Game Scoop! 866: PlayStation Says Hello to Halo

Summary

Game Scoop! 866: PlayStation Says Hello to Halo

Date: July 31, 2026
Host: Daemon Hatfield
Guests: Nick Limone, Sam Claiborne, Justin Davis
Podcast: Game Scoop! by IGN & Geek Media

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Game Scoop! brings the IGN crew back from Comic-Con with a stacked agenda. The host panel dives deep into Halo’s landmark arrival on PlayStation, shares what they've been playing (from experimental indies to tactical classics), analyzes recent sales milestones for Resident Evil and other franchises, and discusses the newly announced, unexpectedly crowded February game release schedule. The show is packed with lively debate, gamer nostalgia, unexpected tangents, and a healthy helping of humor—plus a challenging round of Video Game 20 Questions.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Halo Arrives on PlayStation

[01:20–13:00]

• Theme: The unimaginable has happened: Halo Campaign Evolved (a remake/reimagining of the original) has launched on PlayStation with critical acclaim and a heap of buzz.
• Sam Claiborne’s Deep Dive:
  • Sam has put in 40 hours on the PS5 and is enamored:

    "It's all I play now. I have a bunch of PS5 Halo trophies. Halo trophies. I'm just going to keep saying that." — Sam [01:54]

  • The experience is “as Halo as ever:”

    "It looks unbelievable... Everything's purple where it's supposed to be. All the things I was worried about—I don't care. They're all great. This is the best way to play Halo 1." — Sam [03:05]

• New Content & Features:
  • New levels, including a three-part space shooter segment that reviewers are loving:

    "There's a flying level... It’s just interesting... feels like Star Wars. I didn’t expect it." — Sam [03:36]

  • Sprinting is now included, as well as weapons from Halo prequels dropped into the campaign:

    "You can sprint. ... They just drop all these weapons in there that shouldn't be in Halo 1, so you can just battle rifle the whole part." — Sam [04:44]

• Community Reactions:
  • Online nitpicking over kill boxes that limit boundary-breaking, but Sam pushes back, suggesting some criticism may be exaggerated:

    "That seems like it's a little bit of a troll army thing happening. My only evidence is actual evidence, not just vibes." — Sam [07:18]

  • The game’s revised visuals and cutscenes are highlighted:

    "People are really nitpicking... we're talking about a game with a big purple spaceship in it. ... This is an artistic looking game." — Sam [05:12]

• Notable Absence:
  • There’s no multiplayer included in this release; this sparks the panel to discuss the current landscape of multiplayer shooters and the Halo formula’s evolution.

    "Is there a multiplayer shooter, A Halo style multiplayer shooter that is popular today?" — Daemon [09:41] "I would say... the only Halo style game that exists is probably Halo Infinite... But I would say there's nothing quite like it that exists anymore." — Nick [09:53]

2. What We've Been Playing

[15:11–23:41]

• Nick: Veritas Tales: Witch in the Dark Castle (Steam)
  • Written by a former Vanillaware dev; described as a digital gamebook / choose-your-own-adventure D&D-style RPG.

  • "If you like those [game books], this is 100% up your alley... it's a fun, clever little five-hour Dungeons and Dragons-inspired adventure." — Nick [15:52]

• Justin: Melvor Idle and ongoing Factorio adventures.
  • "Idle" games explained—run in the background, progress while you’re away.
• Daemon: Bouncing between Disgaea 5 (silly, overpowered, colorful) and new Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles (challenging, serious, tactical).
  • On Tactics:

    "It’s super serious and everyone is serious and it's slow paced and deliberate and much more challenging. And you really have to be on your game." — Daemon [20:33]

• Panel: Fond reminiscence about why Final Fantasy Tactics is timeless and the amazing diorama art design.

3. Resident Evil 5 Knocked Down a Peg

[25:54–30:05]

• Sales Milestone:
  • After many years, Resident Evil 5 is no longer the best-selling game in the series; now surpassed by Resident Evil 2 Remake.

    "RE 5 is at 19 million and RE 2 is now at 19.75 million." — Daemon [26:56]

• Hot Takes:
  • Most of the crew find RE5 merely “fine”, except for Sam (playfully):

    "Okay. It's my favorite Resident Evil. I wasn't gonna say anything, but I bought most of those copies." — Sam [26:29]

  • Discussion that RE5 was popular partly due to bargain bin pricing and co-op options, not critical acclaim.
• Capcom Sales Notes:
  • The Resident Evil franchise has outsold Final Fantasy (231M vs. just under that for FF).
  • Okami’s total franchise sales are low (~4.5M) despite cult popularity.

4. God of War Laufey Release Date and Crowded February

[32:33–38:16]

• Release Date Fallout:
  • God of War Laufey launches February 16, crowding a month that already includes Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Persona 4 Ultimate Revival, Metro 2039, and (just after) Xbox’s Fable reboot.
  • Panel speculates that the move is to dodge GTA 6’s fall 2026 window.
  • Daemon:

    "I think that's interesting. I think that completely neuters Fable's launch on PS5 because everyone's going to be playing God of War Laufey." [33:32]

• God of War vs. Fable: Tone & Expectations
  • Fable is expected to be larger, more open, and riskier, while GOW is a known, more scripted quantity.

  • "I'm a little bit more interested in Fable saying so much more open. ... God of War will be very scripted and cinematic." — Daemon [34:14]

• Industry Insight:
  • The crew muses on how the industry over-adjusts for GTA releases, crowding earlier or much later months.
  • Noted: PlayStation has three marquee titles within six months—a big move.

5. Retro, Franchise, and Movie Tangents

[41:00–45:48]

• Atari’s 10-Movie Deal with Universal:
  • Panel expresses skepticism about whether all 10 will be made:

    "No, you're going to try to make one." — Sam [45:04]

  • Jokes about adapting games like Pong, Centipede, Breakout into films (“Just watch Human Centipede for your Centipede movie” — Daemon [44:12]).
• Hollywood’s IP Gold Rush:
  • Discussion of the post-Barbie era’s effect on legacy property adaptation, the flops of various universes, and how good directors (Mike Flanagan, for Ouija 2) can make gold from thin source material.

6. Trivia, Nostalgia, and Extras

[46:17+]

• Arky Awards:
  • Daemon shares a trivia nugget: early game magazine Electronic Games ran "Arkys" (their own GOTY awards for arcades) in the early 1980s.
• Review of Nolan’s “The Odyssey” Movie (Extracurriculars)
  • Positive roundtable for Nolan’s adaptation—praised for visuals, practical effects, and drawing the crowd back to cinemas (Sam, Nick, Justin especially detailed in their analysis).

    "They just don't make them like this anymore... I was just completely enraptured." — Justin [49:01]

• Dungeon Crawler Carl Pinball Machine
  • Sam explains the swappable P3 pinball system and the game’s audiobook narrator doing voicework for the machine.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Halo on PlayStation:

  "It looks unbelievable. It plays just like Halo. Everything's purple where it's supposed to be. All the, all the things that I was worried about... I'm not. I don't care. They're all great. This is the best way to play Halo 1." — Sam [03:05]

• On Cutscene Nitpicking:

  "People are really nitpicking. It's like, this is not how this character should have acted. ... We're talking about a game with a big purple spaceship in it." — Sam [05:12]

• On Resident Evil 5 Fandom:

  "It's my favorite Resident Evil. I wasn't gonna say anything, but I bought most of those copies." — Sam [26:29]

• On Movie Adaptations of Classic Games:

  "You want a Pong movie? Just watch Marty Supreme. ... You want breakout? Just watch Shawshank Redemption. You want a Centipede movie? Just watch Human Centipede." — Daemon [43:58, 44:02, 44:12]

• On Release Calendar Madness:

  "It's amazing to me... that Fable and God of War have a better chance coming out head to head against each other in February... than they do coming out, you know, in the first week in November [alongside GTA]." — Justin [37:38]

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• Halo on PlayStation: First Impressions – [01:20–13:00]
• What We’re Playing – [15:11–23:41]
• Resident Evil Sales and Franchise Discussion – [25:54–30:39]
• Game Industry Release Calendar, God of War/Fable – [32:33–38:16]
• Atari Movie Deals, Franchise Movie Adaptations – [41:00–45:48]
• Arky Awards & Trivia – [46:17]
• “The Odyssey” Movie Review (Extracurriculars) – [46:58–54:48]
• Dungeon Crawler Carl Pinball Game – [55:05–58:52]
• Video Game 20 Questions – [59:14–67:04]
  • (Highlight: They struggle but eventually reveal the answer: 24: The Game for PS2.)

---

Episode Tone & Style

• Playful and self-effacing: The hosts poke fun at themselves (e.g., buying multiple RE5 copies, admitting to not loving all the same games).
• Deeply nostalgic: Frequent tangents into retro games, magazine history, and childhood favorites.
• Conversational but analytical: Willingness to debate game design, sales strategy, and the meaning of media moments.

---

Summary

Game Scoop! 866 is a celebratory, debate-filled return for the IGN crew, centered on the seismic launch of Halo on PlayStation—a moment that triggers detailed impressions, community drama breakdowns, and a tour of the shooter genre’s evolution. Other highlights include sweet indie gems (Veritas Tales), tactical nostalgia (Disgaea 5, Final Fantasy Tactics), discussion of franchises whose sales charts upend expectations, and skeptical but amused takes on gaming’s gold rush into Hollywood.

The episode closes with a pop culture detour (Nolan's Odyssey), a pinball tech lesson, and a tricky round of Video Game 20 Questions—exemplifying the show’s enduring mix of expertise, humor, and gaming camaraderie.

---

For Listeners in a Hurry

If you only have time for one segment:
Jump to [01:20–13:00] for the classic-turned-newsworthy deep dive on Halo’s PlayStation debut—a watershed in gaming history, expertly dissected.

