Against the Storm

Alex and Luke venture into the rain-soaked world of Against the Storm, a roguelike city builder developed by Eremite Games. Released in November 2023, this highly acclaimed game invites players to balance resource management, exploration, and the survival of diverse species—all while contending with the endless storms that threaten their settlements.

At the time of this recording, Against the Storm boasts a Metacritic score of 91. According to How Long to Beat, playtimes vary widely, with 31 hours for the main story and up to 267 hours for completionists who dare to brave every tempest. Luke played entirely on his Steam Deck, while Alex split his time between Steam Deck and PC.

Join the hosts as they discuss the game’s unique mechanics, including its roguelike replayability and dynamic city-building systems. Hear how Against the Storm stacks up to other city builders, what strategies they employed to weather the storms, and why this game is worth the hype.

This episode is unofficially brought to you in part by Jim Carrey’s Grinch.

Chapters

• 0:22 Against the Storm
• 30:00 Unsanctioned Sponsor: Jim Carrey's Grinch
• 35:16 Sidequestin'

Transcript

LFG Ep. 041: Against the Storm

00:21:01 Luke: Welcome and hello to low five gaming. I am Luke and this is my co-host and brother Alex.

00:21:10 Alex Stahlmann: Yo. What's up, bro? It's.

00:21:12 Luke: How you doing? How you doing, Santa, man? You got cute little hat. We love it here.

00:21:17 Alex Stahlmann: Ho, ho, I'm doing well, dear. Well, I dig my second thought today. It is December about.

00:21:23 Luke: It is December. And, you know, we're gathered here today to deck the halls and play games, dude. I don't know

00:21:32 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:21:32 Luke: what to

00:21:33 Alex Stahlmann: it.

00:21:33 Luke: say there. The Santa theme only can go so far with me, but we are here to talk about against the storm.

00:21:39 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. I tell you what, man, things have been going good, but the rain's come in.

00:21:43 Luke: The rain is coming, not the

00:21:44 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:21:44 Luke: snow.

00:21:44 Alex Stahlmann: got my I got my folk making more fucking raincoats and shit. I got the tavern going.

00:21:50 Luke: You got your production

00:21:51 Alex Stahlmann: I had to

00:21:51 Luke: chain

00:21:51 Alex Stahlmann: move

00:21:51 Luke: poppin?

00:21:51 Alex Stahlmann: my logger camp.

00:21:52 Luke: Yeah. You got your production chain poppin?

00:21:55 Alex Stahlmann: Indeed.

00:21:56 Luke: Yeah. You know, this is a you do a few for them and then you do you do one for you occasionally. And this is, you know, when we get into niche retro future retro games, we're in the zone and we're doing some grimy asks that you build or type strategy games We're in the we're in the loop zone, and here we are, man. How'd you do? I just drive the times.

00:22:17 Alex Stahlmann: I feel like I'm firmly in Luke's pocket. That's how I feel.

00:22:20 Luke: Yeah.

00:22:20 Alex Stahlmann: But not good and bad. I do love this type of game as well. You know, I would say in our youth, like, it was something that I was like super into these real time strategy type games with you kind of over my over my shoulder watching

00:22:36 Luke: Sure.

00:22:36 Alex Stahlmann: that, you kind of

00:22:37 Luke: Yeah.

00:22:37 Alex Stahlmann: took a kind of you run with them. I would say I would say that in our adult life, you you have given yourself fully to the

00:22:46 Luke: Yeah.

00:22:46 Alex Stahlmann: the arts.

00:22:47 Luke: And this one's, like, even more like, niche and like, city kind of builder like, but also needs to be mentioned that this is firmly within the realm of games. Or if you're playing it before you go to bed, I'll wake up and have like weird, obsessive thoughts about this game and how things are going. So just a general warning that, you know, if you want some weird psychotic have dreams, this is the type of game to get your brain working a little harder and addicting

00:23:13 Alex Stahlmann: Against it

00:23:13 Luke: the

00:23:13 Alex Stahlmann: is addicting, dude. It also like my whole life, it gets my anxiety go in from time to time.

00:23:19 Luke: Yeah. You know, and it's a different it's got some cool mechanics into it that make it even more stressful. Not in a bad way. More of a strategy where. But we'll get to that in a little bit. So if you're like, hey, what's against the storm? It is. Oh, sorry, dude. Where those awkward transitions.

00:23:40 Alex Stahlmann: Nearby.

00:23:43 Luke: Knight So are you talking about last year?

00:23:47 Alex Stahlmann: But oh, we're just talking about real time charades games and shit.

00:23:56 Luke: So.

00:23:56 Alex Stahlmann: Strategy

00:23:56 Luke: Yeah.

00:23:56 Alex Stahlmann: against others.

00:23:57 Luke: What is against the storm? It is produced or developed by Emirate Games, not the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia or anything like that. You can see where we might think that, though. Although now, God, I don't know that it's not produced by them. So hold on.

00:24:15 Alex Stahlmann: Quick

00:24:15 Luke: And published

00:24:16 Alex Stahlmann: backtrack.

00:24:17 Luke: and published by hooded horse publishers, which they have some cool other nerdy strategy games I've enjoyed in the past as well, like Old World is a really cool Civ competitor made from the guy who was like the lead on Civ four. So if you're an old

00:24:32 Alex Stahlmann: Okay.

00:24:32 Luke: had strategy,

00:24:32 Alex Stahlmann: Interesting.

00:24:33 Luke: bro, you might be into Old World if you haven't heard of it yet. And then a super niche and deeply nerdy, awesome Soviet game about communism, city building and lastly, Manor Lords, which was like a pretty big smash hit through Xbox Game Pass and such within the last year or so. So yeah, well known for this zone as released back in 2023. You and I talked earlier. There's a big DLC that has dropped that has boosted its recent popularity too,

00:25:03 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:25:03 Luke: and it has had frequent updates that just keep adding free content to the game as well, which I think is pretty awesome.

00:25:10 Alex Stahlmann: As close by, Missy. I mean, we're nearing the end of the year and I didn't know much about this game, as I think you maybe had mentioned it to me, or maybe that you were like, I don't know,

00:25:19 Luke: It's

00:25:19 Alex Stahlmann: I'm curious about

00:25:20 Luke: been on

00:25:20 Alex Stahlmann: it.

00:25:20 Luke: my radar for a minute. Yeah.

00:25:22 Alex Stahlmann: Right. So. So it's cool. You know, you you actually get to join me on steam. Thanks for that bro this time

00:25:28 Luke: Oh, yeah. Goes on sale. You know.

00:25:31 Alex Stahlmann: but you know so is is fun to get into it and like learn a little bit more about a deli trying to play a game. I think I was telling you off Mike that this is one of those games where I poured out, so that's why I'm into it, as well as games. I put about 10 to 12 hours into it for, you know, for our recent you know, for this pod. Of course, I was picking on your hours, so I know that you put in about three times that.

00:25:55 Luke: Yeah. Just got over 30. It's funny, I play it almost exclusively on the steam deck though. So, like, there's

00:26:00 Alex Stahlmann: Interesting.

00:26:00 Luke: been times where I've thought I've played upwards of 50 because you leave it on sleep and then for a second it says. So I thought I had like some crazy hours that once I was like, I wasn't time traveling that hard.

00:26:12 Alex Stahlmann: But you know, I bring it up though, like the time put in though, because one, you're right, it is one of those time traveling games where you get into the groove and you're like, Oh shit. Like a few hours has passed. It's time for me to shut this thing down.

00:26:24 Luke: Yeah.

00:26:25 Alex Stahlmann: But more so, it is a game that I feel like I have finally started to wrap my head around how to do things. It took a few hours, dude. And that's that's pretty typical of, you know, a city builder type game like this, start to feel more comfortable with the things that I'm doing. Also realizing that I am only just scraping the surface, I think that this game lends itself to hours and hours of gameplay. It is reductive but true that this game is considered a a road like city builder. I think I heard floating around the internet.

00:27:00 Luke: Yeah. So my description is actually handheld tactical city building. Roguelike. That's what I

00:27:06 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:27:07 Luke: wrote down. Yeah, that. I feel like that crystallizes it. And if you read on its steamy page, they would tell you that it's a dark fantasy Silver City builder, where you must rebuild civilization in the face of apocalyptic rains as the Queen's

00:27:20 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:27:20 Luke: Viceroy and lead humans. Beavers Did you think those are beavers before you read it? Or were you like, the fuck?

00:27:26 Alex Stahlmann: I sat

00:27:26 Luke: Those

00:27:26 Alex Stahlmann: there

00:27:26 Luke: are

00:27:26 Alex Stahlmann: a little.

00:27:26 Luke: beavers?

00:27:27 Alex Stahlmann: I mean,

00:27:28 Luke: Like

00:27:28 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:27:28 Luke: Dwarf

00:27:28 Alex Stahlmann: can see the beaver

00:27:29 Luke: Grow

00:27:29 Alex Stahlmann: thing,

00:27:29 Luke: Skinny

00:27:29 Alex Stahlmann: but it's

00:27:30 Luke: dudes.

00:27:30 Alex Stahlmann: more like a door for the

00:27:31 Luke: Yeah.

00:27:31 Alex Stahlmann: door. Five for me.

00:27:32 Luke: So when I first read those little beavers after seeing that art, I was quite confused. But anyway, lizard foxes and harpies to reclaim the wilderness and secure a future. It's pretty crazy game. Pretty obscure. But yes,

00:27:44 Alex Stahlmann: Wow.

00:27:45 Luke: Rogue Roguelike City Builder is correct, which is two genres that aren't often mixed together.

00:27:51 Alex Stahlmann: No.

00:27:52 Luke: So that's kind of part of why. And the setting is cool, like as much as I, you know.

00:27:56 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. There's definitely like an overarching story to it that that brings it all together and kind of works like there's this weird you're the Viceroy in the sense that you're like going on. I don't know where you say, would you

00:28:06 Luke: She's

00:28:06 Alex Stahlmann: like, do

00:28:07 Luke: going

00:28:07 Alex Stahlmann: you?

00:28:07 Luke: on expeditions.

00:28:08 Alex Stahlmann: You're

00:28:08 Luke: They call them to closed

00:28:09 Alex Stahlmann: right.

00:28:09 Luke: gates or something.

00:28:11 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:28:12 Luke: The dark fantasy does some. It just kind of helps set up the gameplay loop, which

00:28:19 Alex Stahlmann: Sure.

