Off The Cuff

2013 Game of the Year Discussion

February 7, 2014 1:38:52 EXPLICIT
Off The Cuff 2013 Game of the Year Discussion
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About this Episode

The hosts discuss their top games from 2013, focusing on their number four and five picks. They analyze their experiences with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Payday 2, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, BioShock Infinite, and State of Decay. The conversation covers gameplay mechanics, narrative structure, performance issues across consoles, and the disappointment of missing features like online multiplayer in specific titles.

Pixels in the animation is wrapped on the Super

Mario Brothers Super Show now TFJ and Mike and

TV's Mr. Neil head to Hyrule That's right listeners

from episode 16 through episode 20 of PETA pain

in the ass We will be covering all 26 episodes

of the Legend of Zelda cartoon Excuse us podcasters

you can catch Pixels in the animation every Wednesday

on iTunes and www .geekcastradio .com Princess!

That should be the last time that happens whoa

you sound weird though to me what sources My

hopes and dreams So not anything we can really

you know Lean on right no there's a short in

my power cord, and I think I have it braced It

had been working fine and up until tonight when

it's kicked off twice, but I think I got it set.

I think I And Jenny and Oliver are upstairs,

like, running around the house. It's 8 or 9.

He should be in bed. The dogs are barking. Sorry,

guys. What did you do, Joe? Did you just load

him up with sugar and let him go? No, really.

He's like, no, not sugar, bath salts. Parenting

101 from off the cuff. Feed your kid bath salts?

Also Jack Daniels. together possible Drunk cannibals

are the funniest kind. I'm sorry. I just read

something that made me laugh hysterically That

was hysterically If English was good enough for

Jesus when he wrote the Bible Michelle Bachman

on Fox News February 3rd 2014 She said that?

Yes, she did. Well, there was a bunch of people

that came out and said, we don't want the National

Anthem sung in a foreign language. They weren't

fucking singing the National Anthem. There were

things. America the Beautiful. Yeah, not the

National Anthem. Real quick, just so I know who

to hang up on and never talk to again. Did anybody

have a problem with that Coke commercial? Good

God, no. No. OK, just making sure. I've not heard

from. met anybody that had a problem with it,

which means I surround myself with good people.

Yes. Okay, I just want to make sure. One hassle

around just for perspective to make sure. So

I know who not to be friends with. Does anybody

side with science or creationism? Science. Creationism,

of course. I had this guy once. Friendship's

over. We have to be contradictory to each other.

Shut up. I had this guy once try to try to convert

me. He's like I'm like he's like oh my god. I

believe in evolution He's like I believe in evolution,

too. Just not in humans How does it even work

I don't know very very carefully no it doesn't

have you but no no it does not work at all ever

Are we ready to do this Totally dude. I am opening

a Mountain Dew now. I'm gonna get Crunk on Mountain

Dew. I'm totally going to get fish -aced on this

stuff. That's great. That's what that reminded

me of. Can you never say the word crunk again,

Joe? Can you say it one more time? Is that like

the official of when a word has died? Joe starts

using that. Can you do a remix of that? Crunk,

crunk, crunk, crunk, crunk, crunk it up. Crunk,

crunk, crunk on Dew. Oh, God. Man, I'm totally

going to get jacked up. That's I don't think

that word doesn't mean what you think it means

like so Crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

it up wiki wiki wiki we not do this crunk it

up Crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk crunk

crunk This will be my last episode. Going out

on episode 45. Alright. What? Also known as the

anniversary of Clunk. No, last week was 45. Last

week was 46. No it wasn't. It's 44, hold on.

Last week was 44, I'm looking at it right now.

You actually know what episode it is? I pull

it up in iTunes weekly. Oh, okay. Well no, because

I was looking at the - I was looking at the -

I'm looking at the blog post too. Yeah, that's

what I was looking at, yeah. However, this doesn't

need to be numbered, it can just be the off -the

-cuff special or the Game of the Year - Well,

this is a special, right? Because technically

45 will be part two of off -season, right? But

it's gonna take us so much longer to get to episode

50 now. That's the plan because we need to get

the music together. Stretch them. We're gonna

have the music next week. And now I need to edit

that because now I - Wait, no one say anything

else about what episode 50 is going to be. We'll

talk about it after the show. I don't want to

edit anything. I like leaving all this jargon

in at the beginning now Jargon you mean the jargon.

Yep All right, so anybody that is still listening

Wait, this is gonna be a special episode or no.

Yes. No, I think I say make it make it special

So that episode 45 or is it just the game of

the year episode? Okay I'm gonna pee For some

reason what I'm saying that though, I'm hitting

myself in the head when I said I don't know That's

how I pictured you doing is your face your hands

smashed in your face every time Special that's

why he wears the helmet you see I'm sorry, go

ahead. Are you good? We're good? I'm good. I'm

good. Okay. Do it. Special! You broke him. Hello

and welcome to a special - Stop! Now you can

- now every time for the rest of the episode

you say the word special, anywheres you're gonna

bust up laughing for no reason and look like

you're, well, special. Okay. Okay. I can't do

it. Welcome to a unique episode of Off the Cuff.

Unique! Unique! Yes, hello and welcome. I can't

do it. Hello and welcome to a special episode

of Off the Cuff. This week we are going to cover

the game of the year for 2013. I am your host,

as usual, Michael Powers. I'm joined, as you've

heard, by Art Danner, and Joe Reed, and Sean

Z. Brown. Anybody else imagine that Joe is kind

of tipping his fedora while he was saying hello

But he's also removing his monocle yes, I Wasn't

going for an impression. That's just how I naturally

talk sounds like I need we're well aware Like

a hipster we get it we know So for anyone that's

you know Tuned into off the cuff in the last

few episodes or haven't been with us since the

beginning the last time We did game the when

we did the 2012 game of the year. It was actually

episode 9 of extreme retro gaming Which was released

on January 17th of last year I'm sure so we are

far behind About two weeks behind. Well, it helped

me out because without those extra two weeks

I wouldn't have played a bunch of the games that

are on my list Without that extra two weeks,

I wouldn't have wasted my time with brothers.

Also, you would have a non -functioning hand

or arm and shoulder and pinch nerves everywhere.

It's a hyper -functioning hand now. Oh God, I

just in my head. I just picture you masturbating

furiously the stranger. So did I Just like but

like mock speed like what you'd imagine the flash

doing That sounds like a lot of 80s would be

actually slow motion. No, it's so fast. It actually

makes a cushion of air Look I'm not actually

touching it Speed Force done, right? So if you

ever had a speed force hand job Wanna have another

one? Wanna have another one? Wanna see it do

it again? All right, Danner since you're the

one that's got the tabulated scores, how do you

want to handle this episode? Well, I was thinking

that we could since everybody knows Who voted

knows what they put in maybe they would like

to know what we voted is our number fives and

then at the end we would Go to the whole list

release the Kraken and Go over the the list of

the top five that was voted on okay by the community

now And us with tabulated results for the record

that we did it slightly different this year And

I think next year we're gonna do it a little

bit different even more different Only because

I want the I would like the game of the year

thing to be part of the geek cast radio awards

And I have an idea on how to do that Have an

idea on how to do that Anyways, um last year

it was the four of us came up with the top five

list and the game that was on All of our list

ended up being like the game of the year this

year Dan are assigned points to the various games

on the list. So which I think is a much better

More better much better. Hey, I don't know seems

to be better than what we did last year Some

would even say it's a special system special

Anyway, so So Mike I defer to you if you want

to start with your number five, I will start

with my number five My number five and I was

thinking about this it's I was debating on whether

or not I should actually change my list and put

this higher but I decided to leave it where it

was just on the off just because it didn't while

it has the same I put it on the list for the

same reasons I put the my number one on the list

it shows a lot of the similarities for the reasons

on the list but didn't it didn't it didn't stick

with me as long as the other games on the list

have Like the story hasn't. But number five for

me is Brothers, a Tale of Two Sons. That's him

weighing in on that was my review of brothers.

That's not fair. That's really not satisfying

and relieves pressure. See, I didn't care. I

mean, I don't want to say I didn't care for the

story. I don't have a brother, really. So the

story didn't really grab me. I didn't find it.

It didn't rub me the wrong way like it did some

people I found the game more interesting from

the gameplay aspects of it. I felt like Outside

of the puzzles that the game wants you to solve

I felt just the way the controls were set up

is that the entire game Oh, yeah, all the gameplay

is a giant puzzle most definitely and the second

you stop thinking is when you mess up Yeah, and

it's like a well, I actually I found myself the

more I was actually thinking about what I was

doing is weird Like you have to like just like

let your hands do it, but then you start thinking

about it You're like, oh wait, and then you concentrate

and then you mess up then you're like, oh god

now it's all gone terribly wrong And it's it's

really an exercise in hand -eye coordination

to to know how how good you may or actually may

not be Was I just insane or when you moved one

brother to the right side of the screen and the

other brother to the other side of the screen

and then let go of the joysticks and then put

your thumbs back on them. That it reorient like

the left joystick would control the one on the

left side of the screen. No, no, no. I couldn't

get my hands never left the thumb sticks. So

I have no idea. Left thumb stick was always the

older brother. Right thumb stick was always the

younger brother. OK. And for some reason for

me, I always felt it should have been the other

way around. And I don't know why is that you

read left or right? I guess, but I don't know.