Transcript

[A]

One thing I love about summer is how easy everything feels. The days are a little more relaxed and I find myself reaching for the same comfortable go anywhere pieces again and again. That's why I keep coming back to Quince. They focus on well made essentials that naturally become those everyday staples you actually live in all season long. Quince's 100% European linen pants and shirts are breathable, easy to throw on and the summer upgrade your rotation needs starting at just $35. Their tees are soft enough to live in all day and and the lightweight cotton sweaters are exactly what you want when summer nights cool down. Everything at Quint's is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen. So you're paying for quality, not brand markup. And it's not just clothing. Quint's has become a trusted favorite for everything from home to travel to everyday essentials. I recently picked up a weatherproof utility tote bag from Quint and has replaced the previous backpack I was using every day. The bag looks great and protects my stuff in any weather. Make your summer wardrobe easier. Go to quint.com gamescoop for free shipping on your order. 365 day returns now available in Canada. That's Q U I-N-C-E.com Gamescoop for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Gamescoop. What's up everybody? Welcome to IGN gamescoop. I'm your host, Damon Hadfield. Joining me here in studio is Nick Limone.

[B]

I'm back baby.

[A]

We're also joined by Sam Claiborne.

[C]

It's so good that Nick's back.

[A]

It is. It's good that we're all back after a week off at Comic Con in San Diego. And Justin Davis is here. Scoop, got a great show for you this week. So good to be back. We've got a release date for God of War Laufey. A date that's a little bit awkward for Xbox. And Resident Evil 5 has been taking down a peg finally. But first it's happened. Hell has frozen over. Halo is on PlayStation. Halo Campaign Evolved. Getting great reviews everywhere. Sam, you've been playing. I think you said you put like 40 hours into it already. Are those 40 hours on PS5?

[C]

It's all I play now. Yeah, it's all on PS5. I have a bunch of PS5 Halo trophies. Halo trophies. I'm just going to keep saying that

[A]

they're not resistance trophies. Not kill zone Trophies.

[C]

Not Kill Zone. No, no. We were looking at an old video that was IGN going head to head on whether Halo 3 or Killzone 2 is better. We all could chuckle about it.

[B]

Not even close.

[C]

For the record, we all think Killzone was no Halo 3. The goat.

[A]

That's like peak Halo.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. And nobody else here has tried this yet?

[B]

No, I've just been.

[D]

No, not yet.

[A]

Man, it looks really good.

[B]

Ogling gameplay. It looks so pretty.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. So I just played through Halo the remake last year. I mean, I did a whole scoop episode where I played through all three of the first games and I loved it. And I was like, you don't really need to improve because there's already a remake. You can toggle between the old graphics and the new ones, which was really fun. But I'm here to report that it plays great on PlayStation. I love it and I want to play it all the time. And it's still like the coolest sandbox shooter I could possibly imagine. It's just so fun to be like, eh, I'm just gonna try to get in that vehicle. And it's a really bad idea for this area, but I'm just gonna try. And then you do. And it's great. It's just so good. And it looks unbelievable. It plays just like Halo. Everything's purple where it's supposed to be. All the, all the things that I was worried about are. I'm not. I don't care. They're all great. This is the best way to play Halo 1. And I love the retro graphics of Halo now. Like, it is really cool to go back, but this game looks really good and it plays great, so I have no complaints.

[B]

What do you think of the new levels? Because I know that they added new content to the game.

[A]

So cool.

[C]

They're so cool.

[B]

Jealous.

[C]

But I was like, oh, this is just more. First of all, I played them on Heroic. I was too worried about playing because I love playing a Legendary because I know the level so well. So. So I'm like, let me just like absorb the story and see what's happening and then I'll go through on Legendary. But Heroic is really hard and it did kind of like make me just still like kind of like repeat areas over and over again. But importantly there's like, it's fine for like these levels and they're all good. And then there's just a flying level. There's a space shooter three part level that's like unbelievable. Like, I'm a sucker for space shooters. Like they Just, you know, each generation is going to make that look better and better. But it's really good. Like, it's like, not like, oh, we thought of the coolest new space. Like, no, it just looks amazing. Like you're, you're flying around outside, you know, these crafts you know so well and it's just interesting. And you're in the stupid Covenant ship and it's just so funny and great and goofy and just feels like Star wars. And I didn't expect it. I didn't, I didn't know there was a flying level.

[B]

Last question. I think I saw somebody sprint. You can sprint now.

[C]

Oh yeah, you can sprint. And then the prequels stuff, they just drop all these weapons in there that shouldn't be in Halo 1, so you can just battle rifle the whole part. It's so great.

[B]

Gosh, that sounds so great. Yeah, I'm going to pick.

[C]

Yeah, it's. Yeah, it's super cool and it sounds like a little story that's kind of interesting about like, why, you know, the chief knows certain characters and stuff. Like, it's cool. But this, this part, like this beach, I cannot emphasize, like how good this looks in the new game. And, and it's just fun because like, it's like everything is just like you're going inside a location, you're coming out, you're going inside, coming out, driving around and like, you know, there's just little tweaks to things that are improved. And it just feels like Halo. Though ultimately, like, it doesn't not feel like Halo, it feels like Halo. And there's like really nicely redone cutscenes that like, people are really nitpicking. It's like, this is not how this character should have acted. It's just like cutscenes from 2001 weren't very good either. Like, I don't know what to say about that. It's just like we're talking about a game with a big purple spaceship in it. Like, it's going to be fine. And just like, you know, envisioning what a superstructure looks like and what all these aliens look like and everything, like with a lot more detail is weird because this is an artistic looking game that was like kind of like rendered in a way that made it draw distance really good and made scale really interesting. And like the. That's a difficult job to get that, to feel all Halo. But luckily we've had 20 games between Halo 1 and now to kind of reference. Right. It totally references those. It doesn't just be like, oh, we're just going to make everything shiny and wet. That doesn't do that. That's what Star Fox did.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Zing.

[D]

That's great. That's great to hear. I mean, I've been seeing a lot of Reddit posts about people that are like, skull hunting and there's a lot of discourse about these sort of invisible kill boxes of like, you got outside of the level and then it just kills you, which is like very antithetical to Halo, which has always let you just sort of go ham and if you break the level, like, hey, cool. And like, you know, so. But it's hard to. And I'm not saying that that's not a legitimate complaint and I hope, hey, maybe they do lighten up on some of those kill boxes and let people get out of the levels and explore. But like, it's hard to separate out, you know, it's like that's all I'm seeing online. Right. So knowing that, like, I saw a

[B]

lot of that too.

[D]

If you just want to get in and play and have a good time and enjoy the story and enjoy the graphics.

[C]

I'm a little confused about that because my team found every single skull before our embargo date and put it all up and there was no nobo complaining about that.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

So that. And everybody's using that guide. And, and the reason I know that is because I can see the traffic on that page. And so all the skull hunters that are complaining about that and everything, like, I don't.

[D]

I.

[C]

That seems like it's a little bit of a troll army thing happening. I, I think. And though my only evidence is actual evidence, not just vibes, so.

[B]

Sure, you heard it here first. I love it.

[C]

And by the way, I'm seeing boundary breaking stuff here, which was successful and I, like, I'm doing this. I just said like, I'll get, get something fly up to the top of the skybox and everything. Like, I haven't seen that happening. But I'm sure it's in here and I'm sure there's different, you know, parts where you can't fall to and survive, which you could before, and stuff like that. But like, I don't think this team was aiming to say like, that sandbox was too fun before. We got to like dial that. That is not what's happening in this game.

[D]

Oh, for sure. Like both things can be true. Like some people can be posting these context clips that are sort of bad faith of like, you know, they're kind of going out of their way to Break the game. Then it can also be true that some people are just having, having fun, exploring sort of semi out of bounds and then hit some kill box and we're disappointed.

[C]

Yeah, I did see like complete trolling where people. And again, like, why is this happening? I guess because it's on PlayStation. Like I don't know why, but like the, the I saw people posting clips of like putting it on super easy and then being like the enemies can't see me. And it's like obviously what that's what's happening is that they don't they or they turned on, you know, skull or something that, that just made it to the enemies because of. Yeah, I mean, yeah, it's. It's a video game. It's a video game that lets you do a lot more than you should be able to in any other shooter. It's semi open and it has bugs from being that. And so even those, it's not like the most polished thing ever. And that's what people like usually. So like I want the bugs to be worse. So I think like the, the one thing that I'll say about the. Just the experience of Halo and this is that like when you're behind a shield and you see a little bit of a shimmer or you are next to a hologram and you go behind it and you see how it's made out of single points of light that have depth to them. It's like there's a lot going on in this game. Like a lot that you just take for granted. And then you go back and you play the original, which I did. I was like, oh yeah. Everything's like really flat and stylized and cool. But they tried to make, they tried to add style to this in like almost like a cyberpunk way. And I think it's well done.

[A]

So it's Campaign Evolved. There's no multiplayer.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Is that a disappointment at all?

[C]

I mean, do people play Halo multiplayer?

[A]

Well, that was going to be one of my questions. Like, correct me if I'm wrong. I'm sorry, but you know more about this. Like, is there a multiplayer shooter, A Halo style multiplayer shooter that is popular today?

[B]

I mean, I would say that the only Halo style game that exists is probably Halo Infinite, which has seen a resurgence since the latter back half of the pandemic. And I think, you know, anecdotally people in my circle still play Halo. I still have Halo Infinite installed on my computer because every now and then my buddies want to run some custom games. But I would say there's nothing quite like it that exists anymore. I know that the Splitgate developers tried a little bit and I think Splitgate was really fun. Splitgate 2 was also very fun and now I think they've moved on to some sort of Titanfall. Like I can't recall the name, I

[C]

know it's not the same thing, but I think Bungie took a huge audience with them when they did destiny.

[D]

Yeah. Destiny 2 for sure.

[B]

Nothing quite feels the same way except for. Honestly probably Marathon is the only game that feels close in terms of the gameplay loop of, you know, the shotgun. You know, I can tell a Halo game by its shotgun.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And its battle rifle.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

And just the map control, like the power weapons. Just everyone, like just shooters have moved on, right. To these sort of hero based shooters and your character has, you know, powers and like that.

[A]

So just they had an opportunity to fill a niche, but it's a huge risk. You know, if it doesn't take off, doesn't gather a huge audience, then it's just a lot of time and resources wasted.

