[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Also Dishonored and Pray, I replay but I feel like you get a very different experience every time because you can...


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[Assistant] I'm playing PS2, just sat on the ground. And I remember that day very vividly because I was playing Kingdom Hearts 2 and my stepmom came in and she just went, I need to shut the door.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Anyway, so I, but then the thing, when I was coming back to playing uh, Kingdom Hearts 3, I was kind of, I dabbled in one of the, the collections on PlayStation Tip 4. And I was like, ooh, maybe this wasn't very good.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, and so I think that kind of stopped me from being a Kingdom Hearts person all those years ago.


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[Assistant] Yeah, I mean like, how we interface with games has changed. Like what we, what was cutting edge back in the day now can be antiquated because things change.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, so I'm not finished it yet. I'm 35 hours in.


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[Assistant] Well, yeah, depending on how you slice it. I have complicated feelings about it, but I want to give context as to those feelings. I never played the original Final Fantasy VII. I know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, the New York, obviously a 30 year old spoiler. New York Times gave a push notification for it this week. Can you see that?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, it was a good piece, like they had interviews from all over square and whatever, but uhm, anyway. Obviously, cultural impact of that game.


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[Assistant] Uh, working in the space, even though I didn't play the original game, I'm still very aware.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Of how it is revered, how it changed everything, and the broad strokes of the story. And the characters.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That being said, I do feel like with rebirth, I am on a back foot.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was on the giant bomb cast, Revengeance. We have like a spin off podcast of the bomb cast. And I was on today and I was the only person who hadn't played the original. And so everyone else was talking about these moments. And I was like.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, that was a cool moment, I guess, but they were talking about it with such excitement and I felt like they were getting such great payoff that I was simply not getting. I also think it is messy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think sometimes, uh, if you played remake, the end of remake definitely got


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Carried away with itself because obviously they're implementing changes and I think Rebirth definitely also struggles with some of that, not necessarily with the new stuff, but also how they are telling the story and they suffer from the classic open


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Wanting you to do open world and side content, but also, hey, it's end of the world. Gotta keep pushing you along to follow the main quest stuff, and so I think...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It doesn't necessarily get the balance right there. There's also so many minigames. And I really enjoy the minigames, but...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In terms of flow of the game, they're very weird because there are just so many of them and you can get really carried away with just


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Going off and doing a minigame stuff and kind of takes you away from the story a little bit. And then sometimes the story, you know, you get to the gold saucer and they're like, you have to do this minigame, this and that, sends you to do all that stuff. And so pacing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's not as tight, and I think Remake was a really tight, very focused game, and I think this one, it's obviously bigger, there is more in there, it suffers from that little bit. However, characterization, fantastic.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, like I said, don't know how it plays out in the original game, but there is like, there are side quests and...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] When you do them like you kind of get paired off with a particular member of your team and then your little relationship goes up and you can see the visual representation of it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, there are some really funny ones. If you find a board that tells you to go find some chickens, do that mission! Because the ending is so funny. And it is a very funny game. It's very earnest. It's very, uhm, like hopeful, I guess, amidst all the doom and gloom.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I think that's what's really pulling me through that and the combat, which, uh, they've made some tweaks to it. So it is still the ATB gauges, still micromanaging your party, but this time you can set up three different party makeups and you can quickly swap between them when you're not in combat. So I was doing a thing where it's like.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Up against this boss battle and I was really not working with my regular party and then I was like, I'm just going to switch it to.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Cloud, Baron, Tifa. It was like a completely different fight, and it was...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Really exciting and they've put on in these new synergy skills that is like.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So over the top, I'm all sort of, I'm like limit, and that's, and that's what I love about Final Fantasy, right? These moments where it just is like, forget about


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, thinking, oh, this has to be not realistic, but you know, there's just some moments that are just so out of left field and so wacky and so grand.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That I think is great and I think, or I think Rebirth definitely has a lot of those. It's very beautiful. It's, music is incredible. Queen's blood.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So the one thing I'll actually say, it's not, it's not true open world, it's like regions, they're pretty big.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And it is quite funny because you don't really have to engage with that stuff if you don't want to. The first one that I got to I will fully...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think the best comparison I can make is like getting to the Hinterlands in Dragon Age Inquisition.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Where you get there and you're like, this is a huge area, there is so much to do. Whereas in Dragon Age, it was kind of a chore.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But it feels very sim- similar in terms of like, oh I'm out there and here's this area and I feel like I have to do every single thing in this area. You really don't in Rebirth. There are things that you should do, so, you know, Chadly?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That little weirdo with the socks and the suspenders from remake. He's back, baby. And he's, uh, he is basically trying to find out.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, gather more information about the planet, about things like, um, summons, and he will set up little combat scenarios for you, and he also will develop new material with you, so it's very worth


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So when you're in the open world, you uncover things. So you follow like live streams or you get, um, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Like you find, uh, summon areas and they have like little minigames, little activities to do. That all feeds into Chadly.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then he, it's like a completion rate of how much you've done in the area. You don't have to unlock the towers.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But if you do, it'll tell you if there's something around. So it's not just like you get on the map and everything's there for you. The towers will be there and it's up to you if you want to go unlock it and stuff. So the side stuff in terms of open world, that's the trap because it is.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yes, it's repetitive. Yes, you're doing the same thing over and over again, but it's, it's satisfying and it feeds into, and also if you do the live stream stuff, it gives you lore about that part of the world. And so, like, I do want to know more about


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So overall, I'm really enjoying it. There are some, there are some definite, like, issues, like, uh, the audio mixing, Ralph. I don't know if you've had this, the audio mixing is bad.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And yeah, I think sometimes storytelling does get a little bit messy. Pacing wise, it is not very tight. I am not at the ending yet.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] A lot of mixed opinions about the ending. A lot of people really did not like it. Uhm, so I'm very intrigued.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, but I think it is going to be interesting as a discussion point. I'm excited to get there and I wonder if my opinion on it, because I'm not so tied to the original, will be different to those who are in love with the original and who grew up with it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, that's kind of interesting because I feel like


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, you know, that's a good thing and a bad thing. I feel like I'm not getting, uhm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I'm not getting the nice little tingly moments of recognition or, you know, there's definitely some bits from, from remake where, or like musical notes that are giving me like a great bit of payoff.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But, I think it's, I think it's a really good game. I'm really liking it. I also like,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It would be really cool if it had been used. I mean, the thing, I haven't been following it too closely because I was just like, it's not really my thing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] From what you're saying about the fact that there's no characterization, like there's no famous characters from Black Flag or anything in there.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It would have been really cool and like, you know, Sea of Thieves started with its own original cast and then they had things like the Pirates of the Caribbean tie.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It would be really cool if skull and bones had been this vehicle to tie in other things from the Ubisoft catalog.


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[Assistant] Because I just can't think of why you would keep something in development for 10 plus years.


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[Assistant] There's rumours of two Far Cry. There's like one, like, uh, multiplayer game and then there's one that's seven.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Did you see someone, uhm, it was a Steam review and they just spelled


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Stalker, like they did it as they write the name of the game, Stalker, but it was S-T-A-C-A-R, which was very good.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I played, I played the demo. I played the demo back, uhm, at PAX and I played it for a couple hours at home. And then yea, I've just been caught up in Final Fantasy. But I've got it queued. I've got that and, uh, Bellatro?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I had the tomato soup in Toad's head as the bowl and I got to take the bowl home from Nintendo land.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In, like, gaming events over the years, they've done various tie-in stuff, and I went to a Yakuza one once.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I would love to do, I mean, so Jacob mentioned Resident Evil. I think that would be really fun.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Cause there's a bar in the UK called Loading Bar, haha, very good. And they had a, they have a drink called like the T-Virus and they had little, little uhm.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Oh, so in Japan obviously they have the Kirby Cafe, I did the Persona Cafe, but they didn't


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Really, like, every member of the Phantom Thieves had their own drink. I had the Haru one, it was like bright pink and whatever, but they didn't do, you know, the Big Bang Burger, which is the whole thing in Persona 5, the challenge that you do, which I think would be really fun.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, or like they didn't even do, I don't even think they did curry or coffee, which is the thing that you make at LeBlanc, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, hang out with a bunch of industry folks, uhm, developers, publishers, fellow folks in the media, uh, go to the awards.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Weird vibes, sad vibes, lovely to see everyone though, and it was nice just to be around, like.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] At an event. Um, that was the one thing I did. The other thing I did. So, new season of Love is Blind is back, baby. And I have a group of friends here in the US and we started to do it during COVID.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Where every week when we get together we watch Love Island over Zoom together.


