Julius

Game Informer have an interview up about Valhalla. In summary:

No Direct planned for June? Shame, because Nintendo has been really consistent in my opinion with their E3 Directs and presence since the Switch launch, but I totally get it. I don't see them just uploading a bunch of trailers to their YouTube channel either, so I wonder when we'll next see one? *cough* July 1st *cough*

Enjoy the CG trailer: Cross-gen unsurprisingly confirmed at the end there, along with Holiday 2020. Guess we'll see more in June or during the Series X reveal, whichever comes first?

Well, turns out Official PlayStation Magazine has been torn to shreds over this and that their cover likely means nothing for the PS5 reveal. My bad guys. That misunderstanding has now been replaced by GamesBeat editor Jeffrey Grubb commenting over on ResetEra that the PS5 event will be June 4th. The wait continues.

Yeah, I won't be either. Even if I were a diehard Halo fan (spoiler: have only briefly dabbled with previous games at friends' houses growing up, so that's not the case), knowing that this game would be available on PC and Xbox One anyways means that there's no reason for me to pick up a Series X yet. With Phil Spencer reiterating time and time again certain things that make it sound like there isn't going to be an experience which is Series X exclusive for the next few years anyways (and even, for PC gamers there's almost always your PC for this), a practise which is by all means great PR move for the community but a terrible business one, I just don't see why you'd want to pick one up on day one, unless you fall into a small number of players who are either a) head over heels for Xbox, or more likely in my opinion, b) only interested in one or two titles (Halo, Forza) running the best that they can on a console (so likely without a gaming PC) and have the disposable income to do so. And that group is only getting smaller and smaller every single day given the current economic climate, not to mention the concern for the RRP for this thing at launch. I think the PS5 is a much easier sell right now, assuming that they don't overprice this thing, and I expect it to hit the ground running when it comes to sales. As @Hero-of-Time mentioned, the support from a practically reborn and certainly revitalised Japanese gaming industry (I've read a bit about how difficult the transition was for them to PS3/Xbox 360, so I'm blown away by what we've had this gen) for the PS4 has been astounding, and knowing that games like Persona 6, Final Fantasy VII Remake Part II, Yakuza, whatever Konami might or might not have in the oven, etc., will very likely either be console - or at the very least timed - exclusives for PS5 means that I know for a fact I'll be picking up a PS5 at some point, and considering that I don't have a Pro and that there are already some PS4 games that I would like to revisit (next to the pile I've yet to play), backwards compatibility means that I'm happy to pick up a PS5 on day one. And this is all before we even begin to mention the abundance of Western developers, and the first party exclusive offerings they've got cooking too. And there's no way they're going to launch without a killer app...right??? But I digress. I think at least on day one - unless Sony completely implode during the reveal, don't have that killer app at launch, and manage to pull off Xbox One E3 2013 levels of stupidity - PS5 beats out the Series X pretty comfortably. I just can't see, after the PS4, how it couldn't. But I want the Series X to succeed. Xbox have so many great things going on (unfortunately from my perspective at the moment, this is outside of their software), and I would love to experience the Halo games at some point. Even though I have a gaming PC (mostly for some things outside of gaming) which could probably run those games pretty well, I want Xbox to convince me to play those games on Series X so I don't have to faff around with getting an adapter and Xbox controller (probably wouldn't feel right otherwise) just to play those games on PC. If they have the game's then I could get there, but between the Switch and PS4 catalogues, and potential PS5 catalogue, they've really got to turn this around within the first year or two from a software perspective. I think competition is always great, and PlayStation have been dragging their feet on many things that Xbox have been pushing recently (the adaptive controller, things like Game Pass...pretty much everything @Ronnie mentioned above), so at the very least I just want to see them competing to the point that we consumers win, and the industry and its future is pushed.

So it includes their promotions like the $1/£1 deal they ran a few months ago, but damn if this isn't great news for Xbox Game Pass heading into next gen. Definitely got a foot up on PlayStation in this space right now. It'll be interesting to see how Game Pass is pushed heading into next gen, and if (when?) PlayStation push Now forwards like this.