[C]

I like, like, just, just to give credit where it's due, like, I don't think there's a better series of first person shooter campaigns which is like that was a vehicle for multiplayer. Like it was. Right. And then they, they saved really good through 2 and 3 and they're still pretty good for Reach and stuff like that. I'm not going to slag those games. I don't really like four or five very much but you know, I liked Infinite and I think like the, this type of campaign is so replayable and fun and they make it replayable and fun by adding the skulls, by adding the difficulty levels, by adding co op. Like all that stuff is so well thought out in these games. It's crazy.

[A]

Wow. I actually haven't played it since the original Halo so this looks really fun.

[C]

Oh wow.

[A]

I look forward so far playing through this.

[D]

Does it have. I should know this, but I've not been. Does it have Coke, campaign co op or no single. No multiplayer at all.

[C]

Yeah. I haven't tried the campaign co op though.

[B]

You can do, you can split screen, but I do believe you need a dedicated PlayStation Network or if you're playing on PlayStation, you need a dedicated account in order to play co op. I don't think you can do Guest anymore.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The way you used to previously do. It's like it recreates your gamer tag with a little one in parentheses.

[C]

I love that. Although when you play multiplayer, everybody had one of those, like the little brother.

[D]

If it had campaign co op in it, it might not be a bad game to play with the kids is where my head is at.

[C]

You know what also about that is that it's like funny. Like the grunts are always fun and the audio is so much better in this that it's like, you know, and then like the. I don't know, everything's just so contrasty. There's like these purple things against a white background like we just saw. Or, you know, it just looks good all the time. Really cool.

[A]

Cool. Halo is here. It's on PlayStation. What a time to be alive.

[D]

Yeah, it's crazy.

[A]

I'll be really interested to see how it performs on PlayStation. Car shopping shouldn't be a game of 20 questions is this the right price? Am I making the right choice? With Cargurus, you don't have to question yourself. Cargurus has the most inventory, transparent deal ratings and real time price drop alerts. Plus, with CarGurus app, you can access dealership mode, which gives you everything you need to navigate the dealership with confidence. With Cargurus, you can describe what you're looking for in your own words. With the new search feature Guru, simply type what you want and Guru instantly shows you real available listings that match your exact needs. Dealership mode on the Cargurus app puts you in control. You can compare cars side by side, check pricing, and estimate your final costs so you can navigate the dealership with confidence. With more than 4 million listings, CarGurus has the biggest selection of cars, so it's easier than ever to find the right car and the right deal. It's no wonder that Cargurus is the number one most visited car shopping site according to SimilarWeb's estimated traffic data. Buy or sell your next car today with [e-mail] Go to CarGurus.com to make sure your big deal is the best deal. That's C A R g u r us.com cargurus.com When I'm traveling, I find that learning a few real phrases in the local language really changes the experience in a good way. If you're traveling this summer, here's a real travel don't wait until you land to start learning the language. Instead, try babbel. Even just 10 minutes a day with Babbel can help you start having real conversations in as little as three weeks. It helps you learn phrases you'd use ordering dinner, asking for directions, or talking with locals. Lessons are quick, practical, and built by more than 200 language experts, they have interactive dialogue and even podcasts. It's all designed to get you speaking quickly and confidently. Babbel fits into your schedule. A coffee break, a commute or a few minutes before bed. Babbel's award winning app has sold over 25 million subscriptions and is backed by a 14 day money back guarantee. If you've got summer travel coming up, now's the time to start so you can actually use what you learn on the trip. Right now Babbel is offering listeners up to 60% off. Go to babbel.com gamescoop that's Babbel B A B B E L.com Gamescoop for up to 60% off. Rules and restrictions may apply. So that's what Sam's playing. Nick, you've been playing something interesting.

[B]

Yeah, I've been playing. So there's this game that just released on Steam maybe two weeks ago called Veritas Tales which in the dark castle. It is from a former Vanillaware developer who left the company to start his own game dev studio. He's been working on the game for the last six years in some remote like village in the mountains of Japan basically. And it is very simple in its execution but I, I really love it. It is for all intents and purposes a. They're calling it a game book. You remember those like goosebumps. Choose your own adventure. Like you know, do you go left or do you go right and you turn to that page? Yeah, it's kind of.

[D]

I have this on my wish list. Yeah, yeah, man.

[B]

It's kind of like that with like a Dungeons and Dragons. Like you have an equipment inventory. It basically does all of the boring stuff for you that the, the old like choose your own adventure books. You know, you'd have to, you know, cheat and hold your, your spot in and if you died you'd have to go back. But I just think this game is, it's either. If you like those books, this is 100% up your alley and if you've never been interested in those, this isn't going to be for you. But I think it's just a fun, clever little five hour Dungeons and Dragons inspired adventure. There's two different characters, each with their own unique story, there's multiple endings and I think there's just a lot of fun, clever design elements like oh, you brought this item because you helped out this character in this side quest and so now that activates this path that you didn't think was possible and it has like, oh, grayed out Choices where it's like, oh, wait, I think I saw where I could have got that, but I messed up and I'm too far ahead now. And very clever adaptation of a game book. Or choose your own adventure book. And if that sounds like it's up your speed or right up your alley, I highly recommend this. I think it's like 15 bucks or something like that.

[A]

Say the game name again just in case you need to find it.

[B]

Yeah, it's called Veritas Tales Witch in the Dark Castle.

[D]

Cool.

[B]

Good.

[C]

Does it draw you in pretty quickly? Like, it's like a kind of a Takes off?

[B]

Yeah. I was compelled from moment one. And I think there's just a lot of cool, like using the game book as, you know, your overall gameplay element. But there also is some very clever metatextual stuff that it does where it's like, oh, I like this, like, newfound thing that you. This new constraint that you've introduced me to.

[C]

And.

[B]

No, that's the developer there yet. Yoshioara. Highly, highly recommend.

[A]

Cool.

[D]

Wow.

[C]

Worked on Odin's speed.

[D]

Did you play the sorcery game books that came out?

[B]

No, I have not.

[D]

No. You would love them. I mean, so they were physical game books, like Steve Jackson made them back in the 80s, and then Inkle, who did 80 days, did a digital sort of version of them, and they were on iPad first and now they're on Steam. But they modernize the story in a really interesting way. And I think about them all the time. I absolutely love them. This series of four digital interactive game books that, you know, the story stitches together into sort of one big epic. And I think. I think you would really like it.

[B]

Yeah. And I think I like the.

[C]

Just as you're saying, like, the choose your own adventure era painted art cover look like it doesn't. Like, I saw a little bit of an anime element stuff, but, like, that wizard looks like so janky in the funniest.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Way that it's just very nostalgic and good. I mean, this looks like a, you know, a variation on, you know, text adventures like Zork. Right. Which actually had books which are really cool.

[B]

But it even has a combat system which is pretty clever how you go about conducting combat and how weapons get used up and how your armor gets used up. There's a whole economy system. You can buy gear and all that stuff gets tracked for you. So, like, obviously that'd be a pain in the butt if you were doing it by hand with the pen and paper, like through the old goosebumps style stuff. This does takes out all the boring stuff and lets you just have fun for the 5 to 6ish hour adventure. And there's like, I think like 5 to 8 endings. So if you want to go and explore all those real, there's a lot of opportunities for that.

[A]

Cool. All right. Justin, playing anything besides Factorio?

[D]

No. Well, I mean I got back into the. I got back into Melvor Idle, which is an idle game that's based off runescape where you level up a character and you know, level up all your skills. I don't know that that counts as an actual video.

[C]

What's an Idle game?

[D]

Like a game that you set it to run like I'm going to chop trees and then you do it overnight and then you come back and then you've chopped down like 10,000 trees.

[B]

Like cookie Clicker?

[D]

Yeah, like Cookie Clicker. Is that how Cookie Clicker works? Yeah, except this one's like a role playing, like a browser based role playing game. And I have the app on my phone, so.

[B]

Nice.

[D]

Melvor Idol is really good and really addictive. Anyway, I don't know that that actually counts as like I'm playing this game. But like, yeah, no, still on Factorio. Still playing Pyana Dons. I spent last night rebuilding my nickel mining setup. So I'm sure you're all very excited about that.

[C]

Think of all the applications.

[D]

I got batteries. I need the nickel to make more chromium nickel, like the alloy. And then I need that alloy for a variety of purposes to advance my factory. So working on it, chipping away at it.

[A]

Cool. Cool. Good luck with that.

[D]

Thank you. I'll report back on how that's going.

[A]

I've been bouncing back and forth between two turn based strategy games and even though they share a genre, they couldn't be more different. So DISGA 5 and Final Fantasy Tactics.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

And I love both these games, but they're just so different and that's actually been fun to just go back and forth. DISGA 5, my favorite in the series. One of my favorite games of all time. It's like, you know, disguise like silly and goofy and horny and colorful and like you. It's so easy just to become massively op so that the campaign becomes ridiculously easy. And then Final Fantasy Tactics. Tactics is super serious and everyone is serious and it's slow paced and deliberate and much more challenging. And you really have to be on your game because it's actually pretty difficult, I think.

[B]

Anyway, you've been playing the ivalice Chronicles

[A]

version, which came out last year.

[B]

I really like the voice acting.

[A]

That's really good. Yeah, the voice acting is great.

[B]

They've got Ben Starr in there. They got quite a few Final Fantasy Alum. Recent Final Fantasy Alum.

[A]

That game is absolute classic.

[B]

I love Masterpiece.

[A]

Like these little, like, dioramas. Like just the way, like when you start a level, the way it spins up from the bottom of the TV and it just looks so cool.

[B]

One of my favorite art books in, like, just ever. The strategy guide. The COVID is just one of the dioramas in the game that's been turned into a real diorama a la The Super Mario 64 strategy guys from Japan.

[D]

That's. Yeah.

[C]

Why Wasn't there just 25 of these? Why didn't we get these one once a year?

[A]

They made two.

[D]

They made a weird sequel on the GBA.

[B]

I like.

[A]

I like. I like those. They're not as good, but I like them. They're not bad.

[D]

Why does it. But what? No, no, they're not bad at all. But like, why does it have this, like, meta story of kids being isekai'd into some other world?

[A]

Kids are pulled into the world.

[B]

I will say the law system in Final Fantasy Tactics advance is horrible because sometimes it's like you can't select the command otherwise you go to jail. So it's like, okay, soft resetting. Let's see if I get another lobby.

