Giant Bombcast 652: Gods and Monster Energy

Yes! Now the annoying wait for it to push to Pocketcasts!

Yeah. Way to point out how shitty it is that ubi can't even be bothered to properly link their PR statement and Yves's statement.

I mean, the absolute least they could have done would be to put an inconsequential editor's note on their internal website that the vast majority of consumers will never see.

Sigh...

@gundato: not to downplay anything, but systemic cultural problems within your company across many people for a period of time is not the same as having someone guest on your podcast once

@haxadecimal: Yes, they are very different problems and if GB were at even a faction of the shitstorm of abuse and hate that Ubi have been rolling with I would not be here anymore

I just also found it REALLY hyporitical to point out how half-assed Ubi's statement was a few days after their own even more half-assed one. Because at least the Ubi statement is on their youtube channel (?).

@gundato: fair enough

@gundato: very valid point.

Not that UBI's issues and having the problematic guest on the beastcast are on the same level.

But the fact the way the note was hidden on the site (the note itself was really good I thought) and you had to look for it was really shitty for GB. This does seem a bit hypocritical from the staff when discussing the ubi statement and I would expect better.

I’ve never played Spelunky but hearing that Spelunky 2 is harder makes me regret my purchase.

I'm really loving Spelunky 2, even though it is kicking my butt, lol. It really is more of the Spelunky that we all know and love, but from what I've seen of it so far, they've added just enough to keep it feeling fresh and exciting. GotY contender for sure.

Here for the Matt Rorie news.

Love Matt Rorie. Wish he was subbed in to the Bombcast everytime one of the guys wasn't available.

Anyone have a timestamp for the apology?

The game Jan talks about (Fuser) reminds me of this: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/stems/

@janman Native Instruments was trying to do something like Fuser but for DJs and on DJ hardware a bit ago. Basically, they were trying to get people to make MP3s that would split into stems when used with Traktor (NI's DJ software) and they made controllers designed for using those files in fun ways (you can check them out on the page linked above). It was kinda cool but worked best with stuff that had relatively few instruments like techno or deep house and I think it's all but dead now.

Haven't listened yet, but figured what the hell, I'll jump in on the Ranking of Zeldas mentioned in the description.

1. Majora's Mask

2. Ocarina of Time

3. Breath of the Wild

4. Link's Awakening

5. Link Between Worlds

6. Minish Cap

7. Oracle of Ages

8. Oracle of Seasons

9. Link to the Past

10. The Adventure of Link

11. The Legend of Zelda

12. Wind Waker

13. Twilight Princess

14. Phantom Hourglass

15. Spirit Tracks

16. Skyward Sword

Haven’t listened yet, but I sincerely hope they mention that today was the 40th anniversary of the release of Temporary Secretary.

I work in landscaping. I took off work due to the PM2.5 being above 250. Only 2 other people took time off. My manager said it felt "perfectly fine" and everyone else was working full 8 hours even when it was above 300. I probably have a much higher tolerance for working in filth than office dwelling types, but that shit was crazy.

I loved Wasteland 3, and some of what Rorie said was spot on and some I think will change as he plays it more, but one thing that I can't IMAGINE is correct is that the game is 80 hours. Even if you covered every single spec of the map that seems crazy long (I didn't do that, full disclosure). I believe I finished it in around 40ish, with some inflation for times I left it on the menu and running. So, he's not wrong that it is a long game, but I'd actually call it somewhat shorter for a game of its type.

Jeff on assignment, Vicaom/CBS sells everything. Nothing brought up on that?

@bsmittel: Most likely since it’s so new. I’d rather have them wait instead of wild guesses.

@haneybd87: 😬, yikes. I mean, it looked liked it on the QL, but I kind of chocked that up to not having played a ton.

I wasn't very good at the first one....I may end up skipping this one then.

I think they're low level enough on the chain that they wouldn't know anything and even if they did I don't think they'd say it here until they know more concrete details.

Am I the only one that hasn’t had any major problems with the Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass apps on PC? lol Other than occasionally having to click the “install” button twice to get it to actually install games it’s been fine for me. And you can totally install the games on different drives, you just have to “activate” each drive in a setting. Not just the duders but I’ve personally known people that have had a bunch of issues. I’m lucky I guess.

