LastStandMedia - Sacred Symbols, Episode 337: The Thread

Hey Boys, Quick update on the DualSense stick-drift saga: I grabbed one of those sleek all-black PS5 controllers about a week ago. Gorgeous piece of hardware, but—surprise—I’m already seeing a slight drift on the right stick. For context, I’m a 35-year-old dude who treats his controllers like a responsible adult. This is my fifth DualSense, and every single one has developed some level of drift—right stick, left stick, doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s from all the L3-to-sprint or R3-to-crouch abuse, but isn’t that par for the course with most games? Anyway, hope you guys have an awesome holiday break, and thanks for all that you do!

The Great Santini

2024-12-12 07:04:51 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Men End of the year wrap up has come out or it did for the few that got the website to work. Did any of y'all manage to get a y'all's PlayStation Wrap Up? Also does it bother anyone else that these come out so early, if there were no problems and came out when it was supposed to then there were still 3 weeks left until the end of year. That's at least 60 more hours of gaming. Merry Christmas, Eleazar

Eleazar

2024-12-12 05:38:35 +0000 UTC

Hey Super Sacred Studs, Since Josef Fares confirmed that Hazelight Studios will reveal their next game at The Game Awards, what do you think it will be? Will it stick to their signature co-op style, or could they surprise us with something completely different? I personally would love to see another co-op platformer. Love all the amazing content and stay sexy my friends!

BlueMoose

2024-12-12 04:58:49 +0000 UTC

Nubby say game of the year is…. Coming next year. Cheers and happy holidays

Lars Serny

2024-12-12 04:36:16 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Symbols people, Colin I wanted to write in about the UnitedHealthcare CEO's Death. A while back on Constellation, you made the comment in reference to the Bryan Kohberger Murder case on how it is virtually impossible to get away with murder in modern times because of how there is cameras everywhere! Luigi Mangione, did everything that someone should do, he paid with Cash instead with a card to not be traced, He created a ghost gun, so he couldn't be traced. But in the end, they got clear footage of the guys face from a taxi camera that was mounted allowing the police to identify him by face so much that a Mcdonald's employee just mere days later recognized his face and alerted him to the police which ended up being the end for the guy. You are right Colin, it is impossible to get away with Murder in this day and age. THERE ARE CAMERAS EVERYWHERE!!!

Steven Campos

2024-12-12 04:32:53 +0000 UTC

Hi CDC, With the ongoing discussions around PS5 Pro patches, and considering statements from developers like CD Projekt Red explicitly stating they won’t release a PS5 Pro patch, it raises some questions. Are we unlikely to see many PS5 Pro patches for older titles, like Elden Ring, Dead Space or Final Fantasy XVI? Do you think the costs of developing these patches outweigh the benefits for studios? love to hear your thoughts on this. Wishing you guys a happy holiday season!

Joshua Stevens

2024-12-12 04:24:50 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Boys, on the subject of length and the quality of the quantity of games, I feel like the rise of streaming culture has played a major part in driving this trend. Studios are being driven to bloat games with content to maximize engagement, and with a recent article suggesting we spend more time watching games than playing them, it seems more true than ever. What are your thoughts, and happy holidays!

PuppetpalClem

2024-12-12 04:17:21 +0000 UTC

What’s up CDC, As a kid, I stopped PC gaming because I didn’t understand what Steam was or why I had to download it just to play Half-Life 2. So, I switched to consoles, specifically PlayStation. Over the years, I’ve become more agnostic about where I play, but I’ve always stuck with PlayStation for consoles. If the rumors about a new Steam console are true, that might mark the end of my PlayStation loyalty. My question is: if Valve is serious about making a legitimate console and goes all in, how does Sony compete with a company whose current platform sentiment is essentially, “Steam is a monopoly and thank god for that!”?

France

2024-12-12 04:13:09 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Crew With the Returnal Artbook and Comic Book coming out this week (I grabbed both of them) I was thinking about Returnal and it’s my favorite game this generation so far. Maybe even my favorite game of all time. What are you guy’s favorite game this generation? I actually discovered LSM through the Returnal spoiler cast. Also when do y’all think Housemarque is going again?

ShinyRyuji

2024-12-12 04:08:15 +0000 UTC

Hey Boys, first I wanted to congratulate you (mostly colin) on another game launch. I’m looking forward to seeing what people think when it releases. Second, I’ll be personally keeping track of the Game Awards Sacred Bets at home, it’s raised my excitement for the show quite a bit. Best, James S

James Soler

2024-12-12 03:46:34 +0000 UTC

Please do a live, or recorded reaction to the Game Awards, PLEASE, We will still get your settled thoughts on the podcast Seeing a live genuine reaction to a surprise announcement of this scale has REAL value, Trust and try it, and from my favorite podcast it would be the best Christmas present I’m sure many agree

Skull King

2024-12-12 03:24:49 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred crew, All of the GameStop talk from last week reminded me of a recent interaction I had while getting the PS5 Pro. As the employee was ringing up my trades, he said in a weirdly bragging voice “yeah, Microsoft did so well designing this generation, that Xbox doesn’t need a pro version”. I then politely reminded him that the PS5 Pro IS an Xbox. Hope y’all have a great Christmas.

Joe

2024-12-12 03:20:29 +0000 UTC

Greetings Mama Luigi's, Back in May, Hiroki Totoki Literature Club stated that HALF of PlayStation users hadn’t migrated over to PS5; an estimate of 59 Million people. When will publishers begin to abandon last gen consoles? I've been playing tons of Black Ops 6 and want to see a true current gen COD title. This year marks the 5th COD game to have a PS4 version. We’re already in the 2nd half of this generation and the PS4 is a year off from starting junior high. Perhaps GTA 6 will cause the shift.