[D]

Dude. Final Fantasy Tactics. Like, like, everyone talks about the story and how it's so, you know, gritty in the graphics, like you were saying. And like. But like, it's like the character progression is so satisfying in the job system. And finally unlocking the time mage. And then you're like, oh, ninja.

[B]

Dual wielding. Two different, you know, Ultima weapons and Ragnarok.

[A]

I don't like that you have to fight chocobos. They make a horrible sound when they die.

[C]

Do they really?

[A]

Yeah, it sounds like. It's like a pathetic shriek.

[C]

When they die, they squawk out of existence.

[D]

Yeah, I don't think I've played Final Fantasy Tactics since probably like 1999. So it's like I'm watching this footage. I'm like, damn. No, wait, that's not true. I played it on iPad. But, you know, besides that. Anyway, it's been a long time.

[C]

So that was a great commercial.

[A]

Also. The music is so good. And then I love that it's. It's a dead serious story and it's really well written. But then they kept. It's the Chibi versions of characters from classic Final Fantasy.

[B]

I mean, that's why I love the game so much. Like this and Vagrant Story, all from Yasumi Matsuno, a dude who is very interested in the politics of war and you know, who the actual winners and losers are in war. And telling a very quiet story about what it means to be a hero and what actually happens when a hero goes to war. Very, very good stuff.

[A]

Fun times with Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics.

[C]

Okay, we gotta get you a helicoat.

[A]

There are things in life that you don't want to be transparent, like your swimsuit or your search history. But when it comes to your wireless build, transparency is everything. That's why Mint Mobile's wireless plans have no gimmicks and no gotchas. Just high speed data and reliable coverage on the T Mobile 5G network. And right now, all plans are $15 per month, even unlimited. Mint Mobile took what's wrong with wireless and made it right with Premium Wireless for 15 bucks a month. All plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. Choose from 3, 6 or 12 month plans and say goodbye to a monthly bill. Ditched overpriced wireless With Mint Mobile, it's so easy. Sign up online and get three months of premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month. To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com gamescoop that's mintmobile.com Gamescoop cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com Gamescoop that's it. There's no catch. Upfront payment of 45 dollars for three months, 90 for six months, or 180 for 12 months. Plan required 15 dollars per month equivalent taxes and fees Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigs. May slow when network is busy. Includes up to 20 gigs. Hotspot capable device required availability, speed and coverage varies.

[C]

Cementmobile.com insurance isn't one size fits all, and shopping for it shouldn't feel like squeezing into something that just doesn't fit. That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's Name your price Tool for years. With the Name your price tool, you tell them what you want to pay and they show you options that fit your budget enough. Hunting for discounts, trying to calculate rates, and tinkering with coverages. Maybe you're picking out your very first policy.

[B]

Or maybe you're just looking for something

[C]

that works better for you and your family. Either way, they make it simple to See your options. No guesswork, no surprises. Ready to see how easy and fun shopping for car insurance can be? Visit progressive.com and give the name your

[A]

price tool a try.

[C]

Take the stress out of shopping and find coverage that fits your life on your terms. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price

[A]

and coverage match Limited by state law, the Resident Evil 5 was the best selling Resident Evil game until just recently. Surprising to me because Resident Evil 5 is not even the top five Resident Evil game.

[B]

Like, what do you mean? Like, just critically for you or just like.

[A]

Well, personally, yeah. But also, who's gonna say Resident Evil 5 is one of the top five?

[B]

I don't know, man. There's a lot of people that are that love that game and it could not be me. Do not love that game.

[A]

No, no.

[D]

Only sickos would say that.

[A]

Yeah, I think. Although I think Sam likes this game more than I do.

[C]

Okay. It's my favorite Resident Evil. I wasn't gonna say anything, but I bought most of those copies.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And so I'm a little upset with whatever you're about to say because I'm trying to keep it at number one.

[A]

Well, you're gonna have to buy.

[D]

Surprised.

[A]

You need to buy about 20 250,000 copies.

[C]

Okay, I can manage that. I've already bought how many. How many have I bought?

[A]

Closer to a million, actually.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

Re 5 is at 19 million and Re 2 is now at 19.75 million.

[B]

So Re 2. Remake.

[A]

Remake, yeah, got it. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, yeah, that's the correct answer itself.

[A]

Already seven years old now. Resident Evil games have a long tail.

[B]

I mean, I mean, that's the thing about. That's the beauty of the Capcom formula that they've established with this remake cadence. Is that it, everyone, it's always going to be somebody's first Resident Evil game. And they're going to be like, well, if it was this one, was that good? I got to replay them, all of them. And yeah, it's genius because they are all excellent.

[C]

You know what else has a long tail? Every boss in these games, once they reveal themselves to be a man with a monster inside of them.

[A]

Yep, that's true. I'm.

[D]

I'm really flabbergasted that up until now, five was the best selling one. Like, by the way, like, I don't think five's bad, but I just thought universally everyone's like, yeah, five's fine. I thought that was kind of. Everyone's kind of like global take on it.

[A]

That's like where. I think that's where People think, you know, after four Beloved, it started going off track with five. And then six was way off track. Right. And then it got back on track

[B]

with 7.5also quickly joined the platinum collection and whatever the greatest hits was for PlayStation 3, where the games were like 1999, like a year later or something and so that as a result sold more copies. And again, it is a great co op game just in a abysmal game to play by yourself. I did that like twice recently and my buddy's like, what if you play it with me again? I was like, I love you. I don't think I can play this game again, man.

[C]

You didn't have fun playing this game by yourself?

[B]

No, I did not. I know people will be like, you did it wrong. But man, I just, it is, it takes everything I don't like about Resident Evil and makes an entire game about it. There's no exploration, cannot stand it. But I respect it.

[A]

Really. Brown and gray, like not a. It's just kind of an ugly game to look at.

[C]

It was the style at the time,

[A]

which was the style.

[B]

Very Gears of War filtered.

[A]

Yeah. So the whole Resident Evil series, I think it's at like 231 million copies sold, which is more than Final Fantasy lifetime sales.

[B]

Although we don't have to get Final Fantasy into this, guys.

[A]

It's a little bit ahead of Final Fantasy. Although I don't think Square Enix has reported its latest quarterly earnings. So I don't. Maybe it has jumped ahead. But there's just been so many more Final Fantasy games released over the years. I think it's a little. It's impressive.

[C]

Well, are they including Crystal Chronicles? They might be forgetting.

[A]

Forgot Crystal Chronicles.

[B]

Does this incentivize companies to be like, actually our franchise sold a little bit more because we check the numbers. Yeah, yeah, we sold like four more copies than you. Not a big deal.

[D]

I was wondering. So it's like, you know, Damon, I was going to make the same observation of like, there's been way more Final Fantasy games. But then I was like, it kind of depends on how, like how they want to count it. Like, you know, because there's been a billion Resident Evil spin offs as well.

[A]

I think there's been more Final Fantasy

[B]

spinoffs like Final Fantasy Explorers. Do you know what that one is? Crystal Defenders.

[A]

I mean, how many Final Fantasy 7 spinoffs were there?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

There's probably more Final Fantasy games on mobile than there are all of Resident Games.

[A]

That's probably true. Anyway, I thought this was interesting. The Mega Man Series. The whole series has sold 45 million.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Okami. That series has only sold four and a half million copies. So it's the original on PlayStation 2. They ported it to the Wii. There was one on DS Okami Den. And there's an HD remaster on PS4. Over those four games. Okami has not sold 5 million copies. So Okami is not very popular.

[C]

Yeah. I mean they're not scrambling to make sequels to that game.

[A]

Announced the sequel.

[B]

I mean, I think for the era that feels pretty appropriate for the amount of games I was like, it's not bad. It's all right.

[A]

To be clear, I love this game. I love the original economy.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Okami 2 supposedly on the way.

[B]

We'll see it when we see it.

[C]

I, you know, I thought cell shaded graphics weren't supposed to ever look dated, but this, this is looking dated.

[B]

You think this looks dated? I think this still looks great.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

This is really cool.

[C]

This is probably the chugging a little bit.

[A]

This is probably the HT remasters like 2017.

[D]

Yeah. Maybe

[C]

it reminds me of Beautiful Joe a little bit.

[B]

What about the Beautiful Joe?

[A]

What are the lifetime sales for Viewtiful Joe again?

[C]

I tried to buy all of them.

[B]

Beautiful Joe 1 and 2 and then there's a DS1, I believe.

[D]

Yep, there is. I gave beautiful Joe a 10 out of 10. And my co workers at the time, this is pre ign, but the website I was writing for, they never let me live it down that I gave Beautiful Joe a perfect score. And I stand by it.

[B]

Who's laughing now? You're correct.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Take that.

[B]

Mention a go Go, baby. Yeah.

[C]

And it came out for GameCube.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is. I think that's where I had it.

[B]

I mean the devil, the one with Dante is the one that you got to get though on PS2. Come on.

[C]

They added Dante in it.

[B]

Yeah. And he plays completely different. It's so sick.

[C]

What? Why was it there's no beautiful joke collection or anything?

[D]

Huh?

[C]

There's like no contemporary.

[B]

Maybe this year. Who knows? Who knows what Secrets Games.

[A]

Maybe

[B]

I'm just trying to will it into existence.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I was gonna say we should be clear. We don't have any sort of insider information that there's a Beautiful Joe collection coming soon.

[D]

This is gonna be clipped when it's announced at Gamescom in a couple weeks.

[B]

That's because a Capcom executive watches this show and they're like that Nick Limone. He's got what it takes.

[D]

Listen, a beautiful joke collection is such a good idea though. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah, it'd be cool if we can guess a Resident Evil game by its brown color. We can predict when a new beautiful joke collection coming.

[A]

Yeah, that's true. Okay, God of War LA, it's coming February 16th. And February is all of a sudden very crowded. So it's just like every game they went, they either went into September or into February next year to get out of a few.

[D]

A few brave ones are in October. And everything else had to get out of the way.

[A]

Out of the way of GTA 6.

[C]

So who knows where Zelda's going to end up.

