Home
Artists
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register
Partychan Telegram ThePornDude
Home Artists Posts Import Register

Sacred Symbols, Episode 259: The Thread (Patreon)

Published:
2023-06-14 19:00:03
Imported:
2023-06

Content

Hi!

Submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for this week's episode of Sacred Symbols in this thread.

As always, please keep your inquiries well-written and pithy. Novels, poorly-written posts, etc. are politely ignored.

You have until Thursday, June 15th at noon ET to submit.

Talk to you soon!

Comments

Nevets

Colin, Sonic Superstars could be his version of Mega Man 11. The whole Sacred Crew can get in on it! You in?

Superhero Jagganath

Greetings, sacred scholars. With the announcement of Persona 3 Reload, it’s been revealed that the remake will *not* include several of the features that were included in the FES edition of the game released in 2007, as well as the Portable edition from 2009 (namely an extended epilogue with about 30 more hours of gameplay, as well as the option for a female main character). Many are puzzled by this, with fans questioning why Atlus isn’t releasing a “definitive” edition for a game that already has multiple versions. Some are even speculating that the additional content from FES/Portable could be released as DLC or even a new full-price ‘special edition’ of the game later on, which some people are calling predatory. How do you feel about this? In this era of remakes and remasters, do developers owe it to their audiences to have their remakes be “definitive” or “finalized” editions of the previous games?What if we start seeing “Remake+” versions of games in the future? What if we even start seeing—dare I say it—remakes of remakes? Thanks for all the great content, and Colin: shout-out from a fellow lover of weeby JRPGs who can’t stand most anime.

Anonymous

Hi CCD, hope you’re all keeping well. What are your thoughts about early access in the form of a pre-order bonus’? I’m aware FIFA have done it for at least 2 years where you get the 3 day early access and Starfield will have 5 day early access with a special edition, as well as Diablo IV most recently. I see Xbox are expanding further into this realm and it’s obviously why and it makes business sense as they need to maximise return with day one game pass games. Personally I can see the scale expanding and soon they’ll offer 7 day early access such as the campaign in COD MWII last year. Best wishes, Matt

Anonymous

How's it going guys? I finally got the PlayStation Backbone for the android phone and I'm loving it. Currently playing nobody saves the world with it when I just want to sit on the couch and not at my monitor. Some times it lags but those moments are often when my kids are on Netflix. So my question is; what do you guys think the q-lite is for? I've seen many articles about how our phone is already the better option for a q-lite but I have to disagree. I just think about how awesome the Wii U was with it's pad and no lag. Also I have to disagree with Colin on how the players killed the vita. It was totally Sonys fault with how little memory the system had and how expensive the memory cards were when SanDisk made memory cards for a quarter of the price. I think the q-lite could be another potential disappointment if not Sony doesn't price it right. If it is a disappointment would that also counts as a fault on us? Thanks a lot for keeping me entertained while I clean these classrooms at night.

Anonymous

Hey Gents, Really enjoyed the conversation last week on using strategy guides. Just wanted to challenge Dustin for a second. When Elden Ring came out, Dustin got the platinum trophy remarkably fast, and had some BDE about it. Clearly a guide was used as the platinum required save scumming, different obtuse quest lines, and extremely hidden areas. I guess my question is, why would you use a guide on your first play through of your 'most anticipated' game? This seems extremely contradictory to how you described your usage of them last week. Personally, I find myself using guides for FromSoft games much more than games from any other developer, as without them, I miss so much content and intricacies in their games. I try to complete my first play through blind, then seek guides in NG+. For Elden Ring, I'd say I missed roughly 25% of bosses/areas in my first play through. Then, when I checked out guides for my NG+ playthrough, I was shocked by how much I missed, but stoked to have so much more content to play. To pivot to a group question: what game has been your favorite NG+ experience? Matt

Jason Bolla

Hey fellas. So Project: Re Fantasy from Atlus has finally been announced and shown off as Metaphor. However, it still doesn't have platforms listed other than Xbox/PC. Is the thought that Microsoft is paying for this one (the game was originally mentioned back in 2016 with key art, back when Persona was still exclusive to PlayStation), or are they just waiting to announce other platforms in a flashy manner on June 20th during the Metaphor Livestream? And with five Persona games (3, 4, 5, 3R, 5T) being available day one on Gamepass, do you think they'll fork over the cash for P6? I'm wondering if they like that model because they make more upfront than they would normally from the Xbox player base buying it a la carte. Take care boys.

Anonymous

Good day Gentlemen, Colin, you have often said that when it comes to music, you don't really venture off to new music and stick with what you are comfortable with. Does this translate over to video games for you? It seems like you are more open to trying out different games even though the barrier of entry is much higher. Or am I comparing apples to oranges here? Anyway, thanks for all you do

Dante B

Hey gents - glad to see the thread open for the announcement that Rogue Legacy 2 is finally coming to PlayStation (on Plus Extra no less). Can’t believe we had to wait this long for the sequel to a game that was basically born on Vita and PS3. Played this amazing sequel for countless hours on other platforms and excited to start over and go for platinum on PS5.

Anonymous

Greetings team, Will the current generation have a long lifespan due to game development time increasing? Or should we just expect AAA studies to release one game and assume they're next project should be released on the PS6? Hope all are having an average day, Dimitric

Pace

Hey DCC, It looks like we have another Colin was right story on our hands. Embracer Group stated to its 17000 employees that they're going to start closing studios and canceling games. Crystal Dynamics is safe but with a number of their studios IPs slated for release in the next year I cant help but think some of these wont see the light of day. Fingers crossed that we see another Deus Ex is in our future. I feel sorry for the devs on the chopping block and hope they are able to find work elsewhere. I'd like to know your thoughts on this new development and keep up the great work at LSM.