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[Assistant] And they were already doing it and then I got invited and part of me was like, are they just doing it because they need a British translator?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But no, they're like my best friends and, and uhm, so we started doing it with Lovers Blind. Seasons of Lovers Blind. Not great. They call it an experiment.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, a friend of mine came over on Sunday and we were like, oh, we'll watch a couple episodes. We ended up watching all six and they left at 1am.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then last night I had friends around to watch the other episodes and it's just kind of...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It is just good trash TV. I mean, trash TV is-


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, so one of the main dramas right now is there is this poor girl.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Who said to the guy, do you ever get told I look like a celebrity?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then she immediately was like, I've been told I look like Megan Fox.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] She's an attractive girl, don't get me wrong, but when you say you look like Megan Fox, you put a very specific expectation in the mind of someone and...


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[Assistant] Unfortunately, the guy clearly gets so caught up on that. He is also dating in the pods.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This stunning woman who says she has a child and he, you can see him, and that's very fair. Like you don't, maybe you don't want to be involved with someone who has a child. And he says, but you can see him be like, Oh, Megan Fox versus woman who I don't know anything what she looks like, but has a child. So he goes with the girl who said she looked like Megan Fox. Their first meeting is one of the most awkward things I could have ever seen.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well he doesn't, he, well the thing, the thing is, is that he's doing a testimonial just before he goes to get engaged. And he says, the thing about Jess, I mean the thing about Jessica,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Got hit up outside of the pods by the girl that he rejected.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Left his new fiancé at home but shared his location with her and was at a bar chatting to this other girl until 5am and then the fiancé is going


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was scary, so I, it was at DICE and we were all watching it, um, so we were watching it together.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, interested to see how far the tech has come. The thing is, and I think.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Jake, I think you tweeted about this, or it comes down to media literacy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you could present that, the one in particular of the woman walking down the street, like she has, um, like a little bit of, uh, sun damage on her skin. She even has like neck folds, like the detail in it. Can't do eyes though, so she's wearing fucking sunglasses, you can't see her eyes, but it looks


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And if you put that on Facebook where my parents get most of their information that they take as gospel, you could do, and the fact that misinformation is spread so so so so easily,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] AI generated stuff, the impact on jobs and livelihoods.


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[Assistant] It is such a, it's, it's weird to be excited about that technology because it is fundamentally incredibly incredibly impressive and it's like wow, can't even, you know, ten years ago, can you imagine showing yourself this?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But it's also scary as hell, and maybe it's because Terminator 2 is one of my favorite fucking movies of all time, but I'm just waiting for Skynet.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm getting served on TikTok where it's like passive income ideas and it's, I make however many thousands of dollars a month, uh, because I sell courses.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then you keep watching the video and it's, oh, I go to chat GPT and I say, hey, plot me, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 10 chapter book on how to do whatever it is. And then they just sell that and I'm just like, okay, this TikTok is a scam because no one is buying that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Wait, that's not the one- oh no, hang on, what am I thinking of the movie with Vin Diesel?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Damn man. It's a shame I miss his voice. So much, so good. Yeah, yeah, yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Honestly, like, I'm proud. I'm feeling proud. And it's just, uhm, I think we, we mentioned it or talked about it a bit. It's just, uh, when you think about like game development, you know, a lot of times the AAAs, they take like,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Five, six, seven years, twelve years, you know, depending which studio, right? Uhm, and you have so many people join, you know, throughout that time, and there's so many people that never really ship the game. They can work for like,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Five, six years, you know, sometimes and just never see and feel that success. And I remember like,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was heartbreaking to see, you know, with like so many kind of younger devs that joined us and they didn't have that feeling of success after 77. You know, so they didn't know how it tastes. You know, it's a different feeling. It just makes you like sustained and kind of motivated.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Successful game, you know, with Witcher 3 and expansions, but for that people that were there in the team, they didn't experience it before, you know? They read about it in newspapers.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And uh, I will just drop one additional thought, like in connecting even like two last questions that you guys asked, the uhm, what was interesting is that uhm, when you ship a game like 77, one thing that really sticks to you is like,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Everyone that I talked to in the studio was more senior, was like, they were like, creatively angry. And what I mean by that, everyone was like, when you're being told by so many people that you're shit, with everything you do and with everything, like you wanna show off.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Show them so much. And that was like, I remember talking to our environment or to our, to our programmers. Everyone's like, no.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] There are factors why it happened, when it happened, but then when we were given an opportunity to make something better, to build something, because Gabe was talking about, you know, Docta and so on. And then there was, it was just easier, you know, to build on that energy in a way to just be like, okay, we stack with that. We want to stick with that IP.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We'll do something as remarkable as we only can do. In any fucking aspect of that. Like any detail. Like as miniscule and tiny as it is.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's really useful for the theme, for the team to have a genre and a theme defined of your story. Now, it may sound a bit basic, but believe me, most times, you know, you don't really do it early because you don't know a lot of things are shifting.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We have started doing that in Phantom Liberty quite a lot and you feel it, you know, there is a Bond-esque sequence and we said it to ourselves very early, you know, the name of the quest, you know my name, I believe is the name of the quest, is the song from


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We have recently shipped 2.12 patch, but it was mostly addressing the feedback from the players.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Some of the, some of the stability because like all of those things you discover also like all of the new things that keep coming out, you know, like just making sure that our game works well with whatever new tech is there and just that nothing new is, is, is starting to, you know, cause issues like, yeaah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So basically players on consoles will be able for free play for 5 hours, just check out the game, uh, check out Cyberpunk, what they like, this will be the version 2.12, uh, as I said, so like,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Latest patch, I pretty much just see what's there, uh, and they can, you know, uh, buy the game if they like it and they can continue like effortlessly with their save, uh, playing the game. So that is probably the next biggest immediate thing that is gonna happen.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They do whatever they want really, like they can faff around with, you know, whatever they feel enjoyable. Of course, you know, it's the, it's the first like area I would say. So, um, maybe that whole content, if you max it out, you could probably do the five hours just there, but, or you can progress. Cool.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They provided me that, then I got a ticket without luggage.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] My mattress that I ordered for my bed, they didn't have it in that warehouse that I ordered it from.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So they were like, we issue a separate delivery from a different warehouse. So that's why I got a mattress and couple of random pieces of, eh, of furniture that were not, like I couldn't make anything out of it because the rest wasn't there because that main warehouse didn't deliver.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Checks so that people could work around the fact that sometimes you get paid by a check so you don't have to go to a bank.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And we already, like, started hiring, of course, you know, some time ago. You heard about some names, uh, of the people that joined us, uh, because, like, we issued that press release with, like, a couple names. So there is, like, a couple big, uh, people that joined us, uh, so. There's some more coming up as well. Exactly. And there's more.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, and like, I mean, from our perspective, it's, it's, it's a great position to be in because like so many people are reaching out. Actually, even before we announced like all the openings and so on, we had like a flood.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So in a way, I saw, you know, how you kind of structured that right now. Uhm, so what we are doing is like, and that was a lot on, on Gabe's side is to, uh, be sure that first we have that, um, grand like structure of directors, let's say in leadership. That was like the most important.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Focus point for us for like last couple of months, I would say.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Slowly to be almost done there. And then, you know, of course, you know, we are working leads and all the senior and expert talent that we want to have. So that's the way you structure it. So like you start from fundamentals, I would say when it comes to the,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, so, so those are actually like really basic things like this, uh, sometimes and, and honestly, you know, from figuring out, you know, the equipment, you know, the mouses and keyboards and, and pads, you know, like for, for, you know, for the daily work, um, almost


