PixlBit

7 main series games total (0-6), the two Kiwami remakes, at least two set in feudal Japan, a PSP game and something else I'm forgetting, I'm sure. 

Intro response:

Nice Peter impression; I think we should gamify everything, especially education; Every. fucking. thing.; You want me to start downloading the podcasts so I can upload them to Spotify and "give you the keys?"

Y'all do have pretty damn good audio for Skype. Does everyone use prosumer-level mics, or what? 

I still need to go back and listen to each Chrono Crossing. I loved that segment, but I get why it had to begin and end where it did. 

Julian & Patrick's Stage Select Response:

I don't really run into pay-to-play because I avoid free-to-play almost altogether. I will concur with not feeling like jumping back into really involved games like Witcher 3, however. 

Was mindless tasks or pointless open world exploration Julian's #3? Either way, this is why I prefer 10-15 hour games that are full of action and I can replay because those hours are actually fun. 

I have kind of the reverse problem of Patrick's #2, where I often feel the final boss is too easy because of how I've been able to build my character. By the time I finish a Zelda, I've got enough hearts to suck out most of the tension (and even then, fairies), and I usually have such an arsenal by the time I fight Ridley in a 2D Metroid that it's just a war of attrition I can win pretty quickly. I say 2D Metroid specifically, cause that thing at the end of Prime is never easy. 

I never did watch HIMYM beyond a couple random episodes. I just remember the one where Barney plays "Shot through the Heart" by Bon Jovi in a limo a bunch of times. Speaking of number of times, I again have more or less the opposite gripe where I really do want a counter for things. I don't mind hearing it out loud, even if it's just being hinted at, as long as they just say it once or twice and aren't constantly spouting it ... constant spouting of anything by NPCs or game characters being a HUGE peeve of mine I may not have mentioned. Honestly, that should be #1 for me, but I bet it isn't. Anyway, I like the counters, especially if they're just in the menu. 

I do get annoyed by having to guess the timing of combos in any fighting game. Sometimes it's too hard to cancel, even in a dedicated fighter. 

Ok, so is #1 Patrick not being sure what jumps he can make? I don't really have much of an opinion on that, I just feel like I looked over at Facebook for a second and got lost. Because what the hell was Julian's #2? I get annoyed when Nathan Drake self-corrects so hard when he's jumping that he looks like an airborne ragdoll though. Kinda ruins the immersion when I'm literally unable to fail. Also, holy shit, scaling walls is a nightmare in some games, so I totally get where Julian is coming from. 

Ok, so what was Julian's #2? And I 100% agree with the idiot-proofing sidekick chatter. I mind that a hell of a lot more than tutorial levels ... which I actually think are kinda nice. Not that I usually need them, I just think they're nice. Sometimes I feel like staying in Kokiri Village for a while. It's peaceful. 

I miss instruction manuals so much, and I wish the digital ones weren't so half-assed and came with some cool artwork like the GOOD OL' DAYS TM. 

Stage Select Audience Reply:

TO HELL WITH STEALTH MISSIONS IN EVERYTHING. You have to be in the exact right spot to not get caught in portions of Gravity Rush 2 that have no business existing. I would easily take repetitive fetch quests over that shit. 

And I'm of course with SA on repetitive voice clips, but I kinda miss bad voice acting. Not really, but it can be nostalgic and a bit funny. 

I've always been kind of impressed by how scripts are changed to match lips in anime, so I'm a bit surprised that's not the practice in the original Japanese. 

I honestly loved the jumps scares in Arkham Knight; I know I've talked with the poster of that about it. 

I need to go back to Until Dawn and get all the trophies. I hate vague dialogue choices as well though. So many times a Life is Strange character has been much more bitchy than what I meant to say. In a way, it's realistic, because I think that happens pretty often when I type at people I'm not speaking with in person. 

I don't hate motion controls as a rule, but I do get tired of games where the PS4 controller wants to move things for you. Gravity Rush 2 is again the primary offender I'm thinking of. I swear I actually like that game, but it does some shit ... (and yes, I know you can change the motion in options, but it never seems to fully take).

That's about an hour and six minutes in. I'll come back and listen to this E3 2019 Switch talk. 

The non-stealth parts of Gravity Rush 2 are fun, yet repetitive. Gameranx's review of 2 described it as a "solid 7.5 kinda game" and I totally agree with that assessment for both games, though I still have yet to finish 2. The anti-gravity mechanics are fun to use and the games are decent, short action/adventure fare. What does sometimes get to me is how easy it is to run into geometry, and the games have parts that are very standard and kinda dull, hence the 7.5. I'd recommend them on sale. 

It is kinda tedious if you're not a beginner, but I also find the arcade mode somewhat enjoyable and the lessons outside the songs are helpful/help you keep your chops up. Honestly, if the game would just let me see the damn tabs outside of the song player, it'd be great. 

I guess I'll see. 

Well, shit shit shit shit shit. 

I dig the iced coffees as well. I don't need the heat, just the caffeine and sometimes flavor.

Yeah, so far I'm agreeing, except that the story seems decent and I can't compare to older games, having not played them.

I think BG&E would be fine if it allowed me to play with a controller. That game was NOT made for keyboard and mouse, so whoever decided that needed to be the input on PC was smoking something.

I completely forgot Ni No Kuni II came out this year ... then again, I know I won't like the gameplay and really just want it for the art style. 

I got sick of For Honor quick. I didn't see the depth everyone was talking about upon its release and games without stories just don't really appeal to me as a single player gamer. 

Let me know how you like it though. Imagine you can play that with Mark. 

Congrats on weight loss. I got down to 204 recently and seem to be losing the recommended 2 pounds a week, so not bad. 

I still want to read my All Our Wrong Todays novel, but first I'll finish the very short Power Paradox book from my nonfiction book club. 

Do they have the penultimate demo available?