Oh yeah, I did pretty much everything I came across in Wasteland 3 and my playtime was closer to 35 hours. I'm a fast reader and don't spend a ton of time scouring every corner of every map, but the only way I can even reasonably see an 80 hour estimate is if you were playing on Supreme Jerk and trying to do everything.

Obviously Ubisoft doesn't want people to know about internal strife going on in their company during their games showcase. Why would you expect any different?

@bigevil1987: I’ve had the app tell me it needs to update stuff and then refuse to update. Had to uninstall the games and reinstall for it to work. Just like everything on the windows store it’s trash.

Their continued shock and bewilderment at Ubisoft not "owning up" to it's long list of basically human indecency is a little strange as realistically speaking it's the least surprising thing in the world. The bomb crew are in the business of watching and following these things and half of them didn't even tune in. I've said it before but for the most part the people watching these Forwards absolutely don't care. While I understand it's the proper thing to do, which company would put a video speaking about rape allegations and various workplace misconduct on the highest levels right before a glorified marketing reel? I'm not even sure who would benefit from such a showcase of humility and what significance it would have - especially if afterwards the company kept trucking along as always.

Just to be clear I'm not saying they don't have a right to criticize Ubisoft. At this point it's harder to find anything good to say about them than otherwise. I guess I've become too cynical but this seems extremely par for the course when it comes to big business.

Add me to the list. I never had any problems with the ms store or the xbox apps. I guess we are lucky people.

@stise:

Before I listen to the podcast either

1. Wind Waker

2. A Link To The Past

3. Link's Awakening (2019)

4. A Link Between Worlds

5. The Legend Of Zelda

6. Breath of the Wild

7. Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages

8. The Adventure of Link

9. Ocarina of Time

10. Phantom Hourglass

11. Twilight Princess

12. Skyward Sword

13. Majora's Mask

14. Spirit Tracks

Why would the Switch version of Spelunky be better vs a Vita version?? The original Vita has a much nicer screen and the Vita has an actual dpad.

@bill_mcneal: So I’ve played like 15 minutes so far and I really don’t get it. It’s just a plain platformer with controls that don’t feel great and a plain art style that also happens to be extremely punishingly difficult. This is exactly how I felt about soulsborne games only replace platformer with action RPG.

Can anyone tell me what I’m missing here that makes this game so great?

This appears to be a new user who has only registered to complain about Merritt, complete with the right-wing's favorite term; virtue signaling, if you needed any more evidence about the types of people who are leading this smear campaign.

Alternate call-back episode title: Grapes and Wrath

@haneybd87: While I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s “trash” I do think it’s strange how unpolished a lot of their apps are for a software giant like Microsoft.

I don't know if this qualifies as a story about bending the rules without breaking it, but here it goes:

In my early 20s I worked in a deli department at a small neighborhood supermarket. One of their popular things people liked to order besides lunch meat was party sandwich trays. However, every now and again the workers at the deli would get cancellations, or the people never picked the tray up. As a result, instead of throwing it away, we'd eat it. Another thing we did was the salami sandwich without the bread when we needed a quick energy fix. You simply take two pieces of salami, put some cheese in between, cook it on the bread warmer and that's it. Most of the time our supervisor didn't care unless the higher ups were around, and sometimes she did it herself. We knew not to get caught. Needless to say, my fellow workers and I never had hunger problems while doing a shift.

And now for the Zelda rankings. I can only rank the ones I played so:

1. The Adventure of Link

2. Link to the Past

3. Wind Waker

4. Twilight Princess

5. Breath of the Wild

6. Majora's Mask

7. Ocarina of Time.

8. Zelda

Truly, The Adventure of Link was 8-bit video game perfection... and it went over most people's head.

I played co-op spelunky 2 online yesterday with my brother for like 4 hours and it was perfectly fine no issues, it looked 100 times better than on the stream

@humanity: Regularly needing to uninstall and reinstall games (some very big) because they error out when you try to update is pretty trashy.

