Our BIGGEST Gaming Hot Takes - Kinda Funny Gamescast

Summary

Kinda Funny Gamescast: "Our BIGGEST Gaming Hot Takes"

Date: February 17, 2026
Hosts: Tim Gettys (absent), Greg "GameOverGreggy" Miller, Blessing Adeoye Jr., Andy Cortez, Roger McConny
Episode Theme: A heated roundtable on the hosts’ spiciest and most controversial gaming “hot takes”—opinions that challenge common wisdom or fan consensus about video games, characters, industry practices, and hardware.

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this episode, the Kinda Funny Gamescast crew confronts their own most divisive opinions about gaming. Each host comes with 2–4 personally “hot” takes, leading to passionate debates, banter, and occasionally surprising agreement. The crew invites the audience to respond via super chat, sharing whether they agree, disagree, or want to share their own hot takes.

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KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & HOT TAKES

[06:41] Greg Miller’s Hot Take #1: “Mario is Overrated”

• Summary: Greg claims Mario, as a character, is “played out” and lacks any real personality—especially compared to franchise mascots like Sonic. While he respects Mario’s place in history and iconic games, Greg argues that Mario’s continued popularity is inexplicable and based on inertia.
• Quote: “Why do we still care about this little fucking plumber?... He’s got nothing. He’s got no flavor.” – Greg Miller [07:15]
• Discussion:
  • The rest of the crew pushes back and unpacks why Mario resonates across generations (e.g., nostalgia, simplicity, appeal to children, lack of controversy).
  • Mario’s personality (or lack thereof) and comparison to more “defined” mascots like Sonic.
  • The group jokes about Mario’s “brand safety,” citing Nintendo’s efforts to keep him non-controversial, like barely letting him have nipples in Odyssey ([13:00–14:30]).
  • Notable moment: Blessing describes how his nephews are obsessed with all things Mario, especially after the recent movie.
• Quote: “Mario’s story hasn’t changed in his entire life… I’m a 43-year-old man playing the same thing I was when I was 4.” – Greg Miller [12:51]
• Thoughtful Counter: Roger points out Mario’s character is accessible—"inoffensive vanilla"—which is exactly why he’s so marketable ([19:03]).
• Fun aside: Greg taunts, “Get a beer with Mario or Sonic. Who you answering? Don’t lie.” [20:51]

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[22:06] Andy Cortez’s Hot Take #1: “Memorable Matters More Than Polished”

• Summary: Andy asserts it's better for a game to be memorable—because of special moments, style, or story—than for it to just be technically solid and fade into obscurity. He uses Neo 3 as a recent example: praised for tight gameplay, but ultimately forgettable and lacking “sauce.”
• Quote: “You want to do something in a video game that is special and memorable rather than just making a solid game that has no lasting memory.” – Andy Cortez [22:06]
• Discussion:
  • Roger and Greg agree: gameplay alone isn’t enough to keep Neo 3 in the cultural conversation.
  • Andy elaborates on “sauce”—the X factor that makes a game stand out, beyond mechanics.
  • Blessing echoes with his own formulation: “Gameplay will make me love a game right now, but story and characters will make me love a game forever.” [26:56]

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[27:55] Roger McConny’s Hot Take #1: “Silent Protagonists Hurt Immersion”

• Summary: Roger argues that silent protagonists, especially in JRPGs, break immersion rather than help it. He calls for fully-voiced, defined protagonists even at the expense of personal player self-insertion.
• Quote: “Silent protagonists actually take away from immersion in video games.” – Roger McConny [27:56]
• Discussion:
  • Examples cited: Dragon Quest, Octopath Traveler, Pokémon.
  • The crew agrees this approach feels outdated and wrenchingly awkward in modern, character-driven stories.

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[30:55] Blessing Adeoye Jr.’s Hot Take #1: “Downloadable Demos Should Be Standard”

• Summary: Blessing contends demos should be required for nearly every major release, especially with rising prices and the financial risk for players.
• Quote: “Downloadable demos should be a standard for nearly every video game... I should be able to download a demo for 95–98% of video games.” – Blessing Adeoye Jr. [30:59]
• Discussion:
  • Roger reminisces about the days of Xbox Live Arcade, when demos were the norm.
  • Acknowledges the technical hurdles, but agrees the practice would allow consumers to make more informed decisions in an era of $70+ games.
  • Andy compares the idea to mandatory car safety features after a certain year—there’s precedent for making consumer-first policies standard.
  • Greg worries about the extra demands this places on already-strained development teams but wishes there were a workable solution.

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[37:44] Greg Miller’s Hot Take #2: “The Gaming Industry Is About to Crash (But a Golden Age Will Follow)”

• Summary: Greg predicts the industry will contract through further layoffs, closures, and market correction, but ultimately this “burning of the forest” will create fertile ground for a new era of creativity and innovation—akin to a cyclical industry reset.
• Quote: “It is going to get so much worse in the video game industry... but then I think we’re going to get to that other side and it’s really going to be a new golden age.” – Greg Miller [37:44]
• Discussion:
  • Extensive analysis of the market’s recent oversaturation, failed live service chasing, and investor-driven decisions.
  • The group discusses parallels in the broader tech industry (AI, mobile, hardware cycles) and consumer reluctance to buy incremental upgrades.
  • Greg and Roger argue that, for most gamers, this turbulence will be invisible—big franchises will still get made, but opportunities for smaller or riskier games will dry up (temporarily).

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[49:20] Andy Cortez’s Hot Take #2: “FF16 Should Have Had FF7 Rebirth/Remake Combat”

• Summary: Andy believes Final Fantasy XVI would have been the biggest FF ever (commercially and culturally) if it had used the more strategic, party-based real-time combat of the FF7 Remake series instead of character-action gameplay.
• Discussion:
  • Blessing expands the take to the entire package: combat, story, and “feel” have to appeal to both core and mainstream audiences.
  • Roger and Andy joke about their confusion: Andy clarifies he means FF16 needed the FF7R combat, not the other way around.

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[54:33] Roger McConny’s Hot Take #2: “PlayStation Portal is a Frustrating, Anti-Consumer ‘Waste of Plastic’”

• Summary: Roger rails against Sony’s proprietary handheld (the Portal), arguing it’s expensive, unnecessarily locked-down, and will become e-waste when superseded—especially since it could easily have been a more open Android device.
• Quote: “This is a fucking waste of plastic and technology. It should have just been an Android tablet...” – Roger McConny [55:38]
• Discussion:
  • Andy likens Sony’s approach to Apple: “You will do things our way.”
  • Blessing adds this is Sony’s shift to targeting only the highest-spending fans with luxury accessories.
  • Roger’s main complaint: there’s no justification for restricting users when cheaper, more open devices exist.

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[61:55] Blessing Adeoye Jr.’s Hot Take #2: “Price Should Not Influence Review Scores”

• Summary: Blessing says reviews should critique the artistic achievement of a game, not its price, since pricing is subjective and means different things to different players. Product value is worth discussing, but not as a central review metric.
• Quote: “Conversation about price point feels more appropriate when discussing the product viability of a video game, but detracts from the conversation of what makes the art of the video game special.” – Blessing Adeoye Jr. [62:51]
• Discussion:
  • Roger and Andy strongly disagree: consumers want to know if a game is “worth” the cost, especially with inflated AAA pricing.
  • Greg offers a middle ground: mention price, but don’t let it affect the final “score.”
  • They debate whether value, price, and recommendation should be entangled in criticism of art.

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EXTRA MEMORABLE MOMENTS & QUOTES

• On Mario’s blankness:
  “They had to add eyes to his hat because his hat can have the personality. They don’t want Mario to have the personality.” – Blessing [13:14]

• Greg on industry contraction:
  “You have to burn this forest so new life can grow.” – Greg Miller [42:31]

• Mario’s brand: “Mario is just pretty inoffensive vanilla.” – Roger [19:03]

• Hardest-hitting take:

  • “Chrono Trigger is fine. It’s just... okay.” – Andy [73:49] (Final sign-off/joke)

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AUDIENCE & SUPER CHAT REACTIONS [15:54, 69:54]

• Many audience comments responding to the hot takes, especially about Mario’s popularity and the perceived value of short, expensive games.
• Some submit their own spicy hot takes: Kojima is overrated; Fallout 3 is "ugly and overhyped;" price sensitivity in gaming is a generational issue.

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TIMESTAMPS FOR KEY SECTIONS

| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 06:41 | Greg: “Mario is Overrated” | | 22:06 | Andy: Memorable > Polished; Neo 3 isn’t memorable | | 27:55 | Roger: “Silent Protagonists Hurt Immersion” | | 30:55 | Blessing: “Downloadable Demos Should Be Standard” | | 37:44 | Greg: “Industry Will Crash, Then Bounce Back” | | 49:20 | Andy: FF16 Needed FF7R Combat to Succeed | | 54:33 | Roger: PlayStation Portal Called Out | | 61:55 | Blessing: “Price Should Not Affect Reviews” |

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LANGUAGE, TONE & FORMAT

• Tone: Conversational, irreverent, honest, sometimes combative but always playful.
• Language: Candid, often profane—reflecting the personalities and comfort with each other (“Why do we care about this little fucking plumber?”).
• Format: Hot take rotations; group riffs and breakdowns; banter and audience call-ins via super chat.

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USEFUL FOR NEW LISTENERS?

Absolutely—this episode is a perfect snapshot of the Kinda Funny team’s chemistry, willingness to challenge accepted truths, lively debate style, and engagement with their audience. If you want to know how these hosts approach games critically (and humorously), this is your episode.

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FINAL THOUGHT

A fiery and fun episode that’s less about finding consensus and more about surfacing uncomfortable truths, what makes a game memorable, and the real anxieties facing the games industry—punctuated by both outlandish and thoughtful “hot takes.” Whether you agree or not, you’ll be thinking about their arguments long after you finish listening.

Transcript

[Greg Miller]

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[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So if you've been living in the

[Greg Miller]

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[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Tap the banner to learn more.

[Andy Cortez]

Are you dreaming of the perfect prom?

[Greg Miller]

But there's just one thing holding you back.

[Roger McConny]

Speak English, Mom.

[Greg Miller]

Welcome to Ethnosync Ethnic Modification.

[Andy Cortez]

What is this place?

[Greg Miller]

We help you reach your true potential.

[Andy Cortez]

How are you feeling? It's good to be Hawaii. Hey, new girl.

[Greg Miller]

Hey. Look at what you've done to yourself.

[Andy Cortez]

For a new plant to grow, the

[Greg Miller]

seed has to die.

[Andy Cortez]

Slanted Rated R only in theaters March 13th.

[Greg Miller]

Side effects may occur. Go to boot.com and use code kinda funny to get 25 off your entire first year on the annual plan. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com kindafunny if you want to get our shows ad free and our exclusive shows go to patreon.com kindafunny.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yo, what's up? Welcome to Kind of Funny Gamescast for Tuesday, February 17, 2026. I'm one of your host blessing, Addie Aoea Jr. Joining me is back from Dice, Greg Miller.