Anonymous

Hey gents, This question is mostly for Dustin but if anyone played the Lies of P demo can chime in. Dustin, did you get a chance to play the demo and if so, what did you think. I can see that it is trying to be like Bloodborne but I just feel like it lacking something in the combat. I also feel like that is the issue with a lot of the 3D soulborne clones (Lies of P, Steelrising, Lord of the Fallen, etc) They all have the general soulsborne spirit but feel like they are lacking the soul and feel of a true Fromsoft game. Lies of P will be on gamepass and I feel like it is a good gamepass game, not good enough to pay 60 dollars for but good to check out for free. Thanks for everything you guys do.

Ross Winyard

Guys, Tim Tolkein is a real person. He was JRR Tolkeins great nephew or something. He was an artist in the UK 😅

Anonymous

Didn’t think I’d say it… but this is the first time it hit me… I’m exceptionally bummed Starfield isn’t on PlayStation.

Zack Fair

Hi CC and big D, with all the furore over 30fps and 60fps do you agree with Destins comments that 60fps is a buzzword. I'm not saying games shouldn't be 30fps depending on the game, but personally we've been fed a narrative of this current gen at 60fps for AAA games. Would you rather have AAA games at 30fps locked but higher resolution or 60fps with a dip in visual fidelity. Thanks guys and have a great weekend.

Josh Kisskalt

CDC, I assume Dustin and maybe Chris are playing Diablo 4, so this question is more for them. I absolutely loved Diablo 3 and although the gameplay of 4 is improved, the UI is TERRIBLE. It feels ported from Diablo Immortal on mobile. Do you think the plan was to sync these two games, but the backlash from Immortal made them change gears? Am I alone in hating the drab, complicated UI, or are you guys feeling the same? Thanks and keep a rockin!

Cameron James

What's going on fellas, I wanted to write in about the future of Embracer Group. The latest press release from the Group announced significant restructuring for the new financial year, including reducing operational costs, closing studio's. and terminating in development projects, following their disapointing profits after a period of enourmous acquistions. These follows a trajectory set by many other media companies, like Netflix, Disney, and Xbox GamePass. It seems that the desperate chase for business growth, and committing to an arms race to develop a never-ending stream of content to win subscribers, will eventually wear down every company no matter the size. Due to factors such as inflation, rising operating costs, and the general uncertainty in global markets, it's become much more important to shift direction and focus on core business and profits. My question is: Will this strategy work for Embracer? Making games is incredibly expensive, and without the recurring revenue offered by a subscription service or platform residuals, how can Embracer shift direction quickly enough to focus on their core businesses to save their organization. If you were in charge of Embracer, how would you get out of this mess?

Anonymous

Hey Cincinnatus Colin, Cassius Chris, and Diogenes Dustin, I’m writing in to ask you all to STAND DOWN about frame rate. All evidence suggests that frame rate is not an issue with the masses. Yes it’s awesome when it’s there, but I’m calling each of you out, asking you to be honest with yourselves and admit that 60 fps is not NECESSARY. A good game can still be stellar without it (Tears of the Kingdom, perhaps Starfield), a middling game could definitely benefit having it (Forspoken or the like), and it doesn’t matter if a bad game has it because bad game is already bad (I couldn’t care less of Balan Wonderworld was 60 fps or not). Will you admit that a game does not need 60 fps to still be 9 out of 10? Thanks fellas, and remember, don’t spit in the wind.

Anonymous

What’s up boys, This one is for Colin. As a sports fan, I’m sure you saw that the Pat McAfee Show was licensed by ESPN. Although I’m skeptical of the deal and it’s impact on his show, I understand the reasoning. It’s very similar to some of the stresses you’ve mentioned. My question, if IGN came to you for a licensing deal, would you entertain it? If so, what would it take? Besides the cash and administration, maybe the Beyond brand, Colin was Right banner on the homepage, or a British butler named Niles? Cheers boys!

Anonymous

Ahoy hoy sirs. I have a quick question for Colin. Apologies if this has already been answered but I don't recall it being brought up again. Did you ever play those VR games that Dustin suggested for you? If so what did you think? In addition, it is often posited that the true use for VR lies outside of gaming, and yet we have still to see what that use is? I put it to you that the only real use for VR is gaming, and that is more than enough. Aside from niche cases like house viewings, there doesn't seem to be any real use outside of gaming. Bringing true next level immersion and the single greatest way to experience a game is more than enough use for the tech as far as I'm concerned!

Anonymous

Colin, in a couple weeks I’ll be moving to Alexandria, VA from Nashville, TN. This is the furthest north I’ve ever lived and I’m pretty sure you’ve said in the past that northern Virginia is full of brain-dead half-wits not fit for civilized society. As a potential future half-wit myself what should I look out for? Any tips or tricks for staying sane? Thanks

