati]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

But, like, playing it like, it's. It really is probably my favorite Vampire Survivors.

[Mary]

Like, I love it.

[Dan Reichert]

I think you should check it out for a game of the year.

[Mary]

Yeah. Okay.

[Mike Minati]

I'm loving the general fact that that's becoming, like a genre unto itself.

[Mary]

Higher Survivors. Yeah. Auto shooters are interesting and the ability to, like, push the limits of what you think games should be able to do. Like, remember the first time you played Vampire Survivors? There was just so much on the screen, you were like, I think I broke it. And it's just fun to have that control in a. In a game, even if it's intended, it doesn't feel like it. I feel like Mega Bonk gives you that vibe as well, where it's like, you shouldn't be able to do this, but it. It lets you break it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yep. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

But. Yeah, yeah. Mary, play Mega Bonk. It's very good. Okay, I'm going to try Ball xpic. Downloaded it. Dan, you also played MK Legacy Collection.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I just fucking love Mortal Kombat. It's. I think Mount Rushmore of video game series that have, like, changed my life. I think it is Mario, Metal Gear Zelda and Mortal Kombat. And so for someone like me, it just loves the history of this game and all of its weird lore and weird characters and everything. And like the era that this focuses on is extremely just the sweet spot for me. Like, like I have been into it from the beginning including like more recent ones and the PS2 era and all that stuff. But like this era of it becoming like the biggest thing on the planet was what fascinated me the Most. It's.

[Mike Minati]

It's 92 to 03. So first game one.

[Dan Reichert]

Wait, wait, this, this collection? Well, it's like. Well I mean when I think first.

[Mike Minati]

Game to tournament edition.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I mean there are some like GBA ones on there or anything, but that those are kind of more like Easter egg. Like they've got special forces and mythologies and those are kind of like bonus add ons. I think the important ones to me are from Mortal Kombat 1 to Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and then Mortal Kombat 4. I kind of fell off because it went away from the digitized actors and went into 3D and at that point Virtual Fighter, Tekken, other things like that were just more interesting games. But the documentary stuff, well first I'll touch on the game stuff real quick. It is, is. It's incredible like the amount of stuff you can do in terms of like going into the individual games and saying like unlimited Fatality Timer. You can have the move list on the screen. Which like that was always like. One of the things that made Mortal Kombat harder to just pick up and play with someone who hadn't played before is you just constantly be looking at a move list if someone didn't know, like sure I know all of Sub Zero's moves, but if I'm playing against a friend that like doesn't know, okay, well this is down forward, whatever, but having it on the screen the whole time helps a ton. All the different CRT filters and arcade filters and save states and all that stuff, it just makes it a fatality. Trainers and all this stuff, it's just, it's a great way to just take in everything these games offered back then. But the thing I've really been diving into the last few days is the documentary stuff. And this is Digital Eclipse who did like, you know, the Atari 50 stuff. That is like a really, really cool way of. I don't want to say it's a gamifying a documentary because there's not much of a game to it. It's just like a timeline. It's an interactive timeline. That you can go between and, and like scroll through, you know, original drawings. Like here's the, the initial concepts for these characters. Here's the first notes about, you know, who Sonia could be. There's cool, like this one clip I saw last night was incredible of, you know, scorpion spear. The get over here thing is like the most iconic move in Mortal Kombat history. And there's literally footage of the actor, I think it was Daniel Pina playing Scorpion and, and Ed Boone, this 20 something year old Ed Boone is like. You know what would be fucking cool? What if you like threw out like you had a spear and had like a rope on the end of it and then you like pull him towards like you see the moment that Ed Boon thought like oh this would be sweet. And then you see Scorpion and full Scorpion gear. It's like, okay, yeah. And then he does the movement that, you know, like, for someone like me, it's like this is the coolest. And so I have just been like ravenously devouring all this documentary stuff and every photo and not note and flyer and all this stuff. And I realized now like Ben Hansen is for 15 years been yelling at me to watch all these documentaries and stuff and his double fine stuff and all that. And like I've always been like, I'm not interested, I'm not interested. I don't care, I'm not interested. Turns out it just has to be about a game I care about. I don't give a about double fine games. I love Mortal Kombat. And watching this is like the most fascinating treasure trove of like it, it's, I, I have not seen a behind the scenes thing like this that has hit me like this. Like I, I, I'll watch. Yeah, yeah, go ahead.

[Mike Minati]

No, it's what I wouldn't give to like have something like that for Zelda. Oh, it would never happen. I, I realize that's pipe dream, but like that'd be unreal to see like the moment when they figure out the hook shot.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh yeah, yeah. But this is, there's something really, there's, there's, there's a less cliche way to put this than like a punk type thing but, but like it's just a bunch of fucking 20 somethings in a office in Chicago. And they were in the 90s and they were kind of giving carte blanche to like, you know, like they keep talking these documentaries like nobody was really telling us what to do. Like they were just like come in and be like cool, keep it up. And so like These guys just like, they had one arcade cabinet. Yeah. And like they'd come in, they came in, they saw, they were worried about the fatalities and stuff and they're like, oh, we might be going too far here. And like the midway guys would come in and be like, sweet. It's like something.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. It was just such a cool before everybody wanted a. A hand that video games can make.

[Dan Reichert]

Corporate meddling and all that and everything. It was just a bunch of cool dudes that grew up on the same and they wanted to put all their cool influences into a game and they made one of the coolest things ever. And it, it is such a time capsule that made something so, so special. And, and watching this, you can tell how much passion these guys had for it and how much fun they had making it, which always came through in the games. Like I, you know, without ever seeing any of this behind the scenes stuff. You play Mortal Kombat games and you're like, these guys are having fun and it's so cool that so many of those guys from this footage from 1991 are still at NetherRealm now. And I think that's a big reason.

[Mike Minati]

My entire life.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, like Mortal Kombat has like had like, it never had, you know, it has games I like more than others and stuff like that. Like, I don't love the DC one or whatever, but like it never stopped feeling like Mortal Kombat. And it's like, because even as it grew, it was still these guys that fucking made this game and kept that DNA the same way throughout. And like, it's just. I've always loved Mortal Kombat. This is making me love it even more. It's a fantastic collection.

[Mary]

I love the behind the scenes stuff. I think that's really cool to, to get that kind of lore and that background of the people who love the. This just made this game what it is. And to see them care that deeply about it in a game. Very fun.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. I, that was like one of my favorite things about Command and Conquer remastered collection. They had so much that behind the scenes stuff. I love the museum aspects of these remasters, these collections.

[Dan Reichert]

It's.

[Mike Minati]

It's awesome. I want more people to do it.

[Dan Reichert]

But you'll frequently see this stuff where it's like, oh, here's some concept art or whatever. Like, you know, Omega Man Legacy collection. Like, here's a drawing of Cut man, you know.

[Mike Minati]

Oh yeah, no, don't half ass it.

[Dan Reichert]

This is like Digital Eclipse goes nuts with this stuff and it is so in Depth and like even just little things like oh, from the timeline of The Mortal Kombat 2 documentaries. You can like press a button and start playing Mortal Kombat 2 and you can play the arcade version. Do you want to play the Super Nintendo version? Do you want to play the Game Boy version? Do you want to play like it's just all of these different versions of these games. It's cool, I love it.

[Mary]

What about online?

[Dan Reichert]

I haven't, I haven't played a single online game yet. I, you know, honestly for me it's fighting. That's a reason.

[Mary]

Just like Mortal Kombat is so much about like competing.

[Dan Reichert]

But to me, I, I, I kind of pushed back on that because like to me I was never a hardcore fighting game guy. And I, I knew even back then that the hardcore fighting game guys went towards Street Fighter and I, I also think Street Fighter is a better mechanical fighting series than Mortal Kombat is. But it was the personality of Mortal Kombat. It was just the super over the top nature of the fatality, the silliness.

[Mike Minati]

The silliness.

[Dan Reichert]

But, but they, it was so fucking silly. But they also took their stories like seriously. They played it straight. Like it's the most ridiculous story, but the lore is actually kind of fun to follow. So like I think that's what made me drawn to it. It wasn't about like, I'm gonna be the best Mortal Kombat player and learn all these like high level, you know, fighting esport moves or whatever. It was just like, I don't know, Sub Zero is cool, you know. So that, that's what drew me to Mortal Kombat more than the heart. Hardcore fighting games, you know.

[Mike Minati]

Mary, what is Henry? Half head.

[Mary]

This is a quick one. It's a puzzler game. You play as Henry. You do have half of a head and you can embody a object and then become it and then you use that to solve puzzles. So one of the very narrator talks the entire time time there is a narrator. I didn't care for that. But I actually did play this game on my Steam deck while watching tv. So I actually didn't have the audio on.

[Dan Reichert]

It's probably smart. Yeah, because like the idea of like inhabiting all these different things is kind of fun. But it was, I kind of tapped out when every, I thought it was just like a tutorial. Like oh, Henry, he liked playing with his ball and oh, here he is, he's playing with his ball. Like shut the up, just let me play the game. Henry got into his Crib at night and went, sleepy boy. He's like, oh, I hate this.

