Game Scoop! 808: With Elder Scrolls 6 Nowhere in Sight, Oblivion Is the Hero We Need

Summary

Game Scoop! Episode 808: With Elder Scrolls 6 Nowhere in Sight, Oblivion Is the Hero We Need

Release Date: April 23, 2025

Hosted by Daemon Hatfield and the IGN crew, Episode 808 of "Game Scoop!" dives deep into the unexpected release of the Oblivion remaster, the impending Nintendo Switch pre-orders, the latest in Mario Kart World, and a comprehensive review of The Last of Us Season Two. Here's a detailed breakdown of the episode's key discussions, insights, and conclusions.

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1. Elder Scrolls 6 Delay and Oblivion Remaster Surprise

With no official release date for Elder Scrolls 6, the conversation pivots unexpectedly to the surprise launch of the Oblivion remaster.

Daemon Hatfield [03:05]:
"With Elder Scrolls 6 nowhere in sight, Oblivion is the hero we need."

Listeners are taken aback as the remaster drops without prior announcement, prompting immediate reactions.

Sam Claiborne [02:54]:
"What a shocker."

The hosts share their initial impressions, with Sam humorously noting his inexperience with Oblivion:

Sam Claiborne [03:05]:
"At least seven or eight rats. And I've never played Oblivion before."

2. Detailed Discussion on the Oblivion Remaster

The team delves into the nuances of the remaster, comparing it to its predecessor and current standards set by titles like Skyrim.

Justin Davis [04:25]:
"I think you'll like it just fine... Skyrim is a much more compelling and overall well game than Oblivion is."

Key points discussed include:

• Level Scaling Adjustments:
  Originally, Oblivion featured pervasive level scaling, making enemies scale with the player's level, which some felt diminished the sense of progression and exploration. The remaster reportedly revisits and refines this mechanic.

  Justin Davis [04:25]:
  "They revisited the level scaling and adjusted it... I'm curious to see how much this sorts of cleans that up."

• Combat Enhancements:
  The original combat was deemed "basic" and "floaty." Adjustments aim to modernize the fighting mechanics without overhauling the core experience.

• Mod Support Concerns:
  Unlike the original, the remaster does not support mods, raising concerns about the potential loss of community-driven enhancements that enriched the original game.

  Justin Davis [07:05]:
  "It's like I'm keeping my expectations in check for how much the gameplay was touched up... But I like Skyrim quite a bit more for those reasons."

3. Nintendo Switch Pre-Order Frenzy

As Nintendo Switch pre-orders go live in North America, the hosts discuss strategies, retailer reliability, and past experiences.

Daemon Hatfield [14:43]:
"I hope that Nintendo pre order comes through... other than that, the thing that always bums me out is that I just want it to be Amazon."

Sam Claiborne [17:10]:
"I'm a Target guy. They've never done me wrong with delivery."

Key takeaways:

• Retailer Choices:
  Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop are highlighted as primary sources. The absence of Switch sales on Amazon continues to frustrate listeners.

• Availability and Pricing:
  Rumors suggest the Nintendo Switch 2 may launch without price increases, but uncertainty remains regarding stock availability.

  Justin Davis [16:17]:
  "The lack of a price rise is interesting... the best case scenario is it's the same price and the worst case scenario is it's $200 more."

4. Mario Kart World Launch and Innovative Features

The launch of Mario Kart World introduces groundbreaking features like the rewind mechanic, sparking excitement and debate.

Justin Davis [20:27]:
"It's a good feature. It's just different than how I expected it to work."

Sam Claiborne [22:14]:
"There’s P switches and then there’s also exclamation pads on the ground... really like this stuff."

Highlights include:

• Rewind Feature:
  Allows players to rewind their kart's position, enabling retries on missed jumps or shortcuts without penalizing opponents.

• Single-Player Challenges:
  Hundreds of challenges scattered across the game world, enhancing exploration and replayability.

5. Review of the Super Mario Bros. Movie

The hosts commend the recent Super Mario Bros. Movie for its nostalgic appeal, humor, and quality performances.

Daemon Hatfield [38:17]:
"It's unbelievable to me that it turned out as well as it did and actually has funny jokes, actual good performances..."

6. Live-Action Zelda Movie Speculations

A spirited debate ensues over the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, weighing the challenges and potential pitfalls.

Sam Claiborne [40:02]:
"Like Link’s going to talk and he's going to have his elf ears... I'm worried about it for sure."

Justin Davis [42:14]:
"The master sword is really stupid... how they show it all is gonna be a mishmash of reference."

Key points:

• Character Portrayal:
  Concerns about accurately representing iconic characters like Link and Zelda in a live-action format.

• Adaptation Challenges:
  Balancing hardcore fan expectations with mainstream appeal, avoiding mishaps seen in previous adaptations.

7. Video Game 20 Questions: Guessing Psychonauts

In an interactive segment, the hosts engage in a lively game of 20 Questions to identify the game Psychonauts. Despite multiple hints, the first attempt eludes Sam Claiborne.

Daemon Hatfield:
"Published by Majesco, but developed in your backyard at Double Fine."

Ultimately, Sam successfully guesses:

Sam Claiborne:
"Psychonauts."

8. The Last of Us Season Two Episode Review

The episode features a spoiler-heavy discussion on the latest The Last of Us television series episode, particularly focusing on Joel's death at the hands of Abby.

Daemon Hatfield [52:11]:
"They found the noodles in the pipe. They also added their own original big event which is a Helm's deep style battle at Jackson Holm."

Sam Claiborne [53:40]:
"I thought some scenes looked really cool... the Jackson Hole shots were gorgeous."

Insights include:

• Adaptation Choices:
  Sam appreciates the episode's execution, likening it to Game of Thrones in its handling of large-scale battles and character moments.

• Character Dynamics:
  Debate over the portrayal of Abby, particularly her physical depiction and its impact on character development.

Daemon Hatfield [57:22]:
"But you took out an interesting gameplay dynamic that ended up being an interesting character dynamic."

9. Listener Interaction and Final Segments

The episode wraps up with listener contributions, including anagrams and feedback from long-time listeners.

Andrew from Salt Lake City:
"I've enjoyed listening since 2019. I even went back listening through all the way Back to episode 300."

Daemon Hatfield [60:57]:
"Damon Hatfield actually anagrams to one Halftime, Dad."

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Concluding Thoughts

Episode 808 of "Game Scoop!" serves as a comprehensive roundup of current and nostalgic gaming topics. From the unexpected re-emergence of Oblivion to the anticipation surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 and the challenges of adapting beloved franchises to live action, the IGN crew offers insightful commentary and lively debate. Their multifaceted discussions ensure that both longtime gaming veterans and new enthusiasts find value and entertainment in each episode.

Whether you're curious about the latest console releases, reminiscing about classic RPGs, or pondering the future of iconic game franchises in film, "Game Scoop!" continues to be a must-listen for the gaming community.

Notable Quotes:

• Daemon Hatfield [03:05]:
  "With Elder Scrolls 6 nowhere in sight, Oblivion is the hero we need."

• Justin Davis [04:25]:
  "Skyrim is a much more compelling and overall well game than Oblivion is."

• Sam Claiborne [53:40]:
  "The Jackson Hole shots were gorgeous."

• Sam Claiborne [40:02]:
  "I'm worried about it for sure."

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Stay tuned for more episodes of "Game Scoop!" where the IGN crew continues to break down the biggest gaming news, share nostalgic moments, and engage with the gaming community through fun and challenging trivia.

Transcript

[Damon Hadfield]

With Elder Scrolls 6 nowhere in sight, Oblivion is the hero we need. Plus, we're on the eve of Nintendo Switch pre orders here in North America and I have we need to share some thoughts on the Last of Us. All that coming up next on gamescoop after these messages. What sort of promises have you made to yourself this year? Getting in better shape? Eating healthier? Saving more money? Traveling somewhere new? What about discovering a new culture by learning a new language? With Babbel, you can, in just a few weeks this year, speak like a whole new you. With Babbel, the language learning app that gets you talking. Babbel's quick 10 minute lessons, handcrafted by over 200 language experts, get you to begin speaking your new language in three weeks or whatever pace you choose. And because conversing is the key to really understanding each other in new languages, Babbel is designed using practical real world conversations. Babbel's tips and tools are inspired by the real life stuff you actually need when communicating with a focus on conversation. You'll be ready to talk wherever you go. I've used Babbel to brush up on my Spanish before trips to Mexico. It's useful for learning an entirely new language, but also for those who, like me, haven't used a second language in years and could use some refreshers. Need proof that Babbel gets you talking? Studies from Yale, Michigan State and other leading universities continue to prove Babbel works. One study found that using Babbel for 15 hours is equivalent to a full semester at College. With over 16 million subscriptions sold, Babbel's 14 award winning language courses are backed by a 20 day money back guarantee this year. Get talking with Babbel. Now let's get more of you talking in a new language. Babbel is gifting our listeners 60% off [e-mail] Gamescoop get up to 60% [e-mail] GamesCoop spelled B-A B-B-E-L.com Gamescoop Babbel.com Gamescoop rules and restrictions may apply. This episode is brought to you by Chevy Silverado. When it's time for you to ditch the blacktop and head off road, do it in a truck that says no to nothing. The Chevy Silverado Trail Boss get the rugged capability of its Z71 suspension and 2 inch factory lift, plus impressive torque and towing capacity thanks to an available Duramax 3 liter turbo diesel engine. Where other trucks call it quits, you'll just be getting started. Visit chevy.com to learn more. What's up everybody? Welcome to IGN Gamescoop. I'm your host, Damon Hadfield and joining me this week are Sam Claiborne.

