Timestamps:
0:15 – Introduction
2:00 – Games at the Library and Blacksad: Under the Skin
15:10 – The Kappa’s Holiday Gaming
22:55 – Sports Story and Switch Games
35:35 – A Space for the Unbound
37:55 – Arcane and The Last of Us
46:20 – Evaluating our 2022 Predictions
1:28:05 – Our 2023 Predictions
2:12:40 – Games We’re Looking Forward to
2:39:50 – The Delay Probability Prediction Game
3:25:55 – Game Releases, Marketing Cycles, and Sales
3:49:15 – Conclusion
Download Link: https://archive.org/details/avocadogamescast_ep89
Podcast header image from A Space for the Unbound, using font Pixeled by OmegaPC777. Linkdump after the jump.
Introduction (0:15)
The capitalization scheme in “AVoCADo GamesCast” is a reference to The Avocado’s former name as The AV Club After Dark. (Source: Disqus Blog)Nintendo store page for Fire Emblem Engage.Epic Games Store page for Forspoken.Games at the Library and Blacksad: Under the Skin (2:00)
PlayStation Store page for Blacksad: Under the Skin.Steam store page for Backbone. Correction: You play as a raccoon, not a fox. Confirmation: The game is indeed set in Vancouver.Wikipedia article on Bright.Wikipedia article on L.A. Noire.Clarification: Pendulo Studios is a Spanish indie developer, not a French one. However, the game’s publisher, Microids, is French. (Sources: Wikipedia)Wikipedia article on Zootopia.Wikipedia article on Beastars.The Kappa’s Holiday Gaming (15:10)
Wikipedia article on Peggle.Wikipedia article on the MLB: The Show series.Wikipedia article on The Lord of the Rings Online.Wikipedia article on Battlefield 2042.Sports Story and Switch Games (22:55)
Nintendo store page for Sports Story.Correction: The SNES controller had four face buttons; Merve meant to refer to the NES controller. (Sources: Wikipedia)A Space for the Unbound (35:35)
Steam store page for A Space for the Unbound.Steam store page for Papa & Yo.Steam store page for Cris Tales.Arcane and The Last of Us (37:55)
Netflix page for Arcane.Wikipedia article on League of Legends.Correction: Player characters in League of Legends are called Champions, not heroes. (Source: League of Legends Wiki on Fandom)Correction: Caitlyn, Vi, and Jinx were released as Champions in League of Legends in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively, much before Arcane was released. (Sources: League of Legends Wiki on Fandom)Wikipedia article on The Last of Us TV series.Wikipedia article on The Last of Us video game.Clarification: This episode was recorded before The Last of Us’s renewal was announced. (Source: Deadline)Evaluating Our 2022 Predictions (46:20)
Our 2022 predictions episode. (Source: AVoCADo GamesCast)Official website for the Steam Deck.Article on Milf Hunter winning a Steam Deck during the Game Awards giveaway. (Source: Kotaku)Milf Hunter posting on Reddit about their Steam Deck win. (Source: r/SteamDeck on Reddit)Wikipedia article on the Nvidia Shield Tablet.Steam store page for Digimon Survive.Article on the confirmation of the next Digimon Story game. (Source: Gematsu)Wikipedia article on the Nvidia GeForce 40 series.Wikipedia article on proof-of-stake blockchain protocols.Correction: What The Kappa was describing is not called a winch. (Source: Dictionary.com)Article on GPU support brackets. (Source: ScreenRant)Steam store page for Elden Ring.PlayStation store page for God of War Ragnarök.Steam store pages for Stray, Pentiment, Neon White, NORCO, Signalis, Citizen Sleeper, Immortality, and Cult of the Lamb.Official announce trailers for Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2. (Sources: Xbox on YouTube)Steam store page for Pillars of Eternity.The infamous “Leave the fucking hinterlands” Reddit post. (Source: r/dragonage on Reddit)Steam store page for Torment: Tides of Numenera.Reveal trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. (Source: PlayStation on YouTube)Announcement teaser trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine. (Source: PlayStation on YouTube)Wikipedia article on Horizon Zero Dawn.Article on Marvel’s Avengers’s upcoming shutdown. (Source: Windows Central)Steam store page for Marvel’s Midnight Suns.Wikipedia article on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.Steam store page for Gloomhaven.Announcement trailer for Braid, Anniversary Edition. (Source: Thekla Inc. on YouTube)Official trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. (Source: Illumination on YouTube)Wikipedia article on blockchain games, which include play-to-earn games.Article on the Logan Paul Cryptozoo controversy. (Source: Dot Esports)Official press release from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Kim Kardashian’s $1.26 million fine. Clarification: Anyone can lawfully endorse a security; however, one must declare if they were paid to endorse that security. Kardashian was fined for failing to make such a disclosure.Our 2023 Predictions (1:28:05)