Anonymous

Hey gang So my question today is on the topic of Atomic Heart. I, like many, have anticipated the release of Atomic Heart for the past several years. Ever since the first trailer dropped I knew that this was the closest thing to something "bioshock-like" that we have ever gotten. The alternate history setting and largely unexplored backdrop of the Soviet Union, combined with some killer robots and you should have yourself a recipe for success. This is largely why I was so disappointed that upon release it didn't receive the positive critical reception that I was hoping for. While at the time of Atomic Hearts release I was still finishing up Hogwarts Legacy and given the average at best reviews I decided to hold off on the day one purchase. Colin's recent decision to go back and give Forspoken a try, compelled me to decid it was time to see for myself exactly what this game had to offer. The elephant in the room here is the war in Ukraine and Atomic Heart's developers ties to Russia and their "glorification" of the Soviet Union in their depiction of the games characters and setting. Knowing that the gaming media more than leans left wing and is excruciatingly critical of all things Russia, it seemed to me that this was a perfect recipe for Atomic Heart to have not gotten a fair shake in the gaming media reviews. Having put over 20+ hours into the game over the past few weeks and finally finishing it last night I have concluded that this game is by no means a rival to the beloved Bioshock, but it's much better than the reviews had me believe. The beginning section is far too long and the game could do a much better job explaining the game mechanics and systems in general. Overall though I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game and gave me one of my new favorite video game quotes "some men are more equal than others" . Anyway just wanted to get your updated thoughts and opinions about the game and if you feel a similar way to myself and if any of you have intentions of going back and playing this under appreciated gem. Thank you all for everything you guys do and keep living the dream P.S Taxation is Theft

Anonymous

Hey fellas I’m sure there’s other questions about it already, but I wanna talk about the FINAL FANTASY XVI demo Did you guys jump in? If so, let’s hear your thoughts - good and bad. I personally thought it was great, the combat feels awesome; a huge step up from FF15. The overall tone is a lot more adult and intense than I expected, and I’m definitely here for the franchises true step into the modern era. Is anyone else getting a Game of Thrones meets Attack on Titan vibe? Cheers lads Nat

Anonymous

Greetings sacred crew! After hearing the news on a previous episode of Warhammer: Boltgun not having a platinum trophy it made me question why this is still a thing? Surely Devs must know by now how important it is to include platinums to attract trophy hunters to their games and bring more attention and revenue? And it's not like any game is too small or too indie to have one since most shovelware games cater to the trophy community so what is the mindset behind this? Thanks for all you do and stay sacred!

Dylan Weaver

To my dearest sacred gentlemen, I was at work the other day looking over prospects as us salespeople do, and I noticed one of my fellow coworkers’ emails to a customer. He ended it with: “if you have any questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, or ideas about the product, feel free to reach out” immediately I thought of sacred symbols, and now I’m almost certain he’s a fellow sacred listener. The thing is, I have never outright engaged in casual conversation with him, so I feel like coming up to him and asking him if he listens to sacred would be quite awkward, especially if he says no. Furthermore, asking him about the phrasing in one out of the one thousand emails he sends a day would also come off as strange. So I ask, how should I approach this? Should I play sacred out loud around him and hope he hears and comments on it, or should I maybe yell a hefty “stand down” across the office and look away, side eyeing to see if he notices it? This is certainly a Larry David situation indeed Ever—my dear Colin, Dustin and Chris—faithfully yours

Anonymous

Boyos, as a fellow fan of roguelike deckbuilder Slay the Spire, I thought I’d send Colin a heartfelt recommendation for Monster Train and Inscryption. Monster Train is not on PlayStation, unfortunately, but there is a pretty good port on mobile. Those three games form the holy trinity of roguelike deckbuilders and should not be missed. Thanks for all you guys do.

NJ

Good day to you fine fellows, Love the show, and very much appreciate the craftsmanship which goes into all of the LSM content. Come with me, if you will, through the looking glass, to a 2011 where the Vita is first released, but not as we know it. Overpriced and proprietary memory cards are replaced by SD, the over-engineered (and barely used) back touch is nowhere to be seen yet L2 and R2 triggers comfortably straddle the shoulders of the device. This other-worldly Vita sells well, on track to beat the PSP and marking Sony as a strong contender against Nintendo in the handheld market. Then it happens. The Vita is hacked wide open and now represents a gaping vulnerability in the PSN. Let’s say the Vita did sell well, let’s assume its hardware design issues were resolved, does it still survive? Does Sony invest the resources to fix the security risk? Or, do they still throw it down into the dirt and stomp on it repeatedly while maniacally screaming “Die! Die!! Why won’t you DIE??!!!” Just a thought. All the best!

DarkRod99

Hi CDC, Now that Xbox have shown what they got in store for the next couple of years in terms of 1st party output, do you think the time to compete is upon us. Also, what do you make of Xbox confirming that they are planning to deliver 4 exclusives a year, PlayStation said that it wants to release 2 exclusives every year, do you think the decision of Xbox will result in putting pressure to Sony in delivering more content? I say that because there could be an scenario where all those 4 games Xbox delivers are 85+ where Sony's 2 are also 85+ but given Microsoft higher amount of output people will put more eyes into them and not Sony. Thanks for reading and have a nice day.

Anonymous

Greetings Sloppy Whoppers! After listening to the recent episode of Constellation, it brought back memories of my childhood experiences with fast food and gaming. I have incredibly fond memories of going to McDonald's and getting super excited about the PS1 and PS2 demo discs that came with Happy Meals. Since I couldn't afford to buy new games, these demo discs became my gateway to experiencing fantastic titles like Rayman, GT2, Wipeout, Pink Panther, and Ace Combat. I played them relentlessly, and they greatly influenced my gaming preferences during that time. Now, I'm curious to hear from you all. Do you have any memorable gaming fast food moments (wholesome, funny, or otherwise) that have stuck with you over the years? Hwyl fawr ac cymerwch ofal!