00:28:19 Luke: is, you know, you go on these little runs essentially like you would in a rogue lake. But, you know, city builders can get

00:28:25 Alex Stahlmann: And

00:28:25 Luke: fairly

00:28:25 Alex Stahlmann: I don't know

00:28:25 Luke: detailed

00:28:25 Alex Stahlmann: if it's fair

00:28:26 Luke: and

00:28:26 Alex Stahlmann: to

00:28:26 Luke: crazy

00:28:26 Alex Stahlmann: call him little dude, like. Yeah, I.

00:28:28 Luke: medium

00:28:29 Alex Stahlmann: I don't know how much time

00:28:29 Luke: sized

00:28:29 Alex Stahlmann: you're putting

00:28:29 Luke: runs

00:28:30 Alex Stahlmann: in there. Yeah. Right.

00:28:32 Luke: well

00:28:32 Alex Stahlmann: And I think

00:28:32 Luke: in

00:28:32 Alex Stahlmann: that's

00:28:32 Luke: the

00:28:33 Alex Stahlmann: been.

00:28:33 Luke: in the world of a city builder though like in city skylines, too, I've probably pumped 10 hours into highway traffic of one

00:28:39 Alex Stahlmann: Right?

00:28:40 Luke: run. So like in

00:28:41 Alex Stahlmann: Sure.

00:28:41 Luke: this, like a run probably takes you about an hour, hour and a half.

00:28:45 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:28:45 Luke: So to scale. Yeah, it is medium, but it gets gnarly. You're not wrong.

00:28:50 Alex Stahlmann: Which

00:28:50 Luke: Which.

00:28:50 Alex Stahlmann: is weird though. Do you like in that? That's what makes this game so much different for me anyways, compared to different city builder or real time strategy games that I played in the sense that you pour an hour, an hour, half time into making your your new expedition, your new like city work, and then you basically accomplish the feat that you set out for on that run. And they're like, okay, come back to you,

00:29:12 Luke: Yeah.

00:29:12 Alex Stahlmann: come back and let's do it all over again. And it's like, whoa, whoa. You can

00:29:15 Luke: Yeah.

00:29:15 Alex Stahlmann: you can bind you. You can choose to continue rock and roll with it.

00:29:18 Luke: Yeah.

00:29:19 Alex Stahlmann: But like that, that's the

00:29:20 Luke: You

00:29:20 Alex Stahlmann: first

00:29:21 Luke: could

00:29:21 Alex Stahlmann: couple,

00:29:21 Luke: present and like fluidity

00:29:23 Alex Stahlmann: right?

00:29:23 Luke: but there's. I think it'd be helpful if you're a listener who hasn't played the game or watched a video. I think about it a lot when I play it is there's three main gameplay loops. There's like keeping your dudes alive and like building up your typical production chains. Like you made a joke earlier about getting coats, but like getting

00:29:41 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:29:41 Luke: the preferred type of meats, keeping them happy, keeping them alive, because there's different events that keep happening in the game and like storms and like bad things, that's like one of the main loops. Then there's like a constant exploration task type of loop. Like you send your loggers out, you clear, and you find these things called glades or like areas in whatever generated map you're in with the different biomes. Getting pretty nice here, but it's helpful. So there's that aspect where you're like, you're completing tasks to like complete your mission, which is keeping that, you know, getting enough points or whatever to like complete the mission and quote unquote build the settlement versus what they call impatience, which is like this ticking clock that you can slow down or revert. But there's a ticking clock where sometimes you, like, literally fails that mission. You don't establish the the colony. And regardless of your outcome, though, it feeds back into the third loop, which is like the overworld. And that's where you like have this constant, like you come back to that after winning or failing and you get like these resources that you come back with you as a reward and then you build up different upgrades, kind of build up your keep essentially, and like

00:30:50 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:30:50 Luke: the things that go out into those expeditions. And that's where the rogue like part comes in because you're constantly having these missions, these settlements, and then you're bringing it back and you're upgrading all these different systems back home. And who let me just breathe after that one, too. But I felt like it's going to be really helpful to people enjoying listening to this game and what we're going about and doing.

00:31:10 Alex Stahlmann: 100%. I'm going to give you that for the people. A quick plot breakdown from the wiki. But this game is set in a fantasy world eternally ravaged by the blight storm. The only safe haven in this world is a smoldering city ruled by the scorched queen. Occasionally the storm subsides and the scorched queen says her viceroy is to establish settlements with the purpose of gathering supplies from the smoldering city until the black storm hits again, destroying all settlements in the process.

00:31:38 Luke: Yeah. So you do those three things in is dope

00:31:40 Alex Stahlmann: So that's

00:31:41 Luke: and

00:31:41 Alex Stahlmann: your

00:31:41 Luke: it's

00:31:41 Alex Stahlmann: loop.

00:31:41 Luke: addicting and it's kind of hard. And I've been playing it for 30

00:31:45 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:31:45 Luke: hours,

00:31:46 Alex Stahlmann: mean.

00:31:46 Luke: as you said earlier. And even to this point, like there's entirely new systems of the games. Like you're ready for this now. And I'm like,

00:31:53 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:31:53 Luke: No, no, I'm not.

00:31:57 Alex Stahlmann: And yeah, I don't think I finish the thought though on the on the time

00:31:59 Luke: Is.

00:31:59 Alex Stahlmann: thing and in that is that I do feel that this is a game I'll keep in my rotation for quite some time because like I would say, I have only scratched the surface. I can tell there's more more to it. And it is it is an addicting game. Like I do like going in and I do feel that there's there's a lot to be squeezed out of this game.

00:32:18 Luke: Are you playing on your desktop or the DVD?

00:32:21 Alex Stahlmann: Both. But I do prefer playing on the desktop by being out of.

00:32:25 Luke: Oh, really? Because part of the reason that it's going to remain in my rotation and one of the reasons I picked it is I've specifically heard this game runs really well and was optimized really well on the steam deck. In a steam deck verified. And like, I'm pretty nerdy about my strategy game, so you'd think the steam deck would help me with that. A lot of the games I'm into are very mouse centric and like, yeah, you can get an attachment for the steam mini, but like laying in bed, I'm not trying to also bust out the mouse.

00:32:54 Alex Stahlmann: Sir.

00:32:54 Luke: So this game dude runs so nice on the steam deck. So like it's going

00:32:59 Alex Stahlmann: It

00:32:59 Luke: to get

00:32:59 Alex Stahlmann: does.

00:32:59 Luke: some extra play for me simply because it's like it scratches a specific itch combined with the handheld.

00:33:06 Alex Stahlmann: Mm

00:33:06 Luke: So

00:33:06 Alex Stahlmann: hmm.

00:33:06 Luke: it's just like I can be like a time traveling grimy strat city building nerd boy in bed.

00:33:14 Alex Stahlmann: No. I feel you ought to reset the day, optimize it quite well for the steam deck and a utilizes actually all of the aspects of the steam magnate's steam deck nicely

00:33:22 Luke: Yeah. A trackpad

00:33:22 Alex Stahlmann: including

00:33:23 Luke: especially.

00:33:23 Alex Stahlmann: the track bands.

00:33:23 Luke: Yeah.

00:33:24 Alex Stahlmann: Yep. So the track bands is actually the most I probably use a trackpad on the steam deck

00:33:28 Luke: Easily.

00:33:28 Alex Stahlmann: and it just

00:33:29 Luke: Easily?

00:33:29 Alex Stahlmann: works so well.

00:33:30 Luke: Yeah.

00:33:31 Alex Stahlmann: So I do have to give kudos to them for figuring that out. It does work really nicely. But that said, I do. I mean, it's it's still a real time strategy game and it's still like very nice with that with the mouse. I tell you what.

00:33:46 Luke: Yeah. And I'm sure like looking around the map and. Yeah, I should do it on here too. Just to let, like. Just to know what it. Just to know what the next level is, man. Like if I play it on, like, a higher difficulty because I think you just like

00:33:58 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:33:58 Luke: the rewards for each run or settlement are scaled based on the difficulty you're playing on. So like,

00:34:04 Alex Stahlmann: I have

00:34:04 Luke: maybe

00:34:04 Alex Stahlmann: a tendency

00:34:05 Luke: if.

00:34:05 Alex Stahlmann: to be pretty anal and pretty particular about these things.

00:34:08 Luke: Yeah.

00:34:08 Alex Stahlmann: So like for me once I like figured out how to set up these camps and little cities, whatever, these are like that. I was like, okay, well now I want them to look pretty and I want my past to like go the right way

00:34:21 Luke: Man.

00:34:21 Alex Stahlmann: and like that kind of thing.

00:34:22 Luke: You lay down

00:34:22 Alex Stahlmann: And so

00:34:22 Luke: paths

00:34:23 Alex Stahlmann: being

00:34:23 Luke: like consistently.

00:34:23 Alex Stahlmann: able to it speeds up the speeds of the time that you guys take to get to, to and from when they're collecting resources

00:34:30 Luke: I

00:34:30 Alex Stahlmann: and

00:34:30 Luke: suppose

00:34:30 Alex Stahlmann: shit.

00:34:31 Luke: it's so chaotic for me because of those missions I talked about. There's like the missions are crucial for surviving quite literally to get like the points to move on. But also like

00:34:39 Alex Stahlmann: And.

00:34:39 Luke: you get the crowd essentially like sends you a bunch of supplies for completing missions to help your little

00:34:45 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:34:45 Luke: fledging settlement. And like a lot of times what the map is giving me because it's randomly generated, right? What

00:34:52 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:34:52 Luke: the maps giving me versus what I need for the mission versus what I need to keep my villagers happy are all frustratingly

00:34:59 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:34:59 Luke: a little different.

00:35:00 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

00:35:01 Luke: When you first played, it's almost like the deck building. One's how you have different cards that like do different like abilities and things because like you have to select which upgrade or package you're going to get all the time. So like with the buildings that you need to do the different tasks,

00:35:16 Alex Stahlmann: And.

00:35:16 Luke: do you wait for the missions before you start picking those or were you just picking those based on what's around you? Because that

00:35:24 Alex Stahlmann: So.

00:35:24 Luke: was a big turning point to surviving for me. It was the waiting on all those upgrades and choices to figure things out first.

00:35:31 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, it kind of depends, like as I've learned this game, because over time my kids, I think they kind of throw you in It's not super. It's it's it's tricky. Overwhelming, right? Because, like, I

00:35:41 Luke: Yeah.

00:35:41 Alex Stahlmann: was like, I get it. Like it was happening. And then I would probably be 45 minutes into my settlement and like, this is fucking ridiculous. I don't know what's going on here,

00:35:49 Luke: Get slammed

00:35:49 Alex Stahlmann: you know,

00:35:50 Luke: by events. Yeah.

