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Easy Allies |EZOT| Good Vibes and Good Hype
- Thread starter Hasney
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Napalm_Frank
Member
If only Nintendo didn't pull out ;-;
O well hopefully they have a good conference planned for September or whatever and no a direct.
It's interesting to see people saying that they can't focus on the podcast without video when I'm kind of the opposite. I would not be able to focus on the video part of the EZA podcast or Frame Trap for a long time because the visuals aren't interesting enough for me. In fact, I'm pretty sure that like 90% of all EZA content I digest just by listening to it.
Napalm_Frank
Member
Video has 100% more Sophie in it!
Damn, I think this week's podcast was a little mean. If they're not too interested in some of games then there's no need to drag them through the mud, just don't talk about them. Yeah, Ubi have a rough track history but that's what happens when you're represented by dozens of different studios developing dozens of different games, huge mix of funding, talent and time. There's devs that the Allies really like that have just a ropey dev history.
I don't understand why (especially with Ubisoft), people can't just be balanced? Before Watch_Dogs, the hype was out of control and now post-Unity, everyone just trashes them. It's like people can only be hyperbolic at each end of the spectrum.
Also, don't agree with Jones at all on that trolling point. He just made it sound like "Yeah, if you pester the fuck out of me, I'll be impressed." People hound devs for months every day, doesn't make their point any more valid. Quality of the argument over quantity.
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That all sounded a bit negative but I felt like something in the podcast was a little off this week, they were a little overly cynical/negative for a supposed "E3 incoming" episode.
I don't understand why (especially with Ubisoft), people can't just be balanced? Before Watch_Dogs, the hype was out of control and now post-Unity, everyone just trashes them. It's like people can only be hyperbolic at each end of the spectrum.
Also, don't agree with Jones at all on that trolling point. He just made it sound like "Yeah, if you pester the fuck out of me, I'll be impressed." People hound devs for months every day, doesn't make their point any more valid. Quality of the argument over quantity.
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That all sounded a bit negative but I felt like something in the podcast was a little off this week, they were a little overly cynical/negative for a supposed "E3 incoming" episode.
Well I mean there's very little to get excited about when talking about Ubi. For Honor and South Park and that's it pretty much.
Sure, Watch_Dogs hype was off the chart... until people played it and it was utterly shit. Huber would have been hyped, but you can't ask people to not be cynical if they're going to talk about all the conferences one by one. It's only an issue if they're cynical about everything, but being cynical about UbiSoft is going to be common because there's plenty of reasons to be cynical.
For me, that AAA side is like a battery chicken farm. The last one I enjoyed was Black Flag because it was just different enough, but Ben's right, almost everything they do feels like a re-skin. Every world has the same crap in it wether it's AssCreed, Far Cry or the terrible human being simulator that is Watch_Dogs. Hell, The Division managed to feel like an Ubi world while being developed externally... Think they may have shared project managers.
I think a lot of people confuse the overwhelming hype of last year with them just being that enthusiastic about everything, but let';s not forget the TGS stream which was cynical and biting as fuck... And for good reason.
Sure, Watch_Dogs hype was off the chart... until people played it and it was utterly shit. Huber would have been hyped, but you can't ask people to not be cynical if they're going to talk about all the conferences one by one. It's only an issue if they're cynical about everything, but being cynical about UbiSoft is going to be common because there's plenty of reasons to be cynical.
For me, that AAA side is like a battery chicken farm. The last one I enjoyed was Black Flag because it was just different enough, but Ben's right, almost everything they do feels like a re-skin. Every world has the same crap in it wether it's AssCreed, Far Cry or the terrible human being simulator that is Watch_Dogs. Hell, The Division managed to feel like an Ubi world while being developed externally... Think they may have shared project managers.
I think a lot of people confuse the overwhelming hype of last year with them just being that enthusiastic about everything, but let';s not forget the TGS stream which was cynical and biting as fuck... And for good reason.
Do you like fish sticks?
Nightengale
Member
From my point of view, Ubisoft always have the most "solid" press conference of all of them. They have both quantity and quality in terms of AAA.
I mean, seriously. Their AAA output has been ridiculously consistent. I feel like there's never a lull when it comes to Ubisoft releasing big games.
And they've always had that "one last thing" which gets people really excited.
I feel like Ubisoft has an issue though among many critics though, in that they don't have stuff that gets people emotionally excited and invested in their lineup. They don't have the Mass Effects or Fallouts that people are literally frothing about even when there's no signs of gameplay whatsoever.
And their "one last thing" trick only works as long as they're able to build that connection. And it feels like year after year, that loses its appeal because at the core of many games Ubisoft shows, it feels safe. It's like a lot know what to expect out of Ubi, and no one's expecting a lot of surprises in a huge way.
I mean, seriously. Their AAA output has been ridiculously consistent. I feel like there's never a lull when it comes to Ubisoft releasing big games.
And they've always had that "one last thing" which gets people really excited.