Anonymous

Hey CDC I wanted to give you all a fun ultimatum for what would be better for each respective brand (Playstation and Xbox) and you can only choose one. Would you rather have 5 more years of Jim Ryan at PlayStation and Phil Spencer only have 1 more year at Xbox or Phil Spencer having 5 more years at Xbox and Jim Ryan having 1 more year at PlayStation.

Gareth Handa

Hey Sacred gents, Jedi Survivor released over 6 weeks ago and game breaking bugs are still unpatched and the performance hasn’t been improved. EA have gone quiet with it now being over 4 weeks without a patch. Game releases are getting worse than ever for issues. I think it’s time something is done about it. Do you think publishers and developers be forced to highlight issues on digital storefronts of any user reported problems before people make a purchase? Perhaps this would stop games getting released in such a bad state, what do you think? Thanks for your hard work, you guys are nailing it lately with the amazing quality of content.

Anonymous

Hello hello, With FFXVI just around the corner, I was curious how much (if at all) you guys care about story-heavy games having a satisfying conclusion. For example, if FFXVI had a totally trash ending but was otherwise a great experience...would you recommend it to others? Being subscribed to Last Stand Media is like going to Costco and only buying a hotdog and a rotisserie chicken—I feel like I'm gaming the system. I'm really grateful that you guys provide maximum value for $5/mo. Thank you. :D

Anonymous

Hey Colin, the other day I was listening to your conversation with Matty about making his video game and when you were talking about the lack of sales for some of your games due to lack of exposure got me thinking. Would it be possible to have a sale through Patreon? For example people at the $5 tier can get a 25% discount on any Lillymo game, at the $10 tier you can get 50% off and at the $25 tier you can get 1 for free. That could encourage more people signing up to Patreon which boosts your numbers, or raise their tier for the $1-$2 subs. It can be one unique code per month, encouraging you to stay at the higher tier for longer. Someone could even donate their code, if they don’t need it themselves, to a friend who might normally not have any interest in trying those games. I feel like this could increase sales significantly, which may gain some notoriety on the PlayStation store leading to more opportunities for sales from those that wouldn’t have ever heard of them. Seems like a win win for everyone. Would something like this even be possible? (Obviously it would have to be a unique one time code per person.) Or is this just a dumb idea from someone who knows nothing about running a business? Much love from Long Island!

Anonymous

What's up boys, With all the scuttlebutt surrounding the Fable trailer about CG vs in engine/running on Series X, what does in engine exactly mean? I may be confused with the phrase "captured on...", but does that mean it could be a cutscene running on the console? Or does it mean its just an early version of gameplay? I appreciate you boys thanks for your time. P.S. Colin, that Burger King in Dover, NH reopened about a year ago, I still haven't been, but I'm curious if it's still any good. I doubt it though.

Nathan Densley

Hello boys, The FF16 demo dropped and it is incredible! The story is excellent and the action is fun, I think we might have to prepare ourselves for quite a few cutscenes, but I'm into that when the story is good enough and this most certainly is so far. I had my questions going into the demo, and then I immediately preordered it when I finished it. Have you boys played the demo? What part of a new Final Fantasy game are you most excited to see/explore? Thanks for the work, it shows.

Giovanni D'Amico

Hey guys - Gene Park tweeted today that the best entry points into the Final Fantasy series are, in order of release but not preference: 4 - 6 - 7 - 9 - 10. I've played a bunch of FF games on GBA, DS, and console, but I still feel like the series overall is a bit of a blindspot for me, maybe because I've FINISHED so few of them. I've loved the Knockback episodes on FF1 and FF2, but what do you guys think is the best entry point for a JRPG lover in 2023? I think I'm going to play FF6 this summer (never finished it), per your recommendations and everything I've heard in the past - unless I decide to start with 1 and just do the full Pixel Remaster Collection.

Jordan Fugate

Hey CDC, My cousin and I were talking the other day about some games we’re currently playing when he made the comment that it’s almost time for his annual Skyrim playthrough. We went further into this discussion and he informed that every year, he tries to play through Bethesda’s adventure at least once. That got me wondering, are there any games that the Sacred Boys try to play through at least once every year? I know time is always an issue but just curious to hear your all’s thoughts. Keep up the great work providing quality content every week.

Dion Collier

It seems like demos are having somewhat of a resurgence. Final Fantasy 16, Lies of P and Jusant have all been made available over the past week and after playing Final Fantasy and Lies of P, I am now certainly a day one purchaser of these games. Do you think demos serve an important purpose in this day and age? The FF16 demo allows progression to carry over into the full game and I'm wondering if this tactic alone will convert people who are on the fence after playing the demo as they are already 2+ hours invested into the game.

George Edkins

Oi oi Sacred Mandem Got a stupid rhetorical for you this week, perhaps something to be squeezed in at the beginning of the show. Who be ripping the meanest farts? Doughnut Drake, Sweet Tooth or Sir Daniel Fortesque? Keep it up boys and do not let that chicken rest.

Anonymous

Hey Fats, I lived in Bolivia and Peru for 2 years 15 years ago as a mormon missionary. The food was rough on my tum tum, and I didn't have a solid poop for just about the whole time I was there. Rumor had it amongst missionaries, that your b-hole would get accustomed to the lack of solid turds, and shrink. Then, upon arriving home, your first solid dump would tear your hole right open. I thought about this during every crap session the whole 2 years until I got home and my first solid shit safely slid right out. Have you ever had a rumor like this cause you to live in fear of something for an extended period of time? Hope all your shits are safe. Thanks for the great shows.