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To like, things like trips, you know, to Vancouver, because we have a studio in Vancouver that is working with us, right? Like, uh, uh, that just, there's a studio that's set up, uh, a couple years ago that they worked with us on, on, uh, Cyberpunk. They're part of Red as well. So, and then Cooperation with War, so it's like setting those things up. So there's like, I would say multiple.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Layers of that from the office.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I do most of the week, uh, as well in the office, though I really like remote because of many reasons, but I think at this stage it's incredibly important to be close and discuss those, those things together. That being said, like, just to be sure that we can hire talent all over the world. And like our, one of our base guidelines is we are hiring the best in business.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, the directors group, uh, working together well because we've been knowing each other for a long time. That's one thing. Uh, other people that we hired, they also filled those gaps. Uh, and the group of leads that's being built up in a way so that helped us out as well to spread that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Responsibility bit, uh, so like everyone can build their own like sort of a part of the studio branch in a way. So we can handle, uh, things like this. So yeah, the game became like a bit more, uh, of a spotlight now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Oh yeaah, I mean 100%. The approach is the extension of what we did with Gabe for Phantom Liberty. And I've, about that, Gabe can...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Can, can talk a lot on, but, uh, it, I can definitely feel it. The team can see it, you know, because there's loads of people that we work with on this game that did, you know, the previous Cyberpunk or The Witcher 3 with us and the approach is quite different.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, touching our craft, defining a genre, a theme of the things, you know, so things that we learned, all of those lessons, we are just stacking them up and just trying to, you know, put, not trying really, like putting them in use when working on this game.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think there's just, some of the things may feel a bit obvious, you know, but they are not. At all. Especially when you have a gigantic team collaborating.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm not looking at anything like that. Just a lady taking a shit.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I know you're not paying attention. I am paying attention. I'm paying attention to the other ten things. Just fucking keep talking, man.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So wait, Country Town buffet looked really gross? Holy fu- Why did it look so gross?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Oh, can I just tell you, like, fucking, how goddamn, uh, DirecTV, how fucking much they-


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just like that? I said, uh, okay. Thanks, Tom. Would you feel more or less pressure to take a role like that if it comes with the caveat that Tom Cruise said no?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Cause I don't understand the angle, like wha- like wha- So why I come here? I did it already.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I want us to talk to you in your man and your face. Absolutely. You understand me?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I knew a few places you was at, I could've pulled up, but I don't think that was gangster. I wanted to come look you in your face like a man, and tell you how I feel. Okay. You understand me? Straight up like a man.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So what's the issue? If it was an issue, you'll feel me. I just come to let y'all know, stop, put some respect on my name.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Pat and Luanne decide it's now time for Priscilla to say goodnight.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, we're all, we're all together in person because we're playing some games, behind the scenes, we got a lot of stuff to talk about, uh, and we just all wanted to see each other, and it's nice, it's good to see you.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And heading up a team, how do you even start the process of...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Setting up or outlining how to quote unquote fix certain things. Is it like you just write it all down on a piece of paper and say, we're going to do this? How do you even begin?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] NordVPN is just really easy to use. You can set it up on multiple devices. It's essentially one click. You're good to go. I have it on my phone. I have it on my work machines. It's super zippy. It's easy to use. They even have lightweight browser extensions. And, uh, the best part for me personally is cause I'm like a freak, uh, is that NordVPN


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[Assistant] Uh, has a no logs policy. So they don't collect your data. They don't sell it off or share it or anything like that. So that's a really good plus.


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[Assistant] It's great because you can access from everywhere and when you are trying to do content style stuff and access it from different places.


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[Assistant] It's literally like you have a map in front of you and you can click and choose and change your connection to a variety of locations around the world. And again,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If you're not super internet savvy, it is very easy to use, and it's safe.


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[Assistant] Yeah, uh, but I, I've been, I've been digging it. It's really cool. I think it makes pretty good on the promise of that style that like,


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[Assistant] So more than ever with, with these type of games, especially like the, uh, the non from software ones.


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[Assistant] The next weird, crazy boss, just because like I love the art and I love the designs and the fact that they actually tried to like do the Pinocchio thing somewhat. Yeah, it's cool. I mean, they take the Pinocchio characters and they make them like, ho ho ho, Dark Souls NPCs. That's it, but it's cool. And then it lumps a bunch of shit on in terms of, uh,


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[Assistant] Your legion arm and, uh, fable art abilities. So there's a lot of.


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[Assistant] Customization, even though it's not necessarily like you're putting on pieces of armor and doing all this stuff, it's all in the movesets and the weapon type stuff, and I've been really digging it because you can like get a flamethrower arm, you can get, uh, you can punch mines into the ground, which


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[Assistant] I would like more souls like games to have stuff like that. That's really cool. And it's pretty gorgeous. There's some, there's some weird spots here and there. There's definitely like.


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[Assistant] You'll go into a random interior and it'll be a little dead and lifeless, but like a lot of those main areas have that, whoa, holy shit thing, which is, that was like the big thing I wanted from those trailers, those trap, those early trailers. I was like, there's no way it's going to be that cool. And it mostly is, which is nice.


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[Assistant] I also just like, uh, to what you were saying before with the, the lying stuff is that like, I like that NPCs will like have things to say and they'll talk about the lying and discuss the ramifications of lying. Not even like, oh, it's going to mean you're going to get an alternate ending, but like they actually like what it means to lie and like what, and I was like, oh, they're like,


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[Assistant] There's something here, like there's a little bit of like, they're trying to figure something out, talk about something, and I like that.


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[Assistant] The other thing we wanted to hash out this week is some of the Unity stuff. Now this is ongoing, it is definitely probably going to rapidly change because it has


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Ever again. So why are, cause I'm, I'm not very, um, like smart. So why are people upset? Essentially they changed their monetization model for how they work with developers, how they utilize the tool sets.


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[Assistant] The other thing worth highlighting if we are sticking with kind of bummer news, uh, is ascendant suites, pardon me, ascendant studios announced significant layoffs. What was the level? 45%.


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[Assistant] Uh, next up, so the reason why we're here, all the games we played, uh, you guys got to check out Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. We did. Yep. Yeah. Yes, indeed. What's the deal with that? It's a video game. Chocobo's confirmed or what? Yeah, man.


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[Assistant] I think they'll be okay with however they do it just because for 7 it was pretty abstract. Like a lot of it was pretty simple back in the day so I feel like there's room to get weird or keep it simple. I don't know.


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[Assistant] So I immediately got to work and just like scoured the map as much as I could and they added, uh,


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[Assistant] It's, it's pretty good. It's got like, it's, it's kind of how their New York is where it's like really good. It's a really good fictional New York where it's like, you can recognize landmarks and you kind of can go off of direction and neighborhoods do have somewhat of a feel to them, but it's all very.


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[Assistant] Stereo, it's idealized, you know, it doesn't have that grit or grime to it.


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[Assistant] There's a lot of that stuff, yeaah. But, uh, yeaah, it's interesting because it's like a lot of low-lying areas now, like in Queens and Brooklyn, so, which is rapidly changing in real life constantly, so.


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[Assistant] Yeah, it was, it was cool. The thing I, my biggest takeaway like environmentally was just how much brighter and vibrant everything is. Definitely. Because, you know, I played Spider-Man, the remastered PS5 PC version, so.


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[Assistant] Yeah, so now it's like, you gotta look out for yellow, you gotta look out for red, then you gotta look out for blue. And it's all coming at you a lot. And, uh, yeah, you can parry. Spider-Man can parry, but not like Batman where he'll grab your fist and twist it around. He just goes, like that. Like a Wonder Woman.


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[Assistant] Yeah, there's a lot going on. It did lead to a lot of encounters, just with enemies like, you know, a sword guy, gun guy, heavy guy. A lot of it just felt messier, more chaotic, where I couldn't just smoothly just stand there and like take everybody out. Cause like I played the game, the previous game a lot.


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[Assistant] You're just Superman-ing around, like especially if you want to get places quick, like you're gonna find yourself relying on just wingsuiting. So the wingsuit lets you glide, especially if there's no buildings, but then you can jump into, you slip into like a wind stream down like a city block, and then that's kind of like turbo mode where you are just flying straight through New York City.


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[Assistant] Did a great, like, the last game, it was a big move to kill off MA. Like, especially because that was before that had been done in a movie or anything, like that was a big leap. I feel like with this Venom thing.


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[Assistant] He feels like the chaos agent. Yes, he's just there to kill.


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[Assistant] Oh, that's incredible. You got it in Miles Morales, like they amped it up for Miles and he's expressive and he's light and he's loose, but now you have that here for Peter as well, so.


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[Assistant] Next we're gonna talk about a question from one of our users.


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[Assistant] So you said the mummy, so I'm not going to use the mummy. Thank you. But thank you though, like, speed. Uh, because it is a perfectly watchable, well-paced movie that I've actually.