00:35:50 Alex Stahlmann: it's totally. But then you start to learn. Once you learn and once you learn, like if you hover over buildings and stuff or you hover over resources, it tells you what buildings you know. Then they will appear bubble that pops up or whatever. It will tell you what buildings you can use to extract those resources. And it's like you start to figure out how to get the game to work for you. But to answer your question, I have a better relationship with those cards than I used to because they're on a timer, so they unlock as you go through. I can't remember the full number, but you basically get 2 to 3 at a time that you get to select and then they give you three options where you get to choose. And it took me a while to realize, okay, I can look at this and I can figure out, okay, I know that my map has this type of thing or I'll see that like they're asking you to do a certain thing or like have a certain amount of items. And then I could realize, well, I already have, you know, 75% of the items I need for this particular task. So I'm going to go with that one because I know I can accomplish it. Or I realize that if they're asking me to do something, that there is going to be a long time before I have the buildings that I need to produce a certain thing that they're asking for in this task. So I'm not going to go with that because it doesn't make sense for me.

00:37:01 Luke: Yeah,

00:37:01 Alex Stahlmann: But that was a learning experience.

00:37:03 Luke: it's a learning curve. And that's kind of why the whole, like, rogue, like you do a settlement and maybe your settlement fails, maybe you pass, but regardless, you're moving on. Even if

00:37:13 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:37:13 Luke: you're crushing it, you're moving on. I think that makes the learning curve. And then you go back to the settlement, do your fuckin upgrades, and then you're kind of excited about how the upgrades are going to help you in the next run. So that's why the the marriage between the roguelike elements and the city building. It's a unique so unique combo. And this

00:37:31 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:37:31 Luke: podcast was going to cover a game like that because we have covered a decent chunk of rogue lakes, or at least in our side quests and and stuff.

00:37:37 Alex Stahlmann: Sarah.

00:37:37 Luke: And we, we are not afraid of that or a city builder. So what

00:37:42 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:37:42 Luke: are unique

00:37:42 Alex Stahlmann: That

00:37:43 Luke: and

00:37:43 Alex Stahlmann: was

00:37:43 Luke: kind

00:37:43 Alex Stahlmann: really

00:37:43 Luke: of crazy game.

00:37:44 Alex Stahlmann: 100% did. I think an interesting part of this gameplay loop, too, is that you get dropped on your map and you have a certain year in combined user amount of space and you're surrounded by or at least where I am in the game, it might change later on where you're surrounded by trees and wooded areas and that there's different pockets.

00:38:00 Luke: We're big

00:38:01 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:38:02 Luke: fans of the.

00:38:05 Alex Stahlmann: So there's so there's different pockets. Right. And then you have to send a camp of loggers, usually beavers, because they log more efficiently than the other characters You get what's going on over there.

00:38:17 Luke: The neighbor dropped by. Trisha gave her a box. I didn't know any of this was happening. It was very upsetting. Now it's all good. You're not being yelled at. But I was like, The fuck's going on? So yeah.

00:38:32 Alex Stahlmann: Hold on. And, you know, he keeps calling me up.

00:38:35 Luke: Ellie Stallman.

00:38:36 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. I think it was excellent. We got once. Anyways. Um, so, yeah, you're surrounded by, by wooded areas and you, you set your logger caps up and you basically there's these different pockets so you can see they're they're covered, they're shrouded in mystery. And they might tell you that there is like some sort of danger over there. Right.

00:39:07 Luke: Yeah.

00:39:07 Alex Stahlmann: And it might it might be marked, but there is no danger, as is the fog. And then when you when you log the trees and enter that area, it reveals that part of the map. And then each one, whether they have new resources or they'll have like a new task or a new like challenge within that I thought was

00:39:21 Luke: Danger.

00:39:21 Alex Stahlmann: really interesting

00:39:22 Luke: Yeah,

00:39:23 Alex Stahlmann: that.

00:39:23 Luke: it's spicy and very stressful, but once again, big rewards for completing the tasks. And you have to like send your villagers out specifically to either gather the materials, separate them like resources, like crates, essentially, or like combating something. And sometimes it's cool when you like rebuild the structures that helps you like lose

00:39:43 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:39:43 Luke: the benefits within the map. So yeah, you're doing like a lot of different crazy stuff in the game, which kind of leads into the what. So I really like it, but I can see where strategy games already take like a few hours of stress before you have even the smallest amount of fun. This game is definitely not saved from that.

00:40:03 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:40:03 Luke: Those the

00:40:03 Alex Stahlmann: know

00:40:03 Luke: things you're frustrated about. Like that's got to be it.

00:40:06 Alex Stahlmann: that it's funny and you know I've met I'll mention again like the you know I basically start to get the hang of things feel good about it and then it will and I'm not even to a point like I know because I've seen the overworld map in like I've only unveiled a little bit of it. So I know there's going to be more and more to do. I know that you mentioned that there's more characters. I basically have. I've just I'm still sitting with the main three, the humans, the beavers and the lizards.

00:40:31 Luke: And.

00:40:31 Alex Stahlmann: So I think you listed off there's two more. Is that right?

00:40:34 Luke: Yes, I have the harpies. I think I

00:40:39 Alex Stahlmann: Okay.

00:40:39 Luke: know I have the foxes, too. And I think

00:40:41 Alex Stahlmann: Okay.

00:40:41 Luke: that maybe even with the update there, my update of the DLC, there's like another race as well.

00:40:48 Alex Stahlmann: See

00:40:48 Luke: So it keeps

00:40:48 Alex Stahlmann: it here.

00:40:49 Luke: keeps getting deeper and deeper.

00:40:50 Alex Stahlmann: Right. So that says did do like I know for a fact that even though I finally got my head wrapped around what I'm doing, got to of this like base level stuff, it's good to just keep slapping me with more layers of gameplay, which is one part exciting and one part like a little bit of anxiety driving because I'm like, Oh man. Or is the anxiety inducing? Rather because it's like, Oh man, this game is like, is this going to hit me with like more complex stuff as I keep going? But but that's also kind of fun, you know?

00:41:15 Luke: Yeah. No, if it was back in the day to like when I was a little teenager, I probably would have gotten all the deep, deep nitty gritty. But you know what? I didn't think I was going to spend the insane amount of hours in Slay the Spire that I did. And here we are.

00:41:28 Alex Stahlmann: They're very.

00:41:28 Luke: So sometimes. Sometimes the game starts off and you don't think you'll be there. And then it kind of kind of hooks you with different stuff. But there's like a whole blight system that I got

00:41:39 Alex Stahlmann: It.

00:41:40 Luke: introduced to like ten, 15 hours back and I've just ignored.

00:41:44 Alex Stahlmann: So is that the blade storm stuff where you have to pay attention to the storms working or.

00:41:48 Luke: Um. It's like you connect like these geezers, geezers, geezers, not geezers. Silliness. At least that correctable

00:41:55 Alex Stahlmann: Jumping

00:41:55 Luke: stuff.

00:41:56 Alex Stahlmann: in. His presence broke.

00:41:56 Luke: Yeah. At least I knew some geezers that, like, connect up some water system to, like, some steampunk stuff because it's like, dark fantasy and there's

00:42:05 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:42:05 Luke: a, there's like a steampunk steam engine type element that boosts your efficiency, but like this thing called blight, which is this corruption. So you have to balance that. So like to me that just sounds deeply overwhelming on top of everything else we've been talking about, but maybe on a higher difficulty like that, efficiency is so key that it's a worthy gamble. So

00:42:28 Alex Stahlmann: That

00:42:28 Luke: it's

00:42:28 Alex Stahlmann: will

00:42:29 Luke: insane

00:42:29 Alex Stahlmann: be interesting to

00:42:29 Luke: that

00:42:29 Alex Stahlmann: find

00:42:29 Luke: at the

00:42:30 Alex Stahlmann: out.

00:42:30 Luke: same depth.

00:42:32 Alex Stahlmann: I think it's even buy it because it took me quite a few hours before I started, like going in and reading what my different buildings were supposed to be doing and making that connection

00:42:42 Luke: Yeah.

00:42:43 Alex Stahlmann: to resources and everything. And it's like, I don't know what's going on with me, but like every game we got always like and it's not like I'm an English major. I know how to read, but I'm not like beyond reading. I don't know what it is about videogames, but I'm like, I can't read that shit. And then I find myself like once I finally, like, reloads and I'm like, okay. And then everything starts to come together because I spent the time to read something.

00:43:06 Luke: Oh, man. Yeah.

00:43:08 Alex Stahlmann: But I think it's funny. Like, it's like I haven't read some of that stuff, but just by reading some of the things about different buildings and how things work, I'm like, Oh man, I'm going to get interested because there's you got to mention it a little bit. But the whole like there's all this technology that apparently I'll be able to unlock later that is powered by the rain and the storms and stuff. Like right now I have like more rain collectors and whatnot that I'm not even entirely sure what they do. Actually, I do know what they do like like could use or someone like the mills and other things to make certain products. But

00:43:36 Luke: Yeah.

00:43:37 Alex Stahlmann: it took me a while to figure out.

00:43:38 Luke: T and L and things like that. Yeah. No, it's

00:43:41 Alex Stahlmann: Okay.

00:43:42 Luke: and then you're like, all right, I need beer. So you, like, unlock the thing that, like, makes you brew beer and then you're brewing beer and they're like, Hey, dude, we're out of jars or like leather sacks

00:43:50 Alex Stahlmann: They

00:43:50 Luke: to

00:43:50 Alex Stahlmann: knew

00:43:50 Luke: put this beer. And I'm like,

00:43:53 Alex Stahlmann: it

00:43:53 Luke: What?

00:43:53 Alex Stahlmann: would.

00:43:53 Luke: What do you call those leather sacks that you drag and drink? Dad is such a dork. He, like, would drink out of those on, like, vacations and shit, like the leather

00:44:01 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. And

00:44:02 Luke: bags.

00:44:02 Alex Stahlmann: they're like wives or whatever.

00:44:03 Luke: Yeah. Sorry. I just had to dunk on Dad real quick

00:44:07 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:44:07 Luke: for his dorky old man hydration back in the day.

00:44:11 Alex Stahlmann: but it's outrageous. Then it's like all the different buildings. You, as you move on, there's, there's so many layers in this game, but it's, it's so deep. And you unlock newer buildings, and then different buildings will have their inefficiencies that others that you might need like plagues early game like played like producing planes was such a headache to me until I figured out that, you know, okay, like I can make, I forget what they call it, but there's like a, like a makeshift camp type thing where you can

00:44:36 Luke: Mm.

