Kinda Funny Gamescast: Video Game Podcast - Lumines Arise, Possessors Reviews - Kinda Funny Gamescast
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This episode's brought to you by ORAFrames and Shady Rays, but we'll tell you about that later.
What's up and welcome back to the Kind of Funny Games cast for Tuesday, November 11th, 2025.
Of course, I'm your host Tim Geddes.
I am joined today by blessing at E.O.EA. Jr.
Good day, Tim.
Greg Miller.
Hello, Timothy.
And Andy Cortez.
Hey, Tim.
Man, this is a little Asus R-O-G Xbox ally putting out some heat, warming my tendrils.
Yeah, yeah.
You have cold little tendies right now?
Yeah, right now.
A little bit chilly in here.
This is really hit the spot right now.
The Y button still gets stuck?
No, it just, it's, well, the way you do it.
Only when you do it. Look, fine, fine, fine, fine.
Then you do, you come in here with your mountain do feet.
I have strong fingers, man.
You're doing something weird. You're doing some kind of snake push on it.
That's what you're doing.
It's doing a snake push, everybody.
Remember, this is the kind of funny games cast each and every weekday.
We get together to talk about the biggest reviews,
previews, and topics in video games live on YouTube, Twitch, and podcast services around the globe.
If you love what we do, please support.
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For a chance to be part of this show, YouTube Super Chat in,
and we'll get to it as we go, except we won't because this is pre-recorded.
We're pre-recordinging this one.
Ben's got the day off school and I got to be here to talk about Lumeness or I's.
Then PlayStation saying, hey, we're going to do this state of play.
That sucks.
What the hell?
I'm excited. Why are they doing it on a day where I got to stay home with my kid?
Who was on Games Daily?
It wasn't you.
No, it was Roger.
Roger.
Yeah, me and Rutch.
Yeah.
Predictions.
Let me see.
We talked about possible hints of Stellar Blade 2, maybe like Final Fantasy Part 3, right?
We talked about, like, Kingdom Hearts 4 probably not going to be there.
Night Rain D.C.
Night Rain D.L.C.
And Fancy Blade Zero released year.
Release year.
Yeah.
They told us they're going to tell us this year.
One year it'll release.
Well, I haven't gotten it.
I was listening.
to the KHD, my favorite was Roger
bringing up Deca Police. And I was like, wow,
what did like a deep pole? I'm not heard Deca Police
in like years. That's crazy that Roger is able to remember
that. And then like 30 minutes later
while I'm at my desk, I look to the left and I see Rogers monitor
and there's like a game rant article of like
top 10 upcoming
Japanese games and Deca Police was on his screen.
I was like, this motherfucker. That's what you got to do.
It's no like Mike during fantasy critic typing
in Hello Games.
Everything game.
No Man Sky game.
Oh, man, a little housekeeping for you.
We're an 11-person business, all about live talk shows.
Of course, you already got an episode of Kind of Funning Games Daily,
talking about all the biggest stories in video games.
After this, we're doing a sponsored Good Night Universe stream.
Then we're live reacting and reviewing the PlayStation State of Play,
which I'm very excited about.
I'm not expecting Final Fantasy here,
only because I'm convinced it's at game awards.
But, hey, I'll be pleasantly surprised if it's there tomorrow, you know?
Or today, if you're watching.
Yeah, we were mentioning it's not, it will always be weird until it happens.
And this being like the first time this has happened, there's no precedent set.
We have no idea.
Why would they do this if not to announce some cool bangers?
It is weird too that, not to go too far into this, because that was what Games Daily yesterday was about.
But they're calling it, say to play Japan, but then in the description they're like,
but we're also covering a lot of other Asian territories.
So it's like, I wonder is the focus?
I don't know.
Something about that's just...
Well, that's why I'm assuming
Phantom Blade Zero and a lot of the
Project China Hero or whatever...
Yeah, China Hero Project.
I got to assume there's going to be some announcements
around there as well.
Asia.
Yeah.
Why focus on...
Why call it Japan?
Yeah, you're right.
I don't know.
You're not wrong.
Anyways, if you're kind of funny member,
today's Gregway, is a Roger Joint,
so you can check that out.
Thank you to our Patreon producers.
Carl Jacobs, Omega Buster, and Delaney,
the Somme Twining.
For now, we'll start with the topic of the show.
Luminese, R.E's...
Tull.
That's a brand new way to say Lumines, Luminous, Luminous.
You're doing your best Nick's Garpeno impression.
Luminous Arise is a video game that you all know about,
and if you don't, you better find out because the steam description is as follows.
A mind-blowing fiendishly addictive reinvention of the puzzle classic luminous
from the creators of Tetris Effect connected,
where sound pulses through your body, mind in every block you place,
triggering dazzling visuals synced to the driving beat of an infectious,
eclectic soundtrack. The developer
and publisher is enhanced and it is out
today. Greg Miller.
Hi. I got to start with you. No, but I want to start with
Bless. Okay. Everyone hears me yell about Luminous all the
time. I just did my top 10, or the games that
define me. Luminous is on there. Luminous is in
my gamer DNA. Guess what?
I don't know much about this one. I want to, I don't know
about it. He has talked to me about it. I want to know about Blass.
Andy, you didn't touch this one, right? Yeah, I played a little bit of it.
Yeah. We'll get to you at the end. We'll get to you at the end.
Bless then. What are your thoughts on Luminous
I adore this video game.
I've played through the entire thing.
I'm not beaten the last level because the last level
is pretty tough.
So I'm still working my way through that.
But I would say this experience
has been even better than Tetris Effect.
And I love Tetris Effect.
That's my guy.
But Luminous arise, I think, as a video game,
as an experience is better than Tetris Effect.
Even though I would still say that, well, don't clap yet.
Because I would still say Tetris overall better than Luminous.
All right.
Still, Tetris is a better puzzle game.
But Luminous.
Ulyness Arise is better than Tetris over effect.
Arise over effect.
And I'll take it.
I'll take the W.
The reason I say that is because...
That's not like a cool album.
Like a Lingen Park.
This feels like an enhanced studio learning everything they learned or they
learning everything that they could have from making Tetris effect and applying it
and even a greater degree in luminesse arise.
Everything is enhanced from music to visuals and all the above.
And so I really enjoyed this one.
I'll give it a 9 out of 10 on the kind of funny scale.
Wow.
Amazing.
Yeah.
On the kind of fucking scale.
I love that.
Greg.
What are your top level thoughts on luminous or rise?
As I've already said, I've been with luminous as long as anybody could be with luminous.
I love this franchise, this game, this IP.
To start and make it clear, luminous, period.
The game of, hey, we're taking these blocks of four dropping down and trying to make two by twos of the same color,
is a 10 out of 10 game in experience, unlike anything else.
Again, when it comes, I love Tetris.
I love luminous more just as a base game.
This is what you're doing.
So when you get into, hey, there's a new luminous come out.
For me, it comes down to a bunch of different stuff, and it's all really wrapped up in presentation.
For me, I think this is an 8.5.
I think this is great.