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[Assistant] Spider-Man 2 specifically because there's a part where he gets knocked off the train and he goes spinning off the train and he hits the street level and he shoots a taxi cab and he starts surfing on the ground with the taxi cab and he flips up and as he starts swinging back up to the train tracks, the music crescendos in this beautiful moment where he jumps and goes


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[Assistant] I don't wanna pick like this stuff, it's always obvious. Uhm, right now?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Off Bound by Flame, Fade, uh, Fame and also, uh, Mars War?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Black eyed peas were in a console spin-off. Yeah, that was, they did.


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[Assistant] Yeah. Nice. That's nice. Yeah. Well, thank you to everybody for listening. We appreciate you guys. You know, we're here on YouTube, of course, but also on all the podcast platforms. Rate it, you know, tell your friends, all that stuff. Thank you to Tam. Who? Tam!


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[Assistant] Well, that's it. I'm Jake Valdino. This is Gerard, AKA The Completionist. That is Lucy James. That is Timur Hussein. That is Ralph, AKA ScaleUp. See you guys in the next one. Tie your shoes and go to bed.


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[Assistant] This video is brought to you by friend of the channel Squarespace. Stick around to learn more about them, as well as a special offer they're making available through my channel. Lucy, I like your new lighting. Thank you!


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[Assistant] You're going to appreciate, we will just say that.


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[Assistant] Oh yeah, very sorry about that. We did correct that in the end, but I think people who had already downloaded it were still getting the bad version. So yeah, I'm really sorry about that. And we actually, just so you know, in defense of Stuart, our editor, he confirmed that there was actually nothing wrong with the edit timeline.


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[Assistant] It was just a render issue where the render itself just went nuts and started overlaying stuff. So Stu was blameless in it. We checked it all out.


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[Assistant] Oh no, we just spoke to one person, Seth, the game director. Yep, yep, yep. And that was a fantastic chat. It was so much fun. It was so good to talk to him about. Not like how the sausage is made stuff. It's good. Yeah, it was fantastic.


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[Assistant] And then soon is rise of ronin and dragons dogma. And after that though, it does calm down a lot. Like April is really chill, like really chill. So I'm kind of looking forward to catching up on backlog stuff during that period. But yes, this month, February and into March is insanity. You know, it really is. So yeah.


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[Assistant] He really would piss me off if I just beat a boss after like an 80 hour epic and then I can't watch the cutscenes until I finish my meetings for the day. Like that would be so shit.


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[Assistant] I am a fool. Because I never 100% games. Ever. It's not how I play games. In fact, I believe that 100% in games generally ruins them. Okay, that's my hot take that I've said many times, many people disagree, that's fine, whatever. But I decided for whatever reason,


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[Assistant] By accident, I think, that I was gonna 100% this one. Not in terms of like a platinum trophy or whatever, but just like, do everything you can do on a single playthrough.


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[Assistant] And right now, I'm at 75 hours on chapter 10 of 14. So, yikes. Yes. But I have done everything you can do. Every single minigame, every Queen's card battle, every single marker on every map, every single side quest, everything you can do. And uhm,


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[Assistant] Yes, it has been an experience, we'll get into that I'm sure, but uhm, but that's where I'm at at this point.


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[Assistant] I don't know why I did it. I don't know why I did it. But I'm actually really glad that I did it because it's definitely shown me a lot that I don't think I would have been able to see had I not approached the game this way. But at the same time, it's definitely... Anyway, we'll get into it.


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[Assistant] That is 100% the case. Cause I did the first zone and I'm like, I bet, I better check this out. Cause I'm like, ah, it's, that's, that's the thing. That's what the rebirth's about. It's got the open world stuff, right?


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[Assistant] And I'm like, Hey, that wasn't so bad. I guess I'll do a bit more of that. I was like, Hey, I got some cool rewards out of that. That's pretty sick. And all that quest is actually a chain. I better do the next one of that. And then little did I know I'd finished the first zone. And then I was like, well, I best, I better do it for the second one as well. Do you know what I mean?


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[Assistant] I think it's so interesting because you're right, nothing that they do within the open world structure is particularly innovative.


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[Assistant] In fact, it's straight up derivative. I mean, it's, it's actually, you say it's Ubisoft. I actually think it's Ghost of Tsushima, which is Ubisoft, right? But I think it's a step further than that in terms of refinement and, and, and the


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[Assistant] Yeah. Totally right. You know what I mean? And it's got the climbing sections as well, which are also within, um, Ghost of Tsushima. And just, but the overall feel of the open world.


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[Assistant] Doesn't feel particularly onerous or demanding. It also does not feel like the focus. It's always highly optional, you know? Uhm, and I actually have some issues with how optional some of it is versus I feel like some of it should be better signposted to be


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[Assistant] Let's kill them again with the thing. And you're like, nah, that kind of sucks. You know what I mean? So, but overall though, the combination of a very seamless and frictionless open world structure combined with a very smartly constructed economy of rewards combined with


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[Assistant] Brilliant narrative payoff for many of these quests have made this whole experience.


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[Assistant] Very pleasant to play through, you know, and I am not someone that does the open world grind thing. I'll dabble, I'll be like, whatever, cool, and then I tap out. But I'm, I said I'm like 75 hours in.


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[Assistant] And, you know, I've done like five full zones now, okay?


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[Assistant] But I would have, at any zone that I got to now, I would have picked out the top three to four activities within each zone and done them again, because I know that they would be worth my time. And I think that, in aggregate, is a really great accomplishment for Final Fantasy to have landed there. Because I remember Final Fantasy XV Open World, man. Like, fuck off.


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[Assistant] That was some shit, right? That was terrible. So for them to have moved this far and accomplished this much with this intro I think is so good.


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[Assistant] Man, I tried to do that properly, like, actually properly myself, and I was like fu- sometimes, like, the last one, I was so close.


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[Assistant] The rest of it I'm like, I could probably do a little bit less Chadly, you know what I mean?


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[Assistant] How do you, how do you feel about that, Jean? Cause I mean, you said, yeah, I mean, where do you land on the ending?


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[Assistant] It almost has to be that way though, because if you look at it structurally,


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[Assistant] Right, you look at the first game, highly linear. I mean, it's just, you know, off you go. With this one though, you've got an open world and you can take it at your own pace.


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[Assistant] And they don't want that world to be just.


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[Assistant] So I can understand how you get some of that fragmentation, um, but I also agree when the parallel story that you're talking about


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[Assistant] Cause obviously I haven't finished it. So you, when you talk about payoff, I can't comment on that, right? But all I'll say is 75 hours in.


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[Assistant] I've definitely felt some of those pacing issues, and I think what you're saying about Costa del Sol, Golden Saucer, being captured, et cetera, is true. And I definitely see how anyone could arrive at the conclusion that that is too much of a complete stop on the broader plot. And it's frustrating and you just want to push through or whatever. I can see that. I can definitely see that. At the same time,


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[Assistant] Because everything else is working for me so well, I kind of forgive it that. You know what I mean? I'm like, sure. This is going on a little bit too long.


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[Assistant] I would like to get through this a bit of a faster clip, but overall though, I'm still super invested in this. I'm still like living for that next cut scene and that next reveal.


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[Assistant] The sense of anticipation that I have right now, even after 75 hours, is like palpable man, and I am so keen to keep moving forward.


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[Assistant] I agree with you. It's a bit much, but I don't think it's so indulgent that it undermines the overall product for me at least. It's, it's technically weaker, of course, in a sort of impossible objective sense.


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[Assistant] But I think it's still really carrying itself because of how well everything else works.


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[Assistant] That was so good. When you see, we won't spoil that quest, but it is either the greatest quest in the history of video game side quests or the worst, depending on your appetite. And I think the word appetite is operative.


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[Assistant] But, to me, firstly, just by the way, it's not a spoiler to say, that quest involves throwing out a can.


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[Assistant] I don't think, I think we really need to give credit to just how many mini games there are in this game. So many. And how good so many of them are. And the imagination that's been brought to bear across so many facets of this game. Like imagine what it took to construct some of these mini games. Like again, think of Fort Condor, think of the gears and gambits and like think of just basic quests that involve


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[Assistant] And this is different though, like it's, cause I've only played limited amount of Yakuza, don't get me wrong. Uhm, but it's a very different- We'll get you one day.


