Low Five Gaming
Welcome to Low Five Gaming, the book club-style podcast where two brothers, Alex and Luke, share their lifelong love for video games through engaging conversations and friendly debates. If you're a passionate gamer, a casual fan, or just have a soft spot for the classics, our laid-back, conversational approach will make you feel right at home.
Each month, we'll explore the game of the moment or revisit a beloved classic, satisfying your gaming cravings with our unique blend of humor, insight, and personal experiences. Whether it's reminiscing about crunchy classics like Prince of Persia (89), getting hyped about the latest Nintendo Direct, or diving into deep discussions on FPGA consoles (much to Luke's chagrin), Low Five Gaming is your go-to podcast for all things gaming.
As brothers with a lifelong bond, Alex and Luke bring a genuine camaraderie and relatable banter to every episode, making it easy for you to connect with fellow gamers who truly understand your love for the virtual world. So, if you're looking to join a gaming community where you can enjoy thought-provoking conversations about your favorite games, look no further than Low Five Gaming. You're also invited to join the conversation in our Discord server!
Subscribe now and let's embark on this pixel-powered journey together, sharing our gaming adventures and creating lasting memories along the way.
Low Five Gaming
Control
Alex and Luke delve into Control, the mind-bending action-adventure game developed by Remedy Entertainment. Set in the mysterious Federal Bureau of Control, the game combines supernatural powers with an ever-shifting environment to create an intense and thrilling experience.
Luke played on his Steam Deck, while Alex tackled it on his PC. Both rolled credits. They dive into the game’s eerie atmosphere, blending Scandinavian 70s modern retro sci-fi aesthetics with supernatural elements. They share personal experiences with standout moments, like encounters with unsettling puppet shows and a man obsessively staring at a fridge, while breaking down why Control stands out as a unique and engaging title.
According to howlongtobeat.com, Control's Main Story stakes 11.5 hours. Be prepared for 20+. As of publication Metacritic gives the game a rating of 85 on PC.
This episode is unofficially brought to you in part by Philly cheesesteaks.
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Theme music is by AJ Norman. Design assets were created by Studio Day Job.
Low Five Gaming is a Studio Low Five Production.
hey, what up everybody. Welcome to another episode of low five gaming. Luke and I got a interesting episode for you in the sense that I'm pulling a straight kanye and I'm going to put this recording out there raw the audience. You're gonna get a little little behind the curtain peek of what this shit sounds like before we edit probably a lot of nasty burps, a lot of weird clicks from luke, a lot of other weird noises that I a lot of burps, yeah, yeah, you're getting the raw dog pure uncut pun intended.
Speaker 2:Experience from us dude so you're?
Speaker 1:you're raw dog and low five today. But I tell you what, if you listen to this, about four or five days after we publish maybe a little less than that you'll have a nice, clean, polished version. That's just the way it's going to be because, like I said, I'm going to pull a and, uh, I'm going to edit it and put a new file out there once I'm ready you won't know any of that.
Speaker 2:You're going to fix wolves, all right, cool. Um well, hell yeah, dude. Well, this is a double throwback and double raw dog, because before we get too heavy in there. I mean I do want to make them, I just do.
Speaker 1:I do want to make this easy on myself when I do polish this shit up and that's your little, that's your little intro. So if you're first, this is your new. If you're new to the pod, I apologize for the. I don't really apologize. This is what it is me neither, yeah, but uh, well, there's a better version, but this is our hazy IPA Indeed. Indeed Dank. It's a very dank episode this week. Nonetheless, yes, let's kick it in man. Hey everybody, Welcome to another episode of Low-5 Gaming. I'm here with my brother, Luke.
Speaker 2:What's up, Luke? Hey man, how you doing.
Speaker 1:Oh, you know, I've got my soup coat on. I got my what do you call those things? My service weapon, and I'm ready to go into the oldest building, whatever we're going to call that thing.
Speaker 2:I'm going to take care of business. I would go along with a bit, but the only way for me to truly do that is to be confused, like I was when I was playing, and be like yeah, sure, no doubt, indeed, authentic.
Speaker 1:So those who played control, they might have picked up on a couple things there, probably not. Those are some pretty like silly little deals. But here's the deal we played control, dude, not did we.
Speaker 2:Not only did we play this game, we finished the game, we wrote credits yes, we did, and I would also like to say this is a throwback to some of our original pods where, uh, pre-children, alex and I, would basically just have a little brother date and we'd say to our wives that we were potting and before we even potted we'd have like a full, extravagant lunch and like two beers and we would burp into the microphones and be like oh man.
Speaker 2:Oh geez, get that out in editing. And I had a Philly cheesesteak before this, so I just really, I'm really bringing it back to our roots. Oh man, a sleepy, burpy piece of shit.
Speaker 1:So good for you, dude, philly cheese I do I feel like philly cheesesteak is like it's a sandwich that I love in theory, and every time I've had one I don't know if I had a really good one once, and I'm just chasing the dragon now but like every time I get one, I'm disappointed um, well, you know we're not at our unsanctioned sponsor and maybe we will get there and maybe I will have this be at unos teasers, slash flirts, I don't even know.
Speaker 2:Um, but I like tonos and you know, I think the thing is is mostly just that a philly cheesesteak is going to make you feel like a big old pile of shit. Um, so, even if it's really really dank and really really awesome, it's a lot of grease and cheese. So maybe good for you that your body you're not chasing a good one. You just probably used to be able to handle awful food as a young man a little bit better. I think you're right on that, because we used to do that as brothers back in all the way to the day. So, yes, it's a side dog. Yeah, no, I just had to throw yeah, yeah, fair, fair you got.
Speaker 1:I probably won't add at all those burps, dude, they're probably gonna be too many. No, keep a few in, just for authenticity purposes I can dig it and I can do this game dude in a weird way, like I don't know you're in the scandinavians 70s modern retro sci-fi um jedi shooters.
Speaker 2:Dude, that's your vibe. Yeah, because those are all adjectives, that sort of kind of explain this game like that wasn't too off the cuff, that was pretty, that kind of. That kind of hits it, bro.
Speaker 1:So this game, you know, just to get into some of the details, it's remedy entertainment. So those are the folks that would have brought us max pain back in the day. Uh, alan alan wake stands, they're gonna, they're gonna know remedy uh. Control is considered to be one of their top tier games, though, uh, and I can see it, dude, I have some qualms that like we can get to a little later on and I, beyond max pain one and two, like I haven't really dabbled. Oh, that's not fair. I have played a little bit of alan wake, uh, but only honestly like a half hour and it seems cool, but, um, but I'm not like a huge remedy stan, uh, but it's, but I could be.
Speaker 2:I feel like I'm right on the like they could sell me, they could sell me uh, I think they're cool because they're like a high-end double a studio or like a more indie rock triple a studio. So I think they're pretty fucking rad making their own ip and kind of trying to flesh out their own universe.
Speaker 1:So it is cool you know, you hear a lot about them in the gamer space, so they're cool. You do indeed and this game is not game. This game not too old it came on august 27th of 2019.
Speaker 2:Oh word.
Speaker 1:Five years, right? Yeah, it's on pretty much everything you can get your hands on now. So it's PS4, ps5, xbox PC Switch. No, oh, it's on Switch but it's via the cloud, switch Cloud. So you can't have that downloaded to your Switch, but you can play it via the Switch Cloud, which is kind of interesting, to your switch. But you can play it via the switch cloud, which is kind of interesting. You play any of the cloud games, I think. Uh, hitman is that way on the switch. I don't fuck with any of them like that. I got different systems to play them, but uh my switch is just my nintendo fetish machine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, fair, fair you know it was also on stadia rip oh word uh, but this is surprised you haven't collected one of those yet just for shits, I and goodies.
Speaker 1:I wanted one because I was kind of a Google. I'm a little bit of a Google stan too, I guess, but in the sense that I'm just in their ecosystem and I'm too deep in Team Android, as the folks last month, sure, but Stadia, it seemed really cool.
Speaker 2:We don't need to talk about Stadia right now. We can go back to the game. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I wanted one. I just never threw down on it, and then it quickly became a thing that I didn't need to get.
Speaker 2:I hated it and relished its destruction, so we'll move forward.
Speaker 1:Control though an action-adventure game, paranormal thriller.
Speaker 2:Yeah, paranormal sci-fi, kind of uh, spooky, spooky sci-fi and to kind of set the stage.
Speaker 1:Here's what remedy has to say. After a secretive agency in new york is invaded by an otherworldly threat, you become the new director, struggling to regain control. This supernatural third-person action adventure game will challenge you to master a combination of supernatural abilities, modifiable loadouts and reactive environments, while fighting through a deep and unpredictable world.
Speaker 2:Yep, it's a. It's a cool thematic, linear, semi open world game you know, for some extra dense jargon, but that actually, I feel like, is that's less flowery than theirs and more. More to the point. Uh, the action slaps. It's really cool. I like to break the environment and throw stuff. Not too many games do a bunch of breakable environment in the futures. I thought in the past that we'd have a bunch of destructible environments in the futures and this is one of the better payouts on that fantasy.