Anonymous

Demos, demos, demos... Lads, what year is this 2007! Final fantasy 16 demo, lies of p demo, plus more from summer games fest. I gotta say, it's great. I was on the fence for both lies of P and ff16, but now they are both must buys after playing the demos. What are your thoughts on this, did U guys play/like the demos?

Tacoyaki

Hey there Sacred gents! The recent discussion regarding how there’s a group of PlayStation fans who are upset that exclusives are coming to PC got me thinking. Have you guys ever wondered that people truly believe a franchise, company, game, IP, etc. belongs to them, and themselves personally? For example, a while back I had a friend who stopped talking to be for a period of time because I got into the MGS series during the late PS3 era. He told me that I was a poser, how I wasn’t allowed to play that game because it belongs to his generation only, and that “you weren’t there” for it. Taking it upon himself to be vehemently offended because he felt truly special having this parasocial relationship with the IP. There are gamers out there who adamantly and fiercely gatekeep retro games, and say stuff such as “those games belong to people of that generation only” or “you’re just a poser”. I believe this same rhetoric can apply to those who show disdain that PlayStation exclusives coming to PC. I don’t condone this behavior, but I am surrounded by people who have these ideologies. Do you guys think these parasocial behaviors are going to get worse? Or are we in the storm? Thank you as always, and please keep on keeping on.

NeO JD

Col, just wondering if Clockwork Revolution is enough to get you to play an Xbox exclusive? BioShock Infinite vibes in an RPG by the Wasteland 3 devs, come on son.

Anonymous

Greetings Sacred Crew, My question is simple. Is the original character design dead? I ask this as these past few weeks of summer events have a common throughline I could not ignore. The inclusion of high profile figures/celebrities appearing in video games either as themselves or as a new character that bears their likeness. Indeed Fable teased Richard Ayoade as a boss fight, David Harbour in Alone in the Dark, and lest we forget the nonsense of Kojima teasing DS2 cameos on Twitter with endless studio visitors ranging from film directors to even the Saudi Prince. It just feels like the industry is in a race to replace the idea of creating an original being from scratch with Nintendo being the actual last line of defense staying away from this trend so far. When do we say enough of this? As always keep up the great work and be well.

Anonymous

Colin, On recent episodes of Sacred Symbols you have taken a slant of saying "I told you so" in regards to people who auto-popped trophies on Spiderman or Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Quite often you are ending the discussion by saying that you don't understand why people would take the experience of playing through the game a second time and earning the trophies again away from themselves. However, from my point of view, I don't understand why you would waste potentially 40+ hours devoting yourself to a game you've already finished. I find it to be a strange mindset given that you literally just had a SS+ episode going over your Backlog and games that you have found trouble setting time aside to play. It doesn't seem justifiable to waste time playing a simple beat-em-up game like Spiderman 1 a second time when there are many other new gaming experiences awaiting you. Is it time to spread out the roots a little and grow the Colin tree? Much love, S&B#1F

Anonymous

Colin and company, With the Twisted Metal TV show on the horizon, how do you think its success and or failure could potentially affect the success of the rumored game? I saw some negative responses to the trailer shown at SGF, and I began to ponder my orb on whether or not this could negatively impact the game, regardless of its actual level of quality when it comes out. What say ye?

James Hill

Hey SS, Judging by the response to Colin's comments about the Saudi government, it's going to be hilariously easy for PIF to buy its way into the gaming industry. Any criticism of Saudi Arabia will be met with claims of Islamophobia. How quickly do you guys think PIF will drastically overpay for a Kotaku, Easy Allies, or Kinda Funny?

Anonymous

Hey CDC, New subscriber here but I've been listening to Colin since you were "the number one hypothetical abortion podcast on the internet." I was hoping you all could shed some insight on what it actually means when a game is in pre-production vs production. When exactly do studios start pre-production? Do they wait until the current game they are working on is finished, or does pre-production for their next game begin before that? I imagine there are some people whose work on a game is completed well before the game is released, like writers for example, so what do these people do? Thanks for all the great content and keep fucking that chicken.

RK128

Hello Sacred Crew, With the incoming release of Final Fantasy 16, it holds a lot of significance not just for PlayStation but Creation Business Unit 3 as a studio. While I haven't played FF14 until very recently after loving the FF16 demo, these are some of the must human and passionate developers in the industry. Do you think they will finally get their roses with this PS5 release? Have a great day and hope you didn't mind that the chicken HELD THE LINE for team green last Sunday.

Anonymous

After the Starfield Direct, how do you guys feel about Xbox's spin on the Direct format that Nintendo pioneered? Should PlayStation adopt a similar format where games are shown alongside studio commentary?

Reuben Barrett

Hi CCD, I played my PS4 non stop and enjoyed basically everything released by PS, however with the PS5, playing all the sequels to the PS4 games is feeling a bit laborious, i enjoyed God of War and Horizon far more than their 2nd iterations , and im sure the same will be true with Spiderman. With the recent PS showcase there wasn't really anything that wowed me, the upcoming sequels which im sure will be great aren't anything I'm truly looking forward to, neither are any live service games. As where the Xbox showcase had me interested in just about everything besides a couple games. What i'm getting at is Sony seems to have become complacent with their games and positioning, as where Xbox got dominated last gen and now has to work hard to re-engage their lost audience, much like PS4 from the PS3. Do you guys think this kinda console war #1 spot is just gonna jump back and forth, similar to political parties? And why in the hell do these companies get so complacent then give up market share so easily?