I think they have, and will probably always continue to struggle with making luminous cool outside of the game, if that makes sense.
When you're doing what you just saw in that game, fantastic, great.
How do you make player progression in that matter?
How do you? Why are we're making these new characters called loomies and we're unlocking things for their bellies and their faces and like bunny ears and shit.
It's like, I don't care about any of that.
And I don't need to care.
As you see, the little guy who is block over there that there's that loomy.
But it's one of those of like, okay, this is weird and ethereal.
When you step onto the main menu, very empty and ethereal, but they're still trying to do stuff and have this.
When you go through when you unlock new names and new monikers, you go into a sign.
them and they're not all the new ones you've unlocked are at the top.
They're just spread out between the hundred.
So you're scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, looking for gamer.
But there it is gamer.
It's like these are all considerable nickpicks.
The game of Luminous is awesome.
One of my complaints playing it.
I, you know, you're playing,
you're thinking about what you're going to review the game.
I was like,
goddamn,
screens busier than ever.
Like,
to the point of like,
there's one level in this,
right,
of the broccoli and the tomatoes.
All right,
I'm matching broccoli and tomatoes,
Tim,
and you're chopping them up in there.
exploding and they're they I was missing blocks because the effects were covering the thing
and I was like I started getting all I'm like maybe it'll just be an eight then and then of course
you can go into the accessibility settings turn all that shit off we'd like just have it just be gameplay
if you want to be a weird cycle like me and just be gameplay and do that like it's an incredible
game I think if you like luminous or have never played it you're in for a treat it's just like
beyond beyond the main course of playing the game we get into the accoutrements because
we know luminous is a 10 out of 10 what does it do around that to
package it, it does a great job doing that, I think. Could be better. I think they could
streamline a bunch of things, but they have a vision of they want you to be these bunny characters
or whatever you want to put on your loomie and go out and do it. That's so interesting because
I never even thought about the loomies. Like for me, they're just there. They're never a feature
that I interacted with. And for me, this is also my first Luminous game. And so maybe because I'm
coming to it fresher, it's hitting a lot harder for me. I think one of the things about
Luminous in particular is when you talk to people about Luminous, you are going to find a varied
answer as what is Luminous? What does? What
you play luminous for, right? They have online. They have local multiplayer. They have online head-to-head
multiplayer in burst mode. You have your little red face there on your avatar or on your little banner
that tells you like what your battle rank is. I'm never going to care about that. I'll go in and do the
community thing. They do these weekend events where we all like play and like your progress unlocks
a fucking astronaut projection. I don't know. That's what it was this weekend. You know what I mean?
Like again, weird stuff to give you another reason to play in another thing. But like you're talking about like,
you know, the journey mode, right, of going through and playing the whole story.
For me, I was like, all, let's get it done.
Let's get it's done.
Let's get it's done.
Because, of course, luminous is all about how long can you go.
It's the marathon mode.
That's what, that's what luminous is, limitless for me.
So, like, when I got through what I consider the tutorial of the actual, like, hey, here
all the things go.
Then it's like, cool.
Now there's the new mode of just play.
How long can you stay alive?
Because for me, that was the game.
Like, well, you're calling the tutorial.
For me, that was the experience.
But again, like, and I think there's so many people who will go at it and just, I'm
here for a battling and head-to-head in the online thing,
which is never going to be what I want to touch, right?
So for me, it is that thing of like, what am I doing
as a single-player marathon mode going through and playing that?
What is it rewarding myth? What does it challenge me? What's it keeping
coming back for? I want to circle
back to this, Greg, talking
about the multiplayer stuff. But first, I want to get
Andy's thoughts on this from your limited
experience. I've only played two hours. I'm
glad that I remembered that I
that we got codes for this one.
I knew I wasn't really assigned to review
it, but it's one that I,
thoroughly enjoyed the demo of during Steam Next Fest.
I happen to pop into that.
It's somebody who never, you know,
I don't really play a whole lot of Tetris.
Even when Tetris Effect was all the rage,
it's something I never really sought out to go get.
And I've played it here and there,
but it just doesn't hit for me the way it does for everybody else.
But yeah, this game is awesome.
You know, while I was streaming that demo,
I had to remind myself that I was trying to be entertaining
and try to make content because I would just go at,
so laser-focused and in the best ways.
And not in a way that it's like, oh, I would just like lose myself in like how awesome this
experiences and how it just kind of takes over all of your senses.
The soundtrack is fantastic.
The way the things, the way all the visuals evolve, I love their different interpretations
for like, all right, this new level, here's what we're doing with the shapes now.
And maybe it's different color schemes.
And it's just a totally different theme.
in total. I really, really enjoy what little life played of it. Again, I'm glad that I remember
that I had a code for it because I think I've heard Blessen and Greg talk about it. I was like,
oh, shit, I, oh my God, we have those. Let me, I definitely got to like start that up. And
I was reviewing possessors at the time. So I decided to kind of like take a break from that,
play a bit of Luminous and really, really enjoy my time with it. And it's something I want to get back to.
I keep on thinking
the last name Maness
and the first name, Louis.
And it's like, hey,
my name's Louie Maness.
Louis Maness.
That's all I like you right now.
But yeah,
super enjoyed my time with it.
Along with Tim,
I wanted to get back to like,
what would Greg improve on this
to kind of make the whole experience
a better package?
For me personally,
I would either,
I would go one of two ways.
And that would be to either
strip out all the stuff surrounding it,
the Loomies,
what I'm unlocking here.
Let's just make it a high scoring
affair, which I think does alienate than maybe competitive people. But again, for me with
Luminous, I think you're always going to be competing. Whether it is, hey, I'm competing head-to-head
with somebody locally, head-to-head with somebody online. I'm just trying to beat my own high score.
I'm just trying to last as long as you can playing it. I think that's what the meat and potatoes
of Luminus is. And granted, this is all parsley in set dressing. I admit that, right? But as somebody
who's played every Luminous, I was excited to jump in here after, you know, it's been how many
years, 20 years since I, oh, Jesus, 20 years since I played it on PSP, right? Like, I'm hoping,
I would want a better reward structure, a more interesting, what am I doing, what ladder
am I chasing, what skills am I filling in, what that kind of stuff? What, what set dressing am I
really doing here? Then what you get here, what I think is a very bare bones main menu, right,
of playlist, your Lumie Pond, multiplayer missions or this. And the missions are... It looks like the Vita
home screen. That's what it reminded me of. Sure. I can see that. It's like so Sony
coded like old school Sony Japan
100% and that's a great way putting it it is
old school Sony Japan coded so yeah
I either rip it away and make it just menus
and text and I'm going straight to the next thing to go
into it rather than feel like I have to
drift my kid and again this is nitpicky shit the game's
fucking awesome go by it I love luminous
float over my loomy pond to go do this
so what I'm caught up on is the multiplayer
side that you sound not interested in
one side but interested just in the events and stuff
but like this is the one game I know Greg Miller's
good at right yeah well yeah
Yes, I am.
Yeah.
But I mean, like, you have to understand, too, like, this is Rocky 5.