00:44:36 Alex Stahlmann: make some plays, but then you can get a longer mill, which helps you make like produce faster plagues. You also can

00:44:42 Luke: And lower

00:44:43 Alex Stahlmann: you

00:44:43 Luke: cost.

00:44:43 Alex Stahlmann: can, yeah. And you can also prioritize certain things because like the mill will be able to make a few different things. And if you are short on planks or something like that, you could prioritize plagues. There's, there's lot of, there's a lot of depth to this game. Like you have a lot

00:44:56 Luke: Have

00:44:57 Alex Stahlmann: of control

00:44:57 Luke: you

00:44:57 Alex Stahlmann: over how things are going.

00:44:58 Luke: have you ever gotten like a like a pub and a church and like another function, like city function all up and running? In or out or no.

00:45:08 Alex Stahlmann: I know, because. Well, I mean, yes and no. Like, what do you mean? Like, where? Where. Where you got.

00:45:16 Luke: Just the point where like you have all the services and your people are just like Max happy and you're actually just

00:45:22 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:45:22 Luke: like

00:45:22 Alex Stahlmann: am.

00:45:22 Luke: rushing, like, because that does feel good. There's been times

00:45:25 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:45:25 Luke: where, like,

00:45:25 Alex Stahlmann: And

00:45:25 Luke: people

00:45:25 Alex Stahlmann: they pull

00:45:25 Luke: are.

00:45:25 Alex Stahlmann: you off the game because

00:45:26 Luke: Yeah.

00:45:26 Alex Stahlmann: there's a rub, like.

00:45:28 Luke: Yeah. Yeah, it is true. Like everyone's finally happening in a happy. Whereas other times I'm playing, people are, like, dying and leaving and I'm like, No, we need to finish

00:45:36 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:45:37 Luke: this task, get back.

00:45:38 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:45:38 Luke: I suppose that's how colonization and settlement would really work, though.

00:45:42 Alex Stahlmann: Sir, have

00:45:43 Luke: Yeah.

00:45:43 Alex Stahlmann: you are you able to go back to one of your settlements after you left them? I don't think you can.

00:45:50 Luke: No, I don't think you can either. You. Interestingly enough, like, it's like a overboard, kind of like a board game, kind of like

00:45:58 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:45:58 Luke: look to

00:45:58 Alex Stahlmann: Also

00:45:58 Luke: it. Esthetic.

00:45:58 Alex Stahlmann: take time.

00:46:00 Luke: Yeah, it's got that esthetic to it. And like you trade like traders come

00:46:05 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:46:06 Luke: to

00:46:06 Alex Stahlmann: wanted to talk about that. That was another thing

00:46:07 Luke: the

00:46:07 Alex Stahlmann: that

00:46:08 Luke: traders

00:46:08 Alex Stahlmann: can open

00:46:08 Luke: or

00:46:08 Alex Stahlmann: up the

00:46:08 Luke: life

00:46:08 Alex Stahlmann: game for me.

00:46:09 Luke: lines and just like a whole thing that you really are helpful But then when you set up some specific trade routes with your other settlements and you're the main smoldering city or whatever, like that's an element to the game that you can take it or leave it. I kind of use it to complete specific missions sometimes if I'm set up for it. But like you trade with your other settlements, the deeper in you go. And

00:46:32 Alex Stahlmann: How

00:46:32 Luke: then

00:46:32 Alex Stahlmann: interesting.

00:46:32 Luke: I guess we can mention, like another rogue like factor is you get like a certain amount of settlements out and then there's a big storm and that wipes out that overworld map that we just talked about. And you start off at just the city and then you move out from these tiles for your new settlements to try to get to one of those gates, which I can confirm is like a special event game that you play

00:46:54 Alex Stahlmann: Okay.

00:46:54 Luke: where you have like different tasks. You have the cities tasks which you also have like the gate tasks, and then that lets you build more settlements slash attempts before the big storm happens, if that makes sense.

00:47:07 Alex Stahlmann: Interesting. Yeah, I'm not this far in that respect. I think I was curious, too, because as you as you move out on that overall map that I mentioned, kind of looks like a town or if you played like civilization, like it's very similar, like tile base in a way.

00:47:22 Luke: Yeah. Or

00:47:22 Alex Stahlmann: But

00:47:22 Luke: risk

00:47:22 Alex Stahlmann: then like,

00:47:23 Luke: kind of in a way,

00:47:24 Alex Stahlmann: yeah,

00:47:24 Luke: you know.

00:47:25 Alex Stahlmann: so you, you know, you get to see, though, there's like the map is basically it's got some. People are saying, I'm sorry. So. Okay. I

00:48:07 Luke: Was this

00:48:07 Alex Stahlmann: think

00:48:07 Luke: our

00:48:08 Alex Stahlmann: that's

00:48:08 Luke: October

00:48:09 Alex Stahlmann: good

00:48:09 Luke: podcast for Halloween or is it our December Christmas podcast? We've had all of the strangest noises and things going on today.

00:48:17 Alex Stahlmann: to know that Elton's awake and has gone downstairs brainwashed. It seems like he won't sleep. It's like, okay,

00:48:26 Luke: The children.

00:48:27 Alex Stahlmann: let me go home.

00:48:28 Luke: It do be like that.

00:48:30 Alex Stahlmann: The fact. Adam. What was I talking about? Something about the overwhelming.

00:48:45 Luke: Yeah. You push up on the map, spread out like Catan or Civilization or Risk, and you can see things on the over map, the overworld map that you could, that you could kind of had darts and. Yeah, I don't know. That's kind of what you're talking about.

00:49:03 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, for sure that's true. You go with the fighter plane is with the plane with the goddamn Bible thing or whatever. Um, yeah. So I haven't gotten to the point like, so on that overworld map there is, you know, it's kind of similar in-game where things are shrouded in mystery, they're shaded off or whatever. Right? But you have the little, little interest points that I assume that you want to. And again, if I probably would have done a better job of like reading I supposed to be doing, maybe I would know

00:49:36 Luke: Kit.

00:49:37 Alex Stahlmann: why I was going

00:49:37 Luke: Good.

00:49:37 Alex Stahlmann: a certain direction

00:49:38 Luke: Your friggin nerd dude. Yeah.

00:49:40 Alex Stahlmann: and

00:49:40 Luke: They're

00:49:40 Alex Stahlmann: know.

00:49:40 Luke: like modifiers to your game, essentially. So when you pick

00:49:44 Alex Stahlmann: But they

00:49:44 Luke: your next

00:49:45 Alex Stahlmann: will let me

00:49:45 Luke: settlement.

00:49:45 Alex Stahlmann: click on like let's make it close to the one I'm trying to head to about would just not like I'm covered enough of that area or.

00:49:52 Luke: Maybe you're not close enough, but maybe the question mark, like if you do the hexagonal tile next to whatever it is you're getting, the the booster benefit

00:50:00 Alex Stahlmann: What?

00:50:00 Luke: or drawback, whatever it happens to be in the game, the modifier so to speak. And like sometimes it has to do with affecting the biome, sometimes it's like a blessing, so to speak. Sometimes it's like a curse or like something that deals

00:50:14 Alex Stahlmann: I.

00:50:14 Luke: and makes it harder for you. So it's just kind of kind of always keeping it fresh, which goes back to the Roguelike part, where if you're, it kind of always gives you different and newer challenges so you don't have to come up with them on your own or get bored in a sandbox, you know what I mean?

00:50:30 Alex Stahlmann: I'm interested.

00:50:31 Luke: Like it goes away from your typical city building sandbox stuff with that, which is a really cool device.

00:50:38 Alex Stahlmann: Can you can you beat this game or does it go on forever?

00:50:41 Luke: Man. I thought about looking that up for this podcast. That's what a professional would have done. But.

00:50:48 Alex Stahlmann: You want to spoil it for yourself either that

00:50:49 Luke: Considering

00:50:50 Alex Stahlmann: out.

00:50:50 Luke: the massive I'm sure I'm sure there's some sort of road map with the massive DLC and stuff. I'm sure there's multiple different things that you can accomplish

00:50:58 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:50:58 Luke: or do. And I have so much more of that, like base building stuff to do, like all those upgrades to do even. And it's yeah, there's so

00:51:08 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:51:08 Luke: much,

00:51:08 Alex Stahlmann: It's

00:51:08 Luke: there's

00:51:09 Alex Stahlmann: wildly

00:51:09 Luke: so much going

00:51:09 Alex Stahlmann: complex.

00:51:09 Luke: on.

00:51:10 Alex Stahlmann: It's wildly complex,

00:51:11 Luke: Yeah.

00:51:12 Alex Stahlmann: which is part of its, you know, part of its charm. That's definitely part of its charm. But it could be a lot. But yeah, overall, it's been a pretty great experience, I would say. And like I said, it's something I want to continue to like continue to delve into. Probably I, I perceive this game being played for a long time.

00:51:32 Luke: Hell, yeah. If you had to rate it out of a five category five hurricane type storm, dude, which category? Which category would you give it, dude?

00:51:46 Alex Stahlmann: You know I'm tempted. I'm tempted. I'm going to go for.

00:51:53 Luke: Wow. All right.

00:51:55 Alex Stahlmann: Go for?

00:51:55 Luke: I hope I hope to see you playing. And I hope to see those hours creep. That's encouraging. I'm going to give it a full five. I'm not saying

00:52:04 Alex Stahlmann: It,

00:52:04 Luke: it's a

00:52:05 Alex Stahlmann: actually.

00:52:05 Luke: master. I'm not saying it's a masterpiece like one of my favorite games ever. But the fact that it's so playable and enjoy like not just playable but downright enjoyable on the steam deck really enhances the amount of hours I would put into this game. And it is super complex, but you do become fluid and it is fun and fast paced and like refresh able enough to the point where like if I'm going traveling, if I'm away from the house, all those types of things. The fact that I can bring a strategy game that kills this much time with me, like if I were on a plane, dude, I just crash this game for two, 3 hours straight and it it'd be sweet.

00:52:40 Alex Stahlmann: For sure, dude. When

00:52:41 Luke: So

00:52:41 Alex Stahlmann: I said I was tempted

00:52:42 Luke: give it a45.

00:52:43 Alex Stahlmann: because I was tempted to give it a five, but I go for that. I'm glad you give it a five because that brings us to four or five, 4.5 rather. And I don't like doing halves, but our average will bring us there and that's perfectly.

00:52:57 Luke: What a dork.

00:53:00 Alex Stahlmann: 2%.

