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Video game news that reflects on the latest trends and cultural impacts brought on by gaming. From the perspective of a few guys who wish they had more time to play video games!
Episodes
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
There's more Microsoft/Blizzard acquisition news and also some insight into the cost of making video games. Steam deck has a competitor and you can now invite a friend to play games with you in game pass ... sort of.
http://www.joystickandmouse.com
http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/
https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse
Show Notes
Despite recent signs that it was softening its stance on Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the U.K.’s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, has announced that it has decided to formally block the deal.
https://www.polygon.com/23698816/microsoft-activision-blizzard-deal-uk-cma-block
When the Asus ROG Ally windows PC gaming handheld was originally revealed, it seemed like just another quick cash-in on the popularity of the Steam Deck. The specs turned out to be quite impressive, however, and now the price looks almost too good to be true. The Verge reports the Ally will only cost $700, just $50 more than the most expensive version of Valve’s handheld.
https://kotaku.com/steam-deck-asus-rog-ally-price-windows-switch-gaming-pc-1850382546
One thing to come out of the Microsoft/Blizzard acquisition is that there has been quite a bit of information about the video game industry itself made public because of filings and court proceedings. Well one of those things has been just how much it costs to make a AAA title and as we expected, it is quite a lot.
https://kotaku.com/microsoft-activision-blizzard-call-duty-gta-vi-halo-1850391113
Game Pass PC is full of great games, and a new referral program now lets you invite friends to play them with you free for two weeks. The new benefit arrives alongside Redfall, Xbox’s latest co-op shooter featuring an eerie open world and lots of vampires.
https://kotaku.com/xbox-game-pass-free-trial-redfall-minecraft-starfield-1850397083
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Lots of Microsoft news and not much of it good. Those little flying crashing exploding birds get a new home and we may actually get to catch the snitch and whomp a bludger or two in an upcoming game.
http://www.joystickandmouse.com
http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/
Show Notes
In a low key move on April 6th, Microsoft shut down emulation on the XBox consoles. This had the small but passionate emulator community up in arms. It brings up the question for us though ... Why? what does Microsoft get out of this?
https://kotaku.com/xbox-series-x-s-emulation-ps2-wii-gamecube-piracy-1850309874
Sega looks to get into the mobile market by purchasing the Finnish company Rovio. If that company sounds familiar thats because they are the one behind the Angry Birds phenomenon. So what does this mean for our little sling shot bird friends?
https://www.polygon.com/23686123/sega-rovio-acquisition-angry-birds
So when I gave my review of Hogwarts Legacy, one of my gripes was, How do you put out an open world Harry Potter game and not include Quidditch? Well, that issue is about to be solved ... well sort of. This is not on Legacy but a new game is coming that allows players to play Quidditch. It's a stand-alone, multiplayer game that looks amazing and just what we wanted.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/harry-potter-competitive-multiplayer-game-quidditch-champions-announced/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/harry-potter-quidditch-champions-everything-we-know/1100-6513357/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa1d
When Joseph Staten left Microsoft and XBox specifically earlier this year it signaled that changes in the Halo franchise were on the horizon. This week, that became very evident with the departure of Frank O'Connors. O'Connors was a long time fixture with the Halo franchise and it definitely signals that Microsoft is taking Halo in a different direction.
https://www.ign.com/articles/longtime-halo-developer-frank-oconnors-departure-confirmed-by-microsoft
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Microvision/Blizzard gets over a huge hurdle on its way to being approved. Continuing from our topic last show, here's another twist on the simulator games. Surprise, some players aren't happy with their FIFA ratings and there was this little conference this past weekend.
http://www.joystickandmouse.com
http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/
https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse
Show Notes
In what could be a decisive tipping point for Microsoft’s chances of completing its deal to purchase Activision/Blizzard, the U.K. regulator — previously thought to be the most likely to block the acquisition on anticompetitive grounds — has indicated it is setting aside some of its main concerns, specifically around Call of Duty. The Competition and Markets Authority said March 24 that new data analysis indicated that making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox would not be in Microsoft’s interest.