I haven't boxed in a while.
So I come back and it's like, I feel really good.
No, I was just checking.
I mean, this is, you know, whatever.
It's pre-rank, right?
And like, right now, what?
Thank you.
It took me in a second.
You figure for the survival marathon game right now, I'm seventh in the world.
Not bad.
Now that's, you know, with a limited number of rep, pets reviewers.
I have to stop the podcast just full on right now.
Did you hear what Andy just did?
You know what that you made a Rocky 5 reference.
Well, it was Rocky 4 reference, but do you know what that was?
I know, I think I know around it.
You probably know what you believe that it's a.
Oh, it's the robot.
It's the robot. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's a robot in Rocky.
Yeah.
Happy where they finally.
What's funny is the same voice I imagine you use when you're trying to do the, um,
I'm telling friends character.
Oh, Alan?
Yeah, Alan.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Anyway.
So anyways.
Yeah.
Again, to your point, like the multiplayer, like,
we're board's and stuff. Yeah, like, that matters to me
in terms of what I play it for.
And again, breaking it up, right? So the journey
survival, which is the marathon mode, right?
Right now, number seven, not, I,
I can be better than that. I need to practice.
Look at there. Who's that?
Godfrey, number five.
Danny Payne, right in front of me. And then look at Jesus.
Wario 64, number three. Jesus Christ,
Wario 64, post a deal.
Don't be playing video games. You know what I mean?
So anyways, like, that's drawing to be, yeah, but I don't,
For me, I don't, I've never had a competition aspect.
Everything you ever see me get competitive about, I'm faking it because I'm just doing a character when I yell at Tim on showdown.
Tim's way better than me at showdown and I don't like losing, but I lose all the time.
So like in this, it's like, okay, cool.
Like, I don't go to the rankings, but I am very much like shit.
I only lasted in survival.
Like, this is how you know I'm out of practice.
My first survival run, I finally lock it.
I jump in there.
I only made like an hour and a half.
I should be doing two and a half hours of luminous right there.
All right.
That's a fucking jump change.
That's bullshit right there.
I got to get back in the gym
but there's so many goddamn redacteds we have to do
So many things for you
You know what I mean
But that's the that's
The excitement for me of it
Of like luminous
Is a game arise
Is a game that will never leave my Steam deck
My I have it on PlayStation as well
My laptop out there whatever
Like that's always going to be a thing of
All right cool
Like I'm doing whatever
And I'm bored with it on the plane
And then it's like wait
What if I just did a run a luminous right now
I try to go back and reset my high scores
Because
in journey there's the survival
and then yeah there's these like pods of four
as you go like broken up things and you get
rankings on those two and it's like for those
like I said I beat them and I
think for most of them like seed them
you know what I mean maybe you got to be or whatever and it's like
it was just to get to here's journey mode
of survival let's go so I do need to go back
to those and get those to S rank because that's kind of psycho
I am of like how I is but here's something else I like
to bring up in terms of psychosis
something I roll my eyes at a lot
is the one and only Forbes
30 under 30 aka second
the best baby lose in San Francisco,
aka expectant father at Tim Gettys.
Because he's always so particular by his d-pads.
This D-pad on the rock,
just not getting it done for luminous.
You know what I mean?
I miss my fucking Vita.
I miss my fucking PSP.
I miss that's attached to those buttons there.
You know, it's a heartbreaker out there.
It is.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
I make do.
I make do.
It's the dual sense.
I had a question that may not apply as much to blessing,
seeing as,
like,
luminous hasn't always been his sort of jam.
And it may be more of a,
Greg question, but you're saying that, like, this
luminous arise will never
leave your devices, right?
Are we kind of in
Mario Kart 8th deluxe
versus Mario KartRold territory
where it's like, this is the new jam, Mario Kart
World is going to be the thing, but when
Mario Kart World came out, there were still people going,
well, 8 Deluxe is still going to be
like the one that I go to
for that experience.
Do you see this version taken
over any other luminous for you?
Yes. Yeah, I do. I think.
And that's how it really is.
You know, when we did the 10 games that define you,
I picked Electronic Symphony from the PlayStation Vitas catalog.
Okay.
I like the back touch mechanic they had there for increasing your bolt type.
I was actually trying to Google it because I'm so rusty on it.
You'd have to look it up because I'm talking.
But you tapped and I forget what it did to up your score or whatever.
I liked that back in the day.
And I don't love burst mode.
How do you feel about burst?
This is a mechanic.
Oh, burst isn't like the mechanic.
Yeah.
So there's this new mechanic inside of it, right?
As you match your blocks and do it, your burst meter is filling in up.
at the top.
Yeah, you play it.
If you don't know everybody,
you're filling in this meter,
you see a thing going across
and it's like, you know,
5%, 10%, blah, blah.
When it gets to 50,
you can do a short one,
but they want you to get to 100,
where basically then the line keeps going,
but nothing has to fall.
You make it fall.
It's like touch the effect has the same thing.
Exactly.
And so you're trying to match
all the colored bricks
into one giant thing to really go crazy
and burst it out.
I got in there and I was like,
I don't fully get it okay.
And then like on my first play-through
second world. I hit a, I pop the Steam achievement for hitting 100. And I'm like, I got this shit.
And I've not been able to get back to 100. It's so long. You know what I mean? Where I'm doing like
fucking 28th, 308s. This isn't going to get it done, Tim. You know what I mean? I'm so bad at
this game. So it's like really cool to me. I want to jump in and a second bad free point. Because like
this very much feels like I'm reviewing a different game in the way you are. And it reminds me of
like when you see people who are like, I guess the fighting game analogy for me, when I see a
fighting game professional talk about
the latest street fighter and how they're all like
they have nip picks on all these other things where I'm like
oh man I liked how the game looked and
like how the game plays and I'm not thinking
about it on that level. Here when you talk
about all this shit where I'm like
oh damn I like the burst mechanic
because it makes the game easy for a second because I am like
I'm hanging in there. Oh yeah yeah yeah totally
yeah I get that and I for the record
I love that and that's why I wanted you to go first
because I know I'm going to have such a weird old head take
on the whole fucking thing versus like you in it
and really enjoying it and there was I knew I
almost had, but I didn't want to say it.
So when you're tapping,
one of the different avatars
in Electronic Symphony had different
abilities. And so when we were tapping the back
touch, you were powering them up to then unleash them.
I thought that was a really cool thing. I figured it all my piggy
guy had, but I use the piggy guy a lot.
I want to go back to, like, talking about the actual
core game, because we have,
there's Tetris, we all understand what Tetris is.
And then Tetris effect, what is the
difference there? It's the crazy visuals.
It is the music, and it's kind of
the tying those things together with the
gameplay to create this, like, emotional
sensation, right? Luminous already kind of had some of those parts, right? Because if you like Tetris
effect, you better fucking kiss the ring of Luminous. It was there first for a reason. Where it is,
you know, combining gameplay with music in a literal way because of the way that the line moves
to the speed of the BPM and all that, right? So that was there in the PSP one, PSVita one, and
obviously now. So this just kind of seems like taking two great ideas and meshing them together in a way
that Luminous always had cool visual effects, but this is a completely different level. Great,
You seem to not necessarily think that's the right move, though.
