Metroid Dread

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOvefm5U250 
• I think this is the first Metroid game I have completed. 
• Amazing Boss fights. So much fun to learn. *Got stuck one time*
• I hate the EMMI. I may not replay because of them. 
• Bad Ass. Samus is really cool in this game.
• Lore? 

The Good Life

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lphgwPJNlO0 
• It is the Homer Car of games. Too much junk slapped together. 
• Not enough voice acting. Also too much...it isn’t cheesy in a good way.
• I will keep playing it...maybe
• Great Review title from https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-good-life-review “tonally stupid, structurally broken, surprisingly deep and occasionally self-aware”

Marvel's Avengers

• https://youtu.be/UHHApR_Vj_Q 
• Really average game. Perfect gamepass. Fun story for marvel fans.
• Kamala Khan is great. Wish she didn't get lost in the 2nd half of the game. Strong end tho. 
• Skin deep game. I would rather have a full game with each single character. 
• Mobility isn't equal. Captain America has a dumb jump and wall run. Everyone else is fly or grapple. 
• End game is loot based. Not a fan. 

Miles Morales

• https://youtu.be/NTunTURbyUU 
• More of the same in the best possible way. 
• Really good story. Worth playing. 
• I have replayed most of the first Spider-Man game after beating this. 

Tris Played

Metroid Dread

• EMMI is kind of unpredictable...I can’t get the counters right!
• I JUST got the Wide Beam. It’s taking a while to get the Morph Ball. Goodness!

Super Metroid

• Wanted to play to see what the fuss was about.
  • End result: PLAYING IT MORE THAN METROID DREAD :O
  • I can see why it’s so popular! So many things to do! Sequence breaks aplenty!

Castlevania Advance Collection

• Bit of a throwback from the Game Boy Advance days
• Spending time equally on all three games…..though Aria of Sorrow is kinda neglected at the moment.

Demon’s Souls Remake

• IT’S THE BEES KNEES BATMAN!!!
• It’s SOOOO good!!
• Virtually the same game you’ve played from 2009.
  • Items now weigh more in the remake. 
  • A few new armors, items and weapons are now present.
  • Multiplayer upped to 6 people.
  • Can further customize your character now, new fractured mode MIRRORS the game world (reverses locations).

Shin Megami Tensei V

• The official 5th title in the long running franchise. Starting on the Famicom, published by Namco. 
• Demons that you recruit talk a LOT OF ****!

Blasphemous

• VERY good gothic, Spanish influenced Metroidvania.
• VERY BRUTAL AND GORY. YES PLEASE.
• Sequel was just announced a while back. 
• HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Tris Topics

1. Unfinished Games - Business as usual? Or just lazy ass developers/publishers?
   1. Battlefield 2042 launches on 19 November. Game is in a VERY buggy state. Crashes, missing features that have been standard for the series, the list goes on. Not much word on EA minus they will look into them. 
      1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2021/11/19/battlefield-2042-is-a-total-disaster-and-gamers-are-not-happy/?sh=468269548216
      2. https://www.reddit.com/r/battlefield2042/comments/qw1mbw/fuck_it_heres_a_list_of_absolutely_everything/ 
   2. Grand Theft Auto: The Definitive Collection appears to be a lazy, slapdash port. Crashes, bugs, very poor use of AI upscaling, no QA work, developers admitting they don’t care, WHAT IN THE CINNAMON TOAST **** IS THIS?!
2. Nintendo Switch Online
   1. Overall thoughts? Not worth the $50 bucks total. Can get a refund via Nintendo support.
   2. Nintendo 64 games are in worse shape than their Wii U emulated counterparts. 