@rorie thanks for saying the gmt time.

@depecheload: Smear campaign? There was no mention of Matt Pascual in that comment, so I don't know what you're referring to.

Guys why are you so insistent on Ubi adding their abuse statement to their advertising?
When was the last time you saw a company apologise for anything in an advert?

C'mon Brad, the slightest bit of research will tell you that the licensing problem regarding Scott Pilgrim was with Universal. They own the movie rights, this game was based on the movie.

Can people stop spreading rumours that Anamanaguchi is at fault?

So I don't have a quick explanation for the appeal of Spelunky 2, but let me try?

I won't disagree: it's a plain platformer, both in controls and its only slightly updated graphics. It doesn't have any unique gimmick to its gameplay/player-controlled character. The appeal is more broadly rooted in the game as an overall system. It's one of those games where you can build up a gradual knowledge of tools of the trade, knowing lots of small tips about how the items/enemies/zones/mounts work, and small tricks related to movement and navigation that allow you to wring every bit of efficiency to overcome situations that look tough.

I think the reason Spelunky had such positive word of mouth is that, despite being a very early part of the roguelite wave, it captures the spirit of a roguelite very well. Yes, it is extremely punishing; it's a permadeath roguelite where often a single mistake will cost you your life. Most extremely punishing platformers are Super Meat Boy or I Wanna Be The Guy (or Soulsborne, to your point), where it's very tough and you just have to grind out dozens of attempts until you build the muscle memory to execute the level with perfect timing. Spelunky is quite the opposite: while you might recognize certain common level pieces, they're always subtlely different due to enemy positioning, trap positioning, items you have, etc. You don't have infinite repetition on your side - you have to just get it right the first time or you're dead. Achieving this level of competency is what people find so rewarding about Spelunky.

In essence, you always have to be very aware of interactions and your own abilities to overcome the random situations thrown at you, and sometimes you have to improvise something in a very short time frame as you're being boxed in by some combination of enemy, trap, ghost, or flowing lava. Some people find that very rewarding, and some don't. Entire sections of this appeal aren't going to land if the game is just not for you, or you don't have any sense that the game's systems are worth learning just so that you're better at this platformer you don't particularly like the feel of.

For context, I had a similar experience to you with Spelunky 1 where I just didn't see the point after watching Brad play and die in zone 1 and 2 over and over. I bought it on sale, and I similarly died in zone 1 and 2 over and over. But I watched Patrick Klepek stream Spelunky when he was with GB, and it showed me some of the tips and tricks that once you get a feel for them, feels like you're building up some mastery of the game. I returned to the game and eventually beat it several times with this newfound understanding of it. I think it's a hard game to learn in a vacuum, so I do encourage you to give it some time and maybe watch the occasional stream from a veteran player who knows their way around.

@avioto: I think the issue is the lack of a d-pad on the Switch.

@rorie while you might have been right that the bugs you mentioned could have been fixed? For sure your general take on Wasteland 3 was pretty much spot-on otherwise. Its got x-com vibes (though to be fair so did the original Wasteland, Fallout 1 and 2 and the more recent Wasteland 2), and it does seem like some of the encounters could use with some balancing.

That said I've put maybe 4-5 hours into the game so far and am enjoying it. Nothing you said, both in praise of or warning about the game is different from my experience. Its absolutely worth doing a quick-look on though. As it sure seems like some of the people on the bombcast (Brad at least) were surprised to here some of the influences it has.

Also, on a differnt note since I am tagging you. I look forward to watching you play some more Spelunky 2 on stream! Its been some of my favorite content during the lockdown era (Your co-op win with Will was fantastic fun to watch). Keep up the good work Rorie, you often seem more down on yourself then you need to be so like, +1 from me in terms of "I am a fan of what you do here, and look forward to seeing more of it."

Could always use more Matthew Rorie <3

It's going to be a good one, always awesome to see Rorie. Never boring and representing the 21:9 gamers

@bladededge: We recorded one yesterday and I handed it off to Jan! It should hopefully be up later this week!

@numbn8: @arcadefire: Thank you!