You want to, wanting to turn that off.
Is that there was a percentage of the time you want to turn it off?
Or overall, is it just too much?
No, no, no.
Well, first off, I didn't even bother diving into accessibility until about 10 minutes ago,
where I was like, until I read, I was looking through the reviewers guide and they had a thing call out of like,
hey, by the way, I was like, oh, shit.
So no, it's not like it was so detrimental to the experience.
But in terms of trying to figure out how do you critique something that's 20 years old and hasn't,
don't get offended change that much right if you if you played a lot of a luminouser i and then you
jumped back into luminous PSP don't get me wrong there'd be a big step up in visuals and yeah but like
you know what you're doing pretty quickly in terms of what it's so okay then let me sorry put this
in a more positive way does it add to it does this make this a more definitive luminous experience
adding all of this stuff i mean definitive i don't like using definitive here because i feel i don't
think there's been, there's been Luminuses I've been disappointed in. I remember I don't, I didn't
think Luminous too really pushed that far. I remember when they finally brought Luminous one to
PS3 on the PSN. It was, it was a very basic port of what it was like that. So it's like, I don't,
I don't know if we've ever searched for, and this is back to like different kind of gamers. I've
never been the gamer to sit there and be like, this was the definitive Madden. You know what I mean?
I've played a lot of Maddens and there's always something I like or don't like about them,
and not recently, but you know, it's the idea of like,
but you talk to Mike and Mike's like, no, Matt and blah,
0, 2007 or whatever is like, okay, shit,
I don't even remember what the fuck that was.
It's a similar thing here where it's always learning,
luminous is always learning from each other,
and that's because Enhance has done it for so long and loves it so much.
The fact that this game still exists is incredible,
because again, it wasn't moving millions of units anytime it's come out.
So to get here, like, is it definitive?
Yeah, probably.
The music's fucking awesome.
The visuals, I think, get in the way of the gameplay,
but I think that's when you're talking to somebody like me,
who's like, I want to make sure I'm doing everything
perfectly right. And I'm, you know,
I'm following my block mentality here.
I have a game plan, Andy. You know what I mean?
You got block fundamentals you need to be using out
there. So I know what I'm dropping? I'm putting there. And if
something gets covered up by a piece of goddamn
broccoli, you know what I mean? The lizards tail
or whatever. But broccoli turns out of the cabbage
later on. It does. I'll think what I fucking hate, man.
I hate like the
the A-B-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B-W-E.
Because to...
To Greg's block knowledge thing,
That's a big part, the blockage.
That's a big part of my evolution with the game to where, like, halfway through, I'm starting to see the matrix in a way where I couldn't tell you what the strategy is with words.
All I know is that if you sit me down in front of the blocks, I can tell you exactly how they need to shift and, like, turn at the last second and, like, the way to organize them.
It's the Tetris effect thing where you just start to see the matrix all of a sudden.
I got, I like started to scratch the matrix a little bit in this game, which is super sad.
Have you done the tutorials?
Are the challenges?
I started doing the tutorials,
but I was like, this kind of lasting too long.
Because they'll get you in there and they're like,
drop it down.
And I'm like, all right, cool, I dropped it.
And they're like, now match two blocks of two blocks.
And I'm like, I'm not doing all this shit.
Back that as up.
Tim talking about definitive additions for me.
I think, if anything, this just feels like
the modern way to play.
This feels like the thing to show people
who never played luminous in their life,
but want to be wowed and mesmer.
by a cool sonic and visual experience,
this is the thing that like,
well, yeah, don't play the one on PSP or whatever console we're talking about.
Play the one that just came out because it's going to kind of be a lot more visually stimulating
and, you know, kind of wow you and you're going to be tapping your head to be going like,
holy shit, this is really good right now.
With the music, obviously, being such a huge part of this, like, do you think, Greg?
I know.
Plus come back watching
Lumines's gameplay for the PSP
because I need to understand
You know what I mean?
For me I'm like this
This is such a mind-blowing experience
With a game for me
As far as like what it brings to the table
Visually and musically
In a way
I mean so I kind of want to go back
And see what you want to throw it to assets
So they can throw it up or whatever
Like let's have a real conversation
Because I want to make sure I'm being clear
And I don't think I'm being negative
Nor am I being a super fan
I guess I don't know
Like clearly this game
Luminous arrives looks way better
than the PSP version
In terms of visual quality fidelity
I have different goals.
Yeah, but you also look at the PSP one and you're like, I get it.
I see, you see the same game you just saw.
You know what I mean?
That's how long I've been playing this game.
It's Tetris versus Tetris Effect.
The difference is the music.
So do you think that this is the best music in Luminous?
Is this fit the gameplay better than the other ones?
Or is it even different?
No, it's not that different.
This is luminous.
This is what it's always been, right?
Where it's like, I, yeah, right now you, I couldn't say it or put it into words because
I'm not you, Tim.
You are so musically talented in terms of being able to hear things and talk about music in a way.
I'm just not educated enough.
But like, you know, the standout track for me here is,
I'm facing my fears.
Not back in the way.
And I'm rising.
And it's like that you could tell me.
Oh, that's from Luminous one.
And I'd be like, oh, man, I remember shake you about it.
Shake you about it.
Shake you about it down to the ground.
Like, you know what I mean?
Like I have the track.
But like this sounds just like the games I remember.
Nothing here sounds like, oh my God.
This is so outside outside of what it should have been.
blah blah. Like this is it. And I think again, as we watch the PSP gameplay, like,
granted their effects are just pulsating things right around the fucking UI, but you can see
the DNA that becomes crazy as shit happening on the screen. And again, works for it, I think.
I'm about to ask you a question, Greg, that I almost don't know if I want the answer to,
but I'm prepared. How much are you playing this game without any audio?
Oh, no, no, no, Tim, no, no, no, thank God. I am a complete psychopath.
everyone knows that and I am a weirdo
and we will come, there will come a day
with Luminous arise where yes
I need to do something or I'm whatever and I don't
have and I just do it but no no Luminous is
destination viewing. That is
destination listening. You know what I mean?
This is earbuds and
I'm gone. I respect Luminous so much as you know
like I've been playing a lot of redacted
games on the couch next to Jen while she watches stuff.
Can't do Luminous and in the same way
can't do Luminous in the bedroom either
because that fucking
goddamn buttons
of this thing are so fucking loud
I'm hitting my buttons
way too much
Clacking in a storm away
So no no no
Like this has been
No destination viewing all
And like you know I get excited
Like oh man I'm gonna get on the Peloton
tonight
I'm gonna play some luminous
Hell yeah
I
I'm gonna be done
Crazy
I
As somebody who never
Played the old luminous
Yeah
For me it's like
Tim talking about
How much does that audio
Really change the experience
And to me it's like
If I can get to where
The song opens up more
I know I'm making a lot of progress
And not only is it a progress marker
But it sounds and looks awesome
And the visuals change
And now it's like
Oh shit now these instruments have joined
Along with you know
Now there's vocals and now there's like a
A guitar to go along with that beat
Whatever it may be
That's like a really awesome feeling to hit
I really wish that I could
Did you could like maybe
Select different color schemes
I kind of hope that maybe that's something
They experiment with
because, you know, one of the levels I love the most is, like, where the
orbs are white and purple, like, oh, it'd be cool if you could, once you hit a progress
marker, those colors completely changed to something else visually.