Speaker 1:It's nice dude, I will say the physics engine in this game is pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, except for when I'm levitating and I'm scared and I'm moving around and not being good at the game, then it's not cool.
Speaker 1:Because your hands are so sweaty bro.
Speaker 2:Yep and shaky yeah and just generally scared.
Speaker 1:But you're playing as uh, jesse fayton is the name of the main character. That's your character, third person and the game starts off. You kind of walk into this. They call it the federal bureau of control, it's like has strong fbi vibes, um, but it's like the oldest house, I don't know. I was reading some lore about this shit and this might be because this is a lore heavy game in the sense that you can like did you collect a bunch of this stuff?
Speaker 2:the collectibles, like in the sense that yeah, it's like files everywhere you can pick up for my lizard brain and I understood that there's like probably individual script written on all of these for like the densest lower dump ever, which is super sick. But yes, I haven't even seen like a youtube explainer on there, but I'm sure there's a whole world within a world there, dude I, I would assume you are correct and there is a.
Speaker 1:I mean, there's a. It's like fun, like it's one of those things where I quickly like lose interest in reading the in, like you know that type of thing in games. I love that it's there. And I know some people like eat it up, dude. I got a homie that reads every single skyrim book, which is that's wild to me.
Speaker 2:Fuck yeah, um, well, I think it's cool, in the era of everything being metaverse and licensed ip, that they've just kind of created their own world and that it does lend its sense to maybe not believability, but immersion is a better word for it. Sure, um, and it's got, like you know, it's immediately a very trippy experience, like the oldest house, to put it very mildly, is like a shifting place. It's almost like dr strange type ship where, like, you can only find it if it wants you to find it right and you know where it is.
Speaker 2:And then, um, you know, the dimensions don't make any sense and all sorts of awesome trippy stuff happens in there, which is a very big understatement, but I can't even try to describe it because, yeah, for those that haven't, for those that like haven't played this game and are trying to like conceptualize a little bit.
Speaker 1:It has it has stranger thing vibes to it, like the like the occult, like sci-fi-ness is, has some like nice little stranger thing going. But then of course you'd have to see that. But that's a pretty big cultural phenomenon. So I feel like a lot of people see that I feel.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's more 70s to 60s than 80s, but we're just cementing now, I know, I know, I know, but there's not like cell phones and stuff, there's like all this old tech. You know, I mean like the bell, ringing phone and projector slides and all sorts of shit, where I guess a lot of that's 80s too.
Speaker 1:But you get my fucking point yeah, I don't think we've dropped the word yet, but this game does have you still got a drink in your hand? You ready to eat, ready to have a sip dude, metroidvania?
Speaker 1:yeah I'll take a sip of my ginger love, but it has metroidvania elements for sure, but it's so it's not linear. You mentioned it earlier that it has it's like open world-esque, because you do have the opportunity to kind of explore this building and have things open up and as you get your different abilities and whatnot, you get get to go to different good bacteria and that's kind of Dog there's literally a chapter structure.
Speaker 2:It's as linear as it gets. It's linear or semi-open world. It's just a little bit of extra side. Stuff is always opened up for you, but it's super linear. Don't say it's not linear, dude, I already.
Speaker 1:I led with saying it was linear bro.
Speaker 2:Whatever I already I started I led was saying was linear bro, but it's not. It's not like mario linear get out of here. Um, I mean, it kind of is not like mario super mario bros, but it's like mario, that's what I'm talking about fucking uh mario odyssey. Linear, yeah, which is no longer linear, it's open world it's semi-open world, linear like I said from the beginning odyssey or wonder or like uh, super mario 64 like it's. You know you get extra areas to explore, but you're following a chapter system and a path.
Speaker 1:So anyway, is uh ginger jedi uh? Is that a metroidvania?
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you're revisiting a lot of the same places.
Speaker 1:You revisit the same places. Here too, you go back to different rooms all the time. How much side quests did you do?
Speaker 2:Some when I was feeling weak and needed to overpower myself a little bit, but not a ton. Okay, so I kind of baited you because we'd like to argue about metrobidius a little bit, sure, I felt like I wasn't ready for a debate and I feel taken advantage of, especially because we're going raw right now. So I was like you, bitch.
Speaker 1:But uh, I will, I will give you this dude. If you're mainlining the, the main story, like, if you just like boom, then it is gonna be a lot more linear of a game because you are just you're plowing through like that, that what they want you to do, right, but there's so much side stuff you can do in this and you can do it to, like, you bring up, to increase your character's loadout, to increase, like her skills and stuff, um, but it's that stuff that becomes better. I mean, a good example would be like uh, did you do the? The? Um, what's the? What is that stuff called dude, the? Uh, you had to go collect the samples other objects of power because all the other objects power that was an absolute.
Speaker 1:No, I was like no okay, see, there's some good boss fights in those and the ones that kick my ass and take forever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, dude, that's why I said absolutely not not fair enough, dude, fair enough, but like a lot of those, those are like a good. There's certain areas you can't get to unless you have a certain power. Then you can go back and you can progress further, that type of thing. Did you collect the samples like the? It's escaping me right now. They're like the little, like the bacteria sample type things or whatever they were.
Speaker 2:You do that once you have to like, destroy the things or whatever.
Speaker 1:No, I think they're thinking about different, different spots.
Speaker 2:There's like a weird doctor, that's like dude, totally.
Speaker 1:But um yeah, uh, that has a good boss at the end too, but nonetheless. So jesse, your main character, she's there because she's going to go.
Speaker 2:She's going to collect her brother dylan right. Gotta find dylan. She's always talking in this, stressed out. I have a voice inside my head going oh why, why am I here? Is dylan in here? Have I always been in here?
Speaker 1:did you bring up the voice of the head thing which ends up having a name later on? Like they make, they give a name to it polaris, I believe. Polaris yeah uh, which like the the main. Is it dr darling or something like that? I think he's the main researcher or something. Sure he's got a different name for it. You end up, uh, the spoilers, I guess. So we won't hit that right now, but this is also opaque dog.
Speaker 2:I couldn't spoil this game for you if I fucking tried I know.
Speaker 1:So that's that's kind of what I was gonna get at, dude. It's like this. It's so like you start to figure things out as time goes. Like 30 hours into this game you're like, okay, maybe I understand what's going on, but do you really know?
Speaker 2:it is wild dude, it's, it's wild, it's intentionally wild, it's. It's cool that it's wild, it's cool that it could be up for interpretation. I'm sure there's a correct version of events and I'd rather live in my foggy brain of just like I like to throw things at other things and use my fucking powers in my little shifty, shape-shifting gun thing and uh, this game is really cool yeah, and I just the lore. The lore serves those who are really into it in a good way but, it's, it's like not approachable, it's very.
Speaker 2:This is very dense dude.
Speaker 1:It's interesting like I don't think either of us play a lot of horror games. I know that we played a couple horror game boy games.
Speaker 2:But like dude, like come on, you're not gonna get super scared from a game boy game.
Speaker 1:Um, this game is not scary in the sense that like it's not, like it's not straight up horror genre. But this is about as close as I get to playing a horror game, like it creeps me the hell out.
Speaker 2:Paranormal thrillers, so like those are tugging at your mental state a tiny bit and you're like, oh man, this is a little stressful, it's not like too spooky, but it's a little spooky.
Speaker 1:So we haven't mentioned the hiss yet. So the hiss is what they give the name to Like. Basically, there's this, there's something, is like there's some paranormal entity is corrupting interdimensional corruption, right? Zombie force? Yeah, totally, but they call it the hiss and it's fun, dude, it's a little snappier than what I said. Yeah, yeah, but it's like I don't know, it's cool. It's cool taking on the hiss man, like they're basically like zombie or like they've taken over the brains of the different, like soldiers.
Speaker 2:It's like parasitical, it's like interdimensional parasitical, right Like yeah, yeah, that's enough.
Speaker 1:But it's what I really like about this game and you do a lot of fighting, so, like we've kind of teased the fact that you know the semi open world, there's exploration going on, uh, you know, pretty linear, but you have like some options to go like, you know, do some exploring as you will, um, but dude, there's uh, um, something that I really like about it is the combat, yeah, which you don't. You don't get the same combat that you get in control and other games like this that are hitting some of those other elements, in my opinion, uh, and then there's a lot of games out there, so I'm sure someone could come in and be like what about this game sure, but if I had one ready I would be that guy just to be a dick about it.
Speaker 1:Um, but yeah it's the control's fast, dude, like it's fucking quick, it's fast. It's like dude, you're not. This is not a uh, you're not sneaking around in this game, dude. It's not metal gear no, you're definitely.
Speaker 2:Uh, if you have composure it's a lot smoother than when I play it. I'm just like a frantic little fucking worry wart who's like hiding behind walls like oh Lord. But you just got to constantly be moving and it's very gratifying. Physics based combat, I mean it has like the third person shooter elements you have. You cycle between your weapon, which is like a pistol, to shotgun pistol, to like automatic and then like a sniper, and it's not perfect that way. As far as you know, those things all work a little like the sniper has like a charge and like you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:You ever get a grenade launcher that you were telling me last night. But that's like you get that after you beat it.