[Greg Miller]

Hey, everybody, it's me, Greg. Oh, how you doing?

[Roger McConny]

I thought it was a big video.

[Greg Miller]

No, Kevin thought. Kevin thought it was. Nah, it's just Jen had a doctor's appointment, so, you know, it was President's day yesterday. I took it off to be with Benny. Then this morning ran the dad shift and so right from the library to here. So not only am I in a hat, which I rarely am, hat used to mean, you know, you know this. Yeah, I didn't shower or hungover. We had the third thing of dad mode, where it is dad mode. So it's a dad mode day, which you can tell, of course, because, oh, I'm wearing rain boots. Okay. Let me tell you, you want the kid to wear rain boots, you got to fucking wear rain boots. Otherwise he's going to be like, why are you. Why do you not have to. We got to wear a fucking rain boots like a goddamn idiot.

[Andy Cortez]

That looks like something Sam Porter Fisher wears.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, I could see that. They're really good. Bridges Fisher. Do we know. Do we know what Sam Fisher's middle name is? That's a big question.

[Roger McConny]

JJ Is there j. We don't know.

[Greg Miller]

J like J. J A Y like Homer Simpson. Remember? That was a big reveal.

[Roger McConny]

Oh, was it?

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Get your s. I'll let you guys know. I haven't been on content in a week, so.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah. So you're ready

[Greg Miller]

thinking about this. We don't do this enough.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

We don't really look like an undercover avenger. We don't.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Well, the hat's too bright. I, you know, I had a. I have the other party hat that's in the, the charcoal colorway. Sure. But as we all know, it's quite chilly on our animal crossing islands right now. So I've been rocking this hat on my animal crossing character. So I was like, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll do a little less cosplay. But not only, not only did I dug this hat out and put it on, right then Ben looked at me and I was like, all right, put on your hat. And he goes, I want to wear your other porty hat. We got the other party hat. Put it on him, Justin. What a cute kid. You know what I mean? He's playing Ocarina of time. Whoa. Listen to Greg way about it.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, my God.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Also joining us.

[Andy Cortez]

That was an intro.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

We're going to start with Greg for the hot takes when we get there. Also joining us is the nitro rifle, Andy Cortez.

[Andy Cortez]

Hello, gamers.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And you also have the lock, the tastemaker, Roger McCorny.

[Roger McConny]

It went past over there, but someone said that canonically his name is Sam Leo Fisher. Don't like that. It's Jay, everybody.

[Andy Cortez]

Don't ruin it.

[Greg Miller]

He's a real fan, so he knows.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah, that's the hot take, everybody. I'm starting.

[Andy Cortez]

There should have been Sam Porter Fisher.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

We got a lot of hot takes to talk about on this episode because that is what the theme of the episode is. The topic is us giving you our hot takes. But before we get there, remember, if you're watching live, you can be a part of the show by super chatting in or over on YouTube.com kindafunnygames and I want you to super chat in on what your thoughts, what your reviews on our hot takes are. Since we've been giving our reviews on your hot takes, let us know if you think we're on point or if you think we're dumb.

[Andy Cortez]

Whoa.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Some dummies, especially Roger.

[Greg Miller]

Whoa. Yep.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Remember, we couldn't do this without our producers over on patreon.com kindafunny so thank you to Carl Jacobs, Omega Buster and Delaney the Psalm Twiney.

[Andy Cortez]

Hot, hot. Take. Shout out to the producers.

[Roger McConny]

Wow.

[Greg Miller]

The real heroes.

[Andy Cortez]

The real heroes and the teachers.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

For now, let's begin.

[Greg Miller]

Not one clap. Not one clap.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

They won the strike, right? So, yeah, shout out to the teachers. Yeah. No, we did it. Hell yeah.

[Greg Miller]

We clap for the producers. And he said, and the teachers just like, we all sat down, you know,

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

like, I miss volleyball because of the teachers.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, wow.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Because I play at a school.

[Andy Cortez]

So they're like, so, like.

[Roger McConny]

So you're.

[Greg Miller]

Were the janitors striking too?

[Andy Cortez]

I don't know.

[Greg Miller]

What does the teacher have to do with keeping the gym? I don't know what I mean.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You know what? That's a really good question.

[Greg Miller]

Wait a second. I can open the doors.

[Andy Cortez]

Bless on the other side going, can we work this into the negotiation? Keep the gym open.

[Greg Miller]

It's pretty easy. Just open.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It's gotta, you know, open.

[Roger McConny]

It's a school night, not a school day.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Take the basketball hoops, put them up.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It's easy to do.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, yeah, right. I've done it before. Wow.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

For now, let's begin with top. Give the show. It's a crank.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, yeah.

[Greg Miller]

You get it?

[Andy Cortez]

Well, no, it's not a crank. It's a it.

[Greg Miller]

You.

[Andy Cortez]

It uses a kind of a spinny thing, but the stick you have is really, really long. And then it comes down into like an L shape and then you grab one side and then you spin it around that way.

[Roger McConny]

And then it's the type of knowledge that I never want to know. I'm actually mad at you that you told me that because I feel like when I was a kid, when it would just be up or down, I'd be like, that's magic. You know what I mean? I don't want that teacher, Matt.

[Andy Cortez]

I don't want to know where pyramid head comes from, you know?

[Greg Miller]

Exactly.

[Andy Cortez]

Thank you.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

That's good. Topic of the show is our biggest gaming hot takes. Of course, we've heard about your hot takes over the last few weeks, but some of you have been asking for ours. And so we're here to give them to you. We've each brought two to three hot takes to each. Talk about how many did you guys bring? Actually, I asked for, like three.

[Greg Miller]

I got three.

[Andy Cortez]

I have two and a half.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah, I, I, I have three.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I have three. I got four. My fourth one being an emergency one,

[Greg Miller]

you know, in case the show's done in 15 minutes.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Everyone's hot. Take. We just go. Yeah, yeah.

[Roger McConny]

Okay, cool.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, of course. Super chat. Question is, what are Your takes on our takes. But for now, let's start off with Greg's.

[Roger McConny]

Wow.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

First Hot. He's already.

[Roger McConny]

He's already smiling at me.

[Andy Cortez]

Here we go.

[Roger McConny]

He's got the chaps.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

He's loosening up the. The top.

[Andy Cortez]

Moisturize them lips because the. He's gonna spit some fire right now.

[Greg Miller]

Mario is overrated. All right? He's get it. Like I get it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Serious.

[Greg Miller]

I respect Mario. I respect Mario, okay? For what he's done.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay.

[Greg Miller]

All right.

[Roger McConny]

For the Italian community.

[Greg Miller]

For the advancement of the Italian American community. No, I mean, obviously, when we look at, you know, the annals of history and what they. What we're talking about nes Mario, right? And moving it there. We're talking about Mario 64. Of course, I'm not taking away from

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

any of this, but Mario's like, that's so unserious.

[Greg Miller]

Mario is a character just played out. No, I just know what I'm saying.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Played out. Bugs Bunny played out.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, yeah, Bug Bunny, okay. The bunny sucks. The peanuts suck. Like, I have a golden book with Mario in it. When I read it, I get so mad. Why do we still care about this little fucking plumber? You know what I mean? This is the Ghostbuster Fat Dog game.

[Roger McConny]

Fuck that shit. So what is your line? Like, where do you draw the line when it comes to legacy characters in general? Because you don't. You don't like the Bugs Bunny. You don't like being like, yeah, Mickey Mouse.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What are we talking about? I do think Mickey Mouse sucks.

[Greg Miller]

Thank you.

[Roger McConny]

Is the Sonic again?

[Greg Miller]

This is.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I like Bugs Bunny.

[Greg Miller]

Thank you for bringing this up. Does Sonic count? Give me the one shot over here that's got me and blessed in it. All right, this is the problem. Bless. Is that fucking Sonic the Hedgehog has been fucking trying.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, Mario doesn't try.

[Greg Miller]

You know what I mean?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Mario effortlessly succe where you just can't

[Andy Cortez]

get his shit together.

[Greg Miller]

Most of your games were great. Don't get me wrong. We're not taking away from that. But what is going on in any four year old's head that they walk into target, they go, oh, look at this. I want that guy. I want that just white man's face on my shirt.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay? We're getting what I want.

[Greg Miller]

We're getting Sasha the hat.

[Andy Cortez]

We're getting closer to the crux of this. When it's 2017 and Game of the year, it's like, is it going to be Breath of the wild or is it going to be Mario Odyssey should have been Odyssey.

[Greg Miller]

We all Know that.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay, so this is.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You can't say that.

[Roger McConny]

What are you saying? The character.

[Greg Miller]

I'm saying Mario is overrated. I'm not saying he's not great. I mean, the character is not great. You know what I mean? The game. I'm not trying to. This isn't me taking a giant stone and saying, Mario game sucks. No, you're saying Mario, Mario Odyssey are great, but you're saying when he's running around with his little nips out, like, what are we doing?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You're saying. You didn't say Mario Odyssey is great. You said Mario Odyssey is game of the year and deserves over breath of the Wild.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. Okay.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

That's where you.

[Andy Cortez]

So, okay, so it's more of a. It's just a dude with suspenders.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

You don't like that. Why is he still so popular?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So you feel the same about Mario that feels about Astrobot?

[Greg Miller]

Okay. Yeah. I mean, but Tim's wrong, but. Yeah, you know what I mean? Astrobot, a new idea.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Because here's the thing.

[Greg Miller]

You're the robot. You know what I mean? He's dressing up. He's got friends and family.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

If we're digging into this one of.

[Andy Cortez]

I think Mario has a lot of friends and family.

[Roger McConny]

A lot.

[Greg Miller]

As soon as Morris left my mom, I'm like, fuck, that's a bad point.

[Andy Cortez]

Unless you've heard.

[Greg Miller]

That's a bad.

[Andy Cortez]

Unless you've heard a lot from Mario. Friends and family, like, of them talking shit about him.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You know what's funny is I was looking up Mario's family tree yesterday. I typed in a Google Mario family tree. I think. I forget why. I think it was for, like, game showdown or something. I was trying to think of a good question about Mario's brothers and sisters or whatever, how many brothers and sisters he has.

[Andy Cortez]

Now I'm just imagining the. The Super Mario documentary of a lot of people going, he surrounded himself with a lot of yes men. Like, these people were not his real friends.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You know, the thing that I understand, but also I come back around to, as far as, like, man, Mario just works, is that I know why I love Mario.

[Greg Miller]

Why do you love Mario?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Because my first game was Mario 64.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And my sisters would also. My older sisters also Love Mario Brothers 3. And so we play that all the time. And so, like, I came in at, like, arguably the prime where it's like, Mario was moving and shaking things. Right. You couldn't. You couldn't get better than Mario.

[Greg Miller]

And now he's.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But. But, like, you say that, but I Am utterly shocked by how much my little nephews love Mario as well. They're obsessed with the Mario movie. My sister's like, they don't stop watching the Mario movie. It drives her insane. And so there's something that Mario.