Damn, 15 studios worked together on this game. Apparently "only" 7 studios worked together on Odyssey.

After a stream today which depicted some of the design of the box art, we finally have confirmation that the premiere of the game we've heard rumours about for quite some time now is on its way tomorrow. Time for the next gen announcements to begin! Even if this will probably be cross-gen UPDATE - 30/04/20: Holiday 2020, cross-gen confirmed.

I'm not sure how far you got into the show, but I do think that it helps to view Lelouch not from the perspective of the actions he takes or the words that he says, but from the perspective of why he's doing those things. There were multiple times where I thought he was coming across unlikeable, but it's worth remembering that he's wearing a lot of masks, and his actions/words don't always make his intentions clear. I hear you on the school anime tropes, I'm not usually the biggest fan of them either, and there's way less of that in R2 in general. Again, it's kind of one of those masks that Lelouch wears. Some of the best character development and setup for plot points are related to his school life, though, so I think the show is better for it. And no, it didn't come across like that! Definitely a case of different strokes for different folks, I didn't have the best time with Death Note for example (but still saw it through to the end, and there's still leads to enjoy) and probably have a few opinions about the medium that some anime fans would think make me a heretic. I think if I thought about it enough I could probably poke a couple of holes into the plot, or suggest things that could be better, but I prefer to just experience anime rather than think of it too critically, like I might games or films. I'd recommend trying it again, for sure, because it'd be awesome if you enjoyed it, but I'm saying that from the perspective of someone that really liked the show. It's one of those rare cases where I think that if you're not in after the first episode, you might not have a good time with it, and I don't think there's anything I'd ever recommend forcing yourself to get through

Well I wasn't planning on getting onto this until next weekend...but I started Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 yesterday evening, and just finished it tonight. To keep it short, it does pretty much everything that I can think of better than the first season, as it feels like it's capitalising on everything that the first season sets up from practically the very beginning. It's funny, creative, intelligent in its storytelling style, the dub is great once again, as is the animation, has an excellent soundtrack, great characters and development, and excellently placed and executed foreshadowing. And I was very nearly crying at the end. Man, that ending The fan service unfortunately is still very much there (arguably worse than the first season at times?), but it doesn't at all get in the way of the show. It didn't in the first season either, but I considered it less of a nuisance this time around, perhaps unfortunately because I was used to it, but maybe also because there's very little downtime when things like that are going on this time around. Definitely one of my least favourite tropes in the medium, but hey, I'm sure someone enjoys that. 10/10. I'm sure someone's going to notice my scores are pretty high, and admittedly most of my scores are split between 8/10 and 9/10 scores, but this is only the fourth anime TV series I've scored a 10/10 on MAL (for those curious, the others are Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Steins;Gate, and Hunter x Hunter), and I've only given two films this score too (Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away). So make of that what you will And okay, so maybe the OP isn't as good as in the first season, but hey, I think World's End gives COLORS a good run for its money!

Looks like the reveal could take place in May?

Oh man, I needed that laugh after today

Man, they seem hellbent on getting TLOU2 and Ghost out this summer, before PS5, huh? I'm taking that as a sign that there's no way they don't have something special up their sleeve for the PS5 launch. EDIT: And there's no way that this wasn't changed by the leaks in the last 24 hours or so. Going from an indefinite delay to a delay of only three weeks? There's no way that the issue with disc printing has been resolved as quickly as that, or at least to the extent that they would like.

I knew that was coming as soon as I saw that @Map posted on the thread Thanks for the update, guess it's time to make sure I'm not working that Saturday...

Blood doing a Don't Skip and giving his thoughts on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini: Really great to see the Allies start to churn out more Don't Skip videos since the "rebrand" with a new logo and intro music back in August of last year. Them narrating their own scripts makes it all the sweeter, because as much as I love Jones's voice in the review videos, this makes it so much more personable. Would love if they could commit to perhaps one per month, and took it in turns. It never has to be anything big, just their thoughts on a game fresh to them as it has been up to this point.