00:53:01 Luke: Yeah.

00:53:01 Alex Stahlmann: But in the NOx are the NOx are purely it's not necessarily against the game and it's actually kind of a benefit to it. But I mentioned that I think it was pre prerecorded, but I mentioned that I got booted from from a run that I was in because they had pushed through an update which the updates. That's great. I'm glad that they're doing the updates, but it also means that it's not 100% there quite yet, but they're working on it So that's, um, it's, it's a little unfair for me to give them a knock for that, but I was bummed when I got kicked out of like, you know, a settlement that I had spent 45 minutes to an hour and they're like, but in their defense, they let me keep all of the boons that I would have got from that run. I just didn't get to finish it. So that's, you know, that's you know, I think I think, you know, I kind of talk myself into aa5 year, but I'm going to stick to my

00:53:52 Luke: Wow.

00:53:53 Alex Stahlmann: guns for.

00:53:53 Luke: Maybe you do a 4.5 and we give it a 4.75 average dude. Nah,

00:54:00 Alex Stahlmann: Oh.

00:54:01 Luke: I'd say it's sick. And my criticisms of the game all come with the territory. Like, it's just like it can be stressful. Well, that's actually kind

00:54:09 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:54:09 Luke: of part of the fun.

00:54:09 Alex Stahlmann: But that's part of it, right?

00:54:10 Luke: Yeah. And like, there's a huge learning curve, but that also means that it's in depth and there's more and more and more to do. It's actually pretty, pretty easy to learn if you give it an hour or two. It's faster than some of the other ones I've played, that's for sure.

00:54:24 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:54:25 Luke: But all

00:54:25 Alex Stahlmann: And

00:54:25 Luke: right.

00:54:25 Alex Stahlmann: I think it's unique. Do I think it's unique to that which there are a lot of these like city builders rides games like they got you know, I'm not going to say that there's not also unique ones out there, but I think there's this thing it's just wild to me, like the weird story that they've incorporated to it and it kind of this makes everything work and it puts you in a nice little situation.

00:54:46 Luke: Rogue likes your late twenties to thirties. It's

00:54:51 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:54:51 Luke: just. It's just rogue, like just our area of life. I feel like rogue likes have. That's been like the newest, like the coolest innovation that gaming has done and really focused on. I think in the last since we've been pardoned, I feel like is rogue like so I'd like to see that one was executed so well. But this genre

00:55:08 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:55:09 Luke: mixing up. Yeah.

00:55:10 Alex Stahlmann: I could dig a mama there. You want to take a little break? Come back with our unsanctioned sponsor.

00:55:15 Luke: Yes, sir.

00:55:17 Alex Stahlmann: Oh, right. Oh, this was going to be a fun one to edit with the

00:55:25 Luke: With so much to.

00:55:26 Alex Stahlmann: two. What the fuck? Oh.

00:55:28 Luke: I mean, also, like, I've like I kept trying to read from the outline, and I just wasn't ready.

00:55:37 Alex Stahlmann: Oh, no.

00:55:37 Luke: This has been a day.

00:55:38 Alex Stahlmann: I had a good time prior to break, I guess, but lost your

00:55:43 Luke: What's

00:55:43 Alex Stahlmann: audio.

00:55:43 Luke: going on? You're back. What happened?

00:55:48 Alex Stahlmann: Sorry. I don't know. We broke up for a little bit. I think the internet might have been legan.

00:55:53 Luke: What? What else?

00:55:55 Alex Stahlmann: They

00:55:57 Luke: All right.

00:55:58 Alex Stahlmann: and

00:55:58 Luke: All right, man.

00:55:59 Alex Stahlmann: the.

00:55:59 Luke: So we're going to keep at the festive themes with our unsanctioned spotter. Are you ready?

00:56:03 Alex Stahlmann: Mm.

00:56:04 Luke: Thanks for not correct me when I said unsanctioned spotter spotter.

00:56:10 Alex Stahlmann: David as the editor of this podcast, I always got chuckle at some of the things you let

00:56:14 Luke: Oh,

00:56:14 Alex Stahlmann: slip

00:56:14 Luke: man.

00:56:14 Alex Stahlmann: into me. That sort of the same

00:56:16 Luke: I'm

00:56:16 Alex Stahlmann: you.

00:56:16 Luke: a teacher, dude. So, like, I'll say something and I'll give it in my head for, like, 3 seconds. I'm like, Which one of these kids is actually listening? The big you said a stupid word. I'm like, damn it.

00:56:25 Alex Stahlmann: I'm.

00:56:27 Luke: All right. So a very specific unsanctioned sponsor. Very proud of this one. So me and the boys, dude. Well, the wife, the what the family of the boys did. We met the Grinch the other weekend

00:56:39 Alex Stahlmann: Right now.

00:56:40 Luke: and we knew we were going to meet

00:56:41 Alex Stahlmann: I'm.

00:56:41 Luke: the Grinch. So we had recently bought The Grinch Dr. Seuss book, which he's not even in green in the book. So when did he become green? Just the cartoon, I presume.

00:56:51 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.

00:56:54 Luke: So the boys are at an age where they get really excited too. Like if they learn a word and they remember the word and they see the word out in the wild, they just love to say it. So North Saint Paul, we got a big snowman. Nobody, no man. And they get super pumped when we drive by it. So we watched The Grinch, and what I wanted to watch was Jim Carrey's Grinch, but he was kind of scary a tiny bit. So I

00:57:16 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:57:16 Luke: was like,

00:57:16 Alex Stahlmann: No.

00:57:16 Luke: not not sure if the boys are ready for that one. The Grinch we met was

00:57:20 Alex Stahlmann: At.

00:57:21 Luke: modeled after that Grinch, to be fair, but he was cool. It was all good. But we watched The Grinch and I just want to shout out the Jim Carrey Grinch because I looked it up as we watched The New Grinch and people and critics were hating on Jim Carrey's Grinch and what the fuck that is The Grinch. That movie is a top five Chris movie all time. Let's fucking go, dude. This has been brought

00:57:45 Alex Stahlmann: But

00:57:45 Luke: to you by Jim Carrey's Grinch. What's up? Fight me. Argue

00:57:48 Alex Stahlmann: the Grinch

00:57:48 Luke: with

00:57:48 Alex Stahlmann: was

00:57:48 Luke: me.

00:57:49 Alex Stahlmann: doing all right. Let's

00:57:50 Luke: Argue.

00:57:50 Alex Stahlmann: face it. One

00:57:51 Luke: Argue against it. Try me.

00:57:53 Alex Stahlmann: day, my boys,

00:57:53 Luke: Passion.

00:57:54 Alex Stahlmann: my boy is a year behind here. Boys and aged. And the Grinch is a little too much for him. I tried. I was like, because

00:58:02 Luke: Due

00:58:02 Alex Stahlmann: it's,

00:58:02 Luke: to some

00:58:02 Alex Stahlmann: you know,

00:58:02 Luke: long

00:58:02 Alex Stahlmann: Christmas time.

00:58:03 Luke: ass book. Are you just talking about the movie?

00:58:06 Alex Stahlmann: Oh no. I read in the book. I also recently picked up the book. I was at the old Target and they got to know I was the target. So I was out in that area,

00:58:16 Luke: Mm.

00:58:16 Alex Stahlmann: that place, wild dude. I was like, Dang. Not all targets a bit the same. Any diet target is ready for Christmas. I'll tell you what.

00:58:24 Luke: Again in.

00:58:25 Alex Stahlmann: But they've got a hole. Like they had a hole like little miniature, maybe miniature, but they had this, like, little deal going out with all these different Christmas books. And I was like, I buy and I'm buying them the Grinch. I'd do this, but I tried watching the cartoon with it, like the original cartoon

00:58:41 Luke: Yeah.

00:58:42 Alex Stahlmann: that's also like kind of grew. They got a lot of Grinch out there now they got Jim Carrey, which I agree is good shit, but it's a little much for for a one year old to be trying to take in a movie that long. And also like Jim Carrey, I mean, he brings some energy to that to that movie that

00:58:55 Luke: It's

00:58:55 Alex Stahlmann: maybe

00:58:55 Luke: like

00:58:55 Alex Stahlmann: not to not ready for.

00:58:57 Luke: it's Ron Howard directed it. Fun fact.

00:58:59 Alex Stahlmann: Our.

00:59:00 Luke: And at first it kind of reminded me of like that era Tim Burton obviously way turned down. But like, man, he's recently said that he would love to be the Grinch again, but he has to do motion capture because I guess putting all that makeup and crazy stuff on was excruciating for him. It's so haunted. I just love it, though. Like, I'm

00:59:20 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:59:21 Luke: I'm very passionate about that. Grinch, the new one was cool enough, though. It's Benedict Cumberbatch. I

00:59:25 Alex Stahlmann: Now.

00:59:25 Luke: think that's

00:59:26 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:59:26 Luke: how

00:59:26 Alex Stahlmann: haven't seen

00:59:26 Luke: his name.

00:59:26 Alex Stahlmann: this new one. I've only heard about the

00:59:29 Luke: It's

00:59:29 Alex Stahlmann: the new

00:59:29 Luke: fine.

00:59:29 Alex Stahlmann: version

00:59:30 Luke: It's fine.

00:59:30 Alex Stahlmann: is it is a live

00:59:31 Luke: This

00:59:31 Alex Stahlmann: action like

00:59:32 Luke: is.

00:59:32 Alex Stahlmann: the

00:59:32 Luke: No, it's a cartoon.

00:59:33 Alex Stahlmann: carriage.

00:59:33 Luke: It's like a nice

00:59:33 Alex Stahlmann: Okay.

00:59:34 Luke: animators, like 2018. Pharrell is the narrator.

00:59:37 Alex Stahlmann: Oh, interesting.

00:59:38 Luke: Tyler, the

00:59:38 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:59:38 Luke: creator

00:59:38 Alex Stahlmann: hear it's not as

00:59:39 Luke: makes.

00:59:39 Alex Stahlmann: creepy here. It's not as

00:59:41 Luke: No, it's more

00:59:41 Alex Stahlmann: scary.

00:59:41 Luke: like cute anime. I think it's made by the same place that did the new Mario movie.

00:59:48 Alex Stahlmann: Okay. Cool.

00:59:49 Luke: That animator, if you know what I mean. And

00:59:51 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:59:51 Luke: they do the

00:59:51 Alex Stahlmann: Rumination

00:59:51 Luke: minions.

00:59:52 Alex Stahlmann: or something like that.

00:59:52 Luke: Yeah. Yeah.