[Greg Miller]

And here's something I'll say. Mario movie Mario, pretty great, you know? I mean, it's the random, generic tofu Mario. What are we doing?

[Roger McConny]

I mean, I get what you're doing. Something I get.

[Greg Miller]

Are you in love with Princess Peach? What's your fucking deal? You know what I mean? Make a move. You got no taste. He's got nothing. He's got no flavor.

[Andy Cortez]

Gotcha.

[Greg Miller]

You got to put him in a hat. You got to put him in.

[Roger McConny]

A tough thing about Mario is that he's like a literal. Like he's a blank slate almost around all, like the more interesting characters. Like that's that, like, I mean, dry bones Spike.

[Greg Miller]

You know what I mean? Now you're just Luigi and Luigi's mansion.

[Andy Cortez]

He's the jump man, you know? Yeah.

[Roger McConny]

He's just like the generic.

[Greg Miller]

Maybe she'd be something else already, you know what I mean?

[Roger McConny]

What do you want it to be?

[Greg Miller]

No, you said have a story.

[Roger McConny]

Okay. No, Give me your pitch right now. What do you want Mario to be? Your perfect Mario.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I like this.

[Greg Miller]

I like this too. I would say let's scale it back even more. You know what I mean? I had no problem with when him. I had no problem with this man when he was pixel art. All right? I was like, I get it. I get it. You're in a fucking arcade cabinet or whatever. Neat. Cool. Now you're taking advantage of most of your.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Weirdly enough. I understand what you're saying.

[Greg Miller]

I understand what you're hard. Everybody I've seen the show, they are all like, this is a fake tape. When I'm serious. Think about it. Thinking you're hard. Why do you care about this little cartoon man?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

There's.

[Greg Miller]

It's weird, right? We all walked around with a cartoon on her shirt and he's been around for 40 years or whatever just being a man. It's not Mega Man.

[Andy Cortez]

It's not Mega Man.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

It's not a cool robot. Like, yeah, why do we like this?

[Greg Miller]

This guy rocks. This guy fucks. You know what I mean? Look at the 16 bit one. Yeah, let's go.

[Roger McConny]

But he also has all of the outfits. I think you're underestimating the Tanooki. You're underestimating the fire Marios.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

These are all 16 bits or 8

[Roger McConny]

bit like well, I'm just saying, like, you know, I mean, there's more to him than just being a plumber. You know what I mean? Like, he flies around in the tanooki. Why he does things. Well, I will get well now you're asking different questions. He's not just a generic guy. Like, he does other things. He's a cat. Sometimes he's doing other things.

[Greg Miller]

When you start a Zelda game, you know what you're getting? I'm Link. Maybe I don't have a fairy big adventure. Maybe I've been in a fucking sarcophagus for 100 years. Does that make sense? But I'm getting my ass out of here. I'm going to go on a grand adventure. I'm going to see the deku tree. I'm going to fucking go slay some monsters.

[Andy Cortez]

You are turning me around on this.

[Greg Miller]

You know what I mean? That makes sense. When I start up Mario. What is it? He is this fucking man who is just running to a wall of no forward progression. Mario's story hasn't changed in his entire life. It's like I'm fucking. I'm a. I'm a 43 year old man soon playing the same thing I was playing when I was 4 years old. What are we talking about? See what I mean? What is wrong with this guy? Something's wrong with this guy.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

To Greg's point, they had to add a fucking eyes to his hat because his hat can have the personal. They don't want Mario to have the personality. Yeah, we're stuck with a talking flower because they don't want to give the Mario characters more.

[Greg Miller]

No personality.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

They have to have all the personalities. They'll talk flowers too much.

[Greg Miller]

We never even talked about that in Mario Tennis. I see you on there shaking it. I'm bad at dapping. I saw you on there every night I'm playing something.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, yeah.

[Greg Miller]

And I see you pop up. Mario Tennis plus playing Mario.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Mario Tennis is my current game of

[Roger McConny]

the year, by the way.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

So you guys know Mario Tennis is my front runner. Is it going to be there by the end of the year? We'll see.

[Greg Miller]

Are you doing adventure mode? Did you do all that?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I. I started adventure mode. I. I beat the JV and I

[Andy Cortez]

was like deleted it.

[Roger McConny]

Okay.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah, man. Let me tell you, that's gonna take its.

[Greg Miller]

Is he here?

[Andy Cortez]

Bust in the door. Oh, yeah. That's cute.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

There's a. There's a YouTuber named Jenna Steber who makes video essays and she has a very popular video on YouTube. About Mario, specifically Mario's nipples. And about how for decades Nintendo has gone out of their way to not let Mario have nipples.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And I think this goes to Greg' of like how big of a deal it was in Mario Odyssey when Mario was finally allowed to have nipples. Because even if you looked at Mario and Sonic, the Olympic Games, they have swimming, like swimming mini games in there. They hide Mario's nipples.

[Roger McConny]

Like does Sonic have nipples?

[Andy Cortez]

Got pasties or.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

No, Sonic has fur. Well, yes, Sonic has nipples because he's a mammal.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, what kind of dumb question is that, Rod?

[Roger McConny]

I just, I mean, have they ever shown the nipple of Sonic? I don't know.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think they would have to shave the fur.

[Roger McConny]

Why would they ever spread it open.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, no.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

While he saw. He's a kid's character, Rob.

[Roger McConny]

Okay, I'm sorry, You and your slime. Oh, we're talking about nipples here. Okay, I'm sorry, Sorry.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But I think that speaks to the amount of brand safety around Mario. They're afraid. They're too afraid to do anything with him. Why does he have.

[Andy Cortez]

I agree on the.

[Greg Miller]

Right. I mean, look at that Kotaku thumbnail right there of him. Spread eagle. Well, now we go up one, go up one, go up right there. Spread eagle.

[Andy Cortez]

Go.

[Greg Miller]

Woo. You know, I mean, it's like you don't want your kid hanging out with that guy.

[Andy Cortez]

There, there is a reason why.

[Greg Miller]

Hang out with.

[Andy Cortez]

There is a reason why so many of these games are, you know, when they appeal to us as kids. When it's, yeah, you're the young kid, you're. You're the rook, you're the no name that's about to make a name for himself and that like there are a lot of video games that start off that way where you create your own character. And it's like I am living this fantasy. But there it does make me wonder why did I as a kid give a about what this guy is doing in his life.

[Greg Miller]

It's that thing. Yeah. This 40 year old plumber got sucked into a world and had to jump on mushrooms. It's like, I get it. You know what I mean? But the fact that that concept, when Miyamoto hit the bong and said that in the boardroom, you know what I mean? And everybody was like, this will be the rest of our lives. This thing is what we're going to do.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I want to, I want to bring in a couple of super chats. I like this one from D. Jacob, okay. Who writes in and says agree. I don't play Mario games.

[Greg Miller]

For Mario, I mean, yeah, the mechanics, tight. The gimmicks, cool. The adventures you go on, why do you take them, really?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I mean, you wanted to be the last of us.

[Greg Miller]

What are we doing?

[Andy Cortez]

I disagree with that.

[Greg Miller]

Why can't I be like. Just every. Lay down your arms for one second. Okay. You can count this in my second take. I think it's still the first take, right?

[Roger McConny]

Ever.

[Greg Miller]

Maybe it is just the chip on my shoulder as a Sega kid, but Sonic should be so much bigger than Mario.

[Andy Cortez]

No, you're right.

[Greg Miller]

Sonic's a cool hedgehog with cool shoes. It's super fast. He eats chili dog. I know this has been added over the years, but the cast of characters, the adventures, they're on. He's crossing over with dc.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I really want to agree with you, even though I can't agree with you, but I really want to.

[Greg Miller]

Then you look over here. You got this fat over. Melissa with the Y earlier was like, greg, you're. You're just a normal man. Why do people like you? Well, children don't. I look at our stats. So there's my counterpoint. Melissa, the Y. Andy, we see you.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay, so I. Whenever we have, like, big sporting events.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Most recently the Super Bowl.

[Greg Miller]

Oh.

[Andy Cortez]

We look at it as a very. This past super bowl was a very defensive, strong battle.

[Greg Miller]

Right.

[Andy Cortez]

And then we look at each team's quarterbacks and we go, yeah, the Patriots quarterback was real bad. But if you put him on the Patriots or on the Seahawks, I see what you're saying. Would he have done well with a really, really good defense? Would he have thrived in that situation? And we always do that in sports where it's like, yeah, Michael Jordan never. Or, you know, Charles Barkley never won a ring, but if you gave him the casting crew that Michael Jordan had, would he have succeeded? Right. And now I totally feel that way about if Sonic were the first dude instead of Mario.

[Greg Miller]

Well, that's.

[Andy Cortez]

I think if Nintendo comes out and their first game is Supersonic Bros. And it's a little blue hedgehog.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Roger McConny]

He's.

[Greg Miller]

You're nailing it.

[Andy Cortez]

Would that. Would we feel the same. Would we feel, like, way higher about sonic? Right.

[Greg Miller]

1,000%. Because, again, the gameplay of the Mario games. Fantastic. The time. I mean.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, yeah.

[Greg Miller]

I mean, like, we know what we're talking about there. So. Yeah. That's what. You can go and put anybody into that thing. Shit, you could put Sonic in. You could put dry Bones in it. Put Joel from Last of Us in it.

[Andy Cortez]

You're so right. Like, that that is. Yes, you're right.

[Greg Miller]

And meanwhile, you take Mario, you put him in Sonic the Hedgehog. He's a fast Italian.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You know what I mean?

[Roger McConny]

But isn't it like. Isn't the whole thing that like Mario is inoffensive? Like isn't that like the reason why he's so popular? Like again, we look back at all these like legacy characters, Mickey Mouse and everything. Like these are characters that are just completely in it.

[Greg Miller]

But here's what I would say.

[Roger McConny]

Like Sonic's offensive a little bit.

[Andy Cortez]

No, but he's cool.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah, but he's also offensive a little bit.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Mario's exactly.

[Roger McConny]

He goes a little bit crazy.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And a master of none, which is oftentimes better than a master of one. As a KG called.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Everybody come on.

[Greg Miller]

To your point.

[Andy Cortez]

I thought he was going somewhere.

[Greg Miller]

I already kept it through the line.

[Roger McConny]

I love that.

[Greg Miller]

I love that. I love that. Ah, I lost it. Where we. What was your point?

[Andy Cortez]

Andy calling Mario system quarterback. He is Matt Batson. He really is.

[Greg Miller]

No, Roger, what was your point? You just made.

[Roger McConny]

My point was that Mario is just pretty inoffensive vanilla.

