In-Game Chat

Just a quick show note since I forget to bring it up at the beginning of this episode: No show next weekend. There’s double dipping in a number of different ways be it comic books, video games, movies, music, etc. It’s not something I do a lot of, though I have bought the DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K version of the same film before. I’ve done it with games with remasters and remakes. But then there’s collector double dipping. It’s when you buy two of something with the intent on keeping on completely sealed and never opening it, while the other is the one you actually use. That is VERY rare for me with the exception of comic books back when I would collect those. With video games, it may have only been done once for me. In fact, I’m looking around my room now to see if I can find any examples and there aren’t any. The one single example I have is sitting in another room. And it never started out that way, but I explain it in the show. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,728 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

Time for another episode of our show about playing video games. So let’s get right to it and talk about the stock market! Yeah, that’s how we open the show and only really because of the stock involved. We’re it almost anything else (and it was already random as hell that it turned out to be a game retailer), we’d probably only mention it in passing, as would most websites that cover gaming as well. But this happened to be GameStop and that’s why the lot of us have taken note. We talk of it like we know what we’re talking about and we somewhat have the basic essentials of what’s happened, but none of us would ever claim to be smart enough to push the advice. It’s your money, spend it how you want, and just be careful. That’s it. Best advice I got. As for actual gaming discussion, I’ve been branching out of my Destiny cave since we’re in the last two weeks of the season so I’m looking to fill that time that isn’t doing the same thing over and over again week after week. As least for the next two weeks anyway. Then it’s back to my cave. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,721 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

It’s good to catch up. Be it with friends or just a backlog of games. As of late, I’ve been doing both. Well, on the gaming side of things it mainly means I’ve slowed down my time with Destiny 2 and have gotten back to playing other games and hopefully finding the time to dip into some that interest me – be it new or old. What I didn’t expect to find out was that while I wasn’t paying attention VR got way more affordable – as least compared to when I got mine – and got way less wires to mess with. Two things we always said would need to happen before most people would even pay them any attention. It may have come too late, but there’s still room to improve on the pricing front. Well, speaking of room, that’s the other issue, isn’t it? Space to play. You don’t need it for the sit down VR type stuff, but to really get the effect and the full immersive experience…you need the whole room VR feel. You need to “walk” in that space. Again, there’s room to improve, but will it be too little too late. I don’t know. VR isn’t nearly as talked about as it was a few years ago. Games are still being made for the format, but they’re small, quick, and usually indie of some type. There’s less and less VR implementation in bigger, more notable games nowadays. That bubble may have already burst, but there’s still a pretty good amount of life in it. I just don’t know for how long. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,714 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

Every now and then a game, or some aspect of a game will dominate the talk. Not just ours but everyone playing games. Such is the case with Cyberpunk 2077. It had the hype going for it and the numerous delays as well. All of that combined to make it a talked about game in and of itself. Then it finally released and well…you know what happened after that. You know because it’s all that’s been talked about. No one really brings up the game itself, but rather everything wrong with the game, and they should. That sort of thing isn’t off limits for whatever reason, but when your problems and issues dominate the news cycles and the conversation INSTEAD of the game proper, then you’ve screwed up somewhere along the path. And boy did they screw up. CDPR did it all. They screwed the pooch AND shook the hornet’s nest. And the hole they keep digging gets deeper and deeper for all the bodies they’re about to throw into it. And, as said on the show, this will last for as long as it can until something else takes its place or they announce a new game/update/fix that brings the zeitgeist back into their favor. It’s the cycle of gamer rage. I mean, it isn’t so much rage as it is a massive disappointment. You’d think by now we’d all be used to it, but those wounds never seem to close completely for some reason. Regardless of how good or bad the current thing is, the next thing to focus our attention on is usually right around the corner. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,707 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

It’s the beginning of the year. So, really, there wasn’t much to talk about actually. At least nothing we hadn’t already covered. We do spend a good time talking about what we’ve played over the past two weeks (for me that means about 3 or 4 more games other than Destiny – though it’s mentioned a few times). We hope you had a great holiday and we’d love to know if you got a new console, new games, maybe the lucky few of you who got a new graphics card for the PC (seriously, that’s amazing luck right there). Whatever the case, email us, call us, join us in the chat room on the next episode and tell us what’s new with you in the new year as far as gaming is concerned. We’d love to hear from you. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,700 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