00:59:54 Alex Stahlmann: But.

00:59:55 Luke: So, you know, we who knows what's happening with unsanctioned spikes or any typical month. But this one was like, I just really have to k prefer Jim Carrey's Grinch right now and you're wearing a Santa hat. So it was all fair. Was all fair game.

01:00:10 Alex Stahlmann: See what I can do at the book, though. In Islam you are you are not your you are not wrong about that. I don't think it's so it's not a book that I can sit down and read to without sit on my lap. But it is a book that I could get to the end to with them. When is when we're putting them, when we do a bedtime or whatever. So that works.

01:00:28 Luke: Yeah. I also am amazed how they've stretched it out into so many movies because even though it's like a quote unquote long book, like each movie has like a different interpretation as to what Cindy Lou, who is the is.

01:00:40 Alex Stahlmann: We're

01:00:40 Luke: And

01:00:40 Alex Stahlmann: sorry.

01:00:40 Luke: in the book, she's just the kid that woke up and was like, Why you steal my shit? And he's like, fixing the treated and

01:00:47 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

01:00:48 Luke: like, how the movie's like, explain all of that is just hilarious.

01:00:52 Alex Stahlmann: It is going to definitely stretch the story out. And you're right, it's a long book. But when I ended a long time because we had that book growing up and it had been a long time since I actually had read the book or read the book proper. But I felt like when I read this recently, I got to the end, I was like, Oh, that's it. Like, Yeah, it's long, but like I'm used to like the, the cartoons and Jim Carrey's movies. So I was like, Well, where's all this other stuff? Or, you

01:01:18 Luke: Yeah.

01:01:18 Alex Stahlmann: know, where's all the other where's Max?

01:01:20 Luke: Where's the part where the lady's kind of horny for the Grinch?

01:01:23 Alex Stahlmann: Right? Right.

01:01:24 Luke: What part of the book was that?

01:01:27 Alex Stahlmann: Oh, man. I can dig it, though. We actually had grown up to the we had the Grinch record, which I had, which I pilfered from the ants in my my record stash right now, which is this really great like reading of the great story. It was kind of fun as well.

01:01:41 Luke: That's

01:01:41 Alex Stahlmann: Good

01:01:41 Luke: hilarious.

01:01:41 Alex Stahlmann: Christmas content right there, you.

01:01:43 Luke: I think I have it too. Oh, yeah. Not

01:01:46 Alex Stahlmann: Right

01:01:46 Luke: the

01:01:46 Alex Stahlmann: around

01:01:46 Luke: Snowman. One

01:01:48 Alex Stahlmann: Christmas

01:01:49 Luke: Grinch. Ms.. Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey. Christmas.

01:01:52 Alex Stahlmann: time. Nice. I can dig it. Cue the music, etc.. Oh, yeah.

01:02:05 Luke: All right.

01:02:05 Alex Stahlmann: You inside question, bro?

01:02:07 Luke: Yeah. Sorry, I was just finishing this. Who? Roast beast. Had

01:02:13 Alex Stahlmann: But

01:02:14 Luke: this.

01:02:14 Alex Stahlmann: I'm actually not this group. But a little Google sagas. But.

01:02:18 Luke: You do? Yeah, I've just been on the nerdery. I'm not going to talk about NCAA football. That's not allowed. But people on the Reddit refer to when they make up the storylines in their head has had cannon. So I'm not positive. I've said that on the Internet previously with you before, but I just wanted to say that I appreciate that nerd taxonomy.

01:02:41 Alex Stahlmann: David.

01:02:41 Luke: Ed Cannon I just I think that's a great way to describe just playing sports games

01:02:45 Alex Stahlmann: Not

01:02:45 Luke: and coming up with weird,

01:02:46 Alex Stahlmann: where word.

01:02:46 Luke: dorky storylines all on your own the whole time, which is great fun My other bit is that I've been playing Ratchet and Clank, the new PlayStation five one, but on the steam deck, which is it's a good game for a steam deck,

01:03:00 Alex Stahlmann: Well.

01:03:00 Luke: which is the theme of today's episode. But it's weird because I was we were PlayStation boys for a hot minute there. So all the action clanks I played on PlayStation. So it's weird to not have like the high powered ness of it, but it's not a game that truly, really needs it

01:03:16 Alex Stahlmann: Sure.

01:03:17 Luke: and it's really good meat and potatoes game of just like it's an action 3D shooter platformer puzzler

01:03:25 Alex Stahlmann: Collective honor? No.

01:03:26 Luke: collect. Yeah, there's different elements of that. I like upgrading and stuff. So like you have these different fun, wacky guns. That's a big part of it. One thing that I've appreciated about the series going back four years is like your guns upgrade based on use. So it's like another thing to encourage you to always be flip it around through the goofy different guns like in the first game. I can't remember if is the sheep invader in the first game or the chicken eater, but like you would turn your enemies into chickens or sheep, which back in 2004 was super cool and fun

01:03:55 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

01:03:56 Luke: And the game's always done like goofy twists like that. You could throw out disco balls and like, all your enemies start dancing and get distracted and then

01:04:02 Alex Stahlmann: Really?

01:04:02 Luke: you mop them up. So there's always like fun arcade stuff to do with that. And now

01:04:07 Alex Stahlmann: Look.

01:04:07 Luke: as I'm playing later on in life, I like that like cycle of upgrading your guns and like upgrading them both through resources and upgrading through use. And it's just really addicting and fun and cool and like, you know, I don't have to think much when I play it. I just lay down

01:04:21 Alex Stahlmann: I.

01:04:21 Luke: and I play some nice, wholesome ratchet and clank and I know

01:04:24 Alex Stahlmann: The

01:04:24 Luke: the

01:04:24 Alex Stahlmann: story

01:04:24 Luke: formula.

01:04:25 Alex Stahlmann: going on saying

01:04:26 Luke: Sure. And

01:04:27 Alex Stahlmann: that.

01:04:27 Luke: it's and it's fine. And it's got some silly cheeky humor. And it's just like exploring a map, running an enemy. It's just the whole loop is so familiar and good and still fresh that good game. Dude, what

01:04:42 Alex Stahlmann: Best.

01:04:42 Luke: do you say? Question What do you got for me?

01:04:46 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, man, I got some side quests and we we vowed not that. No, we vowed, but we made us kind of a gentleman handshake across the Internet not to talk about our sports games, but you weaseled in there. So we slid my Duke experience. I got the new Duke brought

01:05:00 Luke: I always knew, though, you can talk about it,

01:05:02 Alex Stahlmann: out.

01:05:02 Luke: because I'm curious, did you did they upgrade anything as anything new or is this a roster refresh or their new.

01:05:09 Alex Stahlmann: Definitely a roster refresh. There

01:05:10 Luke: Who?

01:05:10 Alex Stahlmann: is some elements to the gameplay proper that I'm used to now. It took me a little bit. The way that you shoot is a little bit different.

01:05:19 Luke: Always

01:05:19 Alex Stahlmann: So like,

01:05:19 Luke: seems to be here.

01:05:21 Alex Stahlmann: yeah, so like the three point shots nerf a little bit in this game. It's a big thing that they did because it took 20 or they made it a little too easy to hit threes. So they've nerf

01:05:34 Luke: If.

01:05:35 Alex Stahlmann: that a little bit with the with the timing. They have added a ton of motion capture animation to that is specific to players like Playstyles styles and games.

01:05:47 Luke: Yeah.

01:05:48 Alex Stahlmann: So

01:05:48 Luke: They

01:05:48 Alex Stahlmann: that's

01:05:48 Luke: feel

01:05:48 Alex Stahlmann: really

01:05:49 Luke: different.

01:05:49 Alex Stahlmann: cool. Players feel a lot different. You run around, it's like crazy because it's not something that I noticed while playing Duke 24, but juxtaposing the 224 feels a little bit Arkady with how fast you can sprint around the

01:06:03 Luke: The.

01:06:03 Alex Stahlmann: court, whereas like there's an element to that here. But each of the players, you know, they, they play like the players in real life, more so because it's so much time getting those animations down. So like a dribble animations, the way they move, the way they take your shots, etc.. But you can't. It's like, I don't know, it's just a little bit more finesse going on in this game.

01:06:26 Luke: Funny thought, but like the funniest thing about sports games is that the newer they get the slower like

01:06:33 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

01:06:33 Luke: more advanced it is like. I've been saying the game in a good way feels slower since like ever every new game is always like well, it's a little slower than I remember and it's but that's like a good thing because it looks more lifelike and human.

01:06:47 Alex Stahlmann: Right?

01:06:48 Luke: So you

01:06:48 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

01:06:48 Luke: saying that kind of geek me out because I was like, no way. They keep

01:06:51 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

01:06:51 Luke: doing it.

01:06:52 Alex Stahlmann: that's true. That's is that is that is definitely the case.

01:06:55 Luke: What's the emphasis on? Is it on like my team? Is it on park stuff?

01:06:58 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

01:06:59 Luke: Like what are they pushing you towards?

01:07:00 Alex Stahlmann: I'm

01:07:00 Luke: Like.

01:07:00 Alex Stahlmann: sure they changed a bunch of their balls. They probably did a bunch of that I always like.

01:07:04 Luke: Just.

01:07:04 Alex Stahlmann: I just don't play that, though. I do my I do my seasons like I do my, you know, my. They they've got what I like.

01:07:11 Luke: But

01:07:11 Alex Stahlmann: It in my

01:07:11 Luke: if.

01:07:11 Alex Stahlmann: pocket is within the IRAs. So like I set up my team, I play through a season and I do the playoffs like is as much as it.

01:07:18 Luke: I feel so. I feel like such an old man when I'm like, Yeah, I played GM older, like dynasty mode through the years and I'm just I'm

01:07:25 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

01:07:26 Luke: offline, but it's fine. And then I talk to you and you're like, I'm doing season's.

01:07:30 Alex Stahlmann: I don't even got scenes anymore, though, but like, essentially that's what it is. It's more or less a GMO type thing that you do and like I do a little less of that stuff because you can get in the weeds

01:07:38 Luke: Yeah.

01:07:39 Alex Stahlmann: with

01:07:39 Luke: Do

01:07:39 Alex Stahlmann: that

01:07:39 Luke: you

01:07:39 Alex Stahlmann: stuff

01:07:39 Luke: like draft

01:07:39 Alex Stahlmann: on it too.

01:07:40 Luke: and stuff or do you just do a year

01:07:41 Alex Stahlmann: I

01:07:41 Luke: and

01:07:41 Alex Stahlmann: don't

01:07:41 Luke: then you're

01:07:41 Alex Stahlmann: give

01:07:42 Luke: done?

