Full Transcript for NextGen 83 - Pikmin [S2E1]

00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.840 can see like George's fingerprints on it. And then one 76 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:56.199 hundred and fifty hours later I had platinumed. 77 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:57.199 It and I was like, yeah, it's good. 78 00:03:57.800 --> 00:03:59.319 And so that was one where I was like I 79 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.240 kind of started to get it and my cynicism about 80 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:06.280 difficult games, I should say challenging games, because I think 81 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:10.759 there's a difference between like a challenging game that's ultimately 82 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:14.560 fair and balanced, and like a hard game that's not balanced, 83 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:19.759 So like something like Hollow Night very challenging, something like 84 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:25.160 the stuff Working Designs was doing in this era where 85 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:30.160 they're artificially increasing difficulty was hard in a bad way, 86 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:32.800 and so like, I kind of didn't understand the difference 87 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.160 between the two until then, And now I understand why 88 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:37.240 I was missing out on. 89 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:40.199 All these popular games that I actually. 90 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:42.480 Really like in the end, and it was because of 91 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.879 that sort of cynicism towards something I didn't understand well, Yeah, 92 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.879 and I had a whole bunch of cynicism for something 93 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:55.360 and it turns out it was wrong. This issue Next 94 00:04:55.399 --> 00:04:59.639 Gen eighty five is a monument to the absolute wrongest 95 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:02.920 I have ever been and it's next Gen. We've time 96 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:05.639 skipped from our first season well passed in the magazine 97 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:09.079 was called all Capitals, Next and then Generation. I want 98 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:10.439 to describe this cover for me. 99 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:13.519 Yeah, so we have a very. 100 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:19.480 Green, very xboxy cover, a lot of like white text 101 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:23.879 on a black background, but dominating is a big glossy 102 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:31.000 Xbox logo. Yes, and it says Special Edition Ultimate Xbox 103 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:36.600 Review Guide. Twenty six launch titles rated, including four genuine 104 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:44.959 classics okay, sure, two complete duds that tracks three major surprises, 105 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:48.920 but which are which. When this issue came out in 106 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.480 January two thousand and two, we'd all been reading more 107 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:56.800 and more rumories about Microsoft's Direct Xbox, and unlike the 108 00:05:56.839 --> 00:05:59.720 timeframe of our first season, by this point I not 109 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:03.720 only had a gaming PC, I was a registered small 110 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:07.680 business owner, buying parts at wholesale and building custom PCs 111 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:11.959 for friends and businesses. So I was very well acquainted 112 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:14.439 with what Microsoft was doing in the computer space and 113 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:19.360 the idea that they could build a small, self contained, reliable, 114 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:25.519 powerful and cool games console was laughable. We were still 115 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:29.079 in the sort of eraw when vaporware quote unquote was 116 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:32.240 most often applied to hardware. I've often joked that every 117 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:35.160 year at CEES they'd spin this big wheel full of 118 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:39.639 electronics makers, telecom providers, and toy companies and then make 119 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:42.879 them hold a press conference announcing their new games machine 120 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:46.959 or multimedia platform or whatever that had zero chance of shipping, 121 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:52.560 let alone selling. Matt Susheta is teaming up with Mattel 122 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:59.000 to make your Pacific Bell cable box run LaserDisc games, 123 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:02.639 right Like, So many consoles got announced and then they 124 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.120 never had any real games to show, never had any 125 00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:08.319 third parties on board. The M two M two for sure, 126 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:11.040 and they basically just seemed to think if they could 127 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:13.800 just get the plastic box in the world, gamers everywhere 128 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:16.480 would lap it up. And you could bet that these 129 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:19.600 consoles would never get made, and if they did get made, 130 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:23.639 they'd completely suck, or if they somehow didn't completely suck, 131 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.240 they'd see like a tiny release in Japan or like 132 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:30.800 California only, and then just vanish the Apple Slash Bandai 133 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:34.879 Pippin is still effectively a fairy tale, even if Wikipedia 134 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:39.199 tells me today that twelve thousand units did ship in 135 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:43.600 the US, and all of these things I swore up 136 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:46.759 and down to my friends also applied to the Xbox. 137 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:50.600 You know, I was right there with you. 138 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:54.519 So you know, if this was wrong, doubting the Xbox, 139 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:57.959 that probably would be the wrongest I've been in a sense, 140 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:01.360 except there's only. 141 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:05.279 Been one good Xbox time, the three sixty. All the 142 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:06.160 rest have been like. 143 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:12.519 Sus I think, so, I like, I don't think I'm wrong.

Next, 144 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:16.000 what is Xbox at this point? Yeah, that's the thing 145 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:18.680 is that we should have been right right, Like so 146 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:22.839 many people are involved back then today talk all the 147 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:27.000 time on podcasts about how what a moonshot it was, 148 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:30.199 and how counter to Microsoft corporate culture it was, how 149 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:33.559 often the project was nearly killed, and how many tiny 150 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:36.679 little miracles had to happen for the company still shipping 151 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:42.279 Microsoft Office with Clippy the paper Clip Assistant to design, build, 152 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:45.919 develop a library for, and then successfully sell millions of 153 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:49.559 units of a genuinely cool game console. But it did 154 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:54.080 hit stores en mass across the continent. On November fifteenth, 155 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:57.480 two thousand and one, making Japan wait for once, and 156 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:00.399 here we have all twenty six launch titles rev in 157 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:03.320 this issue of next Gen, which would have been on 158 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:08.159 newsstands in time for Christmas shopping. Microsoft launching a legitimate 159 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:11.320 challenge to Sony's already dominant PS two would mark the 160 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:15.360 birth of a massive, glorious new era in games, but 161 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:18.879 it would also mark the end of a beloved era 162 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:23.120 in games media. If you are not already a member 163 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:25.919 of fun Factor Ultra and getting ad free episodes. 164 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:26.399 Hang tight through the break. 165 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:28.399 When we come back, we will crack open the cover 166 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.799 and flip through next Gen eighty three right here on 167 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:32.720 fun Factor. 168 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:38.440 If this is tied from the future, I said issue 169 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:41.440 eighty three right here, but I meant issue eighty five. 170 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:46.279 So every place I say issue eighty three this episode, 171 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:48.279 just know that I meant issue eighty five. 172 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:51.720 My apologies. 173 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:13.000 Welcome back to fun Factor, where two old gamers review 174 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:15.399 old video game magazine reviews. Of course we want you 175 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:17.519 to review us. Did we get a full five point 176 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:20.399 zero fun Factor? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and 177 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:23.720 we'll read the best, kindest, funniest and most entertaining ones 178 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:29.279 on the air. Aiden the deal with next Gen. Again, 179 00:10:29.600

--> 00:10:32.879 this is next generation the magazine, but we can see 180 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.559 already it is not next generation in the magazine. It's 181 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:40.120 next gen. Logos change, the fonts have changed. It doesn't 182 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:44.919 look uncool, but it doesn't stand out from its competitors. 183 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:48.879 A lot of other games magazines had kind of leveled 184 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:51.480 up as well and gone to the you know, sans 185 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:56.200 serif once more professional looking, kind of clean design that 186 00:10:56.240 --> 00:10:59.480 they kind of led the industry on. And so it's 187 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:01.600 not like A doesn't look like an evolution of it, 188 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:04.039 but it also doesn't look much different than most of 189 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:06.360 the other magazines on the shelves at this point. 190 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:09.440 It is it's very generic. And that was my first thought. 191 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:12.200 When we when I bloaded up this issue to start 192 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:14.840 taking a look at is it just looks like a magazine. 193 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:15.039 Yep. 194 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:19.480 Like Next Generation had such a vibe to it and 195 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:21.759 it was so far ahead of its time, but it 196 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:24.279 feels like they kind of missed the boat here and 197 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:27.039 this looks like, you know, it looks. 198 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:30.159 Like it could be anything, really like it could be. 199 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:33.759 Yeah, the world, it could be games for Windows, it 200 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:36.600 could be you know, like it looks like one of 201 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:39.240 those kind of generic magazines you see on newstands. Now, 202 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:42.720 that's like the ultimate guide to chat GP. It's just 203 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:45.919 like the most like, you know, generic magazine you could 204 00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:47.000 possibly imagine. 205 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:47.480 Yeah. 206 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:50.200 So issue eighty three, January two thousand and two, one 207 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:55.080 hundred and three numbered editorial pages. That is slim. 208 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:55.759 Yeah. 209 00:11:55.879 --> 00:11:59.080 Number of games reviewed forty nine these twenty six for 210 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:01.879 the Xbox cover story in twenty three for other platforms, 211 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:05.559 which is wild. That's a huge number of reviews at 212 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:10.720 the number of systems. That's like a review for every 213 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:11.320 two pages. 214 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:11.639 Yeah. 215 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:17.039 Uh huh uh huh uh huh yep uh number systems 216 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:21.600 reviewed for his five, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation two, Dreamcast, and