[Greg Miller]

And that's my thing is that I think both are all. When we're talking about a Bugs Bunny, a Mickey Mouse, a Mario. I think they all start off and they're not offensive. But I mean they're doing things because they're making it up as they go along.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

But at some point they become so enshrined in America. Pop culture. Yeah. The characters. Obviously pop culture for Mario. Right. That suddenly you can't do anything without offending someone and screwing it up so they don't screw it up. So it's just Mario plastered on it all these fucking tea towels at the goddamn Nintendo Store.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Overrated. He's overrated.

[Andy Cortez]

Sonic would have been. We go back in time.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

In the alternate history and we slip Miyamoto just a little image of a blue hedgehog. Change history.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But I feel like Sonic would then become boring as. No. Yeah, he would have.

[Greg Miller]

He would have taken the chance.

[Roger McConny]

He wouldn't have. He wouldn't become a werehog. He would never.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

He wouldn't have ate that chili dog.

[Roger McConny]

No.

[Andy Cortez]

So he wouldn't have failed is what you're saying. He wouldn't have been awful. No.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

But the alternate universe where Mario was the coolest guy ever. Like Sega, Sega Genesis then releases with Mario the guy and he's smoking pack and he's doing cool. He has a cool like cast of homies.

[Roger McConny]

Cuz Mario hasn't had to be desperate like Sonic is. Sonic has had to experiment. Crash Bandicoot has had to experiment. Okay. Mario has just always been on the top, so he's able to just kind of ride that.

[Andy Cortez]

He's coasting.

[Roger McConny]

He's coasting, which I hate.

[Andy Cortez]

Here's my thing.

[Greg Miller]

On a character level, coasting. I don't want to take away from the fact that the games do. Shake it up, Mario Galaxy. You're jumping here. You can be a spin off for some reason in this one. Yeah, like there's things going on. Exactly. Exactly. I don't want to give. I don't want to leave us open to a counter attacking.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

This could have been a whole.

[Greg Miller]

We're iron.

[Roger McConny]

We're all in the same place.

[Greg Miller]

I brought you around. I sold you all on it. You're all.

[Andy Cortez]

Mario is such a better game. No, you're not wrong, Pete. Well, Mario, like, I love you.

[Greg Miller]

Get a beer with Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog. Who you're answering. Don't lie.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I grew up Sonic.

[Greg Miller]

Come on.

[Roger McConny]

Honestly, I would rather get a beer with Chris Pratt version of Mario because he seems like beer. I don't think anyone.

[Greg Miller]

Okay, I'm with you on that one.

[Andy Cortez]

Sonic. Way cooler. And I think, well, you know, for me, I. I grew up loving Sonic even though I hated the video games. Like, I think, like my Sonic fans, I still think they're. I still think they're so. No, but even like the ones that people love, love, like Sonic Mania and stuff, I play those. I'm like, this just isn't fun.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Well, that's a failure of character for you.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, probably. Probably. But like, I grew up just not really understanding. Like, man, this game kind of isn't fun to play, but Sonic is so cool and stayed so cool to me despite me hating the video games growing up.

[Greg Miller]

Genius. In the chat, you got super Chat. Inoffensive Mario falls asleep in Mario 64 and snores while naming miscellaneous pasta dishes. Yes. You're citing something from Nintendo 64. What have you done for me lately? You know what I mean? Come the in, Wonder. He takes drugs and never references that he's high as a kite.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, yeah, that is a good point.

[Greg Miller]

He's snorting Wonder Seeds. Fucking seeing pink elephants. No reference.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Andy, what's your first take, man?

[Andy Cortez]

I don't know. I can't follow that.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah, that's a tough one.

[Andy Cortez]

I'll go with my other. Yeah, I'll go with one that is kind of recent on my mind. Is that you want to do something in a video game that is like special and rememberable and memorable rather than just making a solid game that has no lasting memory. I was, I am completely right about Neo 3. I like, I, I am not backing off of the fact that I think Neo3 just came out to match the conversation. Nobody's talking about it any.

[Greg Miller]

Like, did you remember Neo 3 was out, everybody?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

No.

[Greg Miller]

You did.

[Andy Cortez]

I am not wrong about Neo3. I read those comments. I argued with everybody. Everybody's saying, like, andy's so wrong. Neo3 has so much sauce. No, the fuck it doesn't. Art style. Awful. When I talk about sauce. What is sauce, Greg? It's something we put onto a meal to make an already awesome meal better.

[Greg Miller]

Even better.

[Andy Cortez]

It's just a little. It's a little. It's a little topping. Right? That's what sauce is in video games.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

And if you don't got sauce, that means your mechanics could be solid, but you're missing anything else that makes the game memorable.

[Greg Miller]

Rise of the Ronin.

[Andy Cortez]

That game is just gone from everybody's memories. For as much as people say that they. That the Neo games are so. Dude, Team Ninja has been putting out a consistent rate of video games, but it's like they are always the same and they may add a new mechanic here and there and the gameplay is fun, but God damn, that game just came and went and it will have no cultural lasting impact whatsoever.

[Greg Miller]

Andy's take is so correct that when he said it, I was worried he was breaking embargo because I forgot Neo3 had already come out.

[Roger McConny]

But I want me to add on

[Andy Cortez]

one of them, please.

[Roger McConny]

What About Ninja Garden 4? Another one. Like everybody in the comments were like, you guys didn't play the other ones. Who the fuck is talking about Ninja Gaiden for? No one talked about. No one talked about that video game.

[Andy Cortez]

It was such a vocal minority. And I'm just like, I wanted to love the. And I still like the gameplay, but man, missing anything to make these games memorable. And that's why Stranger of Paradise is memorable because it has a fun gameplay. The other game. But it's awful in a lot of amazing ways when it comes to dialogue. These games, they try to take themselves so seriously. A Shigaraki. You have to forget the main character's name. I don't even remember. They said it a lot though.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

It's just like these games are just missing what makes video games memorable and special.

[Roger McConny]

But I, I will also say though, I did talk to somebody in real life this morning about how they love Neo 3. Who was it at my gym? My trainer, he was, I was talking to him. He's like, oh, man. Neo 3, man, I'm obsessed. That's all I'm.

[Andy Cortez]

You got to put him on a different. You got to put them out of more stuff, man. Because like, for anybody who loves these Neo games, there's just like, there is way better stuff out there for you.

[Greg Miller]

Like, you.

[Andy Cortez]

You've experienced fun gameplay. But what if you could have fun gameplay and like actual characters and actual story and like a P. Like, yeah,

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think I like new. I like the Team Ninja games for mindless fun, like action gameplay. Like, I just want to like, like get in there, parry or dodge, do whatever, fight a tough boss. I like that sensation in the game. I think that's why. That's what saw me all the way through Long fallen dynasty. You can get that and get good sauce with Liza P. It.

[Andy Cortez]

Yes. And you know, when I think the sauce thing was becoming such a big, you know, controversy point for us. Yeah. For me especially, I'm sorry about that. People saying like, I didn't know that these. I didn't know that they lacked sauce. I'm like, no. I saw somebody else say, no, it's just not his type of sauce. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Sauce is the extra stuff that makes. Makes a game even better. You could have awesome gameplay, but if you're not doing anything memorable in the other things that make a game awesome to experience, then you're lacking sauce. And like, I just, I don't know, I just like, my, my. My whole feelings about Neo3 got more and more strong as I went on and I don't want. And it's so, it's so hard for me to like, not to, to not talk about Team Ninja because they are putting out games a lot. But like, just do something else, man. Get a different art style for somebody in the comments to go. Actually, I think ninja. I think team or Neo's art style is awesome. You're. You're bad at like looking. Your vision is awful, dude.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Like, you feel about Code V in chat that says Andy also didn't like Wukong just for clarity. Lol.

[Andy Cortez]

Well, Wukong didn't have like awesome combat. Like, it's just not. It looked cool. It had, it had the, the presentation that you love. You know, I, I think that game had sauce. I thought, I thought the gameplay was like, good. It just wasn't great. Yeah, you know, I, you know, cue the song. Is Black Miz Wukong's combat bad?

[Greg Miller]

No, it's just not great.

[Andy Cortez]

It had good combat. It just, you know, for me, it

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

brings me back to. Excuse me, the, the quote that I freestyled on a KFD like a year or two ago where I said gameplay will make me love a game right now, but like story and characters will make me love a game forever.

[Andy Cortez]

And it'll make me remember those moments. Yeah. Beautiful all time.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

I think there are a lot of great capable games with fun gameplay out right now that you could go get anywhere. But are you gonna have that lasting impact and those story moments that Expedition 33 hits you with or like those big sort of, you know, twists and turns? And you know, I don't love the Last of us Gameplay Part 1, but that game had awesome story beats that made me really remember those things.

[Greg Miller]

So, like it had sauce.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah. Like, so to try to come at me with the Wukongs of. It's like you're. You're. Yeah. You're coming from a place that doesn't even, you know, deserve recognize.

[Greg Miller]

You're coming from Kansas.

[Andy Cortez]

Exactly.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Roger, what's your first thought take.

[Roger McConny]

Where do I go?

[Greg Miller]

Where do I go?

[Andy Cortez]

Where do I go?

[Roger McConny]

I'll go with the general one because I just been feeling it after playing Dragon Quest reimagined. We gotta stop glazing. Or silent protagonists actually take away from immersion in video games.

[Andy Cortez]

Wow.

[Roger McConny]

Period, end of story.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Interesting.

[Roger McConny]

The idea behind it is such a bygone relic of older video games. They're like, oh, well, we're gonna have this character not really say anything. They're gonna say yes or no or they're just literally not gonna respond to most characters. Because we want you to be the character. No, I'm out of it. When my character, my main character, everyone else around them, everyone else around them has free will, is talking, is having conversations. This one character is just either saying yes or no or just sitting there just silently just looking around like an idiot. Why is my. Why am I the idiot? Why am I the one playing the game? You just make the character talk. Have them, it's okay for them to have dialogue, make choices that I wouldn't make playing a game. Like metaphor was like such an eye opening moment where it's like, oh, the main character can just speak and have their own like thing and going on and have voice acting.

[Greg Miller]

Tell me their story.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah, tell me their story. It's fine. It's fine. If it's a little bit different from what I would have done, it's okay. You're telling me an rpg. I Don't need to fully be so immersed in it. Where all of my choices. I have to be that character. No, it's fine.

[Greg Miller]

Dragon Quest 7 where there are no choices.

[Roger McConny]

Choices, yeah, exactly.

[Greg Miller]

Do you say yes or no? I say no. Okay, well, you have to say yes. So whatever. I'm gonna ignore it or I'm gonna lead you back to the question. Or do. What are we doing exactly?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

What are we doing?

[Andy Cortez]

A little bit of octopath there too.

[Greg Miller]

Sure. No, you're not wrong. You're not wrong at all about that.

[Andy Cortez]

So do. So when we talk about, you know, picking dialogue choices, are you talking about. I. I used to want to have an impact on where story goes and things like that, but sure, give my dude some character.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah, a little.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. It's less about like.

[Greg Miller]

Well, you say it like, I'm.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

To be clear, is choice even a problem? Because you're not JRPG.