Gettin' Jiggy Wit It

2024-12-12 03:03:39 +0000 UTC

Hey sacred lads, With Ubi shuting down XDefiant, is it finally time for them to pull the emergency lever and make a standalone Spies vs Mercs multiplayer game? I'm confident that Chris and I would be on it like a bonnet if we were to get a Siege-style SvM game.

black magic fuckery – the turmeric bussy

2024-12-12 03:01:56 +0000 UTC

Hi Sacred Boys, I’m a huge fan of the Portal, but hit a very aggravating thing tonight when I went to play. Version 4.0.1 came out and it wouldn’t let me play on my PS5 until the update was applied; not a huge deal until it tells me you need to charge it up to 50 percent to do so. Should Sony change this behavior and install updates as long as the Portal is plugged into power? What a wild decision to make for mandatory updates.

Tim Chaten

2024-12-12 02:21:04 +0000 UTC

Who would you boys assassinate if you were put in the shoes of our boy Luigi?

Zack Apuzzo

2024-12-12 02:21:04 +0000 UTC

GIVE IT UP MORIARTY. We the people of the missing generation ships, in order to form a more perfect union, demand the details of the physical release of Tri Breaker. Despite the fact it will be on my console digitally by the time this podcast goes live, It’s about time we hand over our hard earned government taxed income to both Lillymo and East Asiasoft for the opportunity to secure a disc version of this future pillar of gaming history. Don’t ‘Alan Wake 2’ us and give the dedicated people of your isolationist United States what they truly deserve. I’ll hang up and listen.

The Baffling Cultural Significance of SpongeBob

2024-12-12 02:20:29 +0000 UTC

What.

Jamie Hexum

2024-12-12 02:03:49 +0000 UTC

Ciao ragazzi, Please rank the following video game phenomena: 1. Treasure behind a waterfall 2. Several racing boost pads in a row 3. Finding mid game loot in the early game 4. Plasma grenade stick kill 5. Combining "key piece left" and "key piece right"

Marco Bruno

2024-12-12 01:45:38 +0000 UTC

Salutations boys, I am fortunate enough to be off from work for 16 whole days during this break! My ideas for that time are Horizon Remastered, FF6, Metaphor, Lego Horizon, Black Ops 6, and Stellar Blade. What's on your guys' docket for your break? Thanks, boys.

Miggy Azalea

2024-12-12 01:44:35 +0000 UTC

Aye boys, Shout out to Stalker 2 for setting the new standard in AAA development. If a dev cycle interrupted by a war can still produce a broken ass game, imagine what a AAA developer NOT near a warzone should be able to accomplish? Am I dreaming?

black magic fuckery – the turmeric bussy

2024-12-12 01:36:01 +0000 UTC

Good afternoon gents, Am I too understand this right but, aren’t the game awards nominees voted by the various industry outlets, YouTubers, etc. From what I have been seeing a heard everyone is in consensus that Shadow of Erdtree should not be Goty nominee. So how exactly did it make the cut ? Was an inside job ? I know this episode will drop after the award show. I believe it’s gonna win just to give the awards enough controversy and spice for 10th year Good days to you and happy holidays !

Jigszone

2024-12-12 01:34:37 +0000 UTC

Hello Gents, Can you recommend a double feature of a game that pairs well with a tv show or movie? I recently finished cyberpunk 2077 and immediately after watched blade runner 2049, which really heightened my enjoyment of both. Much appreciated, Raj

rajib basu

2024-12-12 01:17:30 +0000 UTC

Hey there CDC, I wanted to touch upon some of the discussions from last week regarding visual fidelity in game development. The reason why the jumps between the PS1, PS2 and thereafter the PS3 and PS4 were so huge was primarily because of the rate of advancement in lighting and texturing technology. In fact, during the PS4 generation, we hit a new high through something called Physically Based Rendering (PBR) which was originally developed by Pixar for Wreck-it-Ralph. This completely revolutionized the games and animation industry in terms of photo realism and graphics in general. PBR basically worked by finally providing a realistic light computation workflow where artists could mark any texture based on how metallic or rough they were and the algorithm would do the computation automatically. This vastly improved artist workflows and developed a consistent workflow to maintain high accuracy. However, as a tech enthusiast, I do not believe we are in anyway done with such inventions that will would once again change the entire landscape of visual fidelity and make us go “wow” in the future, because sometimes we just don’t know what we’re missing. We didn’t before PBR came in. In fact, I believe we’re in the middle - stuck with choosing between fidelity and performance as the machines are more powerful but not as powerful as we want them. Ray tracing might be one of those technologies, that if implemented properly, could redefine visuals, but I believe human ingenuity will come up with something that will once again blow our minds. It’s like Elon Musk figuring out we had to land rockets back on Earth to change the industry or Steve Jobs launching the iPhone! Those were a few thoughts of mine and apologies for the long geeky post. Thanks for reading and keep being amazing!

The Lazy Indian Gamer

2024-12-12 00:36:15 +0000 UTC

CDC, I don't know what plans or surprises LSM will hold for 2025, but I speak for the community and say we want one more spin-off Sacred Symbols podcast where the three of you just ONLY do various nerd sleuthing/southern gentleman voice. Make one ultimate recording and then drip feed it into the intro or end of the pod like a Seinfeld stand up before each episode. Or just a weekly Youtube short or something. Eitherway that shit is legit hilarious. It will be a hit. Cheers to another year, let's see what 2025 has is store for us all. Thank you and be well-ish.