I feel like Ubisoft has an issue though among many critics though, in that they don't have stuff that gets people emotionally excited and invested in their lineup. They don't have the Mass Effects or Fallouts that people are literally frothing about even when there's no signs of gameplay whatsoever.
And their "one last thing" trick only works as long as they're able to build that connection. And it feels like year after year, that loses its appeal because at the core of many games Ubisoft shows, it feels safe. It's like a lot know what to expect out of Ubi, and no one's expecting a lot of surprises in a huge way.
There's enough of a gap between Mass Effects and Fallouts to build that up. Assasins Creed being annual ended up killing it, then flooding their games with open worlds, over the top collectables and towers to open up the map. Add terrible writing and characters (bar that one Far Cry 3 enemy) and it begins to add up to becoming very dull to the point where it feels bad to play any of them anymore.
That said, it's easy to forget there's basically two UbiSofts. There's the AAA conveyer belt that gets all the attention, but it drowns out the cool stuff they do. Grow Home, For Honor and Trackmania are all good (or looking good with For Honor). Hopefully they've got some of the smaller games to show off.
I'm also hopeful that Ubi manage to hold off Vivendi... You know which part of the company they'll make cost savings in first...
That said, it's easy to forget there's basically two UbiSofts. There's the AAA conveyer belt that gets all the attention, but it drowns out the cool stuff they do. Grow Home, For Honor and Trackmania are all good (or looking good with For Honor). Hopefully they've got some of the smaller games to show off.
I'm also hopeful that Ubi manage to hold off Vivendi... You know which part of the company they'll make cost savings in first...
Novel Mike
Member
Agreed 100% I really wanted to like games like Far Cry 3 and 4 but they just felt so damn similar to the AC games and they might be open worlds but just littering the maps with collectables doesn't make it a good open world.
Absolutely can't wait for the betting special might rewatch the old ones this weekend.
Also holy shit e3 is just about a week away now.
Yeah, I also agree with the notion that Ubisoft's games are too similar. And while Fallout 4 is also similar to 3, they were years apart, something the AC series cannot say.
In the end, I think they should diversify their offerings and have smaller teams, which is one of the problems with the current Ubisoft.
In the end, I think they should diversify their offerings and have smaller teams, which is one of the problems with the current Ubisoft.
They are doing this quite a bit now it seems. There's a lot of low budget games they put out that are damn playable. I guess the production line big budget is what funds them too though.
Last small games I saw were Children of Light and Valiant Hearts. Did they release more of them?
Grow Home and then there's their mid-tier which I like as no other publisher is doing that, which gave us Trackmania and hopefully soon, For Honor.
About the podcast this week: I can bet Nintendo knew that people weren't looking for a new metroid game like federation force. Obviously Nintendo tried to make it sound as appealing as possible for metroid fans and tried to make a case for its legitimacy, but I think to make an argument that Nintendo thought this was what people wanted is a bit dubious.
EDIT: Of course I have no proof of the market research they have internally, so this is more of just me doubting that Nintendo really thought that
EDIT: Of course I have no proof of the market research they have internally, so this is more of just me doubting that Nintendo really thought that
I honestly never know with Nintendo as their tone-deafness sometimes knows no bounds. I mean, this is the company that ended their console reveal with Fireworks in Nintendoland.
KimonoNoNo
Member
I like a little bit of bite to the discussion and The Allies where on fire on this week's podcast.
I'm not 100% sure what you mean with external here, but just for the sake of clarity I'll mention that the developers of The Division, Massive, aren't an external studio, they're wholly owned by Ubisoft. And just like all the other big Ubisoft games they're not the only studio working on the title, they're just the main one in charge. Off the top of my head I remember Reflections also worked on the title as well as Red Storm Entertainment and probably others as well.
Ah, I thought they were working on it before Ubi bought them or I read something like that. Or at least thought I did.
They got bought by Ubi back in 2008 (or 2009) I think it was. I don't know why, though, since I think they had only worked with Sierra as a publisher up until that point.
EDIT: Looking it up on Wikipedia I see Massive used to actually be owned by Sierra up until the whole Activision merger where Massive then got sold off to Ubi. Interesting!
TheDarkKnight774
Member
It's not that they necessarily make bad games but they all feel, look and in a lot of cases seem designed the same. It seems almost more by the numbers than passion products.
That doesn't mean it's all like that. A fun Rayman game sneaks out, or a game like For Honor that really does seem like a big passion project game. And even I buy into a couple of their "corporate" open world/tower games. But I'll never feel excitement, anticipation, or hype for them. They're just kind of there.
DannyDanger
Member
Great podcast
I think Wildlands looks amazing tho
I think Wildlands looks amazing tho
LiquidSolid
Member
Yeah, Massive were working on the World in Conflict expansion when Ubisoft bought them. Off the top of my head, I believe their first Ubisoft project were those terrible first person Desmond parts in Assassin's Creed: Revelations. I'm guessing a core team within the studio was coming up with The Division concept even back then, while the bulk of the studio joined the good ol' Ubisoft tower simulator factory line.
Same, super hyped for that.