[Roger McConny]

No, I'm talking about JRPGs. I'm talking about JRPGs. I'm talking about sound protagonists that like. I'm not even saying like, Fallout versus Fall, Fallout three versus Fallout four. Right. I'm not saying like, I need voice acting specifically. I'm just saying I don't want my character to sit around like a. Like a. Idiot. Yeah, exactly. And just everyone else is talking for me and it's like, okay, well, because of Immersion, this character is not going to do anything or say anything or have any dialogue in the game.

[Greg Miller]

Same argument we make all the time with Pokemon.

[Roger McConny]

Right?

[Greg Miller]

Where it's like, sure. On top of.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Of.

[Greg Miller]

There just needs to be vo in Pokemon. There needs to be exactly character.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

How do you feel about Portal?

[Roger McConny]

That's different. I think those are a little bit different. Like that. And also Half Life, I think is a little bit different because it's like, sure, people are talking around halfway, but that's like truly like the whole point of the game. Like, it's a first person viewpoint. I'd give those points a pass. But like, when it comes to those

[Andy Cortez]

aren't necessarily like RPGs.

[Roger McConny]

Exactly. When I talk about RPGs where it's like, oh, no, everyone else is talking around me. That is the whole point of this game. And it's like, why is my character not.

[Andy Cortez]

Why am I the guy who was discovered in a jungle?

[Roger McConny]

Exactly. What's the point of that? Like, it actually takes it away. The, like, the whole thing with Dragon Quest, it's like I liked everything around it, but it's like my character's such an idiot. Bro, I hate this guy. I hate me when I look in the mirror now.

[Andy Cortez]

All right, all right. I like that.

[Greg Miller]

So far we haven't been wrong. Wes, can you continue?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I don't know if I'll continue the trend. Well, it depends because I have one that I think is agreeable and I have another one that I think a lot of people are not going to like. Which one do you want me to start with?

[Greg Miller]

Just agreeable round. I think we do agreeable.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Okay.

[Greg Miller]

Okay. I'll start with. Everyone's gonna piss everybody off next.

[Andy Cortez]

Everything's been agreeable so far.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Everything's been downloadable. Demos should be a standard for nearly every video game, especially with video game prices rising. I should be able to download a demo for 95. 90, 95 to 98% of video games if it's like a multiplayer thing or whatever. Like there's some weird off case for why a demo wouldn't work. Sure. But if you. If you're putting out a single player game and you're putting it out for $70 or more than $70, I should be able to download a demo and see if I like that game before you pay money for it.

[Roger McConny]

One of my favorite things that the Xbox Live ecosystem did was the Xbox Arcade. Right. Where every single game had a demo. You were forced to do that. And of course it was only for smaller games, but even back then they were. That was such a heyday when I was a kid, like trying to convince my mom to buy me games so I would play. Remember? Just cause had a demo and that demo was. Was something that I was like, man, most games should do this. Where was the timer? It's just in the corner, 30 minutes and like it would just expire as soon as the 30 minutes were done. You just couldn't play it anymore. Yeah, Most games should just do that 100%.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. I think that's the answer to it. Right. That's the push and pull of it. I agree with your take that they should. Then you just get into the weeds of how much work a demo is for a team that's already stretched and trying to get Goldmaster out, like at the very. And I know that I'm making excuses if you put it in the pipeline and that was going to be standardized, yada, yada, yada.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

But if it could just be as simple as the PlayStation game trials. Anything else? 30 minutes. I know you get into an interesting point where lots of games, the first 30 minutes aren't interesting. You're. It's all cutscenes you're not even getting sticks yous're not doing the whole thing. I wish there was a happy medium somewhere around it because I do think, you know, a game like Dragon Quest 7. Right. Like, I wasn't reimagined. I wasn't. I was like, I'm interested enough, but I don't know if I'll try to commit for the review. And when the demo dropped and it was going to carry over, I was like, oh, fuck, yeah. And I dropped and I was like, okay, yeah, let's get a review code. Let's go all the way through. Like, that was.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. My counterpoint would be, I think for the jump from 60 to 70 and in some cases, 70, 80, like, I think you can find somewhere in that money to be able to make a build.

[Greg Miller]

Sure.

[Roger McConny]

Maybe.

[Andy Cortez]

Maybe as like the president of gaming, it's something that you go, all right, I'll. This is kind of a requirement for a lot of studios.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

Similar to how in 2016, which is my. My car Honda Civic. That's the year that they were like, you have to have reverse cameras from here on out. Every car. That's just part of your process.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Andy Cortez]

You know, that's part of the development process. So, like, keep that in mind. This isn't something that you're gonna at the last second kind of go like, oh, we forgot about that demo.

[Greg Miller]

You know, just to get into it while it's here because I like this Kobe Super Chat and says if they're already creating vertical slices for media to play, release that demo a few weeks after press talks about it. Again, a great idea. A bit flawed in the way that actually goes down in terms of when you see even with demos that are playing come out, hey, it got data mined to hell. It did all this different stuff. There's been plenty of times I've been playing a video game demo at a thing and you click R3 and L3 and here comes the dev menu and they come. Oh, God, don't do that. You know what I mean? Like, sometimes it is held together by chewing gum and band aids.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah. Wasn't there the. I remember watching this video about years ago, I think was Yakuza 6 where they just accidentally for the demo, put the full game so that people, if they just. They just turn off the Internet, could just play Yakuza 6 for free.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, it's a good idea. I wish it existed. I understand the price point for sure.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Sure, sure.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah. I like that. I like that. Agreeable. Hey, agreeable. First round, everybody.

[Andy Cortez]

We did it.

[Greg Miller]

Nobody was wrong, nobody was right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Now wait till round two when we start getting wrong. Of course we got way more of this episode to get to. But before we get there I want to tell you about patreon and YouTube.com kinda funny games where you can go and get the Kinda Funny membership which allows you to get shows ad free. Speaking of ads, let us tell you about our sponsors.

[Greg Miller]

This episode is brought to you by boot.dev. ready to learn a new skill and become a software developer? Kevin is and that's why he's been using boot.dev to learn to code.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

My favorite feature is that you could find a solution that works but then afterwards you can hit solution and see the way that they were trying to teach you to do it. That's really cool.

[Greg Miller]

Boot.dev takes you from beginner to expert the fun way through a hands on RPG like experience. Plus boot.dev just launched the training grounds, a place where you can grind infinite challenges to give you as much practice as you need before you forge ahead in your own coursework. All content is free to read and watch. A paid membership unlocks interactive of features like hands on coding, progress tracking and game mechanics. Bored learners quit. Smart learners never get bored. Learn to code by doing what you'll actually be doing at a job building real projects. Go to boot.dev and use code kinda funny to get 25% off your entire first year on the annual plan. That's boot.dev and use code kinda Funny to get 25% off. This episode is brought brought to you by Shopify. You know what? I hate trying to remember my payment info when I get to the checkout page on all the websites I visit. You know what makes that a breeze? That big beautiful purple pay button that has all my info stored. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all E commerce in the United States. From household names like Chubby's and Mattel to brands just getting started. Get started with your own design studio. With hundreds of ready to use templates, Shopify helps you build a beautiful online store that matches your brand style. Get the word out like you have a marketing team behind you. Easily create email and social media campaigns wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling. See less carts go abandoned and more sales go with Shopify and their Shop Pay button. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com kinda funny go to shopify.com kindafunny and we're back Greg. Hi.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Are you ready with your second hot take of the I am.

[Greg Miller]

I am. I am. I am. I am.

[Roger McConny]

I.

[Greg Miller]

So I brought three. Mm. The second one I think is too Greg focused. If we need it at the end, I'll give it to you.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Okay.

[Greg Miller]

Okay. But I'm gonna jump to the third one. But I don't know if it counts as a hot take or if it's just prognosticating. So everyone keep me honest if it's a bad take. But then I do want to talk about it all the same. Right.

[Andy Cortez]

We'll do.

[Greg Miller]

I think in stick with this gonna sound so dumb to start with that

[Andy Cortez]

I've stuck with you through a lot.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

I appreciate that.

[Roger McConny]

We believe in you.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

The kind of beauty prompt where it was like, what's a game? Yeah, regular hates that. You're surprised the results of that.

[Greg Miller]

I think about that again. I don't hate those games. The screenshots were doing me dirty. Where it's like a crazy little list. I argued was the list.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh my God, it was Red Dead.

[Greg Miller]

What is a game that Greg should love but doesn't? So it wasn't hates. What should I love?

[Andy Cortez]

But I don't like Red Dead Redemption

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

two Balers Gate three. I think was one great clearance here. It was like a greatest hits of video games of all time.

[Greg Miller]

My hot take here, which I think might just be a hot prediction that will seem cold, but stick with me as we get warmer, is that it is going to get so much worse in the video game industry. It is going to be so much worse in the next few years. But then I think we're going to get to that other side and it's really going to be a new golden age. And so what I mean by that is I die. And is that. Does that count as a take? Do we think that counts as a take? Okay, cool. So let me expound on it. Okay. Because I was thinking about what I could bring to the table today, what I wanted to talk about. And I was originally, I think this started a little bit as like. Like the golden age is done. We're well past the video game golden age. And not even a throwback to oh, man, eight bit. Oh man, 16 bit. You know, not even like that kind of golden age. I would even go to fucking and stick with me because it'll sound like a joke. I'm not joking. Psp, ds. I mean like, hey, we are making another platform that will make entirely different games for that won't be as good as grandiose as the games we already have. But we're going to make this thing and it'll be there for you, the gamer, right? And this is where I started growing this take. Because obviously we talk about layoffs here, studio closures, high guard, fucking fucked after three weeks out of the gate, you know what I mean? And it really then started from this handheld thought process to how great it is to have a Steam deck, a Rog, a switch, and have your same experience there, but then how homogenized the industry is becoming, right? Where you lose those handheld things and you lose this playground of creativity and this place to really expand. I was like, well, why did we lose that? And of course we lost it. Chasing money, capitalism. We need to make as much money out of this as possible. You start really going into that of especially me starting at IGN in 2007 and really covering it professionally, you know, all. All day long, not having another job. And it is that conversation that, well, video games became so successful on the back of gamers like us, gamers like you, I would assume, who have been playing games your whole life and love them, or maybe you're not, but you're here now listening to a show that is so much about the art of video games, right? And really being nerdy about it. But the problem is, when Call of Duty had the biggest entertainment opening of all time, GTA did this. There was such an influx of capital, so many venture capitalists, so many investors, so many companies going public, that you really flooded this market with, we are going to chase that almighty fucking dollar. And I know we use it too much as a scapegoat or like to point out and say they fucked everything up, they didn't. But like to look at something like Fortnite, in the amount of companies and people and shareholders and CEOs that decided they needed to chase that model, right? Which is now ending with all of these studios closing. We can't chase. They're chasing trends that probably never even existed, but they thought they did and they wanted to go do it. So what you're seeing, especially coming off Dice, is sitting there talking to these developers independent. You know that. And I don't even mean like two guys in a basement independent. I mean, we own our studio and now we need another contract because we're not owned by Xbox, right? We're not owned by PlayStation. There's no money for them to go make those games anymore. And so that's terrifying for them. And I think on the independent scale, you have a few other options to get that Funding and do the thing and make a game that's smaller, double A, even just an indie game, you know, keep some people on, whatever it is. But then you look at what we've talked about so much on the shows. EA, PlayStation, Xbox, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, where it's like, Xbox is in a such a fucked quagmire of like, we need to make. We've been known to make consoles. We're still making consoles. Consoles are more expensive than ever. Oh, fuck. RAM this, that, the other, where it's like there's no way for them to go hat in hand to their shareholders meeting and say, hey, we're stopping Xbox consoles fully. It's not going to work and we're not going to. We're going to double down on games. You're going to see a huge drop in profits or whatever in shareholder value, of course, and then we will build that slowly back up over years. But I doubt we'll ever get to where we were. X, Y and Z. That is a death kneel for Xbox. So they are committed. They have to go do this. And you see that throughout the everybody else doing it. These companies, I think, are going to continue to falter, fall, fold, sell, shrink. And again, it's going to be a bloodbath. And I know we've already existed in it, but I think it's going to be so much fucking worse. Then you bring in what that we've been talking about and then yesterday's Bloomberg article, right, of talking about, like is overall the RAM crisis and the fact that, okay, PlayStation 6, 2028, 2027, 2029. Thank you. I was going the wrong way with it. It's being delayed that far out. And again you then see Sony, I think will then take a hit on that. And look at this. And this is on the one hand, I think good for gamers. You've invested in this hardware, great. It's there for you. You will see more stuff come to it.