[Mike Minati]

It sounds like Bastion, but they're narrating, like, boring stuff.

[Mary]

We had really different experiences because I didn't have the audio on.

[Dan Reichert]

Guys, just shut the up.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, my God.

[Mary]

I was just messing around with it. Like, it would. It has all these puzzles where it'll be like, make a party. And so you're. I'm. I'm inhabiting a plate and setting the table. I'm inhabiting candles and putting them on a cake. I'm inhabiting a match and lighting myself and then lighting the birthday cake. And when I did that, I threw a party and I was like, that's so cute. This is a cute little simple puzzler. But I actually never really listened to the game. Oh, my God. So that would be very annoying.

[Dan Reichert]

It is that, like, that did annoy me, but, like, also, like, the puzzles. And I played maybe like a. An hour or so of it.

[Mary]

Sure, sure.

[Dan Reichert]

Everything was just the most obvious. Okay, now I gotta. It's like you realize in two seconds, like, I gotta put the candles on the cake. And then it's like three minutes of, like, I'm rolling the candle over. Okay, let's get the candle. Okay, now it's like, it's. The puzzles weren't really doing it for me either. Like, it had a good look to it and everything.

[Mary]

It has a cute look to it. I think the puzzles are simple. I think that's super fair to say. I think it's cute. I think it's probably more for, like, younger kids.

[Dan Reichert]

I think Grub said is his dad. Daughters were liking it. So, like, I think kid. Whatever.

[Mary]

This just had, like a. Yeah. A young vibe to it. It's very simple. The odd. The art style is so cute and adorable, and I think it's thoughtful in that sense. But I also did not play it probably more than three hours. I think I played it one evening for three hours and I thought, that's nice. And I never went back to it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yep, yep. Check it out if you're six. And listen if you're six.

[Mary]

Hey, hey. Any listeners that.

[Mike Minati]

And then also, don't listen to our podcast.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, quit listening, asshole.

[Mike Minati]

Damn. What's Luminesce Arise?

[Dan Reichert]

Do you not know what Luminous is?

[Mike Minati]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, you goddamn fool.

[Mike Minati]

What is it?

[Dan Reichert]

You don't know Luminous? Nope. Listen, the PSP, the PlayStation Portable is a dog shit system. Yeah. But Luminous almost made it worth it. Luminous is a puzzle game. When I say puzzle game, that means a lot of things. It is like more on the style of like blocks and grids and stuff like that.

[Mary]

Tetrisy.

[Dan Reichert]

It is. It's got this element of kind of. I don't want to say rhythm, but more like timing. Like there is a timeline that goes across the screen and it kind of like clears things out as the timeline passes things. So if you get a two by two grid of the same color like every. You're always dealing with two different colors or two different items. Like I just did one that's like ice blocks and taxi cabs and. And stuff. And I see Mary bobbing her head.

[Mary]

Right now because, oh, this music is fucking tight.

[Dan Reichert]

All about music and visuals. It is the most like. It was Tetris effect before Tetris effect in terms of the visuals and everything. And just as you progress through the level, it's just like, oh, fuck. The music changes completely and all the. The blocks look completely different.

[Mary]

And this would hit so hard if you were on drugs. No.

[Dan Reichert]

And it's also like, I can't wait to try it in VR because. Oh boy. Tetris effect. Probably George Washington in the Mount Ray Rushmore of good games to play while you're high. Luminous is all about the sound and vision and stuff. So I do want to get very high and play this in VR. It is.

[Mary]

Oh my gosh, the little chameleons.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah, yeah. And there's like this fruit level where you're like building these huge apples and stuff and they fly at the screen when you break them and everything. It's. I'm not gonna describe every puzzle mechanic to you. It is a game where you were dropping blocks and you were matching things together and you were getting a high score and. And trying not to let the blocks get to the top of the screen. It is. It sounds a lot like Tetris when I describe it that way. It is. It definitely feels very different than Tetris, but it is right up there for me.

[Mary]

Like, it has like a Mario. Is that what it's called? Dr. Mario?

[Mike Minati]

The like OG one.

[Dan Reichert]

The pills.

[Mary]

Luigi Mario was just the kind of.

[Dan Reichert]

The two Pip pills and stuff like this. This is a two by two. You're dropping a lot of two by two squares. And so some of them might all. Let's say it's just blue and orange. You know, some of them might just be all blue, some might be all orange, some might be a mix. And gravity affects the blocks as they fall. And so you were just trying to make big blocks basically to clear them out and. But you can do really cool combos and stuff with it. There's this new burst mechanic that is really awesome. So they basically. Tetris Effect. Tetris affected Luminous and makes it better than ever. And I mean, Luminous is one of the all time best puzzle games to me. And Tetris Effect was one of the best kind of reimaginings of a puzzle game. And they've done it again. Luminous Arise kicks ass. Mary, I know you play a lot on your Steam deck. This is. I played pretty much all of this on my Steam deck. It.

[Mary]

I love this. I. This seems like really up my alley. I really love the old drug binge. So I think I'm gonna. I think I'm gonna give this a try. This. This looks great.

[Dan Reichert]

I have not been high yet playing it. I've played through the entire journey mode of this and it's very good. High or not high. I will also be getting high and playing this.

[Mike Minati]

Mary loves the old drug binge. It's a funny, funniest way I've heard.

[Dan Reichert]

Tonight ever this podcast.

[Mary]

I might get high binge. I mean, I think I've had a rough working environment. I love to like, get out of my head when I'm not working right now. And I think like, this is the kind of. Kind of thing that I think would really allow me to transcend reality. That sounds great.

[Dan Reichert]

So have the sound on with this one because the music is great.

[Mary]

Totally.

[Dan Reichert]

You want to do journey mode and like did you did Tetris effect, right?

[Mary]

Yeah, of course.

[Dan Reichert]

You know that journey mode where like it's got the exact same thing here, where it's got the journey mode where it's kind of broken up into different. Like, you know, here's. Here's five little stages, basically, and then here's another four. And it's got all the different, like shifts between the music and the. The visuals and everything. It's just like that. That. It is just a good time.

[Mary]

Damn. This is really cool. Thank you. Looks awesome.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to hear what you think of it.

[Mike Minati]

I guess I won't play it because Danielled me about it.

[Mary]

Doesn't even do drugs. Mike, you've been playing Monster Train too, which I heard you could be stone sober for. Tell us about it.

[Mike Minati]

I talked about it last episode, but yeah, that's probably my favorite thing. I'm still playing now along with Donkey Kong Bonanza. That game's really, really good. How much further are you? I've unlocked every faction. I have a bunch new cores to my train. Like the heart of the train that they're trying to destroy, but you also get ones with different abilities. I. I still really, really hate the art style for the first game. And this, it looks so cheap.

[Dan Reichert]

I.

[Mike Minati]

It gets the point across and there's some really clever character models. But like, it just looks like the. A bad line straddling between paper cutouts and like online. Like flash game. I'm not sure, but yeah, reduce the.

[Dan Reichert]

Game'S art to a flash game.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, sorry, that's immature of me. But no, this game is like incredible. And again, I don't, I don't deserve any. Historically love deck builders, but this game does such cool things with it. That builds on the first game too. Like there are certain effects you get that really just blow up how you're thinking about certain factions. Valor is this effect where basically if you end in the front of a row, you'll gain armor, but you'll also add some to your attack power. And then there's certain characters that can move around the train and build Valor each time you do that. So it's. It's very, very good at forcing me out of my comfort zone in like a play style that I get comfortable with. Similar to Balatro Balatra will force you out of your comfort zone quickly in terms of like how you're building your deck or with jokers there. But Monster Train 2 is very, very good at just forcing me to keep thinking on my feet often. I like it a lot. It's also just very satisfying for a deck building game. Similar to what I was saying about Donkey Kong. It's got a good like snappiness to. Feels great. I like that game quite a bit.

[Mary]

I have one more that I thought about last minute.

[Mike Minati]

What was that look you were giving me? You were going to say something, do you?

[Dan Reichert]

No, I think I was giving Mary a look because she said you don't deserve anything. And I realized I don't. Did you know that I won the MCD Monopoly game and I won a hundred thousand American Airlines miles?

[Mike Minati]

Oh yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Send me and Bonk to Hawaii round trip.

[Mary]

I saw you on Instagram, thank McDonald's and I rolled my eyes.

[Mike Minati]

Is that what you're doing with them?

[Mary]

What did you win?

[Dan Reichert]

We haven't decided yet, but they are in my account now. I have a hundred thousand American Airlines miles. Approximate retail value $2,500 that I won.

[Mary]

A McDonald's Monopoly feasts one piece.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. How many did you buy this year?

[Mary]

It wasn't like you didn't have like Baltic Avenue. It was like it Was one of.