Pat Topics

• No replay. Both Village and Dread were great games that I don't want to replay.  
• League games are happening 

Sam played

Ghost of Tsushima

• 
  ·         Breathtaking graphics
• ·         Smooth game play
• ·         Still working on this game but its a top 5 game for me

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

• 
  ·         Mix between Zelda, animal crossing and Harvest Moon.
• ·         No leveling, health or time constraints
• ·         No combat
• ·         Game of exploration and discovery
• ·         Shipwrecked on an island. Farm, cook, and fish.
• ·         Island is covered in evil muck. Do missions, find sprites to get rid of the muck
• ·         Relaxing version of Zelda

 Huntdown

• 
  ·         Co-op arcade shooter
• ·         Easy mode is hard!
• ·         If you are a fan of 80’s style retro shooter, get this game
• ·         Battle with shotgun, a rocket launcher, an assault rifle 
• ·         Each boss presents a different challenge
• ·         Play as one of 3 bounty hunters – Cyborg Mow man, ex-cop John or mercenary Anna.
• ·         Set in the 20th century after WWIII

 Sam Topic

Something to watch – Ubisoft theme park?

• 
  ·         Ubisoft entertainment center coming in 2025 to France
• ·         Professional film studio, other entertainment options, retail, and dining
• ·         Theme park TBD
• ·      https://www.ign.com/articles/ubisoft-entertainment-center-to-open-in-2025-full-theme-park-coming-later

Tristan :

• No More Heroes 3
  • Rank 8 knocked out!
• Metroid DreadCo-developed by Nintendo R&D and Mercury Steam (Castlevania Lords of Shadow, Metroid 2: Samus Returns)
  • Difficult but very fun game.
  • Fun to explore and backtrack.
  • Crazy boss fights and stealth sections.
• F.I.S.T. (Forged In Shadow Torch)
  • Steampunk Metroidvania title, about a rabbit saving his bear friend from a corrupt and power hungry government.
  • VERY melee based combat.
• Melty Blood Type Lumina
  • Newest in the Melty Blood series, serves as a relaunch/reboot.
  • Pick up and play gameplay, not easy to play but very fun.
• Castlevania Advance Collection
  • Collection of all regional versions of Aria of Sorrow, Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance
  • Enhanced audio for Aria and Harmony
  • Has save states, soundtrack, art, etc.
  • An excellent 1:1 translation of the GBA titles.
• Castlevania Legacy Collection
  • Finished Castlevania 1, 3 (Sypha and Alucard), 4, Bloodlines (Eric).
  • 1:1 versions of all titles.

Samantha 

• Spider-man – Miles Morales
  • Beautiful graphics
  • Miles Morales is panicked learning to be spider man
  • Spend the first few minutes of the game learning how to move and combat.
  • Main storyline and finding collectibles and solving some small puzzle mini-games.
  • Beat challenges for different outfits.
  • Under 10 hours to beat core game
• Little Nightmares
  • Play as Six – a girl in a yellow raincoat who carries a lighter
  • Horror puzzle game about facing childhood fears
  • Each room Six walks through are different. Sometimes it feels like you are on a boat or in a house. You must figure out how to get out of each room. Some rooms contain a monster you must pass before you can escape the room.
  • Every room rocks side to side.
  • Very short game – about 5 hours
  • Can be very frustrating!! 

Pat Games

No More Heroes 3

• I finished the game. I didn’t go back in to collect everything. I really wish it played better.
• Maybe my least favorite final boss fight
• Story is great

Subnautica Below Zero

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdix1XxaZyU 
• Doesn’t give me the same highs as the first game. It feels like more of the same and that runs out of charm after about 5 hours
• IT DOESN’T LIKE TRASH THO!!!!!!

AI: The Somnium Files

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsfpyCag_q4 
• From the maker of 999. I put some time into it. I really want to give it time, but I keep walking away. New on GAME PASS

The Good Life 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lphgwPJNlO0 
• The latest game from SWERY. Deadly Premonition guy.
• Seems cute. Not sure if it will be any good. 
• SWERY makes beautiful broken games. Maybe this will have the same charm. 