https://www.polygon.com/23546288/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-deal-merger-ftc-latest-news
So remember how last show how we talked about simulation games and we wondered how they are so popular. Well I ran across another article this week that talks about these games but gives it a whole new wrinkle.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/mar/25/flight-simulator-for-tractors-how-a-video-game-is-enticing-farmers-on-to-xbox
FIFA, for the very first time this year, included NWSL teams in the game. Some players weren't happy with their ratings though and well, frankly, that's nothing new.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/womens-soccer-players-take-issue-likeness-fifa-video-game-fans-say-glitch
PAX East 2023 was this past weekend, and this is usually the lesser of the shows where some smaller companies are highlighted. This year has all but abandoned the idea of the “AAA” hitter. You won’t find Microsoft or Sony, and while Nintendo’s at the show, they’ve elected to show attendees how to play the Pokémon trading card game rather than divulge Tears of the Kingdom details. More on that later. So lets take a look at what they did announce.
https://punishedbacklog.com/tag/pax-east-2023/
Review
Hogwarts Legacy - Diddi
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Ghostcrawler is off to new endeavors. How do they pick what game to work on next. Lets go farming and immersion is all the rage.
Show Notes
Citing a combination of personal loss and professional considerations, Greg Street announced that he has stepped down from Riot Games today. The former World of Warcraft Lead Systems Designer has been at Riot for the last nine years, spending at least three of them heading the development a new MMORPG set in the League of Legends universe.
https://www.wowhead.com/news/greg-street-aka-ghostcrawler-stepping-down-from-riot-games-331704?webhook
Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has explained the process the studio went through when deciding which game to develop next. This article wan't that informative and basically said NaughtyDog can do whatever they want because they were successful but it got me thinking about how do companies pick what game they are going to produce next.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/neil-druckmann-explains-how-naughty-dog-chose-its-next-unannounced-game/
Joysticks (Controllers) are the go to peripheral but what about some of those other ones over the years that we miss and would like to see back?
https://www.vg247.com/bring-back-incredible-video-game-peripherals-you-cowards
Why are simulators of boring activities so popular
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-popularity-of-mundane-video-games/
Picture this ... TIME IS RUNNING out inside the Gamebox, and you've got to jump or die. You're a contestant in Squid Game, the hit South Korean Netflix series, but in this interactive version, you're playing inside an illuminated cube measuring 12 feet in each direction.
https://www.wired.com/story/immersive-gameboxes-irl-cooperative-gaming/
Review
Atomic Heart - Diddi
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
We have a very special episode today where we are going to hit on a news worthy game article and then go into our main topic which of course was the Super Bowl and specifically what was the best commercial.
http://www.joystickandmouse.com
http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse
Show Notes
Blizzard - Activision workers are mad at president Mike Ybarra after an all-hands meeting that was held last week. I though am going to take this as a positive because their complaints wern't about working conditions or abuse but were about the same thing that workers complain about in most of corporate America. AThings like oing back to the office, executive pay disparity and employee satisfaction survey results which as we all know, nobody looks at.
https://www.polygon.com/23604013/blizzard-entertainment-mike-ybarra-qa-meeting
Jay Dime's Philidelphia Eagles took on my brothers Kansas City Chiefs this past week in the penultimate American Football competition with the Chiefs coming out on top with a 38 - 35 victory on a last second field goal by Harrison Butker.
https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/event-info/
https://www.espn.com/nfl/super-bowl/
OK, on to the reason most folks watch the game, the commercials. Lets take a look at our favorites and which ones hit and which ones didn't ... rabbits anyone?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/Ad-Meter/2023/02/13/best-2023-super-bowl-commercials-voted-usa-today-ad-meter/11247208002/
https://www.cnet.com/culture/sports/super-bowl-commercials-2023-watch-all-the-big-ads-from-sundays-big-game/
https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/event-info/archive/super-bowl-54-commercials
Mention this.
https://www.gameinformer.com/2023/02/21/microsoft-signs-10-year-deal-to-bring-call-of-duty-to-nintendo
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
The nerd community lost a very talented actress. Blizzard paid a hefty fine but in the end it was just pocket change for them and the grammy goes to ...