[Andy Cortez]

It.

[Greg Miller]

But it's going to be a bloodletting of all these different companies, all this different stuff. And I think it's such a forest, an overgrown forest analogy of like, it sucks. I know how many jobs are going to be. I don't know how many jobs are going to be lost. I know a lot of jobs are going to be lost. A lot. It's going to. You have to raise the forest. Like, you have to burn it. You have to burn this forest so new life can grow. And I think when we're on the other side, it'll be that chance or, you know, my tired, you know, the Matrix 3 thing of like, like, well, now the cycle is starting over again. Where now it will be a smaller market, it will be a smaller industry, but it will have that chance to be creative and do different things and yada, yada, yada, and grow up that way again. And then I'm sure eventually, decades from now, bring back in somebody chasing trends and doing the whole thing, we do the whole fucking thing again. But I just feel like it is so dark right now. And it's not that there's no light at the end of the tunnel. I don't even think that it might. It's dark for us. Like, I still think for the gamer, you won't notice much of it, you know what I mean?

[Roger McConny]

Like you're still going to get your

[Greg Miller]

big franchises when Ubisoft fucking closes up or sells or does whatever. When Embracer closes up, when ea. Like, these weren't games that you were expecting to be 10 out of 10 usually, right? These are the ones you we usually throw out of, like, oh, designed by community. Oh, skate early access. That's, you know, these are the things you're losing, which sucks for the people who work on those things. It sucks the people who enjoy those things. But it's more the fact that it's going to be so bad when you look at the stats, when you look at this thing and the RAM and everything else, I don't know exactly how that plays into it, but I know it doesn't play into it. It.

[Roger McConny]

Well, I, I agree with you and I, I would even go further. I think this is what happens for the entirety of the tech industry where I think we are going to have this growth of everybody needs to do AI, everyone has to do AI. But then the gamer and the normal person, there is going to be this backlash. There's. You already see it when it comes to Gen Z, you already see it with younger people that they don't want to be connected to their phones the entire time and seeing AI slop. So there's this rise of people being like, hey, I want. I have now broken up my life where I have a flip phone, I have an iPod, a PSP that I bring around. Like, of course that is a niche genre of people that are, you know, super like, hey, I'm going to, you know, disconnect myself. But I do think that there is this desire to do something different and to see something different from this industry. And when it comes to tech and when it comes to gaming. So yes, I completely agree with you. Where when this all burns down and everything changes, I can see this growth of hey, what if we did do another DS like type thing?

[Andy Cortez]

What that actually.

[Roger McConny]

What if the Play D Ish.

[Greg Miller]

Exactly.

[Roger McConny]

Actually has a market where people are interested in something that isn't just, you know, we're gonna push the market and trying to do 4K 8K. People want to just play video games and get to the root of this is the novelty. It's not just novelty. It is, this is sustainability. When it comes to all of us. We can't just keep on going, going because you see what happens. That's what AI is. That's what you know, the, the chasing of dlss and all this stuff is. It's like they're. We're at peace technology right now. Like how many times can we refresh the iPhones? How many times can we refresh any of these laptops? Whatever. Of course things can get better on paper but the day to day we're at the point now where I think you all look around and say okay, well I'm getting this thing. But it's not really. It doesn't feel like back in the day when I went from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 6. Right. And I think that's what we're getting with a technology. And you see it when the PlayStation 5 is quote unquote delayed or whatever. There's Joy 6. Sorry, is. Is delayed. Right. There's joy in the normal gamer because of like, like man, like I didn't feel like I got enough out of this console. I don't even know what the next one would be. I feel like I'm getting grifted out of my money.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Roger McConny]

To this point. So I do think that there is going to be this, this, this, you know, this growth of.

[Greg Miller]

And again that is great. Sounds great for you. The gamer who's invested in these things. But then it's the problem of the companies that are trying to keep making money because they feel like they have to keep making double digit percentage year over year growth. Right. I was talking to Jen the other day of like, you know, ah, man, when it's all said and done here and we retire, I'd love to open a comic book show and I know that it's such a failing business but like I don't. I'm hoping to leave kind of funny one day in the hands where I don't need to fucking be making 10% on the comic book Store to survive. This is more of a just passion project on the side. If I can bring up a chat. Alibo me Alibo Yeezy says Indy can succeed without AAA literally dying out entirely. Why can't Naughty Dog in a one man studio both make good games that actually release? Well, you're not wrong that noaa, I'm not saying AAA is standing in the way of independent development happening at all. It's more the fact that with AAA development stagnant, struggling, not turning profit, getting out fast enough, you are seeing a chilling effect across the industry of people going, oh well I had money to invest but now I don't know if this is a sure bet like I thought video games were and to take a gamble on it. Why can't an indie person, one man studio succeed? Well, you can like, you can go off and you can go be the Stardew Valley guy and work on it for five years, six years, whatever it was, and then publishing be huge, but you're working a second job, doing a second thing. It's more the idea if there aren't people willing to invest in these things and they aren't willing to invest because the industry market graph is going down, down, down, down, down. As we see layoffs and closures and everything else, then you start to see the chilling effect of man, I really wanted to be a video game developer, but now I'm going to go off and go into web development. Man, I was working at AAA's studio, having a great time and we got laid off and I have a fucking family so I can't take a year off to prototype a game and then go out and get it. Like it. The stories you haven't heard and you've heard them before from other things but like the stories that are being told right now are terrifying from developers out there trying to get their games made. Like it is bad out there right now. And I would say to some degree it's always scary, it's always scary to go do the independent thing. But like remember I what was it? It was 24 dice where it was survived till 25 and then it was, they, they had all these little kooky little catchphrases for what it was and it's like, yo, nobody's having it. It's fucking moneybags. 27 yet. Yeah, like we're still in this thing where it's like oh fuck, what do we do?

[Andy Cortez]

I still really worry about the indie developers that look at the industry and maybe aren't privileged enough to continue development on that solo project so that they could just go work on another job. And like, because the money is kind of drying up, we're going to see a big loss of talent. I think of just people giving up on that dream because people just don't have enough time or money to be buying all these, you know, there's just. We are drowning in quality video games still somehow still and just don't have time to put that, you know, effort everywhere. And I worry about the amount of people going well why am I even doing this then? And you, you hope to God that some of these super talented developers are still going to work part time on their, you know, passion project as opposed to just dropping it entirely. But I, I do worry about the loss of talent from people just moving on and saying it's not worth it, you know.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Andy, what's your next hot take?

[Andy Cortez]

I think that If Final Fantasy 16 had the combat of 7 Rebirth or and Remake, it would be the biggest Final Fantasy of all time.

[Roger McConny]

Biggest? What do you mean most successful?

[Andy Cortez]

It would. It would go out of just the Final Fantasy gamer verse. It would become the, the largest, you know, best selling everything that you would. That the studios would hope that every game in there, that every entry in their franchise would do. I think that the story is so like well written and able forever and I guess like not as anime ish. That turns off a lot of outsiders. I think whenever we talk about, you know, how man my, my dad got into Game of Thrones and he doesn't give a shit about fantasy stuff. My, you know, my, my wife got into Game of Thrones and she doesn't care about the fantasy genre because it's, you know, you're looking at human interactions. You're looking at, you know, stuff about the story that's relatable and it's like well written characters. But because the combat was hack and slash character action, the greater Final Fantasy audience goes that's not what I want out of my Final Fantasy game. Therefore it's going to. If you're not going to hit with the core Final Fantasy audience, you don't have a chance of succeeding and blowing out and blowing up past that.

[Greg Miller]

Sure, sure, sure. And you need that core Final Fantasy audience to grab it go. This is amazing.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, you need the core to go, well dude, the gameplay is just like imagine the gameplay from final Final Fantasy VII remake. But it's got a story and characters that I could recommend to Joe Schmo working at the store as opposed to Joe Schmo working at the store going, oh, let me check out that game. And I pick it up and it's an anime character. Go, oh. And he was like, what is this bullshit? Like, what is this, you pedophile? And like. And that, that sounds like demeaning. Like I'm talking shit about the anime stuff. I love that stuff. I know that it's not palatable for everybody. And when you recommend anime to somebody who's like, oh dude, you like that tv? You like that HBO drama? You should check out my hero Academia. And they turn it on. It's. I don't know if I can. And it's like, oh, that's what is this? You know. And I think that could turn the larger audience off. I just wish that Final Fantasy 16 had a chance to succeed with being. With having the combat that everybody loves. And then from there people would have gone, oh shit. This is actually like has story and characters that are serious and awesome and well written and feel like you could

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

have been Clear Obscure before. Claire Obscure, Yes. Clear obscure I think is the perfect example of what you're talking about as far as that wasn't afraid to be turned back base and have those like pure JRPG mechanics, but then have an aesthetic that was able to please people who are more along the lines of like western sensibilities.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah. Now I think Clear obscures had some story beats that still are those big memorable twists and turns. Right. That we, when we think of oh my God, remember an Inception when the top is still spinning at the. Remember that one moment in when we think of like the cool Christopher Nolan movie twists. I don't think that Final Fantasy 16 is quite there, sure. But it still had like amazing moments and amazing characters. Not to saying that, not to say that 7 remake or rebirth didn't like they absolutely did. They're just not super palatable for the grander gaming audience to kind of latch onto the way that we. Something like Claire Obscure kind of when we talk about. Yeah, all of Tim's friends love and played that game like the Normies. I feel like 16 could have hit with the Normie crew, especially with how massive Game of Thrones is. And it just, just it wasn't given a chance to succeed because the combat wasn't as palatable for the core Final Fantasy audience.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I hear you and I agree with you somewhat to the combat. I would also extend that to the rest of the game.