OrochiNewsTeam

2024-12-12 00:35:34 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Gents, It’s the time of year for the annual Playstation Wrap-up, but in typical Sony fashion, they’ve tripped over their own feet when it comes to something that requires online functionality. I was met with errors on my PC browser and finally reached the site on my phone, but the graphics wouldn’t even load. Since then, the page only displays the message “We’ll be back soon”. Just like with the Game Awards, I wonder why they don’t just wait until January to give us the wrap-up. I take a couple of weeks off around Christmas and usually play 2-3 games, but those won’t be counted in the wrap-up. For a company at the top of its game as far as hardware sales go, Playstation can’t seem to get out of its own way when it comes to meaningful engagement with its customer base. Still, I look forward to a good year in 2025, even if we only get Ghost of Yotei from the first party studios. In 2024, I enjoyed games from my PS4 backlog the most.

TheHOOfan1

2024-12-12 00:26:16 +0000 UTC

Greetings Sacred Gents, What do you make of the numerous drone sightings in New Jersey? Are they from foreign adversaries scoping out our nuclear powerplants? Perhaps they hold Colin's long awaited EMP bombs? Dare I say they are the gamer batallion performing reconnaissance on people voting for Shadow of the Erdtree as game of the year? What say you?

Moist Milliam

2024-12-12 00:24:07 +0000 UTC

Home state? False. We all know Colin is the pride of Long Island.

OrochiNewsTeam

2024-12-12 00:10:50 +0000 UTC

Hey friends - Can PlayStation get their shit together with the User Interface? If I search for Sly 3 on the PS App or the store, it doesn't appear. I have to go to PS Premium and just scroll to find it. Similarly, finding games that are streaming (e.g. Killzone) requires manual scrolling instead of a search function. Mostly just a rant, but sounds like they have an optimization lead that is 30 under 30...maybe make it easier to get those sweet sweet $10 ad-hoc purchases or subs? Stepping off soapbox - All the best boys and enjoy the time off!

Trooper Farva

2024-12-11 23:42:32 +0000 UTC

Greetings Sacred Boys, We have a new challenger in the AI slop races, this time with Black Ops 6. It looks like a great deal of "art" used for the game's unblockable and purchaseable calling cards and loading screens are done by AI. The well known example that's been floating around the community is the six fingered zombie Santa Claus loading screen seen in the Christmas event. To make matters worse, some voice actors in the game are now being replaced due to the ongoing dispute between SAG-AFTRA and companies like Activision regarding AI use in voice acting. Is my write-in partly an excuse to hear Colin rant once again about the dangers of AI in art mediums, yes. But I also want to hear Chris and Dustin's opinion on this since they play the game. To quote the great Kirk Lazarus, "We lost, we fucking super lost man."

Dixie Normus

2024-12-11 23:38:58 +0000 UTC

.

KB

2024-12-11 23:30:14 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Boys, Just wanted to give a quick shout out of gratitude to the massive back catalog available for us Patrons. Within the last few weeks I finished both Resident Evil 4 remake and Spider-Man 2. I remembered that you recorded Sacred+ spoiler reviews and discussions for both games and was delighted to finally listen to some “new” Sacred content. Thank you for the plethora of content you guys give us at $5 level, truly the best deal I’ve seen on Patreon. Also definitely worth listening to these old episodes where you all discuss the potential of Sony’s live service games, the future of Insomniac before the leak, and more! Dustin, do you still hate open world games?? Just kidding. Happy holidays!

Connor F.

2024-12-11 23:30:00 +0000 UTC

Hey Colin, The Jets were officially eliminated from playoff contention last week. You said you’d talk about the Jets 1 more time this season and I figured now would be a good time. I was interested in what you would change for next season. I feel like Roger’s has been pretty terrible for the team, but I know they have many other problems too.

Thp00ky

2024-12-11 23:27:01 +0000 UTC

Oy governors! (British accent) As you’re aware PlayStation is “celebrating” its 30th anniversary. Over these last 30 years PlayStation has brought joy, and dread, to millions of people. What do you personally think are the 3 best decisions that Sony has made in regard to the PlayStation? (These can be anything from games being green lit, console choices, software features added (like trophy support), or just design choices. Etc.). I personally think the 3 best decisions are: -making the ps1 a 3D console -ps2 including a dvd player -ps4 library being playable on ps5. Happy holidays

Hand Solo Job

2024-12-11 23:18:36 +0000 UTC

Sup fellow nerds. I'm a chip tune composer/drummer who is heavily inspired by gamings 8 and 16 bit era, so naturally I put a major focus on the music in the games I play. The likes of Nobuo Uematsu, Koji Kondo, Yuzo Koshiro, Takashi Tateishi, David Wise and Tim Follin, to name a few, have all had a huge influence on my writing. The opening scene to Final Fantasy 4 as Cecil's Red Wings fly their way back to Baron....fucking hell, that scene is iconic. The track "Red Wings" that accompanies that scene is burnt into my mind as a core memory, a moment where music in video games was no longer a second thought to me, but a reason to play games. So gentlemen, who/what are some of your favourite game composers/game soundtracks? Also Colin I'd love to get your ears on some of my work if you'd be interested. Have a great holiday season gents.

Joshua Carew

2024-12-11 23:18:21 +0000 UTC

Colin thoughts on the Drone Invasion currently happening in your home state of New Jersey? Will we have to call in the gamer battalion?

Aiden Gonzalez

2024-12-11 23:12:24 +0000 UTC

Chris, the time is finally here. How are you enjoying Soul Reaver Remastered? Ive only gotten a couple hours in, but I've been impressed with the visual upgrades. It still plays like a ps1 game, but Aspire, yet again, perfectly recreated how the games looked in my memory. Its awesome seeing that intro cutscene remade. I'm excited to hear your thoughts!