Show Notes
Acclaimed actress Annie Wersching has passed away at the age of 45 after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was best known for her role as Renee Walker in 24 but as I found out, she was alost the voice of Tess in the original The Last of Us video game.
https://www.ign.com/articles/annie-wersching-the-last-of-us-game-and-24-actress-dies-at-45
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1156709/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Activision Blizzard will pay $35 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges that the company broke government rules on whistleblower protection and investor disclosure. The SEC launched an investigation into the World of Warcraft and Call of Duty publisher months after California’s Civil Rights Department, previously called the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, filed its sexual harassment lawsuit lawsuit in 2021.
https://www.polygon.com/23584578/activision-blizzard-sec-settlement
Activision Blizzard has released fourth quarter financial results for the year of 2022, announcing record-breaking quarterly net bookings and the highest quarterly net bookings to date reported by Blizzard
https://www.wowhead.com/news/activision-blizzard-fourth-quarter-2022-financial-results-record-breaking-growth-331344?webhook
For the first time the Grammys had a category for music in a video game. This years innaugral award once again confirmed, just like the Oscars do every year, that the organizations that present these awards have no clue what america is really watching or listening to. We did learn though that Randy Rainbow (yes, that's really his name) does not play video games.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/grammy-awards-listen-to-nominees-for-best-score-for-video-games-2022/
https://www.grammy.com/videos/assassins-creed-wins-best-score-soundtrack-video-games-interactive-media-2023-grammys-premiere-ceremony
https://kotaku.com/grammy-grammys-video-game-score-soundtrack-valhalla-1850076648
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Blizzard goes dark in China. The playstation VR is HOW much and is The Last of Us the best video game adaptation ever.
http://www.joystickandmouse.com
http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse
Show Notes
Today’s the day most Blizzard games go offline in China. After failing to reach a deal with publishing partner NetEase, Blizzard has shuttered most of its games in the country, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, and Diablo.
https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-games-go-dark-in-china-with-no-return-in-sight-this-is-so-tragic-says-former-hearthstone-director/
https://www.icy-veins.com/forums/topic/69664-netease-message-to-chinese-blizzard-game-players/
https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/23/23567868/activision-blizzard-china-netease-world-of-warcraft
Sony put two new products up for presale this week and damn are they expensive. First off is the Playstation VR2 that starts at $549 and that's with no game. Next they drop a $200 controller on us. Do we think these are too expensive or about right?
https://blog.playstation.com/2022/11/02/playstation-vr2-launches-in-february-at-549-99/
https://direct.playstation.com/en-us/playstation-vr2
https://www.theverge.com/23564531/sony-dualsense-edge-wireless-controller-ps5-features-review
Since we last recorded, HBO's "The Last of Us" has aired and it is fantastic. So lets talk about what we like, don't like and what we want to see in upcoming episodes.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-star-anna-torv-on-that-horrific-episode-2-climax/1100-6510751/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa1d
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us
Review
Per Mrs Diddi (@Udella) - Dreamlight Valley
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
2022 Video Game Year in Review
Review
Forspoken Demo - Diddi
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
This episode deals with the 2022 Video Game Awards and how Diddi sent his poop in the mail. Come give a listen and see if you agree with our takes.
Show Notes:
https://www.ign.com/articles/the-game-awards-2022-winners
https://thegameawards.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_Awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-game-awards-2022-results-all-the-winners/
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
By the time this episode is posted the Video Game Awards show will have happened already but today we are going to take a look at the main categories and give our take of the nominees.
Show Notes:
2022 Video Game Award Nominees
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_Awards
Game Review:
As Dusk Falls - JayDimes