[Andy Cortez]

Right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think even in terms of the story that is telling the world that it, that it is the Game of Thronesy vibe. I think A lot of that just doesn't say Final Fantasy to the Final Fantasy fan base. Right. Like if you're looking for the people. Looking at the people that love a Final Fantasy 7, love a Final Fantasy 10. Right. Love like the more kind of like anime leaning.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Sensibility of it. I think the. A lot of the decisions with Final Fantasy 16 feels like it was them being like, all right, let's lean off of all of that.

[Andy Cortez]

We got to be grown up here.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Be grown up and try to lean into what more of like the mainstream gamer wants. But the mainstream gamer plays Final Fantasy.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think that's the tough thing is there might be a medium point where it is that clear, obscure thing where you have that combat. But I also think you might have to realize back the story a little bit. Not even reel back. You might have to like, I guess take it back toward the anime or Final Fantasy like vibe a little bit more so that it's. So that it feels more familiar to that audience. Because when I think back to the story of Final Fantasy 16, I love it because I. I guess I love both sides of it. Right. I love the turn based and I love the action. I love the seriousness and I love the anime. Right. So I'm. I'm able to vibe with it. If I'm somebody who loves Final Fantasy for Final Fantasy 7.

[Greg Miller]

Right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Or what that aesthetic is traditionally and I play Final Fantasy 16, I just don't think there's anything for me to grab onto as strongly.

[Andy Cortez]

Got you.

[Roger McConny]

I gotta be honest, for half of that take, I got it opposite. So I thought you're talking about Final Fantasy 16's gameplay in Final Fantasy 7.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, and.

[Roger McConny]

And you were like, it'd be the biggest thing. I'm like, isn't Final Fantasy 7 already pretty big?

[Andy Cortez]

No.

[Greg Miller]

No.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay. That's a weird one.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Roger.

[Roger McConny]

I'm gonna go spicy. We're going to do it. The PlayStation portal is one of the most frustrating pieces of tech in years. It does a job that is highly specific, that already can be done on any modern device. And instead of building it with Android, it is proprietary. Meaning as soon as the PlayStation portal is out of fashion, there is no other use for this hardware as it is not being made to be modded or do anything else. This is a fucking waste of plastic and technology. It should have just been an Android tablet that you can do other things on. It is so frustrating that a company like PlayStation is creating something that is this expensive. And of course it's premium, of course it feels great. But you can do this on any other tablet. You can do this on your fucking computer. Why is this thing not able for me to mod it or do anything else with it? Because PlayStation at any moment can just be like, you know what, PlayStation 6, it's not compatible. Okay, cool. Now I'm fucking SOL. I can't do anything with this. With this product. You need to be thinking about this. And I do think that PlayStation is culpable. When people throw this in the garbage, they should be paying the governments around the world for all the garbage that it's going to create around the world.

[Greg Miller]

Holy.

[Roger McConny]

What are we talking about?

[Andy Cortez]

That to me, that's like Sony kind of being like Apple where it's, well, you're gonna do things our way.

[Greg Miller]

So you're going, you have all these other ways to go do it. You could go do it right now,

[Andy Cortez]

but you will do things our way. And I think back to old Sony way with, you know, we're not memory cards. Yeah, propri c this is going to be. We're doing things our way in hopes that we kind of either create the standard or we show everybody. Damn. That's how popular we are. People are willing to do other thing. People are willing to buy the special instead of just like going on Amazon and buying the, you know, the generic version of it. Yeah, that, that kind of. Yeah, Apple does a lot of very similar stuff.

[Roger McConny]

I mean, I'm mad at Apple too.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, it's like, I hear you. I'm hard pressed to get angry about it because I feel like there's so many wasteful pieces of plastic we have in our lives.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

It's like it doesn't need to exist.

[Roger McConny]

I think that the, the anger for me is just like, hey, this again already exists. Like I'm using it on the Logitech G cloud. Thank you for that.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Roger McConny]

And it works great. I have all the settings where I'm able to go in there for. Of course, maybe it has a stronger connection with the proprietary soft hardware there. But still, like, again, this is all based the back end of this. I misspoke over there, the backend is Android. Like the back. The way they built this out is Android from what I can read online. The fact that you can't do anything with it past that. Like the fact that I can't go in there and emulate, you know, some SNES games just for fun. Like, I hate that companies like this just don't trust the end user. And like that's what frustrates me to no end of like seeing what Valve is doing and like they just trust you. Here's the thing, mod it, do whatever the hell you want. We'll show you the breakdown if you want to fix it. Like when a company like this doesn't trust us and then they also say, by the way, we can just pull the plug at any moment. I never trust that. And I get, I get pretty upset about it.

[Andy Cortez]

I thought this was going to be a PSVR take

[Greg Miller]

what I was talking about with it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. And PSVR actually will loop into, I think, my take off of that take. Right. Which is like when you bring in Steam into it. I think the difference is that, that the Steam Deck is made to sell, the Steam machine is theoretically being made to sell. That probably changes with the RAM shortages, but this goes into, I think the opposite with PlayStation is that I don't think PlayStation is looking at the general consumer, the general PlayStation consumer as being the audience for this. I think they're looking at the most premium PlayStation consumer and I think they think that way with things like the PlayStation Pulse headset, the PlayStation Pulse Elites, the new speakers that they have announced that are coming, right. Like PlayStation accessories, more and more feel like they have that Apple mind state of, of we are tying this into our specific ecosystem. And I don't know if this was done on purpose. In fact, most definitely probably not. But it kind of feeds into what I think is going to continue to be the place, the future of PlayStation. Because one of the conversations we were having yesterday about the RAM shortages and all these things and what happens with the RAM shortages is I think these companies will start to cater to the people in their audiences that have the most money because they can get the money out of them, right? Everybody else can't afford this shit. And so, hey, hey, if you have fun playing our PlayStation 6 games on PS5, because a lot of you aren't gonna be able to buy the PS6 because it's gonna be fucking expensive. We are gonna focus on the most profitable part of our audience. And so we're gonna continue to make an expensive ass. PlayStation portal. Two, we're going to make accessories that cost a fucking buttload of money. And we're gonna keep doing it because those are the people with money right now.

[Roger McConny]

I totally get that. But the only the thing that makes the PlayStation Portal more greedy is that all the other accessories work on other things, right? Like you use the earbuds on your phone, you use that, you can use PSVR on the PC, you can use the speakers on PC. The Fact that portal I can't connect it to my PC and play Nvidia games. I can't, you know do any type of cloud streaming is again frustrating because it has the backend where I can stream things perfectly for the PlayStation. Let me just do it other places. It's not going to hurt PlayStation's brand. If you can use the PlayStation Portal, give them the money and then just do whatever the fuck I want want with it. It doesn't hurt anybody.

[Greg Miller]

This is back to tying it together to what you're talking about right? Where my take of how the industry is failing and bleeding out right now and how do you find people to make money off of it's what you're talking about of this expensive. Did the Matt Piscatella stuff get in yesterday on Games Daily? I didn't have a read.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

No, I don't think so.

[Greg Miller]

I put it into assets but I want to read three different things here. So Matt Piscatella is a quote BSing that's blue sky today him someone talking about video games and saying my kids buy games at 299 or 199 on sale down from 1999. It's called a race to the bottom. We've hit bottom. We're here. Matt quotes this and has three different things I think are interesting. It's salient to the points we're making. Matt says this is from Circana. Matt of course studies all the industry stats formerly npd. We have a relatively small group of price insensitive game buyers that if interested in a game will buy it regardless of price and will buy the most expensive edition available. Most others will wait for dirt cheap sales giveaway or sub services. K shaped game buyers for a K shaped economy. Lowering game launch prices 20% or something won't help. The high end of the market will just pay a little bit less. While any corresponding growth in audience size from that decreased price won't come anywhere near to making up for the price gap per purchase. And Fortnite still free and given the continued rapid increase in the number of games being made each year, pricing is going to continue to be a real puzzle in pickup and there's absolutely no easy answers. He goes on to talk and what we're talking about of like you're chasing the people who will pay the most. And so it is these people who will buy the premium PlayStation portal, the premium PlayStation speakers, the premium Xbox console or whatever where it's like trying to set those things up. You're you're seeing the mainstream video game market chase the whales in the same way we used to see mobile games try to do that too, where it's like we want a 14 million installation, but we only need 2% of people actually buying what we're doing.

[Roger McConny]

I think the best example of this in the economy at large is Disney and Disney parks specifically. Of like, it's like the attendance never grows. It's just. But they make way more money every year. They keep on bleeding from the same families that are saving up for years and years and years or the 1 percenters that go, you know, all the time, my blessing.

[Greg Miller]

This is your offensive one.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

My offensive one, which it's funny because we're talking all about price in this round. In this is I think the one that might piss people off as far as my take on price here.

[Andy Cortez]

I know where you're going with this.

[Greg Miller]

Do you?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think price is an important conversation to have when talking about video games and needs to be talked about, especially as games get more expensive. However, I don't like price point being a factor in video game reviews for the following reasons. One, Price is extremely subjective and no one will ever be on the same page as far as as how much money they're willing to spend on something because everyone's financial situation is different. Two, if price point is a factor in reviews, then no full price game is going to pass and this will only continue to be the case as far as like a new Nintendo Switch game comes out. We already know Nintendo games are too expensive. Every Nintendo game is too expensive. I think that'll continue to be a point regardless of like us talking about it in reviews or outside of reviews. Lastly, conversation about price point feels more appropriate when discussing the product viability of a video game, but detracts from the conversation of what makes the art of the video game special. That's not a factor I care about when it comes to reviewing art. That's the take, I don't think.

[Greg Miller]

I mean this might be offensive to the audience. I don't feel as a fellow video game reviewer, it's offensive. I think it's. I think. You know, I forget. Even if it was ever a main standing point audience, you'd probably know better than me if that was ever something that I brought up in my IGN reviews because I feel like it's good for the discussions of. But to what you're talking about of when I'm judging this piece of art and did it accomplish what it set out to do, that's where I get down to. It's a 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or whatever it is. And then it does become the okay, well, yeah, you know, Mario Tennis is this, that and the other. But is it worth, you know, is it worth $70? The different thing of what do we think it is? How do you describe the game? Because you know, to your friends. I know I've said it before of like, oh, it's great. I'd wait for a sale. It's great. Oh, do this, whatever. Like, I know when I'm talking to, hey, what he needs and what he likes and where he'd want to spend his money or not spend his money. Whereas when you're doing a blanket review to the world, it's weird to come in and be like, ah, should have been $15 rather than 20.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah. I don't know. I think I disagree on this one because there's been so many games in the last few years that I've played. Especially specifically. Like that comes to mind is the man who Erases Name again. It's like 30, 40 bucks. And it's like, I play this game and I'm like, this is six hours. I would never pay $40 for this game. And I do think that's an important part of my review of like, hey, this game is not. It's fine for whatever, but like, as the price point here, I would not recommend it because that's the interesting thing here is that when we're talking about art, we're talking about reviewing things. Video games are not like movies where it's like the same price for every single ticket, right. At video game prices, scale, they go up depending on Nintendo, that might be $80, might be $20 here and there. I do think it's important to call them out, at least for me personally. And when I'm playing a game, I do think about the investment that you into it. And if I didn't was was on the outside, didn't get a review code, if I would have made that investment. Because there are some games where I'm just like, no, I would have never made this investment at this price point. And the reason why is because X, Y and Z. I didn't like this. Didn't like this.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Didn't like this. Yeah. Which I think is valid. I just think it changes what the review is.