Episode IX is being added to Disney+ on May 4th, so they put out a little Saga trailer now that all of the films will be on there. So this May 4th on Disney+ we currently have: - Episode IX debut on Disney+ - The Clone Wars S7 E12, the final episode of the show - Mando BTS docuseries debut I wonder if we get an announcement/reveal to round that day off too, such as whatever's next from Lucasfilm Animation (I've got a strong idea of what this is going to be already, so that'd be exciting) or a premiere date for the start of The Mandalorian S2? Latter seems a little less likely to me because I'm not sure how much the current situation has affected production, so I imagine the Animation team hasn't been impacted quite as drastically. With SWC, which is scheduled for August, currently being up in the air, it wouldn't surprise me if we get something new revealed on that day. Seems unlikely that it'd be related to a movie if it does happen, based on the current situation, though.

Japanese Twitter account has posted a bunch of renders and screenshots of the main characters. They look fantastic! Really can't wait for this!

While I can appreciate why they're upset and did this, the total disregard and disrespect shown for their own work on the project (not to mention that of their coworkers) by spoiling this for fans is always hard for me to understand, because it doesn't actually hurt the sales too much in the long run and gives the issue the spotlight for a split second. Unless a YouTube video or something absolutely blows up with this, I doubt that more than 10% of fans hear about this - and most would still likely buy the game anyways. Feel like contacting Schreier or someone like that might've made the most sense to get more eyes on this, and then just threatening ND to follow through on releasing spoilers if nothing was done. Instead, fans are spoiled and so is the works of their coworkers. I've also got to question how the rest of the industry will look at this - will they understand that they were disgruntled and will be people be ready to take them on, or will this person now essentially be blacklisted from working in the industry altogether, as they likely broke NDA? Again: not saying that this person shouldn't have done this, because I understand that they're tired of putting up with this nonsense. We've heard about Naughty Dog for a while working people into the ground, and that's not on - plain and simple. I just can't help but feel that there were more constructive and progressive ways to help them move towards resolving the issue that could have come from this.

Yeah, looking back at it my "hollow" comment I suppose was more a selfish one in a way - it just feels weird to me, and of course I'd selfishly love for him to stay. But yeah, I absolutely agree with you in that I'm happy that they're leaving in amicable terms, and I get that the feeling that if Kyle ever did change his mind and wanted to return, the Allies would be happy to look for a way to do that. I'm glad that they gave us a heads-up well ahead of time (5 or 6 weeks) that he was leaving, and that Kyle first talked to the guys about it back in January during the annual meeting. I guess I'm happy too that this isn't a case of people being phased/faded out, and that they've been really open with some of the decisions they're making, including taking this is an opportunity to restructure EZA's content to an extent. I checked out his appearance on MinnMax too (if people don't already, it's worth checking out, as it's from a bunch of former Game Informer guys, a lovely bunch, though Hanson is easily my favourite of them - same when back at GI, actually, besides his chemistry with Leo - and they seem to be making a habit of interviewing people leaving the gaming industry/moving elsewhere! Also have some great game discussions in their Deepest Dive show) and totally agree that I'm a little concerned for his plans. Even before COVID-19 played out as it has, being on a waiting list for uni and your plans being in limbo as a result sounds like it would raise a lot of doubts over what's next, so I'm glad that he mentioned he'll be looking to apply elsewhere too, and having rough travel plans as a backup seems a bit odd, but I suppose if Kyle wants to improve himself, it's definitely one way to do that. And about new hires: I'm honestly not too sure. On the 100th episode of Frame Trap, Ben and Damiani (and Kyle) spoke at length about what they would want to change about Easy Allies, and as much as I love their content, Damiani brought up a great point that sometimes it feels like they're not as focused as they could be, and seem to be split between giving their all to two very different sides of EZA. Personally, I think it shows in some of the content outside of Frame Trap and the main podcast. I think this is a great opportunity for the Allies to take some time and see what things are like without Kyle - it's weird, because I would say that he was the only member without a specified "role"/career path, which I think might have made added to the difficulty in the long run for him to stay driven. A new addition could really split the community I feel - there's just no chance that they'll feel like a worthy "replacement" to Kyle, whether that comparison is justified or not, and it will take them a whole to adjust their on-screen persona and chemistry with the guys - but from what Jones was saying, it seems like he would like to have someone come in more to help with the review side of things than anything else. I get what he was saying about being unable to offer that person a fixed salary, though, so it's a weird one, and would kind of be akin to the example Ian often gives about his time at a startup and the startup mentality; not suggesting that the guys would treat someone like that, but there's no doubt that it would be weird to join an eight person company with everyone else being a founder of said company. I'm excited to see where Kyle goes in the end, and to see how the Allies adjust moving forwards with all of this.