Speaker 1:Yeah no, dude, it's just uh, it's just like you, just you just that powerful enough, don't?
Speaker 2:you start with me, dude, don't you fucking start with me?
Speaker 1:it's a. It's like you can unlock it, just like all the other guns, like as you upgrade your character, you can buy, like with their little point, things that you like, collect or whatever. You can just like all the other guns you you unlock it. Was there a blueprint?
Speaker 2:somewhere, because I didn't even know where to find that. Maybe it was one of the side bosses maybe that you talked about like the extra objects of power it could and uh as much as we can't explain the lore too well.
Speaker 2:Uh, what I can explain which is kind of cool part of their sci-fi, paranormal na na, na na is these objects of power are almost like these corrupted or everyday items that have these paranormal interdimensional power or strength to them and it's like you know, in the metroidvania sense you're talking about. It's how you get your next power up, usually. But um, as far as the lore, it's always like super trippy and cool. How about that guy staring at that fridge?
Speaker 1:that was bummer, huh I didn't do that one this time. So I've actually played this game twice now, not to completion, this is the first time I completed it. Uh, more on that later, but the first time I played I probably put in like I don't know 15 hours, maybe a little less, and I got up and I think I maybe did that one, but I skipped that in this playthrough. Uh, the dude's staring at the fridge. Did you do? Did you complete that?
Speaker 2:yeah, you don't save the guy which is a bummer but but you stop the object of power, okay, uh, he was being like oh yeah, I don't know, I won't spoil that, it's part of the spookiness.
Speaker 1:So, speaking of, spookiness, dude, like totally, uh. So I think a really interesting thing about this game. You know we've talked about all the collecting. You like collect different files that you can read. You collect different media throughout, so there might be recorded tapes. You also run into all these different. There's like the main projector is like one of the object of powers later on in the game, but there's these projectors or even sometimes it's a monitor or TV where you get to see these recordings, visual recordings from. It might be from dr darling, it might be from somebody else, and I think those are really interesting and they play into some of the creepiness, like I can't remember what they're called right now, but there's like these uh, dude, is that puppet?
Speaker 2:shows. Is he actually recorded like that's a human acting right? That's not the graphics yeah, okay, thank god, I was like I thought I knew that and felt that, to be sure, but it adds to the layer of surrealness and coolness, I know.
Speaker 1:That's what I was, kind of driving it. I think that's what was really cool about this game, because it's actually a pretty beautiful video game. They did a great job Even on the Steam Deck. It's quite impressive and I'm playing on my PC, which is pretty baby and it looks real good, dude. But the thing is you go from your computer graphics to these like sometimes they'll have little cut scenes where you have there's like an actor that plays jesse and stuff too, where you have like some weird, like by cut scenes.
Speaker 2:He means like you're about half to a foot and a half away from her temple and she's going.
Speaker 1:Ah what, these people seem to know my name, yeah yeah, so I mean like that stuff, or they're like polaris will be doing some weird thing, but or like creepy fucking dylan's face, like jesus christ dude.
Speaker 1:Yes so, dylan, often those would be like in these cut scenes you're right is like a little too like that. That invokes like an idea of like watching like a 30 second clip, like there'll be quick flashes of like video or whatever. Yeah, pull you in it kind of like. It kind of adds this layer of making it like feel real, almost. Um, yeah, we're talking about yeah, they have both.
Speaker 2:They do have some dedicated cut scenes, but they have a lot of like pseudo optional cut scenes where, like you'll watch the tvs and like it'll draw in further and it's very intentionally placed at these like dramatic moments in the game. It's cool storytelling. So I get what you're trying to say there, dude. So the story of like environmental storytelling combined with like a different thing yeah, it's cool it's's interesting too.
Speaker 1:like on that, like the whole storytelling it is super immersive because there's things that you can turn on a video and just walk away from it if you're not interested in seeing the rest, or even like to progress a storyline and everything like. You can just skip all the dialogue if you're just like whatever, you know, let's just keep trucking through, which I am like, fortunately, unfortunately, I don't know, but I did that a couple times when I was just ready to move on.
Speaker 2:Well, the game is intense and sometimes I'm just not in the mood for that shit, like you are all stressed out about a big old fight. And then there's an environmental puzzle and you're like my brain does not want this right now.
Speaker 1:I would say that's the thing about this game. The balance is maybe a little bit off and we should probably talk a little bit about that, dude, Because we took a lot this game should? I mean, if you're just plowing through this game, it should probably take you. The internet says it takes about 20 hours, Something like that.
Speaker 2:I'm not really sure how long you could beat this game in a weekend. Totally, yeah, totally, if you wanted and you knew what you were doing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right and it took us three months, dog, to roll credits. It's a record, but it's not because we're playing every day, it's because the game itself, even though I, you know, at the head of the pod I said I like this game, I do like this game, but I also just never got hooked to it. Even at the end I was like I'm just like happy to be done. I was like that was cool, that was like a really cool story. I love the gameplay, I love the fighting like creepy, like fun, but like never once was. I was like it never, ever once was like I need to go to the next mission, I need to do the next thing I don't have a critique, a major critique, of the game.
Speaker 2:If I had to objectively review the game, I would give it a very high score. I would recommend it to very many different gamers, but I wanted to play ncaa football. Most of the time I had to talk myself into playing and sit down to play and then I would enjoy it and then, thankfully, I was playing on the steam deck, so the steam deck would die because this is an intense game after like an hour hour and and a half and I was like that's actually the perfect. The best way to play this game is in 12 to 15 one-hour chunks.
Speaker 1:Dude, and I agree, because the thing is I would play every time I did pick it up. I would have a good-ass time. It's a good game, it's fun, fun, got my adrenaline going. I like the like I said, I like the combat. The environment is cool, like everything, like even the story, like it's interesting there's not enough, like for sure it's, and so I didn't want to know what happened.
Speaker 1:But it doesn't, and this is something that I was digging around the internet a little bit and like that is, a lot of folks agree that like it doesn't have that addictiveness, it doesn't have the like. I want to do the next thing to it and I don't know if that's a bad thing or not.
Speaker 2:But yeah, um, whenever I'd get to like a cleanse point, I was like so relieved that I could be done, even though there's other save points. Sometimes the save points could be a little wonky.
Speaker 1:That is a sort of critique, uh that's my biggest problem with the game is the save points like so you bring up clad's points, which is like your. I don't even know why I use this as an example, because I've never played the uh, the souls games, but it's your like fire bit I guess, um, but like, unlike that, you get re, your progress is like saved, so it's like merciful, like some of them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it can be merciful, but also it can just be like you can turn off the game thinking that you'll get those same checkpoints and then when you reboot, it'll reboot you to one of those. I was like, okay, that's not quite how I thought it would be, but it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. Um, what was your favorite?
Speaker 1:gun dude.
Speaker 2:So there's the combat does shine in this game. And then I'm gonna ask you your physical power, favorite kind of place yeah, fair enough, but so service weapon, so there's only one genbu sure, fair kind of described that earlier, so it's your shape shifty pistol yeah, right, right.
Speaker 1:So the service weapon, though, my favorite by far would be the shatter.
Speaker 2:That's a shotgunny boy, right? Yes, are you historically a big shotgun boy as well when it comes to games? Yeah, me too, I fuck with the shotgun, for sure. Big, big shotgun guy. I remember a buddy of mine we're talking land party, halo life it was like, wow, stall, you really head for that shotgun every time. You're like okay with it. And I was like, oh, thanks, man, he's like you're really into it.
Speaker 1:And then I realized that he was kind of like I'm gonna beat you every time we ever play, but I'm glad you enjoy playing with your little shotgun bud yeah, dude, I like, uh, back in the halo days, dude, like a sniper I would, I would be, there'd be a sniper, a shotgun, two very different types of gameplay, but like yeah yeah, I was just making fun of how.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not gonna be good, but I'm gonna enjoy myself. That's how I am with shooty shooty games so I'm also like you.
Speaker 1:You've never played doom. Have you like any of the dooms?
Speaker 2:or have you? Uh, I've played like a half an hour of the original, um, but no, but like especially I should they're nice.
Speaker 1:We might do it on the pop one of these days, like as far as like shooters go like it's it's a lot of it's a good first person shooter. Like it's it's nice yeah shotguns dude.
Speaker 2:That's what's up but in this game third person and also don't have the perfect controls the steam deck it's really cool, the steam deck Deck could run it. The Steam Deck ran it pretty dang good, yep, but sometimes I found an extra spike of difficulty. Wow, that was the burp that I was trying to mask combined with somewhere. We're old school again.
Speaker 1:An extra spike of difficulty due to being on the Steam Deck.
Speaker 2:So the shotgun track pads at all for anything.
Speaker 1:Nah, that's too. That's too fine-tuned for like this. You know what I mean. Like it's too twitchy.
Speaker 2:What about gyro? Do you turn that on? Uh, I think I tried when I was struggling with that like obstacle course. Jesus fucking christ dude I remember that course. I like the first time and like that didn't actually help because the processing power of the steam deck was a bigger issue than, like, the actual control, like, so the lag of it all.