[Dan Reichert]

The quicks ones you bonus spends on the app when you do it. And so I hit the bonus spin and it was like, usually it's like you want a free small fry or a small cone. And me, it was like, oh, that's $2,500 worth of flights.

[Mike Minati]

How long did it. How long were you suspicious? Like, did this really happen? Or is like, there's. There's some catch here?

[Dan Reichert]

Like, what were the odds that it was like, until it was in my account, I was kind of like, all right, hopefully some bullshit doesn't happen or whatever. And then I got an email like a few days ago, and it was like, hey, congrats. Put this code into your AA Vantage account or whatever. And I put it in and. And it's like miles available. A hundred thousand. And I looked it up and it's like, oh, wow. Round trip for one person to Hawaii is 45K. That's. That's pretty good.

[Mary]

Unbelievable. You should play the lottery. The way you flip, flop, stumble, dip, dog your way through life without knowing or giving a. And you just keep winning. Unbelievable.

[Dan Reichert]

I think I could win the lottery, and it's gonna be really funny.

[Mary]

I think you would. I like, I wouldn't be surprised if you, like, went for governor and won. I'd be like, who knew?

[Mike Minati]

No, I don't believe that for a second.

[Dan Reichert]

I could actually become, like a governor.

[Mike Minati]

I. A governor?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

If you become governor of any state in the country.

[Dan Reichert]

Justin became governor here.

[Mary]

I know. And he's corrupt. How dare you, Jesse.

[Dan Reichert]

The body, the mind.

[Mary]

This isn't a ring.

[Mike Minati]

I think you go in the lottery, I don't think you become governor. Governor. I think it's more than a popularity.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I should see what I can do first.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, just keep buying. Especially. Wouldn't you be running against, like, the most ever?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Dan Riker versus Tim Waltz would be.

[Dan Reichert]

I like him. I like him.

[Mike Minati]

Never mind the equivalent of Samoa Joe fighting me physically.

[Dan Reichert]

All right. No, no, no. I won't go against Walt. I like. You are. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

You won't take him down for the good of the state.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, that's true. For the betterment of Minnesota.

[Mike Minati]

I wonder what state you could become governor in if you tried. I don't think. I don't think they would vote for Dan down there if I said the.

[Dan Reichert]

Stuff they wanted to hear.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah.

[Mary]

He would sell his soul down the river.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, no.

[Dan Reichert]

If I wanted to, that would be the easiest in the world. My alt right grift turn. Oh, that'd be the easiest is fucking fish in a barrel. I would be making millions within a year.

[Mike Minati]

The Republican whip, like, if there was a government shutdown and the Democrats are trying to hold out, the Republican whip would go to Dan in the middle of the night with like, $100 Taco Bell gift card to get him to defect. And he'd be like, yeah, sure, I don't care.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I do.

[Mike Minati]

I just got 100,000 miles from McDonald's. I'm fine.

[Mary]

I'll see you in the morning. I have the miles.

[Mike Minati]

Dan would sign a bill that lets McDonald's drill for.

[Mary]

I disavow you so fast. Don't worry about me. I voted for Chastity Bono. I would never. I won't support you. I will. I will. I will move to Florida and vote for the other guy. I won't. I won't move to Florida.

[Dan Reichert]

It could be a woman.

[Mary]

There she goes again. I also have been playing. I forgot about it, but I was playing another game I wanted to tell you about called Dead Take.

[Mike Minati]

I forgot about this, but I'm going to talk about it about it. You're so. The hosting's not as easy.

[Mary]

It's hard.

[Mike Minati]

I forgot about this, but now I'm gonna enthrall you. Okay, go. Dead tape.

[Mary]

Okay. Dead. Dead Take is a FMV horror game, which should really be right up my alley. It has cut scenes starring Neil Nubin, Nubon From Baldur's Gate 3 Asterion and Ben Starr and Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer. A lot of pretty big names on this FMV file. You are in a house. I think it's like a producer's house, and I think he's a bad guy. And all these actors are trying to get, like, good roles in the next film. And you're playing. You're like, finding out what went wrong in this house because there's, like, spoopy stuff going around and you have to, like, uncover it. I thought it was okay. It was a horror game that I think I. I wish it was a little scarier. I only, like, got actually jump scared maybe twice throughout the whole thing. It's more. The environment is. Is kind of uncomfortable or scary. I didn't think the puzzles were super hard. I figured everything out. I think I beat this game in four hours with. With my bud Silver. I think we basically burned through it pretty quickly. But I do love FMV horror and I think if you're into, like, weird horror psychological films, it was a. It was a cool experience and I'm glad I Played it, if you like that kind of thing. It's just a very unique style of. Of horror game. It's weird to see Ben Starr, like.

[Mike Minati]

Not just his voice, his, like, physical.

[Mary]

Form, all these people. Alana Pierce is in it. Like, there's a lot of actors, but it's like their actual physical form. It's.

[Commercial Announcer]

They're.

[Mary]

They're not. I mean, they're playing a role, but, like, it's actors, you know, so that was confusing.

[Dan Reichert]

Star is so weird to me because it's like he's a guy that I see all the time and I talk to all the time whenever we do a thing in, you know, game awards or SGF or something. But I've never played. I guess until Expedition 33. I never really played games. He's been a voice, and so he's just like a dude I sometimes talk to, do. I don't. So I only know him as just a physical dude. Yeah, it's weird to see him as.

[Mary]

A dude, you know, it's weird because he plays like. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna give it away, but they're all playing characters that are, like, kind of strange and nuanced. So it is, like, stressful to watch him get, like, really angry on set and things like that. There's also that. Yeah. There's just a lot of actors in it where I'm like, I know that guy. But he's playing. He's playing like a weirdo. So know.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Named a lot of people.

[Mary]

Yeah, it's a lot of. It's a hard sell for me. I thought it was an interesting experience, especially again, four hours psychological horror puzzler with FMV stuff. I think it's. It's neat what they tried to do here, but a little bit too slow burn for me. A lot of it is like, slowly waiting for the next. Next video file and watching it and figuring out what that's. Uncovering, splicing together video files. Glad I played it. I don't regret that. How much is it?

[Mike Minati]

15.

[Mary]

It's under right now.

[Dan Reichert]

You're making an FMB game. Anyone out there? You're making an F and B game that's going to be a real game that's on Steam or something. I will be in your FMV game free of charge. Let me know and I will. I will go for it. Just. I would love to be.

[Mary]

He's got the miles he will fly there and be there in the morning. He smells like fries but he knows how to act.

[Dan Reichert]

I smell fine.

[Mary]

People like McDonald's fries.

[Dan Reichert]

Dan, at a certain time, like at the Bombathon, we had a room filled with fries that were sitting there for like six hours. And I tried to take a nap in that room. And Look, I love McDonald's. I was like, this is overwhelming. I cannot sleep in this fry right room.

[Mike Minati]

I wouldn't let them hear that. They might snatch those. That.

[Dan Reichert]

Honey, what do you want?

[Mary]

Ronald, Come get me. Ronald. It wouldn't be him. It would be the guy who steals the burglar.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, the hamburg.

[Mary]

He would. He would come get your miles.

[Dan Reichert]

Go for it.

[Mike Minati]

I like.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm stick Samoa Joe on the hamburglar.

[Mary]

Stop bringing up Samoa Joe. He's not going to save you.

[Dan Reichert]

My good personal friend Samojo, who will always save me if I get in trouble.

[Mary]

He doesn't even know unless I come down.

[Mike Minati]

Then there's no stopping me. Even if you're Samoa Joe. I'll tear through him like tissue paper. I think I. I think I actually like. He is probably the size of three and a half of me. Maybe four.

[Dan Reichert]

Probably more than three and a half. Yeah, Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

I, I still, I maintain you can run for governor in Florida. I'll fight Samoa Joe. We'll see who's more successful.

[Dan Reichert]

Successful. Okay, well, race.

[Mike Minati]

What's the. What how would I race?

[Dan Reichert]

You have to beat Smo Joe before I become a U.S. governor.

[Mike Minati]

And I have to have what kind of fight?

[Dan Reichert]

Street fight.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, yeah. Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Just like bar. Bar fight. One of you has to give up.

[Mike Minati]

I'd have better chance with that than an actual like, wrestling match. All right.

[Dan Reichert]

That counts.

[Mike Minati]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Minati]

Can I use weapons?

[Dan Reichert]

Whatever's there. Okay.

[Mary]

Whatever is around on the ground.

[Mike Minati]

Okay.

[Mary]

You can stab Samoa Joe with.

[Mike Minati]

Call Joe up. I'll take some shirtless photos and you can send those to him. Be like, this guy wants to fight you.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my goodness. Just be a Mortal Kombat fatality immediately.

[Mike Minati]

But I would have the, like the. The cockiness of Johnny.

[Dan Reichert]

Sure, sure.

[Mike Minati]

All right. Do you want to talk about emails?

[Mary]

Yeah, we like to discuss about them.

[Dan Reichert]

Sweet.