[Sam Claiborne]

Hi, Damon.

[Damon Hadfield]

Hi, Sam. And Justin Davis.

[Justin Davis]

Scoop.

[Damon Hadfield]

And we've got a great show for you this week. Just, I mean, just over 24 hours now. Nintendo Switch pre orders will go live here in North America. We have to prepare for that. I've also we've got some questions about the live action Zelda movie that's planned. I recently just rewatched the Mario Bros. Movie and I wanted to touch on that again. And of course, this week's Last of Us episode. Well, that thing happened that everyone knew was coming if you've played the games. But first, the Oblivion remaster came out of nowhere today, out of complete left field and surprised everyone and is available now. Sam, I think I heard you.

[Sam Claiborne]

What a shocker.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, what a shocker. I think I heard you. You fired it up and you've already killed your first rat. A rite of passage for all Oblivion.

[Sam Claiborne]

At least seven or eight rats. And I've never played Oblivion before.

[Damon Hadfield]

I have never played it either and I look forward to it. You know, I haven't even gotten to download it yet, but I will tonight. I'm very much looking forward to digging into it. Justin, did you play Oblivion back in the day?

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, Oblivion was the very, very first game that I ever saw or played on an hd, like widescreen television as they used to be called. So I think that kids today don't fathom how absolutely mind blowing it was to be going from playing on. I don't know how big my previous TV was, but you know, a 20 inch square CRT and then going to like a widescreen HD console with oblivion. It was amazing.

[Sam Claiborne]

Did you go to the, the widescreen or 4 by 3 CRT first? Those flat, flat ones?

[Justin Davis]

No, I didn't.

[Damon Hadfield]

That's what I, that's what I had first. My first flat screen was still a four by three.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, yeah. And then there was a. I think I had a wide CRT for a while, which is crazy.

[Justin Davis]

That is crazy.

[Sam Claiborne]

What a tiny.

[Damon Hadfield]

So I'm looking forward to this. Everyone seems really stoked about it. It seems to be like a really well done remaster that almost even seems like a remake in terms of level of quality. So Justin, I'd like to know, as someone who played a lot of Skyrim and likes Skyrim, what should I expect going into Oblivion?

[Justin Davis]

I think you'll like it just fine. I Mean, I don't want to be a downer on this day of celebration for it seems like.

[Sam Claiborne]

Here we go.

[Justin Davis]

Many kind of millennials, in my opinion. I think that Skyrim is a much more compelling and overall well game than Oblivion is. But here's the. Here's the asterisk is the. The. You know, people are playing it now, like at Shadow Drop, so we'll know more in the next day or two. They did talk about how they adjusted the combat and they adjusted the level scaling a little bit. And those are the two things that I think didn't age very well in Oblivion. Like, the combat was very. Just sort of basic. I mean, even in Skyrim, it was basic, but in Oblivion, it was very much just like, hack yourself sword. Like, there was kind of just nothing to it. Like, it was very kind of floaty. And the level scaling was the thing that. I mean, it didn't kill my interest in Oblivion. I played the game for dozens and dozens of hours and loved it back in the day. But it was a really early example of level scaling in a game where by the end of the game, all the bandits would be wearing endgame armor. Right. Like, everything just scaled with you, and it made everything you did in Oblivion feel a little bit pointless and made exploration feel like you would know that every dungeon and every enemy in the game would always be exactly paced to match, you know, your level of experience. And they did talk about today in the presentation that they revisited the level scaling and adjusted it so, you know, how much stuff like that's adjusted. I mean, this is not a remake, it is just a remaster. So it's like I'm keeping my expectations in check for how much the gameplay was touched up. But, like, I. I like Skyrim quite a bit more for those reasons.

[Sam Claiborne]

So did Skyrim have any type of that world scaling? I can't even remember now.

[Justin Davis]

I think so. Like, what most. I can't speak for Skyrim specifically, but sort of the balance that a lot of people have landed on. Because if you don't scale your game at all, like, that's good for hardcore gamers like us, but for more casual gamers, you just walk into some area and it's a brick wall and then you can't win. So they scale it within, like, a band of. Like, this area of the game will be level one to 10. But then if you're level 20, you can still go back and stomp the stuff in the 1 to 10 area. But if you're level 8, everything in that area will be level 8. And then there's an area that's the teens and an area that's kind of the 20s. And so, like, I love that. Yeah, that. That feels like a good compromise. And I want to say that maybe that's how Skyrim handled it, but I actually, it's been a long time since I played Skyrim too, so.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, but yeah, that's worrying. Like, I want to play a big open world exploration game and have fun and go to dungeons and. But I don't want to, like, go into them and be like, well, all I got was, you know, a 1% better sword, like you were saying.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, yeah, that's definitely how the original was. And you know, the remake as of now, supposedly does not support mods. You know, and obviously Bethesda games have a long history of mods. And so I played. The last time I played Oblivion, I had an amazing time because I modded the hell out of it. And they modded the level scaling out and the capital city in the game, that city that I'm sure you've seen in screenshots with the big tower, they made everything in the center of the map easiest. And the farther you got out to the edge of the map, they made it harder and harder and harder. And that mod also replaced the random loot with like hand placed loot. And so, you know, this passionate community can take the bones of something that's like really, really good and, you know, sort of fix, I don't even want to call it flaws, but just like, you know, fix things that are maybe a little bit less popular. And so I hope that eventually, like, if this just becomes the new base for Oblivion. I know that they're claiming in the FAQ it doesn't support mods right now, but hopefully if this version becomes moddable, you know, there'll be crazies out there that'll be like, no, every single chest in the game now is hand place loot in it. But like, you know, I. I wouldn't be surprised if this remake ended up being kind of a step back from like a really, really deeply, heavily modded version of Oblivion. But, you know, but we'll see.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, I do know that it does have, you know, side quest rewards and placed chests that do have unique items because I'm seeing our staff talk about the ones to go get first and we're like doing an article on that.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, love it, man. I do. I feel like I'm being too negative about Oblivion. Like, it was amazing.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, it looks great to Me too.

[Justin Davis]

And, like, the music obviously takes me back. Like, I think Parasite, when he hears that music, he just thinks adventure. And, like, I'm definitely the same way. Like, this was a really, really formative game for. For me. I just think in the 20 years since, other open world RPGs have kind of outclassed it. So I'm curious to see how much this sort of cleans that up and brings it back to a modern standard.

[Sam Claiborne]

I was delighted to find out that there's, like, Oblivion Sickos. There's people that are so into this game because of the quirks in leveling and all that stuff. The way to kind of bend the crazy rules. And people play for hundreds and hundreds of hours instead of just playing through it once. And so that's good news. It means there's something to it.

[Justin Davis]

I mean, every open world game, every Fallout game has that moment where you leave the vault. Right. And Oblivion's version of that of, like, the tutorials are kind of in the sewer. And, like, it's a stronger opening, I think, than Skyrims because you're in there for like, a while. Like, you're underground for like a good hour or two, and then you emerge and like, that power of, like, go wherever you want, do whatever you want. Like, it's really strong in this game.

[Damon Hadfield]

Skyrims is so iconic, though. You're on the back of the wagon, the guy gets his head cut off, the dragon shows up.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, I think it hits harder in Oblivion just because you are underground for longer. Like, you're kind of railroaded through this little tutorial section, and then you do eventually get out. It's great.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. I just can't wait to see more of the Elder Scrolls kind of environs and world and, you know, the castles and stuff like that. I like all that stuff. And I think this. It's presented really well here. Like, just from what I've seen, it looks really good. Like, it looks like it's not quite avowed, but it's up there.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah. And one thing I'll give Oblivion credit for, although I do like Skyrim more overall, the Oblivion Faction quest lines are stronger. The Thieves Guild is really good in Oblivion, and the Dark Brotherhood is, like, really good in Oblivion too. I think that they're much better than their Skyrim counterparts.

[Damon Hadfield]

Nice with the level scaling thing. I feel like it just doesn't respect my time. So if I encounter an enemy, they're too difficult for me right now. I'm happy to go off and spend time grinding, however much time it takes to grinding until I can come back and I'm op and I've earned that. I've spent the time I should be allowed to be op. But with level scaling, no. Now his level's just back up to where it was in relation to mine before. So I think it's total BS when it's done poorly.

[Justin Davis]

It's sort of like it removes like if a player displays a huge amount of ingenuity and they make their way to an end of a dungeon and get some crazy sort sword that's like 10 hours earlier than they're supposed to be able to get it, that's the best. Right? And so that's what poor.

[Sam Claiborne]

That's a crux of what open world RPGs should be, in my opinion.

[Justin Davis]

Right. And so as always, something's not either good nor bad. It's how it's used. And so I'm really curious to see how Oblivion was adjusted in that regard.

[Damon Hadfield]

Well, I'm looking forward. Go ahead, Sam.