Speaker 1:But anyway, yeah, I'd absolutely of course do the first of the first time I tried to play this game I had to took, so I think I'm just better at like gaming now. I guess because, like I, I needed to use a keyboard and mouse but the first time I tried to play this game uh, yeah, dude I I had to use the keyboard and mouse because I couldn't, like I couldn't hit the targets fast enough otherwise insane.
Speaker 1:Uh, so, big shotgun guy, and then the extraterrestrial abilities you have a, you have a, let's let's say, let's hit all the weapons first, though, like I do want to hit the abilities too. Okay, shotgun 100 sounds like we're like you know, let's hit that shotgun. Uh, you didn't get it, but there's a gun called the charge, which is basically a grenade launcher pretty fucking cool. Um, I will still give it to the shotgun because, or shatter the shotgun because, like, that's the weapon I use throughout like 90 of the game. Uh, pierce is, I think, you.
Speaker 1:You brought it up, but that's your, that's like your charged sniper yeah yeah, which is like it's nice because it's super powerful, um, not great, and that's not so like it was great for back when I was collecting that bacteria, like because there's some enemies off in the distance. Perfect for that type of thing. The majority of the gameplay in this, I think, is pretty chaotic, which which presents itself pretty nicely to a shotgun yeah, it's super specifically nice for the late game stuff, though, and some bosses okay, give me that.
Speaker 2:Makes sense, like when I was doing those fucking gauntlets at the end, specifically the one with the big ball room, which is not what it sounds like, but it's this big prison, prison ball thing that you're doing. Whatever to what's your plan with in your hand, bro, looks like a condom it's a scrunchie, so there we go it's more like a cock ring uh family podcast moving forward um grip and spin the two other guns.
Speaker 1:uh, grip is the one you start with. It's basically like a pistol and that's another like dude, like, if I'm playing a. It's a very satisfying pistol. It is. It is indeed, and that's another thing, if I'm playing.
Speaker 2:I was salty, I couldn't upgrade it more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when I'm playing shooters like it is always kind of fun unlocked it, but after that I was it's too underpowered, I think, in my opinion. Maybe I didn't upgrade it well enough.
Speaker 2:Boing. It's Ace's favorite gun in the game.
Speaker 1:He just prays and sprays all over the place as he's running around, but like I don't know you just have to unload so heavily into even like medium-tier enemies just to take them down with that thing.
Speaker 2:Which feels into even like medium tier enemies, just to take them down with that thing which feels good. With the pistol, uh, I feel like I missed too much with the spin so I didn't use it much. I think I used it the least pierce I would take out for tough enemies, uh, the grip I would take off for like fun and then shatter was like probably 80 to 75 of my play was shattered and it's interesting because you get the, you get the option to load out two different uh guns.
Speaker 1:I think it's like x or square or whatever.
Speaker 2:Square on the playstation uh which is hilarious because I played it on uh, the steam deck slash xbox layout and that just tells you how deeply ingrained some playstation shit is to me. But yes yes, it is square and it's cool. It like flips in her hand. It's very gratifying. I know some people there's like a niche for like loving how guns reload and stuff in games. It's charge based and like time based, but still like the way it like flips in her hand. It's tight.
Speaker 1:So I love that there's not actual ammo in this game as long as this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't like collecting ammo in a game like this. It's there's way too much shooty, shooty, bang bang I'm limited ammo.
Speaker 1:You bring up the charge, so bullshit if I had to worry about ammo in this game I'd be so stressed, I was so pleased to know that they, I was so pleased that they didn't have uh, that you didn't have to like yeah, I was so pleased there was no reality.
Speaker 2:That's a good, it's a good call yeah, it was very like I.
Speaker 1:I think that was key. This game with ammo would fucking suck balls, right I want to talk about the powers now. Al come on, yeah, dog, and that's like honestly, honestly, what are we doing? What?
Speaker 2:minute of the pod is this we haven't talked about fucking half hour and we haven't talked about the fucking powers more god dude, and that is what this game is. I think that's what makes this game?
Speaker 1:beyond, like you know, all the environmental shit that we talked about, blah, blah, blah like the what this game is. I think that's what makes this game beyond, like you know, all the environmental shit that we talked about, blah, blah, blah. Like the reason this game is dope dude is because you said, you said it, you teased it earlier. You said what the Jedi shit dude like she. She pretty much just the fucking mouse.
Speaker 2:Well, it's funny because I was playing ginger Jedi Chronicles and then, like, when you for the pod, you play a game that's too similar. It just kills that game and I'm like I'm just getting my jenner ginger, ginger, jedi fix from control lady, is she even red-haired or no?
Speaker 2:no, she is yeah well, see, she's just my new ginger jedi for the moment. Um, but yeah, dude, and environmentally like and now I'm talking about physics, space, like it's awesome the stuff you can throw. Like I love getting a fire extinguisher and throwing it at an enemy and having it poof and like have a big heavy, like a heavy bang as it hit them.
Speaker 1:That felt really good, dog, you just asked me what my favorite weapons are, but like, honestly, my favorite weapon was the throw. Like yeah that is the best throwing like a couch, what as far as it, when you uh, because I'm like on your skill tree, you have the option to okay, so we should hit the different, your different powers. You have a shield. Barely ever used it ever.
Speaker 2:Honestly, same um only when I was really confused and I was pretty much gonna die, so there was not too much of a point. Yeah, yeah, never use a shield?
Speaker 1:uh, you have a. I guess it's like a melee attack. Never use that. One hated that I would hit the wrong one and I'd switch weapons in front of the person yeah, it's like because I was hitting the wrong button.
Speaker 1:So I just run up to the enemy and I'd switch weapons and get shot at and I was like, oh no you have your, your dash, which is pretty key um, and then you have you have your I forget what the cause like a telekinesis type thing where you can take over the, you can control like the enemies once they get lower health.
Speaker 2:That one's pretty cool actually it's very clutch in the more overwhelming battles as well. Yeah, it's good uh and then then you.
Speaker 1:It's like a float type thing that you get later on yeah, float levitate, whatever, yeah is that all of them? Uh, probably.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's it, uh, but it doesn't really matter, dude, because throw is the tightest, yeah throws the tightest and levitate could be cool, but that's just how you accidentally lose progress being a fucking jackass yeah well, levitate dash or dope.
Speaker 1:Like for traversing the for traversing, like the landscape and everything like those. It's it is cool, dude.
Speaker 2:Like dodging attacks and stuff, yeah, yeah for getting rid of and you can upgrade it so you can pick up when they're weak or when they're dead. You can pick them up and throw them at each other, and I was like I fucking love that shit.
Speaker 1:So that's what. That's what I asked you. On the skill tree dude. I maxed out the the throw ability because that one's the tightest one I think I got halfway.
Speaker 2:I focus mostly on uh health, probably health and uh having more of the abilities. Like the your magic bar there's a different word for it, but in oh yeah, your magic bar.
Speaker 1:Yes, word, that makes sense. Uh, that, that makes total sense. Uh, but for me it did make sense because I cheated I wondered if you would be honest oh, hell yeah, dude, which is why?
Speaker 2:when you were bragging about oh, you didn't get the charge gun. I was like eat a dick dog dude.
Speaker 1:So this game in the options, like in the uh, I forget what they call it what do they call it? Accessibility? I'm sure, uh, yeah, that sounds right, I think I I hit you up about it. I was like so we want, I wanted to roll credits on this one, dude, and I was like this game I just, like we brought up earlier, just never, like, I never really wanted to push through it, dude, I didn't want to give it like, and I was just like you know what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna fucking see what's up.
Speaker 1:So in options, they have an assist mode that you can enable and that allows you to turn on a few different things, including, uh, immortality, which is like 100. Let's go, if I don't have to die, I'm going to be able to plow through this game, but that does change. We talked about this in a recent podcast on these types of things and I'm very pro them. I rarely use them, in fact, this is the first. This is one of the first games that I was like I'm just going to use these to beat this game and I don't have any shame in the fact that I did. But, uh, but it is one of those things where it changes your experience. So when I found out where you were in relative to end game and I had told you about like just turning on this shit, you good, you didn't check out the boys no, I just town halls, shit, vibrations, and then I've been playing this spooky game and I'm home alone in this dark house.
Speaker 1:So I just have a copy of a copy.
Speaker 2:So copy of copy of a copy.
Speaker 1:Copy of copy word project landfill the dump so I use this at the dump.
Speaker 2:Why were we playing the dump?
Speaker 1:yeah, why were they playing the weird ass?
Speaker 2:kids sweet as shit uh, yeah, dude.
Speaker 1:So I turned that shit on for like the probably the last two hours of the game, I would say, and I plowed through it and I did so.