And maybe that's just more of a customization thing, but I would love to see different
kind of color schemes, mainly just from, from an, you know, like a visual appealing point.
Blass, any closing words here on luminous arise.
Yeah, I mean, you know, for me, this was such an audiovisual experience.
It's so fascinating hearing Greg talk about it
because I think I had such the opposite thing
where I busted out my PlayStation VR2
to play this game.
I brought it to the office and played
probably most of this game
in PlayStation VR2.
How long to take you, by the way,
to do the journey mode?
Oh, that's a good question.
I kind of lost track.
I want to say maybe five to six hours,
like maybe more because I was doing,
I was failing a lot too.
Like, this is also a learning experience
of, you know, how am I supposed to play Luminous?
It doesn't come as naturally as Tetris
because Tetris is like,
all right, just got to make a line.
But to Andy's point,
You got the ABBA blocks, and it's like, what the fuck am I supposed to do with this, right?
Like, that was me for maybe the first couple of levels of journey until I started to figure out how to, like, stack those on top of the thing so it can drop down and match perfectly, you know?
I almost hit you with what you hit cool Greg with at one time that he was playing a VR game when you looked at him and you said, whoa, he's in VR.
It's like, we're like, oh, shit, bless him right now.
And there's a big up for this one and like a slight down here where the up is that.
that I do think in our, I think VR enhances the experience, right?
I think VR, you get some extra effects there.
You get fully submerged into the game in a way that like for this kind of thing that is
doing so much on the audio visual side, I think is additive in this pre-release review
version that we have that I, I'm pretty sure they're fixing.
They send like a list of bug fixes that they're doing.
And one of the bullet points they had seemed like it was around this issue.
I would have an issue where sometimes if I'd fail, if I hit like,
pause on the game
and to look at my phone or whatever
because you have like
these levels last a little bit long, right?
Like I'll look at my phone between anything
before I jump back in.
When I jump back in, the UI just locks
and like doesn't work.
And it's a very obvious bug where it's like
I have to restart the game every single time.
So I stopped playing the game in VR after a while
because of that.
Again, I'm pretty sure they're fixing this
in the patch notes.
But like outside of that, right?
Like I just had such a good time
playing this game from just the experience
perspective, right?
I love the journey mode.
And I don't know if I'm going to go back to this thing for the highest score chasing,
but also, you know, between this and Texas effect, like,
I do like the idea of being able to hop in for one session,
be like, all right, let's drop some blocks and then get out.
You know, for me, I'm not going to uninstall it for that similar reason.
You've said a lot, but any closing words, Greg?
Great game.
And again, I think that's, I'm looking back right now.
I'm rereading my luminous electronic symphony review from IG, which I gave a nine.
So we're right there.
You can see how much I respect.
That's my favorite luminous at all the time to be here talking about this.
I just, yeah, again, the nitpicks right are just like, I don't love the presentation of anything outside of it.
I don't love what I'm grinding for when you look back at electronic symphony.
You're talking about unlocking different avatar things or whatever like that.
Again, nitpicky for sure, but I think it's what makes this a weaker version in terms of a gameplay.
But again, Luminous period is a 10 out of 10 game of what you're doing.
So if you've never played a Luminous or you're like, I've played, I haven't played one in a long time.
There's enough to come back for here with the new skins, the new song.
I haven't played since BSP.
So this is definitely a winter break game for sure.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah.
I mean, Luminous is,
Luminous 10 out of 10 masterpiece kind of gameplay.
I think this version,
Luminous arises and 8.5, great.
We will be right back talking about another game,
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And we're back,
everybody, with the second game.
game to talk about possessors.
Possessors is a fast-paced action
side-scroller with combat inspired by
platform fighters. A story told
through dangerous characters set in a deep,
interconnected world, ready for exploration.
The developer's Heart Machine, the publisher's
Devolver Digital. It is out
today. I played
about an hour of it. Bless played about
an hour of it. Andy Cortez has played
a lot more. I want to hear your thoughts.
I have played close
to 12 hours of possessors.
only because I kept pushing myself through.
But you love Hart Machine.
I do.
And I even really like Hyperlight Breaker,
even though that largely was not reviewed very well.
A lot of people had plenty of issues with it.
But this is one that I was really, really looking forward to
and have been severely let down by.
Played the Steam Next Fest demo whenever that was,
probably several months ago,
and immediately saw the,
vision saw some cool moments of art direction there's a spot where you are playing this
young girl who has who's partnered up with a demon who's sort of like half kind of
possessing her and the shot zooms out and it's a beautiful cool looking landscape with
awesome color schemes and visuals and you're like whoa man they're cooking with this one
and the combat is is definitely fun enough um i'm going to introduce this little segment called
Here are the enjoy cons.
What I enjoyed, and the cons.
I like this.
Art design.
I think the visual sort of identity of this game is very, very appealing.
I think it has a neat kind of menu system.
I like the character art, the splash art, whenever you talk to characters and NPCs.
Very kind of Hades inspired with, you know, here's the way the characters look, but we're also going to add
little cool color highlights on everybody.
I really, I also really enjoy that the main characters have a lot of different
sort of, like, emotive looks to them whenever they are feeling a certain way.
You're not just seeing the same character grinning or whatever.
It's like, here's the angry version of her.
Here's the version of her who's like more kind of, you know, smiling and cute or whatever.
And this one, she's pissed off right now.
I think the art design is awesome.
I think the combat, you mentioning that it's, you know,
supposed to be reminiscent of like platform fighters.
I really enjoy the sort of combo nature of it
when they put out a tweet a couple weeks ago saying
this combat's supposed to feel like smash bros.
That's what we were inspired by.
And yeah, I would kind of agree with that.
The way that, you know, juggling enemies works
when you hit somebody up against the ceiling of something,
they bounce right off and you can keep on, you know,
juggling them in the air, keep on attacking,
keep that chain going.
and it's super satisfying to do
once you start unlocking a lot of these moves.
And that's kind of unfortunately
where all of where the things that I enjoyed are.
That's all that there really is.
Because for the rest of the experience,
for this being a Metroidvania
that requires a whole lot of backtracking,
I don't know if I've experienced a Metroidvania
that you have been more frustrated
with the direction,
and with the navigation for and...
Because you're lost?
Because you're lost and then you finally find a room
and it's just some extra bullshit that you don't need.
Like the amount that has happened in this video game
compared to other Metroidvania is like,
it's insane to me.
And a lot of it is, you know, there...
I think there are just so many more interesting titles
to be playing right now.
And that's, like,
what I would tell,
anybody who is interested in possessors is, like, to me, there's, there are too many good titles
to settle for something this underwhelming.