[Mike Minati]

Okay. As always, you can run into the firescapecastmail.com that is firescapecastmail.com questions stuff you want read on the show. We are running low, so fill that inbox back up. We've been getting a lot of good questions throughout the year. We will also be kind of prepping for going into next year as we finish up game of the year stuff, so. So fill up the inbox with questions about anything, preferably food or beauty tips. I can give you Some of those or fight fight tactics, which Mary is happy to share. We have a few questions tonight. This first one is from Tyler. Mary, do you want balls, nose, eyes, face, Vagina kick.

[Mary]

They can never get past it. Hi there.

[Dan Reichert]

The vagina kick is not super effective, so don't go for it.

[Mary]

It's no more effective than a shoulder or.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, let's give it go for the eyes.

[Mike Minati]

How that vagina kick is anyone's guess.

[Mary]

Hi there, escapees. First time, long time. I recently picked up Mark. Oh Lord, help me. Danielski Danielewski's new book, Tom's Crossing. Now I'm not normally one to pick up a book on release day, but finding out that the author of House of Leaves had written a magical realism 80s Western set in my hometown, I could not order fast enough. Reading it has been an absolute delight, has made me feel seen in a powerful way. Do you have any favorite pieces of media that line up perfectly with your preference and have built in connections to your real life so you. Such as being set in your hometown or fusing on a niche interest of yours, love the show. Thanks, Tyler.

[Mike Minati]

I would say Annihilation, the movie kind of really hit me in a way where I was like set in your hometown. I did not grow up in the Everglades, but it was like horror meets sci fi meets fantasy meets. I don't know, I'm a sucker for like expeditions in movies. Like anytime someone goes into an unknown place where things are, they don't know what's going on. I always love that Annihilation felt like it was made for me in that respect. That that was probably the one that comes to mind in terms of movies, video games. I would say Alan Wake 2 felt like it was just this confluence. It's like, oh, Alan's story was very inspired by Taxi driver and neo noir 7 70s stuff about like from New York City in the 70s and noir crime dramas in that. But then you also have the Pac Northwest, Twin Peaks, FBI investigation, survival horror over the shoulder of saga's side. And I was like, oh, they made two games just for me and mashed them together into one crazy, unwieldy thing.

[Dan Reichert]

Let's say I can think of a really good example and a really bad example of. So I'm not like, I love wrestling and I love movies, but I like, you know, they. They've tried to make a million movies with John Cena or Randy Orton or Dean Ambrose or anything. Like I've never watched any of them. Don't give a. Never seen like The Marine with John Cena. It's like, I. I watch John Cena in wrestling. I don't need to watch him in a bad straight to DVD movie, you know, So I don't really care about that. So when the wrestler was coming out, I was kind of like, all right. I'm always very wary of, like, depictions of pro wrestling in mainstream media because it's always the exact same thing. It's just someone bad Randy Savage impersonation. And it's just like, I don't know. I'm always very skeptical because it's typically not done well. But it was Aronofsky and, like, you know, he's very much that, like, oh, film dorks liked Aronofsky stuff, especially back then, and he did an incredible job with it. It was like. I think the large majority of wrestling fans look at that movie and we're like, oh, no, that's. They. They respected the business in a major way. And also, it's. If you don't give a. About wrestling at all, it's just a great movie.

[Mike Minati]

Do you know if he.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, sorry, no, no, go ahead.

[Mike Minati]

Was he always into wrestling and wanted to make a movie about it, or was it something that, like, something sparked a fascination and then he did a deep dive and like, I think this is. Gets to the core of it.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think he's necessarily a guy that's super into wrestling. What I've always heard is he wanted to do. I don't know if he wanted to do it originally as the same movie or as just kind of companion pieces, but Black Swan and the Wrestler the same time, where it's like these stories about this, like, kind of personal trauma and, like, sacrificing, you know, for your art and stuff like that. But he wanted Black Swan to be the highbrow one and the wrestler to be the lowbrow one. Yeah, but he did, like, you know, by all accounts, like, when he was making that movie and everything, he wanted to make it authentic and, like, it very much reads as authentic. It's very, very good at that. I will say, one that was coming out that was. It sounded extremely up my alley was the Expendables, because it was like, oh, it's Stallone. We're going to get Stallone and Schwarzenegger and all these guys and Bruce Willis the. And it's just like. It just kind of sucked.

[Mike Minati]

It's like, yeah, it was just boring.

[Dan Reichert]

You can't just put, like, all the coolest guys ever into a movie.

[Mary]

You think they all were, like, competing with who got to be the coolest.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm sure there's some ego.

[Mary]

Too much of a good thing, too much birthday.

[Dan Reichert]

You know, I'm sure they all got paid very well to hang out with their buddies.

[Mary]

But that is not what I asked at all. It's not about how much money they made. I'm saying, like, when you watch a movie like that, you want one of them to be the superhero. And they can't all be important.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, Stallone was definitely supposed to be, like, the guy there. But it's like it just. It was just a stupid movie. And, like, I like a good, stupid movie. This was a bad, stupid movie. Like, I think I saw the third one. Maybe I might have skipped one of them. But, like, they're just not good.

[Mike Minati]

Have you seen There's a scene that's always sunny. There's an episode where they're basically just like, riffing on Shyamalan movies. And Charlie and Mac are trying to write a movie together. And bear in mind, they have not mentioned this actor the entire show. I want to say this is season seven. Seven. So this comes out of nowhere. It's not like this is a bit in the show. It's just in one scene, they're like, you know what people are doing these days? They're taking, like, these washed up old actors and then giving them new life with this, like, really great movie. And he's like, yeah, we should do that. Who's like, a really underrated actor who's come by hard times, who's, like, the most underrated actor of all time? And Charlie's like, Dolph Lundgren, Max. Like, exactly. Like, out of nowhere they do it. Every time I think about, like, the wrestler, I. I want to say that was Mickey Rourke's first thing in a while.

[Dan Reichert]

That was like, his big comeback thing because he had a big deal in the early 90s and he made some weird life decisions and queer decisions and, like, tried to become a boxer. And that's how his, like, face got up and all that stuff. Like, he was the perfect. It was gonna be Nicholas Cage, which also would have been amazing. But Rourke was the right choice.

[Mike Minati]

I don't think I knew. That's how his face got so changed.

[Dan Reichert]

So much that he tried to do a boxing run.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, he was so bad that his face got pulverized. Surprised?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Jesus, Mike. You asked there, like, Darrenofsky being a wrestling guy, you know, who is a big wrestling guy, and you see it in a lot of his stuff is Tim Robinson.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, yeah, I think I knew that.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. On Detroiters, Kevin Nash, like, one of my favorite dudes ever is his dad. And. And like, I think you should leave. He's got a bunch of wrestlers that show up in that and everything. Darby Allen, who, you know from aew, he's. He's like, skates with. Darby Allen has had him, like, anytime AEW is around, he's always been backstage. So, like, yeah, Tim Robinson's.

[Mike Minati]

I can see that. Like, he's so much. I think he respects people who commit to, like, commit to the bit. Yeah. And like, I feel like wrestling's a, like a big dramatic bit, and I feel like that connects with him.

[Dan Reichert]

I also feel like he has good taste because it's like, I see, like, he got Kevin Nash to be his dad in this show, and I'm like, all right, that's like the coolest guy you could have possibly picked. So I. I would like to meet Tim Robinson.

[Mike Minati]

This is extremely an aside, but I was watching him and Zach Canaan went on Saturday, Seth Meyers and I saw a clip and they were doing the thing where it's like, oh, what are some. Seth's like. Or Tim Robinson. Zach Canaan, who wrote. Helps write. I think you should leave. He also play is in the show. And same with the chair company. Every once in a while, they're like, yeah, none of our SNL skits ever got accepted, like, maybe on the back end of an episode. And Seth's like, how about this? You pitch me one of them and I'll tell you why it didn't make it. And so they're like, okay. So they had one where basically this like, legendary, really well respected dignitary senator was on his deathbed and he's just like, there are other senators showing up and ambassadors are coming to his hospital room to say goodbye. Like, just this, like, class act dude who everybody just, like, looks up to as a. It's like a example of a good human being. His family's there, his friends are there, and he's just like, just really facing death in a really dignified way.

[Dan Reichert]

Way.

[Mike Minati]

But then with all these people surrounding, he actually starts to finally die. And he just starts screaming at the top of his lungs, counting. And apparently Tim Robinson said the thing he keeps repeating is, holy, this sucks.

[Dan Reichert]

That sounds way more like a Mr. Show sketch. Yeah, like, that's the type of thing where it's like, I'm sure NBC, when you get like, you know, Lorne Michaels and all these kind of like older corporate guys around you probably can't do but like a Mr. Show type thing.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. What did show Walter and Michael Ian Black. What was their thing? They did Stella. Stella was very goofy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

This date was earlier and everything. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

But anyway, sorry. Mary, do you have any things or confluences of like.

