Bored Certified Gaming Podcast

The Oscars wrapped up this past weekend. The best actors and directors in the world got together to give each other high fives and celebrate how good they have been over the last year. Some left with little golden men statutes, others left with their millions of dollars still intact.

In thinking about movies and how they relate to video games, Andy decided to look at all of the movies based on video games that have released in his lifetime. Unlike Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, they have not aged well. Huge video game franchises like Super Mario Bros. and Mortal Kombat were finally being put on the big screen. Unfortunately, they were just as quickly taken off of it. They're all kind of bad, but some are just less so.

Hopefully someday the great minds of cinema will use their powers of good to make better video game movies, but we'll have to stick with Tomb Raider and Detective Pikachu in the meantime.

Game delays aren't fun, but they also aren't without purpose either. Andy and Amar discuss why they happen, and the pros and cons behind them. Putting these big titles back in the oven for a bit can be beneficial to both game developers and consumers; yet at the same time can also be costly to both parties as well. Game delays are essentially a double-edged sword in a mythic RPG that you won't get to play for another few months because it's not done yet.

We know this week's episode was supposed to come out on Monday, but we thought it would be fitting to release it later than it was supposed to be. It's pretty meta, don't you think?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... (Disney, please don't strike us)

This week, the guys talk about streaming, which is pretty nuts now. Ninja moved to Mixer, and it has become an absolute free for all. Platforms like Twitch, Mixer, YouTube Gaming, and now Facebook Gaming are all-in try to lure streamers and their audiences to be their superstars.

Getting to be a big streamer takes a lot of time and effort. Using exclusivity contracts, these on-camera gaming personalities are trying to make it even bigger. Selling your streaming soul to these mega-corporations apparently only costs a couple million dollars a year. Personally, we'd do a lot more for a lot less. While this does put some Ben Franklins in the pockets of the streamers, does it equate to dollar signs for the companies as well? Are they each taking away from the success of their competitor? Can anyone stop Twitch's reign?!

This week, Andy and Amar respect women and tackle sexism in video games. Specifically, in the hit game Escape From Tarkov. The ever-developing title from 2012 has been climbing up the Twitch charts recently, and is apparently made by people who need to climb out of the trash first. According to the developer, there will be no playable women in this "realistic" military shooter. Also according to the developer, it is for the dumbest reason possible.

The guys talk about how stupid some developers are, how badass female video game characters are, and how hopeful they, as lovers of video games, are that things change around here. Whether you're a man, woman, transgendered, gender fluid, non-binary, or an alien race that found our podcast, you're all welcome here.

It's the first episode of 2020! The guys start off the new year with a little economics lesson!

Wait, where are you going?! Don't leave! It's about video games!

Like all fun things in this world, gaming costs money. ROI, cash flow, supply and demand, and all of that jazz. The industry standard has been $60 for quite some time, but have you ever wondered why that is? No? Well we're going to tell you anyway. Andy and Amar dive into how video games are priced, what that money goes towards, and why you should suck it up and pay it like everyone else in the world does. They also discuss whether the price of video games will rise or a free to play micro transaction model will eventually take over.

The end is finally here! After 11:59pm on December 31st, 2019 will be over. Another decade of gaming is in the books, and a new one is about to begin. In this final episode of the four-part series, Andy and Amar cap off the decade with the years 2018 and 2019. Fortnite got huge, Apex Legends came close to topping it, and everything has a battle royale mode now. That's it. That's the recap.

Kidding.

Tons of cool stuff came out in 2018 and 2019. Make sure to check out our other episodes for a more in-depth look into what happened in 2019!

This review series has been a real blast to the past, and we've enjoyed going back in time with you! See you next year!

The holiday season may be upon us, but the review of the decade continues! In this week's episode, your favorite hosts dive headfirst into 2016 and 2017. While it wasn't so hot in politics at this time, all of that turmoil was trumped by what were two solid years in gaming. See what I did there?

These two years brought with them a system that is near and dear to Andy and Amar's hearts, as well as numerous titles they continue to enjoy to this day. Games like Wolfenstein II, Destiny 2, Splatoon 2 (that's a lot of "twos"), Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Persona 5, and Doom provided countless hours of entertainment for people around the world. Just like this podcast! Also, the Nintendo Switch released in 2017, and is still the guys' favorite gaming system to use in the bathroom. Much easier than a PS4. We know, because we've tried.

From us at the Bored Certified Gaming Podcast, happy holidays.

The nostalgia continues! Part two of our Decade of Gaming in Review series begins with 2013 and takes us right into the middle of a console war. Microsoft and Sony had been at it for years, fighting to see who's hardware hits the hardest. In 2013, and they both came to play. Round after round, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One would duke it out and try to take home the belt for best selling console. The XBone got some punches in, but the PS4 eventually came out on top.

Andy's in the ring by himself this week, and takes a dive into the important headlines and headliners that came out in this eventful period. Games like The Witcher III, The Last of Us, GTAV, Destiny, Wolfenstein, Fallout 4, Bloodbourne and Rocket League were all knockouts. I think I'm all out of boxing wordplay, so I guess I'm down for the count. Nevermind. Found one more.

A whole new decade of gaming is on its way, and there's nothing quite like reminiscing about all the cool games that have come out over the years. So that's exactly what we're going to do! This is part one of our four-part Decade in Review series. It's like YouTube Rewind, except it's about video games and is actually good.

In this week's episode, Andy and Amar go back to high school and hit the highlights from what was happening in the gaming world during the years 2010, 2011, and 2012. Like everyone's high school experience, there were both studs and duds. Games like Red Dead Redemption, Minecraft, Skyrim, Halo: Reach, and Call of Duty Black Ops were on the football team and dating cheerleaders. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XIV, Duke Nukem Forever, and the Kinect were the losers taking their cousins to prom. Andy and Amar were somewhere in the middle, in case you were wondering. Ah, to go back to a time where all of our days were spent in front of a screen with controllers in hand...

Look for the next three parts coming out over the rest of December as we head into 2020 in style!

Call of Duty is back.....to the present? Back to.....modernity? Back to reality? Oh, there goes gravity....

Back to the topic at hand, Modern Warfare is the newest iteration in the Call of Duty series. It’s been out for about a month now, and Activision and Infinity Ward just recently announced that Season One of multiplayer will launch on December 3rd. It’s been renewed for a few seasons after that too! Looks like the pilot did pretty well.

Andy’s been playing the hell out of Modern Warfare since it’s release, and wanted to share his thoughts on the game with you all. The sound design is fantastic, the visuals are top notch, and the gameplay is classic (but somehow updated) Call of Duty. The campaign is darker and harder-hitting, and the multiplayer is still a delicate balance of skill and OH MY GOD I GOT HIM HOW WAS THAT NOT A HEADSHOT?!? Tons of fun. If there was any kind of descriptor that Call of Duty Modern Warfare can be given, it's that the good people at Activision and Infinity Ward dialed up the realism to make it a truly nostalgic sensory experience.

Andy feels like he’s been transported back to 2007 and he’s in middle school playing Modern Warfare until the sun comes up, but he's still a 25 year old man who can drink and rent a car. Honestly, that's the vibe of this game. It's a new game that’s made for today, but it’s old in all the right places. Go try it out for yourself!