Like, this is such a, I'm not going to put a score in it, but I'd be like around five out of
10 right now if I were to give it a score.
But again, I have, I've played like maybe a fourth or a third or a third of it.
But you're not coming back.
I, dude, like, I stopped around eight hours and I was like, I'm so done with this.
And then I came back and played about an hour and a half more.
I'm so don't and I kept on doing that
like there has to be some silver lining
that I'm missing here
and it could be that these reviews come out and it's like
oh shit I must have missed something really amazing
I can't damn maybe I got to get back to this
but like I
cannot see where this game
is hiding any positives I think
it starts off with a really cool
appealing story at first
of your character immediately
this world is being invaded by
demons and stuff
and she gets her legs blown off
and she's like crawling
and it's like this really
really kind of fucked up scene
and she sees a demon sitting there
also hurt
and the demon's like hey
I can get you your legs back
if you help me get back home
and you're like oh cool
we're kind of
I guess I'm going to team up with you
even though you're kind of one of the bad guys
and he starts to kind of unlock
you know
fairly interesting character
arcs between
both of this young girl that you play
and the sexy demon dude
that you unlock.
Yeah, super sexy looking.
And again, I think the game starts off super interesting
and it just continues to get more and more disappointing.
I also think that the animations feel like very rushed.
This feels like a game that needed a lot more time.
And they definitely didn't have a whole lot more time
because as you all know,
Heart Machine had a lot of layoffs many months ago.
And then a couple weeks ago, they had even more layoffs.
And I think whether it's their social person
or their PR person, I forget, but them mentioning on Blue Sky,
like, I don't know if any of the,
I don't know if the whole possessor's team will be around
by the time this game comes out.
Because they just laid off a lot of the possessors team,
which is super, super unfortunate.
But, yeah, so a lot of this game outside of those first couple hours,
feels very, very rushed.
And I'm trying not to be too doom and gloom and, like,
overly mean-spirited about this,
but this has the most worst,
this has the worst progression
I've ever experienced in a game
like it
the things that you are unlocking
you are unlocking these
attacks and
each attack you can
eventually use your souls
or whatever
your currency is
to affix an item to it
so the weapons you're unlocking
are kind of everyday items
you're
is that why she had a hockey stick
yeah your melee
weapons are like kitchen eyes
Got it.
And then I put my special weapon on a computer mouse.
And you kind of use it to like whip up.
And it does a lot of damage and it like shoots enemies up into the air.
And it's really kind of cool to get that rhythm down.
And then you could upgrade those weapons to add little affixes to that.
You could affix little items to them.
And it's your Eldon Ring talents a bit of bliss.
It's now I'm going to regenerate health slowly or now I will do more damage or I will get more health back whenever I dodge at
right time.
And the way
in which that you unlock these
things has got to be
the most frustrating thing I've ever experienced
where there's these little
like rat dudes that
are like possessed by a spirit
I guess, but they're the ones that help you
unlock these items.
But not all of them
they're all different shops, not all of them
sell the same thing and not all of them
do the same thing.
And like one of them
allows you to
get more health back
whenever you use your heels
and I must have found that guy a while back
I don't know where that guy is anymore
and I just like desperately looking for it
I have gone to every vendor
and every vendor like
you know navigation isn't great
you're early in the Metroidvania
you're not going to have fast travel I understand that
but it still does kind of suck to kind of use
this subway system
And it's, I think the game does its hardest to be original with its systems and say like, well, that metroponia does this.
Our metropania, we're going to do this with progression.
And I think, I don't even know if that's what the direction they were wanting, but I think trying to be original, like, just copy what the other people are doing and make that.
It works for a reason.
Yeah, exactly.
make those systems a lot more appealing because
thinking about this game reminds me
a lot of when I got to
check out Phantom Blade Zero and
how the devs were talking
about how
when you're not Hidataka Miyazaki
and From Software, you don't
have the leeway that other devs have.
And if you frustrate your player base, they will say
this isn't a FromSoft game, I'm done.
Like I, you know, you kind of lose, you have a lot
less of a leash.
And I, this game for me, it's like, in a year where we, we have Silk Song and Hades 2 and past
years of Metroidvania is thinking of how immaculately designed Prince of Persia lost
crown is.
It's like, also a platform fighter.
Yes.
Like this game isn't doing enough to be as frustrating as it is.
Like, it's too frustrating for me to want to keep going for a game that I've started up so
many times to go like, no, there has to be something there. I have to find the fun here.
The fun must be here. I just like, I don't, I think some of the boss fights can be fun with how the
combat is generated and you have a pairing. It does feel cool to nail that every once in a while,
but man, like I have, I have, I feel like I have wasted, and it could just be the way that I've
gone about this game in terms of how I have found every path that is not critical path
that has led to like, I was telling 10 the other day.
I went about three hours without ever talking to the co-star of the game.
Because I feel like I was just finding every path.
And I talked about my experience with Dragon Age Vale Guard
and how I feel like I had the best possible experience
and other people who also played the game
who chose different dialogue.
And it's like, oh, that's a worst choice of dialogue.
And hearing that now, I could see why you wouldn't like this game.
But the stuff that I chose worked out great for me.
There may be a chance of you play this
and you happen to go all the right paths
and it leads you,
like, and you are finding the progression hooks
really, really good and,
you know,
satisfying in that way, but for me, it's like,
I feel like I have played this game
in the exact wrong way they don't want you to play it.
And because of that, it has just led to me being...
They shouldn't let you play it that way.
You know what I mean?
That's the thing.
You review, even if it is,
somebody out there has this perfect run
and does everything or does,
like, you play it the way you played it.
That's the way the games let you play it.
And there's two,
Again, the problem is there's too many good things out right now that.
Yeah.
Arc Raiders had just come out.
It's like, I don't want to fucking play possessors right now.
Like, I want to.
And when I remembered the Lumen, we had the Luminus kid, I was like, oh, thank
fucking God I can play Luminous and just like stop playing this game that is frustrating
this shit out of me right now.
Yeah, I do not recommend this game right now.
And I don't, unfortunately, see a whole lot of good for this game, seeing how most of the
team has been laid off.
Yeah.
You described my personal hell, by the way.
Like for me, it's somebody who talks about
Metravenia is now like, obviously there's some
Metravenia's I really love, but
Metraedvania as a keyword doesn't necessarily make me go,
oh, I got to play that, you know, play that game.
I think I get more frustrated with some of the
not great elements of Metravenia's, mainly
being lost and hitting like, you know,
dead ends and finding a new thing being like, oh, this is the way
and finding a dead end. You describing that
in Possessors, like, it did something to me emotionally,
where I'm like, oh, man, I can't do that.
What was your time like, though, with it blast?
I know it was limited, but.
Honestly, I'm actually surprised to hear Andy's review because we haven't really talked about it.
I feel like the last time maybe we had checked in about it was like the day we got the code or whatever.
And I think it sounded like we all were kind of like, oh, this seems really cool.
You know, because like it was you get the first item, which is the mouse pad or whatever.