[A]

Yeah, I know. Well, I've said before, I think it'll come on that Thanksgiving Day this year. That's just my prediction. Anyway, so February now has Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis, which I am very excited for. The Persona 4 Ultimate Revival Revival. Metro 2039 just says February. And then there's God of War Laufey. And then just seven days later, or two or three days later if you buy the special edition is Fable. And I think that's interesting. I think that completely neuters Fable's launch on PS5 because everyone's going to be playing God of War Laufey.

[B]

They're going to beat it in a way.

[C]

Why is it even coming to PS5? So weird. The thing that kind of blows my mind is that I suspect that this would have been a huge PlayStation fall with Wolverine and God of War out. I just think that's really interesting, like to have those games out within like two months of each other, you know, there. But for the existence of GTA 6, I think that's just super cool. But maybe it was always planned for the spring. I have no idea. I'm kind of surprised. It seems like it might be a little bit of a. I mean, they haven't said this or anything, but it seems like it might be a little bit of a contracted adventure compared to the other God of War games.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Whereas Fable I think will be massive.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, to be honest, I'll play both these games, but I'm a little bit more interested in Fable saying so much more open. I'll have a lot more freedom to just play like I want to do. And God of War will be very scripted and cinematic.

[B]

Known quantity. Like I know what to expect with God War. I enjoy what I expect there. But Fable to some extent is. It's a brand new giant open world rpg. So let's, let's put it to its

[C]

pace in God of War. If they let me buy all the businesses in the Entire game. I'll be pretty into that too. So we just.

[D]

You can buy out the dwarves. The Dwarven shop.

[C]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Replace the owner.

[A]

If I can marry every dead God in this God netherworld.

[C]

But, you know, the team that is going to be working on these guides is split down the middle for these games. So I know a bunch of people are excited for God of War, so I don't want to slam it, but the reaction to God of War was like a lot of anti Cube hatred. So, you know, there are people that are excited, though.

[A]

I for one, am a big Cube supporter. Oh, yeah.

[C]

I'm Pro Cube.

[B]

I'm very excited.

[A]

Pro Cube.

[C]

If you put the cube in Fable, I'd be more into it. But, you know, that's true.

[B]

But the fact that it's.

[A]

There might be. There might be gelatinous cubes in Fable. We don't know.

[B]

Jack Quaid. Are they voiced by Jack Quaid? Because if they are, I mean, they are.

[D]

I don't want. Like this started as a goof, but like, you know, a Jack Quaid voiced a gelatinous cube named Frank. That's like color commentary and comic relief. Would 1000% fit in fable better than God of War? Although I think, like, I don't mind. Like, I'm not a hater. I think it's fine that he's in God of War, but like, it is. That is an amusing thing.

[C]

How good of a troll would it be in any. In any game that came up against God of War to put a gelatinous

[B]

cube in your game?

[C]

If there is a gelatinous cube reference in Fable, that would be great. And they got a few months to add that, so you guys can have that one for free.

[A]

The one thing, though, Justin, I don't know how good Jack Quaid's British accent is, because everyone in Fable has to have a British accent.

[C]

Yeah, okay.

[D]

Yeah, true.

[A]

We don't make the rules.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Did you all see the Odyssey?

[A]

Oh, yeah. Well, I was going to save that for millimeter extracurricular activities, but okay.

[C]

It just gives it. The British accent took me right away. Okay, we'll talk about it a bit. I know Justin saw it.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Anyway, yeah, it's easy to imagine that both of these games, God of War and Fable, could have been fall 20, 26 games.

[C]

Yeah. It's pretty mean that they put them alongside each other.

[A]

I know, I know. I think it's. At least I said on Next Gen console watch this week. It feels a little bit like A middle finger from PlayStation to Xbox.

[D]

But I do wonder sometimes, you know, so it's like obviously I don't know that we actually said GTA out loud. Like all these games are getting out of the way of Grand Theft Auto in November. Right? That's what's going on. And like, you know, like yes. Like, yes. All right. You know, Grand Theft Auto is going to make a billion billion dollars. The biggest game pre order of all time. Like everyone's afraid of it.

[B]

Everyone.

[D]

No one wants to compete with it. So. But it's like, you know, like I think and you know, caveat, asterisk. I've never run a game studio before, but I think that they, I think they, it's too extreme of like when does GTA come out? November 19th. Is that right?

[B]

That was like 26.

[A]

No, I think it's the 19th.

[D]

19th and like so it's like. No, let's just say like. And then no one, no one wants to release 14 days before that. Like that's a long time. Like you'd rather have. There's like a big AAA game, a massive game coming out almost every single day in September.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

And you would rather do that than be than before weeks after GTA, you know, come out in like, you know, December 14th. Like, you know, so again, they know best. But it's like, it just, it seems, it seems really interesting to me that like, you know, Fable and God of War have a better chance coming out head to head against each other in February against all those other games than they do coming out, you know, in the first week in November.

[C]

Yeah. Christmas window too included.

[D]

Like it's amazing to me, you know. Yeah, I think that I get, I get getting out of the way of gta, but they got so out of the way of it. That's the part that the pendulum swung so hard in the other direction that that surprises me.

[C]

It could be like a game of the year consideration thing too. It's just like you're not getting.

[D]

Maybe they want action.

[C]

But like how much does that matter though versus like an entire extra Christmases season to sell your game before the world ends. There's only going to be so many Christmases.

[A]

Once again, we don't have any insider information on the end of the world to PlayStation's credit.

[B]

I mean they made Resident Evil games about the end of the world, so who knows?

[A]

To PlayStation's credit, they have three big games coming within six months. And when was the last time they had that?

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

So that's good. I mean they Figured something out. They figured out they've got.

[D]

What?

[A]

What's wrong? Why are you making this face?

[B]

They got to. No, I was thinking. No, no, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I was like, oh, I'm actually interested in these ones.

[A]

Marvel Token in August, Wolverine in September, and then God of War, Lau Fei in February.

[B]

Yeah, well done. I was just inside my mind palace.

[C]

Yeah, that's like a proper GameCube era release calendar.

[A]

Exactly.

[C]

Getting there. It's getting there.

[B]

GameCube era.

[C]

We got. We got Odama. We got. Hey, you, Pikachu. We got a Mario party. We don't know which one. It's probably odd numbered.

[D]

That's a little bit. That's a little bit like the Switch 2 over the last year.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

But hey, Pikachu was a 64 game, but they could have overlapped.

[A]

Nintendo always has something. Always has something ready to go. It's back pocket. Yeah, let's Switch.

[C]

I hear they put out a splatoon game.

[A]

Yeah, they have.

[B]

You know, very damn good.

[A]

I know. I. I've never played splatoon before, but got Splatoon Raiders for Kingo. You know, he was like, you got it? Yeah, got it. I got it for Kingo. He was asking me about it and I was like, I don't know. I've never played this. But he handed it to me and then I was like, like 10 minutes later, I'm still playing. I was like, ooh, this feels really. This feels really good.

[C]

You are burying the lead in this game scoop episode. There's two people here that love a splatoon game.

[A]

I'm not going to say I love it. I haven't spent much time with it, but I was surprised.

[C]

We're going to have to.

[D]

Why don't you talk about that instead of Disgaea?

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Because I only spent like 10 minutes playing it.

[B]

But IGN's Logan plant over Comic Con weekend convinced me to drop 50 bucks and I did. I was like, I'm not going to be into it. And then I started it last night and I woke up early so that I can continue playing it today. I'm loving it.

[C]

What's the title of this episode, Damon?

[A]

Well, okay, the headline is PlayStation says hello to Halo.

[C]

Okay. Damon says hello to Splatoon. We got it.

[A]

I'll have to.

[D]

It doesn't even make sense.

[A]

I'll see if I can think of a splatoon pun. No, I brought my switch into the office yesterday so I could scan Pair's amiibo for the costumes for kids I

[B]

gotta do that today.

[A]

Anyway, we were switching gears. Knots to Splatoon 2. Atari.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Atari signed. Atari signed a 10 title film deal with Universal.

[C]

Oh, this story.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. 10 movies.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Okay, yep. They're gonna make 10 movies based on Atari games. And all are expected to be turned into big scale action adventure. Fair. Okay. This will happen. 10 movies will actually be made and come out. Pitfall, Harry, Asteroids. That's not even one of them because that's an Activision game.

[B]

Okay, fair.

[A]

Asteroids Adventure, Berserk, Breakout, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong and Yars Revenge.

[C]

I'm really proud of Damon for that. Correction. I thought that was really well done.

[A]

What did I correct?

[C]

Did you say berserk?

[B]

Activision Berserk.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, Berserk.

[C]

Well, that was an exity game, so.

[A]

Okay, well, get the lawyers on the phone.

[C]

Yeah, but it had a pretty popular Atari port.

[A]

I don't know, man.

[D]

I mean, how happy. How happy, you know, is Hasbro and these other kind of like rights holders of these old school classics. When Barbie made a billion dollars and they're just like this, just dollars. Their eyes turned into like cartoon dollar signs. Just like.

[A]

What? But Masters of the Universe, he man didn't make a billion dollars.

[D]

No.

[C]

Hey, that's streaming for free now and something.

[A]

I need to watch it. It's supposed to be. Supposed to be good. I need to watch it.

[B]

I did rhyme that as well.

[A]

Good.

[C]

What'd you think?

[B]

It was better than it had any right to be. Two and a half stars out of five on letterbox.

[C]

Okay, well, just expect them just to actually, actually tack on the word adventure over the title screen and just do that movie again.

[B]

I mean, I don't.

[C]

That's what adventure is going to be.

[B]

I don't think that a licensed movie like in this regard is a horrible idea like origin of evil. Ouija 2 origin of evil is an outstanding movie. In the hands of the right filmmaker, you can turn anything into gold. Ouija Origin of Evil is a sequel to a terrible licensed movie. And Ouija Origin of. I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm confused. It's called Ouija 2 Origin of Evil. That's why it's so confusing. But Mike Flanagan directed it and he retroactively make the previous movie better because his movie was so good. And it's based on the Ouija board license. So like it's possible. But then you can also get stuff like Battleship.

[C]

Well, that's why people are grabbing the Batman licenses to make great shows like Penguin.

[A]

Right?