01:07:42 Alex Stahlmann: a fuck about that dude on his play.

01:07:43 Luke: That's what I'm saying. You do. You do a season. You're

01:07:45 Alex Stahlmann: You

01:07:45 Luke: like, Don't hit me. You have, um, drafts, young man.

01:07:48 Alex Stahlmann: as funny as I'll play it through a shortened full season and I will play through the playoffs and then I will release. I don't even continue because you can continue this restart because I'm more interested in playing with the folks like the players that I have for

01:08:00 Luke: Keep

01:08:00 Alex Stahlmann: the current

01:08:00 Luke: it up.

01:08:01 Alex Stahlmann: season. The Timberwolves.

01:08:01 Luke: Sure. Are you playing other games too?

01:08:06 Alex Stahlmann: I am indeed. So, you know, it's that time of year, dude. So we got steam sales, we got Black Friday, etc. So I picked up a couple of games over the past couple of weeks here. One of those games that I picked up on the cheap is a recent one. RoboCop

01:08:20 Luke: RoboCop. What's this about?

01:08:23 Alex Stahlmann: ad. I'm sorry I got off hold for a second. I was like, This is a recording of my guy. Oh, yeah, oh my. Oh yeah. You party. And I was down here, I was able to put it back from time to time. I know. I know why it's hard for me to understand what's going on because I've got headphones on. But this sort of like a lot of just like you have, like I said, I couldn't quite hear what's going on outside of the concert. Okay. Yeah, well, how. Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo. Why

01:09:50 Luke: My

01:09:50 Alex Stahlmann: of

01:09:50 Luke: blood.

01:09:50 Alex Stahlmann: the way you get here, you go to bed, go to sleep, to go to work. It is to convince

01:10:10 Luke: That's sleep sack and to.

01:10:14 Alex Stahlmann: you that your body. We're going to be putting the this new recording software to the test to see how good is that at blacking out all the who

01:10:35 Luke: Hey,

01:10:36 Alex Stahlmann: through

01:10:36 Luke: man,

01:10:36 Alex Stahlmann: everything else going on the back.

01:10:37 Luke: it's a dad cast. That'll happen.

01:10:40 Alex Stahlmann: To that. I had to worry about it. I was smart.

01:10:41 Luke: Yes.

01:10:42 Alex Stahlmann: I was like, I don't know if you could hear all that noise, but I was like, I should. Everything okay out there? It was

01:10:46 Luke: Yeah. Um,

01:10:47 Alex Stahlmann: nice.

01:10:48 Luke: I like a sleep sack. Economists, the sleep sacks of

01:10:52 Alex Stahlmann: They don't

01:10:52 Luke: babies.

01:10:52 Alex Stahlmann: ask you, but don't get the you don't get big sleep sacks for them. They make them big.

01:10:57 Luke: No. They're just in jammies. Jammies?

01:10:59 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

01:11:00 Luke: Jammies.

01:11:01 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. But yeah, I've been playing RoboCop, so RoboCop is a triple. What would it be? Not triple-A as a Double-A game. I can't remember who put it out. I've actually never seen RoboCop,

01:11:14 Luke: Sam.

01:11:14 Alex Stahlmann: but I've heard some I've heard some rumblings about this game being really true to the source material. A lot of people that are big RoboCop fans love the game and dude, it's fun, man. I've been playing on the Steam Bet Steam Deck primarily, but it works great on both the steam deck and the, you know, on the PC, obviously. But it's what do you read around? It's a first person shooter, but it has

01:11:36 Luke: Hmm. Okay.

01:11:37 Alex Stahlmann: it has RPG elements to it. So you go around and then you like to increase your your RoboCop like stats, that kind of thing.

01:11:44 Luke: So like a bomber shooter type of thing. I.

01:11:49 Alex Stahlmann: Yes and no. Like, I wouldn't guess, but it's like, I don't know. I would I wouldn't say it's a boomer shooter, but it's definitely a shooter. You know, it's a little bit more polished than what I would consider. It doesn't have that similar art style. It's a little bit more realistic than a lot of what I consider of mature to be. But the the funny thing about it, it that so far is that you are pretty you move pretty slowly like you know RoboCop is from what I do know about Omni, I mean he's not a sprinter either, but he's, he's like a big like Android type thing. Right.

01:12:22 Luke: Yeah.

01:12:23 Alex Stahlmann: Okay. And you feel that in the game you like, you feel a little slower. You can move faster by like this sprint thing or whatever, which like the, the, the

01:12:30 Luke: What?

01:12:30 Alex Stahlmann: way you move around, it's, it's it's interesting like how it works that I've been having so far with that one. And then I also recently picked up, I finally pull the trigger. I want to call the lamb on for my switch for a long time and it's only 20 bucks. But I have like this happen for whatever. I've been waiting for a deeper sale and I don't know if they'll ever come

01:12:50 Luke: Okay.

01:12:50 Alex Stahlmann: because Black Friday came around and they're like Black Friday sale. And I was like, That's what you always sell for, which is like, Oh, which is like the funny thing about Black Friday these days, but I didn't get a ton of time into that, but that's a really fun one, dude. Like, I think I was telling you a little bit about it, but it, it feels a lot like turn a boy, you know, in a way like mixed with animal crossing. So like, that's that one's kind of cool too. And then the other big news dude is that I, we, we gave up game pass some time ago and a couple of months back I reached the threshold because I was buying the games that are on game pass that I wanted to be part of my Xbox collection. So like Starfield, like Forza, that type of thing, like games that you can play on Game Pass. But I didn't want Game Pass anymore, but I wanted to have those games. Like, I feel like those are cornerstones of the Xbox like experience,

01:13:44 Luke: Sure.

01:13:44 Alex Stahlmann: right?

01:13:44 Luke: Yeah.

01:13:45 Alex Stahlmann: So I wanted to have those and it's interesting because that put me into a have put me into a spot now where I have enough Xbox games physical. But the way that these new systems work is like they don't play off like whereas your switch is actually playing games off the card. It's not the case with PlayStation and Xbox. They're taking the entire all that information on the disc and they're loading it straight to the hard drive of your system. And it has to do with like, that's how we get the quick resume and the quick load times and stuff, because you're not playing off the disc, you're playing up your system,

01:14:18 Luke: Hmm.

01:14:19 Alex Stahlmann: right? So that also means my Xbox, I got the series X and I've only got X amount of space. I think it's like two terabytes maybe or one terabyte. I don't remember. So I have enough games now where I don't have enough space on my Xbox to keep all the games on there. So I ended up buying the expansion thing, right? The terabyte expansion that you can plug into the back of

01:14:44 Luke: Oh,

01:14:44 Alex Stahlmann: it.

01:14:44 Luke: word.

01:14:45 Alex Stahlmann: And with that came a free month of game pass.

01:14:49 Luke: Oh. So you played indie?

01:14:52 Alex Stahlmann: Indeed they are. So that's like that is the primary game on game pass that I am happy to have this rebound and I might end up just buying it because having game pass back and having, you know, Halo and some of these other games that I consider Cornerstone pieces of the Xbox experience, I have no desire to keep game pass to like the thing the caveat being Indiana Jones and like and the beauty of game pass is being able to dabble and see some games before buying, right? This being able to get a little takes

01:15:22 Luke: Yeah.

01:15:23 Alex Stahlmann: but like dude, as far as a library goes, I've been able to go through my favorite thing about Game Pass is being able to stream those games on to my steam deck and then also to being able to dabble in stuff that maybe I wouldn't be able to try unless you kind of give a little sampler of everything. But I can't justify a $30 a month spend

01:15:40 Luke: So

01:15:40 Alex Stahlmann: or whatever.

01:15:40 Luke: what it is now?

01:15:41 Alex Stahlmann: I think it might be 20, but like I can't I can't justify a $28 a month spend to keeps to keep game pass because the vast majority of the games on game pass either don't care about or I have I already have or already have because they're available through like epic spring games and things like that. Like a lot of them are always handed out for free on for PC.

01:16:05 Luke: But what about Diablo four, dude?

01:16:09 Alex Stahlmann: We'll see. But Diablo four would be a purchase. But I want to go back and play Diablo 1/1 because I've never beat the other one and shot out to the Main Quest podcast, which is back that is covered Diablo and that has me horny for Diablo. Dude,

01:16:23 Luke: A

01:16:23 Alex Stahlmann: I have tried to play some Diablo.

01:16:25 Luke: horny for Diablo.

01:16:27 Alex Stahlmann: Tick tock.

01:16:29 Luke: For any of the Abdullah.

01:16:30 Alex Stahlmann: And I and I have the I've loved our dog and I did fire that up too. It's another little mini sidequest that's a game that like did it. It's SEO like I would be tempted to have us play it, but I know that you've kind of moved away from the mouse and the mouse and keyboard and it is definitely a mouse game. Like I feel like I've heard that the PlayStation four and then likely there's likely patches where you can use a controller, which means you could likely get a rocket on your steam deck. But no offense but like there would be some tinkering probably need to be done that I don't expect you to do,

01:17:07 Luke: He thinks I'm thick. He's right. Yeah.

01:17:11 Alex Stahlmann: but do.

01:17:11 Luke: Diablo. I mean, I would probably do it. Just. Diablo is a game where you kind of just got to figure out what's the deal with at a certain

01:17:19 Alex Stahlmann: Be

01:17:19 Luke: point of your life. So

01:17:20 Alex Stahlmann: totally.

01:17:21 Luke: I'm going to get four for the steam deck. But at some point, I wouldn't mind playing some Diablo

01:17:26 Alex Stahlmann: And know going

01:17:27 Luke: so

01:17:27 Alex Stahlmann: back for

01:17:27 Luke: I

01:17:27 Alex Stahlmann: the

01:17:27 Luke: can.

01:17:27 Alex Stahlmann: one.

01:17:28 Luke: So I understand the deal, you know what I mean?

01:17:30 Alex Stahlmann: Right. But dude Indiana Jones, you bring up in that that game I play about 45 minutes of I would say and it's it's cool. Like I've been reading the reviews and everything like that. It's a lot of people loving it. And I can see why it's, it's got some really good graphics going on. Like the voice acting is actually quite good. The graphics are great. I think, you know, it's been a while since Xbox had a win and I would say Indiana Jones is just that.

01:17:56 Luke: Yeah. That's cool to hear. I wish listed it because I know myself and

01:18:01 Alex Stahlmann: But.

01:18:02 Luke: I'm not going to Xbox game pass. Maybe maybe maybe you'll get me but

01:18:06 Alex Stahlmann: Really?