And then starting to get the feel of, oh, okay, it's called possessors because you're fighting all these items that essentially got possessed or whatever.
I thought that was a cool premise.
I thought visually the game is doing cool things.
And then, yeah, like control-wise, it having like these platform fighting controls also seemed cool.
But then, yeah, I played one session, got into exploration.
I was kind of like, I'm waiting to see what people say about this,
because I'm not automatically viking with the exploration and gameplay flow of it.
But I also know how much of that is usually a me thing when it comes to Metrovenius
versus the actual quality of the game.
And so, yeah, like, I was very fascinated to hear what Andy and other people had to say about it.
Yeah, I kind of bounced off of this.
There's another big problem with us.
I'm also playing a really good Metro Winne called Metroid Prime Remastered.
And that's a real good,
Mediterranean.
Don't get you started.
And so I'm playing that for the first time and getting even more frustrated at the lack of progress that and, and just like the lack of appeal to make me want to come back to something.
It's just, it's not doing enough for me to want to like follow the carrot at the end of the stick in the way that whenever you'd be stuck in something like, I mean, I mentioned great Metroidvania's a little while ago, but like.
Something like Animal Well, a game with no combat was so fascinating and interesting.
And you want to keep on figuring out what these puzzles are.
And something even like, I mean, Silk Song, again, talking about how awesome Silk Song is,
even when you would be stuck, you were still finding things that would take you to new discoveries.
And, you know, again, I said the most basic take ever was like,
this is the Eldon Ring of Metroidvania's.
and how you kept on uncovering new things
and it always felt like there was something new there.
Here I just like, it's just frustration for me at every turn.
It's funny how you mentioned Metroid Prime
and I have like the opposite emotional feeling
where I just get happy inside.
When you mentioned Metroid Prime
and like even when you said animal well, right?
Like this is what I want to do.
In 2013 I want to do the Metroidvania.
Well, it's because my years are folks out.
He keeps booking all the years.
It's tactical 2026.
but also yakuza maybe i forget no i never said yakuza people keep trying to put words in my
2028 is something else i want i want the year of metroidvania brainwashing for me where i just
play all of the best of the best metroids back to back to back until i came i come out of the
other side of it where i'm like best genre ever got you because i feel like you know between
the ones that i're there love i need to play prince of persia lost time you do you do you're so
that's all i got to do you're so close because like i get what you're saying yeah but i'm also like you're
wrong.
Like, you love Metroidvania.
You just don't like the ones that you don't like.
And I think that like, unfortunately, I think
there's been a couple of those that have soured
your taste on it. I think that's what it is.
When I'm playing a Metroidvania that I'm not all
the way into, I hate the experience.
When I'm playing a Metrovania that I love, I'm like, oh,
greatest thing of all time.
Even talking about the inconveniences that
Metroid Prime Master has hit me with,
where it being an older game and not having
these modern quality of life improvements,
where I
am adventuring and I die fully and then I have to restart at my last save and that was an hour
and a half ago because I decided not to save and there was no auto save so it's I lost the progress
including the last tool that I had just gotten and it's like oh fuck that's like such an old
school thing but I realize like okay that's an old school thing that you know modern games
will likely kind of fix and even that not being enough
to make me want to stop that experience
because the game is so solid
and so well crafted.
Yeah, this is, this goes down
as like one of the bigger disappointments for me.
It'd be one thing if I came into this,
not really with a lot of high hopes,
but the demos felt so good to play.
And to me, man, like, talk about disappointment.
Like, you put me out of this game, like many months ago.
I don't remember when it was,
but you see this and it's like, holy shit.
Like, I don't think there can be anything.
I think that looks cooler than this game.
Like everything that I enjoy, it's there.
And then you're telling me it's a Metroidvania that plays like Smash Brothers.
I'm like, holy crap, this sounds like a dream.
You get the Haiti style art and story stuff.
It's like every single thing was just adding up to like,
this is probably going to be a game that I'm annoying about for the rest of my life.
And a little over an hour in, I'm like, oh, man, like, it's just, it's just a little too slow.
And it just doesn't feel as good as it looks to me.
And it's, that's something that I also said about Prince of Persia lost crown.
Like the first hour is, I think, the worst part of that game.
And a lot of it is just because I'm not getting abilities fast enough.
Like, this isn't, like, I'm not able to kind of move around and get around the way I want to.
Like, and even if I know where I'm trying to go on the map, like getting there was kind of getting in the way.
I'm feeling that a lot here.
But I was hoping that there'd be Prince of Persia moment for me where it's like, oh, it's clicking.
I was fucking wrong.
This is great.
And when I came into work and you told me like, oh, man, I'm 12 hours in and I'm not.
It's not.
I'm like, oh, what?
Like I just, there's nothing I could have expected less from you, but it did reaffirm to me.
I'm like, like, I even after that conversation, I booted it up again, tried to get a little farther.
And I was like, I don't, I don't think this one has this stuff.
Man, I hope we're all wrong because I do have it on my fan of secret.
And it's one of like my last hopes of my fancy critic.
Dude, there may be there, I mean, there may be a reality where everybody just played it in the right way where they're getting all the unlocks at the right times.
They didn't, like, I don't know, man.
I just, I mean, it really bums me out.
And I, I legitimately hope I'm wrong in, you know, to, that people go, no, no, no,
there is, dude, just wait until this story turned to that story beat.
Like, oh, shit, okay, yeah, let me go revisit that.
But for right now, it's like, I've never wanted to uninstall something faster.
Yeah, this is the last one I'm betting on indie games for my fan's critic, you know?
Oh, you man.
Like, fuck me this year.
It's fucking indie devs.
Make a game look cool on the box and put it out.
Man, yeah
I need mixtape to come out this year
Not looking good
I'm giving it up
Yeah
I need Luminesta review
Amazing
I don't think you're gonna be okay
Yeah, you'll be a
86 for you
I think I need more than that
I need like an 89
Like it's gonna be one of those
Fantasy Critic races
Where it's like every point counts now
Do you think it reviews
This is the fun of us
Of like we're recording this before
Other reviews
Time Capsule
Do you think this reviews
worse than Tester's effect, which has a 90, I think, on Open Critic?
Well, after Greg talked about it, because for me, I'm like, oh, this shit is like a masterpiece,
but then, like, hearing Greg's thoughts, and then also I looked up
Luminesse or Electric Symphony or whatever the fuck's called.
Oh, was that it?
Electronic Symphony?
Electronic Symphony.
Oh, you're saying Electric, sorry.
Yeah, I looked up with that, and I didn't realize how much that does look like
Luminosa Rise.
Like, I guess for me, luminous has always looked like the PSP version.
But it's also that weird thing of, like, I don't, I, I don't mean to throw the baby out with
the bathwater here, but I mean, I think there's going to be so many people reviewing this as their first
luminous game.
Yeah, a majority of people.
And again, not to mention, yeah, I like the, again, I've played them all.
And I like, I gave it an eight five, right?
Because I just think it's like, oh, I've been here done that.
I, you know, I like the accruralments of other games better.
Yeah.