I just felt the youngest brother should be on

the left and the right. The older brother should

have been on the right. Wait a minute. You think

the older brother should have... So the older

brother was on the left? Uh -huh. See, I didn't

really look at it as which one was on which stick,

but I guess if you're thinking about it that

way, I would still think the older brother should

be on the left because the left is kind of your

dominant directional hand in video games. I know,

but for some reason... I don't know. I just...

That game broke all kind of intuition just by

the way that controlled. It was one. It's one

of the reasons that I picked it up, wanted to

play it for Game of the Year, but I was more

frustrated with it than that. And I just haven't

gone back to it. I will. But as frustrating as

it was for me to play and try to get a grasp

on, there's no way to be on this list. I picked

it up real quick. And it's really it's only like

a three hour game if that. So now it's a one

sitting kind of game and I'm and I'm wondering

You guys played it on? PS3 correct that's yeah,

okay. I played it on my Mac with a 360 controller

So I'm kind of wonder because I know Joe sometimes

you have issues with the ps3 controller. Yes,

it's growing on you I'm wondering I'm wondering

if that may have had something to do with it

Because I didn't have, like I said, I didn't

have any issues with the controls. In fact, my

favorite mechanic in the game, bar none, is the

swinging mechanic. When they were connected by

the ropes? Yes. Yeah, that was awesome. There's

just something very rhythmic about that, where

it's like left trigger, right trigger, left trigger,

right trigger. It was very satisfying. And I

felt like the entire game was just like a...

And it does defy... What you know about video

games because we've talked recently in the past

about like video game language and stuff like

that and that's That's not what this game doesn't

have really any of that I will say one part though

is when you're in the boat throwing the paddles

hmm Yeah, I had trouble with that until I in

my head. I thought of the boat as a tank and

me controlling the treads of the tank I kept

running into this stupid fish Like four times

in a row. I just couldn't do it until I had to

like stop and just like think about like a bubbles

avoid them and steer and think in my head like

I was steering like a tracked vehicle. I don't

know if there was any moment in the game that

I Actually, you know, I think I may have failed

once in the swinging, but I don't think I failed

anywhere else Because the swinging mechanic is

like if you if you start thinking about the game,

you'll just fall and die The swinging one just

came real natural just felt right it did but

it's what but we were just talking about how

if you started thinking about what you were doing

Yeah, like that it and you end up with your like

fingers crossed on the controller or whatever

But I that was the only place I remember dying

in the game. I don't remember dying anywhere

else. So Yeah, that's not my number five is brother

a tale of two sons and it's it's only there because

I Feel like it I feel like it the game didn't

have any Baggage to it. It said it was exactly

what it was and there was no like fluff or frills

to it like the you know They had a they had a

nice story laid out and the mechanics fit the

the adventure that they were sending you on Which

is something that I'm As you go higher up the

list you'll see that there are other games that

set out to be something and then they weren't

that Which is what my next game is on the list,

but Anyways, that's my number five Joe. I looked.

I had to look at the Wikipedia page for all of

the games that came out because I for the life

of me couldn't come up with any. And after looking

at that list, I realized that I only liked four

games last year. And so my number five is a game

that I don't exactly like and haven't played

all that much payday to. But it's the fifth game

that I played. It's payday to. You murderous

bastard. It's the and it did. It was a very positive

experience that I had. It's not at all a quality

game. It does not belong on anybody's top five.

But it's it just happened to have been the fifth

new game that I played this year. So in other

words, the 60 minutes Joe spent with a game got

a number five on the list. It's it's it's a oh,

what's the word? It's a. An accident that had

ended up on the list because I hate so many games.

He just enjoys killing. So it's pretty much that

by default. That's the word I was looking for.

It got on by default because yes. Joe, wait,

what do you do for a profession again? You couldn't

think of the word default. It was an art teacher,

not an English teacher. He's a teacher. I don't

care. It was caught on my back tooth. I couldn't

get it out my mouth. Yeah, I'm sure that's not

the first thing to be stuck in your mouth. So

Sean your number five my number five Saints Row

for no it's not I didn't put Saints Row for Wow

I was told I wasn't allowed mind blown you found

five other games to put on a list Number five

even though a day to no not pay it to you I played

it like for five seconds with people that weren't

talking not nearly as fun Was a game It missed

one thing that I really hope wish ahead which

was online multiplayer, but I put Lego Marvel

For five because like all the Lego games are

fun Adding superheroes just makes it even funner.

We just wanted to we just wanted it to be ultimate

alliance with Legos we did and I mean Co -op

like college co -op. It is that but the lack

of an online. It's just And it was one of those

things, if we had realized and looked back at

every other LEGO game and realized none of them

had that, we would have been fine. LEGO Star

Wars the complete edition had online. Yeah, I

think that's the only one. That's the only one.

I think we were just expecting more out of it,

given that it was getting like a... I was kind

of expecting the PS4 and the Xbox One version

at least have online play. That's one that I

really wish I liked. And I want to play it again

now that I know you can turn that goofy split

screen thing off that slides around. You can

come over and play it. You can come over and

play to my house. Sweet. Tanner. All right. My

number five. And it was not originally my number

five. I actually ended up shuffling my my list

around because originally. at Tearaway at number

five. But after spending some 60 hours with the

game, I decided that I felt Assassin's Creed

4 deserved to be my number five. Yay! Because

I just had a hell of a lot of fun with that game

and I just really, really liked it. I'm just

asking this just to ask, but would Assassin's

Creed 4 have made the list if you had played

the PS3 version? Do you think? I think so. Okay,

but which is because I had the ps4 Okay, so what

was the ps3 one better than the ps4? No, he's

just talking he's basically thinking my entire

thing No, I'm just wondering like if you think

like the You know, you can't deny that the graphics

definitely help I think the graphics definitely

helped, but I think overall I think it was a

huge step up to Assassin's 3. And yes, the graphics

on the next -gen systems look amazing, but they

don't look horrible on the current gens either.

But there's something to be said about a locked

framerate in those games. So I was just curious

if... To be honest, I don't know, I can't speak

for the PlayStation 3 version. But on the Xbox

One, the only time I had any trouble frame rate

was very recently and it happened one time. Yeah,

but the problem is, does it have... I'm just

talking about like a consistent frame rate versus

where Assassin's Creed 3 would be 30 and then

it'd be 60 and then it'd be 30 and then 60. To

me, on the PS4 it had it consistent. Yeah, that's

pretty much what it was. Because it didn't get

that frame rate... Increased thing that you got

in Assassin's 3 all the time by the way I kind

of figured out why framework is actually so important

And I don't know I knew this and then I forgot

it But the reason it's in it's important in gaming

is that's how many times the console asks the

controller for enjoy what you've done yeah, and

So you can have a 60 frame per second game that

looks like it's 30 frames per second Just so

they can maintain a certain style Rather than

having that hyper fluidity, but yeah, it's all

about controller pulling the controller for information

It was just a side note. Yeah, it's supposed

to be for like precision gaming and stuff like

and like say you're a sniping or something you

want to be able you want it to be able to pick

up every tiny little flick of the stick and Say

it picks up like once every half a second Now

if you do two moves within a half a second and

only catches one of them. Mm -hmm But you know

if it pulls, you know a hundred times a second

then it's every time you move it Ritz more responsive

But, to me with Assassin, go for it. When I played

Assassin's Creed 4 on PS3, it was after I had

played Arts on PS4, I didn't notice anything

going down. And playing it, I haven't noticed

any framerate issues. Looks beautiful enough

to me that I'm excited to eventually finish the

game. I have to acquire it, I think. But I think

I would notice it going up. If I went over to

Arts now and played Assassin's Creed 4, I'd be

like, There's lighting and reflections and lightning

in the storm, but I was completely blown I was

not looking forward to it because I don't care

a lick about pirates I didn't have any fun on

the last mat An Assassin's Creed 3 but well,

I wanted ninjas. I mean Like, ninjas are assassins.

We won the ninjas in the first game. Exactly.