[Andy Cortez]

Right.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I. I think for me, I look at video game reviews in taking different forms and like, I think everybody reviews the thing things in their own way. Right. But I think when I bring in the price conversation into it, for me that's a product review review. I'm reviewing this as a.

[Roger McConny]

Isn't that what it is? Yeah, but I mean isn't this all product? It's all software, which I agree and

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

I think that's a valid way to review things. But I also think that there should be room for. I'm reviewing this thing as a piece of art to which I don't care about price point. Right. Does this thing live up to what it's doing as a piece of art? Is the way that like I don't know, I, if I'm reviewing the Mona Lisa, I'm not going to bring in the price it takes to get into the Louvre, which I know is a weird example non comparable thing, but I think it's making your point. Yeah, like my point is more so to. I think if we consider video games as art, I think there should be the space to be able to talk about what does this thing achieve and be able to look at it as an art. As soon as I'm thinking about the price of something, I'm. There's something in my brain that removes the art conversation from it. And now it's like, oh, I'm telling a consumer whether or not they should pay $50 for something which is 100. A valid conversation. But it's not necessarily what I look for out of a video game review.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, I think I look more for, from the aspect of the, the, the consumer though who is largely consuming this and not getting, not getting the product for free. And that's. I think I'm more on Roger side where I disagree with it. Only from the standpoint that yeah, you can't really put a good price. You can't really put a price on art necessarily. But if I told you to like man, this indie game is so transformative and it's awesome. And how long is it, Andy? It's a three hour experience. It's so like efficient and great. Great. Oh, nice dude. What's the price? $90.

[Greg Miller]

Like.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, well then what? Oh, I don't know if I, if I would pay that.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

It's the less. Not a 10 out of 10 if it's $90.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, so you're saying that the price that if it were 90 bucks that I would give it a lower review score?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Well, no, I guess the, the question I'm asking into it is like does the price point if I'm, if we're talking about Celeste. Right. Does the price point make it a worse or better game? Like if it came out as $90.

[Andy Cortez]

Oh, I guess I don't, I, Okay, I miss, I misunderstood the initial thing. I know it doesn't change the review score for me, but I'm not gonna not talk about it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Okay?

[Greg Miller]

We are all the same page.

[Andy Cortez]

Okay.

[Greg Miller]

Because I'm with bless of like, yeah, I'd be like, in my review, this game is a 10 out of 10, three hours. It was incredible. I can't in good conscience and face say you're gonna get it at 90.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah, okay.

[Roger McConny]

Yeah. But no, I, I, I disagree with all of you. Then like, I, if Celeste is $90, I'm going to be like, no, this game, like, I don't, I don't care if this game is a 10 out of 10 as the thing itself. This is the product that you are selling to consumer. No, this is not, this is not something that I will ever recommend and call a masterpiece. Like, I, I think that that is, that is like it. We're in a weird place where I get, totally get what you're saying. Like, if we're like playing like, God, we're looking down here. Okay, this is art, this is the price. But like this is all together and they are selling a product to the consumer that is part. So I have to play both sides and that's the way that I will always look at this.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Yeah. I think the thing there is like, you're connecting recommendation to the score, which obviously, like that I think we often do. But I wouldn't, I think I would say it's a 10 out of 10. I don't recommend buying it.

[Roger McConny]

But then for me personally, I will never be able to like, not connect those dots right? Where it's like, I cannot play a game and then be like, forget that this thing is the price. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know. Like, for me it gets weird because

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

like, I think for me there are video games. I would spend $100 on my favorite video game. I, I would spend $100 to play Breath of the Wild for the first time. Right. And like for me, that is, that lives up to the 10 out of 10 thing. I could never tell somebody else what price they should value this thing at. I think that's, that gets to the heart of my thing is like, I cannot connect to like what's in your pockets and what you value at that price. I know for me, I love this thing so much that I think it's worth $1,000. Like, for me, this goes back to the, the controversial quote I think I had of like Tears of the Kingdom. Was coming out and I was like, I'd pay 1300 bucks for tears of the Kingdom. That's me speaking for me and how much I know I love this game that's coming out, but I would never recommend anybody else pay it for that price. Yeah, for me that's just like how much I love the art of what, what this thing is.

[Roger McConny]

I understand.

[Andy Cortez]

I think I, I, I could totally see though, like, you know, oh, Celeste is a hundred. Like all right, well these devs think that like this game's actually worth that much. Now I'm like judging you as a dev. Could kind of get a little dicey there.

[Greg Miller]

Well that's where it comes into of then like art from the artist.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Jonathan Blow said a bunch of shitty things, right? So like when this new puzzle game whose names escape me order the do you start digging? Yeah, exactly. Do you start digging it points? Because Jonathan Blow is the guy who made it.

[Roger McConny]

True. I don't know. For me, like I just when it comes to value and something they're selling you that price and the review, I think little go hand in hand because I'm always going to be thinking about, well I, I remember spending 60, 70, $80 on video games and I remember buying games and being like this is not worth my fucking money. And like this was an overpriced video game that should have been $40. And I don't know, it's tough for me but I get where you guys are coming from.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Fair enough. We are out of time, unfortunately. Unless anybody has any last second shotgun one they want to throw out there.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Roger McConny]

Oh wow.

[Andy Cortez]

All right. Any super chats?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Oh, that's a good call. Let's super chat, see what people are talking about. First name, no last name, size of groceries, rent, electricity, transportation and cons. Console slash PC parts weren't as high as they are. Gamers would be less opposed to $70. $70 for Mario Tennis fever.

[Greg Miller]

You say that the government gave us a guaranteed salary. Everything would be great.

[Andy Cortez]

You play that adventure mode though, and it's like you owe me money.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Marcus Daniel says, I know for me the palatability and gameplay of a game isn't. The issue is that games are just too long now. I just don't have the time time.

[Greg Miller]

But then we get back to cool. Here's a three hour long game. That's great. Will you pay the 20 bucks for it?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Mob Axie writes in and says saying this for the 1000th time story doesn't mean everything. Mario is the Jack Black of the gaming World. Oh, we love Jack Black because he's super fun on screen like Mario. Not because of his backstory.

[Roger McConny]

Is he super fun? Listen, I would never describe Black.

[Greg Miller]

I, I. You know, I loved that original Tenacious D album in college or whatever. Jack Black does not put my ass in the seat for a movie. You know what I mean?

[Roger McConny]

It does for kids now. Yeah, they love Jack Black. Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

Never seen it, but I have to listen to the song.

[Roger McConny]

Good movie.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Science Doc official says watching on a lag. But my video game hot take is that Fallout 3 isn't the monolithic transformative experience that everyone said it was. I couldn't get into the loop and the world was up ugly. Also, speaking of Fallout, Cody writes in and says my hot take is Obsidian Games. Gets too much hate for no reason. Even. Even Fallout New Vegas was only rated in the low 80s. OW2 Outer Worlds 2 is a 10 out of 10 video game in 5 years after DLC, everyone will be clamoring for Outer Worlds 3, which they killed.

[Greg Miller]

Is there DLC for Outer Worlds too? I thought there was a. I thought

[Andy Cortez]

they were just done with it.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah. And no, it's not a 10 out 10 of of 10. Damn, you're wrong. Your hot take is cold or not. It's wrong. I guess you're the first hot wrong hot take we've had all day.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And then we'll do one more from people just rolling with their own hot takes. By the way, I asked for opinions about our takes, but they just run it with their hot takes.

[Andy Cortez]

I like it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And I'll close with this one from Openness prime who says Kojima is so up his own ass and so are his fans saying he's a genius. Quote, oh, I made a guy who's made of cheese and he breathes farts. His games are good, but MGs could only be. MGs could be made by others and are just fine.

[Greg Miller]

Off.

[Andy Cortez]

Off.

[Roger McConny]

No, just so you don't have any whimsy.

[Greg Miller]

Yeah, taste Anybody?

[Andy Cortez]

Anybody else make an MGS game? And that's a Splinter Cell right there. Oh, that's a hot one right there. That's a hot one.

[Greg Miller]

That's a hot one.

[Roger McConny]

Of the great, some of the greatest games of all time. What are we talking about?

[Andy Cortez]

He wasn't expecting that.

[Greg Miller]

And that was that.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Is it for kind of funny games cast where each and every week

[Roger McConny]

I could have said that you hurt my feelings.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And talk about the biggest reviews, previews and talk topics in video games live on YouTube, Twitch and all podcast services around the globe. If you love what we do. Support us with a kind of funny membership on Patreon, YouTube, Apple, Apple, Fi, Apple or Spotify. I'm so hungry to get all of our shows ad free and get a daily exclusive show. Enjoy. In review after this.

[Andy Cortez]

After this. What is it?

[Greg Miller]

RoboCop. RoboCop.

[Roger McConny]

I haven't seen it.

[Greg Miller]

Time watching Robocop. Can't wait to hear about it.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

And then you got.

[Greg Miller]

Do you expect any of that?

[Andy Cortez]

That. No.

[Greg Miller]

Do you expect that movie?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

No.

[Roger McConny]

Did not. Did not.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

You got another reanimal stream right after this. Where on kg, Mike threatened Andy. I don't know if Andy heard it.

[Andy Cortez]

He's a lot of threats from him lately.

[Roger McConny]

What is he saying?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

He said, if we don't beat this game, I'mma slap up Andy.

[Roger McConny]

Did he say slap up Andy?

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

He said something like that. I don't know. I don't know if it was that exact phrasing, but it was something like he was going to slap.

[Andy Cortez]

I just don't know where he's at mentally right now.

[Greg Miller]

Like, guys, we had an HR company come in and the only thing they talked about was threatening violence at work.

[Andy Cortez]

Yeah.

[Greg Miller]

All they talked about.

[Andy Cortez]

That's all they said. Yeah.

[Blessing Adeoye Jr.]

Until next time, it's been our pleasure to serve you.

[Andy Cortez]

Chrono. Chrono Trigger is fine.

[Roger McConny]

Oh, wow.

[Andy Cortez]

It's just. Okay. Yeah, okay.