Llogan from mmry.crd

2024-12-11 23:04:05 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, The Game Awards are tomorrow and an email states that “The Game Awards go live tomorrow, with performances by Snoop Dogg, Twenty One Pilots, and world premieres like Borderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, and the next game from Josef Fares.” If you cut out to watch and back in to comment, what did you think? If not, what do you hope to see or hope to get out it? Thanks for everything y’all do and keep slittin’ the chicken.

Tyler Garrett

2024-12-11 22:46:42 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Slits! Would you rather be immortal but in perpetual agony or indestructible with cancer? Cheers and please, don't stand down!

Chronic Everlasting

2024-12-11 22:31:02 +0000 UTC

Colin, as CEO of Last Stand Media- are you scared? Luigi is coming….

Diddy’s Dong Quest

2024-12-11 22:26:56 +0000 UTC

😂😂😂

Zach Wishnuff

2024-12-11 22:18:56 +0000 UTC

Hey Sexy Symbols, This question is primarily for Colin (sorry, D, & kinda sorry, C). With The Game Awards approaching, I was curious if you could give any insight to what it's like to be a member of the media that decides the awards. For example, does Kinda Funny get one vote per category, or does each member of the company get to vote? If the former, in your experience, was it just up to the head of the the company that dictates where each vote goes, is the deliberation, does each employee get assigned a category? Or something else? I was just curious, and any other insight into what it's like to pick awards most people don't even watch the show for would be appreciated. Cheers, and as always thanks for the awesome content. PS - Anyone on the crew play, or planning to play Metro Awakening? It's apparently very good on PSVR2.

A 388 Foot Man

2024-12-11 22:17:22 +0000 UTC

Hi DCC, Last week there was discussion on how would you market PS6. Then Chris mentioned not getting another social leap like we got during the 360/PS3 era. And lastly, Layden’s thoughts about losing attention to social media outlets, etc. This got me thinking. What about some kind of PlayStation social media app? Their own facebook or even tik tok where gamers can converse and share clips of gameplay. It can live on the PlayStation or even have a separate phone app. I’m sure this would be a huge financial risk and burden but it could support keeping people in the ecosystem while their attention wanes. What say you? Thanks boys

Ryan Champion

2024-12-11 22:07:20 +0000 UTC

Hello CDC, Recent game discussions across the internet got me thinking. Imagine an open world game that takes 30 hours to mainline the story, but about 50 hours to complete both the story and all the side quests. Two people play the same open world game for only 30 hours. Person A has mainlined the story never deviating to see any side quests, meanwhile Person B has NOT beaten the story but has explored the open world and played as many side quests as possible up till the 30 hour mark. Which player better understands the game? And who is more capable of reviewing this game? Thank you for another amazing podcast!

Tyler Valdanbrini

2024-12-11 22:04:33 +0000 UTC

Howdy Gentlemen! My city's government website recently added a new AI chatbot called EMMA that reminds me of Detroit: Become Human's start screen. Check out the uncanny AI for yourselves! www.amarillo.gov

Geovanni Cruz

2024-12-11 22:00:49 +0000 UTC

Hello Holiday Duders, You've talked before about games that remind you of the holidays / the winter break, but what types of games are you most looking to play when we hit the cozy season? Not just this year, but what do you get in the mood for when the temperatures drop, it gets dark out early, and the festivities are in full swing? I've got a lot of problems with you people, but I'll hang up and listen anyway. Season's Greetings to you and your families.

Ryan Lynch

2024-12-11 21:56:59 +0000 UTC

Greetings CDC, Would love for you guys to share some stats from this year’s PlayStatiom Wrap-Up. What were some numbers that you think are notable or surprising (assuming you were able to get in to the website in the first place)? I thought the style of this year’s wrap-up, as well as some stats like the monthly breakdowns and trophy milestones, made for a fun review of my year on PlayStation and I thought it was the most enjoyable format thus far. Despite the the fact that the website broke what seems like right after it launched…

Jack Fining

2024-12-11 21:39:16 +0000 UTC

Hi guys, so apparently there's going to be two 'holy shit' game announcements at the Game Awards - what are your guesses? Let's get it on record before the big night!

Hot through the shart

2024-12-11 21:38:53 +0000 UTC

Hey, SS Klan! Should Sony lean into the fact that they have an older, richer, but less available audience with more portable options? As a husband and dad, Metaphor Refantazio would have taken me half a year to finish if I was chained to my PS5 in my office. However, I finished it in a month on Steam Deck in my living room while hanging out with my daughter, watching Real Housewives of New Jersey, and mostly not annoying my wife. Portable options could also get these ridiculous budgets under control. Don't get me wrong, I love Eve's bodacious 4K booty. But I feel we're at the point of diminishing returns.

Bono Clay

2024-12-11 21:28:38 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, I was hoping we could discuss AI use in game dev that’s perhaps a bit different than what’s been discussed so far on the show. The conversation has mostly been around the use of AI with regards to creating art assets, writing, and music - in other words, creative endeavors. But what about its use in the more production related side of things? I work in project management and routinely use LLMs in all sorts of tasks that ultimately saves me many hours per week. This is where I see the greatest value from the tool and I assume most execs see the value there as well. Anyway, I just wanted to bring up the less spooky side of AI and where it will surely begin cutting the time to get a game in front of players. Thanks and Power to the players.

