YoVideogames!

Matt's going to title this episode "Game Industry Comes to Jesus" because it's funnier - so if you're on YouTube later and see it: it is the same episode.

And what is the episode about? Well, it turns out mobile gaming is not actually profitable for anyone outside of a couple big companies. Capcom, Square, Namco - all closing their mobile gaming divisions after a decade plus because they've done nothing but lose money. Personally, I was shocked because all we ever hear is how much money King is making. Well, I guess it's only them. So, what does that mean for gaming in general? For mobile gaming specifically? And will I make the obvious joke about coming to Jesus? (Yes, near the end, yes. Of course. Look at me.)

Every year the same question pops up: is TGA really an awards ceremony? Is it valid? Or is it just a popularity contest? The answer of course is: yes. It may mostly be a popularity contest, and awards are given out mostly based on sales and crowd opinion rather than critical/quality opinion - that's debatable. BUT the value of the TGA in my opinion is that it offers the clearest window into where the industry itself is going. Why? Because the industry responds to sales and popularity - not critical reception. All award ceremonies are meant to legitimize an industry and let them pat themselves on the back. TGA is essentially the game industry advertising itself to the work - not to gamers specifically.

Plus we talk about a couple specific categories and their nominees.

In this weeks episode: we talk Matt's Japan trip - specifically Ghibli theme park and the wonder of a park built on vibes. And then we get into Aonuma's take on game design.

Eiji Aonuma is the game director behind much of the Zelda series. He's Miyomoto's protege in many respects. He is a great project manager. But is he creative? Recently he commented on game design, and how he doesn't think it is possible to think "narrative first" because it will limit game hook/loop ideas. Add these comments to some he made in years past and it presents a picture of a man who just isn't that creative.

Japan traditionally put gameplay before narrative for most of its videogame history. So, this is mostly just a traditionalist view imo. But it does shed light on why Zelda has been rehashing the same story every game for 30 years or more.

It's a movie episode! With an extra 20-30 minutes of game talk at the end. It's a long episode, but we also hadn't talked in a few weeks because Matt was in Japan with his fiancée. How dare he leave me behind.

I spend an hour trying to convince everyone to watch Cloud Atlas. The entire episode. Everything else is just leading to or adding to my argument that you watch Cloud Atlas. Do it cowards, watch Cloud Atlas.

Ever see a trailer or read a quick blurb on a game and think "This sounds incredible!" but then when you got the game it just... wasn't? It has everything you want in a game, it checks all the boxes but somehow it came together in a way that left you wanting. Or maybe it promised the world and then didn't even try to deliver those things.

This episode is about those games.

Today you have just a few options and so it is hard to go wrong. Whether you choose Sony, Nintendo, PC/Xbox - you'll have good gaming experiences. While we love to argue who is best or if it even matters anymore: there was a time where that decision could actually ruin you, if you chose wrong. The year is 1994, there are 7-ish consoles out, all competing for your dollars with their own exclusives and peripherals. Who do you choose?

Might be better to say "our favorite type of villains" because we talk more about villain make up than naming actual favorite villains (though we do name our favorite).

What makes a juicy villain? Tragic, love to hate or just fun to watch? Jump in with us as we discuss!

We've speculated in the past that maybe everyone should standardize to the same engine. That maybe that'd be good for the industry. At the time we looked at the hype around Unreal 5 and thought - this could be it. Everyone will go to this. And a lot of people have.

However, as the industry has changed so much in the last couple years - let's reexamine the idea. Should everyone be switching to Unreal 5? And does U5 live up to its hype?

Tokyo Game Show doesn't usually have HUGE reveals, but there is always something interesting there. For me that something interesting was Nightmare Operator, an action/horror indie title coming to PC. The biggest piece of news out this past week is probably that Ubisoft is in dire straits because Star Wars Outlaws didn't do very well.

State of Play 2024 was a mixed bag for me. Matt rates it as overall pretty good - a win - even before he got what he wanted: Ghost of Yotei. I rate it as so-so, even though there were a couple things that did genuinely excite me. Let's dive in and talk the state of play 2024/25