So that's really why I was mostly pissed. But,

you know, I still don't care about pirates. But

Assassin's Creed IV, when you first get your

ship and you're rolling in that giant storm escaping

those ships, I was like, OK, this is cool. I

want more of this. I want to get back on the

boat. I want to get back on the boat. And then

I went to Nassau and it slowed down and that's

about it. Nassau, yeah. I feel like Nassau is

fun. Yeah, I guess they include that part as...

still part of the opening at like the opening

tutorial pretty much until you get past that.

Yeah, and that's kind of what I figured that

after that part, it let me do it island to island,

whatever you want. Yeah, there's no with the

exception of mission specific areas. There's

no nothing that's really locked off to you. That's

awesome. So, Mike, you're number four. Number

four is Skyo Shock. Also known as Bioshock Infinite.

I had a feeling you were going to say Skyoshock.

This is kind of like how, you know, I always

said like Brothers was a really, it was really

a no frills. It knew exactly what it was going

to be from the get go. I feel like Bioshock of

the games I played this year, it didn't have

it. It started out as one thing. And that one

thing like for me, I think. Daner, you know,

the the world building draws you in and the minute

they give you a gun, like the game changes like

there's there's three points in which the game

changes. But for me, the game was the most interesting

before you actually get a gun. Yeah. And so you

get a gun and it instantly becomes a first person

shooter. And then when you save Elizabeth, then

it becomes a first person shooter with like time

travel mechanics. and So much of what the game

was like setting up early on either gets lost

in at least in my opinion it gets lost in the

hubbub of switching between you know dimensions

and all this other stuff and While it was while

it was really pretty to look at and it was a

lot of fun It just didn't it you know number

four isn't a bad spot a bad place to be but Yeah,

it just kind of fell kind of fell flat. I mean,

we've talked about this a lot over the past year

with Bioshock. The messaging gets lost. They

don't allow you to spend enough time in a dimension

to actually figure out what is exactly different

about that era and stuff like that. And you kind

of lose track of where you are and what's actually

happening. It just becomes like a roller coaster

ride right up until the end where it gets interesting

again. You're just you're you're kind of along

like there's there's the world building in the

beginning of the game And then there's like the

roller coaster middle and then there's the exposition

all at the end of the game um You're just kind

of along the along for the ride in the middle

of it Well, and I think it did as soon as you

got that gun out it was it became on rails basically

you had a path a place to go and And even when

you pick up Elizabeth, you're still on rails.

It's just, oh, now you can point at that thing

and bring in hooks from another dimension. It's

very much on rails until they just start dumping

exposition on you again at the end. And yeah,

you do pick up the Vox recorders and stuff like

that, and you learn a little bit here and there

about that stuff, which I do applaud Bioshock

for the recordings, which is something that I

will knock number two on my list for. when we

get there, but, um, I just feel like it was,

it was, it was, it was a, it was a really well

-made game, but they just kind of, it wanted

to be too many things instead of just something

like really great. It was, it was good. It wasn't

great. So I was completely underwhelmed. by it

and I don't know I'm cynical and cranky. I was

so underwhelmed by it that I played several hours

of that and Payday 2 still made my number five

while this one did not. It's beautiful in the

beginning. I did enjoy the bits before the gun.

I wasn't exactly sure where the plot was going

with it. Like I didn't know how much the character

knew or how much I was missing because I wasn't

paying attention or I thought I was paying attention

but apparently not. And then as soon as you get

the gun, it becomes a really, really mediocre

first -person shooter. And then things happen

so quick, so many of those cop guys are coming

at you that you don't get to enjoy the world

anymore. It took that away from me. I wanted

to stop and smell roses again and look at the

pretty statues. And the little things that are

shape -shifting around you as you walk by them?

Unless you didn't notice any of that. Maybe I

didn't notice that. I noticed the robot vending

machines. Those were interesting. I think when

you're on your way to the To the fairground area.

I think there's a statue on the right that changes

as you walk past it huh Isn't that right Dan?

I? Don't recall that at all. I don't remember

it. I said yeah, there's a stay I'm pretty sure

there's a statue on the right it changes from

I think it changes from a guy to a girl or from

a girl to a guy And it's not like it's a hologram

or anything it actually just physically changes

So that's one of the things I that's one of the

things I noticed before you go up there And you

have to choose whether or not to throw the baseball

or the stone or whatever it is But yeah, you

know you never really get to see Unless the game

explicitly tells you you never get to see that

stuff again. I Can't believe I'm friends with

you people Here's I have a question Okay, you

come up to the poster and it says beware the

Antichrist or whatever they call him He's got

this number on his hand and then your character

puts his hand up in front of him and says Well,

I have that and he shows that he has the number

on his hand But they don't at least in the beginning

right then does he doesn't explain that did he

know was he born with that hand on his number?

Did he? You know they explain it like as they

go through the story like because it's kind of

like Why does this guy have the number that I

have and then you learn why he has it? Yeah,

I It would have I don't know sit Wasn't possible

for them to tell me without ruining the story

I see that number on my hand and the character

should say something like whoa, dude That's that

burn I got from fixing my dad's car or that's

when those bullies held me down and carve mine

I wanted to know what he was kind of bullies.

Do you have Joe Jesus? No, but I wanted to know

what that meant to him or I don't remember having

that I think I know what Joe's saying it you

were playing as a care you were playing as an

actual like You weren't playing as an avatar

of yourself, you were actually playing a character

moving through the world, and as he was discovering

things, the game wasn't relaying to you the stuff

that he already knew about himself. Exactly!

Did he even know that this place existed when

he's going up there? I don't think he knew it

existed. But I think people have heard of it,

but he didn't know what it was And I think I

think the the difference is like a game like

Skyrim where you're playing a nameless character

And you put yourself in that role whereas this

is like you know you expect him to He already

knows things about himself, but you don't know

those things It was kind of those yeah, I can

see how that would be frustrating so I can't

tell what's important and what's not for me I

just kept barreling forward because I I mean,

I liked what was happening. I just think other

games were better this year. So. Yeah, I'll never

I'll never get the Bioshock series. It's like

high school ethics class. I'm snooty and read

philosophy books level story with really mediocre

first person shooters. OK, I get it. You're a

cynic and you're not a capitalist. That's OK.

They crafted a beautiful world, but they didn't

let you. They do. Do exactly and that was a problem

with part one, too I wanted to walk around all

that underwater stuff But it was well that was

too scary, but this one just didn't let me do

it at all All right before Dana's head explodes.

Let's move on. Sorry Dana Jones it was your number

four my number four was state of decay Anyone

who didn't know X Xbox live Arcadia or whatever

they're calling him and I think they're still

called that Really cool. It's a Zombie survival

game not really a horror game so much Well, I

dug it as one. It's a really good time waster.

It's a good so they're single -player only I

Really enjoyed playing. I don't know if any of

you guys did you any guys even played at all

I? Haven't looked like I was gonna ask is it

a rogue like game like Like faster than light

is where every time you started up you're starting

as a new character Or is it like you can save

and come back later? Um no, it's not like it

like if I like go back Right now and play I can

play as whatever guy character you well you yes,

and no you start off as a guy you pick a guy

Right and he can or cannot be the leader or whatever

you want You go through that guy can die and

you just take control for another one of your

survivors. You don't have to control him You

can control someone else. Okay, you lose when

you're survivors when you're whatever you can't

Survive in the game anymore. Your guys have exhausted

all their resources Or, you know, zombies have

invaded your little area and killed everybody.

Okay. I've been debating on playing games like

trying out Rust or DayZ. Rust, I've heard such

amazing things. I've heard such amazing things

and then I've also heard some amazingly horrible

things. Not about the game, about demonic people.

And I've heard the trick for that game is if

you're going to play by yourself, Don't that

the game increases exponentially and fun with

the more friendly players. You're playing with

people. Even if you meet them in the game or

go on lobbies and find some people to play with,

you know, because you start it's that that's

one of those games. So you start off with nothing,

right? And you have to build yourself up. So

if some guy who's been building himself up for,

you know, weeks and weeks and weeks comes out

over to you when you've just started. You have

I think you start with a rock and they have guns

So anyways, but your yes your number your number

four is not always state was state of decay.

Um Not really. Okay. It's not it's It's much

more simple. They kind of wanted it to have that

daisy feel they kind of wanted to make it a more

Forgiving and approachable daisy From what I

heard I don't never know if it was official or

not, but they wanted multiplayer for some reason

couldn't do it I don't know what the hold -up

was there was always hope for that to happen

never happened, but it's kind of like Yeah, well,

I mean I doubt if they do it'll be I don't think

it'll be a state of decay It'll be whatever they

call it on Xbox one. I don't think they'll call

it state of decay to They probably just change

it to whatever state of decay online So da or

so do rather cuz I'm stupid Soto Soto soda soda

or pop It wouldn't be soda cuz soda ends with

an a oh Soto that's right. Why but soda sounds

better sod soda All right, Joe My number four

was Assassin's Creed 4, which we've already discussed.