Tyler

2024-12-11 21:28:09 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, With the new anniversary theme, is it possible to change the start up sound? I loved the PS3 orchestral tuning to A start up sound. At the time I was the only person in my friend group with a PS3 and without a Xbox 360, and that sound made me feel like a sophisticated, discerning gamer.

BulletBukkake

2024-12-11 21:27:09 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, last week Colin mentioned holding off on Alan Wake 2 due to it being “botched” on PS5 Pro. However, I wanted to say that I’m playing it right now on the pro and on performance mode and it looks absolutely stunning and running smoothly . I wouldn’t hesitate to give it a shot now

Dorian

2024-12-11 21:19:59 +0000 UTC

Hello DCC, I hope everyone is doing well! What is your favorite chicken wing sauce? And do you favor the drum or the flat?

Michael J Sutherland

2024-12-11 21:15:27 +0000 UTC

This question is for the big guy but Chris or Dustin can answer too. Iron Meat is amazing! Did not know a Contra clone is what I needed right now. Anyways, when you play an obvious retro inspired game like this do you use the sticks or d pad for movement? I hate the d pad usually but something about it feels so right with a game like this. Thanks boys!

Kyle Day

2024-12-11 21:10:01 +0000 UTC

Colin. I was t going to write in this week. But I'm listening to you talk to Ricky boy as I write this. And you say only the Lions and the Browns are in the same scenario? Dude. What!? I'm a Bengals fan. Not only have we NEVER won a super bowl, like the Jets HAVE. They've made it twice and lost TWICE. We also made it to the playoffs 4 years in a row with Dalton and lost first game in playoffs 4 YEARS in a ROW. Bengals fans are certainly in this conversation. I'm not disputing the ones you mentioned, I am saying that my pain is heavy as well

SourdoughNorsk

2024-12-11 21:05:52 +0000 UTC

Hello fine fellows! Long time first time. I had to write in this week as last week you said how the BBC or ‘Auntie’ as it is called here in Blighty definitely no longer has the reputation as a reliable news source. It does lazy journalism and has proved over the years how politically biased it is when it comes to things like Brexit, lockdown, the US election and recently some farmers protests against inheritance tax measures. So the fact they gave the PlayStation bosses a soft ball interview doesn’t surprise me. As an aside, me and my wife had a baby 8 weeks ago now. I have managed to play about 3 hours of metaphor but otherwise your podcast is my only connection to the gaming world. Wishing you all a happy Christmas

Euan Scott

2024-12-11 21:03:52 +0000 UTC

Gentleman. Have you seen Threat interactive's video on why modern games are poorly optimised and UE5? It was fascinating, and it did explain alot of what I was seeing in many modern games compared to the PS4 era. Merry Christmas!

Andrew Simmons

2024-12-11 20:58:51 +0000 UTC

Hey masters, with the recent president election many companies are now going away from DEI stuff. With Avowed already getting backlashes from it do you think western game developers will move away from that trend ?

Dante Martins

2024-12-11 20:58:36 +0000 UTC

1. China has a larger population 2. The 3 gacha games all are offering in game bonuses if they win

NickBLeaveIt

2024-12-11 20:54:32 +0000 UTC

Dear Sacred Tastemakers, I've just taken a look at IGN's Game of the Year noms. In a moment that pitched my day's nose forward and down into the pits of Hell, I noticed a game called Infinity Nikki on there. "What the fuck is this, and how is it Game of the Year material?" you might ask. Well, I certainly did. I went on to check OpenCritic, and the game has insanely high scores across the board. So I started reading into the blurbs for these reviews. All I'm seeing is that it's a game about making dresses for a child. And every single review, despite scoring it a 9 or a 10, laments the "predatory use of microtransactions". In the words of Colin, "How can this be?!" How is a game this predatory (in multiple ways) being nodded at as GOTY material? Can you guys please discuss this so I stop feeling entirely insane? Thanks! Cun

KeanuReeve

2024-12-11 20:52:26 +0000 UTC

CDC, I live in metro Detroit and just went to the Dominican Republic. I brought my Portal and it worked PERFECTLY, I was hooked up to shitty hotel wifi, and my PS5 Pro is ethernet back-channeled through a Mesh network. My question is, does Sony really need a handheld to play current games, or is the ability to remote play current games and play PS4 and earlier games enough? After this trip, I think it's the latter. Happy holidays and keep a rockin!

Josh Kisskalt

2024-12-11 20:52:21 +0000 UTC

Howdy, boys. Thoughts on the Ananta trailer? I know none of you are into gacha games, but I’d like your reactions nonetheless. It looks great to me, but I desperately wish it was just a 50-100 hour RPG. However, with MiHoYo’s success, I guess you can’t blame others for trying to get in on the genre, eh? Incredibly lucrative. Thanks, Austin P.S. Ananta sounds like a deaf person saying Atlanta.

Bill Cosby singing Baby, It’s Cold Outside

2024-12-11 20:51:51 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, I picked up PSVR2 during Black Friday and, after the VR discussion last week, I wanted to give a quick PSA to you guys and other owners to look into the Globular Cluster CMP2 Comfortable Mod for PSVR2. It's a bit steep at $50, but it makes a huge difference in comfort and clarity of the headset. Like Colin, I was having issues with finding the "sweet spot" and found it was because the weight of the unit kept shifting the position, thus losing focus. If nothing else, the added comfort makes it easier to play for longer without issues. Thanks as always for the great shows and I hope you all have a wonderful end of year break.