[Sam Claiborne]

Well, it is hard for me to see the reason why you just explained it just. But why this level scaling is so prevalent. And I guess it's for accessibility. But like it really feels. It feels good both to find something that you can't be yet and come back later. It also feels good to mow over things in the early areas and have the backtracking be easier instead of just a pain in the butt. Each time a skeleton comes up, you're like, well, this is going to be a five minute skeleton fight. Like, that's not cool. But then what that type of thing does also is it pushes you to be loot focused. Which is like, well, I read online that I can beat this tough enemy that's at my level. It's covered in good gear only with things that make it vulnerable to fire. And then you have to go like, do all that and then come back. So it's a different type of thing, but what that does is that takes away the ingenuity. Right? It takes away like. But I figured out a way to do this, you know, in the open world with all of my different types of builds and levels. Like, I just did it my way. No, you gotta do it this one way. So that's a problem. That's a problem. I'm not, and I'm not talking about Oblivion here, I'm just riffing on Justin because I've never played Oblivion, so I don't know anything about it.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, I mean, the setting is really cool, like Skyrim. I know that part of what some people don't like about it is that it is, even though it's not all snowy, by the way, like if you're in Riften, it's like kind of warm there, but like it's generally a little. It's a little bit. One note. And Skyrim is a little bit. I mean, you know, it's snowy and overcast and stormy. Whereas Cyrodiil, where Oblivion takes place, is more picturesque. It's a little bit more sort of traditional high fantasy. And like that really appeals to me personally, like just the forests and towns, like that's what I'm looking for in a role playing game. That's it.

[Sam Claiborne]

That always struck me as like Bethesda thinking, like, we'll do Skyrim and it'll be, you know, the snow area, you get to see this and it's like this game and then the next time we'll do one in kind of a different region the next time. And then it's just like at that point development slowed down to such a snail's pace. Yeah, because how close are these games? They were like 2006, 2010 or something like that.

[Justin Davis]

2011, Skyrim, five years apart.

[Sam Claiborne]

Five years apart, yeah. So it's been three times that now.

[Justin Davis]

That's actually really depressing. Although to be fair, Bethesda was, you know, released a lot of games in those years.

[Sam Claiborne]

They did, but in Elder Scrolls with a new region and a new thing every five years would have been exactly what they probably expected too, you know.

[Justin Davis]

Right.

[Sam Claiborne]

Funny.

[Damon Hadfield]

Well, I look forward to diving into Oblivion and we'll be able to share more thoughts on that next week. Yeah, we're recording this on Tuesday of this week. And then the Switch pre orders, they're actually going live earlier than I expected. They're going live at 12:00am Eastern on Thursday the 24th, which means 9:00pm Pacific Time for us here on the West Coast. Which is much more convenient for me than trying to like get a 7am or order while at the same time I'm trying to get my kids fed breakfast. You know, this way I can get the kids in bed and then pre order.

[Justin Davis]

Yep.

[Sam Claiborne]

I hope that Nintendo pre order comes through. You know, it just makes it really easy that we got queued up or whatever. But other than that, the thing that always bums me out is that I just want it to be Amazon. And Amazon's always the last for Nintendo.

[Damon Hadfield]

I know.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah. I mean the. So again, rumors only. Nothing confirmed, but the rumors are that The Nintendo Switch 2 should be relatively plentiful.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, that's great. Well, and we know it was for UK NAU because our editors in those territories just had zero problems getting them. But that means they snatched them all up.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, that could be true. You know, maybe given some of the shakiness going on in America right now, some consoles were diverted elsewhere to other territories around the world. Hard to say, but look like if you're interested in getting one, it's never a bad idea to pre order one day one because you don't want to be left without. Right. But I don't personally feel as much heat and pressure to be like right at that second. Like, I need to get the console right right now. Because what we've heard from like GameStop managers and some other folks like that is like, well, maybe this thing will be findable.

[Damon Hadfield]

We're seeing the new Paul Rudd commercial here too, which is just so great because he famously appeared in a Power Glove commercial many years ago.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, that's so funny. So I think it may have been a next gen console watch. But Justin, I think you and I talked about it on this show. The idea of, well, maybe they won't change the switch price but they'll just knock up the price of everything else. Like, wasn't that something? I mean, I definitely talked about one of the shows, but I think we talked about it here and that's exactly what they ended up doing.

[Justin Davis]

Oh, I didn't. Yeah, I guess you're right. I didn't. Remember if we'd speculated on that.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, what an interesting twist.

[Justin Davis]

The lack of a price rise is interesting. Right? Like I suppose they're leaving the door open. Like, you know, they'll add a tariff surcharge if they have to. But like it definitely adds to like if you're considering buying a switch to any time in year one, like you might as well just buy it now because you're not going to get it. You're certainly not going to get it cheaper next summer.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah.

[Justin Davis]

So the best case scenario is it's the same price and the worst case scenario is it's $200 more, you know, so.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, so I'm with Sam just for my own personal, selfish reasons of convenience. I wish I could use Amazon, but of Walmart, Target, Best Buy and GameStop, like, which one's the best one to go with?

[Sam Claiborne]

I'm a Target guy. They've never done me wrong with delivery.

[Damon Hadfield]

Okay.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, it is interesting. That's right in the timeframe. There's a little bit of inside baseball, but there's gonna be a lot of IGN people converging on LA for IGN Live tickets are on sale [e-mail] live. Come hang out with us. But like that, like I think what does the console come out? The sixth, the fifth, fifth. The fifth. The console two days before IGN Live.

[Damon Hadfield]

Right.

[Justin Davis]

And so I think that, that, I think that's the day I get into town. And so like, like we, there's several IGN people that have a little bit of like gamesmanship of like. Well because here's, here's why I bring it up is because Walmart's promising and you know that's maybe it's an opportunity for them to not be able to keep that promise. But Walmart is promising that if you pre ordered on Walmart.com, you'll get it that morning by you know, whatever, 10:00am or sometime that morning because they're going to deliver it to you from a local store.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Justin Davis]

And so like I have to game out like can I get my Switch too? And then like jet to the airport immediately if I pre order from Walmart maybe. And I think I live in an.

[Sam Claiborne]

Area without local Walmart so I wonder if they're going to keep that for.

[Damon Hadfield]

Here or have it, have it delivered to the IGN office here in la. So it's here.

[Sam Claiborne]

Well that's my plan. I'm just gonna have it. And I used to do that with the San Francisco office. Right. It's just like have all my new consoles come there for security. I'm definitely just gonna send it to the office there.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, that's not a bad idea. Keep my kids grubby hands off the console.

[Sam Claiborne]

When I remember when we did the PS4 unboxing everybody together, we had all shipped our consoles to the office for that to make that convenient.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah. So it is interesting seeing retailers like I think I actually don't know if they brought this back. Like Best Buy was talking about doing a midnight launch or like just different retailers are doing clever stuff of like Walmart will send it to you that, that morning. And I think Best Buy was saying that if you pre order it online you can go into the store and pick it up at midnight, you know, so like there's just options out there. And again this is, this is rumor only so I don't know that this is true. But like it seems like Nintendo, several years back Nintendo and Amazon were fighting with each other and there were just not really Nintendo games being sold on Amazon.com and that seems to be happening right now again. So the console just might not be Sold on Amazon. At least not this summer.

[Sam Claiborne]

That happened for years. There was just no Nintendo hardware on Amazon for years.

[Justin Davis]

Yep. And then, you know, it seemed like they patched it up behind the scenes, but now, like, there's no listing for the Switch 2 on Amazon yet. So we'll see.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. And thinking back, maybe it's for the best because I ordered the Switch. I pre ordered the Switch 1 from Amazon. It didn't arrive on launch day. It arrived like three days later.

[Sam Claiborne]

Oh, no. Okay, good to know.

[Damon Hadfield]

So maybe it's for the best.

[Justin Davis]

I can't remember where I got mine now.

[Damon Hadfield]

So Mario Kart World, big launch title and had its own direct last week, which I missed because the overall thinking seemed to be that could have been an email.

[Justin Davis]

Oh, no, it had it like, were we gonna talk about Mario Kart?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, Because, I mean, Sam just filled me in that has this rewind feature that I hadn't heard about.

[Sam Claiborne]

Oh, my God, it's incredible.

[Justin Davis]

Except the racers keep going. So it's not. It's not rewind like Forza, like, where.

[Sam Claiborne]

I think it's cool. It's in every mode, though. I think it's good to rewind while you're playing with your friends. And you have to do like. I was explaining it like, they showed this in the thing. If you missed a jump, that's a really good shortcut. And you're like, well, if I rewind, I'll still be ahead of people if.

[Damon Hadfield]

I make that jump thing.

[Justin Davis]

Right.

[Sam Claiborne]

It's so cool. I was like, we're speculating what does it look like while that person's rewinding in front of you? And Jada was saying, like, oh, I guess you just zip backwards in the air.

[Justin Davis]

You just see is cool. It's a good feature. It's just different than how I expected it to work. I mean, obviously, if you're playing in a multiplayer match, you can't have other opponents rewinding with you. Right. That's why it affects only your kart.

[Damon Hadfield]

Right.