TB Topics:

1. Metroid Dread
   1. Fastest selling in games history.
   2. High marks all around.
   3. Difficult game, yet its very rewarding and tense and SO GOOD!
2. Switch OLED Launch
   1. New Switch OLED is out. 
      1. $349.99
      2. Bigger Screen
      3. OLED screen, instead of the LCD screen.
      4. Dock was tested by several outlets to output 4k visuals, though not confirmed by Nintendo.
3. SWITCH ONLINE PRICE HIKE
   1. Nintendo Direct was today, October 15.
   2. The Switch expansion pack includes Animal Crossing monthly DLC, Nintendo 64 Online and Sega Genesis online.
   3. $50 A YEAR NOW!!! Can NOT opt out of getting Animal Crossing DLC. 
4. TWITCH HACKZ
   1. All of Twitch was breached. Change passwords if you hadn’t done so already!
   2. Lots of peoples’ pay out information was leaked too. Maybe not a bad idea if you wanna get into this business as a side hustle…

Pat News

C9 makes it to quarters at the league world finals! NA will be at least top 8. 

Tristan Notes: Currently Playing

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes 

• Knocked out the first boss. 
• Game REALLY opens up when you beat the first boss.

No More Heroes (PC/Switch)

• Switch port is FLAWLESS
• Gameplay feels much more CRISP than the Wii version.
• Bout to fight Rank 7 on Switch. Just finished Rank 8 fight on PC.
• You can import the double pack from Play-Asia.com or https://Amazon.co.jp 
• PC port needs more patches and stability to have it run much better.

No More Heroes 3

• Series magnum opus.
• Still balls to the wall crazy and lots of fun.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

• Was an EVO staple for quite some time. 
• PLENTY of players on PC. Parsec is HIGHLY recommended.
• Hadn’t played since December, time to shake off the rust. 

Street Fighter V: Champion Edition

• Hadn’t played this game in quite some time. 
• Still gets plenty of players from both PC and PS4 sides of the house.
• Stopped playing after the 3rd update was implemented. 

Tales of Arise (PC Demo)

• The next evolution of the Tales of series.
• Battles feel MORE integrated than ever before and the skills are more refined as well. 
• Recommend playing on PC if you have a decent monitor (120hz) and rig.

Trist Topics:

• FIST – Getting good praise all around but PC version? NOT IN SIGHT. BOOOOOO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1EHQKECRdE 
• PlayStation Live Stream Event
  • Spider-Man 2 announced
    • Peter Parker and Miles Morales present….ALONG WITH VENOM (voiced by Tony Todd)
    • Out in 2023.
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake
    • Announced at the PlayStation event. 
    • Remake of the original. Development is done by port team Aspyr.
    • Out 2022.
  • God of War: Ragnarök shown
    • Thor makes a presence! Blades of Chaos make a return!
  • Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection
    • PS5/PC are the platforms announced. Out in 2022.
    • Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy are the games remastered in this collection.
  • Wolverine
    • Development by Insomniac (Spider-Man, Ratchet, and Clank)
  • Gran Turismo 7
    • Out 2022
  • PS5 Woes – Still not able to get a system. Semi-conductor shortage is still present. 
  • THE MEGA LEAK.
    • https://old.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/comments/pncvo0/unlocking_geforce_now_reveals_god_of_war_2018_for/
    • https://gist.github.com/xPaw/6a42aafd3c9d19b3ceab2e90b5a37cd2#file-geforce_games_with_no_steam-csv-L4685 
    • Essentially, some light data mining from someone revealed a LOT of information of games that could be coming to PC (Steam/Epic).
    • The big names?
      • Sony
        • Horizon: Forbidden West
        • DEMON’S SOULS REMAKE
        • RETURNAL
        • GHOSTS OF TSUSHIMA
  • Games I’m looking forward to:
    • Death Loop
    • Battlefield 2042
    • Melty Blood: Type Lumina
    • Metroid: Dread
    • FIST (PC release)

Pat played two games. 