Chris Morton

2024-12-11 20:48:47 +0000 UTC

Greetings Sacred Gurus, With the rumoured Playstation handheld and the meteoric success of other handheld gaming systems in recent years, how much of this would you attribute to the COVID Gaming surge, and more importantly the removal of lockdown restrictions years later? The highs that the gaming industry achieved during COVID were staggering, and I can’t help but feel that the further push for advanced handheld gaming systems such as Steam Deck, ROG Ally and others was heavily influenced by the need to maintain this base, lest they touch grass and move on from gaming. I know Colin is big into his alternate history, so what would you all think if COVID lockdown had persisted and the ability or need to travel remained nearly non-existent? I’ll hang up and listen - wishing you all a wonderful holiday season, and a well deserved break as we head into 2025.

Unsharted Drake’s Misfortune

2024-12-11 20:48:12 +0000 UTC

Do we conflate art style with non-realism? Ghost of Tsushima’s art style is its use of colors, all of the leaves and flowers blowing in the wind, the armor design. The Last of Us is defined by its overgrown vegetation and broken cities. No one would confuse the characters and locations of God of War with Horizon, because the style and designs are completely different, yet all of these games are hyper-realistic. Meanwhile the series Ratchet and Clank gets no love… Just say you want Sony to make a cel-shaded game instead of saying that their output has no style.

Fat Gotenks

2024-12-11 20:42:08 +0000 UTC

Hey crew, I want to start a debate between Chris and Dustin because I’m messy. Chris posted that Indiana Jones Temple of Doom is the best in the trilogy. Then I saw Dustin give Temple of Doom 1 in a half stars on letterbox. Now debate. Let the games begin.

PortalBuster

2024-12-11 20:41:30 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Boys, I have a hypothetical for the crew. You get $100 Million but you have hiccups for the rest of your life. The catch is that time between hiccups and the severity of each hiccup doubles after every hiccup. It won't take long before there are weeks, months, years, and even decades between hiccups, but they will become severe to the point they feel like heart attacks/strokes and require short stays at the hospital. Is generational level wealth worth the discomfort and pain?

Drake Heinhorst

2024-12-11 20:41:12 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, We love to talk about generational leaps, but which generation had the best advancement from beginning to end. We often cite drakes fortune to last of us in the ps3 gen, but I think gameplay wise games in the PS2 gen advanced more. Series like Sly and Jak evolved from linear stage based platformers to open worlds or hubs. They then added multiple playable characters and gameplay elements. Thanks, Joe

Joseph Losinno

2024-12-11 20:40:49 +0000 UTC

Hi DCC, This YouTube video that came out a few days ago shows a guy who bought an imperfect GPU and CPU for the PS5 and was able to run PS3 games fine on it : https://youtu.be/_zbw_A9dIWM?si=B3k1kzqhQGGAg8Qn With it able to work mypcs3 on Linux and many PS3 games were seamlessly able to work on this hardware. What is Sony's excuse now regarding the lack of PS3 emulation on the PS5? If a hobbyist is able to do something like this on imperfect chips that don't would have rejected what is the excuse of the multi billion dollar corporation's? Why can't Sony just license Mypcs3 and use it on their console? Hopefully we get real answers sometime soon.

Card Captor Corey

2024-12-11 20:40:05 +0000 UTC

What’s good sacred schlongs? I was recently thinking back to my golden era of gaming on the 360, and I was reminiscing about how if you changed your ‘language & locale’ settings to Japanese you would gain unique stars and symbols that you could apply to your bio / motto on your profile. These weren’t available for use when English was selected. This was quite a niche ‘feature’ if you could call it that, but nonetheless a fond memory as it wasn’t common knowledge to most players, and instead was just a little fun and unique trick to customise your profile a little more deeply, which made me feel cool when I was but a wee boy. What are some of your fondest niche or lesser-known features from your favourite consoles or games? Cheers from the U.K lads

Spinkick-Fil-A

2024-12-11 20:29:25 +0000 UTC

Hey CdC Just got myself a ps portal. Is their a better device for someone who is married, whose wife wants someone to sit on the couch with them while she watches her holiday hallmark movies. I find the portal even more impressive than the ps5. What kind of features would you like to see Sony add to the device. One thing I wish is that we could use the media apps on ps5 instead of having to use the apps on the smart tv. Hope you all have a great holiday

Trevor Varang

2024-12-11 20:28:46 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, Not a Playstation game (yet), but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle seems to be another great title from Machine Games that's true to the spirit of the original three films. So true in fact, on Twitter I saw the game has a shot for shot recreation of the boulder chase scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark fully playable. This looked sick to me and I think it's awesome that the devs included this. However, I saw online that some gamers think this is terrible, with one quote tweet saying that this an example of the industry's unending obsession with being compared to films as a perceived higher art form. What do you guys think? Does this part of the game go too far as an ode to the first film?

Sean Sheehan

2024-12-11 20:27:22 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, Colin, much has been made about how our boy Dustin looks like JD Vance. If you guys werent such nerds you wouldve realised that he REALLY looks like NBA superstar Luka Doncic. This is why i formally request Dustin wear a Dallas Mavericks jersey on a future episode. Chris could also wear a Miami Dophins hoodie to round out the sports themed cosplay for your two baby boys. Love the show.

Izzy Smalls

2024-12-11 20:26:41 +0000 UTC

Hey fats, Is the story of Luigi Mangione evading authorities for almost a week, in a country with the second highest amount of CCTV cameras in the world, only for him to be caught in a McDonald's the most American thing ever? It could have only been topped by Donald waving him off in the back of a police car from the drive thru window. Stay gorgeous.