Speaker 1:It's really cool, though, because you have immortality, you can also make it so that your stamina bar or whatever you call it, the magic bar same thing, pretty much in this, um, so you can make it. So that's, you can it. Whatever you call it, the magic bar same thing, pretty much in this. So you can make it. So that's you can. It's a scale right. So you can make it so it uses less or more, or like regular to like less or whatever. So I turned that up quite a bit and I turned up the health quite a bit, which didn't matter because I had an immortality. And then there's other things that you can do, like you can do like a sight lock, which I didn't turn on because that changed the gameplay too much for me, but pretty cool, and one of them may be nice for you on the Steam Deck, so like, basically, the Grand Theft Auto, like you know, that type of deal.
Speaker 1:And then you can also do one hit kills which like dude.
Speaker 2:So my like my choke point back out dude dude.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so my to you right, my choke point was Salvador and we were talking about that off mic or off you know, off discord or whatever, and like I was like, yeah, dude, like I got to this Salvador dude and he's just fucking hard. And then I was like, and then I was like, okay, yeah, dude, I got to this Salvador dude, and he's just fucking hard. And then I was like okay, you fight him a few times, don't you? I don't think so, but like the main. No, I just fight him once Okay.
Speaker 2:But anyways, he's a tough boss.
Speaker 1:We don't have to go into details on it because I don't want to spoil too much, but it's a fucking, it's a tough boss. And details on it because I don't want to spoil too much, but it's a fucking, it's a, it's a tough boss and I I died a couple times. I was like, okay, I'm going to bed, yeah. And then when I picked it up, I was like, hey, I'm gonna try out these accessibility options and I turned on the one it kills, because I was like they're not gonna want to kill a boss and I wanted. I wanted to kill the boss and I was like, okay, that sucks, yeah you felt a little greasy dude.
Speaker 1:So I so I went back in and I was like all right, one hit kills. No, because that also takes away some of the fun of like dude. This is going to be like fuck guns, but like if you're playing a gun game it's kind of fun to unload the gun.
Speaker 2:So like no, that's what we're here for. You're right as far as the accessibilities. I had to dig it up. That's why I was uncouth and on my phone for a second there is uh on the discord. I remember reading it on our little chat. But matt chimed in. He says that on a second or his third play for through he quite literally like really juiced some of the stuff just so he could be op and just fucking do his force awakening all over was pretty fun dude so I I see that I see that being a fun little thing of like.
Speaker 2:I just want to rip through this and like throw everything at everyone.
Speaker 1:And big ups to developers for including that. Like I think that's because, dude, like I don't know, I just think it's. Like I think that's cool and but like I was saying to you, like when I was like a little bit of me was like proud of you, bro, I was like this motherfucker, he plowed through, he did a peer.
Speaker 2:I was just so close. Yeah, there's some tough goblins too.
Speaker 1:So I was like shit is he going to do it?
Speaker 2:It's not the hardest game. It's just that it taps back into this weird thing that you and I seem to struggle specifically with, where we enjoyed it but we had to talk ourselves into playing it. It was like a workout.
Speaker 1:We're not alone in this game, though. Like talk ourselves into playing it, it was like a workout. We're not alone on this game, though. I looked at it like I was digging around the internet and this is like a. This is like a thing with this game. It just doesn't have a hooks.
Speaker 2:Whilst being so good, which is very confusing. But yeah, like if I were like in more of a flow state, I think a lot of these things would be better or easier for me. Or if it's just I was more fluid in general because I was playing more frequently, but I always played in frequently and whenever I died it was like extra frustrating because I was just like I don't really want to push through right now, but then when I did, it felt really cool, like that boss you're talking about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was even the first boss, the first boss, I was like just plowing through the game. Then that boss, like was all of a sudden way harder than everything else. I was like oh, I don't feel like I was ready for the level of strategy I have to implement in this situation, because I'm just so used to trucking and being a fucking brute.
Speaker 1:So yeah, cool, cool set piece bosses, though.
Speaker 1:I mean they're cool, yeah, challenges dude they are and like that's just the thing about like video games are really interesting in that sense. So it's like I appreciate that they had those accessibility options and like allowed me to do that because it allowed me to get to end game, because I probably would have shelved this game again. Um, and then I was like they allowed me to like do what I wanted to do with the game and but you don't get that same like that. The reason that the developers make it the way they do is because you can, it feels really good to take down those bosses. Or when you finish like what we call we've been calling gauntlets, because they're like they're. They're not like boss rushes, but they're like enemy enemy rushes, so you have to go through you're doing waves and it's very clearly right a moment Oof that was rough.
Speaker 1:My late dick microphone dropped.
Speaker 2:I tried to do a mild adjustment and it just fell out of my pants. Yeah, that was.
Speaker 1:Oh, sorry to all those folks that are getting the raw download. Oh did it sound awful. It doesn't sound awful on my end, so It'll sound bad for folks, but that's the magic of editing.
Speaker 1:Clip that out for folks if they listen to this later tight yeah excuse me anyways, but yeah, dude, I think there's one thing I want to spoil because I want to talk about it, but let's not. Let's first give our little like, let's give a how many psych visits out of five? This game is Like, that's our scale. And then who would you recommend it to, which we teased a little bit already? But I want to know your rating out of five, five psych visits. And then I want to know who you think should play it.
Speaker 2:Giving it four to four and a half out of five. Um, but I would caveat it to everyone and just simply say that it's really cool and it's really cool story and really dense and the physics are really cool. But wait for it to be on like a sale for you, because I can't promise you'll get those hooks we talked about. So I can promise that you'd probably get five to ten hours in it because it's like addictive enough for that. But the 10 to 20 hour push is harder than some other games and that's kind of bore out through your first playthrough.
Speaker 2:You probably got five to ten hours in right quit a little bit more than that, but yeah but especially if you have like an impressive uh piece of hardware to play it on, I'm sure the game gets even cooler and cooler 100.
Speaker 1:So I would give it three, dude. And I'm giving it three because this is my second playthrough.
Speaker 1:This is my first time playing all the way through, but I've tried to do it back roughly 2019, like not too far after I dropped, because this was on Game Pass, so I played it on Game Pass. I have an NVIDIA 3080, which is now dated not really dated, but it's older now and I wanted to push the limits of what it could do. This was one of the games that was relatively new and was on. Like when you look like what are the top graphic games that you can play? And they're like control, play, control. Like when you look like what are the top graphic games that you can play? And they're like control, play, control.
Speaker 1:And it's because it has ray tracing in which you didn't really get probably in take advantage of with the steam deck, but the ray tracing, just like the shadows and the environment, like it's fucking, it's awesome, dude, it's beautiful. Like this game is like looks great beautiful is a weird word because it's creepy but but this game. But this game is like it's stunning, visually stunning, um, and it is like you actually brought this up, not on this pod, but like when we've been talking about this game. You're like this is like a crazy advanced tech demo and I feel that too, like I, and like I do think that like, if you have a bp system or if you have, like you know, ps5 or xbox series s or x or whatever, this game is gonna look really good.
Speaker 1:If you want to play like a game, that looks really good, like this game, is that? Uh, if you also are just like want to do some fast combat, like fun, like this, this game is that like? I do think folks should play this game, but I am a little harsh on my. It's not like I mean three's middle of the road dude, that's not like a tail rating, it's just like I never wanted to finish this game and I wouldn't have if we weren't doing it for the podcast um, if you enjoy huffing the vapors of your steam deck, this game's perfect to play it on that too.
Speaker 2:Just had to throw that one in. Dude, didn't want to break off your uh, your moment there, but I really had to get that dumb joke out I love smelling my steamy d yeah, well, but it's like it's not, you know.
Speaker 1:So we talked about and this is dude, you're crazy we talked about this in the pod too and like, you don't even play with headphones. Dude, you're a wild man. Like it's like on your steam deck regular speakers like, and you still got creeped out and stuff that.
Speaker 1:That's a testament to this game, because I'm I'm wearing like my cans, I'm wearing some like sony, whatever the blah blah blahs and I'm and I'm like playing on a fucking nvidia 3080, like I said, like this game looks and I'm in a dark office or whatever, I'll like close the door like I don't come in and scare the shit out of me. I'll be like dude, like this game has got vibes and I'm not talking like fun, I'm talking like creepy vibes.
Speaker 2:Dude, like well, it gets boosted up to the four out of five for me specifically because the conversation that we had around um disco elysium, where it wasn't always the easiest or the most fun to play in the moment, but it just made me keep thinking about it afterwards, like the impact of this game yeah, I feel like is larger than a three out of five, but that's your scale and it's fine.
Speaker 1:It's all subjective I just feel like all average amount it gets a four then yeah, I mean I've just, I'll just think about it, not at that same level.
Speaker 2:The scholism is obviously like a masterpiece. I'd have to. I'd tear that higher for sure, for sure, this is the point I'm making is. It's like it's a junior versity version of that process where, like, I've played similar enjoyment games but I didn't think about them, where this game all like kind of remember the experience more than some others. So you know, I think it's pretty gnar.
Speaker 1:I'm glad to have had the experience. I just like, like I said, dude, this is like I tried back in 2019 or whatever, to play and I just like, let it go.
Speaker 2:And then I was ready to let it go this time around, and then I like was like no two came out, I would play it four years after it came out, okay, so?
