Another week, another podcast. This one is probably one of, if not the best one yet, in my opinion. It encapsulates pretty much everything that we stand for at The Texture Pop.
Garrett once again had to miss out, but he’ll make for it when he gets back! Aside from that, there wasn’t much more unusual activity surrounding this cast. The recording just went particularly well.
0:00:00 Introduction.
Brought to you, as usual, by FFXIIIFanfics.
Co-Sponsored by Hot Pockets.
(Note: The lawyer that resides in my head would like to inform you that we do not actual have any sponsors.)
0:04:59 Gaming News
Rise of the Tomb Raider is published by Microsoft
This and the Street Fight V exclusive story really go hand-in-hand. Neither one really seem logical on the part of the developers. On the surface, they appear to lose much more than they would hope to gain. These two franchise sold very well, so they didn’t have the same excuse Bayonetta 2 did.
DLC Weapons in the Call of Duty: Advance Warfare.
I don’t think we’ll be able to determine how good/bad this is until it’s out. How they implement this will really determine.
Destiny “Strikes” Locked Behind DLC.
Obligatory Destiny reference.
Yes, it’s SHIT! We’re all pretty unanimous on this. It’s astounding how low this game suck, given that Bungie developed it.
This goes into a broader conversation regarding DLC in gaming.
0:28:30 Sam finished Far Cry 4.
Overall, not bad. For better or worse, it is a lot like Far Cry 3. If you enjoyed the last one, you should probably get this one.
0:32:45 Sam finished The Wolf Among Us.
I do feel like my decision to play it as it was released really hurt my enjoyment of the game. It’s a good game, though. I personally found it much stronger than The Walking Dead: Season Two, yet not as strong as The Walking Dead: Season One.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with an episodic release. I just feel that for a murder-mystery, it didn’t work as well as it does for other genres.
But the episodic format does have it’s advantages, as we discuss here.
0:42:30 Sam got further in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
From what I gather, it seems to really improve a lot over the issues I had regarding Origins.
The conversation here regarding RPGs and choices is definitely worth listening to here. We, as people who play lots of games, often see through what they designer is doing. But many people who aren’t as familiar think it’s incredible, because it is.
0:50:45 Sam bought a few games.
Child of Light
The game is boring and the couples are annoying. And since the gimmick is that ALL of the dialogue is in couplets, it really grates on the nerves.
As for the game, I see it’s potential, but I did not find the combat or any of the mechanics interesting.
Still, it’s an Ubi-Art game, so it looks amazing.
Lichdom: Battlemage
Not much to discuss beyond the conversation.
The Vanishing of Ethen Carter
This goes into a good point regarding games that refuse to help you. While games like Myst have a good cult following, there is a reason why they did not catch on too greatly. Games need to offer some form of assistance, even if the player does not have to take it.
As a general rule, if I feel the need to visit GameFAQs, something went wrong.
Need for Speed: Rivals
Not much to say.
0:59:35 I played more Persona Q.
I don’t want to feel bad for Teddie, but the game makes me feel bad for Teddie.
I do like how the game addresses HP/MP management. Thanks to the Sub-Personae, you basically get an amount of house money to spend before using your actual HP/MP. This Gamasutra article goes into more detail.
1:03:45 I beat Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.
This Destructiod article explores what I mean when I discuss the tutorials.
As for the Branding, I like the idea. I’ll be posting something more about it this weekend.
I like the mechanics of the game, but the story does leave much to be desired. It’s sloppy writing, and I cannot deny that. Still, the way it plays would still make it worth going through, in my opinion.
It’s weird that Sam and I are reversing our usual roles in this discussion. I like a nice change of pace. He’s right, the main story is a heaping pile of suck. However, the whole package is pretty strong.
1:16:20 I finished watching The X-Files.
Shame that Garrett couldn’t take part in this conversation. Season 7, David Duchovny’s last season as a main cast member, was really the pinnacle of the series. Once he left the cast, it kinda all went downhill. The new guys they brought in weren’t bad, but the magic that Fox Mulder and Dana Scully had was never recovered. The chemistry between Mulder and Scully never really came across with John Dogget and Monica Reyes.
We were probably a little harsh when talking about Dana Scully’s character at the start of this conversation. In the story, Scully often takes a harsher, more skeptical view than she actually has because she feels she needs to balance Mulder’s “Everything is real.” Later, she does the opposite. When John Dogget joins the team, she takes on more extreme “believer” views than she had, to balance out his skepticism. It makes her a lot more interesting than you’d initially be led to believe.
It’s a very interesting series, and the first seven seasons are great. The last two aren’t as good, and the finale was terrible.
(And yes, I was playing Binding of Issac during this recording session.)
1:24:30 Chris finishes college.
Congrats to him!
1:25:30 Chris played more Mario Kart.
Them golden tires.
Them time trials.
Such interesting.
1:32:30 Chris saw a 2-pack of Two-Pound Resse Cups (but didn’t buy it).
And that’s a lot of Resse Cup. You would have to eat it like a Resse Cup Pie.
Kinda makes you reflect on our Hot Pocket conversation at the start, doesn’t it.
We talk about all sorts of sweets and candy and other sweet food “stuff” in this segment.
TITLE DROP!
1:40:50 Chris talks pizza.
And he had a LOT of pizza, with buffalo wings.
Chris has a much greater iron stomach than I do.
We also get into a discussion about water and soda prices, and the difference between Coke and Pepsi.
Another discussion regarding movies and my Holiday Movie Habits ensues.
1:49:00 ASSASSIN’S CREED 3 IS SHIT!
We mostly just shift into a general discussion about the whole franchise at this point, so it’s worth labeling as it’s own segment.
Then we just talk about Ubisoft in general.
1:53:30 Wrapping up.
And next week will be our Unconventional Games of the Year (That Are Worth Talking About) Commercials…. um… AWARD SHOW! See you then!
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