[Justin Davis]

But in single player only. I wonder if there's an option just because Nintendo's about accessibility and, you know, helping make things easier for younger gamers. If there could be like an undo button for younger gamers where the whole game didn't continue forward, but the game itself actually rewound. Yeah, but Damon, what I was going to say is the direct. You know, I actually don't think the direct. It actually, I think it made the game look less impressive in some ways. I'm like. Like, I don't Think it feels like a next gen Nintendo game. Like it feels fine. But it confirmed the one thing I'm looking for, which they said there's hundreds. That was Nintendo's quote, quote unquote hundreds of single player challenges just littered around the world. They called them P switch challenges.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. There's P switches and then there's also exclamation pads on the ground. And then there's also the coins, the princess peaches on the coin. I forgot what the name of the coin is. So those are all these things. I really like how some of them are set up. Like coin collecting challenges where you like drive through something and then have to do some tricks to like, you know, parkour to your coins. Like that's great.

[Justin Davis]

I think they might, I think they might all be that. I think they, I think all the piece. Because that's how P switches in Mario work. Right. So it makes something appear in the game world.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. But then they show the pads which are something else. And then the coins are just hidden in like you just go off road and you might find a coin. That stuff's great. And then they also showed. I think the new items looked really good. There was some pretty funny ones. I really like the one that you shoot a thing ahead of you and then you know when you get 10 coins you can go your max speed. It puts a bunch of coins in front of you. So if you're on a straightaway and you go straight into them, you can nab them. But if you do it on like on an angle or a curve, other people can grab them. That was a smart one. There was a hammer brothers hammer which like stays in the ground, makes this huge like cluster of like stuff not to hit in front of you. So you can kind of dodge your own shots because you know where they are. But people that are kind of right behind you are people that see them ahead. You can just like lay them all over the item blocks and just screw people. Like it's just cool. Like there's really, really like this many years in. There's this. There's new items that seem great.

[Justin Davis]

Yep. I saw some people disappointed that the game doesn't seem to have like a full on single player mode of like, you know, there's a story, missions and yada yada. But for me, knowing that the open world, because we talked about this when the game was first revealed, like I hope the open world's not empty. Knowing you're not. There's challenges littered all over the place. I'm like awesome. I Don't need to know anything more. I'm here for it.

[Sam Claiborne]

There seem to be, like, Nintendo jokes everywhere. Like, did you see the shot of the old Mario Kart karts and then the new Mario Karts all lined up under them as like a little Easter egg they put in? But there's things everywhere. There's just names of things and stuff. That looks good. To your point about it looking next gen or not? Occasionally it does. And I'm like, oh, this is like this, this grass area here. Like, that looks cool. They wouldn't have done that before, but then you see, like, the tracks or whatever, and they absolutely look like Wii Mario tracks to me. I mean, clearly I, that's how I'm remembering them. And Mario Kart 8 looked really good and everything, but it doesn't look like a huge bump up. And then the open world looks, I mean, you can see pop in right now while you're watching their footage, which is like, what are you doing?

[Justin Davis]

Yeah. I mean, the nature of it, the upgrade is 24 racers and the upgrade is 24 open world. Like, it's not, it's not like, Because I remember when Mario Kid 8 or 8 came out, everyone we, you know, including us, it's like, oh, my God, this game's gorgeous. Like, what would the next Mario Kart look like? And I'm like, oh, okay, it looks about the same.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, not a problem. It makes for a good Mario Kart, right? It's gonna play fine.

[Justin Davis]

But I mean, a great launch game. Like, you know, I'm excited to play, definitely.

[Damon Hadfield]

I assume you're both going to preorder the bundle with Mario Kart.

[Justin Davis]

Yes, if I can. Yeah. I hope so.

[Sam Claiborne]

I can.

[Damon Hadfield]

Anything else you're going to throw in.

[Sam Claiborne]

Saves you 40 bucks, right?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, well, 30 bucks.

[Sam Claiborne]

30.

[Damon Hadfield]

Anything else you're going to throw in in terms of other games or accessories?

[Justin Davis]

I mean, the Joy Con, like, I have two kids, right? So eventually I'm going to have to get another Joy Con, but I just, I can't bring myself to buy the $500 console. And the $90 Joy Con. Like, that purchase is going to have to wait a month or two. A month or two. But eventually I'm gonna have to get another one.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely planning on upgrading my Zelda games. Yeah, that's just 10 bucks doing that.

[Justin Davis]

10. 10 bucks.

[Damon Hadfield]

10 bucks a piece.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. And then I don't think any accessories are essential for me at launch, but I definitely want to do that. And then, yeah, I, I, I'm gonna play the gamecube games, so I'm excited for that too, you know, So I already had the subscription, so I'm already paying that. I don't think there's a more expensive subscription, right?

[Damon Hadfield]

No, I don't think. Not yet, at least.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yep.

[Damon Hadfield]

Until they want to add Virtual Boy.

[Sam Claiborne]

Games in there, I will play that. That tour game. Like, I'll play that also.

[Damon Hadfield]

The Switch, like.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I don't. Like, that's one where I will wait for the reviews. Because the reviews are either going to say, you know, nope, this has cool minigames in it. Or they're going to say, nah, this thing's a piece of. This is stupid.

[Sam Claiborne]

So for me, it's like, it's. What is it, 10 bucks? Yeah. I mean, and I think that's obviously it should be a pack ad. And I don't. I've already made myself clear on that. Um, I'm like, I. It looks so Nintendo that, like, I wouldn't have paid for Nintendo Land at launch necessarily. But like, I played every aspect of it. If it was 10 bucks, I would have. Like, just because it's Nintendo and it's like, I want to see what they put in there. It just. It's somebody there that's probably pretty high up made that, and I just want to see what they put in it, you know?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. I mean, as someone who is just interested in Nintendo and their history in general. Sure. It's a curio, right?

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, it's a curio. Yeah. It's also kind of about ui, which is interesting. Makes me kind of think like, Miyamoto might have been involved in it. He's like, he was hired as a UI person. Like, it's just. It's all interesting.

[Justin Davis]

It is. I. I will give it credit for that. And then, yeah, I mean, I said it on Scoop when the Switch to Reveal happened of like, I put down. I deliberately put down Tears of the Kingdom, even though it was my game of the generation. And so I like, the only real decision point for me is like, do I just pick it up and keep playing or do I start over and I. I don't know. I'll decide in the moment.

[Damon Hadfield]

I'm going to start over.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, I'm. I'm leaning that direction. Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

Actually looking forward to it.

[Sam Claiborne]

Did you all see the big 3D Mario news this week?

[Damon Hadfield]

No.

[Justin Davis]

Oh, Doug Bowser.

[Sam Claiborne]

Doug Bowser said stay tuned. Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

Oh, that's it. Okay.

[Sam Claiborne]

He didn't say we don't discuss upcoming projects. He didn't say, you know, we have no plans for that at this time, he said.

[Justin Davis]

And I'm sure he got a talking to from Nintendo of Japan for not saying we don't discuss unannounced projects. You know what? I'm what? Tears of the Kingdom came out 2023, right?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Justin Davis]

And so I'm just realizing my other favorite game and one of my all time favorite games of the generation was Baldur's Gate 3. And I also didn't finish that because when that came out, act three was all broken and janky.

[Sam Claiborne]

Tears of the Kingdom just came out last year. 2024.

[Damon Hadfield]

No.

[Justin Davis]

Is that right? They were both 23, I think.

[Damon Hadfield]

No. Yeah, it's 2023 because we're talking about what a big year that was.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. Yeah.

[Justin Davis]

So I have. So at some point, like I was waiting, it just popped into my head of like I was so sad. Act three barely ran on my computer and I'm like, okay, I'll finish this game in a year. So I need to get back to that.

[Damon Hadfield]

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[Justin Davis]

Hey listen.

[Damon Hadfield]

Oh nice listeners. Remember, you can always reach us at the email address gamescoopgn.com just like Scott from Chester, Virginia did, who says with the Switch 2 launch imminent, I wanted to ask you, what are some games on various systems throughout the video game generations where you thought, wow, this is next gen. Thanks for the great content and insight. The show is fantastic. Well, Nintendo used to be known for that.

[Sam Claiborne]

Absolutely.

[Damon Hadfield]

Starting with the NES and Super Mario Brothers. Something that we'd never seen. Something that level of quality. An arcade. Perfect port to a home console that was absolutely. It's killer Apple that was amazing. And then the Super Nintendo Super Mario World. I remember being blown away by the transparent effects with the fog. Like the.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. And F0 and Pilotwings were intended to be showcase mode 7, which was like a big deal. And they were very wowing at the time.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

And Genesis had its equivalent because Genesis brought home arcade games and it was really focused on that. So even though they don't hold up perfectly, next to each other. And Altered Beast is Terrible and Golden Axes, whatever. They. They were really impressive. Like on the Genesis. Like those were Next Gen games on.

[Damon Hadfield]

The Genesis, for sure.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah. I mean, from the start. And obviously Sonic compared to Mario at the time.

[Sam Claiborne]

Right then Sonic. And we remember that was like a year and a half later or whatever, you know, which is nuts, but totally crazy. I mean, by the end of the NES's life cycle, Mario 3 was remarkable. Right. So, yeah, I mean, those big generational leaps.