After taking a bit of a break to digest MGS2 and spend some time with some of my other hobbies this weekend, I put a bit under 3 hours into the start of MGS3 this evening. Like with MGS2 HD, the game looks stunning for a PS2 game, and, one or two textures side, could easily get away with being a mid-gen PS3 game. Love the stronger focus on narrative so far than in the previous two games by this point, awesome cinematography and direction once again, and I'm a big fan of Cold War era stories, so this is right up my alley so far. Gameplay mechanics like camouflage, injuries (and how you go about curing them), and FINALLY getting to enjoy the series with a third person camera mean that I'm really enjoying my time so far from a gameplay perspective, too. I've caught a glance of batteries, too, so the emphasis on realistic survival is sinking in, and I'm finally getting to go at that much slower and more methodical pace that I mentioned not being the case in the first two. Also, the intro cinematic (which doesn't "unlock" until you move onto Operation Snake Eater - awesome touch) reminds me a lot of the James Bond intros, and I love it: For anyone wondering, I've just met up with EVA. Can't wait to play some more of this tomorrow

Started my second viewing of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion yesterday with a 15 episode binge, and finished it today 10 episodes later. R2 (the second season) wasn't really available at the time when I first watched the show a few years ago, but now that it is, I can finally check it out after rewatching CG. Lelouch Lamperouge is an incredible character, and though there are loads of great characters in this, he undoubtedly steals the show - reminds me a lot of Light in Death Note in that way (besides a similar core concept driving the show, though I think the scale is more suitable for that sort of power in Code Geass than I found it in Death Note). Watching the dub again, and it's very strong overall. Awesome mechs. Compelling narrative. Political intrigue. Explores deep and interesting themes and topics like discrimination, lineage, and control. Really interesting character philosophies and gripping motivations. Some of the twists and turns are both shocking and heartbreaking, in a way which lifts this show up - it isn't afraid of consequences and challenging your expectations. Great strategy to the way some battles play out, and a very rich depth and history to the world. Really cool soundtrack, a lot of moody trumpets. Only downside, as has somehow become even more noticeable this time around, is the level of fan service. Some unnecessary nudity, in that it doesn't really add or take away from a scene, it's kind of just there which takes you out of it a little - it hits you when you realise people went out of their way to animate those scenes, when it doesn't really vibe so well with the rest of the show, and is clearly just there for a certain type of fan. There's also a scene which will undoubtedly make most viewers pretty uncomfortable. And way too many butt/cleavage shots, some even in the middle of battle sequences - again, it just takes you out of it, and doesn't serve much of a purpose. It's a bit of a shame, because this show is as amazing as I remember it being when I first watched it a few years ago, and it's the only sour note in an otherwise excellent anime. OP3 has a great song, but somewhat poor presentation, and is filled with major plot points, so I won't put that here. But yeah, it's a great song. OP2? Not so much. COLORS on the other hand, the first OP, is without a doubt one of my favourites: I'll give the show the same score I first gave it: 9/10. It's incredible. Onto R2.