• Psychonauts 2
• No More Heroes 3

Pat News

• Subnautica: Below Zero (Cloud, Console, and PC) - September 23
• Rita Repulsa, Poisandra and Adam Park revealed for Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid Season 4

Sam Played 

Craftopia

• A mix of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Minecraft, and Pokemon
• Capture wild animals
• Crafting, hunting, combat
• Left on an island with nothing
• Game preview

Wobbly Life

• Game starts when you are kicked out by grandma for not having a job
• Online and multiplayer
• Physics-based sandbox game
• Jobs, buy houses and pets, drive cars and UFOs.
• Jobs give you money and outfits/buy outfits
• Online and local co-op

Control

• Takes place in the Oldest House which is the HQ for Federal Bureau of Control
• Supernatural third person
• Play as Jesse Faden appointed director of the FBC
• Graphics are beautiful

Sam News:

Ikea releasing gaming collection with Republic of Gamers

• Chairs, desks, accessories such as mouse pads.
• Launching in October
• $289 for a racing car chair design

Ikea and ASUS are releasing a new line of gamer furniture

Cuphead Show! Poster revealed

• Show about Cuphead and his brother Mugman
• Still no release date
• Talked about since 2019
• Netflix

https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/the-cuphead-show-new-poster/

• Resident Evil Village (8)
  • Finally finished it!
    • YOOOOOO. WTF WAS THAT?!?!? I CONFUSED.
• Quake
  • Rereleased a week ago!
    • Remastered for all consoles even with brand new expansions!
    • Quake 2 and 3 are busted on the PC game pass versions. YMMV with the 1st one.
• Panzer Paladin
  • Feels like Mega Man…? But with monsters, mechs but you don’t get the bosses powers….at least not yet!
• Streets of Rage 4 - Mr X Nightmare
  • Survival or bust!
• Back 4 Blood Beta
  • Left 4 Dead this ain’t….but at least it’s on game pass!

Games Played Sam

Flight Simulator

• Live data options, including location-accurate time, weather, and traffic
• Amazing graphic accuracy
• Plane customizations
•  Flight training – Take off, landing, emergency etc..
• Always downsides to a simulation but this is a lot of fun

No More Heroes 

• hack n’ slash
• cutscenes and dialogue are entertaining
• full, uncut original game on the switch
• Artistic and crude
• Travis Touchdown needs to defeat 10 killers to get to the top of the assassin’s league.

Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance

• third-person action
• Takes place in Icewind Dale where you take on various D&D monsters
• Buggy game
• Combat can be difficult to figure out as its pickup and play
• Casual game for someone who likes the classic D&D story

Games Played Pat 

• Resident Evil Village!!!
  • I beat it! 
  • A fantastic mix tape. 
• No More Heroes 3
  • I have killed a few bosses. It is an experience. It is culture.
  • SUDA 51 drank in KOJIMA’S credits nonsense and it is wonderful
• 12 Minutes
  • This is an upsetting nightmare I wouldn’t push on anyone.
• HADES!!!! JUST PLAY HADES
  • It is on GAMEPASS. I was traveling so I played it on my switch again. It is the best.
• Psychonauts 2
  • Played the intro stage. Really great start. I am excited. 
• Old takes
  • Pokemon UNITE - When will this end up on phones? Mr. MIME isn’t OP
  • Infinity Island - From the You Must Build A Boat Guy. 
  • Warhammer 40K: Lost Crusade- BAD MOBILE GAME
  • Raji: An Ancient Epic - I WISH THIS WAS GOOD.

Topics Trist 

• April O’Neil announced for TMNT Shredder's Revenge 2022 release date...and Nickelodeon All Stars Brawl 2021 release date. 
• Streets of Rage 4 - Mr X Nightmare….SO GOOD!
• Saint Row Reboot, 2022, American Southwest
• Blasphemous DLC out soon, Blasphemous 2 announced and will release in 2023.
• Gungrave GORE - Out 2022
  • Based off the anime…off the game??
• Midnight Fight Express
  • A brawler that reminds me of Hotline Miami, out Summer 2022
• KOF XV
  • Out Feb 2022
  • Rollback netcode
• Marvel Midnight Suns
  • Tactical RPG by Firaxis

Topics Sam

Gaming for Inclusion:

• 3 days September 12-14
• Special Olympics teaming up with Microsoft. First-ever esports.
• Rocket League, Madden NFL 22, and Forza Motorsport 7
• “After the inaugural event, Special Olympics Programs will have training on how to set up local tournaments through Smash.gg, allowing for year-round gaming practice and competition in preparation for the next Gaming for Inclusion experience in 2022.”