[C]

Like, it's like, you can. That's what everybody's claiming. Like, the Joker wouldn't exist if, you know, you know, Batman didn't. Because you just want to make a cool crime movie about a psychopath, and you can't. But studios are kind of back doing that, right? There's a lot more popular small movies, as Damon has pointed out when he says he loves it when Hollywood gets screwed.

[A]

When a movie like, stick it to Hollywood, a movie like obsession, just completely embarrasses Hollywood.

[C]

Embarrasses Hollywood.

[B]

But, like, you know, there's so very little that differentiates, like, these games other than, like, oh, yeah, there's got to be some missiles and you got to defend a few bases. Like, you can do so much with that in a movie.

[A]

Well, all these games are such basic concepts. Like, you want to. You want a Pong movie? Just watch Marty Supreme.

[C]

Yeah, that's a good one.

[A]

Let's see.

[B]

Or the movie Ping Pong. An anime film, which is excellent.

[A]

You want. You want breakout? Just watch Shawshank Redemption. You want a Centipede movie? Just watch Human Centipede.

[B]

So we'll get this man an EP credit in Hollywood. Let's go. We just saw the magic getting made.

[D]

I mean, okay, so look, like the devil's advocate argument is like, I think the Matchbook Max Matchbox trailer looked really fun and interesting.

[A]

That looks fun.

[D]

Sdcc. Like, that looked cool. So it's like they just gotta.

[A]

Whatever. Just like, I'm not against it. I like that Atari, you know, Atari has been around for 50 years, but not 50 consecutive years. Yeah, but it is back in a way now that they're actually trying to, you know, keep it. Keep it alive, keep it viable, but, you know, it takes years.

[C]

Yeah, we've just seen, like, the Universal monster movies. They're getting a full universe made, and then it doesn't happen. D.C. even kind of flopped their universe. Right. So just ever hearing they're going to get 10 movies made, it's like, no, you're going to try to make one.

[A]

Yeah, you'll try to make one. That's it.

[D]

Yep.

[B]

Curry Barker's Asteroids.

[A]

I mean, my other goof was, you want a Missile Command movie? Just watch the Day After. Not many people will get that joke, but I think it's pretty good. All right.

[C]

That's the Kansas movie.

[A]

That's the Kansas nuclear holocaust.

[C]

That movie is really hard to watch.

[A]

It is.

[C]

What's the movie?

[A]

It scared the hell out of me when I was a kid.

[C]

Yeah, it's very scary. What's the movie where Leonardo DiCaprio gets mauled by the bear?

[A]

Oh, the Not Redemption.

[B]

Revenant.

[C]

Revenant. The Revenant. That's Crystal Castles. Because you're a bear.

[D]

You play as the bear.

[A]

I was going to say maybe Superman for Crystal Castles. Anyway, these are getting less funny.

[C]

Yeah, mine is funny.

[A]

Oh, important information. I have learned some important information. This is a fun fact. So, okay, before EGM and Game Pro, there was a magazine in the US Called Electronic Games. And this has nothing to do with anything. This is just a fun fact I learned this week. Electronic Games started in 1981, and it had its own Game of the Year awards, but it didn't call them Game of the Year. You know, in 1981, they were mostly covering arcade games. They called them the Arky Awards.

[B]

Arceus.

[A]

They had the Arce. Do I like that? I hope that fun fact improved your day by 0.001%. And maybe we should try. We should try to do. We should do our own Arce. We should just seal it and we could just, you know, not a lot of new arcade games we would be awarding to, but we could do a whole segment or an episode on, like, lifetime Arce Awards what the best arcade games of all time are. Please be excited for a future episode where we do. Okay, extracurricular activities. Sam is just chomp champing at the bit. It's champing at the bit, not chomping at the bit to talk about, but

[C]

it still means chomping the Odyssey, which

[A]

is a couple weeks ago now. But I did see it, and I liked it a lot. I liked it more than I thought I would. I'm a little. Nolan is a little hit and miss for me. I don't love all of his movies, but I really liked the Odyssey.

[C]

I think I texted you that you can. You can take a bathroom break every time he appears. Back with. What's her name? Calisto.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, Charlize.

[C]

That's my tip.

[B]

Calypso.

[C]

Calypso. Calypso. Calypso.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah, that's my tip.

[A]

Yep. You saw it?

[B]

Yeah, I saw it in 70 millimeter at a recently renovated theater in Westwood in Nice.

[C]

And the one that's in Once Upon

[B]

a Time in Hollywood, the one across the street from the One and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

[C]

What an awesome little neighborhood that is. It's so pretty over there.

[B]

It's very cool and it's very close to the office, but apart from that, I loved it. I. I adored this movie. I was very cautious about Nolan because I am also hit or miss on Nolan. And I kind of wanted to be a go in being a hater and be like, all right, let's see. Surely you got something to add on to the Odyssey after, you know, millennias of criticism and analyses and translations and adaptations like oh Brother, War Art Thou is the greatest adaptation ever made. But I think, I think Nolan crushed it. And this is. I think he, he took meaning.

[C]

He.

[B]

He adapted it in some interesting ways that I think really resonated with me as a, as a man who's a little bit older since the last time he engaged with the story. When I last engaged with the story, I was an undergrad in college and you know, I was bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to take on the world. And now I'm feeling a little more like Odysseus.

[A]

At the end.

[B]

I was like, do I want to go. Go back home? You know, you just get a little bit tired by life. So I think it's important. This and like Fight Club are movies that I think are important to experience young and then re. Experience them as an older person after you've lived a life a bit.

[A]

Yeah, I do love that shot where the giant throws one of them through a tree.

[C]

That's great.

[A]

That's great.

[C]

It's a really good gag.

[A]

Yeah, I like how all the creatures are like done practically as much as they could. That was really cool.

[D]

Anyway, I loved it.

[A]

Let's get justice.

[D]

I absolutely loved it. I mean, I just like, you know, this is such a trite sort of thing to say, but it's true. It's like they just don't make them like this anymore. Just like this type of movie of this size and scope and practical effects and you know, it's long, but it doesn't feel like it's running time a. Because, you know, it's a little bit episodic. But it's like I, I absolutely loved it. And you just. I saw it on 70 millimeter too, and you just kind of let it wash over you. And you know, it's like sometimes oftentimes when I'm watching a movie, it's like my thoughts stray to like, stuff I got to do or just other stuff. And like, I was just completely enraptured by like, by like what I was seeing. And I was not at all like the real world did not intrude in my thoughts at all during that entire running time. Like, it is, the episodic nature of it is like, it's a little Bit Monty Python esque. How they like run back to the ship. Like run onto an island, something horrible happens to them and then they're like, run away.

[B]

They're burning a lot of calories getting back to that boat.

[C]

There always seems to be a few dozen more Greeks than you thought too. You're like, oh, there's still a couple left. Oh, there's still a couple left.

[D]

They all got eaten. And then it's like, oh, Nope, there's still 15 of them.

[A]

They experience such insane stuff, you know, cyclops, giants, a witch. That's like the first 2/3 of the movie. And then for the last third, Odysseus doesn't mention any of it. So it's almost like it's like, don't worry, takes all this stuff for granted. Like, yeah, well, we ran into a cyclops. Can you believe it?

[D]

Yep.

[B]

Yeah, sure. Han a cyclops.

[D]

So. And like, go ahead.

[C]

Well, there's a lot of, you know, interesting classical criticism of this going around. And one of the things I think that struck me that was confirming to hear from classical teachers is that like, they. That Odysseus is seen as like, really clever for coming up with the Trojan horse thing. And that is reflected in one scene in this in which Jon Berenthal is like, your father was the smartest man I ever met.

[A]

Took him 10 years to come up with that plan.

[C]

But, well, then it cuts to him being like, scrap me to the thing. I want to hear the siren.

[A]

That was really stupid. That was.

[C]

It's so funny. And then like, they keep on doing the things. Like, you know, like he figures out that the, you know, his men are the pigs. Like, that's pretty smart, you know, like, that's fine, but he's not. Like, he's not showing the snow, but it turns out that he's smart in this clever technical way. And that's like really like beaten into the poem. But like, that doesn't come across here. So I thought the John Barentol part was really cheesy.

[D]

Well, the thing is, this story is 5,000 years old, literally, right? So this idea of like, when I come home, I'm going to disguise myself first. It's like now when you're watching it out, you're like, okay, like, whatever. But it's like, that was like, back then, people were like, oh, shit. Like, I can't. Like, you're going to test people first.

[C]

Plus, he's lived a third of his lifespan since he's been away because people die at like 32, you know, it is good.

[D]

I mean, I liked. I like that Odysseus, like, you know, he sucks. Like, he's an asshole, right? Like, total. Like, you know, like, shooting the Cyclops.

[B]

He gives in to pride like most humans. Yeah, right.

[C]

Well. And his men want to mutiny, right? So that's not great. He's not a great leader as depicted here. But then they all screw up by, you know, eating Helios flock or whatever.

[D]

It turns out that the people from Spoilers.

[B]

Sam, what the heck?

[A]

And also going into it, I had no idea that John Legazamo was in the movie.

[D]

Oh.

[B]

And he crushed.

[A]

He was like, wow.

[C]

Yeah, he's great in it. And then you guys, like. I mean, I know it doesn't matter because it's a big monster movie and everything, but the dialogue is terrible.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Like, nobody delivers a line they should be proud of. Except for maybe.

[B]

Except Robert Pattinson. Are you kidding me? He's crushing it in the entire movie.

[C]

His delivery is fun, you know? Like, at least he's doing. He's hamming it up. Like, I like that about it, you know, it's just.

[D]

He did. I know, and this is a total Nolan thing, but, like, probably one third of the dialogue, I'm like, I don't know what they just said.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Like, I can't. You know, it's like, it's just. And you don't. It doesn't matter. Like, that's not what this movie is about.100%. Just about its visuals.

[C]

I completely.

[D]

But, like, his willingness to just double, triple and quadruple down on. He just doesn't give a shit if you can hear and understand his actors. It's like you just skate by on vibes and, like, it does work this time around.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I did like the.

[D]

I would watch it again at home with subtitles.

[A]

I did like the score. The soundtrack was great.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah, it is good. And the Trojan horse scene is really

[A]

good, by the way.

[C]

That's, like, one of the best.