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[Assistant] Absolutely, absolutely, but it's, it's a very different vibe and it's, it's trying to do vastly different things than Yakuza is doing and in the JRPG space and I know like the recent like a dragon has come turn based combat or whatever else, but


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[Assistant] This is just, it just feels so distinct from anything we've experienced before. You know, I really walk away from, well not walk away, but in the middle of this, I can't quite think of another game that I've played


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[Assistant] That's quite like Final Fantasy VII, um, rebirth. I can't, you know what I mean? It's, it's, it's very, it's entirely unique. And you could say of remake,


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[Assistant] You're like, this is a really solid game, but it kind of feels familiar. It's got some aspects. The combat obviously was remarkable and incredible, whatever else, but the rest of it felt pretty, pretty safe and you're like, whatever. But this one, the scale of it, the diversity, the imagination, I've never played something quite like this.


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[Assistant] They have to release that standalone. They'd be crazy if they didn't. Like, if Gwent can go out and...


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[Assistant] This has legs enough, I think. It's gonna need some serious balance issues, like balance changes, cause there's some seriously OP cards in there, some pretty basic strategies that work every time. If you can level that stuff out, it's a really great game.


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[Assistant] Yeah, it was fantastic. But what a neat perfect example of the fact that you've got this card game.


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[Assistant] But it's just, it's not just a card game. It's this meta quest line that unfolds over time. It's got a ranking system.


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[Assistant] Um, but it's, but like, what are they, it's just such a perfect example of how relentless they have been on every aspect to just deliver and over, and like exceed expectations. And again, obviously not all of it's perfect. And you know, maybe at that back end, it's kind of falls apart, but so far I'm just really in awe.


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[Assistant] Of how much they put on the table here, how much work, how much, how well it lands. It's, um, it's just quite staggering at times. It really is.


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[Assistant] On that note, can I open up the discourse that I know is going to make everyone mad? And can we talk about this game versus Final Fantasy 16?


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[Assistant] Yeah, that 15 definitely, 15 was like objectively pretty shit, especially at launch. It got better as they added DLC and like filled out the gaps. Cause that game was unfinished when it launched. If you add it in the other stuff and controlling other party members, it eventually becomes this package that because it's so sincere.


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[Assistant] One character who we just pour everything into and he does this incredible performance and it's a, it's everything, you know? And you've got this world, this, that's so brilliantly constructed in terms of its politics. And you've got this combat system, which is, you know...


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[Assistant] I don't know, I don't love that combat system, but it's clear that a lot went into it, and they really tried to commit to that idea. And you've got this one main quest line, because the side quest stuff is pretty much non-existent. So it's this very singular thing that they committed to.


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[Assistant] And as I've said since, I do think history will be kind to 16 as a flawed game, but one that really put it on the line with its ambition, right?


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[Assistant] For me personally, I think, uh, rebirth has just felt like such a revelatory experience almost because I was like, I was so down on 16 and I know a lot of people loved it. That's fine. Don't, don't want to take away from your enjoyment, but


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[Assistant] I saw just so many gaps in 16 where I'm like, I wish it had this cause I really want that. That would be nice. And then rebirth just has all of those things and they're all fantastic. Like just the combat system in this game.


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[Assistant] It's so good. Like I just, even 75 hours in, I'm excited when the combat music rolls and I'm like ready to fight a new foe that I've never fought. What's its weaknesses? What's going to be the best way to bring it down? Like, and I, the sheer number of like,


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[Assistant] 16's combat, I think on the surface it's good, but when you really dig into it, it's just a lot of cooldown dumping and you're just cycling through your cooldowns, right? And that's, and it was really easy. I was really challenged by Rebirth's combat early on when I started doing the combat simulator stuff. I was like, this is hard, man. How am I dying? I'm like 10 hours in, what's going on? You know?


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[Assistant] Yeah, it just, it really, for me, I'm just so glad that this game is what it is. You know, I love Rebirth, and I really appreciate what Square tried to do, and like, you know, um, you know, Yoshi-P,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Endless amounts of admiration for that dude, like he really is just a once in a generation game creator. 100%, right?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But I personally just didn't click with his, this one thing that he made. You know what I mean? And that happens sometimes.


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[Assistant] Um, and then this other thing comes along and I'm like, okay.


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[Assistant] But I haven't played the dragon quest stuff. Am I missing out on a lot?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Are you an artist, photographer or someone who works in the visual mediums? If so,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm jealous of you. I wish I had skills like that. Imagine being able to draw something and it not look terrible.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That would be cool. Anyway, if you fall into that category and you are looking to promote your work, then you might want to think about publishing a portfolio somewhere, and there's no better tool to help you do that than Squarespace. Squarespace have ready-made portfolio templates that you can select and immediately begin customizing to your personal taste.


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[Assistant] When you're happy with the design, you can begin uploading your work, and it's gonna look super professional because that's Squarespace's specialty, professional looking websites.


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[Assistant] It's not just about looks though. Squarespace can help you promote your work through email campaigns, through SEO tools, and through social media integration, so your work can be discovered and shared.


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[Assistant] You don't need any knowledge or experience to get started with this stuff. Squarespace have put in all the work to make the entire process so easy and so seamless, even for absolute beginners. As I mentioned earlier, Squarespace are a long-running partner of this channel, three years running now actually.


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[Assistant] I really appreciate that support. Squarespace are helping me turn my passion into a career and that's what they do for a lot of people because if you want to turn your passion into a career, then a website is a really good place to start.


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[Assistant] To get started, visit squarespace.com and if you really want to get serious, visit squarespace.com forward slash skill up to get 10% off your purchase of a website or a domain name. Thanks Squarespace for sponsoring the video and thank you for watching it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You did sell it pretty well to be fair. Like, you know, I definitely would have seen it had I been in the greater New York area. I would have, I would have sorted out.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was going to say, yeaah, that's the starting point for this conversation, isn't it? Like you just, everyone needs to have a Steam Deck. Everyone just needs to have one. It's just, that's it. So yeaah, I mean, look, if you haven't checked, the switch obviously plays the same function for sure, right? By and large.


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[Assistant] Uh, it's got that more limited library, but it does have the Nintendo stuff, which is great. So playing portably is really good, but I think the Switch just opens up so many more opportunities in terms of how vast that library is. And also, Switch is at its end of life cycle, right? Whereas the Steam Deck's still got a ways to go before they're going to move on from that hardware.


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[Assistant] So I would say definitely think about that.


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[Assistant] I think you can have like a lunch break or whatever. I used to play games on my lunch break, uh, everyone else was working at their desks and I'm like, I am not engaged enough in this job to do that. I'm going to go play some video games.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But I would say as well, like, just also picking the types of games, obviously, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think AAA games, it depends. I wouldn't say AAA games are...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Is that, that's a good question actually. Do you think most AAA games are long these days?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think the AAA game this generation is definitely longer than the last one, right? Let's say like, take Last of Us for example, where last generation was really tight 15 hours.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well that was two generations ago now, was it? Yeah, it was PS3. Yep, that's right. And so now Last of Us Part 2 becomes 25, you know, the God of War games.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, most recently Ragnarok is now 40-ish hours. Your average, so like, Spider-Man I think is a bit tighter. You're looking at around like 25 to 30 for that one, but even that's still 30-ish hours. Your Resident Evil stuff is probably a good example of it keeping to a tight 10 to 15 hours and that doesn't feel too long. But generally speaking- Assassin's Creed though. We're not even going to mention that.


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[Assistant] Yeah. So, I would, but that also was, was that AAA? Eh, the price tag wasn't quite there. It wasn't good.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I agree with you on that one. I agree with you there. Some people liked it. Regardless, I would say, yeah, the average AAA game has gotten longer. Definitely feel your pain on that one. Digging into the indie scene is really rewarding because your average indie game is much shorter. And in particular, there are certain types of indie games that are like vampire survivors, for example.


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[Assistant] And if you ask for a recommendation, if you haven't played Vampire Survivors, get yourself a Steam Deck, play Vampire Survivors, don't play anything else, cause that's, you won't want to. Oh no no no. It's just not going to be in there.


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[Assistant] Of course, of course, but there's always those, those, that style of like indie game that really just captures the attention and it just sucks you in and they're short, right? They're meant to be short.


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[Assistant] Uhm, so that's why I think the Steam Deck is also a really good device, because it does have all of those indie games on there, whereas only some of them make it over to Switch, so yeaah.


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[Assistant] I agree with that, and I think that decision about genre is so important to me at this point in my life, because I look at so many JRPGs for example, and I'm like, I would love to play Tales of Arise, it looks fantastic, and uhm, and I'm like, uhhh, I can't really fit that into my schedule right now, and I'm playing Final Fantasy VII as we just spoke, about 75 hours deep,


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[Assistant] Massive game, still going, right? Uhm, yeaah, so I definitely, I pick and choose my genres.