Bobby T

2024-12-11 20:26:28 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, Forget the Playstation wrap up. We are all here for the Pornhub wrap up. Most interesting to me was 'most searched compared to other states'. Some stand outs were Washington - Milking Connecticut - Queef Minnesota - Hentai Maine - Hairy bush And the ever imaginative South Dakota - Hot babes Cheers. Phil

Phil Walker

2024-12-11 20:26:26 +0000 UTC

Howdy SS Officers, Have you ever come to the realization of how much you’ve changed as a person through the re-experiencing of a piece of media? I am currently going through this while watching a TV show that I haven’t watched since I was 20 (I’m 25 now). I am identifying and relating with completely different characters and starting to hate ones that I used to root for. This has really highlighted to me for the first time just how different my mindset and values have changed over the past 20% of my life. Is this a familiar experience to any of you? If so, what piece of media was it and what realizations did you come to? All the best and Merry Christmas from the frigid plains of Saskatchewan.

Holzer19

2024-12-11 20:25:55 +0000 UTC

Greetings, sirs. I might be out of the loop because I get the grand majority of my gaming news and information from this podcast but it seems like there's a severe lack of interviews from the creative forces in gaming. There are a few exceptions, of course, but I think it would be fascinating to sit down with game designers to see what they were thinking when working on a game. Especially ones that didn't do well. Why did they think a design choice was the right call? Why did they think changing mechanics between the original and sequel was a good idea? Do these interviews actually exist and I just don't see them, or is there a reason there isn't more openness in the games industry about this stuff?

Tony Palylyk

2024-12-11 20:25:50 +0000 UTC

Gentlemen, I am in dire need of advice. I have been, as you like to put it, placed in a situation. I am a newish team lead at a blue collar job. Before I took the job I was warned that one of my employees was super lazy. Well... I'm pretty sure he's actually mentally retarded or challenged in some way. The other guys on the team are really upset they have to keep picking up his slack and complaining to me. When brought to my manager I was told, "You just need to keep building him up to the level of the other guys." She also told me if he actually has a disability that he doesn't have to disclose it. The other day I asked him how his day was and he responded with incoherent rambling??? Several times I've seen him do things like, bring a Mason jar of hotdogs in and eat them straight out of the jar... no bun or anything! I don't wanna be the guy that's mean to the retarded person at work but I feel as though that's what my company wants me to do. The other option is that he is a criminal mastermind pretending to be mentally challenged so that no one asks him to do anything, which is actually working. Please help :(

Seth Slykhuis

2024-12-11 20:24:06 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC: Did you see Famitsu celebrate the 30th anniversary with their list of best 30 PlayStation games of all time? (They polled their readers). Looks like 53% PS1, 30% PS2, a handful of PS3 and PS4, and no PS5 selections. (12) Monster Hunter: World - PS4 (11) FF8 - PS1 (10) DQ7 - PS1 (9) Ridge Racer - PS1 (8) Arc the Lad 2 - PS1 (7) Metal Gear Solid - PS1 (6) Monster Hunter - PSP 3rdG (5) Resident Evil - PS1 (4) FF10 - PS2 (3) Xenogears - PS1 (2) Monster Hunter - PSP 2ndG (1) FF7 - PS1

towtansua

2024-12-11 20:20:13 +0000 UTC

Howdy CDC, I'm someone who listens to podcasts constantly when alone in the house or driving alone because the conversation makes me feel less alone (no doubt deep seeded trauma but that is unrelated to the question). Due to spending so much time listening to y'all, sometimes I feel like I've grown to know y'all, even though I wouldn't be able to identify any of you if I ran into you in public and in reality, know very little about you besides what is said on podcasts. How do you feel about these parasocial bonds you've made with people as a content creator?

End of Heartache

2024-12-11 20:19:17 +0000 UTC

Hey fruitcakes, The topic of new hardware often comes up as it did recently on the show, with much discussion on how Sony could sell a PS6, and what its capabilities might be. I enjoy these conversations, but don't you think the singular limiting principle in game development has become asset creation rather than hardware constraints? In other words, suppose Sony was able to release hardware that was technically capable of providing a PS1 to PS2 level graphical jump. What does that matter from a practical perspective when publishers regularly employ thousands of developers on the biggest games? I have a theory that when Nintendo's hardware reaches the event horizon of diminishing returns that the other hardware manufacturers have reached (or will soon reach) then there will be no reason not to have quality 3rd party ports on their hardware, and that fact in conjunction with their always popular 1st party content could herald a new golden age for Nintendo being the dominant player in the space once again.

Cornbread

2024-12-11 20:18:21 +0000 UTC

Hey Colin, Chris and Dustin. I don't mean to bring the mood down (and if it does, feel free not to read it,) but my aunt just died a couple of days ago. She was more than just an aunt to us. As a Puerto Rican man with a small family, our titi was like a second mother. She bought me many great NES and SNES games as a kid for Christmas and took me to some bad movies I forced her to see. I'm devastated that I've spent my last holiday season with her. It was sudden and unexpected. I just wanted to thank you guys as your podcasts, especially Constellation, as they have gotten me through hard times and will continue to help offer a distraction in the coming months. I also wanted the audience to know that we can worry about so much, like what we don't have and what the future holds. That's all important, but not more than family and health. Especially during this season, let them know how much they are loved, even if you're arguing at the time. Love you guys. Have a great holiday and tell Dagan not to be too upset us Mets fans got Juan Soto.

Jaime DeJesus

2024-12-11 20:16:27 +0000 UTC

What does the skull emoji mean?