Speaker 1:but here's the deal too. So I mentioned I got this on game pass the first time I tried playing and then over time, over the past like few years, I picked it up, like I have it on epic and I have it on gog, both for free. So if you just like, keep your eye out, you'll be able to pick this game up for free, like I do think you should support developers so like buy this game.
Speaker 2:But hey, mine was like if you could play for free I don't even think it was for I don't even think it was for a holiday. I think he was just like this game's really good. So at this price it is. It's worth it for me to buy it, for you to play it at some point in time, and I did nice, I like it well.
Speaker 1:It hits the sales. If you like, definitely pick it up on sale. Keep an eye out. You might even be good for free. It's worth playing. Yeah with, with that dude, let's take a break. Here are my unsexy sponsor why don't we boot it? We're not dude I'm. I'm on a free trial of zen caster fuck.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all right, dude. So I already teased it once. I'm not gonna rope a dope dk.
Speaker 1:Surprise ending you oh shit, that's what I just talked about. But no, we didn't talk about this. We did not talk about it, we teased it just we're gonna talk about it and then we moved on.
Speaker 2:But then I hate when games do that, dude. I hate when games do that because I'm so excited to be done.
Speaker 1:That. Shit was weird. That was whack dude, that was like. I was like what?
Speaker 2:video game adaptation of the hobbit on playstation 2. Because I did. No, I got way I think we have it. Did you buy it, dude? I think you bought it, or I bought it at like a game stop on the cheap, we do have it.
Speaker 2:But I got quite far to like I think I bested Smog. And then there was busy work to do and I was like no video game, this is the end of the road. Like I did the thing I set out to do. Like you give me a cool cut scene and I'm done. So I protested it and I never played it. It bothers me, so I hate. Um, so I hate when games do this. Uh well, there's a little treat for everybody. That's getting the condé version of this. Keep it all in regardless, dude.
Speaker 1:No, I'm coming it's no, dude, it won't flow. Dude, it was so obvious that like, whatever, okay, dude, it's a big, that's a spoiler. But it's not a spoiler, dude, it's. So it's a spoiler. I saw that coming dude.
Speaker 2:Come on, you didn't you didn't come on anyway, um philly cheesesteaks dude, and I'm gonna get extra weird on you, which is that sometimes dude you don't have to be all fucking so this bar is unofficially brought to you in part by philly cheesesteaks with your boys, or even just you know, general appreciation for chopped up meat, because I have some mild sacrilege, to admit Sometimes you know what I? Like getting from my local neighborhood cheesesteak place Just the whiz Dude. So if I'm getting beef I'm getting cheese whiz on it.
Speaker 2:And sometimes I get fried eggs and bacon on it, because you know what they need more of is calories, some like, because you know what they need more of is calories and you know protein. That's what they need more of. So I get fried egg and bacon on them sometimes, but you know what I get even more, which is the more in the sacrilege territory that I don't even care about.
Speaker 2:I get chicken dog oh wow I get a south jersey philly, which is the south jersey is it's like mayo, tomato, lettuce and vinegar and I get pepidu on that bitch dude and then I get chicken. What? The fuck is pepidu dude, pepidu is just probably said it wrong. Don't care, but I'm pretty sure it's like pickled italian veggie type shit sweet ones word almost positive um tonos.
Speaker 2:If there are franchises around here, they do. They do a mean job. I appreciate them. And sometimes that chicken you still get like you're oh, I'm a fat, I'm a fat little slut eating this big old sandwich. When you're eating it you know you're gonna hate yourself afterwards. But afterwards, instead of uh, eight out of ten on the regret scale of meat sweats, you're at like a four to maybe even a three and a half, and if you've got a stomach of steel, god bless you. But sometimes you're like, hey, I'm gonna save myself a little bit by having a chicken philly, so sacrilege. Be damn, dude. I'll go og cheese whiz and beef, but like chicken mayo, vinaigrette, get at me, dog dude, I fuck with the cheesesteak.
Speaker 1:But like I said, man, I think I think one, I just don't feel good at twins and two, it just doesn't like. Hit that me with that taste that I thought I was gonna like.
Speaker 2:I don't know, man, I'm chasing the drain al and I when I was 18 and you were like 28 um we used to.
Speaker 1:I'm eight years older than you you're six years older than me.
Speaker 2:Jesus christ dude gee.
Speaker 1:Well, there you go.
Speaker 2:I like how I said you were 10 years older than me. You're like hey, I'm only eight years older than me. I'm like dog, you're actually six years. You're fucking stupid. We used to go to uh poppies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a good time.
Speaker 2:That's what Philly tastes, tasted good, it was so greasy, it was like you know what it was dude, I think. I think. I don't think I'm high enough when I eat be the issue you're having, um, but I need to smoke more weed before my cheese steaks, or I had. I had some whiskey beforehand. I was like a beer would weigh me down before this little gauntlet.
Speaker 1:I just want to like. I just want to like give you your fucking flowers, the fact that your girl's out of town, your wifey, your wifey's out of town right now and you're like, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna get a fucking philly cheese steak delivered to my house yeah, served on a bed of truffle fries dog. So get at your boy. What do you dip them in?
Speaker 2:you just go raw on those there's like a garlicky mayo aioli kind of deal. Bop dude, if it's aioli it got bail with it. I know, but it's yeah, I just panicked, but it's garlicky aioli ish thingy. Then if you go to their store they actually have like four or five sauces and a little mini fridge set off to the side, so like that's dope. They're playing at my heart in a variety of different ways. Um, I love me a cheesesteak and I agree with you. So if you find a neighborhood spot, maybe try the chicken, maybe that'll, maybe they'll change. I don't know. Somebody's saying beef, though.
Speaker 2:I just like the idea yeah, and I'm philly's over chopped cheese too. Like I've never I can't get the chopped cheese because once I found out, it's just a cheeseburger that's been chopped up. Yeah, like what do you think? I don't know, it's just people. When people get excited about things, sometimes you think that just means there's more to it.
Speaker 1:So let me tell you about chopped cheese. A chopped cheese.
Speaker 2:Whatever dude it's fun.
Speaker 1:No, no, we ain't taking anything.
Speaker 2:You just like the clang and bang of a chopped cheese. Is that it?
Speaker 1:I don't like anything but chopped cheese.
Speaker 2:I'd rather have a regular cheeseburger to be honest, don't like a thing about chopped cheese, dude. I mean I'll eat them. We're Philly boys, though let's go, I'll eat them.
Speaker 1:I'll eat them. But here's the deal If you're like, you get to have a chopped cheese or a Philly. Even though I've been dogging on like ragging on the Phillies a little bit, the taste that I wanted to, I would still get the Philly Because of the chopped cheese dude, it's just a fucking cheeseburger that wishes it was a Philly.
Speaker 2:I would also just like to say Dude stop it.
Speaker 1:Don't hit your microphone why you got to touch that thing, because I'm a little reckless right now.
Speaker 2:dude, leave me alone. I'm very bloated right now. I'm a big boy in this chair, but what was I gonna ramble on about before you got in the way of that? Oh yeah, uh. Philly cheesesteaks are like also be wary of them on a menu. If you're in a neighborhood that feels very safe and posh and like you could have frozen yogurt next door, or like a spin class. Like do not buy the philly cheesesteak you are going to be very upset, go with something else on the menu.
Speaker 2:Philly needs to be from a dedicated Philly place or it needs to be from a place that you trust their greasy bona fides. It's like a Cuban. You never get a Cuban from some suburban not good restaurant that you think is going to nail it because they're not.
Speaker 1:There's so many small things that need to go into it being done right and uh yeah that's just your wife.
Speaker 2:He posted a picture of a cuban yesterday. Yeah, I told her she was a hoe for that, because I was like in the middle of work and I got, you see that picture.
Speaker 1:I was like tight dog that looked like I didn't even get to taste. That I don't even like know. You know, I just saw that cuban, the way it looked in the picture. I was like I wish I ever had that.
Speaker 2:She's in Miami for work, which is a phrase that sounds cool and I don't get to say things like that. So I was bitter as fuck. When she sent that to me, I was like that's tight, real cool, home move. Still obviously appreciated it.
Speaker 1:I saw it on her Instagram and I was like dude that Cuban she. And I was like dude that Cuban. She put it in a little collage picture or whatever, but I hit her up. I was like yo that Cuban, though that looks fire. Can you slide that Cuban?
Speaker 2:into my DM show.
Speaker 1:I hit her up. I was like that Cuban looked fire. She was like it was, though it was, there we go, there we go.
Speaker 2:But yeah, man, philly Cheesesteaks, I have a long brotherly relationship with them and you know, I think what you need is me by your side.
Speaker 1:I think it probably helped. Dude, you need to go back to my mom's house and take a big nap. My youth Probably need my youth of blunt.
Speaker 2:My brother and we'll collaborate with our other unsanctioned sponsor, the bidet, a necessary companion to the Philly cheesesteak.
Speaker 1:I work for myself. Luke, a teacher. He never had the blunt. Those blunts are for me.
Speaker 2:Those blunts are all for Al, but the bidet is for everyone.