Anonymous

Hello Sacred Men! This past week an incredibly popular Twitch streamer named Nickmercs made big news by tweeting “They should leave little children alone. That’s the real issue.” to a viral video on Twitter and the crazies lost their minds. So much so they got Call of Duty to remove his personalized skin bundle from their storefront. Yes, the same Call of Duty who is still bogged down in sexual harassment lawsuits. This even went so far as outlets like the often cited VGC calling something as simple as leave children alone anti-LBGT which is just a lie. Was wondering if y’all had heard about this situation and what your thoughts were, thanks and keep up the amazing content!

Andy

Hey CDC, The other morning I had just made breakfast sandwiches for my wife and I. I was thirsty and we didn’t have cold water so I cracked open a nice cold crisp Diet Coke. She looked at me as if I were a monster and explained that we had cold orange juice in the fridge. I replied that “Orange Juice isn’t healthy and loaded with sugar.” She disagreed and said orange juice is loaded with vitamins. So I ask you fellas, which is the healthiest beverage to consume for Breakfast? Orange juice or Diet Coke?

Anonymous

Will Colin play Starfield ?

Joseph La Russa

Hello gents. Colin, I have to call you out on something, and I think you may just have received bad information or were lied to. My parents live minutes from you in the same community and they received a *free* unfinished basement when they contracted to build their house in 2019. My dad has been working on it for 18 months to make it a finished basement, it is the same dimensions as the house above ground, with a normal height ceiling. I think you've been deceived, you should look into it so you can stop giving wrong information to the LSM community. Take care, boys.

The Great Santini

Hello Sacred Stars! With the absolute home-run that was the XBOX/Starfield showcase, what does this mean for PlayStation? As a mostly PlayStation gamer since the PS1 came out (took the PS3 gen off and got a 360 instead), the showcase has absolutely convinced me to add a Series X to my PS5 and Switch family. Starfield ALONE justifies it for me but add to it the fact that I’ll get the Persona 3 remake and MANY other AAA games for no extra cost with game pass and it’s a no brainer. Have a good day and Colin, you’re going to play Starfield, right?

Joey Andrzejczyk

Hello crew. If I may, whenever you do a pickup for the show, could you just attach it to the very end of the show. It seemed a bit too disjointed in the last episode. Love you long time

Jamie Milligan

Hey there my sweet boys. Not a question. Just wanted to say can we appreciate Colin’s growing comedic timing when it comes to finally cutting the introduction to the show and announcing Sacred Symbols podcast details to newbies. Whether it’s after a 15 minute deep dive into Chris Chan lore, or a deep conversation about the pains of being a man and nearly accidentally crushing your own nut.

Dennis

Hey CDC, What do you guys think of the weird embargoes Xbox seems to have where the developers can't announce a game is coming to other platforms besides Xbox/PC for at least a few days. This happened for the second time now with Atlus' games. I understand it is a tactical business decision, but it does make the tweet they made about the Playstation Showcase multiplatform games seem a lot more petty. Since Playstation can't do the same, most likely because of these embargoes.

Anonymous

Waaaazup boys, First off, J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets! This is the year baby. I’ll keep this quick as per your instructions. Xbox had a decent showcase. The fans are acting like it was the second coming of Christ. I honestly wasn’t that impressed and still don’t think these studios have proven they can deliver. Why do you think Xbox fans, including the dukes, are so susceptible to hype? Fable looks great by the way.

Surge!

Top of the muffin to you! What are some of the funniest customer reviews you've ever seen for a video game? This question came to my mind when I was browsing a sale on Fallout New Vegas, and if I'm to believe the word of mouth surrounding this entry in the franchise, then New Vegas might be the greatest thing ever made by human beings. One customer said it cured him of aids, while another gamer claimed that it saved their shattered marriage. So what say you? Then again... maybe these things did happen.

DMC

Hello there! Long time follower of Colin and a big fan of the two new boys Chris and the D man. Here's my question: What do you think about poop stools? I have a friend who swears by them. He believes that the elevation and squatting position allows for a better poop. How important is having a good poop, and what lengths will you go to achieve one?

Daniel Schiffer

Hi CDC. You often speak of your work week as games journalists and analysts. How much does game time factor into this? And does this change if you see a game more as work than leisure? For example there's a game you don't want to finish but you grind it out for a spoiler cast. Colin how does this compare to when you were at IGN? The people must know! Thanks for all you do.

Anonymous

Hey CDC. I played and loved the Final Fantasy XVI demo. I am super siked for the game next week. However, the demo is about two hours-ish long and they say fuck over a dozen times. It seems to be part of this trend to make games seem more adult and serious if their characters are flippant with the f word. Don’t get me wrong, I say fuck way more than that. Very important part of my vocabulary, but why do game devs think that saying fuck a lot means the game story is serious? That’s just lazy writing. Thoughts?

NotYourMom

Hey Colin, I don’t know if you remember this. Years ago, I wrote into KindaFunny with a question about FF7 remake. At the time, you, and many other people, were criticizing Square for splitting the game up into 3 different games. When I wrote in, I said even The Witcher 3’s biggest city (Novigrad) is no where near as graphically complex as Midgar. You disagreed and basically said “stop defending Square-Enix. No excuses.” Well it’s been what? 6-7 years since then. We’ve played FF7 remake. And we saw the trailer for FF7 rebirth. My questions are, do you still feel the same way you did all those years ago? How do you feel about FF7 being split up into multiple games in 2023?

Anonymous

Hi guys, I was wondering what you thought of Xbox embargoing Persona’s release on other platforms. I find it mildly annoying and a bit fucked up since the vast majority of Persona players are on PlayStation. However, I’m really just more curious about it. What is Xbox getting by delaying the platform announcement by just 2 days? They did the same thing last year so it must be beneficial. Is it just tricking people into thinking the games are exclusive?