PC. 217 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:26.159 I'm gonna open this up here a little bit and 218 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:29.159 get to now the masthead proper is actually at the 219 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:35.039 back of the issue. However, we have a little editorial 220 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:36.840 letter from the editor here. 221 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:37.320 Uh. 222 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:42.399 This guy holding cannon mountain. Do don't recognize him? He is, 223 00:12:42.440 --> 00:12:47.159 in fact Blake Fisher, executive editor. I don't remember his name, 224 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:49.440 despite his having worked at Next Gen for several years 225 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:51.639 at this point. And I guess that's what happens when 226 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:56.039 you don't give people bylines. Eh h Could you please 227 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:01.600 read for me the beginning of his letter from the editor. Yes, so, 228 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:06.279 in the three years I've been at Next Generation, I've 229 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:10.159 always hoped that one day I'd be that guy at 230 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:12.720 the front who tells you what this issue's all about. 231 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:16.440 Never did I think it would be like this, though. 232 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:18.000 You see, it's Sunday. 233 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:21.080 I'm really tired and haggard. 234 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:22.799 And I need to get this call him in before 235 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:26.080 the magazine ships to the printer first thing tomorrow morning. 236 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:31.919 In short, I'm exhausted and my work is late. Honestly though, 237 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:35.320 I just had to see how Halo ended, and trust me, 238 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:39.840 it was worth the all nighter, all right, So good 239 00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:46.399 kind of first introduction to Blake here. Unfortunately, it's very bittersweet, 240 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:49.879 not just because he's haggard and tired and turning in 241 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:53.600 his first issue late after pulling a all nighter playing Halo, 242 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:58.960 but because this is also his last letter from the editor, 243 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:02.799 because this is the issue of Next Gen. The magazine 244 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:07.120 ended after this. We get a little hint here and 245 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.039 the ending it was always called ending, right, because they 246 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:12.639 were doing NG at the beginning of the magazine. 247 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:13.320 They tried to. 248 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.159 Work an NG into all their site. 249 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:19.240 And so we say so long, We love our readers 250 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:22.720 looking back back page Bye bye. This is the only 251 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:26.519 actual reference in the magazine to the fact that this 252 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:29.519 is the last magazine. Yes uh or drub in Chat 253 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.200 says press f to pay respects Big F in the 254 00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:37.200 chat for next Gen. Don't worry about Blake, though, he 255 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:41.120 did very well for himself. After four years at Future Us, 256 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.720 the publishing group that published Next Gen and Game Players 257 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:46.960 and other magazines, he switched to Game Dev and he 258 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:50.200 must have really loved this Xbox launch lineup because a 259 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:52.240 couple of months after this issue hit the shelves, he 260 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:56.879 started a sixteen year run developing third party portfolio planning 261 00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:59.840 for Xbox title. By the end of it was Director 262 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:04.519 third Party Portfolio Planning. And then in twenty eighteen, Microsoft 263 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:08.240 started a new quasi independent first party studio called The Initiative, 264 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:13.120 and Fisher started there as Director of World and Narrative. Unfortunately, 265 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:16.360 this was the studio created to make the Perfect Dark reboot, 266 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:18.639 and as we all know now, that did not go 267 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:22.320 so hot, so he left in twenty twenty three, joined 268 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:26.080 Hi Rez Studios for a year and now he is 269 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:31.279 at Tencent Director Venture Lab. So my guess is it's 270 00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:36.360 more portfolio type management stuff as opposed to directly getting 271 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:40.879 into game death. So yeah again, Blake Fisher Dida Okay 272 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:44.600 after this, but I got into games journalism at the 273 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:45.200 wrong time. 274 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:45.480 Time. 275 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:48.639 Oh, you don't even know. You don't even know, Aiden 276 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:52.200 because besides Jeff Lundergan and a couple other you know, 277 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:59.879 future and next Gen regulars Bulwarks Longtimer's managing editor jennifersal 278 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.799 now had been managing editor for over a year, and 279 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:06.799 after this she'd move on to EGM and was the 280 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:10.200 managing editor there for five years. Over five years. Yeah, 281 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:13.159 and she also in the meantime took on that title 282 00:16:13.159 --> 00:16:14.960 for the One Up Network when it came into being. 283 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:17.759 In two thousand and eight, she jumped over the desk 284 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.799 and joined Sega as Associate creative director for like a 285 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:23.919 year and a half. Then there's like a several year 286 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:27.759 gap in her resume and she notes only doing freelance 287 00:16:27.799 --> 00:16:32.000 work for

Wikia quote creation of parent oriented articles within 288 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:35.840 existing video game, TV and movie wikis, so like part 289 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:39.480 time wiki editor. And then in twenty fourteen she joined 290 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:42.759 Venture Beat as managing editor again, where despite her titles, 291 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:45.759 she said, the staff endearingly call her the quote chief 292 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:50.320 Typo and Deadline officer. But then, Aiden, could you read 293 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:52.600 the second half of her venture Beat bio for me. 294 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:56.759 I grew up in and around Silicon Valley and I've 295 00:16:56.759 --> 00:16:59.600 worked here for almost twenty years. I have close friends 296 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:03.919 and family members with ties to major companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, 297 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:07.559 and others. I'm committed to keeping these relationships separate from 298 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.440 my professional life as a journalist, and I will recuse 299 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:14.640 myself from involvement in any story where a conflict may arise. 300 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:17.559 I support venture Beat's ethics statement. 301 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:18.680 Yeah. 302 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:24.319 So Jensow's work history on LinkedIn ends here, and I 303 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:27.079 could not find any other place where she may work 304 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:32.279 after twenty fifteen, And I did a little digging around, 305 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:36.440 and it feels like I can pretty constantly say that 306 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:39.079 the close friends and family members with ties to major 307 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:43.799 Bay Area tech companies is how she is able to 308 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:48.000 lead an instagram worthy life still to this day in 309 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:50.319 the Bay Area, doing all sorts of cool stuff all 310 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:53.359 the time and not really having to work for money. 311 00:17:55.319 --> 00:18:00.680 So yeah, right place, right time. Uh, literally living a dream. 312 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:04.759 Congrats to Jensau. That's how we would all love to 313 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:08.519 be able to do it. And again, it just kind 314 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:09.880 of goes back to you like you said, and I 315 00:18:09.880 --> 00:18:12.119 got into games media at the wrong time. And you know, 316 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.079 so much of that was where were you at the time, right, 317 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:18.279 Like were you in San Francisco? Were you in New York? 318 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:20.440 Were you at a did you know somebody? 319 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:20.759 Right? 320 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:26.240 Were you really talented, really hard working person with an 321 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:31.319 absolute passion for games writing or both? And you know, 322 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.000

way ahead of the curve. Okay, cool, you could end 323 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:37.799 up at running these pubs or being in tech or 324 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:42.039 directing game studios or whatever it was. And you know, 325 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:44.759 there's a lot more opportunity to get in at the 326 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:48.079 ground floor. But the floor doesn't get all. 327 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:49.759 That much higher up the ground. 328 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:57.200 Now it's like subterranean, get in in the sub basement. 329 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:02.519 Yeah, all right, like a skimmer of water. Who on 330 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:02.920 the floor. 331 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:14.880 Yeah, it is time for the flip through, okay, In 332 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:21.359 we have to start with the first ad of the magazine. 333 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:26.400 This is for Connecticut Racing has evolved. Yeah, and there's 334 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:31.039 there's so much to unpack here. We have this person 335 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:36.920 with wheels on their hands and ankles and this, but 336 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:39.559 like armor, we have to be clear that these wheels 337 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:44.519 are attached like to the insides of their feet. Like yeah, 338 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.759 now I believe you could stand on these two wheels 339 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:52.920 with these but then the wheels on the hands are 340 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:58.319 like on the palms. I'm this is wild attack, so 341 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:01.759 I think the idea is like wipe out. But no, no, 342 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:04.400 you turn into the motorcycle. 343 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:06.880 You are, yes, like you. 344 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:09.720 You like connect your feet and you connect your hands 345 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:12.000 and you turn into a motorcycle. Yes, okay, and I 346 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:15.279 have apologies, folks, I'm trying to with this CBR the 347 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:21.000 we so yes, see, okay, this is the dream, right 348 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:30.200 not having to work, that's like, you know, that's great, 349 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:33.799 but this is the dream. We're ang getting to turn 350 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:36.559 into a motorcycle with your like boo bar with your 351 00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:38.480 boo barmer. And this is this is the part of 352 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:41.240 been slow playing. First of all, I didn't even recognize 353 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:45.720 this is her hat here right, like this is a helmet. 354 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:50.440 And we want to talk about like anatomically impossible like 355 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:55.000 the skeleton, the rib cage. This spine has got to 356 00:20:55.039 --> 00:21:01.119 be like seven feet long and everything is protected except 357 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:04.079 from the rib cage to the knees. And then we 358 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:09.279 just get underwear and then the tagline here zero to 359 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:17.440 sixty and thirty six twenty four thirty six gross of course, yeah, 360 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:22.000 it's absolutely bizarre freak stuff. I like the boob armor 361 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:28.559 also notably has like nipples, yes, like nipple armer too. Yeah, 362 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:34.599 Oh my gosh, yeah, good amazing stuff. We're gonna see, 363 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:38.119 like in a way like we've been doing late nineties cringe. 364 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:40.880 I think like early aughts cringe. 365 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:41.240 Is gonna be worse. 366 00:21:41.319 --> 00:21:44.119 Yeah, because it's like it's going to be trying to 367 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:50.480 appeal to like older cringe forry people than like like 368 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:55.559 twelve year olds. Yeah, so get excited for that, I 369 00:21:55.559 --> 00:22:00.400 guess everyone. We go ahead to the editorial content, of 370 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:04.319 which spoiler, there is very very little we have lift 371 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.200 off launch Mania, Xbox and GameCube are now in the 372 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:10.519 hands of gamers, real fun starts. They have a little 373 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:14.160 tiny bit of an interview with Bill Gates. It's mostly 374 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:20.640 not cool. Another bit of news here Tokyo Game Show. 375 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:25.359 Word at the Tokyo Game Show was that Sega looked unstoppable, 376 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:30.440 it says here, chucking off the hardware business instead. And yeah, 377 00:22:30.519 --> 00:22:34.519 Sega's doing great, focusing on software only, which, by the way, folks, 378 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:37.920 and the time skip we were seeing teasers for Dreamcast 379 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:41.319 specs and the Naomi Arcade Board, which was Dreamcast based 380 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:45.279 directly right, basically just Dreamcast in an arcade box. Skip 381 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:49.240 forward four years. Dreamcast is dad. Never mind, forget about 382 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:55.359 that whole Dreamcast come and gone. We have Windows XP 383 00:22:55.519 --> 00:23:01.440 plays hard randomly five star review, revolutionary, brilliantly conceived and 384 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:04.359 flawlessly executed, a new high water mark according to their 385 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:07.599 grave and according to their grade system, it's it is 386 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:08.880 the best Window. 387 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:12.599 Four Windows XP. Ah yeah, I would give that. 388 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:15.400 A five stars as far as grading on a curve 389 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:16.440 because it's still Windows. 390 00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:19.599 Yeah. Windows XP has features like. 391 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:22.960 Easy CD burning and a built in firewall, but gamers 392 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:26.359 need only remember three words stability, software, and speed because