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[Assistant] I look at like, you know, competitive shooters as well. I'm like, do I have time to invest in that and get good at it?


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[Assistant] Probably not. So I probably just, I muck around with the finals because I love the finals, but I'm never going to become super invested in it because I know I don't have the time to do that. So that genre discussion and that, that thinking about genre has definitely become way more important with the way that I think about what I'm going to play next. Absolutely.


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[Assistant] Cocoon. Cocoon. I mean dredge is like 15 hours. Yeah. Yeah. There's, there's no shortage of, and that website, by the way, how long to beat it is really good. Oh, humanity is really, yeah. That website, how long to beat it is really good because it does give you a broad sense of how long it would take to play through something. And so a lot of my prioritization about what I'm playing.


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[Assistant] Is derived from like, well, how much time do I actually have to play this game, given everything else I've got going on in my life and whatever. So uhm, yeaah, I'd say that's also useful as well.


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[Assistant] At a high level, like survival is a funny genre, right? It's, it's, it's really huge without it necessarily seeming like it would be naturally very big, you know, cause you hear about these like big first person shooters and these narrative games and these Sony games and whatever else. Survival though,


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[Assistant] It's just gigantic, but it almost seems like it's under the radar a lot of the time and it's like the triple A scene.


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[Assistant] Doesn't know how to tackle it or is too scared to do so. I mean you had Blizzard who worked for like six years on their survival game and then they threw in the towel. You know what I mean? So I guess my question kind of has two components. Number one, why do you think survival games have the appeal that they do?


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[Assistant] And secondly, why do you think the broader large scale AAA industry has been unwilling to tap into that up to this point?


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[Assistant] I love it. I've heard this phrase a while ago that like, sound people have the most fun. They have the most fun just doing their weird shit because they can like figure out how to make it work and like yea, strapping mics to an old station wagon and driving around town sounds like a good time. It does sound like fun.


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[Assistant] Coming back to, I guess, that question though, in terms of the foundations of this project, like, so where did this begin? Like, who had this idea? How did they have this idea? What was the story of the very, the sort of inception of uhm, of conception? Inception? Of, cause every drive.


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[Assistant] Is that a publishing deal with Kepler or was that the Sony deal or it was just a deal?


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[Assistant] Yeah. It was always so scary being far away from the car. Like I just, you know, you just, you, it becomes this thing where it becomes this, um,


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[Assistant] This arc, this kind of like nurturing place, this safe zone. And so there are times where you need to get out of the car and go somewhere.


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[Assistant] And it always just feels that little bit more scary when you know you're like over a hundred meters away from your car. Cause you're like, what if something happens? It's a big run back. One time I lost my car. Cause I forgot that there was a, I didn't realize it was a compass that points you back to the car when you get out of it. I didn't know this. And so one time I got out of my car, I think my car got moved and I got flipped around a bit and I lost my car and I fucking panicked. I'm just like.


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[Assistant] Like seriously, driving around and I have all my, my repair, I learned the hard way cause you can like put storage racks on your side. And I was like, I'll put all the stuff I collected in my trunk and I'll put all my critical repair components in the side racks. And I'm driving along and one of the pickpockets yoinks it. I didn't even realize that he took it.


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[Assistant] And then I'm like driving, my car is screwed. I'm like, ah, no worries. I got my stuff. I'll hop out. I walk around to the side of the car and I'm like...


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[Assistant] Yeah, I definitely felt that arduousness. I felt the reward that came from


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[Assistant] You could get across them in like two minutes, but with how dangerous they are and the objectives that you have, you could spend half an hour on that same map.


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[Assistant] Just like trying to survive, you know, and I think that is a really, uhm,


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[Assistant] A really amazing achievement. So yeah, I mean, I think that part of it is, um, is really great.


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[Assistant] Some of the more, I guess, divisive design choices that you guys have made. I think the biggest one. Yeah, sure. The biggest one that get a lot to get has gotten a lot of feedback is your save system. So if anyone hasn't played the game, you are going out on these expeditions and it's not a continuous open world.


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[Assistant] So are you saying to me that your decision in relation to not being able to save mid-run is actually a production constraint with relation to how, like how the game is saved? Like is that?


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[Assistant] Okay, that's interesting. Yeah, I never would have imagined that that decision would be led on by that stuff. So, okay, that's, yeah, that's fascinating. Okay.


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[Assistant] Yeah, never would have guessed that. That's uhm, that's fascinating. So do you plan to make any further changes to the save stuff as it is now? Or you're like, nah, we're pretty settled with what it is and it's done.


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[Assistant] Uhm, I wanted to, cause we'll have to wrap up soon, but I wanted to talk about the reception to the game. Uhm, I mean, did you guys, so obviously,


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[Assistant] Very broad consensus that this is a great game. You know, you're seeing it in the reviews, you're seeing it on Steam. Uhm, I hope that it's selling well. I don't know if you have any insight into that that you can share. We're off to a pretty good start. Okay. We're happy with the sales so far, certainly. Cool. Fantastic. So I guess my question was,


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[Assistant] We weren't really sure if it was very good before it was going out, you know, it's like, we're just glad it came together in the end. It's like, whatever. So my question to you is, did you know you'd made a great game before you shipped or you're like, Oh, I don't know about this. This is a bit scary. Like where were you at the moment before launch?


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[Assistant] You do, you need to be ready for it. I recommend playing it after you've played something really chilled and relaxed. Cause if you go from like a big, long, stressful game into Pacific drive, you're going to be like, I'm not in the head space for this right now. That's a sweaty game.


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[Assistant] In game monetization for me definitely takes down the value of a game.


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[Assistant] You know, even a store, even a shop in general, like even if it's a fair shop.


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[Assistant] If you, if you, if you are looking to charge people money.


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[Assistant] Then, uh, ongoing, then it makes sense that you would charge them less upfront. You know what I mean? I think that in terms of that upfront price tag, I'm like, you should probably shave a bit off the top of that if you are looking to charge people perpetually for this thing.


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[Assistant] I mean, yeaah, I think, I think that's just a fair trade off, right?


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[Assistant] Because obviously some portions of the game are going to be unavailable to people at the beginning.


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[Assistant] By virtue of your monetization model, but you're still charging a full price for that. So I'm like, I'm not on board with that idea. I don't agree that every game should be free to play.


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[Assistant] But I do think that if you are looking to charge ongoing for a product that you should not be charging full price for an upfront as well. That just seems like a bit of a like piss take double dip, you know what I mean?


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[Assistant] So that's one thing that really reduces value for me. I definitely do not equate. I mean, the thing is,


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[Assistant] There is some weird connection between game length and value.


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[Assistant] It's different for everyone, obviously. If a game is two hours long, but it hits you in the fields and it does something to you that you are never going to forget, is that game worth $70?


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[Assistant] Right, but like, okay, with popcorn, like you go there and there's popcorn, okay, and there's like, you know, the trip out to the movies is going to be like in the vicinity of like, let's say $60 if you get a drink and popcorn or whatever, right? Parking if you drive your car, all that sort of shit. But then you see June 2 and you're just like,


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[Assistant] Holy fuck, that was crazy. And you never think, oh man, that was $60, was that worth it? I'm like, you know, you just don't do that value equation. But like with video games, you're like, that game...


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[Assistant] Skull and bones is 70 US dollars. That's a ripoff. You know what I mean? Even though that's giving you like 15 hours of campaign and we have just a totally weird, different skewed version of how we talk about value when it comes to video games.


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[Assistant] I'm not going to say whether it's right or wrong. I'm just saying it is what it is. Uh, there is a relationship between playtime and value.


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[Assistant] Uh, for me though, it's less important because I'm at this point in my life.


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[Assistant] Far more interested in what a game accomplishes in the limited time that I'm able to play it.


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[Assistant] Rather than, how long can this game keep me playing? You know, Final Fantasy 7.


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[Assistant] Rebirth is not a better game because it's 75 hours long at least.


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[Assistant] Versus other games that you've played that are just perfect for 30 hours long. That's...


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[Assistant] I mean that's not true, Marvel Snap, but that's always the case. Classic. That's not gonna, not gonna, not gonna bore you guys with more of that one, but uhm.


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[Assistant] No, it's, it's just been fun. Cause I mean, 75 hours in like 10.