Romeo

No question. I just want to say that having Bungie tell Naughty Dog their multiplayer game is not up to par when Destiny 2 is ridden with predatory microtransactions, horrendous in-game systems (like their transmog mechanic), and excessively anti-consumer content vaulting is just hipocritical. New Destiny 2 players can't even play the full game and have a proper sense of progression.   Bungie was always the second-best option for them. Let's not forget that Sony tried to buy Digital Extremes, Warframe’s developer. Having them assess Sony’s FTP games would've been way better considering their model is truly free and even allows players to exchange their premium currency in game with other players. I'm not saying Warframe is perfect, but it's way better than Destiny 2 in many ways. After all, we are talking about DE, the developer that eliminated an in-game premium currency-consuming mechanic because they were afraid players would spend too much money using it.   It's sad that Sony lost Digital Extremes to Tencent.   Greetings from the tropical, hot as fuck waters of Puerto Rico.

Anonymous

*TLoU2 Spoilers* Hey Guys, this is mainly for Colin. You have a said a few times now that The Last of Us Part 2 necessitates a sequel. Could you elaborate on why? I think the ending is a bleak but powerful message. Ellie had a chance to walk away with her family (mainly) still intact. She gives in to her grief and desire for revenge, and by the time she decides to spare/forgive Abby, it’s too late. She’s lost her family, her community, and can’t even play her guitar properly (her last connection to Joel). I think it’s such a ballsy way for Naughty Dog to end things and reflects the game’s themes: actions have consequences, the futility of revenge and how destructive grief can be. Thoughts?

Anonymous

Hi chaps. So I’ve just finished up with the Final Fantasy 16 demo. I would say I enjoyed my time mostly, but I do have some concerns. Anyone going in expecting it to feel like a Final Fantasy game I think will be disappointed. To me it felt like I was playing a game that was trying to be a movie aiming to hit that “game of thrones” vibe. It was one of the darkest games I’ve ever played (so far) let alone a Final Fantasy. The gameplay we did get was somewhat enjoyable, combat was fun if a little basic for now though I’m sure that’ll ramp up. The voice acting felt inconsistent in terms of quality, this might be fixed switching to Japanese and subtitles, and I don’t know if I’m crazy, my eyes are broken or if I’m right wrong or indifferent but visually, I wasn’t that impressed. To me it really looks quite dated at times. I wondered if anyone else had tried the demo and had any similar thoughts. Thanks again gang, I’m consistently astounded by how far my $5 stretches in terms of content. Be well. Antony

Niall G

Hi CDC, last week you talked about Sony and Cloud gaming. Colin, although you had difficulty articulating your point, what you described is how the Decima engine uncompresses and compresses its environments. Although Dustin is right in that you would likely need hardware on the players end for it to work, would it not be something that the PS5 SSD could handle? It was marketed as a super-fast SSD that can give you zero loading screens and could potentially be placed into a relatively small space, such as a handheld. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks

Greg Wallace

Boys, I was thinking about Dustin’s discussion about dark roast coffee and how people drink it because it’s the manly way to drink coffee. Now I love dark roast, black no sugar, but I’m more so writing about the “toxic masculinity” associated with food. As a kid, I’d be told certain food would put “hair on my chest” (as if a 6 year old wants that) and as an adult I can’t get a “bitch” drink or eat a hot dog around certain friends. Do you have any experiences like this or do you love a “girly” food that would get you judged?

Anonymous

Hi CDC, What do you think PlayStation’s first party line-up will look like in 2024? As an old school gamer who only loves single player games, I am slightly worried (but not too much). We are only getting Spiderman 2 in 2023 (as opposed to 2022 where we got three amazing first party games) and there is nothing announced for 2024 from the first party so far (maybe I am wrong). Do you think 20024 will be dominated by mostly second party releases for PlayStation? Would love to hear what you guys think. Thank you for all the fun conversations you have been delivering over the years. Please never change. Tevfik

phil mccarthy

Hey boys, Greeting from center of the sun warm Ireland. My question is for lord Colin, Last week you mentioned you had no deep connection with the Prince of Persia series but the (very cool) looking The lost crown was appealing as you love a good Metroidvania, With this I starting wondering if you ever got around to checking out the awesome F.I.S.T. despite the dodgy name this really is an outstanding game, A stunning steampunk noir word, challenging but fair combat combat and surprisingly great voice acting, With all these along with being from the China hero project made it a very surprising favourite of mine and very curious to know what you'd think of it. Sending you love and wet dreams from Ireland. Phil.

Anonymous

Good day gentlemen of the symbols, I aim this question for Colin but I'd like to hear the boys thoughts as well. Did you watch the Starfield Direct and did it blow your mind, like mine. I know how much Colin loves space and the great frontier of space exploration. The NASA-Punk style looks amazing and honestly it was so OVERWHELMING (in a good way). I know Colin, that you don't care for Betheda games as they are probably too long to stick with for the work you do now. BUT! I was just curious if you felt bummed that it won't come to playstation as well. I'm all in. Bethesda has never let me down. Let me hears your guys thoughts. Thanks for all you guys do! Take care! -Forrest D

Anonymous

Greetings Sacred Crew, Have you seen how Hogwarts Legacy has a 0.75 Hour Trial with PS Plus? Once people create their character the trial will end. Just wondering if this is clever bait for more people to buy the game? Take care guys.