393 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:31.920 it's built on the two thousand kernel. Okay, great, and 394 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:36.079 that's the end of the editorial, which is wild for 395 00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:38.799 next generation. Like what a shift from what we were 396 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:43.480 reading and looking at last season. Absolutely so we get 397 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:49.839 Xbox review as promised, We have capsule reviews of every 398 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:53.160 Xbox game. At least Halo gets a full one page review, 399 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:57.680 but only a one pager Yeah, like that is the 400 00:23:58.319 --> 00:23:59.920 Xbox game, right? 401 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:01.440 Yeah? 402 00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:05.039 Yeah, absolutely, And let's see Halo didn't get five stars. Yes, 403 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:07.480 Halo got five stars, so it gets what are the 404 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:10.839 seventy five words like what's our other all time classics 405 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:14.839 Aiden Dead or Alive three? Quite possibly the best three 406 00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:19.440 D fighting game ever made, both in graphics and gameplay, 407 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:25.240 is this. Did Did I miss that? The HDTV advantage? 408 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:30.519 I no way that was an advantage. I Those thhdtvs 409 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:34.359 were so bad in two thousand and three. Man just 410 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:37.680 input leg alone and stuff. Yeah, well what I what 411 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:41.319 I wanted at the time was and and God help you. 412 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:45.000 Uh those HDTV c rts, those. 413 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:47.359 Big, huge oblong ones with giants. 414 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:48.039 I want one. 415 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:52.960 Oh my gosh, those things were. Those things were monstrous yeah, 416 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:56.400 and bad like and they also had like tremendous input lag. 417 00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:58.000 They're great for, like if you want to watch some 418 00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:01.839 Blu rays, but uh, they're no good for I didn't 419 00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:05.200 even realize that at the time. Yeah, so Odd World 420 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:07.839 Munches Odyssey. I got four stars. Maybe that's not a cut, 421 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:11.519 but again, and I'm not saying one star Kabookie Warriors 422 00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:15.039 needed or one star Shrek needed any more time, right, 423 00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:18.920 But that's. 424 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:19.400 The Holy cow. 425 00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:22.559 I do appreciate that they're using their full scale They 426 00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:23.319 absolutely are. 427 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:25.400 You didn't see that all that often. 428 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:29.759 So you've got this box checklist, right, So what genre 429 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:33.200 number of players. Does it support five point one dillivy 430 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:35.880 Does it support HDTV?

Some of them do, some of 431 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:41.279 them don't. Tony Hawk pro Skater. They're also counting for 432 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:46.039 ADP is HDTV, which is pretty funny. Yeah, the seven 433 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:49.000 is the only one. Tony Hawk is the only one 434 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:51.680 that sports seven twenty P objection. Halo did not support 435 00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:57.000 four ADP. Interesting. Interesting, Okay, that's according to Lord Druv 436 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:02.640 and the chat. So yeah, skip ahead two previews here 437 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:08.720 and this in this issue is just stacked. We've got 438 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:12.960 this huge spread for Terminator Dawn of Fate, which I've 439 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:17.759 never heard of, and then Matt hoffins Doom on the 440 00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:21.920 game Boy Advance Banger. Yeah, Space Channel five Part two, 441 00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:26.279 spider Man in the movie. But we've got Final Fantasy ten. 442 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:32.920 We okay, maybe sid Meyer sim Golf, I. 443 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:35.480 Know that exists. That actually seems kind of fun. 444 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:46.160 Yeah, I'm that looks pretty cool. Yeahsaha, yes, right. Uh. 445 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:50.160 We get a two page ad spread for Final Fantasy ten. 446 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:50.880 Pretty cool. 447 00:26:51.480 --> 00:26:55.240 Then we get to the reviews. Again, this is the 448 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:58.960 whole this is the whole thing. It's it's all reviews. 449 00:26:59.119 --> 00:27:04.000 No editorial five stars from Metal Gear Solid two. But 450 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:06.960 one thing the tagline for the Metal Gear Solid two 451 00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:10.759 one thing review is quote one thing's for certain you 452 00:27:10.839 --> 00:27:14.960 won't be disappointed, speaking of like how wrong could you 453 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.039 possibly be? As like our intro discussion, like man, there 454 00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:22.200 were a lot of disappointed people who played MGS two. 455 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:26.119 I liked it. Yeah, yeah, not me. Okay, but. 456 00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:37.400 I'm actually gonna skip ahead two letter section. When I 457 00:27:37.480 --> 00:27:40.200 heard that the shen MoU two was canceled for a Dreamcast, 458 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:43.079 I was, like many other Dreamcast fans, really pissed. I'd 459 00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:45.160 been looking forward to a great game like Shenmu too 460 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:48.680 for my dying or should I say dead Dreamcast anyway, 461 00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:51.079 I would love to know if any other upcoming Dreamcast 462 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:53.440 games are to be canceled. This would be a great 463 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:57.880 help since I would be spared the disappointment of my anticipation. 464 00:27:58.519 --> 00:28:02.880 From Joshua P Seven via email and do you want 465 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:07.400 to read the response here starting with sorry to say, 466 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:12.799 Sorry to say, but a quick glance over upcoming Dreamcast 467 00:28:12.839 --> 00:28:17.559 releases in the US shows well nothing no first party 468 00:28:17.599 --> 00:28:21.599 games after Sega Sports Tennis two K two and nothing 469 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:25.640 from third parties either. So while Dreamcast won't and shouldn't 470 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:29.039 be forgotten, it certainly is gone. It is worth pointing 471 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:32.480 out that Shenmu two res and Headhunter will be released 472 00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:35.680 for Dreamcast in the UK, but unless you've got a 473 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:40.920 model console, that's not much help. A man, it's tough, 474 00:28:41.160 --> 00:28:43.359 and we'll have to do some We'll do some Dreamcast stuff, 475 00:28:43.400 --> 00:28:47.079 and certainly at some future season will be the intermediary 476 00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:51.440 period in here where we're skipping ninety eight, ninety nine, 477 00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:54.240 two thousand and two thousand and one. Obviously we've got 478 00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:56.720 a game, a demo disc here, and atter the demo disc, 479 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:00.559 all the stuff, the best three D fighting game ever made, 480 00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:03.839 Dead or Real life three Halo, et cetera. But I 481 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:07.400 really wanted to get to retro view because this is cool. 482 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:10.839 And as we've showed, they've been doing retro gaming you 483 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:13.359 know inserts, and they by this point they've got a 484 00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:16.880 regular feature retroview look back at January nineteen ninety eight 485 00:29:16.920 --> 00:29:20.680 with a fake next Gen cover like this is what 486 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:22.920 the vegazine Fun would have looked like at the time. 487 00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:25.480 That's sick. Yeah, that's pretty cool. 488 00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:28.039 I haven't seen any other magazines do that. We have 489 00:29:28.119 --> 00:29:30.880 retro sections, but like doing an actual like second cover 490 00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:36.279 for January nineteen eighty Eight's pretty Fun special My Super 491 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:38.160 Mario Brothers two was delayed again. 492 00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:39.279 Like this is great. 493 00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:40.039 I love this. 494 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:43.440 Yeah, yeah that this is so good. 495 00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:47.440 Japan's Special Report, Japan's Loving sixteen viit Console or at 496 00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:50.839 what it means to you? Yeah, at want to play 497 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:54.720 while waiting for the sn s, Shnobi, Bionic Commando, Ghouls 498 00:29:54.759 --> 00:29:59.680 and Ghosts, Narc Ninja Gaiden. Yeah, and I don't know 499 00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:03.240 is this the original box art? It probably is, or 500

00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:06.319 at least an original asset, right. Yeah, it's like a 501 00:30:06.319 --> 00:30:10.119 big zoom in on Shinobi's like face covered by like 502 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:11.519 his ninja mask. 503 00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:13.720 Yeah, glowery and eyebrows. 504 00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:15.559 Because I was gonna say that art is very much 505 00:30:15.640 --> 00:30:18.440 of the time. If it wasn't, it wasn't original. It 506 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.960 looks like it'd be amazing if they actually commissioned well 507 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:23.920 in an eighty style. You can see up at the top 508 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:27.559 it seems oh maybe not, Maybe that's just the arrow 509 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:28.359 has a black box. 510 00:30:28.400 --> 00:30:31.359 I thought there was like a clear cut at the top, 511 00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:31.680 but no. 512 00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:36.160 Yeah. Top ten Hills of nineteen eighty eight rain Man 513 00:30:36.200 --> 00:30:39.559 who framed Roger grab It in the real world That 514 00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:43.000 got Emmy winners. The price of a first class US 515 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:49.160 postage stamp Skyrockets from twenty two to twenty five sets. Okay, woo, yeah, 516 00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:51.839 this is so funny in nineteen eighty eight. That's it's 517 00:30:51.880 --> 00:30:54.759 cool that they're doing that. And then we get the ending, 518 00:30:55.480 --> 00:31:00.279 the ending ending, and here's where we've got the masthead again. 519 00:31:01.079 --> 00:31:04.839 Not a ton of other than Jeff Lundrigan. We don't 520 00:31:04.839 --> 00:31:08.119 have a ton of recognizable names here, except there's a 521 00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:11.200 couple in this editorial contributors that I'm going to skip 522 00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:16.440 over for the moment. I know Jennifer sou from One Up, 523 00:31:16.839 --> 00:31:18.519 her days at one OP. She was big on the 524 00:31:18.559 --> 00:31:21.000 One Up show and stuff, And of course Jeff Lunderground 525 00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:25.200 a game player is alum, yeah, and I like this 526 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:32.960 backwards compatible thing where they're talking about here, Oh did 527 00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:37.319 you miss something? Could be argued that even truly great 528 00:31:37.319 --> 00:31:39.559 gameplay wouldn't help you if your mouth is so and 529 00:31:39.640 --> 00:31:42.200 shut page forty one. What are those are the chokes 530 00:31:42.200 --> 00:31:44.440 on the end of his arms? Page sixty five. You know, 531 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:46.119 so if you thought you read through the issue, you 532 00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:48.640 flipped through it, or you know, maybe you missed something, 533 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:50.839 or maybe some people start at the back. Apparently we 534 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:52.559 had a couple of guests say oh yeah. I like 535 00:31:52.599 --> 00:31:54.799 to go to the back and then read it backwards, like, oh, okay, 536 00:31:55.079 --> 00:31:55.480 that was me? 537 00:31:55.839 --> 00:31:58.920 Was that you? That was me? I've read magazine? 538 00:31:58.960 --> 00:32:02.160 Well now they the next gen was helpfully including a 539 00:32:02.200 --> 00:32:04.759 guide to here's all the stuff you are about to 540 00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:10.720 see next month. Games as art. Music is art, painting 541 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:16.359 is art. Why not games? And this is presage twenty 542 00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:22.359 years of incredibly exhausting discourse. I love the mock up 543 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:27.039 here of the Space Invader enemy on this beautiful hand 544 00:32:27.160 --> 00:32:32.440 carved wooden gilted frame, and the kind of the hutspot 545 00:32:32.519 --> 00:32:36.640 of this is that, as we know from the little 546 00:32:36.720 --> 00:32:40.279 hints there, this is the last issue with magazine. We're 547 00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:43.319 never getting the next gen issue of Games as Art, No, 548 00:32:43.400 --> 00:32:47.519 which is too bad. When did Ebert Roger Ebert do 549 00:32:47.640 --> 00:32:49.759 his whole games as I want to say, like that 550 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:53.279 was seven eight something like yeah, okay, so that this 551 00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:57.880 was before that. I do find this funny, like especially 552 00:32:57.880 --> 00:33:00.440 the framing of like a Space in Vain is like 553 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:05.480 sprite framed in a big, fancy like picture frame because 554 00:33:05.960 --> 00:33:08.200 just like just as week, what I did was print 555 00:33:08.200 --> 00:33:10.160 off a bunch of like screenshots that I've taken on 556 00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:13.400 photo at photo size on photo paper to hang up 557 00:33:13.440 --> 00:33:17.200 and decorate my office with. And so like I think that, 558 00:33:17.319 --> 00:33:20.039 like you know, it seems silly to put a big 559 00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:25.160 pixel lee sprite in a fancy frame, But as games 560 00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:28.279 have like progressed, there is art worthy of putting on 561 00:33:28.319 --> 00:33:31.680 a wall that doesn't involve what you know, I think 562 00:33:31.720 --> 00:33:36.000 actually makes video games art, which is you know, that 563 00:33:36.200 --> 00:33:41.039 immersive agency that people have when they experience it, which 564 00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:45.920 is what art is all about, right absolutely, But now 565 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:48.359 it can also just look really pretty. Yes, both of 566 00:33:48.359 --> 00:33:51.400 those things. And by the way I looked it up. 567 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:54.039 His original video games Can Never Be Art essay was 568 00:33:54.079 --> 00:33:57.880 twenty ten, and then he also wrote a response to 569 00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:01.440 it in twenty twelve, where he complains about everybody begging 570 00:34:01.480 --> 00:34:03.279 him to play this game or that game so he 571 00:34:03.319 -->

00:34:06.319 can see how wrong he is, and that at I I, 572 00:34:06.400 --> 00:34:10.000 just like Rogerie, were playing Shadow of the classus would 573 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:13.280 be like, yeah, oh put that on pay per view. 574 00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:14.119 Incredible. 575 00:34:14.199 --> 00:34:16.599 All right, Well, it is time to do the thing 576 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:20.360 we do. If you have not become a member of 577 00:34:20.440 --> 00:34:24.400 Fun Factor Ultra getting ad free episodes, don't worry. After 578 00:34:24.480 --> 00:34:27.400 our amazing original music from Millennium Felc and a couple 579 00:34:27.400 --> 00:34:30.960 of ads. We will come back and review next Gen's 580 00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:56.639 review Uh pickman, we are back on fun Factor. Uh 581 00:34:56.960 --> 00:35:02.360 incredible first episode of our second season, Rise of the Corpos, 582 00:35:02.920 --> 00:35:06.519 the beginning of just big big, big, big, big, big, big, 583 00:35:06.519 --> 00:35:11.119 big money companies dominating the space, and the end of 584 00:35:11.159 --> 00:35:15.440 some really beloved game magazines, but also the beginning of 585 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:19.679 some beloved game magazines and game media outlets. We are 586 00:35:19.719 --> 00:35:22.639 starting to see the seeds of a lot of cool stuff. 587 00:35:23.159 --> 00:35:25.480 And uh yeah, if you like what we're doing again, 588 00:35:25.559 --> 00:35:28.480 make sure you go to fun factor pod dot com subscribe, 589 00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:31.280 become a member so you can join us as we 590 00:35:31.360 --> 00:35:34.519 record these episode sessions, so you can get ad free episodes, 591 00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:38.239 all that good stuff and our bonus episodes. Also, we 592 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:40.719 have big one coming up next week. We've had in 593 00:35:40.760 --> 00:35:44.760 the cam for a minute, hot minute, so real quickly, 594 00:35:44.880 --> 00:35:47.159 let's go over the review system. We've done this before 595 00:35:47.159 --> 00:35:50.800 because it's still next gen system. It has not changed. 596 00:35:50.840 --> 00:35:55.480 It's still five stars. They are no longer printing their 597 00:35:55.519 --> 00:35:58.800 whole rubric, but I pretty much remember it right, and 598 00:35:58.840 --> 00:36:01.960 they try to use the whole scale. Five stars is revolutionary. 599 00:36:02.039 --> 00:36:05.400 As I said before, brilliantly conceived, wlawlessly executed a new 600 00:36:05.480 --> 00:36:09.639 high watermark. Excellent is a step forward for an existing 601 00:36:09.800 --> 00:36:12.719 genre or successful attempt at creating a new one. 602 00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:14.800 Good is. 603 00:36:16.920 --> 00:36:20.400 You know, good like a good example of an existing genre, 604 00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:25.480 et cetera. Fair was perhaps competent, certainly uninspired, and then 605 00:36:25.719 --> 00:36:31.119 bad one star was like seriously flawed and design or execution. 606 00:36:32.199 --> 00:36:34.119 They say here, since we're living in a time when 607 00:36:34.119 --> 00:36:36.920 even average games are pretty good, we at next generation 608 00:36:36.960 --> 00:36:40.440 will continue to demand even better. Note that a three 609 00:36:40.480 --> 00:36:44.199 star rating is a typical good game, so expect to 610 00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:47.400 see a lot of them. I actually do like this 611 00:36:47.519 --> 00:36:50.000 rubric me too, Like I like that it attempts to 612 00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:55.000 use the whole thing and recognize that like three is average, 613 00:36:55.360 --> 00:36:59.920 so two is like just below average, not bad necessarily, 614 00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:01.880 I think is what a lot of people would consider, 615 00:37:01.920 --> 00:37:05.000 like the seven out of ten game now right, yeah, 616 00:37:05.800 --> 00:37:10.000 but you know, having like Revolutionary as a five star 617 00:37:10.199 --> 00:37:12.639 and then Excellent as a four star, like even like 618 00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:15.159 you know four star being like, hey, this is still 619 00:37:15.199 --> 00:37:16.400 like cream of. 620 00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:18.599 The crop, right yeah, yeah, I think. 621 00:37:18.519 --> 00:37:21.320 Is is good and maybe more useful than a lot 622 00:37:21.320 --> 00:37:25.159 of the condensed rubrics used that just don't use the 623 00:37:25.199 --> 00:37:25.880 full scale. 624 00:37:26.119 --> 00:37:26.320 Yeah. 625 00:37:26.360 --> 00:37:28.880 Now, I totally agree, and I wish we could like 626 00:37:29.480 --> 00:37:33.199 live by such a scale today instead of the binary 627 00:37:33.519 --> 00:37:36.239 five stars one star or the you know ten point 628 00:37:36.280 --> 00:37:39.079 scale that goes from you know, six. 629 00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:41.760 To ten or seven to ten even. Yeah. 630 00:37:41.960 --> 00:37:46.519 Yeah, So in we've got Pickman for game Cube. And 631 00:37:46.840 --> 00:37:52.639 as always, of course there's no by what what say what? 632 00:37:53.880 --> 00:37:56.559 And what's over here? What's over here? FIFA two thousand 633 00:37:56.559 --> 00:38:00.000 and two by Gary Whitta, Oh, Gary wit A, Star 634 00:38:00.079 --> 00:38:04.440 Wars rogue On, Gary, Star Wars Rogue Ones, Gary Whitta, so, 635 00:38:04.719 --> 00:38:09.320 Jim Preston, Scott Steinberg, Peter Suchu. I don't know. 636 00:38:09.239 --> 00:38:10.599 Who these people are. 637 00:38:10.639 --> 00:38:12.519 Some of them ar. 638 00:38:14.519 --> 00:38:17.920 WWF SmackDown what. I love that they got the British 639 00:38:17.920 --> 00:38:22.480 guy to review WWS and Madden, I'm sorry two K two, 640 00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:25.119 Gary wit A reviewing NFL two K two. 641 00:38:26.599 --> 00:38:29.360 Yes, that's so. They were doing freelance reviews, that is 642 00:38:29.400 --> 00:38:29.719 the thing. 643 00:38:29.880 --> 00:38:33.519 So I believe outside of the ones that Blake Fisher 644 00:38:33.519 -->

00:38:35.800 and Jeff Lundergan did and again named, I think what 645 00:38:35.840 --> 00:38:38.599 they did was they as a staff reviewed all the 646 00:38:38.760 --> 00:38:43.000 Xbox games as their editorial for the month, and then 647 00:38:43.079 --> 00:38:48.559 brought in freelancers to review everything from everything else right, Yeah, 648 00:38:48.599 --> 00:38:51.480 so that's how they got this issue out the door, 649 00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:55.679 the last issue out the door before the lock. They 650 00:38:55.679 --> 00:38:58.440 blew all their freelance budget for the year and couldn't 651 00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:03.719 produce another issue, right, Chrisly, You know Chris Late was 652 00:39:03.800 --> 00:39:05.800 like writing for five bucks a word. 653 00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:06.159 Right. 654 00:39:06.760 --> 00:39:09.960 Well, I had looked this up because he was at 655 00:39:10.039 --> 00:39:14.719 PSM for a while, and so I think he still 656 00:39:14.760 --> 00:39:19.280 would have been PSM's editor in chief at this point 657 00:39:19.400 --> 00:39:23.159 for the same company Future Us. Yeah, he was nothing 658 00:39:23.239 --> 00:39:28.000 like bringing in your PlayStation ehicee to review a GameCube 659 00:39:28.079 --> 00:39:31.880 game for a magazine like a magazine covering Xbox. Yes, 660 00:39:33.320 --> 00:39:36.760 and then he went from Future US because I think 661 00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:42.559 Future US took over Nintendo Power. He became editor in 662 00:39:42.599 --> 00:39:45.679 chief of Nintendo Power in October two thousand and seven, 663 00:39:46.480 --> 00:39:50.679 and then in twenty sixteen because he also in twenty 664 00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:54.000 twelve he became editor chief of MacLife, which was another 665 00:39:54.039 --> 00:39:57.400 Future magazine, and then in twenty sixteen he went to 666 00:39:57.559 --> 00:40:02.119 Nintendo and became their munications guy, still senior manager of 667 00:40:02.119 --> 00:40:06.159 corporate Communications. Yeah, so Chris Late still working at Nintendo. 668 00:40:06.239 --> 00:40:10.920 But it's pretty amazing that here he's the hardcore PlayStation magazine, 669 00:40:11.079 --> 00:40:17.239 fully independent, fiercely PlayStation by and for true PlayStation diehards, 670 00:40:17.239 --> 00:40:21.760 and he's here reviewing Pigman the Nintendo East of Nintendo 671 00:40:21.840 --> 00:40:27.360 Games truly. Yeah yeah, so, uh, Miyamoto, let your freak 672 00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:32.159 flag fly? And do you want to do just kind 673 00:40:32.159 --> 00:40:36.079 of the beginning two paragraphs here? Yeah, before that, I 674 00:40:36.119 --> 00:40:38.440 just want to touch on that, like subhead Miamoto, let 675 00:40:38.480 --> 00:40:41.519 your freak flag fly. We do talk a lot about 676 00:40:41.559 --> 00:40:45.880 like when we're individual creators starting to be credited the 677 00:40:45.920 --> 00:40:47.760 same way like musicians or film. 678 00:40:47.559 --> 00:40:49.559 Directors or authors would be. 679 00:40:49.719 --> 00:40:53.480 And so see Miamoto like called out by name without context. 680 00:40:53.719 --> 00:40:55.239 I think is a good sign of the fact that 681 00:40:55.280 --> 00:41:00.559 we were starting to like identify specific games with specific creators. 682 00:41:00.679 --> 00:41:05.079 Of course Miyamoto is like the creator, but I think 683 00:41:05.119 --> 00:41:07.239 that is an interesting sign of of evolution of how 684 00:41:07.239 --> 00:41:13.360 we talked about games. Okay, quote, every new Nintendo system 685 00:41:13.400 --> 00:41:16.480 has one wild card game at launch, pilot Wings for 686 00:41:16.559 --> 00:41:21.199 Superannias and Nintendo sixty four's Wave Race. GameCube gets Pickman, 687 00:41:21.719 --> 00:41:25.440 Nintendo's most bizarre creation since Pokemon, and the latest from 688 00:41:25.519 --> 00:41:30.519 legendary designer Shagaru Miyamoto. You control cute little Captain Orima, 689 00:41:31.159 --> 00:41:37.400 whose spaceship crashes on a remote planet Fyi in Japanese characters. 690 00:41:37.679 --> 00:41:41.360 Orima is Mario spelled backwards. Let me jump in here. 691 00:41:42.440 --> 00:41:46.840 Is that what he's called? Ol ol I m A R. Yeah. 692 00:41:46.920 --> 00:41:49.519 So that's uh, which interesting. 693 00:41:49.639 --> 00:41:56.400 So pre release, yeah, they like transliterated the Japanese character, yeah, 694 00:41:56.440 --> 00:41:59.920 and the yeah ri alright, oh yeah, but then they 695 00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:05.599 went with olimar so my, and then they did the 696 00:42:05.800 --> 00:42:09.280 l R. I'm just curious pre release, like when did this? 697 00:42:09.599 --> 00:42:10.119 When did this? 698 00:42:10.480 --> 00:42:10.719 Yeah? 699 00:42:10.800 --> 00:42:16.800 Like, yeah, that's interesting, Like they hadn't had like English communication, 700 00:42:17.039 --> 00:42:20.000 like like press materials about this and stuff. 701 00:42:20.079 --> 00:42:22.760 Yeah at this like at the time he was writing this, 702 00:42:22.840 --> 00:42:24.079 I guess that's really interesting. 703 00:42:24.280 --> 00:42:24.639 Yeah. 704 00:42:24.840 --> 00:42:27.159 So I don't know if you played the Japanese version 705 00:42:27.519 --> 00:42:32.079 and went, oh, yeah, cool, that's Mario, Okay, cool. And 706 00:42:32.119 --> 00:42:41.599 then they localized it as Olimar maram what like I mean, 707 00:42:41.920 --> 00:42:45.760 like Orima I think is just I expect they felt 708 00:42:45.800 --> 00:42:47.880 like it was a hard word to say in English, right, 709 00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:49.920 and so they just sort of tweaked it a little bit. 710 00:42:50.119 --> 00:42:53.239 This is the l R thing with Japanese and English, 711 00:42:53.440 --> 00:42:55.039 and then they just sort of like, you know, you 712 00:42:55.079 --> 00:42:57.039 switch that l R to an L and then put 713 00:42:57.039 --> 00:42:59.000 the R at the end right right, And so that 714

00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:01.519 was just like a like, you know, trying to get 715 00:43:01.519 --> 00:43:04.119 some kids to say the name or whatever on and 716 00:43:04.159 --> 00:43:06.639 tweaking it from there. But do you see like in 717 00:43:06.679 --> 00:43:10.239 the screenshots or there is there English, like he probably 718 00:43:10.360 --> 00:43:13.519 was playing like a Japanese yet no, he just got 719 00:43:13.639 --> 00:43:17.719 numbers here. And this game obviously had very little text too. 720 00:43:17.880 --> 00:43:20.360 It was kind of a like, oh, here's your setup, Okay, great, 721 00:43:20.519 --> 00:43:24.320 you know there's They tried to make it as unobtrusive 722 00:43:24.360 --> 00:43:27.119 a UI as possible. Yeah, and look, all the UI 723 00:43:27.199 --> 00:43:29.519 elements are transparent, right, Like, I think that was the 724 00:43:29.519 --> 00:43:31.880 whole thing. I think me Moto really really really wanted 725 00:43:31.880 --> 00:43:36.039 to make this immersive something that I've you know, known 726 00:43:36.079 --> 00:43:39.599 I noticed years ago, I think in the coverage for 727 00:43:39.679 --> 00:43:42.480 Super Mario sixty four he talked about, like I wanted 728 00:43:42.480 --> 00:43:45.280 to create a small three D garden, like he talks about, yeah, 729 00:43:45.920 --> 00:43:49.400 games as gardens all the time, always has for decades, okay, right, 730 00:43:49.480 --> 00:43:53.000 and so like I really appreciated that given the GameCube, 731 00:43:53.920 --> 00:43:56.239 he really tried to literally let me just make a 732 00:43:56.280 --> 00:43:58.840 game that is a garden in a garden. 733 00:43:59.280 --> 00:43:59.519 You know? 734 00:44:00.679 --> 00:44:01.639 That was that was cool. 735 00:44:03.280 --> 00:44:06.760 I like, here, uh, controlling the pickmen is beautifully easy. 736 00:44:06.880 --> 00:44:09.480 They'll naturally follow you, but you can manually move them 737 00:44:09.519 --> 00:44:11.519 as a group with the yellow sea stick. The A 738 00:44:11.639 --> 00:44:14.000 button throws them and the B button whistles of Picman 739 00:44:14.079 --> 00:44:17.400 back back over if it gets separated. It's all very intuitive, 740 00:44:17.400 --> 00:44:20.519 with that special Nintendo magic to it at The levels 741 00:44:20.559 --> 00:44:22.880 are also meticulously designed so that when you find a 742 00:44:22.920 --> 00:44:25.000 ship part, you have to solve several puzzles to bring 743 00:44:25.000 --> 00:44:27.800 it back safely to the camp. Multitasking armies of pickmen 744 00:44:27.840 --> 00:44:29.440 to get the most done each day is the real 745 00:44:29.559 --> 00:44:33.840 key here. And like this is all like you know, 746 00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:36.719 very mechanical, but I think it's important to try and 747 00:44:36.760 --> 00:44:41.599 convey this is it's so wetted to the GameCube controller. Yes, 748 00:44:41.719 --> 00:44:44.760 the design is the game is like it's all put 749 00:44:44.800 --> 00:44:48.480 together in one way, and it doesn't it's hard to communicate. 750 00:44:49.119 --> 00:44:52.280 This looks really weird and the controller is really weird. 751 00:44:52.679 --> 00:44:54.559 And when you're trying to get like how is this 752 00:44:54.679 --> 00:44:57.239 gonna work? But you're like, no, you have to understand this. 753 00:44:57.519 --> 00:45:02.199 It feels like this console was built to run this game. Yes, yeah, 754 00:45:02.239 --> 00:45:04.440 and I mean that was you know, Miamoto was always 755 00:45:04.440 --> 00:45:07.599 trying to do that, right, like looking at unique games 756 00:45:07.599 --> 00:45:11.159 that he could make that embraced what his the latest. 757 00:45:10.960 --> 00:45:12.360 Nintendo console was trying to do. 758 00:45:12.519 --> 00:45:15.559 And Pickman is the most GameCube game of all time, right, 759 00:45:15.639 --> 00:45:18.519 and it's always felt I didn't play Pickman at the 760 00:45:18.559 --> 00:45:21.800 time on GameCube, but I've played it since. But it's 761 00:45:21.800 --> 00:45:23.480 one of those ones where, like you know, it was 762 00:45:23.559 --> 00:45:27.599 re released on Nintendo Switch online recently, I think, and 763 00:45:27.639 --> 00:45:29.800 that's one where it's like, if you can get your 764 00:45:30.039 --> 00:45:34.280 hands on the Nintendo GameCube controller for Switch, like do it, 765 00:45:34.360 --> 00:45:37.320 because the game just feels that much better than trying 766 00:45:37.320 --> 00:45:40.960 to play with the more generic like pro controller or whatever. 767 00:45:41.199 --> 00:45:42.760 I also like how this part. 768 00:45:42.559 --> 00:45:46.119 Of the review, you know, if you sort of like 769 00:45:46.159 --> 00:45:49.679 piece it together, it describes like a reverse Zelda in 770 00:45:49.719 --> 00:45:53.920 a way where like Zelda in Miamo do Zelda games, 771 00:45:54.159 --> 00:45:58.320 you were trying to solve puzzles to reach your goal, 772 00:45:58.639 --> 00:46:00.760 whereas in Pickman you sort of have to reach your 773 00:46:00.800 --> 00:46:03.039 goal and then solve your puzzles to get a bat 774 00:46:03.280 --> 00:46:06.599 yeah yeah track, you know, can't traverse back the way 775 00:46:06.639 --> 00:46:06.960 you came. 776 00:46:06.960 --> 00:46:07.960 And I think that that's an. 777 00:46:07.880 --> 00:46:11.480 Interesting reversal on his usual design methods for like Zelda. 778 00:46:12.079 --> 00:46:15.320 I love the death of a Pickman in set box 779 00:46:15.360 --> 00:46:17.559 here We're not going to sugarcoat this game for you. 780 00:46:17.599 --> 00:46:19.880 Many pickmen won't make it through alive, but if their 781 00:46:19.920 --> 00:46:22.679 deaths are entertaining, their sacrifices will not have been in vain. 782 00:46:22.760 --> 00:46:25.280 Here are a few of their our favorite ways. Death 783 00:46:25.320 --> 00:46:27.920 by fire, death by water, death by a gested purple pickman, 784

00:46:28.039 --> 00:46:32.880 zombie on death and uh, you know, so like there 785 00:46:32.920 --> 00:46:36.440 is that playfulness and you feel bad. They're like, oh, 786 00:46:36.599 --> 00:46:39.000 you know, like especially when you screw up and then 787 00:46:39.079 --> 00:46:42.199 you have to hear like a big massive diode. Oh. 788 00:46:43.199 --> 00:46:46.760 But it's not like you know, X Calm or some 789 00:46:46.800 --> 00:46:49.360 of these other games where you have NPCs that you 790 00:46:50.199 --> 00:46:54.320 get so individually attached to that you're like, no, if this, 791 00:46:54.679 --> 00:46:56.440 if this one dies, I'm hitting reset. 792 00:46:56.480 --> 00:46:56.679 You know. 793 00:46:57.079 --> 00:47:00.400 It's not that, but it is still gets you in 794 00:47:00.400 --> 00:47:02.960 the feels a little bit. And it's funny because like 795 00:47:03.000 --> 00:47:04.800 this comes back to what I was talking about with 796 00:47:04.920 --> 00:47:07.920 like my impression of hard games and death as a mechanic, 797 00:47:08.480 --> 00:47:09.719 And like in Mario. 798 00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:11.239 If you died, it was like, oh, that was a mistake. 799 00:47:11.320 --> 00:47:13.840 Now I need to redo it, learn so that I 800 00:47:13.880 --> 00:47:17.159 don't die the next time. Whereas this didn't trivialize death 801 00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:19.440 like you still needed to manage that, but it also 802 00:47:19.480 --> 00:47:22.639 showed that, like, you know, just as death is part 803 00:47:22.679 --> 00:47:24.960 of the natural world and the natural life cycle, like 804 00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:27.159 that's part of what Pickman is, Like you're not making 805 00:47:27.199 --> 00:47:29.599 it through without people the little pigman dying, and it 806 00:47:29.920 --> 00:47:34.400 kind of leans into the naturalistic themes that Miyamoto was always. 807 00:47:34.159 --> 00:47:36.679 Pursuing in his uh in his creations. 808 00:47:36.800 --> 00:47:39.400 Yeah, and I want to say I really liked Pickman. 809 00:47:40.320 --> 00:47:44.159 My wife loved Pickman my way. My wife played the 810 00:47:44.440 --> 00:47:48.760 silver off the disc of Pickman. Yeah, so much Pickman, Yeah, 811 00:47:48.800 --> 00:47:51.639 and all the sequels, right, she loved the sequels. And 812 00:47:51.719 --> 00:47:56.519 she actually plays Pickman Bloom, the Pokemon go alike, right, 813 00:47:56.559 --> 00:48:00.320 the Niantica, Yeah, she played and still played so much 814 00:48:00.360 --> 00:48:05.639 Pickman Bloom. I want to say, COVID kind of warps 815 00:48:05.639 --> 00:48:08.400 exactly how much. She's also a fanatic walker. She walks 816 00:48:08.400 --> 00:48:10.280 like six miles a day, so she plays a ton 817 00:48:10.320 --> 00:48:13.760 of Pickman Bloom. And at one point Nyantic just sent 818 00:48:13.880 --> 00:48:18.320 her a gift box with like bandana and like little 819 00:48:18.360 --> 00:48:20.719 tokens and trinkets and stuff, and it's just

sort of like, 820 00:48:20.800 --> 00:48:23.440 thank you so much for playing so much Pickman Bloom. 821 00:48:24.039 --> 00:48:26.639 Like that, how much that is true sick oh mode 822 00:48:26.639 --> 00:48:31.079 when the developer the publisher is like, whoa you playing 823 00:48:31.079 --> 00:48:35.199 a notable amount of this game? Yeah, and so yeah, 824 00:48:36.280 --> 00:48:38.639 it's fun and like they say here bottom line, they 825 00:48:38.639 --> 00:48:42.119 give it four stars, I should say, uh. In creating 826 00:48:42.199 --> 00:48:45.480 something between a classic Nintendo platformer and a PC real 827 00:48:45.519 --> 00:48:48.599 time strategy game, Mimoto has delivered a fun and quirky 828 00:48:48.639 --> 00:48:51.880 experience that may not be on Grand Escalist Nintendo's flagship titles, 829 00:48:51.920 --> 00:48:54.360 but will still be fondly remembered for a long time. 830 00:48:55.360 --> 00:48:59.320 And does that strike you obviously in hindsight, yes, it 831 00:48:59.320 --> 00:49:02.400 was fondly remember for a long time. Does that strike 832 00:49:02.440 --> 00:49:04.639 you as a bit of a swing, because to me, 833 00:49:05.320 --> 00:49:08.440 I feel like this was received. I think this wrong 834 00:49:08.519 --> 00:49:10.039 footed a lot of gamers at the time. 835 00:49:12.400 --> 00:49:12.880 I don't know. 836 00:49:13.000 --> 00:49:16.519 I was like, I guess if you were looking at 837 00:49:16.559 --> 00:49:19.559 the GameCube and you were wanting but you were getting 838 00:49:19.559 --> 00:49:23.320 stuff like Supermatchal Idea getting you know, I guess people 839 00:49:23.400 --> 00:49:26.840 looking at Yeah, I don't like, that's a good question. 840 00:49:26.960 --> 00:49:31.199 I like the New Miamoto game. You know, they didn't 841 00:49:31.239 --> 00:49:34.000 have a Zelda launch title, right, they didn't. 842 00:49:33.840 --> 00:49:34.519 Have the Mario. 843 00:49:34.719 --> 00:49:37.679 This was our Mario sixty four was Pickman. You know, 844 00:49:37.920 --> 00:49:41.320 like Mario sixty four was like the console defining game 845 00:49:41.599 --> 00:49:45.239 at once, Yeah, defined the whole genre of three D platformers, right, 846 00:49:45.280 --> 00:49:48.320 like this was like the most Mario Mario and the 847 00:49:48.440 --> 00:49:51.679 most you know, and so the equivalent to this is Pickman. 848 00:49:51.719 --> 00:49:54.599 And I think some people were thrown you know, the 849 00:49:54.719 --> 00:49:56.679 RTS thing, Like, I mean, I guess, yeah, it is 850 00:49:56.719 --> 00:49:58.960 an RTS. I remember being given for a loop by 851 00:49:58.960 --> 00:49:59.920 that but going I mean. 852 00:50:00.079 --> 00:50:04.000 Yeah, I guess it. I guess an RDS. You know, 853 00:50:04.480 --> 00:50:05.280 I guess maybe. 854 00:50:05.519 --> 00:50:09.679 But you know, so having this like genre bending, totally original, 855 00:50:10.360 --> 00:50:16.800 new character, new world, you know it again, totally

unexplainable 856 00:50:16.800 --> 00:50:19.639 without the context to the controller, Like it felt like 857 00:50:19.639 --> 00:50:21.840 it threw people off. And I feel like that it's 858 00:50:21.920 --> 00:50:26.119 a not a huge swing, but a good line out 859 00:50:26.159 --> 00:50:28.639 to walk out on by Chris Slate to go, this 860 00:50:28.840 --> 00:50:34.000 is gonna be not remembered as like the epic new 861 00:50:34.039 --> 00:50:36.239 thing of all things, but it's gonna be fondly remembered 862 00:50:36.239 --> 00:50:37.679 for a long time and not like but. 863 00:50:37.840 --> 00:50:41.519 I think he was right. I think he yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he. 864 00:50:41.559 --> 00:50:44.480 Recognized that, like, hey, people might not appreciate this now, 865 00:50:44.559 --> 00:50:48.280 but and like we just got picked him four, Yeah recently, right, 866 00:50:48.400 --> 00:50:52.000 so like definitely, and I mean like it. Obviously, it 867 00:50:52.000 --> 00:50:53.880 didn't convince me to buy a GameCube because I didn't 868 00:50:54.079 --> 00:50:55.920 play it and I didn't get a launch I didn't 869 00:50:55.920 --> 00:50:58.559 get a GameCube until I got a game cube and 870 00:50:58.599 --> 00:51:01.599 walked out with Animal Crossing and Metric Prime, which like 871 00:51:02.039 --> 00:51:05.400 to old timers, but those are also very different experiences, 872 00:51:05.440 --> 00:51:07.320 and that's what I was looking for and always looking 873 00:51:07.320 --> 00:51:10.400 for from Nintendo, was, Hey, I want these traditional games, 874 00:51:10.400 --> 00:51:13.119 these traditional experiences like Metric Prime, but I also want 875 00:51:13.159 --> 00:51:15.000 some of the weird stuff that I didn't know I 876 00:51:15.039 --> 00:51:17.440 wanted in the first place. And so like Pickman as 877 00:51:17.559 --> 00:51:20.239 like a launch title here, I think you're right, is unusual. 878 00:51:20.400 --> 00:51:26.480 But I also liked and like the fact that Miyamoto 879 00:51:26.599 --> 00:51:28.559 was able to like do what. 880 00:51:28.480 --> 00:51:29.559 He wanted at that point. 881 00:51:29.840 --> 00:51:33.000 Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, I 882 00:51:33.039 --> 00:51:37.760 think that's that's important for Nintendo, and you know, but 883 00:51:38.079 --> 00:51:41.480 we also have to recognize that the GameCube did not 884 00:51:42.000 --> 00:51:47.000 form particularly well in this console generation. 885 00:51:47.239 --> 00:51:50.519 Right. I love the GameCube, It's I think it's. 886 00:51:50.400 --> 00:51:54.800 An amazing console, but it definitely like as a follow 887 00:51:54.920 --> 00:51:57.320 up for the six, Nintendo sixty four did not like 888 00:51:58.519 --> 00:52:01.280 did not help nintendover Like, it wasn't until the we 889 00:52:01.519 --> 00:52:04.599 came that Nintendo kind of came roaring back and so like, 890 00:52:04.880 --> 00:52:06.719 was it the fact that they weren't given us like 891 00:52:06.760 --> 00:52:08.719 Mario games right off the bat, and when we did 892 00:52:08.719 --> 00:52:10.840 get a Mario Game of Sunshine which was not. 893 00:52:11.000 --> 00:52:12.360 Great, right exactly? 894 00:52:12.519 --> 00:52:15.079 So you know, did they lean too heavily into like 895 00:52:15.159 --> 00:52:17.960 experimental stuff that people didn't really goe with. 896 00:52:18.159 --> 00:52:18.559 I don't know. 897 00:52:18.599 --> 00:52:20.159 It's a good question, Yeah it is. 898 00:52:20.320 --> 00:52:21.880 And again this is kind of why we go with 899 00:52:22.039 --> 00:52:24.360 Rise of the Corpos for the title of our second 900 00:52:24.400 --> 00:52:27.719 season now, because again we had Next Generation, which was 901 00:52:27.800 --> 00:52:33.400 this really bold, original, fully art driven, fully artistically and 902 00:52:33.599 --> 00:52:39.199 editorially driven project that in the at the end, here 903 00:52:39.400 --> 00:52:42.199 is some flipping through just a gaming mag like, this 904 00:52:42.280 --> 00:52:43.960 is just a gaming mag. This doesn't look any different 905 00:52:44.000 --> 00:52:46.599 from any other gaming maga the era. And again it 906 00:52:46.599 --> 00:52:49.000 doesn't look bad. It looks really professional and well thought. 907 00:52:49.039 --> 00:52:50.199 It's fine, but it's. 908 00:52:50.239 --> 00:52:53.519 Very different than what Next Generation looked like. Yeah, last 909 00:52:53.519 --> 00:52:56.480 season and we've got this generation is going to be 910 00:52:56.519 --> 00:53:00.679 defined by Microsoft versus Sony and Nintendo as kind of 911 00:53:00.719 --> 00:53:03.679 the weird third wheel. And as you said, they're gonna 912 00:53:03.719 --> 00:53:06.360 be in that weird third wheel place for a while. 913 00:53:07.599 --> 00:53:10.599 So yeah, this is definitely like I think also where 914 00:53:10.639 --> 00:53:13.440 like the Nintendo is for babies, stuff really started to 915 00:53:13.559 --> 00:53:18.719 like rise. Yeah, because like thesion going zero to sixteen 916 00:53:18.800 --> 00:53:20.960 thirty six, twenty four thirty six. 917 00:53:21.719 --> 00:53:22.719 That doesn't even make sense. 918 00:53:22.760 --> 00:53:23.960 It really doesn't make sense. 919 00:53:23.960 --> 00:53:25.519 That would be thirty six minutes. 920 00:53:25.639 --> 00:53:30.840 No, it's twenty right, Like even if you converted that 921 00:53:30.920 --> 00:53:33.719 into times, that would be thirty six minutes to get 922 00:53:33.719 --> 00:53:38.679 to sixty second sixty Yeah, oh my gosh. Okay, well, 923 00:53:38.719 --> 00:53:41.079 so they go for Pickman. We should do the review. 924 00:53:41.199 --> 00:53:43.159 Review the review we should say, I say our thing. 925 00:53:49.960 --> 00:53:54.239 Pickman was four stars. Bottom line, a charming, addictive game 926 00:53:54.320 --> 00:53:57.400 that backs up Nintendo's promised to innovate on GameCube. If 927 00:53:57.440 --> 00:53:59.599 you

like puzzles, then get your thinking camp on and 928 00:53:59.639 --> 00:54:02.840 put ohs Pickman to work. What do you think? 929 00:54:02.880 --> 00:54:06.440 Aiden Yeah, I think that this is a good review. 930 00:54:06.480 --> 00:54:09.119 I think Chris Late identified what the game was, what 931 00:54:09.159 --> 00:54:12.760 its strengths were, right away, even if it wasn't, you know, 932 00:54:12.840 --> 00:54:15.599 maybe what was expected. It wasn't focused on, Hey this 933 00:54:15.719 --> 00:54:19.519 isn't Mario, Like, where's my Mario game? He got it, 934 00:54:20.039 --> 00:54:24.159 And I think that deserves some credit. I like that 935 00:54:24.199 --> 00:54:25.760 he focused on the fact that, like, this is a 936 00:54:25.800 --> 00:54:30.519 Meamoto game, like be excited about it. You know, it's 937 00:54:30.719 --> 00:54:34.360 a fairly short review, and I don't know that it 938 00:54:34.599 --> 00:54:35.760 necessarily like. 939 00:54:37.480 --> 00:54:38.239 I guess you know what. 940 00:54:38.320 --> 00:54:41.119 Actually, it focuses exactly on trying to describe the game 941 00:54:41.239 --> 00:54:47.440 in a way that makes a very strange game feel approachable, right, Yeah, Yeah, 942 00:54:47.480 --> 00:54:48.960 I think this is a very good review. I'd give 943 00:54:48.960 --> 00:54:53.280 this like a solid I'd give this a solid same 944 00:54:53.320 --> 00:54:55.760 score he gave Pickment eight. I would give this like 945 00:54:55.840 --> 00:55:00.679 eight pickmen out of ten. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah eight 946 00:55:00.760 --> 00:55:01.679 live Pickment two. 947 00:55:03.000 --> 00:55:04.039 Sure for sure. 948 00:55:05.159 --> 00:55:07.679 Yeah, I think I'm gonna go nine out a ton, 949 00:55:08.280 --> 00:55:10.880 especially in the constraints of this is an all hands 950 00:55:10.920 --> 00:55:13.880 on deck effort they're just putting Yeah, was it forty 951 00:55:13.960 --> 00:55:17.559 nine reviews? Forty six reviews in a magazine and calling 952 00:55:17.639 --> 00:55:20.280 it a day and bringing in staff from other magazines. 953 00:55:20.320 --> 00:55:22.800 I think this, Yeah, one page, got a bunch of 954 00:55:22.840 --> 00:55:26.119 good screen you know, four really big, really nice screenshots 955 00:55:26.119 --> 00:55:29.280 that show what the game is. We get the cute 956 00:55:29.280 --> 00:55:33.000 there's there's personality in it. And yeah, and I think 957 00:55:33.039 --> 00:55:36.039 he absolutely called it correctly. This is exactly what it is. 958 00:55:36.719 --> 00:55:40.320 If you like puzzles or strategy or platforming to an extent, 959 00:55:40.440 --> 00:55:43.679 or just cute stuff, you're gonna love this. It's gonna 960 00:55:43.679 --> 00:55:45.760 be remembered fondly for a long time, even if it's 961 00:55:45.840 --> 00:55:52.039 not Mario or Zelda franchise, mainline level epic. So yeah, 962 00:55:52.119 --> 00:55:56.239 I give it nine out of ten, and the rest 963 00:55:56.239 --> 00:55:58.199