Speaker 1:The bidet is for everyone. Get that bidet. All right, dude Right on.
Speaker 2:That's Philly cheesesteaks. Now you know. Welcome back everyone to some sidekicks. And we are a little slow from eating philly cheese steaks.
Speaker 1:I'm a little weird for having it be chicken. But if someone wants to argue with me, I'll tell them that they're right and that I don't care. What's up to it between your chicken phillies and your fucking mcribs man? I don't even know, dude don't.
Speaker 2:Don't start with the mcrib. Someone's like you want me to send you a video on how they're made. I I'm like, please, where are we going to start and stop with being picky about mechanically separated meat? Why?
Speaker 1:is McRib, get the ire. I love it. You've been side question bro.
Speaker 2:Dude. No, just because my life is just NCAA football. So what's the point of calling it a side quest? You have to call me coach Dukes on this pod Now. It on this pod now, coach Dukes.
Speaker 1:You want to hear something dorky.
Speaker 2:I made a new coach. I explained how addicted I was. Last time we podded I aired out my grievances about how the coaching portal stuff was kind of broken. They have quietly patched that. I started a new dynasty pretty much right after that I named my coach Coach Dukes II. I'm just very proud of that. I just needed to say that out loud one time, cause I see it and I go, ha, that's cool, and no one else. I told Tricia and she was like thanks for sharing that and I was like, yeah, sorry.
Speaker 2:She doesn't know about Luke Dukes.
Speaker 1:She does, oh, she's very aware of Duke's where I look, dukes um word, word, word, yeah um, so I'm the coach at lsu now and that's really cool.
Speaker 2:That's like one of my top three coolest jobs in college jobs. So there you go really pumped about that building the program I had.
Speaker 1:I had to pull up the stats, man. So like, when we did, when we did the college football, when we did the gospel, you're like, do not, you said the same thing. You're like, do not say that aloud my hours. So I was like I won't say you're always allowed, but I'll type them into our discord. Plug for the discord. Go join that shit. Um, in the show notes or you know, head to the website, find the, find the link there uh so yeah now.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not gonna look up your, I'm not gonna look up your current hours. You mind you, everybody luke's had another month to play college football, but at the time of last month, after like having a like I don't know, fucking three days to play the game, sir it was longer, he had played three days. Luke had had only three days to play the game and somehow he had four days, eight hours in 55 minutes. And somehow he had four days, eight hours and 55 minutes logged in to this game, which is wild to me.
Speaker 2:That's more time he gathered there two days after recording. He's lying.
Speaker 1:Dude, that's more time than I put into 2K the entire year and that's the game I probably played the most. You are a coach, Dukes.
Speaker 2:You're coach Dukes. I'm a full sweat and I'm sure you're eight days now. You're probably eight days. I'm at seven. Seven days, bro, seven days, dude.
Speaker 1:Do you know how many hours that is?
Speaker 2:uh, it's like 120 to 40 or 50 something. Yeah, there's.
Speaker 1:There's 168 hours.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Dude, that's wild. That's wild to me. Good for you, coach Dukes.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh, yeah, and you know what? I've slowed down since returning to work because the school year's back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and when I get home, hey man, you ain't going to be the coach at lsu without putting that time dude, I know the recruits are like hey are you really dedicated this coach over here staying up all night and I was like I'm trying no, I'm like not as good as I was, which is mildly frustrating, but it's okay, because I was cooking a little too hard. Um, the game's sick, dude. They're still fixing stuff. It's still flawed, but like it's 85 to 90 of what I wanted from this game. So nice um, yeah, we're talking about it.
Speaker 1:We're talking about it. The other day, uh, in person, and I was saying like, dude, I'm happy because I haven't played. I played very little after we cut our you know, cut our podcast on it. Um, because I just like, sorry, I played 2k again, yeah, but uh, I like it. Dude, I don't think it's dope and it's like it's encouraging to hear that they're fixing things and, honestly, like me not being not playing any madden over the past few years, like I'm very happy to have this football game in my collection, like, and to be able to play I, um, it's got me tuned into.
Speaker 2:I don't necessarily watch more than like a quarter, but I've watched like a few quarters to maybe one game's worth of college football every week and, uh, I certainly kind of check scores and have a general following. I'm not a diehard, but like today I was when the boys were napping I watched a little bit, but that just made me want to play the game, so it doesn't got me watching all the time but it's, uh, it's more football, and I think that's dope.
Speaker 2:And uh, yeah, I think I think that's the only other game I've played, so just footballs all the way back, which is dope. Love that that's just indoctrination time. So if you're a significant other out there that doesn't like your children watching football, it doesn't count for your regular screen time hours. There's a difference between Bluey or your Disney stuff or your YouTube stuff and football. Football is almost like religion stuff, so they're allowed to watch.
Speaker 1:Dude, now that they've cut all these new deals and everything like, I'm gonna be able to watch a lot more timberwolves over the timberwolves season, which can be exciting because I have some of the streaming platforms that they'll be landing on. I think like 25 ish games, 28 ish games or something that we'll be able to watch on that's good via amazon and via like uh, I don't know, or some bullshit, I remember excited for sports to come to amazon simply because I just have amazon, whether I want it or not yeah, fair enough around so might as well have sports on it.
Speaker 2:So fuck yeah, dude. Major side quest major life quest.
Speaker 1:Ncaa football coach right on dude do you have one?
Speaker 2:do you game, even reading, or something fucking lame like that? I did that like nah, nah, books are tight dude whatever, I'm keeping another one. I was gonna go into that, but you know so I've been.
Speaker 1:I don't want to hear about your books. Nah, what book you reading?
Speaker 2:nah you go. Well, good for you reading books.
Speaker 1:I continue to read comics, dude, so I was like doing a whole bunch of the X-Men stuff a while back. I'm all in on the Star Wars ecosystem now, or whatever you want to call it. There's a few different runs that are kind of all. You know how comic books work, dude. They're all like crossovers Shit. Well, not multiverse, but crossover type stuff Basically. You've got your Star Wars, so basically you've got your star wars run. You've got your bounty hunter run, you got your dr afra, you've got your darth vader. Uh, I think those are like the four major ones that are kind of intertwined in this new and are you buying these or is it the subscription?
Speaker 1:no, dude, it's uh, it's the marvel ultimate or whatever. Dude it's uh that I paid for the year I got it around this time in november for for black friday dude, and I want to say that, like 50 off, I want to say it was like 40 bucks or something. Well worth the fucking money in my opinion. Um, yeah, so keep your eye out if you guys are interested in in in comics, like honestly, like I know that there's other like services to to read comic books, like um, you comic books I can't remember the app right now because it's not available in Minneapolis. There's some cool apps out there where you can get comic books for free and stuff. Anyways, the Marvel Unlimited has been great. It's got me tempted to. I'm going to see what's up this fall and this Black Friday season, whenever that comes around, or whatever, to see if DC does something similar, because I would love to read some Batman stuff. Spread your wings, yes.
Speaker 2:But the Star Wars has been great dude. I don't think so. I bought the first three in a graphic novel run. It's supposed to be crazy good, so I will pass those along to you once I finally get done with my public library book that I gotta return, and then I'm gonna get to those next right on uh, but yeah, so I've been reading those.
Speaker 1:That's been a major side quest of mine and then, like I'm at the video game thing that I bring up, dude is, uh, so I caught the covet again. Uh, again being like back and like I, like me and me and the wife being like back in, like me and me and the wife. He caught it back in 2020-ish or whatever, when it was new and everybody was getting it. And then but I did, we fucking the whole family came down with it about three-ish weeks ago now.
Speaker 1:Oh shit, that's just garbage, yeah right, but, dude, it was just terrible, man, like it's. It's like it hit me worse this time than it did my first time. First time I was like sick for a day or two. This one like got me for a solid week. Dude, I was miserable, laying in bed. A lot, a lot harder now that we got a baby and it's like I just like, not only does it suck to be sick, it feel bad like not pulling your weight as far as like taking care of your children, that kind of that type of thing. Um, but anyways, you know, laying in bed, you don't, you know, do so much. So I have my steamy d and I have, uh, I've got that.
Speaker 1:So I had, dude, I have starfield and I was like I'm just gonna like jump into starfield and I poured probably I don't even know the real hours, but like, dude, like I poured a bunch of time into the fucking get out of here. I poured a bunch of time into starfield man, and it was great. Like I picked up my old file. Uh, just started like just moving around in that, in that universe, dude, like playing around doing stupid side quests, like pushing the main story through. I still haven't like I still haven't gotten to the end game in that, but I'm I feel like I'm pretty close because like I'm what they're talking about, stuff going on. But that was like um, I just like, even though we had, like had control on the docket, and that's a shooty, shooty, bang, bang. Like there's just something about a first person that I was like kind of digging, it's a way chiller vibe yeah, totally, and then.
Speaker 2:And then there's that too and like it'd be a tense game, very tense game.