Yeah, The Clone Wars unfortunately takes a little while to get going (I'd say that Rebels has a similar issue). The animation being dated is kind of part of it in a way, with Lucas fronting a lot of the money to push CG animation, and it's processes, forward some, in order to make the process cheaper not just for Lucasfilm moving forwards, but most TV animation as a whole. The animation and stories certainly get stronger as it goes on, though as I've mentioned here previously, I'd recommend watching the show in the canonical chronological order instead of release order, as it makes much more sense and seems to flow better that way (even if it still takes a little while to get going). Honestly, when all is said and done, I think that this final arc (the last 4 episodes) will be condensed into a film, and could potentially standalone as such. However, the main protagonist is a character introduced in the show's movie (again, it was a case of putting in the money there to streamline their processes and improve animation moving forwards) over a decade ago, the "antagonist" is a character returning from the films, but a lot of character development has taken place since his return in the show, and seeing as the show has done so well at fleshing out the clones and we're building up to Order 66, that moment could potentially not hit as hard for someone not as familiar with the show, when compared with someone who has experienced most/all of it. It also deals with Mandalore, which has been a big part of a number of arcs, so I'm not sure how you might feel about being unfamiliar with certain characters from there. Maybe my judgment is being clouded from me being around these characters for more than half of my life at this point, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask, but if you are familiar enough with Revenge of the Sith (this final arc runs parallel to the film's events) and a particular piece of information from Solo, then I think you could potentially still get quite a bit of enjoyment out of it - again, not as much as someone who has watched the whole series, but I do think that a lot of the characters are self-explanatory/hinted at enough to get a feel for them, though you might not understand and appreciate their history with one another as such...it's an odd one. I'd say check out the rest of the show at some point (again, some of the best Star Wars stories you can find are in this show), but if what I'm saying about the final arc in particular is making your ears perk up...I'd say go for it. The animation quality is on another level when compared with even other episodes from earlier this season, and it running parallel to one of the films might make it easier to follow than a lot of the rest of the show. The two most recent episodes of Season 7 are the ones to check out if you want to do this, and seeing as we're only halfway through the arc at the moment (next one is this coming Friday, and then the final one is Monday 4th May), if you have any questions about certain things, or want to know which arcs I'd suggest checking out as vital to this arc to potentially get a better understanding of it, I'd be more than happy to let you know

Just finished watching Kyle's last EZA podcast. No news, all talk about the future of the main podcast. Feel pretty hollow right now. Confident about Jones taking over with Blood as permanent co-host, about some of the changes they have in mind for the podcast/general workflow, and the future of EZA on the whole. For those who have mentioned not being the biggest fans of Kyle's comedic bits, while there will still likely be bits around just based on how close these guys are, Jones is planning a somewhat more serious podcast, but of course it's subject to change as he gets to grips with it all. Also looking forward to seeing Kyle elsewhere (like on his MinnMax podcast appearance this week with Ben Hanson - probably two of the best gaming podcast hosts around) and the potential for him to crank some stuff out on his YT channel like he did early on in/just before EZA. Said he'll be streaming a bunch on Twitch too. Nervously excited for next week's podcast. Going to be really weird, but exciting times. Probably won't sink in until we get the next big press conference from someone, like the PS5 blowout or something like that. What a wild ride. Kyle and the Allies helped me get to sleep years ago when I just couldn't, they were the voices that were there for me when others weren't. This whole thing has really put into perspective for me that I need to step back more and appreciate the good things - smell the roses - because you just never know when a good thing is going to end. Never take a good thing for granted. Love & Respect N-E

And credits are rolling on MGS2. Yeah, that camera doesn't hold up at times, in my opinion. But the cast of characters were great and varied, there's some excellent cinematography and music to back it up, and some great twists and turns (though one or two of the bigger ones I guess I snagged onto). Grin on my face at times, eyes welling up at others. The opening to the game felt like a demo/prologue, which was interesting and fun, though I feel like the middle has some pacing issues and probably the most issues of any part of the game. The final third is absolutely worth putting up with that camera and middle section for, though: best character moments/interactions, story beats, and gameplay moments, in my opinion. Plenty of commentary on identity and control in the Information Age too, which I loved. And that post-credits clip, and then the stinger to tease Going to let it ruminate a little longer before I figure out exactly where I stand on it, guess I'll stick that in the Gaming Diary, but camera aside, big thumbs up from me