Any tens, though.
Sure.
We do have just a couple more minutes.
So I really thought you're about to say we have a super chat.
I was like, how?
I do just want to slide in.
I beat Hades too this week.
Hey.
Roll credits.
Got it all.
and like my god what a video game i don't want to get in it too much really didn't like the ending
and that seems to kind of be a common consensus after i looked online um it doesn't affect my
like thoughts on the game overall like it definitely is sad to like leave on such a like yeah
no just because everything else is like so incredible but to me the story of this game it's
the characters and the journey and all of that stuff which i do think is immaculate and
the end wrap-up stuff take it or leave it i'll
leave it, but I don't think that really
changes the fact that having to play
the game through as many times as you did
was just
beautiful. I couldn't believe how many times
I'd beat Kronos or
whatever you're doing without spoiling stuff, and be like
I, man, I have to do that again. I don't know that I
really want to, and I'd start the run, totally
different load out, and be like, God, I love this.
Am I going to be able to accomplish what I'm trying to do with this totally
different loadout? Yes, I am. And then,
you just keep going back and like maybe you fail one of them and you're like how did I lose
I've been destroying this time and time again and like I was hoping for pizza but now they're
telling me I got to like eat a dish with shrimp in it I'm like shit all right cool let's get some shrimp
linguine you love shrimp and it's that from just pure gameplay man it's like literally just such
a gameplay focused experience and when there's so many variations that make you love the
gameplay even more where at the end of it I'm like I don't have a favorite loadout like I feel
like I just enjoyed all of them so much.
And that's so special to me because it's the definition of
all right, one more match type thing.
And when you're talking about 30, 40 minute runs for these things,
it's like, it can kind of like, be like,
oh man, am I really about to do this again?
And this weekend I was like, I'm trying to plan out the rest of my year.
I'm trying to like just check these things off.
And I was like, all right, I got to do some damage on Hades 2 this weekend or else
I'm not going to be able to.
So I had planned to get like two more, three more max victory.
I didn't play for like 12 hours
and like getting it all done
And that was like in like two sittings essentially
Which is very uncommon for me
But I really was like I gotta go again
I gotta get I got it man
And they just kept adding the little story beats
And new things that I'm like
How am like this many runs into the game
And still getting some brand new character
And brand new like room that gives you an upgrade
Then I'm like god damn man
80s 2 game of the generation
Game of the ever
It's the flexibility of like the builds
that they give you
and also how there are so many different builds that feel that feel op right like every run i'm getting
a new thing where i'm like that seems really strong all right let me go all the way here and it's to your
point that yeah i don't i don't have a favorite build either like i you know i have like strategies
that i implement based off of what uh what talisman that i want to be or keep sake that i want to begin with
right but like even with that there are times where i'm kind of like all right this small thing
kind of went off as far as where i was headed so let me just shift my place style and then i
discover something completely new that I absolutely loves.
And so, yeah, dude.
Hades two is a, I know we're, I know when we're barelying towards game of the year right now.
It feels like clear obscure is the, that's the contender.
I feel like that's the talk of the town as far as what's probably going to, you know, take it away.
But I can see Hades too, at least for us for the kind of funny conversation being a very big contender as far as that game of the year.
What about dispatch?
I mean, that, what about that too, though?
Anything?
I mean, I feel like me and Tim are on the Don Kong train.
I love Donkey Kong.
Oh, yeah?
How much you love Don Kong?
I love it a lot.
I think it's really, okay.
Tim, please mark some time on the calendar free for yourself in the next couple weeks before we eventually hit breaks.
For you, me and blessing to do a kind of funny stream for Windblown.
Yes.
Is that out now?
No, but it's just had like its third major massive update with like all sorts of big shit that they're adding by new worlds, new all sorts of stuff.
So that's one that I have not hopped into
since I played with Bless and Mike on stream
and that was like forever ago in
in terms of early access time.
Yeah.
There's been a lot of cool additions.
Barrett, I saw you pop up there.
I was just talking about Donkey Kong Bonanza.
And it probably being the
rationing clank for this year.
Or we'll be on all of our lists,
maybe some higher than others.
See, that's how I feel about clear.
That should be on my list.
What? That's apace.
I would stand for it.
DK, really? You weren't feeling it?
I mean, like, not enough to, it just didn't pull me back to it.
And I think this year's just way too loaded.
That's fair.
Here, you put it in at 5 and I'll put the all 3rd at 10.
Gregi, where are you at?
I saw you post this when you were doing your travels.
And I'm just, I'm wondering this as we wrap up the show.
You posted Blueprint starting it up.
Yeah.
were you at with that in terms of interest going that morning i played the uh two or three hours
at the coffee shop with my notebook out i gave it it's not even that i gave it the college try i love
blueprints that's a great thing it's just it doesn't have the hooks in me that i'm like i got
to come back i got to find that term i got to finish the thing it's just not the mini puzzles on
the way there they aren't at nearly as engaging as escape academy you know oh no come on oh okay
okay that's crazy that's crazy that's a but yeah it's like say that as a joke the puzzles
I had a great time making my notes
and then, you know, an hour later
I was like, oh, double back to that no
and get that code that I'd seen on that day.
But it's like, I really enjoyed that morning with it
and put it down and it's like not,
it hasn't called me back and that's what I got to do.
But again, it's because that's the experience of that game.
It's why telling lies works so well
for me back in the day, the San Barlow game.
It was like, I had a Saturday afternoon
with a cup of coffee and just sat and played the entire thing.
I wouldn't brush off blueprints getting onto our list blessing
because there have been so many games
that have gotten on to our list.
It'll be on our list for sure.
It won't be high.
I'm just talking about our number one spot.
Oh,
yeah.
Let's not count out dispatch.
I know you mentioned it,
but like,
that's going to be the rationing.
Wednesday,
you me and Barrett,
we're playing all day,
talking all day in the afternoon.
Late Games cat's going to be great.
I can't wait.
I love.
Also, I put it in assets,
a new runner up.
You all want to go play these weird games.
Here's a better game,
but we'll talk about when we get there.
Bless calling out Greg right there.
Like, you can't even joke about that.
Reminding me of when that one dude in the Twitch chat told Mike,
that NBA 2K was trash.
You can't say that.
You can't be saying that.
Why?
The weirdest take ever.
Over on Steam, there's an animal sale and somebody on our subreddit put up
my little puppy.
There's a saying that when you depart this world,
the dog who went ahead will warmly welcome you.
While spending time in dog heaven,
Bongu,
the Welsh corgi suddenly catches his dad's scent.
Now he embarks on a journey to meet his dad.
Will Bongu be able,
I'm going to play the shit of this.
Oh, man.
at my seat. I know.
Just weep at my
rock ally.
Jen, watch whatever garbage
Netflix show.
I'm just sobbing over this dog.
Never.
It wasn't as good as
my little puppy.
All right, everybody.
Let us know in the comments below.
What you were thinking about
luminous arise and possessors.
And stay tuned for a jam-packed
day of super fun, kind of funny content.
Until next time, love you all.
Goodbye.
Never.