Speaker 1:So you have to be in the mood for it and that and that's what I needed. Man, like I don't know, it's been a long time since I've been sick. And then also, like it can be tricky when you're sick to play video games or do anything because, like, depending on how that experience goes, could really sour, at least for me. Like I remember my youth, there's a couple times playing like, uh, um, was that the nba on nbc, which is like a, which is like a basketball game? There's a lot like nba jam for the n64 and I pushed through it because I really loved that game when I was a kid.
Speaker 1:But there was a solid like couple months, so I played it when I had a fever or whatever and like, whenever I played it would make me feel like physically ill because I associated it with that time that I was sick, um, so I guess maybe that might happen to me the next time I load up Starfield. But for me it was a nice escape, dude. It was great to be able to go into there and just go around the universe. I know that game is very mixed reviews, but I dig it. Man, I'm glad to know that it's going to be there for whenever I just want to jump back in and fly around on my fucking spaceship.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had it on Game Pass, so maybe something to buy it up, because I kind of liked some of the stuff I was up to and they continue to add to it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, unlike, unlike control they so I remember I forget what the call, but there's like this new they added that modding thing to it, where like to it, where you can do your mods or whatever, even on your systems, on your consoles, but if you turn them on it doesn't allow you to get trophies, whereas Control you can still get your Chivos, even with the sub-arm, which I was like that's sweet, because I was pissed. I was like fine, I'll plug and play Piercece starfield, which is peniel starfield kind of whack, but not super whack, because, like, obviously play it.
Speaker 2:But there's certain things.
Speaker 1:Field achievements was like I don't know, dude, it's like elizabeth, it's like elizabeth thing. I'm not even a chivo hunter, I was just like I don't even know why that is. But, um, but there's something about it that I was like fine, I won. I won't like make it. So I turn off, like the weight capacity or whatever, which is like that's like one of the worst things in that game is a stupid way to fix your interface.
Speaker 2:Stupid game, bad interface, right.
Speaker 1:But dude, it was. There's a couple of missions like I did, some like a handful of side missions. I really lean into my like space scoundrel, like set up for the dude and like just try and do and some weird stuff. But there's something that still bug me about that game. Like uh, for example, if you are rolling with a one of your uh companions or whatever, especially if it's someone that you're trying to romance, and then you get attacked in space and then you take out that spaceship for attacking you, they get really mad at you and like they get all pissed off for killing innocents. I'm like dude, they weren't innocent, they attacked me. Why you got out? Like come on, I thought we had a thing going. I thought we're going to get married. They're like no, whatever. So so yeah, so fuck that shit.
Speaker 2:But was in the middle of like a really cool mission, but I was also mad like because I got picked up for having some illegals on my ship that I don't even know that were on my ship, because the inventory system's so garbage oh sure yep, but then the space marines wanted me to be a double agent with the fucking space pirate dudes and I was having a good time going back and forth between them, but I was trying to do some side missions where I was just delivering organs oh sure just typical black market shit, you know, just to ship space organs and uh, all of like the skills and abilities you need are like super advanced just to have like hidden cargos.
Speaker 2:And I'm like what am I? How am I supposed to be? Like space pirate stuff? Like the game tries to do a trillion things and does most of them clunkily but does a decent job on a lot of them. So it's an interesting. It's like the most seven out of ten game, six and a half out of ten game I've ever seen in my whole life yeah, that's dope.
Speaker 1:I'm glad to own it. I'm glad to own it. I know it's not like uh, it's not top tier, but I'm glad to. I'm glad to have it in the in the collection.
Speaker 2:Hey man, seven out of ten is still like more than playable, that's true, six out of ten is still more than decent, so it's not like what are? You putting on a scale of five, though, dude. That's why I hate when you would hit me with the fives I'm always like slow five gaming dude.
Speaker 1:I gotta have some memes.
Speaker 2:Brand synergy dude, then it would have to be a three to three and a half yeah, there you go see, that's what I'm saying, that's what I'm gonna put control to look at me dividing by two dude, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:Uh, that's been a big one, dude. It's not a side quest, but I want to pour one out for game informer man. That happened the that just learned.
Speaker 2:They're minneapolis based when they closed.
Speaker 1:That makes me extra sad yeah, I'm surprised you didn't know that. But um, yeah, I've known a couple folks that have worked with them over the years game in former lifetime was when I was a teen to pre-teen so I wasn't paying attention to any of that shit, but yeah, I subscribed on and off.
Speaker 1:Um, I'm not super surprised because, like they had this like super awesome deal to get the physical subscription for like 20 bucks for the year and I was like this sounds like you guys might close soon, uh, and that's what happened. But I, but I did get the subscription. Do. The wild thing too is so, uh, so like game spot or game stop is like the they're the owning company of game informer, um, so they sent out an email and they're like, hey, like um, you know, we I don't remember the fucking email said basically it was like, if you want a reimbursement, email us. I was like, dude, yeah, you like, granted, it was only 20 bucks for the year, but I want my like 10 bucks back because you fucking axed this whole team and, like I'm pissed off, they didn't even keep their archives up dude, they pulled that shit where they blew up the archives.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they like just blew up the like. I don't understand that at all. They just like that is just. Yeah, they destroyed the website. That hopefully, like. I think that I don't know, I haven't been following it close enough. I'm hoping that someone has that like archive somewhere.
Speaker 1:But yeah, dude, gamestop like took down the whole website and everything publicly accessible archives correct it's kind of like that's whack but yeah, it's like why, why would you do that? But whatever, it's not that it does not that expensive to keep, yeah, but to take on the digital too, though, dude, like it's not that expensive to have your servers, like keep that live, like it costs probably. Honestly, it probably costs GameStop $300 a year to keep that website live, like not to do all the salaries and stuff, but the actual website to be up, like it's like come on, guys, did you really have to take that down?
Speaker 2:No, they did not. This is the most millennial English major rant of all time.
Speaker 1:I just want you to know that. Hey man, Physical media for the win. It's very accurate. And RIP. Hey man physical media for the win and rip like. A lot of cool folks work there and it sucks that they all lost their job so a new game stop.
Speaker 2:The game stop and also the monoculture. I mean, there's still some good gaming websites, but they seem to be consolidating indeed, which is a bummer well, right on, dude, glad to play control.
Speaker 1:Always a good time chatting, bro, but we should bring this one to a close.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm just going to say that you exposed that my wife wasn't at home with me. So I'm glad I'm not playing Control tonight, because last night it was spooky trying to sleep dude A lot of paranormal zone on here, dude. A lot of checking my six dude. I was like what's going on? Who, Dylan the dump? Why, when am? I A copy of a copy of a copy of a copy. What are you trying to tell me? He said whoa, whoa, dimension, yeah.
Speaker 1:Indeed. Glad you haven't played this one. What are we playing next? Have you locked that on yet?
Speaker 2:play this one. What are we playing next? Do you have you? Have you locked that down yet? Yeah, I'm whoop-dee-dee, scooping you, dude. Oh wow, what are we doing? Two things, uh, a compelling, a compelling love letter was written to me. It was spoken aloud to me, composed, delivered from tyler, saying he wants to co-play zelda and we're a zelda pod in our heart so we kind of have to be on top of the zeldas. So that comes out in like two, three days. Right, that sounds about right, the new one. So so we're gonna play the new zelda, first playable zelda and like their own mainstay main mainline is that part of that, is that part of the gaming mechanics too.
Speaker 1:Can you play two players in that or some shit? No, just playing it at the same time being in the zeitgeist, oh I was like whoa that'd be cool yeah, well, tell him to get his ass into chat so we can hear about his experience he.
Speaker 2:You know he will, he will.
Speaker 1:He's been officially bullied, so he knows right now hell yeah cool man echoes of wisdom and if you're listening to this, thanks for bearing with the uh, you know, we didn't even have any burps. Maybe I don't need to edit this one, we'll see.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I had some noises and I did my best. Okay, I did my best.
Speaker 1:It's all good, bro, it's all good. I will get this one to edit because it's always fun to sneak in some sound effects and some little tunes from Control and whatnot.
Speaker 2:Get your butt rock of Asgard in there. I know you love his home. That's true. That was pretty, if I can call.
Speaker 1:But yeah, hit up the website low5gamingcom. There's an invite to our Discord there. You can buy some t-shirts if you want. You can check out a couple of articles that both Luke and I have written. Luke's got a really cool. What do you want to call it? Dissertations Cool shit about gaming and education in there. That's worth checking out if that's something that interests you.
Speaker 1:Um, but yeah, join us in the discord. Uh, share this shit out. Tell your friends holler or not. Holler at you should holler. You can holler at mw in our discord recently joined. I'm gonna holler at mw. What up? Dude, thanks for joining the discord. Uh, pretty cool man. He found us because he's looking for the disco elysium pod or a pod on disco elysium. Found us and then I'm pretty sure he just downloaded our whole backlog, has been listening to us, so that's really. That's rad man. I don't know if you're gonna get it this far in this episode, but if you do, you're a cool person and you're also where do you say he was? From Ireland, which is also cool. That's fucking cool man. Dublin, he's from Dublin. Yeah, we're like family, bro dude.
Speaker 2:MW.
Speaker 1:I love it, man, cool alright, y'all alright, bro, much love peace pew, pew, pew.