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/08/10/xbox-and-the-special-olympics-gaming-for-inclusion-event/

McDonald's PS5 Controller Giveaway Gets Canceled - https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/mcdonalds-ps5-controller-giveaway-canceled/

• Sony never authorized this give away
• 50 controllers set to be given away
• Tune in to a special twitch stream to be automatically entered in the give away 

Games Played Trist 

• Castlevania: Gekka no Yasokyoku - Sega Saturn
  • Starting it from scratch.
  • Technical issues aside, most complete version of SOTN.
• Resident Evil Village
  • At the last legs!
  • Not liking the last part….
• SaGa Frontier Remastered
  • Playing it on the Switch!
  • SO CONVENIENT!
• Jedi: Fallen Order
  • Playing on PC
  • OMG SO GOOD!

Games Played Sam

• River City Girls
• Unravel 2 – Play as 2 Yarnys – local co/op multi player 

Games Played Pat 

• Narita Boy 
  • Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SrSSrxS2eE 
  • What if TRON was japanese and had more daddy issues.
  • The style of this game is incredible. The art is amazing and the imagery will stick with you. 
  • I just wish it wasn’t so clunky. The combat peaks in the final fight. The color based fighting comes together too late. 
  • I missed one achievement. I may go back to get it. 
• Subnautica 
  • Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz2SNm8VguE 
  • Bug stories. This game is a mess. I want to finish, but it is terrible. 
  • IT IS SO BROKEN. It
• No Man's Sky
  • Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRhamOB3-Rc 
  • I have put so much time into this game and I have no idea if I like it. It has crashed on me a few times. I think the story is bad and clunky, but I keep playing it. Why...
• Terra Nil
  • Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8eYqNNxICE 
  • Cute demo. No release date. No idea if a full game would be fun.
  • Found the free version. This can be challenging. 

Topics Trist 

1. THE RETURN OF RETRO!
   1. Memories as a kid - Mega Man 3, Mega Man 2, SMB3, Flea Market shopping with dad.
   2. Newer games in the retro style - rise in popularity (Shovel Knight, Blasphemous, etc)
   3. The Surge of the Retro market - Costs of retro games going up, scalpers, availability, Newer retro consoles, etc.
2. E3 - METROID DREAD 5! ELDEN RING!! River city girls 0 and 2.

Topics Sam

• Retro Comeback 
• Tetris 99 – Attack other players.
• Nostalgia
  • Mobile games getting retro (Pac-Man, Tetris, FFT, Sonic)
• Nintendo NES Mini – November 2016
  • 30 games – classic 8 bit – cannot add/remove games.
  • Comes with one controller – very short cord – no wireless option.
  • Connects to any TV with HDMI
  • Good luck finding one at 60$Opinion – Great for nostalgia but stick with the switch.
• Favorite retro games –
  • Zelda: A link to the past - 1992
  • Street Fighter II – arcade systems 1991
  • Super Mario World -

Retro Stories – Sega Game Gear – World Series Baseball obsessed

·         Resident Evil 8

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSapXD9vxYA

o   Finished the castle, now on to more exploration!

o   GUNS ARE FUN!

·         Resident Evil 3

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyCZP1wDxEM

o   Need to get the dodging down pat.

o   Definitely feels like you’re alone in this game, looming sense of dread.

·         Resident Evil 7

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1OUs3HwIuo

o   New playthrough on Madhouse playthrough and DLC for XBOX One and PC.

·         Ghosts & Goblins Resurrection

o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weaYjtnlpXk

o   THIS GAME WILL MAKE YOU WANNA KICK YO MAMA.

o   So MANY deaths! At least there are checkpoints!