[Justin Davis]

I do. I mean, Oblivion is one of them for me, as I said at the top of the show for sure. And then that same year, so it's like I got an Xbox360 and I got an HDTV and like Oblivion and Gears of War were like the two, you know, like, I played Halo way more than Gears, but in terms of like wowing me with spectacle and it feeling Next Gen and impossible on what came before. Definitely Gears is up there for me. And then Mario 64, obviously.

[Damon Hadfield]

Mario 64.

[Sam Claiborne]

What's the PlayStation 1's equivalent? I just wasn't a PlayStation jumping flash. Yeah.

[Justin Davis]

I mean, Launch. Like it. I was thinking about this, the console a While.

[Damon Hadfield]

I'm a PlayStation fan. I've owned Tomb Raider almost every.

[Justin Davis]

It was.

[Damon Hadfield]

I'm just gonna say I don't think PlayStation has ever had a really impressive launch game. There's none that come to my mind.

[Justin Davis]

At least I would agree with that. I mean, the PlayStation was out for a while before the. Even before the DualShock controller. Right. And so, you know, like, the games, the 3D games didn't play with an analog stick, so it was kind of bizarre.

[Sam Claiborne]

Like, maybe like Gran Turismo was a big deal, but I just wasn't paying attention later.

[Damon Hadfield]

I don't think.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, I was gonna say, I don't think that's Launch, you know, so it's like, I don't actually know what's PS1 launch window, but early ish games would have been like Tekken, you know, just polygonal, you know. Resident Evil would have been early ish. Tomb Raider 1, maybe. But that, I mean, that could have come out two or three years.

[Damon Hadfield]

A couple years. Yeah. It wasn't.

[Sam Claiborne]

And that PS2 didn't have any crazy big leaps Launch.

[Damon Hadfield]

But the Dreamcast did well, launch games, though. Yeah. Soul Caliber. Yeah, it was probably the biggest one.

[Sam Claiborne]

That was a big deal.

[Damon Hadfield]

That was a big deal.

[Sam Claiborne]

Like, people used to just watch that and be like, wow, this game looks amazing.

[Damon Hadfield]

GameCube.

[Sam Claiborne]

I think GameCube was the best example. Like I think that Star wars, that's what I was. Rogue Squadron two.

[Damon Hadfield]

Rogue Squadron two. I think it was the, the, the most impressive of the launch titles, which isn't even made by Nintendo, but I bet Nintendo had some hand in making sure that was there and available at launch as an impressive showcase. Right?

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. And then, you know, everybody who's listening to gamescube for this long has heard this before, but Metroid prime was the last time in which Nintendo made a game where everybody is like, is this a better looking than Half Life 2 or Crysis? Like these, all these games look amazing.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

And it was an actual discussion, like an active discussion of like, did Nintendo make the most high tech amazing game on the market this year?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

Like when that never happened again.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. Because you think about the Wii, obviously the Wii was huge phenomenon and Wii Sports was a big package, but it's just a different thing than something that you look at and say, wow, this is amazing. Right. This couldn't have been done before.

[Sam Claiborne]

They just, they make amazing looking games and everything like that, but they just don't make games which are like technically, you know, at the top of all, you know, cutting edge technology. That's just, they're not developing technology that way.

[Justin Davis]

Nope. Doing it to get a different thing going on.

[Damon Hadfield]

The original Xbox launched with Halo.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yep.

[Damon Hadfield]

Combat Evolved, pretty good launch.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, but I, yes, but Halo 2, as I think I've talked about on the show, was the big, I mean Xbox Live already actually existed for a little while because Crimson Skies and stuff was out. But like that was a big coming out party for online play on home consoles. And just many people, including me, their first exposure to playing a game online at home from a home console, not on a PC. And when it kind of became a cultural phenomenon, I think was the sequel.

[Sam Claiborne]

But I remember Halo being like impressive and expansive and people were like, oh, this looks really cool and looks really nice. But I don't remember them comparing it to Half Life or anything like, like that Half Life too.

[Justin Davis]

No, it definitely carried the Xbox brand for a while until it got, it.

[Sam Claiborne]

Was a party game.

[Justin Davis]

Got going. Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

I can feel a disturbance in Scoop Nation. I think probably I, I probably annoyed some of our more hardcore PlayStation fans who want to be like, oh, but, but what about. Maybe they'd say Astro's Playroom. Astro's Playroom is very, very cool, Very cool showcase. It's just a little bit smaller in scope. You know, it's showing off cool things that the dualsense controller can do. I don't Think it's quite on the.

[Sam Claiborne]

Level what we used to, you know, the resist to tears, the resistance fans and coming out in force.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, yeah. I ball of man, never been bothered to play a resistance game.

[Justin Davis]

It's gotta be. It's gotta be Mario 64 which we already. I know we already talked about but like just circling back on it a sec. Like probably the greatest example of this ever and probably the greatest launch game of all time. Like.

[Sam Claiborne]

But to your point, Justin, I feel like the 360 was the most next gen feeling system for some reason.

[Justin Davis]

The jumped.

[Sam Claiborne]

I mean I don't even know why. Even perfect dark and Cameo and stuff. Like it was just like it was.

[Damon Hadfield]

Hd, you know, it was hd. It was Xbox Live. Xbox Live Arcade. And there was a first console where when you booted it up, basically it was a social experience and you can see like your friends that are there. It wasn't just you and your TV now. It was a whole.

[Justin Davis]

I remember it. I remember it feeling so foreign and strange that the Xbox 360 had like a UI. Like it didn't just. You just ran a video game.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Justin Davis]

Like that was very strange. And it just. It rode the coattails. So it came out a year before the PS3, if people and the Wii remember that. And so. Right. But I mean it was hd, so that was like. It just was timed with the launch of this display technology. Television's changing. Right. So it just came along at the perfect moment for that. Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

I wonder if this game's fun.

[Damon Hadfield]

This is Cameo.

[Justin Davis]

Cameo. Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

I never played it.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, I've never played it either.

[Damon Hadfield]

It's a rare game.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

It's probably some DNA of Star Fox adventures in there.

[Justin Davis]

Probably.

[Sam Claiborne]

Definitely.

[Damon Hadfield]

Jet Force Gemini. I recently rewatched the Super Mario Bros. Movie with my kids. I hadn't seen it in a long time. They hadn't seen in a long time. So it was kind of like new for them. I still think that movie's great. I think it turned out really, really well. I'm not going to say the story is amazing or anything, but I think just like the fact that that movie got made the Super Mario Brothers movie in the year 2023 and turned out as well as it did and actually has funny jokes, actually has good performances from well known, you know, personalities and celebrities that just like. And the fact that it's filled with so much nostalgia and Easter eggs from Nintendo's history, it's. Yeah, it's unbelievable to me that it turned out as well as it did and actually got Made. And it's a really fun watch still, I think.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, I agree.

[Sam Claiborne]

I haven't seen it since I saw it the first time, so I'm glad.

[Damon Hadfield]

To hear that it's fun. Yeah.

[Justin Davis]

We watched it for family movie night a couple of months ago. I'm like, this movie holds up.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yep.

[Justin Davis]

And like, it does feel like I know what they're trying to have it at the sequel out, like next year. Like three years to make a sequel, which is a very normal length of time to make a movie sequel. But just the way the world moves now, it like feels very slow.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Justin Davis]

Kind of.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. I mean, imagine taking 15 years to make an Elder scroll sequel.

[Justin Davis]

Oh, God.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. That lead.

[Damon Hadfield]

That leads us to our next email from. I don't know if it's pronounced Camiona. They say. We'd love to hear your thoughts on what you think Nintendo's plans are for the Zelda live action film. Will Link speak?

[Justin Davis]

Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

What game the story. What game do you think the story will closely mimic? Will Ganondorf be truly live action or cgi? I fully trust Nintendo after they nailed the Mario movie, but a live action adaptation seems like a much more difficult endeavor.

[Justin Davis]

I agree.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. Even though I was just talking about how much I liked the Mario Brothers movie. But I don't know how confident I feel about a live action Zelda film. First of all, only, only like Link and Princess Zelda will be live action. Like everything else is gonna be CGI in it.

[Justin Davis]

I, I, you know, Nintendo has earned the benefit of the doubt. They've made one movie and it was a banger, you know, and they picked the right partner. They picked illumination. Right. So, you know, like, they're being very canny and smart about it. So, like, okay, like, it's not like we're thinking up thoughts and concerns about this movie that people in that company haven't also tried to work through. Right. But, but it's like, you know, Link's going to talk and he's going to have his elf ears and then there's going to be Zelda and then the whole movie is going to be green screened. And like, man, I don't know. Like, I'm worried about it for sure.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

Did we put a wig on a horse for this Zelda trailer? Is that what I just said?

[Damon Hadfield]

I don't know what we did for this trailer at all. If you're just listening to this, we're watching IGN's April Fool's video, the fake live action Zelda movie from years ago that it tricked A lot of people and disappointed a lot of people back in the day when this was not real. But this is made in like 2008. I have no idea how IGN pulled this off back in 2008 or what, or what our actual involvement was besides just coming up with the idea and paying some production company to make the whole thing.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, and you know, by the way, like, this surely means that this was watched within the halls of Nintendo within the last year for sure.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. They're talking about, they're taking notes.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, well, I mean, I don't know, I don't know. I'm not going to go that far obviously. But like it came up, you know that it came up. Did you know that the American website ign.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, this, this movie is just so doomed. I, I, maybe if you want to get a sense for like what, what this movie could be, watch the World of Warcraft movie on a plane, hopefully.