Jake Z

2024-12-11 20:13:47 +0000 UTC

Dearest Sacred Bruhs, Has there ever been a better time to not buy new games? Looking at my year end wrap ups I barely played any games that came out in 2024. While I enjoyed Tekken 8 and Astro Bot and platinumed both, the bulk of my time this year was spent on games like Cyberpunk, Midnight Suns, Far Cry 6, Gran Turismo 7, Elden Ring and the various Castlevania collections. Especially when old games get great new DLC, like Phantom Liberty and Erdtree, it's been nice to just play stuff I missed or didn't have time for when it came out. Did any of your wrap ups show a similar trend? Thanks and God Bless Us, every one.

TeethMummy

2024-12-11 20:13:05 +0000 UTC

Dear Colin As someone who listens to over a 100 new albums every year, it usually makes me want to end it all anytime you talk about modern music. That being said, hearing you try to pronounce Charli XCX as a Roman numeral last week was one of the most unintentionally funny things I’ve heard in quite a while. The following is a list of other popular artists with names that your 90s rap rock brain may not be able to comprehend. Would love to see you take a crack at these. Much love to you all. Have a BRAT winter. SZA Khraungbin STRFKR xaviersobased 100 Gecs Yves Tumor Mk.gee 6LACK Tove Lo Hovvdy Alvvays

Mattveego

2024-12-11 20:12:01 +0000 UTC

Good morning Gamists, Congratulations are in order for Canada's finest, Barry Johnson. Evidently, Tri Breaker is a good video game! As of December 11, it received an 8/10 from Noisy Pixel and an 8.5/10 from Xbox Tavern. Even a more negative review from I Dream Of Indie Games acknowledged that the main issue for them was the humor not landing. Is this the power of the Big, Big (J) D (Vance)? Excited to try it soon! Much love, Chris's Uncle Lucho, who should absolutely be in the next game.

Christopher Maldonado's Uncle Lucho

2024-12-11 20:11:51 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, I recently tried a game called Parcel Corps because it seemed like a blend of Paper Boy and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. When I booted it up and started playing, I was 30 minutes and realized this game would not let me play it. It started with a tutorial, moved on to selecting which team I wanted to be a part of, and then when I finally thought I was free, I was inundated with lengthy dialog from characters every time I tried to get a mission. I feel like this isn't the first time this has happened to me recently. What the hell is going on with games today? I just wanted to do bicycle deliveries and have a good time, but apparently this game needed copious amounts of dialog in the first 30 minutes that now I won't ever see the rest. Have a great Christmas gentlemen.

Brucie Thomas

2024-12-11 20:11:38 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC! The C&G Live intros were iconic with the video clips ahead of the live show. If you were to bring in something similar to launch Sacred Symbols, what clips are must use? Biden's "Look, fat"? Arthur Morgan's"Welllll..."? Elaine's "We have a George"? Curb? It's Always Sunny? The possibilities are endless with well established SS Lore. Anyways, keep on keeping on to the LSM crew.

Grant McNeil

2024-12-11 20:11:17 +0000 UTC

Hello capitalist Colin. Any thought of ever making LSM license plate frames? I've been looking for a good one for my new car and haven't found "the one" yet.

Chris Adams

2024-12-11 20:11:11 +0000 UTC

Sacred Gentleman, Does the rumor about Steam making its OS available to third parties have any effect on PlayStation putting their games out on Steam?

NeighBuRrR

2024-12-11 20:10:58 +0000 UTC

No?

Javin Mather

2024-12-11 20:09:52 +0000 UTC

Bro had this shit copy and pasted waiting

NeighBuRrR

2024-12-11 20:09:12 +0000 UTC

lol

towtansua

2024-12-11 20:09:06 +0000 UTC

Sacrilegious Symbols, Chris & Dustin question: Now having the PS5 Pro, do you find yourself even less inclined to play things on Xbox? Personally I find I'm running out of any justifiable reason to use my Xbox anymore because of it.

David Graham

2024-12-11 20:09:02 +0000 UTC

Howdy Sacred Elves. As we get closer to Christmas I must ask what's your favourite Christmas movie? If you don't have one what's your favourite festive special or episode of a show you love? Thanks and keep fucking that goose

Matt The Outlaw 🤠

2024-12-11 20:08:58 +0000 UTC

Now that Bloodbourne has been officially announced for a remaster will y’all be jumping in?

Yo mamas so fat I had to rent a server farm just download a picture and I still didnt have enough space!!

2024-12-11 20:08:00 +0000 UTC

Sers of Houses Moriarty, Furman, and Maldonado, Indiana Jones has been received ample praise across the industry, and even at only 3-4 hours in, I can say I'm having a great time with it. A game with this sense of adventure has been missing from Xbox's catalogue for some time. What do you feel is the most glaring hole in Sony's 1st and 2nd party offerings? Many will say an in-depth addictive multiplayer game/game as service, but what else might they be lacking you'd love to be filled? And how would they go about setting that hypothetical title apart from others in its respective genre?

Javin Mather

2024-12-11 20:07:27 +0000 UTC

Colin is autistic but he isn't retarded

Matt The Outlaw 🤠

2024-12-11 20:07:20 +0000 UTC

Hello Controversial Rogue, Weebish Wizard, and Comical Bard I have a crazy question so strap in I'm going to take y'all on a wild ride... As consoles get more advanced breaking their barrier with PC will their price exponentially grow defeating the purpose they were made compared to the PC? Hopefully prices will reset but a drastic change will have to be made to the most expensive hobby in the world. So what say you, Weilders Of The Sacred Symbols, what are y'alls take on the future price of console gaming? And as always STAND DOWN from F'n that chicken 😉🐔

BMJ614

2024-12-11 20:06:29 +0000 UTC

People complaining about PlayStation wrap-up not working must be asking for their 2024 wrap-up… when 2024 isn’t over. Talk about stupid is as stupid does.