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[Assistant] Roughly, it was just under two weeks, 75 hours and just under two weeks. Almost a full time job. And that's also while doing everything else going on in my life, you know, and doing a new show every week and all, it's been a lot. It's been a lot of Final Fantasy. So, um, yeah, no time for anything else. But I mean, having a ball, as I said in the thing, um, but it has been, yes, distracting, quite distracting.


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[Assistant] I'm so sad that I've missed out on all this. I really do feel like I've missed an important moment, you know what I mean?


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[Assistant] I know there's, there is still time for sure. Absolutely. And I want to do that, but I also think, well, I've got some stuff coming up this month, which you'll learn about soon.


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[Assistant] Uh, and then, look, maybe April is the time where I can go, my desperate hope, my desperate concern is that I get there in April and I'm like, hey guys, let's go, you know, let's, let's spread some democracy. And they're like, ah, we're bored of that game now. We're playing out something else. And I was like, oh man. I mean, like that's my concern.


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[Assistant] So I'm hoping that it has legs enough to last until April and beyond, because that's probably when I'll have time for it, so.


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[Assistant] I, I think the coolest things that I hear about, uhm, Helldivers now are the stories of new stuff being rolled out. Oh yes. Without any announcement. It's just like all of a sudden.


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[Assistant] Someone sees on the battlefield like a mix suit, and it's just there.


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[Assistant] And that's how they're playtesting new content. And I'm like, that is so incredibly sick. What a cool way to drop new content into your game. It was just a total surprise. Cause I'm like, how is it not being data mined like either? Like that's what's curious to me. Cause it seems like a genuine surprise, but maybe it is being data mined, but I'm just not close enough to the Reddit to see all that stuff happening.


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[Assistant] It's, it's there and it's being playtested and it's so awesome to see that that is how they're demoing new shit. You know, I think about if I was playing Destiny and all of a sudden I'm on a mission.


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[Assistant] And this entirely new gun just appears out of a chest or whatever. And I'm like, what the fuck is this? You know what I mean? Or like some other NPC rocks up during that mission that has never appeared in that mission before doing some cool sick shit or whatever.


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[Assistant] Like, I don't know, that, that stuff is so interesting to me and I love.


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[Assistant] Like there's, and they'll have secret missions where people discover a door and they're like, Oh, what is that? You know what I mean? Like, and they, and they figure it out and whatever else. So perhaps I'm selling Destiny a bit short with that, but I think just the idea of a actual physical thing that you can use right then and there on the battlefield appearing out of nowhere, no warning. And it's just a new part of the game now. That is just a cool, cool concept that I really like.


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[Assistant] And I, my buddies were all there, like the people I, you know, I spent my twenties with those people, you know what I mean? And they were all there doing that thing and I couldn't do it because now this job meant that I couldn't, I just didn't have time to do that.


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[Assistant] And I'm so sad about that. And I always will regret not having that opportunity to go back because they had their own new stories and you know, there are these moments together again, having that adventure and you can't have that again. And with Helldivers, I just feel like that's my concern. I'm like, have I missed the window where I get to have those stories?


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[Assistant] You know what I mean? That's, that's, it's a bit of a weird sort of thing, but there's very few games I think that are nailing it so right that you are experiencing FOMO.


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[Assistant] And you feel like you could never experience it that same way again later on. You know what I mean?


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[Assistant] Because it got taken offline, yea, if anyone missed that story, it actually got delisted for like having gambling.


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[Assistant] I forget the terminology, but the implication was that it was delisted in certain territories because it kind of like encouraged gambling or was too gambling-esque. And it's like, it's not at all gambling-esque. It just uses playing cards. It's no more gambling than solitaire is gambling, you know? Exactly.


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[Assistant] That's always the gun. This is actually, this is something we missed by the way. In the post wrap up about Pacific Drive, this is actually what Jake said. He's like, oh man, I really wanted to ask you if they ever thought about putting a gun in it. And I'm like, why are you always asking the question about the gun?


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[Assistant] I am actually, I have bought it. I am very much dying to play it. Uhm, I do have some travel coming up this month and I will be playing it on the plane extensively. It is already installed on my deck, ready to go.


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[Assistant] It really has captured, it's really, it's taken over to the degree that inscription took over I think back when it hit, where, you know, you've got that kind of, it's a deck builder.


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[Assistant] It's a roguelite kind of thing, but it just, it does something unique with the formula that becomes addictive and surprising. And, um, yeah, people just keep coming back to it and it's nice because we haven't had one of those sorts of games in a while now in terms of that deck builder genre.


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[Assistant] But that genre really does have a lot of legs, like it just keeps surprising you with new entries every little while, you know? Uhm, so it's nice to see this one pop off as much as it has.


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[Assistant] Where do we start? So first of all, did you guys love the first movie?


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[Assistant] That's the first movie. Don't get me wrong. I did. I mean, cause I actually Blade Runner 2049 is literally one of my favorite films ever. I think it is actually better than the first film, which I actually find quite a few people agree with that. Many people vehemently disagree. Fair enough. That's cool. Personally, I think it's better. Um, and so,


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[Assistant] And also June, I saw it after the zeitgeist had moved on. It was really hyped up. And I was like, okay, cool. But then I went in there and I'm like, alright, I can, and I've read the books as well. And so I was like, alright. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it.


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[Assistant] Yeah, just, it's a very hard story to tell in two parts. And the first half of the book is a lot of people sitting around talking about water.


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[Assistant] Which is actually incredible, by the way, and I love that. I love that. But there's, it's very hard to make that into a film, especially Denis Villeneuve, who's like, I'm not such a fan of dialogue. It's like, well, okay, no wonder the first film, you know,


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[Assistant] Yeah, he made obviously some choices. But when I walked out of 2, which was last night by the way, I saw it on IMAX.


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[Assistant] I feel like I hadn't felt that way since I walked out of like Return of the King back in the day. It was like, even Endgame wasn't quite the same, as much as that was just this like fist pumping heroic moment of like FUCK YEAH LET'S GO!


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[Assistant] You just walk out, you feel really filled up by that film and also bittersweet because you know there's nothing else like that coming anytime soon. And that's part of it as well with like, you know, I think with the Marvel movies where like, cool, that was a cool Marvel movie. Look forward to seeing the next one in four months. You know what I mean?


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[Assistant] Versus this kind of film, you know that they don't make these kind of films anymore and it's just, you're going to have to wait a very long time for the next one. So I felt very just overwhelmed and so like


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[Assistant] Overawed. And it was just incredible. It truly was. Like I just, it was amazing.


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[Assistant] Yeah. Yes. That is why it looks that way because they shot it in infrared and there's no, he couldn't add color back to it. So there was like a full commit on that. If it didn't work, it didn't work and it was over. But infrared, cause I watched the Colbert interview with Vilna and he's like,


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[Assistant] Yeah. And it's like, this creates this effect where like veins and other textures are shown in a different light. In addition to this alabaster thing, it changes the way your skin looks and what you can see underneath the skin. And it was so amazing.


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[Assistant] It was like, it was three hours, I reckon I could have gone six. I reckon I could have just stayed there for six hours and just kept going.


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[Assistant] It didn't feel like there was any fluff or like, ah, you didn't really need that scene or whatever. He left a lot out, obviously, uhm, because you have to, but I think the great skill of what he's done with this is that


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[Assistant] There's so much nuance within the world of like June in the book. The whole thing is a deeply political book.


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[Assistant] With so much subtlety in language and like the political construction of the world.


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[Assistant] He can't speak to all of that in a movie, especially not the kind of movie he wants to make.


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[Assistant] In the way that he's done this, you get the feeling that all of that exists underneath the surface of everything you see, you know? You don't doubt the political construction of the empires and the houses and


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[Assistant] And so while he can't deal in these big elaborate dialogue sequences full of, you know, political intrigue and subtlety,


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[Assistant] There's a lot of subtlety in the visual design that communicates that world's subtlety, you know? And uhm, I think that is a really brilliant place to arrive at for how to, how to, how to sell a ruckus and that broader universe, you know?


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[Assistant] I think the great success of his performance is that it really sells his transition from boyhood to man. Cause there are moments, cause I watched the first film the night before I went and saw it and he's very clearly a boy in the beginning of that.


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[Assistant] Yeah, yeah, I don't know. I think other people could have, there are certain people you like, there's no way anyone else could have played certain roles, right? Or you feel like it would have been a bad call not to.


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[Assistant] I think you probably could have had a different actor play this person, play Paul Atreides. It would have probably been okay as well, depending on who you cast. But I do think Timothée Chalamet did a good job overall. And like, yeah, it's, it's.