I've been a big fan, 3 let me down, 4, and that

wonderful bit with the ocean brought it back.

Also on the list kind of by default because I

did not play that many games, but it is good

and I think it's quality, so that one actually

might deserve to be on that list. now This game

showed up on many many many many many people's

lists Yet, I'm the only one who ranked it down

as far as I did compared to everybody else And

I'm sure this is won't be the last time this

gets brought up, but my number four was gone

home I Wish I could have played that I wish you

could have too Joe. I really like the game I

didn't like it as much as I liked other things

but it is just a beautiful great game that just

has the most eerie atmosphere and just the sound

like the sound design and the atmosphere and

the story just everything works together so well

When I say game gets scary, or is it just sad?

Yes, yes, okay? Yes, well would you say it gets

scary, or would you say it gets like eerie yeah,

I mean It runs the it runs the gamut of emotion.

Yeah Did it make you feel like you were a lesbian

teenager? Yes, it did yes So yes number four

is gone home Mike number three number three for

me was Tomb Raider One of the things that's going

that with the exception of brothers being at

number five as the list gets higher one of the

things that I actually kind of noticed was gameplay

getting out of the way of or the Was I just had

it in my head when Dana was talking about gone

home It was that the gameplay doesn't outstrip

the narrative or the story that's trying to be

told. There just there isn't just gameplay thrown

in for the sake of it being there. And it doesn't

the game doesn't break down because the gameplay

doesn't break down when the narrative is being

really strong. And as we get higher up the list,

that becomes more and more apparent, with the

exception of Brothers being number five, which

is why I said it should be. higher. Tomb Raider.

The issues I had with Tomb Raider were just like

the gamification of everything, which was, you

know, we we had a conversation on this podcast

about Tomb Raider when it happened, which is

just, you know, the it has that Arkham, that

Arkham thing going forward. Unstoppable killing

machine. It's just easier to point out what's

wrong with the game than it is to say all the

stuff that's just good. It's a shorter list of

what's wrong than what's right. Yeah, significantly.

like i still like even playing the definitive

edition on the ps4 like i still laugh every time

i go and burn a net to get a wooden box out of

it Just to this day. I can't imagine how that

instructs a bolt and all the ropes are soaked

in kerosene on the island and all of the Just

burn boxes are soaked in like some kind of flame

retardant material exactly you're doing you're

putting way too much work into it was yeah, I

can't I can't help but laugh every time that

happens and I can't get past the fact that Lara

is an unstoppable killing machine from the minute

she gets a bow And that even playing it again,

that is just that immediately that is what happens.

And the minute you get the murder stick, it's

all over. By the murder stick, I mean, you get

your axe, which eventually becomes a climbing

axe. And they give you so many vicious combos

that I don't even I'm like live streaming it

right now for TFG one mic on, you know, Geekcast

radio to. To watch it and some other people and

I very rarely will I use the guns like I'll use

the bow if I'm just sneaking around and trying

to avoid combat but the minute like I trigger

like a combat event and the guys just start streaming

in I Just switch to the axe and I'm like an assassin

Like I will just run into a crowd of guys and

just start mashing the triangle button and she'll

move from guy to guy to guy Jamming that axe

into their skull And they just do like the the

trends like I I get what they were trying to

do with the game with this with the story they

were trying to tell you like she was this innocent

being but like just there's so much baggage associated

with the character that she is she is another

Batman character when it comes to video games

like you can't There is no level of peril that

you can put Lara Croft into that I'm going to

buy. You know, I don't remember Batman shoving

a spike into someone's face, though. But I'm

just saying, like, they try to put her in peril.

And I just don't, I don't buy it because she's,

the character of her has so much baggage. It's

like when we talk about how when I played Arkham

Asylum, I was freaked out, you know, there was

a moment where I was, I bought into the atmosphere

of going down into the morgue and everybody had

the demonic eyes. Yeah, and I was like I was

like what the heck am I worried about I'm freaking

Batman It's it's that same thing with Lara Croft

like I didn't buy it from the get -go and I think

that the the story is Just good enough to get

you from the beginning of the game to the end

But it's the gamification of everything that

just kills it like all the collectibles and don't

get it wrong I know that collectibles are a part

of Tomb Raider and every time I see a little

flashy thing or a chest I have to go over and

click on it, but As we said on the podcast a

year ago, the problem I have with it is the wall

of text that pops up. And the one thing that

I will applaud Bioshock Infinite on and the Bioshock

series on is that when you collect something

like that, they just put like a little audio

recorder down in the corner and you can listen

to it while you go on about your day. I really

wish Tomb Raider had adopted that. Because I

just you know I even while I'm streaming it like

I pick up I pick up an item that wall of text

comes up I'm like nope, and I hit the circle

button and back out to the gameplay I'm like

I'm not gonna sit here and read this or have

it read to me if it's something important. You'll

tell me it in the game But you know it's I'm

enjoying it. I'm enjoying playing it again, but

it's it's you know kind of jarring to see how

much of a murderer she is And she's worse. She's

more vicious about it than Drake is because Drake

doesn't have a knife or an axe to You know up

and close and personal to eviscerate people with

and she does so I Missed this on the list of

2013 games because this this would have been

my real number five. I enjoyed Tomb Raider quite

a bit Going on her journey and yeah, the the

journey goes from kind of this first 45 minutes

of the game where I don't want to kill anybody

I want to kill to smush the switch she's a ball

I I can see that but I did I bought that first

45 minutes enough to not care about how jarring

the rest of it was enjoyed it quite a bit That's

my real number five, but I didn't I didn't know

that so don't do the money math art I did like

The one thing I heard from people that played

it is that Like like you're saying like guys

really aren't a threat the only threat to her

is really the environment Yes, the only thing

that oh that can only the only thing in that

game that makes you feel tense and like oh shit

I'm falling down or whatever. Yeah fell on a

spike or whatever the environment is what will

kill you more often than the guys will and even

the guys that come at you with like shotguns

or machine guns if I can like scurry around them

like I will run at them with my with my axe like

I'm not gonna sit behind a wall and cower and

try and shoot them I will like, you know, do

the dodge mechanic and try and get around them

and just jam them in the back of the skull with

the axe and... Those big armored dudes, they

gave me trouble. I mean, the first 45 minutes,

yeah, because they're really laying on it thick

with the story. But as soon as, I mean, and I

know what was being implied and I know the peril

that she was in, but as soon as the guy more

or less, you know, brushes the hair out of her

face and she blows his head off, like... It's

over. Like from that point on, she's a murder

machine. And that's just something, you know,

it's like the narrative dissidence thing that

everyone's talking about with gaming. And they.

They. I did notice, I don't know if it's been

so long, Joe or Dan, or since you guys have played

it, but do you remember the scene early on when

she's like hiding from the guys that are looking

for her and the guy walks by. And he comes back

and he grabs her. Yeah, there's a quick time

event. When I did it this time on the PS4, I

was going through the quick time motions and

it was telling me to hit the last thing it wanted

me to do was hit triangle. But instead of hitting

triangle, I pulled the right trigger, which is

the gun. And I blew his head off. When you hit

triangle, does she just like punch him or something?

I think so. I was just sitting there because

she's trying to move the gun towards his head.

And I saw the green triangle, but I just pulled

the trigger. And for some reason it popped out

at me as more graphic than what I remember it

being, but that could be any number of things,

given that it's the definitive edition. I was

just curious if you guys remembered how that

scene played out. Nope, not anymore. I'm sure

if it is different though, there'll be a Google

comparison or something. But that is yeah, that

is my um, that's my number three Sean My number

three we've already talked about it was a Bioshock

infinite It's always yeah There was one of those

games I was really really into we I mean we were

talking constantly it was it's always good That

when a single -player game is good enough, you

will still get into a party or Skype or whatever

with your friends to talk about what you're playing

separately. You and I are the only ones that

did that. I don't care. We're the only ones that

matter. You know, Bioshock is also the only game

that we've done a spoiler cast on. Yes. It was

the only game with a shocking enough... Twist

at the end. I think it's also the only game that

we all played with the exception of Joe This

last year so we talked about it just because

we care about the only game We all played with

the exception of one of us that list that's like

half the games this year. Yeah, you're probably

right I Don't waste my time with garbage With

most time is precious that ukulele ain't gonna

learn itself anyways Bioshock infinite Joe your

number, but I didn't know if Sean's he was done.

Oh, I mean I don't want to I don't want to turn

this into another Spoiler cast no not a spoiler

cast, but another like ten minute long discussion

on Bioshock good game I liked it was there problems

that yeah, that's why it's my number three and

not my number You know it's not higher, but definitely

a game. I enjoyed playing and I do not regret

Pumping the hours into it that I did okay Then

again, I don't regret most pumping Joe, are we

on number three? Yep. Yes. DuckTales remastered.

Whoo. Indeed. I was hoping someone was going

to pick that. I I'm I love the nostalgia of it.

The the nods to the old TV show. All of the original

voice cast who's not dead came back for it. I

have a weird sentimental spot for. anything,

whether I like the source material or not, where

somebody comes back to it and does it with an

extreme amount of love and respect. I like feeling

that love and respect or watching it, you know,

whether it doesn't matter what the I could watch

somebody's tribute to vintage porn. Yeah. And

like, OK, I see the love in it. I see the craft.

I can imagine I can imagine what the subtitle

for that movie would be. It would be under the

bush. Was trying to think of what they called

the the stuff with like 50 year old ladies. I

can't remember what that I don't know Of older

later. Yeah, I guess sure mature porn We keep

going we were talking about DuckTales now, we're

talking about porn Granny Hey, they said we like

they like the off -the -cuff stuff. So why don't

we go down this road first? Jesus off the things

we should not touch All right now I have a question

that DuckTales remastered. I didn't play it obviously

Is this it was this an old game that was remastered

into this uncultured swine? Okay, so then how

can it be a best game of 2013? They came at it

with extreme prejudice and art did you have you

beaten it? Yeah, I beat it in one sitting. Okay,

okay. Well, wow, I can't do that. Yeah, it's

setting me up to, I think, where they may have

added a level or two, do you remember? Can you

tell? No, it seems like it was all the same.

Okay, because they didn't stuff the money bin.

I've seen stuff in the concept art that I don't

remember from the NES game. So I'm kind of like,

wait, what's in there? But I think one of the

reasons that this is so high on my list is because

right at the same time I found some of the old

1980s Duck comics. I'm reading the Life and Times

of Scrooge McDuck that this the Carl Barks the

guy who originally came up with Scrooge and wrote

him. Somebody after him came in Don Rosa and

put all of his life events in chronological order

and told his story and That comic is done with

love and respect for Karl Marx and his original

source material So I've been reading that and

watching it ooze with love and then I'm playing

the video game at the same time watching it ooze

with love and So all of that just charges a lot

of oozing going on over there. It is it's fantastic

oozing It's pleasant. I don't like bathing in

the discharge I will say though while we're talking

about Scrooge Never has more a piece of my childhood

died than when I when I was first, you know I

don't know if I thought of it or someone else

thought of it or where if it was just my own

mind coming to that conclusion that it's impossible

that it's impossible to dive into a You know

like a pond of coins But that is not something

I will ever be able to do in my life without

snapping my neck That is heartbreaking and it

also one of the most satisfying parts of the

game. They let you swim in the money bin Yeah,

it's so cool diving off and then he comes up

and spits the coins out and you can but if Sean

if you need a pile of money to You know jump

into and snap your neck and I'll send you a box

of pennies Okay So like the postage on that alone

would be ridiculous It might be more worthwhile

than just to drive it to you. Just gonna say

you might the plus you get the satisfaction of

watching me wait Wait a minute, you can get one

of those boxes that, if it fits, it ships. Fleshy!

Fits a flat ring box. They'd be like, is this

a terrorist weapon? Shinka, shinka, shinka, shinka.

Sounds like a chainmail shirt. Yeah. I have one

of those. Why? I made it. Because he made it.

That doesn't answer my question. Why not? If

I could. Alright. I can do lots of things that

I don't do. Alright, my number three. Tomb Raider

much like Mike with the little less malice I

really enjoyed the game and had a lot of fun

with it and I like collectibles and games so

I Like them I just think they could have been

implemented better. Yeah. Well, it doesn't I

I The one thing I will say digging against the

game is I did not Like how when you collect stuff

and they give you things to read it just kind

of takes you out of the pacing of the game Yeah

So that that is really my only knock against

the game I haven't played and enjoyed a Tomb

Raider game in a really long time. So to me this

was Long overdue. I can only hope Tomb Raider

2 is as good as Tomb Raider 2 Do you just hope

Tomb Raider 2 is as good as Tomb Raider 2? Yep.

He's talking about the original Tomb Raider 2.

God. Why? Tomb Raider 2 was good. It was like

the last good Tomb Raider. So, yeah. Mike. Number

two. Number two! Anyone care to take a guess

what number two is? What your number two is?

I know. Most people should know what number one

is here. So anyone care to take a guess what

number two is? I know, but it wouldn't be fair.

It wouldn't be fair for you. You're taking too

long. It's the last of us. I'm going to go with

last of us. You're right. Oh, my God. You know

what? I hear that all the time. No, you don't.

You're right. I don't. Yeah, last of us. Great

story. Great looking game. I think it played

really well. It got. The gamification of it wasn't

as bad as Tomb Raider. I like the progression

system in it. My issues with the game were the

AI for... Ellie. Sorry, it's been a long time

since I've played that game, although I'm looking

forward to the DLC. At least they did the smart

thing of making her pretty much... Invisible

to enemies. Yeah, but that also that breaks for

me That breaks the immersion when I'm sitting

there and I'm trying to hide from the clickers

and she runs out and jumps right in their face

And they don't react to her in any way shape

or form like that that kind of stuff really and

maybe it was the way that I approached the game

because I tried to stealth around the clickers

I never really engaged them because you kill

them you pansy. You can't you can't really engage

clickers Especially when the really bad ones

get on you. It is instant death to a point unless

you have the right tools crafted. Unless you

happen to have a Shiv. You have to have the Shiv

and then I think you have to have the skill that

allows you to defend yourself against them. I

think the Shiv allows you to stealth kill them.

But if you get in if you're attacked by them

You have to have a special perk to be able to

use a shiv to defend yourself. Otherwise, you

just die instantly But that is one that is one

thing where I think the gameplay didn't serve

the narrative at all Just like just from the

AI's perspective They were trying to do too much

and I'm hoping that's something that they're

able to get a grasp on with all the extra horsepower

They have with the with the next -gen consoles

that and there were like the subtle graphical

issues not really graphical issues but like you

would clear out a guy like an area like I went

through and stealth killed everybody in an area

and I found there was one guy still left and

I walked up he was like he had spawned floating

in the air and I was trying to sneak around him

and I came up behind him and then he disappeared

and he spawned in the doorway right next to me

and he was like I see him and then all of a sudden

the area flooded with a bunch of guys again after

I'd spent like 30 minutes like stealth killing

everybody um there was you to be more careful

next time the game shouldn't have guys floating

in midair well and then randomly move them the

Houdini of bums yeah so and I will say the more

terrifying than the clickers were the humans

By far and winter was probably the best part

of that game There was just everything about

that game is just I mean I did it's good nearly

as much of it as you did, but I didn't like his

like echo ability I Get it when you're facing

into clickers and then the I don't know what

you want to call them infected Yeah, just clickers.

Yeah But when facing the guys It's just oh feels

like cheating to be able to see their patterns

from like the other side like you know From two

walls away. No one's hearing is that good Joel's

is no it's not you don't know it is Joel I do

know a very fit 40 year old man Yes, because

he works out so many muscles that his hearing

gets better Yes This is true. No didn't get to

that part in the story where they explained that

he has a hearing aid That is a super duper Fearing

aid that lets him hear through 17 walls cranked

to 11. I would say it's even crunked to 11 Anyways,

yeah, that's my that's my number two. That's

what I'm gonna have to try but So what are you

going to have to play it for me because it's

probably scary. There's only one part of that

game that scared me and I ran through it so fast

because I was like, if I don't get past this

part, I'm never playing it again. And I just

I made a beeline. I saw exactly where I had to

go and I just made a beeline for it. And where

was it in the game? It was in the. It was the

bottom of the hotel. Is that towards, no, is

that towards the beginning of the game or towards

the end? Yeah, it's like the first half of the

game. Is that the one where you're crawling through,

where you first meet the... Like when you first

really start coming against the clickers and

stuff? No. So it's outside the tutorial stuff,

so. Yeah, that's my number two. Alright, Sean.

Your number two. My number two. I told you it's

not anywhere on this list. I was not lying. So

Shut your Dana I Didn't say it No, anytime someone

has a whore mouth, it's a Daners whore mouth

Hashtag Daners whore hashtag Tell your friends

That's a hashtag. I want to go viral. It is trust

me Jason and Mike have been trying to make it

happen trying to make it trend 8 Assassin's Creed

4 Black Flag is my number 2. I always like the

Assassin's games. I always have a lot of fun

with them. The one part I always hate is that

usually is the going between large spans like

riding on the horse. I didn't get too much enjoyment

out of that moving between the big cities. But

the boat, this is probably one of the first time

I've spent more times away from the main cities

than in the Didn't happen that much in the other

games. I'm not like Mike and went crazy killing

drummers and rabbits Yeah, you're not yeah, you're

a complete You know what you say stuff like that,

and it makes me think you enjoyed every time

you're climbing acts went into a somebody's head

in war I never said I didn't you sick bastard

I just said I didn't buy her not enjoying it

You just gotta love the feeling of the tip when

it just slides right in So smooth. It's like,

you know, what's wrong with this axe? There's

no skull wearing it. You know, true statement.

I have to find the next guy to put it in. Such

a whore. But what I got to get put it in you.

I can't even believe you just said that. Give

it away now. Why? Give it away. Give it away.

Give it away. Give it away now. Anyways. Well,

they gotta give it to your mama. It's one of

those games. It has the collectibles just like

everything else. But with this one, it looks

like you collect all of the specific thing. Yeah,

they're very special in their collectability.

And you get certain individual things like I

just got the would you stop? Shut your dander

horn mouth. He really wants you to stop talking.

I know But I'm going to keep talking So I just

like I just unlocked the pistol swords the other

day They're fun, but you don't get to use them

as the way I would want to use them But with

you that you would rather like stab and be able

to aim them and shoot and yes Well, I knew that's

not what you can tell by the description how

it's like explosive finishes I assumed it was

gonna be those we need the last hit on a guy

and the instant kill with them were like you'll

stab him through the throat and then shoot him

right off the sword. Yeah The one thing I didn't

expect is I don't know if you've come across

this yet is say yourself killing people And you

you know, you're using the sword that gunshot

will alert people. Oh, yeah Oh, yeah. And then

it was one of those things. I was attacking a

plantation. I was doing all stealthy and I got

down to there was four of the big axe guys, but

they had their back to me. And so I snuck out

and I went to walked up and I instantly killed

a guy. And of course, what does he do? He stabs

him through the back with both swords and then

clicks and just blows him off of it. And all

the other guys are like, look at me. I'm like,

well, shit, I wasn't trying to do that. Of course,

now I have four of the most annoying enemies

in the game. But it's it's so much fun I'm definitely

improvement over three. I'm not gonna go into

it. I'm not gonna turn this into you know like

last year with the mass effect Thank you, but

yeah number two number two GTA 5 because it's

so big Duff said He just loves to take it all

in he does. Joe do you wish you could do those

mods where you can flood San Andreas or Los Santos?

Is that something that those that those PC nerds

have that I am jealous of? You have to have a

hacked PS3 and you can do it. I would I would

enjoy doing things like that to my San Andreas

if I could. Boy, then you could use the least

entertaining vehicle in that game the watercraft

ooh. There's um There's two they they did two

mods one where you can raise the water level

and basically you can swim up to the top of the

skyscrapers Or you can roll with Kevin Costner

pretty much or or you can drain the water and

go Take dune buggies and ATVs through the through

the seafloor. That would be cool You know a seafloor

tall that is really cool I mean the fact that

they actually went through the point of mapping

all that down So if you got the mini sub or you

know or swimming you can swim down to those parts.

That's just really cool Yeah, there are lots

of collectibles down there. I haven't even thought

about getting yet Please I mean like GTA 5 single

-player was great GTA online is freaking amazing

That's the best part of it to me, I mean I love

that I've still got my fingers crossed for the

ps4 version No, absolutely no because Danner

has to buy it for me if you do that Then I'll

never play with you again because you'll never

go back to the ps3 version. This is too ugly

I can't play online with you Joe that is probably

what will happen. That's okay. It's our game.

It'll still look exactly It'll still look ugly,

so they're not made to look pretty I won't even

give them functionality because their UI is horrid

So you're horrid whores I Can actually figure

the UI from GTA 5 out borderlands has always

been so awful I never learned that I mean about

the UI is when they always give you the little

tips in the world's smallest font and the upper

left -hand corner when you're right now of doing

something and you never see it Anyways Someone

multitask number two for me Is Bioshock infinite?

Geez, the way you were going on, I thought it

was your number one. No, I was just groaning

and moaning at you guys and pissing and crapping

all over it just because of the fact that you're

not patient and can't enjoy unfolding of a good

story or a good mystery. I didn't say that! It

actually asked to be a good story. Hang on a

second. I enjoyed it. I love the story just fine

the way you play it is not I like I like the

way He just lumps us all in with Joe's opinions

of the game. Yeah, pretty much Fucking hits her

Joe bringing us all down man Joe crap all over

it I tried to get a word in edgewise earlier

and everybody just you know walks all over Something

with the air you want to talk about something

then any someone else tries to like me So, I

really enjoyed Bioshock. Far more than you guys

did. Cool story, bro. On to the next one. Keep

going. Mike, you're number one. Do you want to

keep going on infinite? Oh, no. No, this is your

chance. This is your chance. No, this is fine.

I'm done because nobody gives a crap. You could

ruin the ending for me because I'll never play

it again. School all of us. I'm right there with

you. My top three were in a constant state of

flux until like three days ago. Didn't know where

Bioshock was gonna be in mine Because it like

I said like I said to Mike it's very rare for

me to play a single -player game And then want

to talk to other people playing the game at the

same time and play through with them Oh, how

was your game, but what's happening yours? Oh

my god craziness. Oh my god. That's my erection

like all this stuff going on I Think you're number

one my number one for anyone playing along at

home is gone home It's short it's sweet Just

like Venus I feel like you know the one thing

that I kept coming back to this entire list is

gameplay and the narrative and The the gameplay

and this is totally served up to the narrative.

There is nothing in this game that does not belong

there like at all Everything that you look at

everything that you interact with or everything

that you can interact with just somehow In forms

informs the narrative informs the story about

what's going on or what happened in this house

over the last year and the atmosphere is both

creepy and the story is by I mean, it's I don't

want to I want Joe to play it so I'm trying not

to spoil really too much of it, but It's just

a lesbian. It's so but that's me. That's like

obvious from After you read like the first couple

journal entries or whatever from the sister So

that's not really like a spoiler or anything,

but it's like the least biggest surprise ever

I know I said that there's like maybe like, you

know what? She's a ghost, but I can't I can't

say enough good things about this game She killed

them she just can't remember I can't say enough

good things about this if Joe wasn't able to

make the game of the year Podcasts I would probably

talk about it some more, but I really want Joe

to play it So I don't want to spoil any of the

form so but yeah gone gone home is my number

one Sean Why? Just mad at me Sean He's just mad

because he can't masturbate with his hand yet.

Um, there's nothing wrong with his right hand

That one's that one's pre -op man. He's got to

keep it limber. He can't use it so much. He's

got to rest that. Could you just talk about your

stupid number one? Why it's not stupid. He's

peeing. My number one is GTA five. Hey, head

desk. What? Nothing. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I

couldn't hear you. Stupid number one. It's not

a stupid number one. Joe, your number one. My

number one. Bunch of assholes, y 'all just a

bunch of assholes. Y 'all, y 'all a bunch of

assholes. Joe's number one's far more interesting.

Link Between Worlds for the 3DS for making me

feel like a 13 year old boy again. You know what,

with all your sexual innuendo and then ending

up in a 13 year old boy, I'm really concerned,

Joe. It made my skin really soft, what else would

it take? The proteins will do that for you, Joe.

It's that natural lotion. Yeah. Man, I got to

drink Mountain Dew on podcasts more often. This

is fun. I love how Joe's reaction to Mountain

Dew is the same as Daner's reaction to vodka.

It's that same outcome. My fingertips are tingling.

Mine are too, but that's because of nerve damage.

They're tingling, but I just can't feel them.

Anyways. Yeah, Link Between Worlds was awesome.

It made me actually play a video game again instead

of just kind of sitting by passively. I had to

engage parts of my brain I hadn't since holding

a Super Nintendo controller in my hand. And also

it comes back to that theme oozing with love

Tribute to the original team kind of coming back

to the same world. I dig that stuff Yeah, when

a game makes him think like two brothers, he

hates it Joe I just have to ask a question all

this people you're saying you're wearing pants

right now, right? Absolutely. Okay, I just horrible

imagery of what you're ever you're doing to your

ukulele at the moment I don't know. It's it's

on the floor. I can't reach it Not with your

hands. I don't think ukulele is what he called

his penis. I don't think he actually bought a

ukulele. I thought he was just talking about

his dick a lot. Yeah, he loves strumming it.

Fine tuning. So I'm the last one to do number

one, right? Last of us? Yeah, last of us. Well,

that's the dumb game. Moving on. So I really

liked Last of Us much for the exact same reasons

that that Mike liked it I just really I enjoyed

the characters in the atmosphere and the music

and how it was more advertised to be like a Game

where you're fighting these infected people and

that's not really what the game ends up being

ends up being That the infected are just kind

of there and humanity is the more dangerous enemy

in the world. You're more it's more like Was

it the walking dead? Yeah way after the infects

the Yeah, the infected are an obstacle, but the

humans are the enemy yeah, they're yeah, they're

more like a natural disaster It's like they're

unpredictable. You know what the what the infected

are gonna do that They're gonna do what they

do the humans they can do whatever they can tell

Hey, wait, you guys have ps4s. I could borrow

that from you. I yeah the price of it used you

know you can totally take mine Sweet, dude. He

said take that implies keeping forever. I wouldn't

keep it My games are Joe's games. Just letting

you know he's probably gonna rest it on his ukulele.

