Featuring:
Merve
The Kappa
Tereglith
Science is Bad
Doctuar
3rdstringhero
Timestamps:
0:15 – Introduction
4:55 – The Game Awards
31:15 – Industry Consolidation and Acquisitions
48:50 – Unionization
51:50 – E3’s Cancellation
58:20 – EA and FIFA Cut Ties
1:14:20 – Google Announces Stadia Shutdown
1:25:50 – Tereglith’s Top 2
1:27:20 – Science is Bad’s Top 3
1:35:20 – Doctuar’s Top 3
1:38:50 – 3rdstringhero’s Top 3
1:43:15 – The Kappa’s #5: Grounded
1:52:15 – Merve’s #5: Kirby and the Forgotten Land
1:56:10 – The Kappa’s #4: TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
2:01:20 – Merve’s #4: Xenoblade Chronicles 3
2:12:55 – The Kappa’s #3: PowerWash Simulator
2:19:55 – Merve’s #3: NORCO
2:25:15 – The Kappa’s #3: Pentiment
2:38:50 – Merve’s #2: Neon White
2:46:15 – The Kappa’s #1: Total War: Warhammer III
2:59:20 – Merve’s #1: Pentiment
3:17:30 – Worst Games and Disappointments of 2022, Part 1
3:48:50 – The Future of Dragon Age
3:54:40 – Worst Games and Disappointments of 2022, Part 2
4:04:40 – Gaming Surprises
4:19:25 – Conclusion
Download Link: https://archive.org/details/avocadogamescast_ep88
Podcast header image from Pentiment. Highlight text throughout this linkdump to reveal spoilers. Content warning for discussions of domestic abuse. Spoiler warnings for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and the Dragon Age series. Disclaimers and timestamps for warnings after the jump.
Introduction (0:15)
Official Canadian government webpage about the shortage of infant and children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen. (Source: Health Canada)Wikipedia article on febrile seizures.The Game Awards (4:55)
Official website for The Game Awards.Wikipedia article on The Game Awards 2022.Announce trailer for Crime Boss: Rockay City. (Source: PlayStation on YouTube)Reveal trailer for Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. (Source: BANDAI NAMCO Europe on YouTube)TGA 2022 teaser trailer for Death Stranding 2. (Source: KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on YouTube)Reveal trailer for Hades II. (Source: Supergiant Games on YouTube)Reveal trailer for Judas. (Source: PlayStation on YouTube)Official announce trailer for Transformers: Reactivate. (Source: Hasbro Pulse on YouTube)Announcement trailer for Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. (Source: Nintendo of America on YouTube)World premiere reveal trailer for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. (Source: PlayStation on YouTube)Reveal trailer for Hellboy Web of Wyrd. (Source: PlayStation on YouTube)Information on Steam’s Game Awards giveaway. (Source: Steam Support)Wikipedia article on Silicon Valley.Wikipedia article on the Simpsons episode “Last Exit to Springfield.”Wikipedia article on Universal Windows Platform (UWP).News article on Milf Hunter winning a Steam Deck. (Source: Kotaku)Industry Consolidation and Acquisitions (31:15)
DISCLAIMER: Allegations of domestic abuse and sexual misconduct against High On Life creator Justin Roiland had not yet surfaced at the time of recording. We apologize for any apparent insensitivity.