[A]

It is good. I had never, like, thought about, like, what it would be like for them inside the tortoise, waiting for days. I'd never thought about that before. And I was like.

[C]

Well, he completely depicts it in his own way where it's, like, claustrophobic. Because through all of time, we've been seeing that horse on wheels. That's like, people could have bedrooms in it. Like, I don't know.

[D]

Like, it's just, like.

[C]

It's all nonsense. But he did a really good job of envisioning it as, like, a dark. You Know, way of doing it. Everything's, you know, like the Lord of the Rings. Nerd in me likes the practicality too here. Right. Because the CG doesn't feel out of place. And then, you know, I think it's amazing that it was shot in imax because, like, those ship scenes, like, this is practical shit. Like, that's incredible. And the IMAX runs out a film every three and a half minutes.

[A]

That's. But that's also, like, there's some long scenes, long emotional scenes, but they could only use three minutes of it at a time. It's crazy.

[C]

Incredible.

[A]

All right.

[C]

I'm glad it made so much money. And like, Hollywood can just make a big blockbuster too. Like, all that's good for us, you know?

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[D]

Just, I mean, like all this hand wringing, it's like, dude, just make good movies. Make. If you make a good. If you make movies that are really good, people will show up and pay money to watch this.

[C]

Yeah, but I thought Ant man was good and nobody liked that.

[B]

And the ending is anime.

[A]

It's.

[B]

It's real life, liveaction anime. Sure.

[C]

It's true. I was sleeping by that point. I wasn't really. It was good.

[A]

Well, some predictions put. Spider man is making like 800 million just this weekend alone. We'll see. Quickly, Sam and Nick, do you have updates on Dungeon Crawler Carl?

[B]

I slowed. I'm halfway through right now. Just because of Comic Con. I was busy.

[C]

I got a bunch of people to read it in my life, which is great. And so now I'm having an impromptu book club. The first book, which is great, just because that's all we talk about. So that's been fun. The pinball machine got announced and I got all the jokes.

[A]

This is why I was going to bring it up. Yeah, they announced the Dungeon Crawler Carl. Pinball machine. But it's a unique type of machine that I wanted you to explain, Sam.

[C]

Yeah. So this P3 system is a swappable pinball machine. So basically you get a machine and then the front of it with the flippers is always static. It's the same across all of the games. The middle section is static, but has a video screen under it, like an interactive video screen that knows where the ball is. And then the back half, the back third, you actually pull out. And it has all these ramps and tourniquets and all kinds of stuff on it that they can put back there. And so basically you buy a kit and you can swap it out. The side art gets swapped on with Magnets. The back glass gets swapped out. So you can buy this game as a dungeon crawler Carl game and then swap that out for the other themes. They have Ender's game. They just announced they have Portal. They've had a bunch of them. Weird Al. So you can see that thing. They kind of trick you here because that thing hanging over the middle of the playfield actually attaches to the front of it and the back of it, but the middle part is not swapped out. So that's really clever. They're figuring out some stuff to make these more interactive. But yeah, that's. That's what the system is. It's like. So. But, but just to set expectations, it's not like I'm going to buy a, you know, really expensive game and then, like, I have 10 games for cheap now. No, not really. Like, the game's like, I don't know, $12,000 and then, then each kid is 5,000. Like, things are getting crazy. Things are getting crazy. Like, manufacturing in America is really expensive, and that's just where pinball's at. So, you know, I don't own one of these systems and they don't. They don't have one at the arcades I operate at, so I never get to play with it, but I play it at the Alamo Drafthouse here in San Francisco. You can see the flippers are weird because they're above the video screen. So they're being operated by this, like, kind of like pull tab that's pulling back on them to flip them all. That freaks me out as an operator. Right. Because you want your parts to kind of work across a bunch of games.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So there's that anyway.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And then the coolest thing about this is that the audiobook narrator that you all love is being used to do the call outs of this. So cool.

[B]

I think I just saw a book spoiler.

[A]

Well.

[C]

Oh, yeah. I mean, how could they not, right? Because, like, they're gonna get through so much of it. I don't even know what that dinosaur is.

[A]

Oh, man. Oh, Mango. Yeah. Since our last episode, we also got the news that Jeff Hayes, the narrator, is gonna be playing Princess Donut in the series, which I'm still very, very skeptical of. But at least they got him to be Princess Donut.

[C]

I like his princess just from hearing this, these call outs. And I heard a little bit of the book. I really thought he did a cute job with her.

[A]

Oh, yeah, he's great.

[D]

He's great.

[A]

I'm wrapping up book four and the whole Thing is just crazy, crazy things constantly happening, and it's violent and sometimes vulgar. But. But Carl and Donut's relationship is really sweet. I'm always. I'm always struck by how sweet their relationship is.

[D]

Yeah, they become like. The books become more like. They start as, like, almost like memes. It's just this light, breezy. You know, you enjoy it in the way you enjoy an arcade game, but then the relationships and characters become deeper and deeper as you go, and you actually start to be like, oh, I'm actually truly invested now.

[C]

They may have this at California Extreme in two weeks that I'm gonna go to an arcade convention. So I'll report back.

[B]

Field reporting.

[A]

Cool. Okay, that brings us to video game 20 questions. And our suggestion this week comes from Alex from Pennsylvania. And I'm excited.

[C]

Pennsylvania.

[A]

I'm excited for this one. So let's let the questioning begin.

[D]

Why?

[C]

Damon's excited. Damon's excited.

[B]

It's a Castlevania game. Called it. All right.

[C]

Okay. I like that. Pennsylvania. Castlevania. It all works.

[B]

Is this from the 70s, 80s, or 90s?

[A]

No. Okay.

[D]

Modern Castlevania game.

[B]

Symphony of the Night. All right, time for my next meeting. Let's see.

[C]

Was this ever a console exclusive?

[A]

Yes.

[D]

Okay. Was it Exclusive to a PlayStation console?

[A]

Yes,

[C]

still could be. Castlevania

[D]

PS4 exclusive.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Was this a PS4 exclusive?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

No.

[D]

PS5 exclusive?

[A]

No, sorry. That's five.

[B]

Was this a PS2 exclusive?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

PS2 exclusive.

[C]

That's where the Castlevania exclusives.

[B]

That's a lament of innocence, I think.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

There's two of them. Yeah, there's two 3D Castlevanias. Was this game. I don't know where to go with this.

[D]

Was this game made in Japan?

[A]

No.

[D]

The Castlevania Dream. What about that.

[C]

That. That company in America that made those bad 3D Castlevania games for DS. Was this based on a license?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

License. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

License. PS2. All right. Is this a platformer?

[A]

No.

[B]

Okay. I just assume all licensed games are platformers.

[C]

It's just we should ask a couple genres if we're gonna do this.

[D]

Okay, man. A licensed PS2 exclusive.

[C]

Warriors.

[D]

Was that exclusive?

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

I think it released on Xbox at some point, though. I might be wrong.

[D]

Okay.

[C]

But we asked if it was one point a console exclusive, so it's okay to launch some PS2.

[D]

Warriors is a pretty good guess.

[C]

There's also gonna. What was the game we had before that was like, there can't be a Godfather game, but it was that Scarface

[D]

Yeah, I like the girl.

[C]

It wasn't Scarface or Godfather. It was Reservoir Dog Bugs. We didn't get that one.

[D]

There was. There was Fight Club, too. Yeah, I don't know that.

[B]

I don't think it ever came out before, though. We've had Fight and those.

[C]

Some of those could have launched as a PS2 exclusive because Xbox was scrambling to get some of these over to Xbox. Like GTA 3 was an X. Was a, you know, a PlayStation exclusive until it came out on Xbox.

[D]

Yep.

[C]

Was this made by Rockstar?

[A]

No, that's 10.

[B]

Is this a shooter, RPG or puzzle game? Yes, shooter, RPG and or puzzle game. Got it, Got it.

[C]

Is this a sci fi game?

[A]

No.

[D]

Is it a shooter?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Licensed shooter.

[D]

Licensed PS2 shooter.

[C]

Bond, maybe Tom Clancy.

[D]

Yeah, Clancy Bond is a pretty good guess.

[C]

We always get screwed by the Clancy verse because it's books.

[D]

Mm.

[C]

Are all those games about.

[D]

Well, it's not Riddick, because that was OG Xbox.

[B]

Correct.

[C]

Is this series about espionage or military combat?

[A]

What? You said series.

[C]

Sorry, whatever. This game.

[D]

License.

[C]

The license.

[A]

Is the license about espionage or military combat? No. Oh, my.

[D]

Bond.

[B]

So no Bond, no Tom Clancy.

[D]

Yep. But not sci fi either. What the heck, man? What about that Western? What about that? Yeah, yeah, sure. Red Dead Revolver.

[C]

But what's licensed ws? That's kind of the dead end, right?

[D]

Yeah, you're right. What about that? That. And would we ask if it was made in Japan and the answer was no?

[B]

Correct.

[C]

It was.

[D]

What about 13?

[B]

Oh, my gosh. That is a license of a French comic.

[D]

Yeah, I know.

[C]

That's insane.

[B]

I think that was.

[C]

Always wanted that to be on this.

[B]

Was it?

[C]

No, it was definitely on PlayStation 2. I just don't know if it was. I think it was on gamecube also. It just was a. I don't know if it was an exclusive. Who did. Who developed it?

[D]

Ubisoft, I think some. Some. One of their studios. Maybe not. I think so. Huh.

[C]

Was this. Did you say it was based on a comic book?

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

No.

[C]

Well, let's just ask that because that's a good thing to eliminate. Right. Like, was this license based on a comic book?

[A]

No. And that's 15

[B]

license.

[D]

It also eliminated any weird. You know, like X Men.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Totally weird. Over the shoulder. We sci fi. So they're not Star Wars.

[B]

I mean, there wasn't that many first person shooters on PS2. Right. It was mostly like third person shooting.

[C]

We didn't say first person shooter either. We just said shooter.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah. I'm really thrown off by it not being sci fi or military.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

What's left?

[B]

Or s. What are people shooting?

[C]

Yeah. Crime.

[B]

Maybe zombies.

[C]

Zombies. Zombos. Did zombies exist back then or did they only exist after the Walking Dead?