Do you really want it back? That's fine I've

already arrested my you got it multiple times

I love how he calls it a uke. Why does that make

it so much creepier? It kind of sounds very similar

to Unic. You know, the pieces are starting to

fall into place. But yeah, I love The Last of

Us. That was by far my favorite gaming experience

of 2013. All right. Well, so now that we've gone

through our top five. now we get to go through

the voted top five now i will definitely say

about the voted top five that we have talked

about every single game in the top five well

that's what i was going to say we probably don't

have to we don't have to say much it's not going

to say i will as per shawn's request i'll be

nice enough to give the uh The the honor will

do the honorable mentions first the ones that

were very close to cracking There's two that

were very close to cracking the top five, but

didn't quite make it and actually one of them

We haven't even talked about do you have enough

to do like ten through six? I could do ten through

Yeah, we could do ten through six. So we could

do the the five that Almost made it the five

top contenders and then the five champs. Let

me see. Give me just a second He's got to read

you know what we're gonna. Do we're gonna take

a break and when we come back inside then we'll

be back Brave new world that has such potsas

in it. The Pull Bag is GCRN's comic book review

and discussion based podcast. Join me, your host,

TF2 and Mike, and the rest of the GCRN crew as

we make our way through the comics we are reading.

Inside The Pull Bag, you'll also find back issue

classics and origins episodes of how we got into

comic reading. You can find The Pull Bag every

Wednesday on iTunes and on www .ecastradio .com.

Make your great escape into comics and jump into

The Pull Bag. today oh yes but think of the fun

so Danner why the GTA hate what the hell man

it's for the same reason he's quasi hating on

Titanfall why he's moved on to the ps4 and it's

not on the ps4 yet oh I am sorry this was the

most tricky Top five like I've ever had to pick

because this year pretty much my my only gaming's

has been on Xbox and You know, I couldn't do

XCOM cuz that's sorry, bro Fuck you and your

tanner whore mouth Give me one second when you

guys argue amongst each other. I'll be right

back. All right, and I mean couldn't do Diablo

says this is actually very hard like And not

in the same way that that Joe's penis is hard.

Gross. I don't think I want to do ten through

six. Why? Which games popped in? There's a tie

for ten. COD ghosts and link between worlds.

Because by the way, Joe's the only person who

voted for link between worlds. I think I'm probably

the only person. Because he's the only person

who voted for link in the tie for tenth. Because

of the fact that it was because it was a number

one vote so it got five points. Oh, yeah We're

three people voted for coasts One yeah, I Don't

know ghosts. I mean, that's a good game, but

until call it do something something crazy It's

not gonna be on my top fives for a long time.

I Did enjoy that I did enjoy the single player

of that actually The computer one didn't though

didn't the computer was just the council one.

Yeah Yeah, you told me I wasn't allowed to do

it because the actual game itself did only the

port came out of the wolf Among us would have

been on this list if the rest of the parts would

have yeah Yeah, well three would have been on

mine if I was allowed to pick it But I asked

you I asked you like weeks ago and you said nope

I think because somebody already voted for Diablo

three so it was on my list wolf of wolf among

us and Wolf among us and the walking dead season

2 will be eligible for 2014. Yeah. Yep. Yes.

So we're doing what I got whenever For those

multi -part ones whenever the last one comes

out. Yes. Mm -hmm like whenever whenever you

can buy the Complete edition. Yeah. Okay. Okay.

Watch ready. I come out till 15 now And we're

back and Tanner has his well now it's like a

top 10 Well, yeah, we'll do the top ten. Only

the top five really count, but... Yeah, we'll

run through the last five. The ten through six

are honorable mentions. Yeah. Tied for ten...

Ooh. Ooh. Injustice? No. ...is Legend of Zelda

Link Between Worlds and Call of Duty Ghosts.

You all need to go buy a 3DS and play that game.

Not you three, but all of you listeners. See,

Joe, I want to, but every time I ask you about

it, you intend me into not buying it. Why is

that? How? Because you're like, I don't know

if you could actually get through it because

you haven't played the original one. You're smart.

You'd figure it out. See, that's the first time

you've said that. It's a lot of assumptions.

Other times, it's been like, it's been, you have

to be good at playing games. You're not going

to understand the mechanics, so. And I'm like,

you don't think I'm good at playing games? Thanks,

asshole. I don't think I wouldn't have said good

at playing games. I think there are mechanics

that you learn and link to the past that if you

don't, If you haven't been exposed to that you

wouldn't know how to work the thing in this one

So what you're talking is if uh, you never has

a hard time working this thing. That was all

I heard out of that I don't have to work my thing.

I have a wife but I would be She doesn't have

to work that thing either. Oh, yes. She does

Yes, she does I'm gonna tell her you said that.

I tell her that all the time. She can hear me.

She's in the next room. She can hear me. Hi,

Ally. Well, Mike, it would be a fantastic experience

to see what your opinion of the game is or if

you encounter anything like that. How long does

it take you to do this dungeon sort of thing?

But I really want to watch my eyes when she was

12. Well, then I will definitely I will definitely

grab it then. I'll make it a point to grab it.

There's something to say about ghosts. It's Call

of Duty I know it's like I was like I don't say

what you were gonna say cuz that was awesome

when you said what I said is Until Call of Duty

does something. Oh my god crazy. It's an it's

they're always gonna be Call of Duty games They're

always gonna be fun until does something crazy.

Oh my god amazing. It's never gonna be in my

top five never There's nothing I can do Unlike

like I enjoy the single -player of those games,

but they're not they're never gonna be like,

oh my god. This was so wait Oh, that was cool.

Just out of curiosity. Would you fault me for

putting Titanfall is on my top five list for

2014? Yes, okay It's not it's not different enough

to me like we were no I wouldn't because of the

fact that it's the first It's unless we if we

start getting them year after year after year

becomes an annual property When Titanfall 4 comes

out and it's on your top five list, then I might

have some yeah No, I know I that yes, I totally

come out late 2015 I could totally see my I could

have seen myself putting Call of Duty 4 on a

top five list Yeah, but not Modern Warfare 2

or 3 or well Call of Duty 4 was an innovation

to the series exactly and That was the last time

that game changed to me All right. You're going

to get Titanfall in your hands and it's going

to be a first person shooter and then a first

person shooter, the reskinned HUD. And you're

going to be disappointed. I don't know. I don't

like it, but I'm not the first person to defend

that game. But no, I have a feeling that game

is going to fizzle quicker than they want. Sizzle.

All right. No, not nine. Number nine. Number

nine. Assassin's Creed for Black Flag. Call bullshit

didn't make the top five. Yeah, me too. Did not

make the top five, but it was number nine We

have to wonder how many people How many people

that have have written in their submissions are

the series is just you know It wasn't on their

list because the series is just old or they could

have the exact same opinion of that. We just

Provided yeah, so yeah, it's a Assassin's Creed.

Yeah, it's entirely plausible Maybe it's just

not their cup of tea exactly a lot of speaking

of not my cup of tea number eight Titan and justice

I Liked I liked this game. Don't get me wrong.

I liked it, but it's like fighting games. It's

only it's only as good as the people you're playing

with The people you're playing with are too good,

then it sucks no, I mean like That one was one

of the ones that was a good that story. I liked

a lot. That was a good comic book Oh, you know

what speaking of? Fighting games. I have not

tried killer instinct yet. I don't think I will

though Cool story, bro. So you can buy all of

your individual here. Yeah, I get Orca. At least

I can stare at her. Well, there's not creepy

at all way to be a Totally worth the 500 bucks.

I spent 250 Totally worth the 500 bucks. You're

married. You spent 500. Yeah, actually we split

it right down the middle Thank you very much.

Okay Joe I did sign up for project spark and

I got in the beta. Hey So I don't know what that

is. It's the game that you it's the only Xbox

one game that you said looked interesting The

one where you can create your own game in your

own world. Oh, yeah. Yep that's gonna be just

like a little big planet where I don't have 30

hours a week to dedicate to learning how to build

things. I hope it's easier than that I hope they

can get that kind of worked out. So anyway, it's

not so number seven eight seven Batman Arkham

Origins Haven't played it yet. It's a good game.