[Justin Davis]

Yeah, well, which I, I like the World of Warcraft movie just fine. But yeah, it didn't, you know, it has a lot, it's just like deep lore to overcome and like it's tough to satisfy your hardcore fan base and make something that goes over with mainstream audiences, like, well, okay, so let's take.

[Sam Claiborne]

Two analyses of recent movies. So Mario Brothers works because those games are filled with jokes and humor and levity and secrets. That's what that movie is. It's a bunch of jokes and levity and humor and secrets. Right. References. That's great. Minecraft. Exactly the same thing. It's jokes and levity and community and secrets. And in jokes, like that's you, you, that all works, you know, but it's when you, the self seriousness of Zelda is really tough to translate to anything. And then what is like the actual like story? Well, there's like 50 of them now.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

And they're all stupid and nobody cares. You know, like some people, they're all just like, I mean, are we really gonna watch a guy get a horse and then go to some dungeons and put together a trifle? Like, is that what you want to see in a movie theater?

[Justin Davis]

Well, and when, like, like when, when the Mario movie made references, you're like, oh, it's a blue shell. What a great reference. But it's like when the, like, when the Zelda movie is like Link getting his hook shot and then there's like a wink to the camera. It's just gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be tough. Yeah, it's gonna be a tough one.

[Sam Claiborne]

I have a Few other comments, and then I'll get into how it could be good. Okay. The master sword is really stupid. Looking to see a person holding a blue chunky sword, it's just. It ain't gonna work. Right? So they're so that. That's kind of strange. And then there's the idea that, like, you know, lots of these. Lots of the monsters are goofy like octoroks and stuff like that. And then there's like, you know, so there's a mishmash in there. And then it's just the general, like, oh, some people are elves, some are goron, some are zora. Like, it's just they have to show it all. And when you have to show it all, everything's just gonna be a mishmash of reference. Okay? So knowing all that, as you said already, somebody there knows all of these problems already. They've already seen the IGN trailer. They've already said, like, this. This is only going to be bad if we do it this way. However, they also have a big bag of money. And so they're either going to take that money and just put out something and run. And who cares? Nobody's going to care. Everybody's just going to still throw popcorn in the theater and yell a meme, and then we're going to write about it. It's going to make a lot of money, right? They don't really care if it's good or bad. Then here's another twist, is that I think Miyamoto's really involved in these, which is, like, really strange.

[Damon Hadfield]

In the credits of the Mario Bros. Movie, he shows up executive producer Shigeru Miyamoto.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. So like, he has some hits and misses. You know, it could be the Wii music of movies or it could be another Mario.

[Justin Davis]

Strange. But he does seem to like it. I've read it as like, he's in the twilight of his career and wants to like, shepherd, like, Nintendo makes movies now and I'm gonna show you how to three or four of these and then probably retire, you know, or like, whatever, right? Like, but wants to get them off on the right foot.

[Sam Claiborne]

Here's what would make a good Zelda movie is if the entire movie was about, you know, a Princess Zelda, right? And she's the science princess version from Breath of the Wild. She's interesting and she's realizing there's something going wrong with the world. And the whole movie is about her figuring out, like, oh, this thing is going wrong with the world, and I'm trying to solve it. And you, you Plot that out at the very end of the movie. Maybe you tease that there could be like, you know, what do they call them? Like a warrior of the triforce or whatever, Something like that. But if you really narrowly focused it on, like, you know, science, badass Zelda, I think you could make a good movie, but you just can't do it with the green tunic.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, maybe they should have made it animated in the style of Link's Awakening and then just kept all the levity in the jokes.

[Sam Claiborne]

I mean, they also could have pulled in a real life teenager into the video matrix and given him some sort of powers and have him take over the Zelda universe. I'll captain and the game master.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, yeah, that's also a very good idea. Okay, before we proceed, I think we have to say goodbye to Justin. Oh, yeah. Unless you can stick around.

[Sam Claiborne]

This is really happening.

[Damon Hadfield]

Unless you can stick around.

[Justin Davis]

No, I. I can't. I'm sorry.

[Sam Claiborne]

Can you find somebody in the house to fill in for you?

[Justin Davis]

My daughter. She'll. If. If she plays 20 questions. It'll either have to be Stardew Valley or Zelda.

[Damon Hadfield]

Okay.

[Justin Davis]

I guess she knows a few more games than that.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay.

[Justin Davis]

Okay, well, good luck. Godspeed.

[Damon Hadfield]

We'll just keep your frozen face up there. Do you say data or data? Well, at my house, we say data. And for the longest time, I thought paying a fortune on a monthly data plan was just normal. That was until I found out about Mint Mobile and their premium wireless plans. That started just 15 bucks a month. Isn't that right, Seth? Okay, I was actually very skeptical about Mint, I have to be honest. But I have been using it for actually forgotten how many months now. But whatever, I am a true believer.

[Justin Davis]

Now, initially, I was skeptical because, as.

[Damon Hadfield]

You know, I live in the middle of nowhere and basically America's hinterlands. I'm actually closer to parts of Canada than I am to most of the rest the United States. So naturally, I just figured that with all the moose and bears and whatnot, a service like Mint was pretty much not going to serve my specific mountain man needs. However, I'm here to say I was pleasantly surprised. Yeah, I can say authoritatively, Mint is pretty rad. Actually, it turned me into a believer, and I am, as you know, an expert in what is rad. Thanks, Seth. All Mint Mobile plans come with high speed data or data, your choice, and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. Use your own phone with any plan and bring your phone number along with all your existing contacts. Ditch overpriced wireless and get three months of premium wireless service from Mint Mobile for 15 bucks a month. No matter how you say it, don't overpay for it. Shop data [e-mail] Gamescoop that's mintmobile.com Gamescoop upfront payment of $45 for a 3 month 5 gigabyte plan required equivalent to $15 a month new customer offer for first 3 months only. Then full plan options available. Taxes and freeze extra cement Mobile for details.

[Sam Claiborne]

You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice Progressive loves to help people make smart choices. That's why they offer a tool called Auto Quote Explorer that allows you to compare your progressive car insurance quote with rates from other companies so you save time on the research and can enjoy savings when you choose the best rate for you. Give it a try after this [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy. What if we got somebody to come into the studio and share a mic with you? Damon?

[Damon Hadfield]

No, this is better. This is better. First, first of all, we're not doing 20 questions yet. First, I want some live help. Assassin's Creed Shadows. Where is Cat Island?

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay, so in Omi, I believe it's called the large lake province.

[Damon Hadfield]

Okay.

[Sam Claiborne]

Up north, northeast. Yeah. There's a large lake province there. And like squarely in the center of that lake. Well, it's a north south stretch of lake and kind of in the center of the north south part. There you go. There's a. There you go. There's a little Eagle Point there. And that's it. That's Cat Island.

[Damon Hadfield]

And is there anything to do there besides see a bunch of cats?

[Sam Claiborne]

There's not even that many cats. There's like six. Okay.

[Damon Hadfield]

That's not.

[Sam Claiborne]

There's more than that, but there, there's, there's not a whole lot, but when you pet the cats, they will come home to your place. There's kittens. I think the kittens are really cute. They don't move like kittens, but I think they're really cute.

[Damon Hadfield]

The kittens are cute. You recently finished this game. I want to ask. Yeah. In your whole time playing this game, did you ever buy something from a vendor?

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, I, I did. I bought materials to do.

[Damon Hadfield]

Materials. Okay.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. So to upgrade my, you know, I was using. Not. Kusiri Gama. Is that what it's called? That's what that was.

[Damon Hadfield]

I know which one you mean. Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

Now as swinging thing. Yeah. And so like occasionally I'd want to upgrade that and I would. I would be like low on metal or you know, like whatever her upgrade thing is. You and these three. There's types of vendors that have like an anchor I think and you can go to them and buy. Buy that from them. So you're basically trading gold for the other thing you need. You also need gold to do that though. Not gold. I mean whatever it's called.

[Damon Hadfield]

What's.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, but, but speaking of gold, you do get these really rare points later in the game. I only got three of them by the end of the game where you can use. Spend a thing called a gold one Gold.

[Damon Hadfield]

A gold. Okay.

[Sam Claiborne]

That brings any item in your inventory up to your current state. So if you were like I will never be able to get something from level 12 up to my current state. But it's. It has a really great effect. Like it Poison releases poison gas from corpses was one of the cool ones. That's. It's cool. Yeah. You can. You can rubber band and you'll get a few of those by the end of the game. But it's also like Final Fantasy three or Six Elixirs where you. You get six by the end of the game and you've never used any of them because you're going to come into. But I did use one once cuz I thought why not?

[Damon Hadfield]

But he didn't buy any weapons or armor.