Unionization (48:50)
Article on QA testers at Raven Software unionizing. (Source: The Washington Post)Article on QA workers at Keywords Studios unionizing. (Source: Polygon)Article on QA workers at Blizzard Albany unionizing. (Source: Polygon)Article on Microsoft signing a labour neutrality agreement with the CWA. (Source: Polygon)E3’s Cancellation (51:50)
Article on E3’s cancellation in 2022. (Source: IGN)Article on E3’s return in 2023. (Source: GameSpot)EA and FIFA Cut Ties (58:20)
Article on EA and FIFA cutting ties. (Source: Sports Illustrated)Wikipedia article on eFootball.Wikipedia article on the NFL 2K series.Correction: The current president of FIFA is Gianni Infantino, not Sepp Blatter. (Source: Wikipedia)Wikipedia article on FIFA 23.Correction: The UEFA European Football Championship (colloquially referred to as the “Euro Cup”) is not featured in EA’s soccer games. (Sources: Wikipedia and Electronic Arts)Clarification: The community market Merve was talking about is called Mercado La Paloma.Wikipedia article on Seattle Sounders FC.Wikipedia article on Paris Saint-Germain F.C.Google Announces Stadia Shutdown (1:14:20)
Article on Stadia’s shutdown. (Source: The Verge)Wikipedia article on David Zaslav.Article on Nvidia shutting down GameStream. (Source: PCWorld)Wikipedia article on G-Sync.Tereglith’s Top 2 (1:25:50)
#2: Spider Solitaire (One Suit). (OnlineSoloGames.com page)#1: Into the Breach: Advanced Edition Update. (Steam store page)Science is Bad’s Top 3 (1:27:20)
#3: Elden Ring. (Steam store page)#2: NORCO. (Steam store page)#1: Signalis. (Steam store page)Doctuar’s Top 3 (1:35:20)
#3: The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow. (Steam store page)#2: Return to Monkey Island. (Steam store page)#1: Elden Ring. (Steam store page)3rdstringhero’s Top 3 (1:38:50)
#3: Neon White. (Steam store page)#2: Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters.(Steam store page)#1: Genshin Impact.(Official website)The Kappa’s #5: Grounded (1:43:15)
#5: Grounded. (Steam store page)Merve’s #5: Kirby and the Forgotten Land (1:52:15)
#5: Kirby and the Forgotten Land. (Nintendo store page)Correction: The name of the studio that made the game is HAL Laboratory, Inc.; it’s not pluralized. (Source: Wikipedia)The Kappa’s #4: TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge (1:56:10)
#4: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. (Steam store page)Steam store page for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection.Merve’s #4: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2:01:20)
MINOR SPOILERS: Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
The Kappa’s #3: PowerWash Simulator (2:12:55)
#3: PowerWash Simulator. (Steam store page)Information on Season 3: “Plaguefall” of Deep Rock Galactic. (Source: Steam)Correction: Square Enix published PowerWash Simulator, but it was developed by FuturLab. (Source: Steam)Merve’s #3: NORCO (2:19:55)
#3: NORCO. (Steam store page)Confirmation: Norco is an acronym for New Orleans Refining Company. (Source: Wikipedia)Urban Dictionary entry on L’appel du vide.The Kappa’s #2: Pentiment (2:25:15)
#2: Pentiment. (Steam store page)Some of the books director Josh Sawyer referenced for game. (Source: @jesawyer on Twitter)A suggested reading list for Pentiment. Correction: The Name of the Rose is set in the 14th century, not the 13th. (Source: Xbox Wire)Merve’s #2: Neon White (2:38:50)
#2: Neon White. (Steam store page)The Neon White soundtrack, Part 1 and Part 2. (Source: Machine Girl on Bandcamp)EA app page for Titanfall 2.The Kappa’s #1: Total War: Warhammer III (2:46:15)
#1: Total War: Warhammer III. (Steam store page)Gamespot’s outlier review of the game.Steam store page for Frostpunk.Merve’s #1: Pentiment (2:59:20)
CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of domestic abuse
Worst Games and Disappointments of 2022, Part 1 (3:17:30)
Nintendo store page for A Memoir Blue.Wikipedia article on Annapurna Interactive.The studios implicated in emotional abuse scandals were Mountains, Fullbright, and Funomena, all of which had publishing deals with Annapurna Interactive at some point. (Source: People Make Games on YouTube)Xbox store page for Deathloop.Correction: Dishonored was co-developed by Arkane Lyon and Arkane Austin. (Source: Wikipedia)Wikipedia articles on Happy Death Day and Groundhog Day.Nintendo store page for Silt.Epic games store page for Saints Row (2022).Article on Volition moving from Deep Silver to Gearbox. (Source: Video Games Chronicle)The Future of Dragon Age (3:48:50)
MAJOR SPOILERS: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Worst Games and Disappointments of 2022, Part 2 (3:54:40)
Steam store page for Covid Simulator.Steam store page for Ghostwire: Tokyo – Prelude.Steam store page for Babylon’s Fall.Correction: PlatinumGames opened its new Tokyo studio after Babylon’s Fall’s originally planned release year of 2019, so it is unlikely that the new studio opened for the purpose of working on the game. (Source: Wikipedia)Correction: Babylon’s Fall actually sold 5,109 physical copies in its first week in Japan. (Digital copies are not included in that figure.) That may be more than 3,000 copies, but it’s still not a lot! (Source: @Genki_JPN on Twitter)Article on Babylon’s Fall’s announced shutdown. (Source: IGN)Wikipedia article on the cancelled game Scalebound. Correction: The game was not exclusively single-player; it was slated to feature a four-player co-op mode.An interview with Dashiell Wood, who was at one point the sole concurrent player of Babylon’s Fall on Steam. (Source: Rock Paper Shotgun)Gaming Surprises (4:04:40)
Official website for Wordle.itch.io page for Platformer Toolkit.Wikipedia article on Marvel Snap.Article on Fortnite’s Zero Build mode. (Source: Polygon)Steam store page for Vampire Survivors.Conclusion (4:19:25)