Oh, I mean it's like this. I enjoyed it once

I can That was one of those ones I can so wait

until that's down to like a it just didn't your

addition or platinum edition or whatever you

want to call it where it's like 20 30 bucks I

think it's what like 35 now Think so something

like that It's got to get under 30 for me to

for a new copy for me to want it and then i'll

totally pick it up because I like beating men

unconscious and leaving them in the snow all

the time I live in the northern part of the united

states. That's just what I do. I just think it's

interesting that That game, and many reviewers

and many articles I've read have agreed with

it, is that the best fight in that game is the

Deathstroke fight. That's what I've heard, and

it's towards the beginning. And it's right at

the beginning of the game. Which is nothing against

any of the other fights in the game, but for

some reason that's the most interesting, most

fun fight in the entire game. I've heard that,

but I've also heard, for that same reason, I've

also heard it as the most despised fight. because

the rules for that fight are completely different

than any other fight in any other Arkham game.

Which let a lot of people to be frustrated with

it because you don't realize it's all a QuickTime

event. It's not just mash the punch button and

then a QuickTime event. The entire thing is dictated

by QuickTime. And that is contradictory to everything

in Arkham. And the one thing I'll say about the

Batman games is... It started with the first

one. It's like, you can play as Joker. You can

play as whoever. And it's like they're in a challenge

map. Yeah, they're in a challenge map. See, if

you get a deathstroke, they're like, it's deathstroke.

As soon as I saw that, I'm like, oh, I would

love to play a deathstroke, but I know it's going

to be in a challenge map. And that's cool. And

I like that. But after I beat the game, give

me the guy in the open world. Yeah, that's the

one thing that I will give Arkham Blackgate credit

for over like Arkham Origins and the other Arkham

games is because the suits in Blackgate actually

do something in the gameplay versus just it looked

different. They look pretty. Yeah. Like one of

them gives you like a plus 25 percent, you know,

decrease in gun damage. And one you do like I

was like an armored suit. It was like the like

Batman 100 or something like that. It's just.

It's all the different so it has nothing to do

with what the suit looks like and can do it just

the different Attribute attached to that suit

yeah exactly so like Batman 100 you get minus

25 percent gun damage or something like that

Batman Beyond Easier stealth or something yeah

like it's they but they don't in the in the in

the console games. They're just You know they're

just there to look at whereas in the Vita game

They actually made them do something which made

you want to change them I will say what pissed

me off about not this Batman the last one was

they had um a batman sinestro core Skin, it's

amazing how we're not talking about games from

last year. I know that's crazy, but i'm talking

about anyways is that I'm gonna do it. I don't

care number six number six at the end of decay

Really? I did not expect it to be that high.

I never even heard of it State of Decay? It was

in my top five, Joe. You were zoning out during

that time? I think that's when you sent me that

link. Sean has been championing that game all

year long. No, I haven't talked about it in months.

Championing it all year long. All year long.

State of Decay, right here. It's a game, basically,

Joe. You go out and you have this map, this world.

You're a survivor as the apocalypse. Hey, Joe,

why don't you go back and listen to the last

year of podcasts? Okay. You could Google it or

look I I've never hoped that someone gags and

dies on a penis more in my life Okay, this is

where we get now this work is real folks five

number five Anybody want to take a guess gone

home? You said all the top five ones we've talked

about right? That's too high for that game shut

up that's too low for that game. That's a Yeah,

that needs to be higher. Yeah, you know what

that one needs to be number two cuz it's a pile

of shit And this guy I'm just saying this to

rile up Mike you notice how he's not talking

because I haven't played the game so I have any

opinion Your opinion never really matters in

this Do I even want to go on? No, I think we

should just throw the list out the window number

four Bioshock infinite Okay, that's where I had

it on my list. I get that being that's why I

said it was like that I got that now the next

one I don't agree with the fact that it's even

in the top five gone home no Lego Marvel GTA

5 why what is with the hate just because it bothers

you So does herpes, but you don't see me frowning.

Especially the stuff in your mouth. All right.

I got it from you. Well, duh. Where else are

you going to get it from? Your mother. Then you

would have gotten herpes in a different place.

I told you that I don't have it in both. So Tomb

Raider. Tomb Raider A5. Tomb Raider Bioshock.

Bioshock okay five is three. Oh, man. We're right

number three All right number two now. We're

at two last of us No Gone home. That's it. I

give up Number one so whatever is that not what?

You have to think it's probably not people not

dissing on the game Mike it's people that haven't

played the game I bet you can't guess what number

one is GTA 5 again What is it? Did you say number

one game of the year for? 2013 is the last of

us. I thought it was gonna be GTA online That

would have been hysterical and Wikipedia listed

them as separate games Technically they are There

were the other one less than it was six points

separating last of us and gone home They were

the closest. Pretty much everybody who submitted

the list had both of those games on their list.

Pretty much neither of those. Well, because you

don't play good games. Yeah, I don't have that

system. You don't have a PC. Not a good one.

Sean, if it makes you feel better. One person

voted for Saints Row for the day. And it wasn't

me. It wasn't you. Anyone we know from the forums

or anything bastards So thank you random person

that voted for Saints Row for but I Appreciate

it the rest these assholes. Don't give a shit

about you, but I will come to my embrace Don't

do that because you'll get herpes come take me

as a brother herpes of love Joe That's his code

name for herpes of the ass All right migrated

to the ass. They didn't start there. There are

no mad herpes real quick the rundown is Tomb

Raider Bioshock GTA 5 gone home and the last

of us Okay with that all right stay awake. I'm

gonna come over there and pick up that last of

us apparently I need to play this game. I'm not

okay with at 930 or being I'm joking I'm going

to bed on this but you want it to be higher.

Yeah Place of what GTA 5 nope not gonna happen

more. Oh, no, it's not I'm not saying this for

anything about my personal opinions GTA 5 I almost

guarantee that the numbers of people that played

GTA 5 is gotta be higher than the people that

played Yeah GTA 5 the last time I was going home

in GTA 5 were very very solid numbers wise throughout

the entire vote they were all all voted very

highly. Tomb Raider, Bioshock, Arkham Origins,

and State of Decay were all kind of muddled in

a grouping for quite a while. Not until the last

week have they broken away from each other. Broke

away from the pack, yeah. It's that I'm not saying,

you know what? I haven't played Tomb Raider.

If I played it, I'd probably love it because

like what you've said, it's kind of like the...

The axing to the head, I'd probably really enjoy

that. I'm sadistic. It's like Uncharted, but

it doesn't suck. Well, hold up. You're comparing

Tomb Raider to Uncharted 1. You can't do that.

OK. Mr. I can't get through Uncharted 1. I can't

get through. I want to so bad. I don't even know

if you can compare Tomb Raider to Uncharted 3.

You could maybe compare Tomb Raider to Uncharted

2, but Uncharted 2 is going to beat it to death.

Toot so you're saying two is the best yes, okay?

What was that before about talking about games

from other years? We're doing okay when Mike

does it oh, okay? Thank you Dana although I can't

know if you're being sincere or when his date

Really, you know I know when Daners are being

sincere when he's not talking All right, so that

does it for off the cuffs game of the year for

2014 In case you all missed it, it was the last

of us. Y 'all? I've been reading X -Men and Rogue.

If you want to chime in on our list of the top

10, top 5, you can get in touch with us and comment

on our parent site, geekcastradio .com. Or you

can send emails to us at feedback at geekcastradio

.com just put off the cough in the subject line

If you leave us if you leave us if you listen

to us on iTunes If you could go ahead and leave

us a review on there That'd be much appreciated

that we'd at least know we were doing something

right or wrong five stars, but one are okay Yes,

exactly But at least you gave us a review so

yeah, and if you're gonna give us one star tell

us why make it the brown star You can find myself,

Michael Powers, on Twitter, Xbox Live, and the

PlayStation Network at BoothNinja81. Danner?

You can find me on Twitter at our Danner or on

PlayStation Network at x51themachineman. And

you can also find him on Joe's ukulele. I have

been Sean Zebrani. You can find me on Twitter

at Sean Zebrani. You can find me on Xbox. Live

at weapon 87. I'm still the only one of these

guys really playing that system. I have I keep

it in strong, right? I'm making like the the

black power fist right now. None of you can see

it. But yes, fight the man, the man being Mike.

I should have hung up on him a long time ago.

Also, also like your eyes out to the Internet

for Sean's Saints Row 4 fan fiction that'll be

coming out soon. Yes, it's called My Life as

a Superhero Soda Can. All right, Joe. You can

find me on the PlayStation Network at Viva Ildfire

405 and you can also find me on Facebook at the

Geek Stuff garage sale All right, that does it

for this week. I think next week is going to

be offseason part two Which topic we will be

discussing we do not know although I think the

gaming discussion for next week may be Something

that I like to do and I know that Danner hates

but predictions for 2014 So stick around for

that. See you next week.

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