[Mary]

I'll say one, which is. Ohio is known for a lot of TV shows and movies. It just seems like it's a great place to be. Like does traditional, you know, Midwest Americana feel like. And I think there's no movie that embodies that better than Tommy Boy. Tommy Boy is not just a really good reflection of Ohio culture, but Ohio people. There's a lot of blue collar workers, factory workers, everyday Joes in that movie that are not. This is not like looked down upon. These are, are like people who give a. And so the joke is not about them or the livelihoods. It's just about what, what a dumb Tommy is. Stupid little Kitty is when he looks into that fan and he says, duke, I am your father. And they catch him being such a little dumb. I was like, oh no, that's me. Like this is. I'm such an idiot. And I have to be a business person now and I have to, to make money and I have to be important. And there are days where I'm like, I don't, I don't deserve any of this because I am, I am stupid. I am just a stupid person that somehow has to continue to make a mortgage. And so here we are. But I think Tommy Boy, I feel really seen by that entire film. Not just Ohio, which it is like prolific to have a drive that flat where you don't see a hill or a mountain for hours. That's like so Ohio. But also just his character and the way he exists in that film is like very important to me.

[Dan Reichert]

That movie we watched, me and Bonk watched like maybe four or five years ago and it aged a lot better than I expected. And there were things I forgot where it's like you talk about the different characters. They're like Dan Aykroyd being like the slimy Midwest, you know, car dealership owner and stuff. Oh yeah, good. It's like I don't remember a lot of like, like that's always the thing with like a comedy, especially from like the 90s. And earlier is like, oh, you're like.

[Mary]

Oh.

[Dan Reichert]

It wasn't that bad really. I walked away from it being like, I'm, I'm glad it aged that way.

[Mike Minati]

I feel like, yeah, Chris Farley could pull off clean Humor. Or quote, unquote, clean humor. Just because he was such a physical presence. Not that he wasn't ever getting dirty, but like.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, but he could be, like, in, like, a kids movie in some physical force of nature. Like the same way.

[Mary]

Yeah, yeah. Beverly Hills Ninja is, like, all slapstick, stupid.

[Dan Reichert]

But that did that. That movie taught me what a pimp was. Um, because he gets a jacket at some point and it's got, like, the tiger, whatever, print, and somebody says that he looks like a pimp or something. And we're turning to my grandma at the time, be like, grandma, what's a pimp? It's.

[Mary]

Don't you worry.

[Dan Reichert]

No, she said, it's a man that slaps women.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, my God.

[Dan Reichert]

So that's what I thought it was for a while.

[Mary]

I mean, in a way, I mean.

[Dan Reichert]

I see why she was trying to, like, say kind of what it was without saying what it was.

[Mary]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I told you this, but in Amsterdam, when we did our first. The first time I ever went to Amsterdam for work, and we did a little tour, the tour guy said when the children first come, you know, down in the city, and they see all the girls, the teachers tell them they're selling kisses. And I was like, that's an acceptable format for type thing.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Minati]

That's what she didn't say.

[Mary]

Tiny Tim. They're selling butthole kisses.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, okay. Have it your way. Just.

[Mike Minati]

Just a little smooch on your tush.

[Mary]

I learned a lot in the. In the third grade.

[Mike Minati]

Thank you, Tyler. Dan, you want to read? Oh, I'll get the. If you want to start it, I'll get the. It's from $. Dalton.

[Dan Reichert]

Dalton says his name's not on here, you fool. Okay, he's typing in. Dalton, Dal. I can't confirm yet. Okay, Dalton with two L's. That's insane. Dalton. Mike, fix this. Okay. Oh, thank God. Okay. Dalton says, are there any. Mike's still typing. This is a great bit. Are there any ongoing. It doesn't even play on video.

[Mike Minati]

It's just a document that no one can play.

[Dan Reichert]

And it doesn't even play with me seeing exactly what you're doing. No, not.

[Mary]

Some people just say, that's a bad.

[Mike Minati]

Joke, and I'm, like, over it already.

[Dan Reichert]

Dalton says, are there any ongoing gaming complaints? You're just tired of hearing at this point. Mine is. I'm so tired of hearing people talk about Final Fantasy going back to turn based. Final Fantasy hasn't been turn based in 25 years. Guys. Let it go. It has not been turn based longer than it was turn based. The last turn based Final Fantasy game was Final Fantasy 10 on the PS2 square. Enix has other turn based games. Dragon Quest bravely default Octopath. Come on. That is Dalton. Fuck you, you fucking pussy. Is that. Can't be his name. Mike. Why did he. Why does that say that in all caps?

[Mike Minati]

It's just insulting you while you read it.

[Dan Reichert]

Sorry, Dalton.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. What's a complaint that a lot of people share? Like, what's something you see on Reddit? Or what's something like, I mean, here's.

[Mary]

A classic one, which is yellow tape or like, obvious lines is stupid, but it's like, obviously so helpful. You'd be. So many people would be lost. You genuinely would not enjoy an experience that didn't give you a little bit of guidance. I think sometimes it can be overdone. But like, so can that complaint, like, let it.

[Mike Minati]

Because otherwise, aside from that, God of War would be a masterpiece of literary ambitions.

[Mary]

Know when the kid is like, I think we're supposed to turn the clock clockwise. Nice, dad.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, oh, Kratos, I believe you could break through the wall here if you use your super move.

[Mike Minati]

It's about fatherhood and the yellow paint doesn't fit.

[Dan Reichert]

Fatherhood and responsibility. No one said that.

[Mike Minati]

New responsibilities and how you can escape your past. You have to confront it through the yellow paint.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, honestly, I feel like I see more complaints from, like, because I don't really see, like, the average, like, comments or controversies. Like, I feel like Minati is my controversy whisperer. So I don't really see.

[Mary]

What's Minati been complaining about recently?

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, I'm saying he reads every comment. Ever been on the Internet?

[Mike Minati]

Yeah.

[Mary]

What's he know? What's he. What's he picking up?

[Dan Reichert]

Every once in a while he'll be like, everyone's mad about this. And I'll be like, what the.

[Mary]

What is it? Tell me one.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, you're saying people are mad about Metroid and Metroid prime trailer. They showed too much of, like, the bike is in the desert too much and the world looks empty or something. And it's. It's like. It all just sounds to me like. Like the Puddle Gate shit or whatever of Spider Man. Spider man thing where the puddles got too small or something. It's just. I don't know. I love video games more than anything, like, in the world. It's given me my entire life and everything. Until I met my wife. It's just my entire career just people get too fucking.

[Mary]

How you won 2500 miles.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, that was separate. No, I would eat McDonald's no matter what the fuck I was doing. Mary. That had nothing to do with video games, music. I would have had that McDonald's piece no matter what.

[Mary]

Every. No matter what differences in your life.

[Dan Reichert]

I could be working at the gas station on Shiny Mission Parkway and I would absolutely still win that thing.

[Mike Minati]

My. This isn't really a compl. It's kind of a complaint. And I'm. I remember. I remember one specific Game of the Year meeting we had at Gamespot where this, like, the detractors of Breath of the Wild were using the argument that. That it's not a Zelda game.

[Mary]

Oh, like, it's not.

[Mike Minati]

It's not the most Zelda.

[Dan Reichert]

It's the most Zelda game.

[Mike Minati]

And then you're like, that is the most Zelda game. Since this is what they would have made with the first game if they had the technology and the design chops and. But like, people were like, no, it's not. That's not like what a Zelda game is. I'm like, well, hey, you're. You're making every. You're making every. You're. You're pin series.

[Mary]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

But also like, yes, it fucking is. So, like, I don't know, it's.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, it's. That shit is insane to me because, like, look, Ocarina of Time, one of the best games of all time, probably my top 10 ever. Breath of the Wild is more the original Zelda than Ocarina of Time is. Yeah, like, that's a horseshit argument.

[Mary]

Like, that's right.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, it annoyed me.

[Mary]

I'll also throw out, like, I remember the. It should have, like, it should have more options to play it easier. I think if a game is. If the developers have designed it to be very, very difficult, that is like their mo. Yes, that is totally fine. That game is allowed to be very difficult.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I feel like that comes from like. Like there's stuff where you get a bunch of people talking about, like, oh, when Bayonetta first came out, it was like, oh, they had a one button easy mode. If you just want to see the cool stuff and you don't want to. You're not good at games. And people got mad about that. And then Elden Ring comes out and it's like, oh, it's too hard and people get mad about it. Just shut the. Don't fucking play it.

[Mary]

Don't fucking play it.

[Dan Reichert]

Play it. It doesn't.

[Mary]

Not every Game is for you, you know? And I, I, I, I feel it on both ends of the, like, I think it's so cool that you said the other end of the spectrum too, which is like, the game's too easy and it's like, shut up.

[Dan Reichert]

Everyone needs to shut up. That's kind of my. What was. There was something like this year that was like really hard and it sparked a bunch of think pieces and stuff and social media about like, oh, it's too hard.

[Mike Minati]

Hollow Knight too.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah. Well, the Up. Don't play Socks Song or Silk Song.