It’s the end of the year. Just as a show note, we’re probably done with episodes for the next two weeks. With that in mind, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for sticking by this year. I think 36 episodes is probably one of our lowest outputs of the time we’ve been back on air since 2013 or so. There’ve been a lot of unforeseen things take place in our (well, MY) personal lives. All of it seemingly to come about towards the end of this year. We appreciate all the support you’ve given us through this year and in all the years past. We’re not yet done with this show and we’ll be back in the new year. I say it almost every year, but without you, there is no show at all. And we can’t wait to come back in the new year with hopefully more episodes than this year – and I mean that in the sense that we don’t have any more health surprises to endure. We hope you had as best a year as you could in light of what this year has given us and we hope your new year is full of health and happiness. Thank you so much for listening and watching. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,679 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

So, last week I talked about playing Cyberpunk on consoles since my PC isn’t ready to handle such a game. Turns out, the consoles aren’t either for the most part. I guess I’ll get around to it at some point, on some system. Meanwhile, I’ll hammer away at Destiny 2 and, as the grind of that game starts to diminish for me, I’ll be including other titles. Looking ahead, there doesn’t seem to be much in the near future on my radar. The Game Awards took place last week and it was more new-game-reveals than it actually was giving out awards, and that’s fine. But given the reveals nothing really pushed me over the edge of wanting to know more about. Mostly what we got were CG trailers and VERY little gameplay. We’ve been down this road before. A whole lotta show and not much tell. Hype trailers are great, but that’s all they are built around – getting you excited for the game in the 60 to 90 seconds available. And that, usually, means little to no gameplay. Here’s a CG cinematic trailer that doesn’t represent ANYTHING of what the final game will be or puts nothing into context of how the game will play. Enjoy. And, for the most part, we do. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,672 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

I know better now to say that I’m not going to get new consoles when they release. I said I wouldn’t for the Switch and then was there day one. I said I wouldn’t for the two new systems, and yet they were both hooked up to the TV right after Thanksgiving. Don’t tempt the hype, or you’ll hype yourself into buying these things. The “new and shiny” disease is a real thing. The one thing that still eludes me so far is a new graphics card for my PC. People can say what they want about how hard it is to get the new game consoles, but it’s nothing compared to the new video cards for the PC. These have been released since September and it is STILL insanely difficult to grab one. Eventually, and I don’t know when this will be, they’ll be easier to come by, but I’ve never seen it this bad this far into the release. And it isn’t just the one card I want – there’s a whole family line of these things in different versions made by different brands and NONE of them can stay in stock. Guess I’ll be playing Cyberpunk on one of my new systems or not as pretty as I’d like on my PC. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,665 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

Our schedule has been a bit sporadic as of late and we’d like to tell you upfront that, due to the holiday, we will NOT be doing a show next week. After that, however, we’ll be back on a regular, more reliable schedule. Then again, this is 2020, so who knows? As always at this time of year our show before Thanksgiving concerns the sales! We go over a few deals here and there and give a rundown of the new consoles and where you MIGHT be able to get one. But be warned, if it’s in-store then prepare to camp out. And I mean seriously camp out. And if it’s online, well, may the odds forever be in your favor (amongst the bots, scalpers, and the mass amount of other people trying to score one of these systems). But keep in mind on these things…they will eventually be in abundant stock. And the price will come down. Maybe waiting isn’t so bad? Yeah, I know…I laughed at that, too. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,651 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

Sorry for the delay. We’re back, even if just for a moment. If you didn’t already know why there was a long stint between shows then you’ll find out in this episode. In fact, you’ll hear more about me personally in this episode than any one before it. And you’ll hear more about me personally on why we won’t have a show next week. None of this has to do with gaming however, and because of the reason for that long time away, it also has nothing to do with gaming. It wasn’t a thing…gaming, I mean. There just wasn’t any place for it. And that’s weird to say for a gaming show, but, well, you’ll find out in the episode. I will say new console launches are upon us. My opinion has changed somewhat since the reviews were released, but not too much. Like all console purchases it comes down to what YOU want to play and what’s currently available for you to actually play. As always, go with the games, not the hardware (this includes taking a long look at those gaming subscription services too…lotta value there). In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,637 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