Games Played Sam

RE7 -  

Finally making my way toward beating the game.

Loving it. Pulled into the game by the storyline, visuals and music

Play with the lights on - super spooky

Cure Mia or Zoe?! Don't make me choose! 

7 is pushing the game into a really interesting direction

Cat Quest 2 - 

Beat the game

Savage yet adorable cat and dog characters who have to work together

Enjoy having a main quest and side quests

Many different armor/weapon combos.

Magic, caves, dungeons, spells for everyone to enjoy.

So many puns 

Stardew Valley -

Been playing this game for awhile on and off

Time stops when you turn the game off - thank goodness. 

Although weeds continue to grow.

Games Played Pat

• The Wild At Heart (Topic)
  • Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBryItoGzxE 
  • Beat the game. I would recommend it. 
  • 2D Pikmin meets Luigi’s Mansion. 
  • The first pitch fixed most of the performance issues. 
  • I would give it a 3/5
• Warframe (Minor Mention)
  • Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsbL8lFHrZI 
  • Rewatched the NoClip Doc.
  • I finally played it. Cool game.
• City Skylines XBOX (Topic)
  • Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKGAbhGuQu4 
  • My new quick fix game.
  • I am reading about zoning and roads now. Help me.  
• Subnautica (Minor Mention)
  • Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz2SNm8VguE 
  • I keep drowning. 

Topics Trist 

1. Yuji Naka – Sonic Team mastermind leaves/fired from Square Enix after the abysmal performance of Balan Wonderland.
2. ELDEN RING – January 21, 202 confirmed.
3. Battlefield 2042 – October 22, 2021 release date. All platforms, minus Switch, confirmed for release.
4. State of PC abysmal ports (No More Heroes and Ninja Gaiden Collection)

Topics Sam

EA got Hacked -

Hackers stole game source code and tools

FIFA 21 and EA’s Frostbite game engine

No player data was acquired 

Why is this bad? The integrity of online games is at risk.

https://www.wired.com/story/ea-hack-fifa-frostbite-source-code/

Simpsons Arcade game- 

30th anniversary rerelease of arcade game (released in 1991)

No quarters needed

Nostalgia! 

Machine comes with 2 games. Second game will be announced July 15th

No price as of yet. 

A similar arcade machine release NBA Jam sold for 499 from GameStop

https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/9/22525100/the-simpsons-arcade-game-machine-cabinet-arcade1up

Topics Pat

• GamePass on SmartTVs!!!!
• Video Game Audiobooks
  • Press Reset
  • Blood, Sweat, & Pixels 
  • Empires of Eve

1. Host Introductions! Trist, Sam, and Pat. 
2. Ultimate Game Pass - https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass
3. Games Mentioned:
   • League of Legends: Wild Rift - https://wildrift.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/
   • The Wild at Heart - https://www.moonlightkids.co/the-wild-at-heart 
   • Drake Hollow - https://www.drakehollow.com/ 
   • Zelda: Breath of the Wild - https://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/
   • Injustice 2 - https://www.injustice.com/
   • Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite - http://marvelvscapcominfinite.com/
   • Resident Evil 7 - https://www.residentevil7.com/
   • Resident Evil Village -  https://www.residentevil.com/village/us/
   • A Plague Tale: Innocence - https://www.focus-home.com/en-us/games/a-plague-tale-innocence
   • Spiritfarer - https://thunderlotusgames.com/spiritfarer/
4. Topics Mentioned:
   • How Epic plays for free games - https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/4/22418782/epic-games-store-free-games-cost-apple-trial-arkham-subnautica-mutant-year-zero
   • How GamePass games get paid...kinda - https://www.pcgamer.com/xbox-chief-reveals-more-about-how-developers-earn-money-through-game-pass/
   • Extended talk on Resident Evil as a series. 1st vs 3rd Person. Favorite Games. 
   • NES Tetris: Rolling - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2xCQT0BUcw&t=102s