[Mike Minati]

Sorry, not Hollow.

[Mary]

It's called Silk Song. Hollow. Hollow Night. Silk Song. But yeah, it's like that. Sorry, bud. Like, sorry. The game is, is extremely challenging. Some people find that very rewarding.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, I suck at parrying. I don't play Sekiro. It's not ruining my day, you know, just, there's a lot of games out there.

[Mary]

I have low self esteem. I didn't finish Elden Ring. That's just the way it is sometimes.

[Dan Reichert]

It's fine, you're doing fine. It's like, thank you. Not a thing that I'm not gonna.

[Mary]

Sit there and be like, the game is wrong. It's like, no, it just wasn't for me. And that's okay. I do think you can still have criticisms of it, which is just like, hey, like the difficulty spikes for this were a little too much for me. Like, I found that challenging. I think that's fair. But to just say this game should be easier is not a valid criticism and kind of annoys me.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I mean that came up. Yeah, Silk Song came up a lot. And there were as much as I love soak songs Song. There were boss fights where I was just like, oh man, really got to hit this guy like 25 more times.

[Mike Minati]

Like.

[Dan Reichert]

But it's like, okay, well do you want to keep playing it or not?

[Mary]

Sure. Also, maybe, and this will come up later, but like, maybe you needed to grind in some other place and sharpen your needle more. Maybe you needed a different badge that would have let you have like a faster speed or a quadruple jump and that would have also help helped with that boss fight. I suffered on a boss for like three hours and then I found out that I really, really, really needed that triple jump dash and I didn't have it. So I was just kind of, I was like so convinced that this boss was broken and it was just like user error. That happens all the time. That game humbles the shit out of me. So I, I Find it a little exhausting for someone to just be like, it's too hard. It's just like. Well, did you, you, did you try? Are you good?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

I think that game has bigger problems than difficulty.

[Dan Reichert]

We'll get into it.

[Mike Minati]

I think, I think we glazed team cherry too much. That's a whole other thing. No, I like that game quite a bit.

[Dan Reichert]

At the end of the day, it's a video game. Go get some real problems.

[Mary]

Go get, Go get a mortgage.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a. Just put down the controller and go figure out your life.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary]

Fight with your.

[Mike Minati]

Go get a hospital bill and if.

[Dan Reichert]

You can't, hospital bill on traffic. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Fucking babies. Thank you. Okay, now that we ramped up with that more.

[Mary]

What a fun one.

[Mike Minati]

Antagonistic question. Let's get to a very heavy one. Hey there. What's the most important element of a trail mix? Thanks, Wes from Baltimore. Oh, I've been, I've. We finished our wire re watch. I've been, I've been trying to say Baltimore like they do. Baltimore. Baltimore.

[Dan Reichert]

You've been trying. What are you looking in the mirror trying this?

[Mike Minati]

No, I noticed like, like in dialogue, collect in, in the show, all the, like, locals say like Baltimore. They don't say Baltimore.

[Dan Reichert]

And I, I've never from Baltimore. So.

[Mike Minati]

I know. I'm just, no, I'm not trying to say it like normally to sound cool. Literally trying to physically say it. It's hard for my mouth to say. No, it's not it. No, it's not it.

[Dan Reichert]

Do you know Mike Minati can't say chimney because his brain goes into chimney from like chim chimney. Chim chimney does stuff.

[Mike Minati]

Doesn't surprise me.

[Mary]

I mean, I'm sure if he slowed down he could say it.

[Dan Reichert]

He has tried probably a hundred times on Giant Bomb and failed a hundred times.

[Mike Minati]

I think it's all for show. It's probably a.

[Dan Reichert]

You don't know Mike Manati, like for.

[Mike Minati]

A stretch goal, I'll say chimney correctly at some point. I love Mike Manati. I'm so sorry if that was mean.

[Dan Reichert]

I, I did during the bobathon or beforehand. I was like, mike, what's the number for? Like, what is the crazy incentive to get you to eat an apple on. On stream? He said there's not a number. Like, I, I, I know it's not a bit. It's not a bit.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, no, I don't, I don't think that's a bit. I know people. I know someone who was like that with bananas when I was younger. We thought it was a bit. And I'm ashamed to say I, like, played a prank on him with a banana, and it no good. Freaked out. No, I. To be clear, I was, like, 12, and I learned my lesson.

[Dan Reichert]

I was gonna do that where I was gonna, like, present him with a bunch of fruit and stuff and grubs.

[Mary]

Like.

[Dan Reichert]

No, it's like a, like, real phobia thing.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Not funny.

[Mike Minati]

I. I learned after I was once. I was 13 not to do that. But, like, I put a. I didn't. It wasn't even a creative prank. I just. Like, our friend. He was a friend who did amp up. He. He exaggerated a lot of stories and whatnot. So I thought he was being. Doing the same thing with his fear of bananas, like, just being around them. So I, like, snuck a banana into his glove box while in like.

[Dan Reichert]

Or.

[Mike Minati]

Sorry, not his glove box. His, like. What do you want to call his? Like, a basketball gym bag. The. The glove box was a separate prank later on in life to someone else. Did not do the phobia, but he, like, opened his gym bag and, like, hyperventilated.

[Dan Reichert]

People don't like it when you do that stuff.

[Mike Minati]

I didn't know at the time. I was 12. I'm gonna go back through your childhood and find. No.

[Dan Reichert]

I told you I'd get fired as a babysitter. Right? From the bee prank.

[Mike Minati]

This rings a slight bell.

[Dan Reichert]

The short one. I was babysitting the neighbor kids. There were three kids, and the youngest one, Nick, was. He was, like, afraid of bees or something or. Actually, I don't even think he said that. I think he was just a kid, and kids don't like bees, including myself.

[Mike Minati]

I don't think adults like bees either.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, you know what? Take it back. I don't think it was a phobia thing. I think we were just walking to the pool in the neighborhood, and I was like, oh, Nick. Oh, God, you got a bee. You got a bee on the back of your head or something. And he just lost his. Mine and burst out crying, and it was a whole thing. And he told his mom.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, you did tell us about this.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, but there was also that I ate the whole box of Cheez Its. And so I think. I can't remember which one was the one that actually got me fired, but. Yeah, don't do that one.

[Mary]

Traumatized my child.

[Dan Reichert]

Not a good babysitter.

[Mary]

Yeah, so I wasn't a good babysitter either. I once let them out on the roof, and I said, don't tell your parents, and Then the next, the dad took me aside and was like, you took him out on the roof, didn't you? And I said, yeah, no, and you weren't married again. And I, and then I looked at the kid and I said, I'm gonna kill you.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary]

No, but you're never watching Blues Clues again, you little.

[Mike Minati]

No, I, I, I believe Mike when he says he doesn't like apples. I have seen it up close. But the what is the most important part of a trail mix?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, not raisins.

[Mike Minati]

There's a lot of different trail mixes.

[Mary]

Quite a bit are not really something that I ever enjoy. I will say that an oatmeal raisin cookies fresh from the oven. I can be like, yeah, I'm into this.

[Dan Reichert]

It can be a good component. But, like, when you think about being a kid, like, you were always confronted with, like, I just have a box of raisins. Who the is like, eating boxes of raisins?

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, but this is it.

[Mary]

This is a question for adult you, Dan.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, the little, the little raisins. Raisins. The little California boxes. Hell yeah, baby.

[Mary]

Do you eat raisins?

[Mike Minati]

Oh, I don't know now anymore.

[Dan Reichert]

They were, I think they sell them anymore.

[Mike Minati]

They absolutely sell raisins, I promise you.

[Dan Reichert]

Like just the red box with a lady on it.

[Mike Minati]

Like, the yellow. Was it red with a yellow sun? And then she's red with the yellow sun? Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's California raisins.

[Dan Reichert]

1996 is the last time I've seen one of these.

[Mary]

I've seen raisins.

[Mike Minati]

Maybe they're in, like, maybe reasons. Maybe they're in gummy bags. Oh, wait a minute. How did I not bring this up yet? Speaking of Amazon, which one of you sent me 10 bottles of mustard in a an unmarked box?

[Dan Reichert]

Seems like a merry thing.

[Mary]

That could be anyone, but it is absolutely. Dan.

[Mike Minati]

I got a package that just said Mike Mahardi. There's no return address. Just said Amazon Fulfillment Services. And I open it, and it's, it's 10 bottles of mustard.

[Dan Reichert]

10?

[Mike Minati]

Yes, I counted them, and it was like, very low brand. Like 25 must bottles.

[Dan Reichert]

Mustard.

[Mike Minati]

Don't send me any more.

[Mary]

Too much mustard.

[Mike Minati]

I have to bring it down four flights of stairs to the trash.

[Dan Reichert]

That sounds really annoying.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

You.

[Mike Minati]

The only reason you didn't send me the whole fuel drum of chocolate syrup is because Bianca talked you out of it. And she said to remind her you're playing the prank on Amanda too.

[Dan Reichert]

I think you're thinking of Tim Turi.

[Mike Minati]

Don't send me any more mustard?

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, that sounds really annoying.

[Mike Minati]

I'll go toe to toe with you in terms of how annoying I can be.

[Mary]

Someone's getting raisins.

[Dan Reichert]

I would.

[Mike Minati]

I would welcome a box that size of raisins. I like raisins a lot worse than ladybugs. That was, I will admit, very funny. What was it, a thousand or 2500 or something?

[Dan Reichert]

1500 ladybugs. But that was back when I was immature. Responsible and immature. I don't know who sent them up. Mustard?

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. I assume you're on stream and someone's like, hey, Dan, this mustard's on sale for a cent each bottle at. On Amazon. I think raisins play an important part in trail mix because they alter the texture so you get a bit of chew in there. It's not all just crunch, but they're not even gross.

[Dan Reichert]

They're just annoying. Like raisins. Like the. The flavor's fine at best. I feel like if you're making a trail mix thing, why wouldn't everything be good? Because I feel like. Like there's always that. I want the pretzel.

[Mike Minati]

Well, peanuts are literal. Like, people use peanuts as a metaphor for things that are just filler.

[Dan Reichert]

I think peanuts are great.

[Mike Minati]

I like peanuts. I don't think they're my favorite part, though. Like, I'd rather. I'd rather take the peanuts out than the raisins.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, that's crazy.

[Mike Minati]

No. What trail mix are we talking here? Is this one with, like, M and M's in it?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I would picture M and M's. Cash. Cashews.

[Mary]

Cashews. Gotta have cashews.

[Mike Minati]

Peanuts. I think walnuts are in there sometimes.

[Dan Reichert]

Pineapple smells cashews.

[Mike Minati]

Cashews are the banana shaped ones with the bigger one on one end. Like, they're like a deku nut or. No, sorry, the deku. The. The spiral thing. You get the beginning. The spiritual stone of the forest.

[Dan Reichert]

I only want these things if they involve pretzels.

[Mike Minati]

Walnuts look like brains from up top, but walnuts are great. I like walnuts a lot.

[Dan Reichert]

Any kind of, like, nut variety stuff like pecans, walnuts. All that stuff's great. Almonds.

[Mary]

I love a pecan. Although I like them candied. I feel like a regular pecan feels like it's missing something.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, I was gonna say, do you like the little candied squares of, like, pineapple in some trail mixes?

[Mary]

I love the candied square of pineapple. I'm really glad you brought this up. It plays a role in the raisin this very important. A replacement of the raisin but also cube form. They could have made it anything, but that guy was like, make it a cube. Oh, my God. I did it in again. That girl was like, it's a cube.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. It could have been a woman.

[Mary]

It could have been. It probably was.

[Mike Minati]

Look up, look up. Phyllis P. Cube.

[Mary]

She invented the pineapple cube, The Turkish apricot.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll take pineapple before raisin. For sure. I. You know what's good? The dried out apples. You don't see that a lot in. That's a good snack because those retain.

[Mike Minati]

A lot of the apple flavor.

[Dan Reichert]

Flavor.

[Mary]

I think you're leaning out of trail mix. Dried apple is not a trail mix situation. You're dodging the question.

[Mike Minati]

Pepperoni.

[Mary]

What's your favorite trail mix component? Dan. And he's like, I don't like anything because it's all nuts.

[Mike Minati]

I want to. I want to make a distinction. Not your favorite, the most important.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I mean, the nuts.

[Mike Minati]

I want to be semantic about this.

[Dan Reichert]

The nuts.

[Mary]

If it didn't have nuts, it wouldn't be trail mix.

[Dan Reichert]

Right, exactly. So it's. Let's just say nuts in general.

[Mike Minati]

No, no, no, no. Because that's. That's basically all like, what. Which nuts and peanuts could. Why? Because they. The filler or.

[Mary]

Because they're the filler?

[Dan Reichert]

They're good, but also they fill.

[Mike Minati]

I like them, but they are. By definition, they're added because they're cheaper and they're easier to. They fill.

[Dan Reichert]

Good.

[Mike Minati]

I like peanuts.

[Mary]

I think passion.

[Mike Minati]

I like peanuts out of the shell.

[Mary]

Infinitely more so important. And if trail mix doesn't have cashews, I'm like, this is for a. Like, it has to have a cashew, though.

[Dan Reichert]

So. Okay, so, Mike, you said the peanuts out of the shell. Is this just a me thing? Like going to baseball games in the 90s and stuff? And you get the big thing of peanuts in the shells. I would just put the whole shells in my mouth.

[Mike Minati]

You and. And swallow them.

[Dan Reichert]

No. So I think I knew as a kid that, like, it would get really dry and like splintery.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, it's stringy.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. And so. But like, I did, like, they were so salty. They were super fucking salty. So I just like suck on them and. And then you would also chew like, so, like in your mouth. You would kind of parse out the peanut parts that you could swallow.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. Like a sunflower seed.

[Dan Reichert]

Just spit out all the fudgeing.

[Mike Minati]

Like, I mean, I don't. I don't necessarily agree with that. I get why you did it? It had flavor on it.

[Mary]

I hate this opinion. Dude, I'm angry.

[Mike Minati]

I was eating the entire sunflower seed until I was like eight.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, you get.

[Mike Minati]

I didn't know you're supposed to not do that. Yeah, the asshole was bleeding every time I pooped.

[Dan Reichert]

That's the entire reason I'm still dealing.

[Mary]

I don't remember eating any corn. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

What, because of a sunflower seed? Yeah, just literally biting on a shelf.

[Dan Reichert]

Literally in a week or two, getting the implant finally put in after 20 plus years. Whatever. Because I was eating a bag of sunflower seeds on the couch watching South park in 2003 or something, and I just bit into it and my tooth shattered.

[Mary]

Shattered.

[Dan Reichert]

It was bleeding like crazy and it was a lot of pain. And I did not have health insurance. And I found out you could go to a dental school and they would do the business for cheaper. And so some fucking kid that was younger than me when I was like, you know, 20, fucked up. He really fucked up too. Like, he hit me in the head with the like X ray machine accidentally. So, like, I'm in deep, deep pain, bleeding out of my mouth. And he's like, oh, he seems like the Simpsons teenager kid.

[Mary]

Just like the Simpsons Child.

[Dan Reichert]

Imagine that kid.

[Mary]

Reichert, we're all out of anesthesia.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Bonks me in the head with the X ray machine. And like, well, that now I'm hurting in a couple different ways. And I'm just. I'm in hell right now. And then they say like, well, we can, we can, we can actually save the tooth. And I was like, yeah, how much that cost? And they were like, oh, it be, you know, $400 versus 150 or whatever. Like something like that. It wasn't like thousands or whatever. It was like 400 or whatever or 150. And I did not have hundreds of dollars. And so I said, oh, just pull it. And they're like, you're probably going to regret this later in life. And I was like, how much later? And they're like, oh, when you're like 40. And they're like, that's never going to happen. That's fine. And so I told them to pull the tooth and they fucking tried to crack it out with pliers. And also, fun note, this is during the time in college when I was afraid of the effects of drugs because I had my first panic attacks under when I tried mushrooms. Mushrooms. And so I did not want to take any nitrous or drugs for it or anything, so felt every bit of this pain as they put the. The pliers in and tried to get my tooth out, and it broke off. And so they broke off. The, like, kind of crown part of the tooth, the molar, and all of the root was still in there. So they had to dig into my gums while I was not drugged. And, like, I won't point. He put his foot against the chair to get leverage because he had to, like, yank this bone out of my head and just bleeding profusely, all to save a couple hundred bucks. And sure enough, now I'm spending, you know, like, five figures trying to fix all this. That I could have just spent a couple hundred bucks when I was 20 and had it fixed back then.

[Mary]

So little Timmy was right.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. So that's my sunflower seed story.

[Mary]

So is it your favorite part of the trailman mix?

[Dan Reichert]

Pretty good. Yeah.

[Mary]

I do really like sunflower seeds.

[Dan Reichert]

They're pretty good, but, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, the barbecue ones. You kidding me? Barbecue ranch.

[Dan Reichert]

Nostalgic. You know what? Once I get this thing in, In a couple weeks, I'm gonna get.

[Mary]

It's gonna be munging on some.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, my God. On a sunflower.

[Dan Reichert]

Go nuts on these.

[Mary]

Like a duck.

[Mike Minati]

You break three other te teeth. Yeah. No, I seriously didn't know. You were supposed to spit out the seeds, so. I was too old.

[Dan Reichert]

They're fine. You can swallow them. Jeff grub did something to his by eating too many sunflower seed shells.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. You don't digest them all the way.

[Dan Reichert]

And then they could shred it so many that it, like, up his. And he had to have I somebody blue sky to Jeff grub and ask him about his with sunflower seeds. Okay.

[Mike Minati]

No, I can imagine.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary]

I don't know.

[Mike Minati]

I don't know. All these things I, I, I, I would say. Yeah, I didn't ask for that either. Most important element of a trail mix. You know what I'm gonna be? I'm gonna. I'm gonna say the eminem.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

You need some sugar. When you're on a hike, they add a lot of, like, a good flavor profile to it. They give it a bit of a candy. It's like, like, those are the pieces that you. You're excited to see. It keeps you eating all the peanuts and the walnuts and the cashews and the raisins, the healthy stuff. Because then you get to that next M and M. You're like, oh, this is great. And on a hike, that's what you need anyway. You need to keep your blood sugar up.

[Dan Reichert]

I will never buy a Pack of M&M's. But no, I don't like upset about being confronted with M M's.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, I do like the Christmas. Like, sometimes I remember that, like, my grandpa always had the green and red ones for Christmas, so I eat a lot of those.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, the kind of minty ones? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Minati]

No, no, just the regular. But they were colored ones that were.

[Dan Reichert]

Those minty ones. Yeah, yeah, those were really good. Had the pretzel ones, the caramel ones.

[Mike Minati]

Reese's pieces them up. All right, well, thank you, Wes.

[Dan Reichert]

Them.

[Mike Minati]

Not first. Not. Not. Long time. First time. Long time. Long time.

[Mary]

Long time. Long time.

[Mike Minati]

West from Baltimore, that's our show. Firescapecastgmail.com. get the inbox filled up with good questions. If they're not. Good question.

[Dan Reichert]

Good.

[Mike Minati]

I'll be pissed. I'll come to your house. Send good questions. We do have a restock. Notice the stainless steel water bottle. The white one is back in stock at fourth Wall. So get that stocked up for our game of the year live stream. Fill it with some Gatorade and vodka. Get ready for the show. It's going to be a fun one. As usual, we have our Patreon if you want to go, be a subscriber if you want to treat it like a tip jar, because we appreciate do. Or you want to get ad free episodes or you want to get video versions. We do video versions of every episode. We also do occasional bonus episodes, but right now we have a bonus series going on with Vinnie Caravella over at Nexlander. I'm playing. We're playing Total War Warhammer 3 co op campaigns. We're doing one for Fire Escape. That's every other week, the off week from the show. And then we're doing also a show where we're playing evil factions for next Lantern and that. That's every other week over there. You do need to be a patron at both if you want to watch both. But if you just want to do a piecemeal, go subscribe to them or us. I like us quite a bit. I like them a lot. They're worth subscribing to if you're not a patron already. Dan, what do you have going on in the meantime?

[Dan Reichert]

Giant Bomb? Just doing a whole lot of stuff. We got a new website launching very, very soon. Thank you, Chuck, for all the work going into that. But yeah, yeah, really going nuts over there. So check out Giant Bomb. We got the Twitch channel and all that stuff, but this time of year especially, it's kind of harder to find time There. So fire escape and giant bomb Priorities.

[Mike Minati]

Mary, what about you?

[Mary]

Just usually streaming on Mondays when I can. And Instagram. Lots of good dog pics on there. Come check out my happy dog in the fall in Portland. Lots of leaves. Guys, guys, it's stunning over here.

[Dan Reichert]

What is?

[Mike Minati]

Your.

[Dan Reichert]

The recent pictures. Like I saw one like today of you walking Simone around. Like Portland looks delightful.

[Mary]

It's so, so pretty in the fall here. It really is like a. It's just a magazine and I, I love it. It's a short lived time though. Like soon it will be winter and there will be nothing. But right now I'm bliss, you know, like this is. This is like a dream. So. So I probably have like, I want to say there's maybe two weeks left of this and then all the leaves will be gone.

[Mike Minati]

What are Portland winters like?

[Mary]

Rainy.

[Mike Minati]

Oh, gotcha.

[Mary]

Yeah, really rainy. Kind of sad.

[Mike Minati]

Honestly, UK winters.

[Mary]

It's hard. It rains a lot.

[Mike Minati]

Where are Minneapolis winters? Like.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, tropical. Oh no. Rain sound incredible. I love rain.

[Mary]

Rain sounds incredible.

[Dan Reichert]

It really does does.

[Mike Minati]

And then I feel like I had something else. Yes. December 6th fire escapes game of the Year annual live stream will be commencing henceforth from Minneapolis as we do every year. We'll be descending on Dan's house. Jake, Mary, Dan and I, I think we decided it's going to be on Twitch tv. Danreichert we're just going to keep that going.

[Dan Reichert]

And then we have the YouTube for fire escape.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. So if you're not, if you're not following the fire escape YouTube, then go do that because that's where we'll be putting up the video version afterward. The VOD and tentative plan. I don't know that we're a hundred percent, but tentative is that we're going to. If you can't make the show that day or you can't see the whole thing because they tend to be like six or seven hours. We're going to break it into two episodes and publish those in the subsequent weeks before we get back.

[Dan Reichert]

And not the usual two week cadence. You will. There will be like a bonus week where normally there wouldn't be anything. And now you'll get part one of Game of the Year. Yeah. And then the normal post day you'll.

[Mike Minati]

Get part two and then back to regularly. Regularly scheduled programming once we get toward 2026.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

Lot going on. Busy stuff. Good stuff.

[Mary]

Are busy.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

We should. Do we have time? Like it's not. The next one is Game of the Year, right?

[Mike Minati]

No, we have podcast before this One more. More.

[Dan Reichert]

We should each be thinking to give each other one homework assignment of, like, okay, this is a game I feel very strongly about and I will talk about for, like, game of the year type caliber that we, you know, say at least get a couple hours into it or something.

[Mike Minati]

Okay. I gotta catch up.

[Mary]

Think. I have to think about it like that.

[Dan Reichert]

You got a couple weeks.

[Mary]

I know. It's just important because whatever we say, it's like. What we're essentially saying is, is, like, listen, this is going to come up during goatee. I need to you to take this seriously.

[Dan Reichert]

And we have to pick one that, like, obviously the other two have not really played, so.

[Mary]

Yeah, okay.

[Mike Minati]

But then there's some I'm not even gonna bother recommending to you. Yeah, Like, a lot of people are telling me I'm. I would like Kingdom Come Deliverance, too. I don't think I'm gonna recommend that to you too, but I know Jake has played it, so I'm gonna see what I think.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm sure it's good.

[Mary]

Jake's gonna be my saving grace for a couple things because I know there are things that him and I play that you guys probably didn't play that He. He's gonna come out of the woodwork to protect me.

[Dan Reichert]

God, it's a tough one because, like, I would love for you two to play Death Stranding 2 a lot, but.

[Mike Minati]

Like, I played a lot of Death Stranding 2.

[Mary]

Yeah, he didn't.

[Mike Minati]

We talked. We talked about it for, like, 30 minutes.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, you literally told me that you never played it. I'd be like, oh, okay. You should check it out.

[Mary]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Minati]

That's what you were just assuming, and I'm refuting it now.

[Dan Reichert]

I know.

[Mike Minati]

Okay, so don't assign that.

[Dan Reichert]

I won't.

[Mike Minati]

Or I could have had you assign it to waste your assignment. No, it's not a combative assignment, but.

[Mary]

Like a strategic assignment.

[Dan Reichert]

Ahead of you.

[Mike Minati]

I'm gonna make you guys play, like, city defense 6un universalis.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm. And I'll wind up loving it.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah, I'm sure. No, I made that game up, if you couldn't tell. Well, that's our episode. Thank you, everybody, for joining. We'll be back in a couple weeks with episode 121, which is the final episode before our game of the year showdown. Down Shenanigans. Should it be a showdown? Does that automatically imply it's going to be combative?

[Dan Reichert]

I think it's a discussion. I feel like it's rarely been combative. I think yeah, there are flashlights, like certain silly arguments or whatever, like, you know, me pushing for Fortnite or death stranding or whatever. And, you know, like, I think that's rarer than US YouTube consensus.

[Mike Minati]

You two forming a coalition to push Pikmin right at the very end after we gushed about it would have been pretty cool. Yeah, it would have been cool because Dan didn't do Pick Me a giant bomb. But this could have been Pikmin. Pick. I don't know what voice that was. Yeah, it'll be fun. We're gonna do our team dinner the night before, so I'm sure we'll be in great shape the next day.

[Mary]

Oh, we will. Our butts will be ready to go.

[Mike Minati]

My butt's gonna be torn asunder.

[Mary]

I'm gonna eat so many seeds.

[Mike Minati]

Yeah. I'm gonna shred that only trail mix.

[Dan Reichert]

We go to the Sunflower Seed restaurant here in Minnesota and. Yeah. I just dunk a handful of teeth. Mike shits his brains out. Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Minati]

I'm just leaking out of my butt the entire show.

[Mary]

All the seats have paper towels on them.

[Mike Minati]

Perfect. Oh, I'm bringing diapers this year, baby. Don't you worry about that, all right? We'll be back in a couple weeks. Until then, see ya.

[Dan Reichert]

Sam.