Last week I built a PC. And, really, it actually felt like it took a week to build the thing. I started Sunday afternoon and by Thursday evening I think I was finally ready to play my first game on the new rig. Course, understand that while a lot of the machine was new, the graphics card was not. So really, that fun ending part of a build when you download some older games to run at max settings on a new card – that just wasn’t there for me. So back into Destiny I went. I’m essentially where I was before building a new PC – especially in the realm of gaming. There’s nothing new there for me in that regard to really see the fruits of my labor. And it’ll be just as labor intensive trying to GET a new graphics card considering the stock issues they’re currently having. I don’t suspect it to be any better when the competition launches their cards later this month either. Speaking of this month, we’re not doing a show next weekend. We SHOULD be back the weekend after that but it’ll be two days after my next hospital procedure so that’s a bit up in the air. Following that is Halloween weekend and RJ may not be able to make that show so… We’ll keep you posted and we’ll likely be back on the 24th as planned. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,609 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

Today, I build. For the first time in about 8 years I’m doing a brand new build of a PC. All the parts finally arrived and I’m good to go. So, that’s what I’ll be doing right after this gets posted. Actually, I’ll be taking stock to make sure I have all I need and won’t get to a point where something is missing and I have to wait for an order or make a quick trip for something like thermal paste or whatever. Still, today I build. Announcing that is a little scary. Like, I actually have superstitions for building a PC. Don’t get cocky. Build as though everything is delicate and special and don’t skip steps. Take those precautions you think are silly because one of those silly things overlooked can cause big problems. Give yourself time. The build may go fine, but getting the damn thing to operate may take considerable more time if you run into problems. Prepare to unhook/rewire/unscrew multiple things multiple times. Maybe you won’t, and that’s great, but be prepared for it to possibly happen. Now, all of that may seem over the top, but again, it’s my first full build in 8 years. And maybe my last full build for another 8 or more. Or…I could just get a fancy new console in a few months and call it a wrap while spending even less. But where’s the fun in that. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,602 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

So, turns out I had one of those major life things happen this week. We were still able to do a show, but there was a chance we almost didn’t. I explain within the first 30 minutes of the show here if you’re at all curious as to what happened. The point of that conversation still stands however. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. It’s doing it for a reason. Act on it. The last news this week I remember watching as it happened was Microsoft buying Bethesda. This is something I’m okay with – where I’d be way more cautious were it someone like Sony or Nintendo. The latter being…well, just weird if that were to happen, but the former taking place would give me some concern. I explain it all in the show, but Microsoft as of late has shown a much more open approach to their acquired studios. They seem to be hands off, so that the studio can do their own thing. And they’ve also shown a willingness to share. Obviously with the PC side of things but as well cross platform too. It’s a lot of money for a studio like that. At least, what they paid for it is a ton of money, which may explain the reason their stupid proprietary external storage for the Xbox Series X/S is so damn expensive. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,595 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

I kept wondering how Sony would react to what Microsoft has on offer for the holiday season in terms of the consoles, the release date, value, etc. And now I’m wondering if they felt like they pulled off a win, here? Because it doesn’t feel like one. I’m still not down for either console, right now. Nothing in the launch lineup is pulling me in and nothing seems like it will be until well into next year or even possibly a year after these things release. Microsoft has the advantage of Gamepass and whatever Sony’s answer to that was – well, it wasn’t an answer at all, really. But even Gamepass won’t draw me into a new console when I still get a tremendous amount of value out of it with their current console. So, yeah, for me, I’m good for a while now. Even better when I finally finish this PC build I’ve been working on. I want to be clear that I’m not judging anyone on their decision with what they do. You want a PS5 or a Series X/S, go right ahead. You know what you want and why you want it, and that’s all that matters in the end of things. But for me, I’m good. There will come a time when I eventually get both machines and maybe even grab a Series S as well, but, and this is weird for me to say during a console launch year… …I can wait. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,588 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

Up until this week, nothing has really excited me about the new consoles coming out in a few months. The features and games, there was nothing pulling me in really. Then Microsoft really opened the doors on what they’ve got and now…well, I feel a bit of that excitement coming back. And oddly enough, I’m more excited about the smaller, scaled back version of the Xbox Series S. We go over the differences a bit in the show here to tell you exactly how scaled back the Series S actually is, but I’m still excited by it. To the point I may, and likely will, eventually own both a Series X and a Series S. Although, let me tell you now, I don’t think either would be as tempting if it weren’t for Xbox Gamepass. And that may really be the case here why I’m not just all over Sony. Honestly, none of the systems have launch titles or anything that is really drawing me in, but Gamepass and the ability with it to play a ton of games is why I’m pulled in the direction of Microsoft. That and the Series S price tag are a great combo. Sony has nothing like that to compete against and I’m really curious to see what they’re going to do about it – if anything at all. In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,581 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise).