New Game Pluscast

Uno de los juegos más esperados de la mano de Sony Santa Monica, God of War: Ragnarök ya esta aquí. Lo pasamos, disfrutamos, padecimos, reímos, lloramos y he aquí nuestra discusión.

Bienvenidos a The Game Awards, el show donde las categorías son inventadas y los premios no importan. Pero para divertirnos un poco agregamos el factor quiniela donde a diferencia de "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" los puntos sí importan... meh majomeno'. El anuncio del ganador de la quiniela por supuesto será hecho off-camera durante un ad de Huel en el próximo episodio.

En este podcast todos somos bastante nerds, pero no todos los nerds son creados iguales frente a los ojos de la inteligencia artificial que nuestros cerebros primitivos consideran una deidad. Tuvimos que traer a un experto para contestar esta pregunta que se ha esparcido más rápido que ese rumor en bachillerato de que se te paraba durante clases de biología. Y a ese experto lo encontramos en Gustavo León.

Contamos nuestra experiencia con el calvo barbudo que siempre está molesto, pero no se preocupen que no sólo hablamos de Cristian. Adicionalmente, compartimos nuestras impresiones de God of War Ragnarök. Qué original, ¿no? También discutimos qué hace buena a una secuela y la dictadura de hints inmediatos presentes en las exclusivas de Sony últimamente. ¿Si la precuela viene antes y la secuela después significa que la primera parte es una... cuela? Para pensar, gente.

El skill based matchmaking es un tema que genera cierta controversia entre jugadores casuales, hardcore, competidores y streamers de juegos que se enfocan en multijugador en línea, ya que al unirte a jugadores con un nivel parecido al tuyo, las partidas cada vez se vuelven más tensas o "sweaty". Exploramos este tema desde varios puntos de vista pero llegó un punto en que cada partida la perdíamos, asi que Juan se arrechó e hizo rage quit.

Los ciclos de desarrollo en la industria no sólo requieren cada vez más inversión sino cada vez se hacen más largos. Esto ya en sí, es un fenómeno a tomar en cuenta, sin embargo ¿cómo se sostiene la idea original entre el origen y la salida del título en cuestión? The Callisto Protocol es censurado en Japón debido a su contenido violento y gore.

Con cada generación de consolas suelen venir una cantidad de beneficios y mejoras a la calidad de vida que luego se hacen estándar hacia el futuro de la industria. Al principio de esta generación, tener modos de performance y quality era una de las novedades, que si bien estaban presentes en selectos títulos de la generación pasada, ahora se convertían en la norma. Sin embargo, con un par de títulos que casualmente han salido el mismo día, Gotham Knights y A Plague Tale: Requiem, éste no fue el caso. ¿Es esto una simple coincidencia o un canario en la mina del futuro de estas consolas?

Cyberpunk 2077 ha dado a la industria de los videojuegos tanto de qué hablar, que por supuesto tuvimos que dividir nuestra discusión en 2 partes. En este primer episodio nos enfocamos en el gameplay, los cambios que ha tenido el juego, nuestra experiencia con los distintos parches, cómo bajarse la versión correcta de la PSN y muchísimo más. Tenemos de invitado al sabio Fabio Díaz.

Coinciden en la misma semana Ubisoft Forward, Nintendo Direct, State of Play asi como la edición del Tokyo Games Show de 2022 y con ellos, por supuesto, varios anuncios. Aquí les traemos otra mesa redonda donde vamos revelando uno a uno nuestros anuncios favoritos de esta confluencia cósmica de anuncios videojueguisticos.

¿Tenemos las sonrisas de nuestras mamás o somos los niños del ayer? Cuando tienes suficiente tiempo en un fandom, muchas cosas empiezan a cambiar y no siempre de la manera que uno hubiese esperado.

En los últimos años, uno de los modelos de juego más prevalentes han sido los juegos live service donde se espera que tanto la geografía, modos de juego, armas, historia, etc... vayan evolucionando a lo largo del tiempo, manteniendo al juego fresco y renovado. Nos sentamos a hablar de los juegos que lo hacen bien, los que lo hacen mal y el porqué de todo esto.

Summer Game Fest, Xbox Bethesda Showcase and many other separate events took place in the last few weeks of "not E3" offering numerous announcements for the future of the video game industry. We compile the ones most exciting to us and discuss them at length. We hope you enjoy this episode.

In this episode we discuss the most satisfying feelings in games like hitting a perfect combo or finally getting that platinum trophy we've been striving for.

A new State of Play took place on June 2nd, 2022 and with it came a couple of very exciting new announcements. Check out this episode to hear more about what we thought about it.

Thankfully we live in an era where if you're a gamer and you're paying attention, there's always something to play and to look forward to. In this episode, we discuss a couple of things we are personally excited about the future of gaming.

We live in one of the best times to be a gamer. Whether it's the outstanding releases coming consistently, services like Gamepass, backlogs filled with precious hidden gems etc. there's no shortage of great things to play. However, there are still some games we wish we could get. We sit down to discuss the ones we daydream when we should be working.

Witnessing and participating in an engaging narrative is one of the best feelings we can get in art and entertainment. When it's masterfully executed this can even bring us to tears and give us moments we'll never forget. These are the games that did that for us.

Is it OK to enjoy a product when we vehemently disagree with the people who created it?

We've already had more than a year with both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, so it's time to check how we're feeling about them. How has the beginning of this new generation been? How does the future look like?

Like any other avenue of escapism sometimes gaming becomes the scapegoat of many of our problems. Is there a responsibility on the development side that should be taken into account when it comes to taking our currency (whether it is our money or our time)?

With the release of both Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring, we have two very different design philosophies executing an open world. Guerrilla has distilled what makes traditional open world games great and has given us probably one of the best iterations of it kind, while Elden Ring flips most of these paradigms on its head and gives us a very different experience where you're left to your own devices to explore and tackle challenges as you see fit.

Platinum Games used to be the golden standard for fast-paced action combat fun games in an era where Japanese game development went through a dark phase. They gave us many brilliant games, however in the way they stumbled and what used to be banger after banger then became inconsistent. We arrive in the present where they've released Babylon's Fall, a once promising Platinum experience turned into live-service and their worst received game yet. Alongside openly discussing the idea of being acquired, it seems this studio's independence hasn't gone very well for them and they would perhaps do what they do best under the mantle of a bigger publisher.

Critics are an integral part of any media coverage. However, in gaming the discussion often devolves into what low or high score a specific game got. Is this a productive way of discussing whether a video game is worth your time?

With video games becoming more and more expensive to make, big marketing campaigns are employed to maximize the company's return on investment. This brings us to today's topic: the hype. Is it good or bad? Does it help the game it is trying to sell? Do we buy into it?

Hearing that any type of content gets censored is always disappointing. In gaming, this used to come from Nintendo in past decades, however in recent years Playstation has been the platform where games are arbitrarily censored for unknown reasons. Of course, we couldn't discuss this topic without covering how some games edit themselves (sometimes pre-emptively) in order to cater to political sensibilities of governments from countries like China.

New Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier reveals Assassin's Creed codenamed Rift. After an appearance on both David Jaffe's stream and Last Stand Media's Sacred Symbols+, Jeff Ross reveals some information that contradicts a past report made by Jason Schreier regarding how Sony was managing Sony Bend.

Making video games is hard. Very ambitious visions that aren't carried out properly during development result in messy launches, which in most cases means doom for the game and sometimes the dev team. However, there have been cases where a company doubles down on a specific project, fix the issues, actually redeem the game and become quite beloved.

Sony announces plans to acquire Bungie for $3.6 billion. The makers of Halo went from being under Microsoft's umbrella to a long-standing relationship with Activision to being independent to now to being acquired once again. What could this mean for the future of Bungie and Sony respectively?

Female representation has been a hot topic in the video game industry, which for decades has been a very male centric environment. We invite Valentina Aguana to the podcast to explore this fascinating topic from different perspectives.

Normally we don't stick to the news because we like to cover timeless topics that can be enjoyed whenever, however in this case we just couldn't resist. The announcement that Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard King is not only a huge deal in gaming but for entertainment in general. What does this mean for the future of the industry? How does this impact Playstation? We cover this and more in this episode.

Often described as a harassment campaign, online movement and even culture war, this was a very impactful time for the industry. With this unfortunate situation in the rearview mirror, we look back at what happened and chat about it for your entertainment.

Just like in film, there is an independent scene in video games. Calling a game an "indie" comes with its own expectations regarding budget, art style, narrative and a very specific gameplay feel. However, sometimes the line is somewhat blurry and we find that there is a spectrum within independent experiences.

What's the difference between a remake and a remaster? Are they a tool that not only allows to preserve games but also introduce them to a whole new audience or are they cash-grabs? In this episode, we answer these questions and discuss the state of remasters and remakes in the video game industry.

Everybody has a hot take that makes them feel unique in having a specific opinion (even if that's statistically impossible). What is the worst Nintendo console? What games are overrated? We all have them, so here are ours.

One of the things that stick with us the most about our favorite games are their soundtracks. Like in films, music is used to evoke emotion, however in gaming their implementation can even go a step beyond that. Sound designers, composers and programmers come together and creatively use the tools at their disposal to create a cohesive experience where music can take many different forms and mean many different things. I am joined by fellow musicians Sebastián Parra and Carlos Berrizbeitia to discuss our favorite soundtracks and what makes them special. One very unexpected thing were the mighty Carlos Facts about many of these soundtracks, which we think you'll enjoy.

We'd love to sit here and be able to say that video game adaptations have come a long way since the days of the Super Mario Bros. Movie back in 1993, but we can't lie to ya. Most examples go from slightly negative to absolute garbage. However, it's not all bad as there are a couple of examples that could be worth your time. Why do video game makers think that they HAVE to do these adaptations? And when they do, why is it so difficult for them to get it right?

WARNING: some hot takes in this episode! Open world games have become very common in the video game industry during the PS4/Xbox One era as the technology starts to allow more and more expansive games. However, these ever-growing worlds are mostly about quantity rather than quality, when we see the track record of companies like modern-day Ubisoft, for example. How does the beloved The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild fare in all this?

A recent Kotaku article discussing current emulators being able to run Metroid Dread made an impact on social media and major gaming podcasts. We invited friend of the show and fellow Venezuelan, Gaming en Off's Fabio Diaz to discuss the importance of emulation and our perspective as South Americans on piracy.

When does realism serve or detract from video games? With technical fidelity getting us closer to hyperrealism, there are games that benefit from this a great deal, like simulators and racing titles. However, within games mechanics sometimes this is taken a bit too far, where we ask ourselves the question: is this even fun anymore?

Judgment is Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's first foray on a spin-off of their own Yakuza series. In it you play as ex-lawyer turned detective, Takayuki Yagami, who is investigating a series of heinous murders occurring in Kamurocho. In preparation for the sequel we sit down and talk at length about the game, its characters, narrative, themes and more!

This week things take a personal turn as we explore the relationship between mental health and video games. How and at what level of quality has it been depicted in games? How can gaming positively impact our mental health? What experiences have we had, where we have found our beloved medium helpful?

Modern gaming outlets such as IGN, Gamespot, Kotaku, Polygon, etc are pillars of the industry that have always been there for us gamers. However, with the rise in popularity of independent creators, youtubers & streamers, their reach and relevance seems to be waning. In an attempt to fight this some have shifted their content into something that mostly antagonizes not only their audience but also their own peers. We sit down with fellow podcaster Fabio Diaz to dive deep in this topic.

Every year a wide variety of games are released to various amounts of fanfare. Some are highly regarded GOTY contenders while others are received negatively. But what happens to a third group of great games that are overlooked? This episode is precisely about those hidden gems that we came to love, but were baffled to see that were underrated.

Following the allegations of impropriety regarding companies like Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard, some gamers ask themselves whether or not they should keep buying their games as a sign of protest or solidarity. At first, it seems like the obvious way to make an impact as consumers. However, on this episode of the podcasts we ask ourselves: Who are we actually hurting by doing this?

Throughout history various games have made incredible steps to move the medium forward. Some of these moments have made great impressions on us, however very frequently they don't have the same impact the second time around. Here are 10 games we would gladly delete (or deneuralyze) from our brains so that we can experience their glory once more for the first time.

Ubisoft is one of the biggest names in the video game industry. For decades, they've made some of the most iconic games, worked on franchises from the likes of Prince of Persia, Rayman, Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, FarCry and many others. Growing up in the Playstation 2/ Gamecube/ Xbox era, this was one of the most common logos we saw before getting to play some of our favorite games, so it's no mystery that we're big fans of these intellectual properties. However, in recent years the company has shifted significantly from what we know and love. A steady move towards live service games, a focus on "bigger is better" open world games and what to us feels like losing sight of what made the games special and innovative, seem to be the new norms. This, combined with allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic workplace environment throughout the company's many studios all over the world, doesn't paint a pretty picture for the French company.

Difficulty in video games is a topic that tends to get very heated. On the one hand there are gaming purists that enjoy challenging interactive experiences and on the other, there's people who cannot access these titles due to disabilities or other reasons. However, there is a lot in between, as well, like for example: git gud internet trolls, journalists who pride themselves on exclusively playing games on easy mode (and sometimes not even finishing them) and much more. We welcome Cristian Caroli once more to discuss this broad topic and bond over a specific Metal Gear quote in the process.

Following its history of iterating on its own hardware, Nintendo unveils the Switch (OLED Model), which contradicts reports and rumors of a new Pro model with 4K capabilities. Subscription service Playstation Now adds Red Dead Redemption 2, Nioh 2 and Judgment to its catalogue of titles in July 2021. Ghost of Tsushima gets a Director's Cut with a new expansion. Which Mass Effect is better? What's the state of video games as an artform?

The Blue Box Game Studios conspiracy rabbit hole with Hideo Kojima and Silent Hills reaches Charlie Day - Pepe Silvia levels. Sony acquires the developers of Returnal and long time second party relationship studio, Housemarque. In announcing that, Playstation Japan tweets the wrong image showing Bluepoint Games' logo, which confirms an imminent additional acquisition. Also, we're not sure if this was obvious at this point but, yeah we're doing things in English now.

La E3 tuvo lugar en los últimos días y estuvo cargada de conferencias virtuales y anuncios. Algunos emocionantes y otros no tanto. En este episodio nos sentamos a discutir nuestros anuncios preferidos y qué pueden deparar para el futuro de la industria. ¿Cuál fue tu anuncio favorito?

FarCry 6 no se decide de si es un juego político o no. El State of Play donde es revelado el gameplay de Horizon Forbidden West es recibido no sólo con gran emoción sino con críticas, específicamente a la apariencia de su protagonista, Aloy. Hermen Hulst es entrevistado por el Playstation blog donde cubre una gran variedad de temas incluyendo la decisión de sacar futuras exclusivas como God of War Ragnarok y Gran Turismo 7 en la previa generación de consolas.