Merve’s 1st prediction: Astral Chain 2 will be announced at Nintendo’s E3 Direct for a 2024 release.Ratyu’s Astral Chain speedrun at AGDQ 2023. (Source: Games Done Quick on YouTube)Lappy in a trailer for Bayonetta 3. (Source: Nintendo of America on YouTube)The Kappa’s 1st prediction: Nintendo announces the Switch 2 in 2023.Report on Nintendo’s plans to increase Switch production. (Source: GamesIndustry.biz)The Kappa’s 2nd prediction: We will see the end of livestreaming being tied to video games, and it will increasingly be seen as something that celebrities just do.The clip of Pokimane walking around in Korea that Merve mentioned. (Source: Pokimane Too on YouTube)Merve’s 2nd prediction: Compulsion’s new game will be revealed this year.Wikipedia article on Compulsion Games.Confirmation: Guillaume Provost, the studio head of Compulsion, is credited with additional environment art on Arkane’s Dishonored, so there is an Arkane-Compulsion connection, albeit a small one. (Source: Moby Games)The Kappa’s 3rd prediction: Studios are going to be more open to collaboration and become increasingly amenable to letting other studios license out their IP.A report on Halo’s future by Bathrobe Spartan (in French). Both Jez Corden and Jason Schreier claim that much of the report is false. (Sources: @BathrobeSpartan on Twitter, @JezCorden on Twitter, jschreier on ResetEra)Steam store page for Return to Monkey Island.Information on The Operative: No Lives Forever’s legal limbo. (Source: Wikipedia)Wikipedia disambiguation page for the Mario + Rabbids series.Wikipedia article on John Carmack.Merve’s 3rd prediction: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will go toe-to-toe with each other for Game of the Year accolades from media outlets.Trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. (Sources: Nintendo of America and PlayStation on YouTube)Nintendo store page for Xenoblade Chronicles 3.Merve’s 4th prediction: Ubisoft will shutter one of its studios this year.List of Ubisoft subsidiaries. (Source: Wikipedia)Games We’re Looking Forward to (2:12:40)
Trailer for The Plucky Squire. (Source: DevolverDigital on YouTube)Announcement trailer for Transformers: Reactivate. (Source: Hasbro Pulse on YouTube)Wikipedia article on Splash Damage.Moby Games page for Bulkhead Interactive.Introduction trailer for Master Detective Archives: Rain Code. (Source: Nintendo of America on YouTube)Gameplay reveal trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. (Source: GameSpot on YouTube)Official gameplay overview trailer for Atomic Heart. (Source: IGN on YouTube)Steam store page for Cradle.Correction: Warren Spector hasn’t been helming the development of System Shock 3 since 2019. (Source: Wikipedia)Official announcement trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria. (Some GameSpot on YouTube)Release date trailer for Diablo IV. (Source: Diablo on YouTube)Launch trailer for Backfirewall_. (Source: PlayStation on YouTube)Gameplay trailer for Skin Deep. (Source: Annapurna Interactive on YouTube)Announcement trailer for Venba. (Source: Nintendo of America on YouTube)Reveal trailer for Highwater. (Source: GameSpot Trailers on YouTube)First look trailer for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. (Source: Ubisoft on YouTube)“Welcome to Regnas” trailer for Blue Protocol. (Source: BLUE PROTOCOL on YouTube)An explanation of some of the controversy surrounding skin tones in Genshin Impact. (Source: Dot Esports)The Delay Probability Prediction Game (2:39:50)
Episode #74, “Tales of Vapourwave,” where we first did the prediction game.GameThe Kappa’s Prediction (%)Merve’s Prediction (%)Trailer Source (on YouTube)Alan Wake 27575GameSpotArk 29590ARK: Survival EvolvedArmored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon6060BANDAI NAMCO EuropeAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora9080UbisoftBaldur’s Gate 34050GameSpotBlue Protocol3055BLUE PROTOCOLBuilders of Egypt7585Builders Of EgyptDokeV020DokeVGranblue Fantasy: Relink5075GameSpotHollow Knight: Silksong7585XboxHomeworld 33035IGNLies of P5060GameSpotMarvel’s Spider-Man 210090PlayStationMetroid Prime 40*0Nintendo of AmericaMina the Hollower7020Yacht Club GamesPalworld6030GameSpot TrailersPayday 37580GameSpotPerfect Dark750XboxPikmin 42010Nintendo of AmericaPragmata7080PlayStationRedfall5085Bethesda SoftworksShe Dreams Elsewhere5045studio zevere.S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl8020GameSpotStarfield8585Bethesda SoftworksSynduality10095PlayStationTRON: Identity8090IGNWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 27570GameSpotThe Wolf Among Us 2100**30**Telltale Games
*The Kappa predicted “negative percent,” because the game would get rebooted. Merve doesn’t think the game’s development will get rebooted and would also like to remind The Kappa that probabilities must lie between 0 and 1 inclusive.
**This is a prediction that at least one episode will come out this year.
Game Releases, Marketing Cycles, and Sales (3:25:55)
Wikipedia article on No Man’s Sky.Comparing Forspoken’s listed system requirements with more practical system requirements. (Source: Rock Paper Shotgun)Guide to what comes in each edition of Forspoken. (Source: IGN)Clarification: Gary Whitta came up with the original concept for Forspoken, and Amy Hennig devised the story concept, but the script was written by Todd Stashwick and Allison Rymer. (Source: Forspoken Wiki on Fandom)Conclusion (3:49:15)
Reinhard Selten’s 1998 paper on the axiomatic characterization of the quadratic scoring rule, published in Experimental Economics. (Source: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)
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