Tyee
>>110777739

They didn’t lose DE when they never had them in the first place

Anonymous

Hey CDC. Colin, in the latest SS+ you said SF6 didn’t look like a Street Fighter. what would you say defines “Street Fighter”? I’m curious because I’ve seen people say the same about FF16. To me they’re the natural evolution of old IPs. What say you? What defines FF and SF to you guys?

Erik Roth

What's up guys. If you talk about PS Plus additions, please note the complete list was posted by PS UK twitter. I guess the main twitter couldn't be bothered.

Anonymous

Good morning gents, Colin on the last Constellation you mentioned you would give some out some names to lectures and such on UFOs from qualified sources. Yet to my disappointment, you did not do so as the conversation passed and it probably slipped your mind. I was wondering if you could tell me where to look so I could learn more about the little green guys that will soon become our draconian overlords. Thanks so much and keep up the great work!

Card Captor Corey

Hi CDC, With another stellar month for ps+ extra is it time to start saying that PlayStation + extra is as good a value as Gamepass is? The games this month there are a lot I will play on the service. Ever since subscribing to it. It has saved me a decent chunk of change with the games I've played off of it. Also Colin you've talked about getting lilymo games on Gamepass have you tried to get them on ps+ extra? -Corey

Allan Sweeney

Greetings Timmy Tolkien Talkers, The Sea of Stars Twitter account announed a couple days ago that the game is now Content Complete and seems positioned to hit its late summer release date. Just wondering what the hype level is from you fine folk on this game; in what could go down as the best year for games ever, it may be my most anticipated release. Thanks for all the stellar content and a reminder to please not leave those poor chickens on read.

Tyee

Hey CDC Keep up all the great work that you guys do and “will you leave your ponies alone to play with Xbots” translation did any games at the xbox showcase peak your interest?

Anonymous

Hello CDC, Just in the news was the new gaming streaming initiative from Sony. They plan to have more to announce in the future for dates. Described was only being usable from the PS5 Console only seemingly. Sony angles this to be an alternative to downloading the game. Is this the true purpose of project Q, or maybe even a Q pro? Is Sony just starting with consoles and then working their way out to other platforms such as mobile? Many thanks for your hours of podcasts, helps my Midwest to Florida drive today.

Anonymous

Hello clucker fuckers! A few months ago I wrote in to shout out my wife and our baby Bean! Well Bean has been born, potentially ginger, so I may have to ask for a refund! The wife now lives inside a room where the walls are screens, and all that pays is Colin farting at half speed, Stockholm syndrome completed! My question is as follows, is 30 fps an acceptable framerate to mk ultra a loved one into becoming a die hard SS fan? With love, Charismatic cult leader

Bryan Creagh

Hey CDC, I wanted to write in and talk about the problem with AAA development costing more and more. This seems to be a major issue in the industry. It seems like companies are all rushing towards live services to combat the rising high cost of development in hopes of keeping the cash rolling in. My question is why? If you look at trophy data, you can clearly see that most people do not see the majority of content put into AAA games. Why do games need to be so long and bloated? Most gamers I know have a huge back log that continuously grows. Why do gamers seem to buy more than they can play and then complain about games not being long enough. Shouldn’t developers focus on making tighter shorter experiences with less bloat and shorten the time of development instead of chasing the live service initiative? I know live service can pay off, but it can also fail in a major way.

Anonymous

Hello my friends. How much are you expecting Project Q to cost and how much would you be willing to pay for it? I'm very excited for this device and would happily pay £300 for it, although my guess would be around £229. Unfortunately my excitement doesn't seem to be widely shared. The general consensus seems to be that we already have phones for remote play and so Project Q offers nothing new. I disagree, I expect Project Q to offer a much better streaming experience, more akin to the Wii U gamepad, which was excellent aside from its poor range.

Mike Po

Greetings Sacred Boys, I come to you with another installment in the "Old men don't give a fuck in bathrooms" saga. Earlier this week I attended a two day mandatory conference at work, and I gave a presentation during one of the sessions. Later in the day, as I walking to the bathroom, one of my bosses' peers (older guy in his 60's) joined me and started complimenting me on my presentation. Our small talk continued as I went to a urinal and he went into a stall. He continued to engage in conversation with me and praise my presentation as he was farting and shitting loudly in the stall. In my bewilderment, all I could muster was a "glad you liked it" as I speedily finished up at the urinal and returned to the conference. I need the boys to weigh in: did I retreat in fear too quickly? Should I have stayed and returned compliments to him? Above all, why did this man feel so casual about chatting with me while he was loudly and proudly flatulating? I need answers.

Anonymous

Hey guys, What makes a Final Fantasy game a Final Fantasy games to you? Or more exactly, what aspects to you feel need to be in FF game for it to truly be a FF title? I was a little turned off that with FF16 you don’t seem to have even loose control over your party composition (also a reason why FF15 was less appealing to me). But for you guys, what do you need to have in a mainline game for it to have that FF feel?

Anonymous

Boys, Appreciate everything you guys do. I require your advice. As a non smoker I'm curious if I would get a more immersive experience if I started playing video games high. My friend has such fantastic stories about games that I personally find pretty average and I'm curious if his love for weed is the key to unlocking the door? Witcher 3 is a great example. That game was boring as shit but when my friend talks about it, I'm pretty sure he lived it. Thoughts?

Anonymous

Hey guys, this one is mostly for Dustin. With Persona 3 Reloaded only including base P3 content without any FES or Portable extras, has your interest in the game diminished at all? Or do you think we'll get Golden/Royal version of this in a year and a half?