[B]

There was an Ash verse. There was an Ash versus.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

And an Evil Dead game. It was a third person shooter.

[C]

Spooky game.

[D]

Mark echoes getting up.

[C]

We could ask if it was a spooky game, would you consider Evil Dead the.

[B]

The. The silly Evil Dead spooky though?

[C]

Oh, I think so.

[B]

Okay. Okay.

[C]

That book eats his hand.

[B]

Is it a spooky game?

[A]

No.

[B]

Oh, what else is there to shoot?

[C]

Maybe it's like a spongebob shooter.

[D]

Yeah. I was battle for bikini Bottom. Yeah. I was trying to think about like, you know, something paintbally, like family friendly.

[B]

But why would Damon be excited about family friendly in the PS2 era?

[C]

Because it's like Splatoon PS2.

[D]

Is that the right gen? I get my generation. Is that like. Is that like King Kong, Peter Jackson's king?

[C]

No, that's a 360 log game.

[B]

It did. I think it actually got a PS2, like cheap port of it.

[C]

Oh, really?

[B]

Yeah, I think so.

[D]

Oh, no, that game. That game was cross gen and they were. And they were different games. I think that's what PS2 say about

[B]

this because there was also a PSP version of it.

[A]

Three questions and a guess.

[C]

Okay. Is this based on a kind of a kitty series?

[A]

No.

[C]

Are there monsters in it?

[A]

Nope.

[B]

You shoot real people? One guess, one question in the guess. Right.

[D]

Could it be like anime something?

[B]

An anime shooter or cowboys?

[C]

Only Nick would know.

[D]

Yeah. Anime or cowboys.

[B]

Is this anime?

[A]

Nope.

[C]

Oh.

[D]

Oh no.

[A]

Shall I reveal the game?

[D]

Yeah, we don't have it.

[A]

This is a PlayStation 2 exclusive that never went anywhere else. That was made by Sony and it was. That came out in 2006 based on one of the biggest TV shows at the time, Lost. It's 24 the game.

[B]

Oh my gosh. There's a lot of quick time events in this. I recall.

[C]

We should have had 24 questions.

[A]

It's pretty actually. Well, that would have been a giveaway. It's pretty crazy. The entire cast of the series is on. Is in this game.

[B]

That's Kojima played. This was like I need that man for Phantom Pain.

[A]

This was made by.

[D]

I don't think I've ever.

[A]

It was made by Sony Computer Entertainment, Cambridge, which is now Guerrilla Games.

[D]

Wow. I've never. I don't. I don't know that I've ever seen this game or heard about this game.

[C]

Remember graphics?

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, Sony apparently thought this, you know, shoring up this license would be, you know, a big win for them, but I don't think it performed very well.

[B]

I hate to do this, but I must depart.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

Goodbye.

[B]

Well done, y'.

[D]

All. I as Nick's signing off. I hate to do this to you, Damon, but we may need to send this up to the commission for saying that the game was not espionage based.

[A]

Yeah, espionage.

[D]

Espionage, yeah. Espionage as hell, dude.

[A]

That's like their whole thing is a counterterrorism unit. They're trying to stop, you know, a bomb going off at all times.

[D]

Like, hey, look, you might be right and the commission rules, then let it be so. But I'm just saying we'll listen. I'll. We'll listen to their judgment.

[C]

Yeah, well, terrorism was all the rage at the time, if you remember.

[A]

It was. Which was the rage at the time. It's also interesting that this was 2006, the year that PS3 came out. But this was just a PS2 exclusive. Never went anywhere else.

[C]

Oh, look at them running around these server rooms. So it looks so fun. Can you go in this door? No.

[D]

Do you remember Enter the Matrix?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Shiny. Oh, yeah. I was gonna ask, you mentioned 13. Yes. Ubisoft. And can anyone name the actor that plays the protagonist?

[C]

No. Is it Keanu?

[A]

David Duchovny.

[C]

Cool.

[A]

Whoa. Really?

[C]

That's amazing.

[D]

I'll look that game up.

[C]

That's amazing.

[A]

Had a cool.

[D]

He's not. What year? Well, what year did that game come out?

[A]

Right around here? Maybe 2005. I had it.

[D]

So this is. This is why 13 like that game. Like, I played it up the very first E3 I ever went to. And that's why I remember it. Which is it was probably a pretty

[A]

impressive demo 24 of the game. Thank you for the suggestion as I unlock my computer, Alex from Pennsylvania nicely attempt everybody. Viewers, listeners, if you have your own suggestions for video game 20 questions, email them to me at the email address. Game scoopin.com and that's all the scoops that we have for you this week. Thank you, Sam. Thank you, Justin. Thank you to the ghost of Nick. May his soul rest in peace.

[C]

Plant just swaying. Yes.

[A]

He's not back, baby. Thank you to Jobbert and Amir and everyone working behind the scenes to make this episode possible. My name is Damon. This is IGN Games Scoop. And we're out.

[D]

Sam.

[B]

Here there's a new marvel. It's supposed to be nuts.

[D]

Supposed to be nuts.

[A]

Oh, speaking of I was watching some of Cory Barker, the obsession director. I was watching some of his stuff on his YouTube channel, and it's very. I think you should leave vibes 100.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I keep a spreadsheet of everything I play and watch every year, and I just haven't updated in a while. And I just remembered, oh, Widow's Bay.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

So good.

[D]

I try. Every January, I try to do that and then I can't. I like, I fought. And then it's like, oh, oops. Well, now I have, like a month's worth of stuff I gotta add, and I can't ever keep up with it.

[B]

I do it for games and movies. I don't do it for TV shows for some reason, because I'm like, it's fine. I don't need that. Like, I'll watch the TV show. I don't need to document that.

[D]

I need it for TV shows because I always forget what season. Like, you know, I know I watched Always Sunny up to the Teens somewhere, but I don't know what season that was. Like, you know, three years ago, I stopped watching it. And I'm like, I don't know what season I stopped.

[C]

It's like, that was south park for me too. There's shows that my wife won't watch, like x men 97 or. Or anything Star Trek anywhere. Although she liked the teen one from last year. We watched that together. But I'm watching those now. And X Men 97 kind of sucks this season. Kind of disappointed to report, but the new Star Trek is so fucking awesome.

[B]

Is this strange New world?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, it's the.

[D]

I still don't hear Sam and Ultimate season.

[A]

You don't hear him at all?

[D]

Nope.

[A]

I thought you were having a back and forth with him.

[B]

I was like, oh, this is good energy.

[D]

No, I heard you. I heard you two say, hmm. And then I said. And then I'm like, oh, no, Sam is talking.

[C]

I can hear Justin.

[A]

It's been the 90s in my household for the past two days because our Internet has been out.

[B]

Whoa.

[A]

That's fixed it fixed it this morning. But we had to go 48 hours with no Internet at home.

[B]

It's really eye opening, right? We're just like, oh, man, I guess I'll read a book or something.

[A]

I had to watch. You know, I usually end a day with watching some YouTube I had to watch on my phone like some sort of peasant.

[D]

This is why we're cleaning out a closet and Jamie wants to get rid of all of our old movies and Blu Rays. I'm like, but what if.

[A]

What if?

[D]

I mean, if there's an apocalypse, I gotta be able to watch Mrs. Doubtfire. I'm not getting rid of this Blu Ray.

[B]

Imagine with kids. It's a little harder to go without Internet because all of the programming is streaming. Right?

[A]

Yeah. They just don't understand why they can't watch Ninjago.

[D]

Damon, did I tell you we got a new cat?

[A]

Yes, you did.

[D]

Oh, that's right. Yeah. We had a breakthrough where now Bob is. Bob was snuggling with Cosmo today for the first time.

[A]

Bob wasn't his name last week.

[D]

Yeah, well, he was Beelzebub.

[A]

Yeah, Beelzebub.

[B]

Well, I heard Sam briefly, but he kind of cut out.

[C]

Yeah, no.

[B]

Oh, he's back.

[A]

He's back.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

All right.

[C]

This should be the right microphone and Justin should be able to hear me.

[D]

Yep.

[C]

Okay. Did you get an all black cat?

[B]

Nice.

[C]

Yeah, I have an all black cat. That's great.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Do you have three cats?

[D]

Two.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

One, we had an elderly cat that passed away a couple years ago.

[C]

Right. I thought you'd immediately replaced that cat. So I was like. Like, oh, my gosh.

[D]

Yeah. No, we never did or we didn't until now. No, it was a very classic case of, like, we're going to the shelter and we're just going to look.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[D]

And then you come home with a cat because, of course. Of course you do.

[B]

Bub or Bob. I thought it was Bub.

[D]

I mean, you know, like.

[B]

Like how Wolverine says bub.

[D]

Yeah. No, I mean, you know, it's whatever you're feeling in the moment. Like, he's also. He's been Bubba. He's been Bubba a decent amount, too.

[C]

Bob and Bob are the names of the bubble bobble dinosaurs.

[D]

Yeah. The story there is that the shelter told us his name was Beelzebub, and we went with that. And then they had the cat when I was at Comic Con and my wife's like, we're keeping the name Beelzebub. And I said, okay, that's fine. Just to confirm, you know, that's the name of a demon in the Bible.

[C]

Right.

[D]

That's one of Satan's lieutenants. And then Jamie said, no, I had no idea. I've never heard that before. I don't like that at all. And so let's go.

[B]

Let's go with Lucifer. Sorry. Abaddon, Lucy.

[C]

Only in Iowa City, the seat of Satan himself in the Midwest.

[D]

When we were at the Odyssey, it was at an AMC theater. So the Nicole kidman thing played at the start. She walks in and does that weird commercial. When that started, everybody clapped. Yeah.

[C]

I just was in a theater where that same thing happened. It was really funny.

[A]

Are they doing it ironically?

[D]

Yeah. I think it's become a meme.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

And, like, we don't have AMC theaters here in Iowa City, so that was a nice moment for me.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I also. The thing about that, too, is that it's at the. In California. It's at the end of such a long barrage that it kind of indicates that that's all over. And so I think that's, like, an inside part of that.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. Thanks, everyone.

[C]

Alrighty. Thank you.

[D]

See ya later.

[C]

Bye.