01:18:07 Luke: I'm going to see if these games

01:18:08 Alex Stahlmann: So I'm

01:18:08 Luke: myself

01:18:08 Alex Stahlmann: saying

01:18:09 Luke: first.

01:18:10 Alex Stahlmann: the game passes. I just don't see it being in my life pass like, you know, because I'm able to get this free month. I'm like, of

01:18:16 Luke: Mardi

01:18:16 Alex Stahlmann: course,

01:18:16 Luke: Gras.

01:18:17 Alex Stahlmann: like, I'll use that for like,

01:18:18 Luke: But I want to play Flight Simulator 24.

01:18:20 Alex Stahlmann: oh, you don't. It's trash.

01:18:22 Luke: Oh, no, it's not good.

01:18:25 Alex Stahlmann: Dude. I'll tell you why. Because there's no U.S. bank stadium. You U.S. make stadiums better?

01:18:30 Luke: Still.

01:18:30 Alex Stahlmann: Minneapolis for eight years

01:18:31 Luke: Still.

01:18:31 Alex Stahlmann: and they still haven't integrated into the map. It's like, come on. I realize we're flyover country, but fuck off and Xbox. Fuck

01:18:37 Luke: Well,

01:18:38 Alex Stahlmann: our bikes.

01:18:38 Luke: is everywhere,

01:18:39 Alex Stahlmann: Come

01:18:39 Luke: just

01:18:39 Alex Stahlmann: on.

01:18:39 Luke: behind or just certain pockets are behind?

01:18:43 Alex Stahlmann: I'm sure New York is updated. I'm sure. I'm sure L.A. is like school. But Minneapolis did like how you have U.S. Bank Stadium.

01:18:51 Luke: Well, that was a bummer. I remember showing that to people and they're not. Whereas U.S. Bank, I'm like, Oh, I don't know on the last

01:18:58 Alex Stahlmann: Two.

01:18:58 Luke: game, but this game you're supposed to like it had the jobs based like flight

01:19:03 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

01:19:03 Luke: jobs based element to it. So I thought, that looks cool. Did you try that out?

01:19:07 Alex Stahlmann: I have it here now. I just set up a flight to fly from Minneapolis. Then I was pissed off that U.S. bank wasn't there and.

01:19:13 Luke: Well, it's all burnt down in.

01:19:16 Alex Stahlmann: What the hell are you talking about?

01:19:17 Luke: All

01:19:17 Alex Stahlmann: Oh,

01:19:17 Luke: the

01:19:17 Alex Stahlmann: Minneapolis.

01:19:17 Luke: apples,

01:19:18 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Yeah,

01:19:18 Luke: all of it

01:19:19 Alex Stahlmann: that's

01:19:19 Luke: burnt

01:19:19 Alex Stahlmann: right.

01:19:19 Luke: down, man.

01:19:19 Alex Stahlmann: I forgot.

01:19:20 Luke: So, you know, there's nothing to see. There just. That's what it

01:19:24 Alex Stahlmann: It'd

01:19:24 Luke: used to

01:19:25 Alex Stahlmann: be.

01:19:25 Luke: be. When.

01:19:25 Alex Stahlmann: It's a hell. I'm going to look out my window. Check it out. Diablo's been here

01:19:29 Luke: Diablo.

01:19:31 Alex Stahlmann: bit, so it is a beautiful game. Like of course that that is still the case. But

01:19:37 Luke: You

01:19:37 Alex Stahlmann: I was

01:19:37 Luke: put

01:19:37 Alex Stahlmann: just

01:19:37 Luke: out

01:19:37 Alex Stahlmann: pissed

01:19:37 Luke: a forest

01:19:38 Alex Stahlmann: off at the

01:19:38 Luke: fire,

01:19:38 Alex Stahlmann: map, wasn't it?

01:19:39 Luke: and then you get back to me. All right.

01:19:41 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. That's where those game those those new game play access aspects do look cool so I haven't deleted it out my Xbox yet. I will, I will play a little bit more before my trial is up or whatever you want to call

01:19:54 Luke: Got

01:19:54 Alex Stahlmann: it, my

01:19:54 Luke: to use

01:19:54 Alex Stahlmann: free.

01:19:54 Luke: up all them terabytes, Dagmar.

01:19:57 Alex Stahlmann: Get to it. It's crazy, man. These games like I have an extra terabyte and I'm already like with all the with all my games, I'm already up to 85% full again.

01:20:07 Luke: You can reveal next month's game, but I downloaded it

01:20:11 Alex Stahlmann: Right now.

01:20:11 Luke: because we bought the discs because they were on sale specifically on the disc, which is always an interesting part of Black Friday,

01:20:18 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Yeah.

01:20:19 Luke: but it was a 72 gig file size us and yeesh.

01:20:23 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Yeah. And that's like, that's kind of like, all right. That's actually kind of small for for a series X game these days.

01:20:29 Luke: I

01:20:29 Alex Stahlmann: Didn't like.

01:20:29 Luke: guess.

01:20:32 Alex Stahlmann: And that game is in the game. What are we playing in for folks that have been for the past, what, year and a half, two years? Just gone, man. I wonder what the low five boys think about what's the game we're playing?

01:20:44 Luke: Elden ring.

01:20:46 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, yeah. You wonder what they think about Elden Ring back. I remember that games. Karl Nah. They were

01:20:51 Luke: Now

01:20:52 Alex Stahlmann: finally jumping

01:20:52 Luke: the two

01:20:53 Alex Stahlmann: in, man,

01:20:53 Luke: worst

01:20:53 Alex Stahlmann: but.

01:20:53 Luke: people to play the game. Dads will find out how it works. No

01:20:58 Alex Stahlmann: Dude.

01:20:58 Luke: interruptions.

01:21:00 Alex Stahlmann: I'm stoked though, and I don't even think I told you this though. But part of my Black Friday visit and do I'm risking everybody going like I'm going to lose all my clout is like a regular human being just about right now. They're going to be like Alex is just a fucking crypto boy crazy person bitch because I cashed in some crypto that I've been sitting on since 2019 because crypto going bananas right now a little bit and I bought myself a Black Friday TV bro.

01:21:25 Luke: Hmm. Hell, yeah.

01:21:28 Alex Stahlmann: And so I've got this big old TV that I am super stoked to play. Elden ring on. It should be gorgeous.

01:21:35 Luke: Hmm. Al cashed in on his hock to a coin.

01:21:39 Alex Stahlmann: Not yet, sir did.

01:21:41 Luke: And he's rich now. Some get fucked.

01:21:43 Alex Stahlmann: About

01:21:44 Luke: Everybody else.

01:21:44 Alex Stahlmann: how it is. I have a mess around with those digital monies. That much to be rich. But.

01:21:50 Luke: Hmm. Get

01:21:51 Alex Stahlmann: But.

01:21:51 Luke: fucked,

01:21:51 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

01:21:51 Luke: everybody. And.

01:21:54 Alex Stahlmann: But David Elden, Ring of the Rings on the docket. I'm excited.

01:21:57 Luke: Yeah. I'm nervous, but I'm going to be fine. This is supposed to be the most accessible one, but now we can finally stop referring to games as Souls Lakes without ever having played a Souls

01:22:07 Alex Stahlmann: Ever

01:22:07 Luke: Like

01:22:08 Alex Stahlmann: played.

01:22:08 Luke: a Souls game.

01:22:10 Alex Stahlmann: It's

01:22:10 Luke: So

01:22:10 Alex Stahlmann: always Gabe anyways.

01:22:11 Luke: from soft.

01:22:13 Alex Stahlmann: Yes, sir.

01:22:13 Luke: So yeah, we'll see. We'll see how it goes. We'll see how sweaty

01:22:17 Alex Stahlmann: That's

01:22:17 Luke: we

01:22:17 Alex Stahlmann: right.

01:22:17 Luke: can get.

01:22:18 Alex Stahlmann: If you haven't played the yet, if you're like us and you've just been waiting, waiting for a deep, deep black

01:22:24 Luke: Ellen.

01:22:24 Alex Stahlmann: round of disco.

01:22:25 Luke: Yeah. If you're a little virgin like a student, just come.

01:22:30 Alex Stahlmann: That is Corey. Let's talk about

01:22:31 Luke: Yeah.

01:22:31 Alex Stahlmann: it, in fact. You know, even if you have played and you just want to revisit it, you just want to talk to me, you want to catch our insights before we talk about how you join that discord,

01:22:39 Luke: Or probably

01:22:40 Alex Stahlmann: invite the stone

01:22:41 Luke: help

01:22:41 Alex Stahlmann: outs.

01:22:41 Luke: us with things because people like to help people

01:22:43 Alex Stahlmann: That's

01:22:43 Luke: in

01:22:43 Alex Stahlmann: right.

01:22:43 Luke: Elden Ring. So maybe give us some

01:22:45 Alex Stahlmann: That's

01:22:46 Luke: clues.

01:22:46 Alex Stahlmann: right.

01:22:46 Luke: We should probably link up and help each other out in

01:22:49 Alex Stahlmann: I'm

01:22:49 Luke: some

01:22:49 Alex Stahlmann: done.

01:22:50 Luke: and

01:22:50 Alex Stahlmann: Except

01:22:50 Luke: some and each other.

01:22:52 Alex Stahlmann: I bet you be game pass for that.

01:22:54 Luke: Son of a bitch, he says.

01:22:56 Alex Stahlmann: I bet. I bet you you need at least four.

01:23:00 Luke: Acts like this. All right. Well.

01:23:04 Alex Stahlmann: This could be either Rob, Dog and Elden Ring. Nobody going to be helping me,

01:23:09 Luke: It's not even because I'm a sweat. It's because I'm cheap.

01:23:12 Alex Stahlmann: etc., sir. Thank you all for Elizabeth. Thanks for hanging with us always. This dope is dope that you out there listening? We love that. We love you at that discord

01:23:24 Luke: I had a McRib

01:23:24 Alex Stahlmann: place of.

01:23:24 Luke: to get one of them while they're out.

01:23:27 Alex Stahlmann: You get that jug up like a big

01:23:28 Luke: But

01:23:28 Alex Stahlmann: saucepan.

01:23:29 Luke: know, I didn't know it was Anthony Sauce, but thanks, everyone, for listening. Get yourself a McRib. We're still a McRib pod.

01:23:37 Alex Stahlmann: Right now and before I sign off. Ace. Oh,

01:23:41 Luke: Employee.

01:23:45 Alex Stahlmann: good man. I'm going to.