of the magazine I just again, I just want to 964 00:55:58.199 --> 00:56:00.400 give an f in the chat to next year generation. 965 00:56:00.480 --> 00:56:02.239 And that's why I wanted to start this season here, 966 00:56:02.320 --> 00:56:05.920 because it lived and died with basically one and a 967 00:56:06.000 --> 00:56:07.239 half generations. 968 00:56:07.599 --> 00:56:07.800 You know. 969 00:56:07.880 --> 00:56:10.400 It started with, oh my gosh, the Saturn and PlayStation 970 00:56:10.440 --> 00:56:12.840 in n sixty four are almost here. They're out there 971 00:56:12.840 --> 00:56:17.480 in Japan, they're coming right, And then now it's like, 972 00:56:17.559 --> 00:56:23.280 well the Xbox is here, rip see everybody, like we're done. 973 00:56:23.320 --> 00:56:27.159 We finally got the next gen consoles and right, so, 974 00:56:27.800 --> 00:56:30.719 you know, and something that was such a big artistic 975 00:56:30.760 --> 00:56:33.239 spring and inspired me so much, going, oh my gosh, 976 00:56:33.320 --> 00:56:35.239 this is what games writing can be, This is what 977 00:56:35.280 --> 00:56:38.199 games criticism can be, this is what games coverage can be. 978 00:56:38.280 --> 00:56:43.079 All the you know, lengthy, lengthy interviews with CEOs and 979 00:56:43.480 --> 00:56:48.079 auteur game directors and producers and you know, iconic designers 980 00:56:48.079 --> 00:56:52.119 and creators and exclusive hardware teardowns and stuff like that, 981 00:56:52.239 --> 00:56:54.800 Like all that stuff was in Next Generation. Like I 982 00:56:54.800 --> 00:56:57.639 feel like three years prior to this, we would have 983 00:56:57.679 --> 00:57:00.639 got like a Pigmin review, and then we would have 984 00:57:00.679 --> 00:57:03.760 got a feature on like the history of RTS games 985 00:57:03.800 --> 00:57:07.639 on game content, yeah or whatever something like that, right, 986 00:57:07.760 --> 00:57:11.519 instead of just like a one page Pickman review. This 987 00:57:11.599 --> 00:57:13.880 is obviously focused on launch of the Xbox, which is 988 00:57:13.880 --> 00:57:17.400 also interesting because it's not focused on like GameCube launch 989 00:57:17.559 --> 00:57:20.880 maybe those happened a few months apart, but yeah, they're 990 00:57:20.920 --> 00:57:25.039 reviewing like Pickman here, so like, yeah, it's just it 991 00:57:25.199 --> 00:57:27.679 feels very strange, right, It does feel very much like 992 00:57:27.719 --> 00:57:32.360 it's like, okay, heavily focused on Microsoft, and that you 993 00:57:32.360 --> 00:57:34.199 know fits the theme of our season really well for 994 00:57:34.239 --> 00:57:35.000 an opening episode. 995 00:57:35.119 --> 00:57:39.119 Yeah, it does. How about that? Amazing coincidence. 996 00:57:39.159 --> 00:57:43.719 Amazing coincidence. And one last note I want to say, amusingly, 997 00:57:44.519 --> 00:57:50.440 the sister publication, Edge Magazine, is still a magazine. As 998 00:57:50.440 --> 00:57:52.480 we talked about before, a bunch of the style and 999 00:57:52.760 --> 00:57:58.599 even editorial content of Next Generation came directly from Edge 1000 00:57:59.159 --> 00:58:02.719 the UK version, and you you can still subscribe to Edge. 1001 00:58:02.800 --> 00:58:06.960 I think they publish quarterly. There's still Edge happening in 1002 00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:09.760 the UK. And meanwhile, and it's still very close to 1003 00:58:09.760 --> 00:58:12.119 what it was in the late nineties, Like it's still 1004 00:58:12.199 --> 00:58:16.320 what we have been describing Next Gen's first iteration as right, 1005 00:58:16.519 --> 00:58:21.159 Like it's very good man edatorially and artistically ambition for sure. 1006 00:58:21.920 --> 00:58:25.679 All Right, that is our review of Next Gen's review 1007 00:58:25.719 --> 00:58:26.239 of Pickmin. 1008 00:58:26.480 --> 00:58:27.440 Did we get it right? 1009 00:58:28.079 --> 00:58:30.880 Leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcast, 1010 00:58:31.679 --> 00:58:35.159 thumb us up on YouTube, make sure you subscribe, comment 1011 00:58:35.280 --> 00:58:37.159 on YouTube. We'll read the best ones on the air. 1012 00:58:37.280 --> 00:58:39.920 Leave our review or review on Apple podcasts. And hey, 1013 00:58:40.280 --> 00:58:42.559 go ahead and pass show around to all your friends, 1014 00:58:42.559 --> 00:58:44.760 like it's third grade and we're on the playground. Shout 1015 00:58:44.800 --> 00:58:48.000 us out on Blue Sky YouTube and TikTok at fun 1016 00:58:48.079 --> 00:58:50.960 Factor Pod. Blue Sky's actually at funfactor. 1017 00:58:50.480 --> 00:58:52.039 Pod dot com. 1018 00:58:52.079 --> 00:58:55.039 Special thanks to Millennium Fact for all our amazing original music. 1019 00:58:55.119 --> 00:58:58.360 Check out his work at Millennium fa lck dot com. 1020 00:58:58.440 --> 00:59:00.400 Unlike these old magazines, you won't have to wait a 1021 00:59:00.400 --> 00:59:03.800 whole month for your next installment drop. We drop new 1022 00:59:03.800 --> 00:59:07.800 episodes every two weeks. So go to funfactor pod dot com. 1023 00:59:07.920 --> 00:59:10.840 Follow our show on your podcast or choice. Please consider 1024 00:59:10.880 --> 00:59:14.559 becoming a member of fun Factor Ultra premium tiers that 1025 00:59:14.719 --> 00:59:17.639 unlock ad free episodes, bonus episodes, and the members only 1026 00:59:17.719 --> 00:59:20.559 channels of our discord also get heads up when we 1027 00:59:20.599 --> 00:59:22.719 are about to record a new episodes. You can join 1028 00:59:22.840 --> 00:59:25.679 us in the chat chop it up live. Just go 1029 00:59:25.760 --> 00:59:28.199 to fun Factor pod dot com. I promise you won't 1030 00:59:28.199 --> 00:59:30.039 miss the sign of widget on our home page. If 1031 00:59:30.039 --> 00:59:32.800 you do, you and we we'll have a maximum score 1032 00:59:32.920 --> 00:59:55.800 in fun Factor never had any third parties on them 1033 00:59:55.880 --> 00:59:59.079 two what we're living in the shadow of the M 1034 00:59:59.119 --> 01:00:03.440 two at the time, for sure, and so it's not 1035 01:00:03.440 --> 01:00:07.119 like a doesn't one hundred and eighty I'm sorry one 1036 01:00:07.199 --> 01:00:10.800 hundred and three that the shen Moo two was canceled 1037 01:00:10.840 --> 01:00:13.199 for a Dreamcast. I was, like many other Dreamcast fans, 1038 01:00:13.320 --> 01:00:17.159 really pleased I'd been looking for I'm sorry, really pissed. 1039 01:00:17.480 --> 01:00:19.480 My apologies. I was like, wait a minute, that's not right, 1040 01:00:19.519 --> 01:00:22.400 that's not what I remember. Really pissed. I've been looking 1041 01:00:22.400 --> 01:00:24.320 forward to a great game like shen Moo too for 1042 01:00:24.480 --> 01:00:31.360 my dying or should I say dead Dreamcast. Hold on, 1043 01:00:32.920 --> 01:00:36.440 I know, Editor in chief at this point for the 1044 01:00:36.480 --> 01:00:44.559 same company, right, yeah, future US, pardon future US, thank you? 1045 01:00:45.000 --> 01:00:48.599 Aiden good one yeah, good one, tight one. Like the 1046 01:00:48.639 --> 01:00:51.480 magazine turns out when there's like literally no editorial we 1047 01:00:51.519 --> 01:00:55.960 can see. Yeah, there's no previews, there's like very little news. 1048 01:00:56.440 --> 01:00:58.920 Yeah that was funny. 1049 01:00:58.400 --> 01:01:00.480 That's good. It's gonna be a good season. 1050 01:01:00.519 --> 01:01:00.840 I agree. 1051 01:01:01.320 --> 01:01:03.280 I agree, And it feels good to be back, Like 1052 01:01:03.559 --> 01:01:06.400 I was ready for a break from the typical format 1053 01:01:06.440 --> 01:01:08.639 and like, I feel, it feels really good to be right. 1054 01:01:09.079 --> 01:01:10.119 I thought the same thing to you. 1055 01:01:10.159 --> 01:01:12.159 I was writing up the script and I'm like, oh, yeah, 1056 01:01:12.280 --> 01:01:13.440 I love doing this stuff. 1057 01:01:13.480 --> 01:01:14.440 This is the stuff I like. 1058 01:01:14.599 --> 01:01:14.639 Y