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[Assistant] Man, Batista and he have a similar kind of role as these sort of off-siders who don't have a lot of lines and they work for the Baron and whatever else. Batista doesn't really...


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[Assistant] Do a lot with it. I dunno, he's just like really angry and that's about it.


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[Assistant] Which is, in keeping with the character in the book, don't get me wrong, there's reasons for that for sure. I think Austin Butler and that character that he's playing and the way that he plays it and the way that he's shot with this white thing and this bald head, it all comes together to create this incredibly pre-, like the presence of him every second is just, man, that, that is a,


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[Assistant] Yeah, well her character in the movie is very different to the character in the book.


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[Assistant] So quite different. And in fact, it's a, it's an improvement that I won't spoil cause I'll let you guys.


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[Assistant] Whatever, I think it's an improvement in terms of the construction of the story and it becomes especially important when it comes to Messiah, which is June 3, he's making June 3, uh, and it is Messiah and Messiah is very, very different to June, like very different. And I think what's going to make this, say again?


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[Assistant] Obviously Messiah is the most important part of the story in terms of like its thematic and its resolution.


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[Assistant] Because yeaah, it really, it almost directly attacks what many people might think to be the central thesis or conceit of June. And it's gonna make that trilogy such an interesting one because I've never, it's so rare that I've, uh,


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[Assistant] That a trilogy in its final arc might look to deconstruct everything that it has actually accomplished in its first two acts, you know? Uhm, and so I think people are going to be really very interested to see how that lands. Uhm, yeaah.


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[Assistant] Find me here on shillup at youtube dot org.


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[Assistant] This video is brought to you by friend of the channel Squarespace. Stick around to learn more about how their intuitive website creation tools help people turn their hobbies into careers and dreams into reality.


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[Assistant] You know what I really want to get into at some point? Formula One. It looks cool. It has all the coolest merch.


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[Assistant] Yeah. And it's all like really thick and like expensive looking. It's like you buy that and you're like, I reckon that'll last. Whereas you buy like your average like, I don't know, looking little piece of crappy merch off some stand somewhere and it like falls apart in 10 minutes. It's like everything is in


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[Assistant] He was so terrible. Oh my god. And I don't think he's a bad actor either. Like I've seen him in Rose, he can act, but for some reason he had like just no business being in that film whatsoever. He dragged it like the big moment.


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[Assistant] Bruh. Bruh. I'm like, I'm like so unbelievably spent, you have no idea, like, I'm so ready for this year to be done. I'm so ready for this year to be done!


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[Assistant] Yeah. It's weird cause like in America, Christmas is actually not-


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[Assistant] No, no, I mean like Americans, right? Like when I, whenever I hear like Thanksgiving, like I know that everyone comes home for Thanksgiving dinner, right? But not necessarily everyone comes home for Christmas dinner. Is that true? There's a song and everything. I'll be home for Christmas. Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, but it just, that's...


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[Assistant] That's the vibe that I get, that it's like, in the pecking order, Thanksgiving is number one for family times, that you must be there, and then Christmas is close, but like number two.


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[Assistant] Uhm, we have, it's called Boxing Day and it's like the day you're meant to give presents to the poor.


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[Assistant] And so you guys have your like Black Friday Thanksgiving sales and we have our Boxing Day sales on the 26th.


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[Assistant] Wow, that's a lot. But then again, like, Boxing Day here is like the leftovers day, cause you'll have so much food, cause you must have Thanksgiving, actually, and I know Thanksgiving leftovers is a regular, it's a joke, it's a thing, and then people say stuff tastes better on the second day sometimes, right? That's what I've heard.


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[Assistant] Oh, actually Christmas dinner's not really a thing. It's lunch. Like Christmas lunch is the thing. And then.


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[Assistant] Uhm, you know, like, Aussie Christmas is, it's a nice Christmas. I would really like to have a white Christmas one year. That'd be pretty cool. That's always been the dream. Yeah. It's like, you know, it's what we always imagined the Christmas to be. But, uh, it is also nice to be able to like finish your lunch at four o'clock or whatever, and then go down to the beach.


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[Assistant] Just like chill out there. And the Bondi beaches, which is where I grew up, is like


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[Assistant] There's a lot of backpackers down there, like Irish and New Zealanders, British, whatever. And it's just like orphans Christmas down there that day.


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[Assistant] This is the same day the Insomniac leak has happened. So yes, that was just like, what a way to end the year on like one of the biggest data leaks in the history of video game data. Well, not leaks, hacks, just to be super clear about the language. Uh, so yes, there is no rest for the wicked, so to speak.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Oh yeaah, don't worry. It's brought to you by this, this skill up sponsor, Eureka, Eureka ergonomic baby. Check it out. It actually is quite excellent. I really love it. It's my favorite piece of furniture. It also is a speaker. You can, yep, for real. It has like a Bluetooth connectivity and it plays sound. It's very good. So.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We didn't really provide guidelines to each other about what these questions- First of all, we don't know what these questions are to each other, like we haven't told them. And we also didn't really provide much in the way of guidelines. We sort of said like,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't know years. Uhm, so. 2013. Yeah, but like, but like whatever. Okay, like, I can start. Off topic, whatever. Jake, you live in New York. Here we go. Okay, what is one stereotype about New York that is not actually true?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, fair enough. What about the crocodile? Is that true? No, that's not true.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Do you really have lots of hot dog people? Because I tell you how many hot dog people we have on the streets of Sydney. Zero. Okay, there are zero places on the streets of Sydney where you can buy a hot dog from a guy standing on the side of the road.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I've gotten one, to be honest.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, no, no, no, this is just the New York, the New York tropes episode. What about the Times Square people who dress up as Spider-Man and do your photo thing? Have you ever done that before?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, okay, so that's good. Alright, there are all the stereotypes that I have in my head about New York, so thank you for addressing each of them. Not bad, not bad.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I have been to New York and I had New York bagels and they're legit. I didn't say that for a fact. Like that's, cause I actually am a big enjoyer of the bagel and the very best bagels that I've ever had in my entire life were in New York. So they know what they're doing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean like, macos, that's right. I mean like, it's hard cause like, it's just, it's like you have a quarter pounder and like a McChicken and then whatever. But the problem with McDonald's is, I don't know if you guys ever face this, but like, no matter how much McDonald's I eat, I'm not full. Do you guys experience this?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I swear to god I could smash an entire- you know, do you guys have these family meals over in America? Where like- I think they just call them-


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That if I wanted to, like if I let myself do it, I could easily do that. No question at all. For some reason, every time I eat McDonald's, I feel like I could eat four or five times the quantity that I permit myself.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So I try not to eat too much McDonald's because I never feel satisfied by it and I just feel pissed off by it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's extremely bad for you and the only way that I could actually feel full is to basically give myself the equivalent of a heart attack. You know what I mean? Like in terms of caloric intakes.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, actually, in fact, in Australia, we have like, this whole fresh-made McDonald's thing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, for sure. We don't ever ask what's inside the pies. We just, we just eat it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah. Oh, I see what this is. I see what you have. Got one of these. Sure, sure, sure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sure, we're just going freestyle. I broke, I broke my arm twice.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, so the first time was when I was eight, and I fell off a pony.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Um, it bucked me off because it's, it like sniffed another pony's butt and then the other pony was like, yo, don't sniff my butt and kind of like kicked back. And then my pony was like, whoa, and then reared up and I was like, crack and like broke my arm. And actually as a result, and I don't really talk about this, but my arm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yes, it's really handy for like reaching underneath, like if I drop something underneath a shelf or whatever. Yeah, it's like, it's because it bends incorrectly, I can get stuff really easily, but that is literally the only utility that that, that injury has. The other time I broke my arm was like 14 and I was on a bike and I just like mountain biking and then I broke my arm again, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Same arm, different break. That sucked. Uhm, but yeaah, other than that. Touch wood.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Every day I feel lucky to do what I do. I was working a job I wasn't loving and eventually tried my hand at content creation. It worked and all these years later, here I am.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was lucky for a lot of reasons, but one of the big reasons was that YouTube existed


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And so there was this platform for me that I could use to turn my dream into a reality. What if the website you need to turn your hobby into a career doesn't exist? What if you want to sell the ceramics that you make or photos that you take? What if you want to provide physiotherapy to people in your local area or promote a stall you run at a weekend farmers market?