[Sam Claiborne]

No, but if you. You do. If you look that. That sometimes they'll have like a charm that's at your level and you will have not gotten a charm in a while. So that would be a reason to do it.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. I'm just asking cuz you find so much loot throughout the game. I haven't bought anything. I just doesn't seem to be any need to. So I didn't know if other people were actually using that.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

Okay. Okay. Let's discuss the latest episode of the Last of Us Season two. This will involve spoilers for both the video game and the television show the Last of Us. So do you want to skip ahead? By all means. They. So Sam, they. They covered the big event of the Last of Us Part two, but then they added their own.

[Sam Claiborne]

The noodles. They found the noodles in the pipe. That's what you're referring to.

[Damon Hadfield]

They found the noodles in the pipe. They also added their own. They added their own original big event which is a Helm's deep style battle at Jackson Holm.

[Sam Claiborne]

So overall would have been nice to put that in the video game first, you know.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, I'M not being. Trying to be snarky. Overall, I liked the episode. I. I don't have objections, the way they handled the big event with Joel. I have. I have issues with just some basic choices they made going into the season, but I can get to that in a sec. What did you think of this episode? And, you know, you're watching this. If you're watching it now, you know this is the episode where Joel is killed by Abby.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, I thought. I mean, I don't. I don't really have. I'm not too. I don't know how to say this. Like, I don't care. Like, it did. I don't care if this worked or not. Like, I just wanted to watch the show and see how it went. It's not like it. It matters to me how they fictionalized the video game. Like, I. I don't really care. I think it worked as an HBO series episode because that's what it felt like. It felt exactly like Game of Thrones, which tried to really feel like Helm's Team, which I thought was really kind of fun. Like, I kept on just, like, smiling and turning to the people I was watching with us. Like, how funny is this? Like, they're making the last of us into Game of Thrones. Like. Like the shoots with the oil barrels, what are they gonna do? And they shoot them and they throw the. Throw the charge. Like, it was just funny and it was executed well. And then I actually thought, some of our staff disagrees with this, but I thought it looked really cool to, like, all be in the snow. And, like, I thought it was really cool. Pretty. Like, a lot of the. The Jackson Hole, like, shots were, like, gorgeous, and I thought that was cool. And then, of course, there were scenes I didn't remember, like the zombies leaning against the fence. That scene was great.

[Damon Hadfield]

That was great.

[Sam Claiborne]

The claustrophobia of that. And then. And then, yeah, they're doing. Anyway, I. I thought it was cool to intersperse the battle with the Joel stuff. That is what our staff didn't like. The reviewer didn't like that they were. They were breaking up this tense moment with that. But I like that. And I'll give you a good example of where that works. There is a. In the second Death Star, Han Solo shows up, and they're shooting it, shooting the heck out of the Death Star. But Luke is having a nice, touching moment with his dad.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yep, it works.

[Sam Claiborne]

Nobody complained about that. Well, maybe they complained about the Ewoks. They're rolling logs. Whatever. Ewoks getting Ewok but that was fine. Right. They're cutting between a big action scene and a quiet scene and that was just completely reflected here. And I thought that was fine.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. I think it. At least this is what it did for me. I don't know if this was intended, but it led me to wonder, well, maybe they'll save what happens to Joel for next episode or something.

[Justin Davis]

Right?

[Damon Hadfield]

Like, maybe they're just going to like.

[Sam Claiborne]

Oh, yeah, you thought they're dragging it out.

[Damon Hadfield]

Maybe they're dragging on.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. Because 100% halfway through this, I'm like, oh, they're making this into two episodes. I did think that. Right. Because. But then the episode was just long and there's just action packed. Like you can't really sustain a series like this. Remember how this was always episode. Episode 8 of Game of Thrones.

[Damon Hadfield]

Exactly.

[Sam Claiborne]

And then there was like the come down episodes or whatever it was.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

I think that's really funny that they had that this season.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

Speaking of which, Game. Game of Thrones owes us one of those. Isn't there like a giant battle that they were teasing and then they didn't.

[Damon Hadfield]

Have that was how. That was my frustration with House of the Dragon season two. There's a big battle in like episode four. But then nothing else happened. Yeah, no, they do episode four.

[Sam Claiborne]

Oh, no. They show that one. Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

But then there's not another one at the end. It's just they're like, they're like preparing for battle and then the season's over.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. Can you believe there's a boss fight in this?

[Damon Hadfield]

There is a boss fight.

[Sam Claiborne]

How yummy did that set smell when they cooked? That big mushroom guy just sauteed them right, right there, you know, Beautiful portobello scent. I mean, wafting throughout the camp.

[Damon Hadfield]

Spoken like a true vegetarian. So I like the overall episode. I think the slowly ratcheting up of the tension worked. Everything seems okay in the beginning, but then the storm's coming and there's hints of these infected being dormant, hibernating under the ground. And then they're revealed and I thought it was good. And I don't mind having the big action battle scene happen with what's happening with Joel. Some people were upset that Tommy wasn't there with Joel and they felt like that was important. I don't even remember who was there at the moment, at the time, really.

[Sam Claiborne]

Who gives? That's so sill.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

It doesn't need to follow the. I don't know. Whatever. This is not the best. I mean, like, I don't have a dog in this fight. Like, it's not the best show on right now. Like, it just isn't. It isn't. And the last season had a lot to look forward to with its spin off episodes. So, like, what's that gonna be? What are the. What are they called? Bottle episodes or whatever. Like, what are those gonna be? That. That's gonna be interesting this season. But the best show on HBO about mushrooms is common side effects. So it ain't gonna touch that. That.

[Damon Hadfield]

That's true. I finished that, by the way.

[Sam Claiborne]

What you think?

[Damon Hadfield]

I love me. I loved it. Love the whole thing. It's great.

[Sam Claiborne]

It's so good. The characters, how do they get animated actors to act so well?

[Damon Hadfield]

I know, it's really funny. Everyone's likable. Even the bad guys are likable. It's great. Comments. And it's already been renewed for season two. Unlike Scavengers Reign.

[Sam Claiborne]

I can just hear his voice in my head.

[Justin Davis]

It's so funny.

[Damon Hadfield]

Really funny.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay, well, I don't like that you're.

[Damon Hadfield]

Asking me that one thing. Back to the Last of Us, Part two. The only thing, the thing that really bugs me is that I don't know if you knew this, Sam, but in the game, Abby's buff.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

And like that's a very specific choice.

[Sam Claiborne]

Like that explanation for this. That like he needed another character to have the. The Joel physique to be able to bash things and like be the strong character in the gameplay guy. Like, that's what he said. Right. So it's like Abby needed to be this big strong only for the body type to be able to. Yeah. Just to be. Yeah, but then, But I'm not defending him. Then he said, well, we didn't really need that for the. The TV show. So it's like. So you took out an interesting gameplay dynamic that ended up being an interesting character dynamic.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

So you didn't really answer the question. Yeah, that's out there.

[Damon Hadfield]

I don't know if I buy it. It's a very specific choice for the game. And the way I always read it is that it's very important to her character. Like, she's fueled by hatred and a desire for revenge. So she pours all of that into just, you know, working out, pumping up her body because she knows that someday she's going to have to kill a man. And she doesn't want to do it with a gun, she wants to do it with her hands. It's like, that's pretty important.

[Sam Claiborne]

What is that exactly? Like what's that exactly like Sarah Connor?

[Damon Hadfield]

Oh, I was gonna say just, like, level grinding, but sure. It's also like Sarah Connor.

[Sam Claiborne]

It's the same thing. Right. She, like, spends that whole time, like, pumping up and stuff. And, like, how funny is that character in hindsight? Like, character transition. Transition was shocking to people.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

And really cool.

[Damon Hadfield]

You know, T2. I like the actress. What's her name? Like, Caitlin? Is that her name? Yeah, that's playing Abby. I like the actress.

[Justin Davis]

I don't know her.

[Sam Claiborne]

The actress, but I like her. Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

I just think she's miscast here. It's like they found the skinniest, slightest actress possible to play that role. It's like when they. When they show, when she pulls out the golf club, you know, she's doing her working. Working Joel. But then when they come back and she's just punching him, that's when it's a little bit like. That's when the. The. The bulkiness could have helped sell that moment, I think.

[Sam Claiborne]

So.

[Justin Davis]

Another.

[Sam Claiborne]

Just seeing this scene, some of my other reactions are like, all these people look like actors, which I think is funny. This whole crew here just look. Looks like they do better with some of the other cast in this show. But this group, it just looks like a teen movie cast, like a CW show. But. Yeah. But also the issue with this that strikes me is how Walking Dead it felt. It's like this revenge faction is coming. They're humans versus humans. They ruined the thing that the humans have going for them. They. They have their own motivations. Everybody makes bad decisions over and over again. Like, we're so. We're this decades into this kind of zombie drama that, like this, the last season didn't feel as familiar as zombie drama, that this part of it felt so much like it.

[Damon Hadfield]

Anyway, I like the episode overall. Continue to watch it, but, you know, good horses.

[Sam Claiborne]

Good horses.

[Damon Hadfield]

Good horses in there. That brings us to video game 20 questions. We'll see.

[Sam Claiborne]

Back to Justin.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. Yep. Back to Justin. Our suggestion this week comes from Andrew from Salt Lake City, who says in honor of Austin, asking about the origin of Omega Cops last week, I thought I'd share some anagrams that I've been sitting on since the OG anagram episode. And these are some I haven't heard before. These are some I haven't heard before.