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
Hope when the site launches we can have schedules that automatically update to people's time zones.
If it's not available I wouldn't even mind writing one although I'm sure people better than me have already done similar.
Or maybe I should just learn the difference and remember it....
If it's not available I wouldn't even mind writing one although I'm sure people better than me have already done similar.
Or maybe I should just learn the difference and remember it....
orthodoxy1095
Banned
What's mean about stating your honest opinion about games? This overly positive thing some of you all push is a bit much at times. We can have a "jolly" time and still talk honestly about games, even in a very cynical and negative way.
And for the "trolling" part, I don't think he was asking people to troll devs. He was asking people to constantly be engaged in the conversation.
Think about a thread on GAF. Someone comes in, makes a driveby shitpost and never comes back. That person and the other people in the thread gain nothing. That's a terrible way to engage in any kind of "discussion" because it's actually not a discussion. Now imagine that someone comes in with a similarly controversial opinion and then makes a strong stand about it and goes back and forth with people. In contrast, both sides do gain from grappling and discussing that person's ideas.
Good idea!
I just take so, so much more away from facial expressions and body language. I always feel like a ton is lost to me without it. Which made the episodes where the mics were blocking their faces kinda upset me, I probably should have said something about it heh. But yeah, if I don't get those visual cues, I just zone out and can't focus or concentrate on them at all.
I will never, ever give Nintendo that much credit or benefit of the doubt again. They are just a weird, big, tone-deaf elephant, and I don't trust their NoA branch at all.
RE: Ubisoft - I think it would have been a lot more positive if Brandon wasn't burned out on them. He used to get really excited for Assassin's Creed and just hasn't been since Unity. I'm the same way. I even have AC statues up on my wall right above my PC here and I love the hell out of them, but man, something about Ubisoft just doesn't excite me as much as it used to. I'm really looking forward to For Honor and The Fractured But Whole and I will absolutely play and buy those, but I'm not really feeling any Ubi-hype.
I think I need another Assassin's Creed that just wows me, or a full on Pirate Game (I WOULD GO APESHIT) and more Blood Dragon/Child of Light quality couple of small games.
Roberto Larcos
Member
Not gonna be of interest to most people, but Tabletop Adventures can no longer be downloaded as a podcast. Probably applies to all GT podcasts. Was able to download episodes a couple days ago.
IdreamofHIME
Member
Same, looks like an expansion pack for Phantom Pain...but will probably arrive finished and with a less aggressive DRM policy.
DannyDanger
Member
agree... even back at GT it wasnt all "jolly", all the time... "be yourself" like brad ellis said
It'll probably also have less content than Phantom Pain and still have Uplay, so probably no on both counts.
GamingOblivion
Banned
I really hope IGN posts all the GT Time and Tabletop Adventures. They cannot be downloaded as a podcast anymore. I feel like I'm missing a lot of history now.
Oh wow, I was able to download them all when I found out they existed the first week of EZA
GamingOblivion
Banned
Yeah, same. It seems they finally went offline.
IdreamofHIME
Member
Excellent 1st review from Brad. Surprised at the score, but hopefully more reviews to come.
Great review of Overwatch, Brad. The score is pretty much perfect, that is exactly the score this game deserves. It's clearly better than four stars but it should be denied five. If I'm super nitpicky, the only line that bothers me is that telling the story of a game in other media is a fine approach. It just is not! It's fine if you supplement and flesh out your story and lore outside of the game but the basics always need to be in the core product. We've rightfully ridiculed Bungie for two years now for having to access most of Destiny's lore on their website with the game even pointing us there. Overwatch isn't quite that dumb and they deliver parts of their story with amazingly produced movies instead of plain text, but the basic approach is just as bad. Still a fine review though and even more so if it's indeed Brad's first one.
Lol very true. They are incredibly mysterious in general. The worst part of that moment is Reggie could've just said "thanks for coming" and just walked away with the fireworks thing going off while people left. Instead they had to make this deal about it and say "alright one last thing before we go".
LiquidSolid
Member
Easy Update is up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYvcvmh4M1E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYvcvmh4M1E
Destiny does so much of a better job of delivering its story than Overwatch. Overwatch doesn't even have a story as far as I am concerned
orthodoxy1095
Banned
The difference between Destiny and a game like TF2 or Overwatch is that one was built around the story, and the other is pure window-dressing that could be totally absent and the game would still work.
I marked it down for not having really in game. I like that there is bonus stuff outside of the game though too. This was my first review so I'll try to be more clear next time. Thanks for the feedback!
You can argue that and I won't disagree but I feel the setup of the game with so many varied characters would make it incredibly hard to tell it in a way that makes sense. For example they immediately contradict most of their media by the fact that "the good guys" and "the bad guys" can play on the same team. It's neccessary for variety's sake the benefit of the amazing mechanics of the 6v6, but it's horrible from a narrative point of view.
Amauri14
Member
I DON'T WANT TO DIE! WHY THERE IS NOT ANY FAT BURGER NEARBY!?
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