[Sam Claiborne]

So did he throw, like, GamesCube show or, like, another word in or.

[Damon Hadfield]

So he added ign. So if it's IGN games.

[Sam Claiborne]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I. I was playing with stuff like that.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. So ign. Gamescube the best one is Go Ma epic songs.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay, okay.

[Damon Hadfield]

Or. Or in anagams too. I go cap gnomes.

[Sam Claiborne]

But as a little bonus, we had a gnomes one. I think let's put an IGN for that.

[Damon Hadfield]

Damon Hatfield actually anagrams to one Halftime, Dad.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, we had a good one for you. Remember I did anagrams for all.

[Damon Hadfield]

I don't remember what it was now. And then my name will also anagram to loathed if named, which I like.

[Sam Claiborne]

That's. That's really good.

[Damon Hadfield]

Damon Hadfield. Loathed if named if named.

[Sam Claiborne]

That's super good, man. As caught me go.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yep. Andrew says, wanted to say I've enjoyed listening since 2019. I even went back listening through all the way Back to episode 300. Keep up the fun. And with that I think so this is a game that you know. This is a game you know.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. Solo quest.

[Justin Davis]

All right.

[Damon Hadfield]

Solo quest. And I will help you out as much as I can with that. Let the questioning begin.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. Is this a console exclusive?

[Damon Hadfield]

Not when. Let's see. As. Let me just get everything right. It's. It was. I mean, I'll be. I'm just going to be as helpful as I can. It was at launch. It was at one time.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. Is this from before the year 2000?

[Damon Hadfield]

No.

[Sam Claiborne]

Was it made in Japan?

[Damon Hadfield]

No.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. Could you play this first on the Xbox 360 generation of consoles?

[Damon Hadfield]

No.

[Sam Claiborne]

What about the one right after that?

[Damon Hadfield]

No. That's five.

[Sam Claiborne]

What about two after that?

[Damon Hadfield]

Nope.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. What about the one right before that?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yes.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay, great. Okay, I read your hesitation wrong there. Okay. So could you play this game on the GameCube?

[Damon Hadfield]

No.

[Sam Claiborne]

Interesting. Would you have called it a cross platform game for PlayStation and Xbox?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yes.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. PlayStation 2, Xbox One. So a couple of games came to Xbox and PlayStation at different times. So I'll keep that in my pocket. Like Grand Theft Auto, for example. Was this an open world game?

[Damon Hadfield]

No. That's 10.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. Oh, could you. What was multiplayer focus of this game?

[Damon Hadfield]

No, not at all.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay, let's see. Was it based on a license?

[Damon Hadfield]

No.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. Was this game known for having like killer graphics?

[Damon Hadfield]

No, wouldn't say that.

[Sam Claiborne]

All right. Do you play as a human?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, I guess so. What does this have to say about that? I mean. Yeah, I think. Yes, you. Yes, you play as a human. Although it. The game is stylized. Let's just say that.

[Justin Davis]

Okay.

[Sam Claiborne]

I feel like I'm not getting at this game type. Is it part of like a series that stretches way back?

[Damon Hadfield]

No, that's 15.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay. It's not stylized like some janky 3D Pac Man. Let's see. Is this a violent game rated for violence?

[Damon Hadfield]

If it's. It's not a violent game. No, no, no, no.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay, looks like I'm not going to get this one. Is this an RPG or a platformer?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yes.

[Sam Claiborne]

Damn.

[Damon Hadfield]

All right, so, okay, think about how I answered that and then determine which one of those you think it is. And then think about a cross platform game of that genre on the Xbox and PS2.

[Sam Claiborne]

What were we doing on that system? I just don't think there was a lot of platformers on those systems.

[Damon Hadfield]

So that makes. It would make it easier to guess then if that were the genre.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah. Okay, so let's do like. Would you just say this is just an out and out platformer?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yes. But that leaves you with one question and one guess.

[Sam Claiborne]

Okay, that's fine. That's fine. There's just not a lot out there.

[Damon Hadfield]

Xbox and PlayStation 2.

[Sam Claiborne]

So it's. Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

Stylized platformer.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, I think it's. Did this come out as a downloadable game?

[Damon Hadfield]

Not. No, not originally.

[Sam Claiborne]

I'm picturing all my stylized platformers. You said it. Okay. Xbox. It just seems weird that it's. It's an American made game too. Like that. Or not American, but like, you know, not Japanese. Super interesting.

[Damon Hadfield]

Who would have made a game such as this on those?

[Sam Claiborne]

I think. I think Rare would have, but I can't think of what that would be. Huh. I don't know. I don't know. I wish I just had a guess, just a basic guess for this, but I can't imagine one of those games coming to PlayStation and Xbox. That's the thing I keep on thinking of exclusives.

[Damon Hadfield]

Shall I reveal?

[Sam Claiborne]

All right. Yeah, please reveal.

[Damon Hadfield]

Published by Majesco, but developed in your backyard at Double Fine.

[Sam Claiborne]

Oh, that's a good one. Is it Psychonauts?

[Damon Hadfield]

Psychonauts, yeah.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, I remember. I remember the staggered release of this one too. Was it Xbox later?

[Damon Hadfield]

It was Xbox first box first came to PS2 the following year.

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah, super stylized. Technically a psychic human, right?

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah. Don't really look like people, but you're supposed to be a person. A boy.

[Sam Claiborne]

I wouldn't have got to this. For some reason, this wasn't at the top of my mind. I don't know why. But I did play this weirdly as an Xbox first gen Xbox game on my Xbox 360, which was like there were some. You remember, there's a backwards compatible list and it was great.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yep. I've never played the original. I've only played Psychonauts 2, which I liked a lot. I was trying to help you hone in on platformers because the only platforms I think on PS2 are PS2 exclusives like Ratchet and Clank and Jack and Dexter.

[Sam Claiborne]

Exactly. That's exactly why I was going through that whole thing. I was like, it's super weird that it was on both. And I was thinking like, you know, I don't know. That's.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, well, nicely attempt. That is very difficult.

[Sam Claiborne]

Grabbed by Ghoulies. Is that what it's called? I was thinking of like the rare games.

[Damon Hadfield]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's an Xbox One game that is very difficult to do video game 20 questions solo, especially when you're on the spot like that. But nicely attempt. Thank you for suggestion, Andrew in Salt Lake City. Viewers, listeners, if you have your own Suggestions for video game 20 questions, email them to me at the email address gamescoopgyn.com now it's time to get some reading done with humble bundles. The Wheel of time bundle for 18 bucks. Our latest bundle includes every volume of the international best selling the Wheel of Time and Connected titles, a groundbreaking epic fantasy series by Robert Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson. Or spend 18 bucks to get one of the Hellboy expanded universe bundles. You get 30 plus comics and graphic novels exploring the rich, dark, hilarious and action packed world of the demonic superhero Hellboy. This episode of Game Soup was produced by yours truly, Damon Hadfield and Gilbert Atienza. Technical direction is handled by Gilbert Atienza. Technical production is by Marian Franzen and Amir Raqib. Audio engineering is by Amir Raqib and post production editing is by me. Graphic design is by Nicole Kagempan. Gamescoop is an IGN production and part of the Geek Media Network. And that's going to do it for this edition of IGN gamescoop. Thank you to Sam. Thank you to the ghost of Justin, thank you to Gilbert and everyone working behind the scenes to make this episode possible. My name is Damon. I know what show I'm hosting right now. This is IGN Games. People are out. From the folks behind Outside Xbox and Outside Extra comes the Oxventure podcast where the supernatural action horror comedy of the weird west has returned in a new season of Tabletop RPG Deadlands. Each week on the Oxventure podcast we visit a treacherous frontier full of monsters and magic where even the trains run on the souls of the damned.

[Sam Claiborne]

Our five players have overcome impossible odds.

[Damon Hadfield]

And now find themselves running a monster.

[Sam Claiborne]

Hunting agency for hire.

[Damon Hadfield]

But when sinister forces threaten one of their own. It sets in motion a whole new adventure. They may not all survive. So join us in Oxventure Deadlands only on YouTube.com oxventure and on the Oxventure Podcast, available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded. Deadlands is an Oxventure production and part of the Geek Media Network. Next Gen Console Watch is the Igen show discussing the latest gaming hardware. Whether it's the PS5 Pro, Nintendo Switch 2, or something new from Xbox, it's all fair game. A Next Gen Console Watch hosted by myself, Damon Hatfield, a 20 year IGN veteran. I am joined by my co hosts, Ryan McCaffrey, host of IGN's Xbox podcast podcast Unlocked, and met Scoville, host of iGen's PlayStation podcast podcast Beyond. I will try to keep these console war discussions civil, but no promises. Listen to Next Gen Console Watch on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Friday. And that's going to do it for this edition of Next Gen Console Watch. Thank you to both Sam, the Ghost of Justin. Thank you to Jobert, everyone working behind the scenes to make this episode possible. My name is Damon, this is IGN gamescoop. And we're out.

[Sam Claiborne]

You said Daxton Console Watch.

[Damon Hadfield]

Oh my gosh. Did I really?

[Sam Claiborne]

Yeah.

[Damon Hadfield]

Well, that's funny. Well then I want to do it again.