Defining Duke, Episode 204: The Thread
Added 2024-11-25 19:07:49 +0000 UTCHey All! It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 204 of Defining Duke.
Great ways to get your write-up used: Be pithy, be topical, and be insightful. Walls-of-text, posts littered with poor grammar and punctuation, etc., are promptly (though respectfully) ignored.
As this is an Xbox podcast, be sure your submission makes sense within that realm. You have until Wednesday, November 27th at 3 PM ET to make your submission.
Comments
Thanks Matty for giving me exactly what I asked for even though you didn't read my question aloud about the DAV spoiler cast I'm going to assume I was the impetus for it! Cheers and enjoy a fat filled holiday!
J Reid
2024-11-27 18:24:06 +0000 UTCHey Dukes! Happy holidays! As Sony look to be developing a PlayStation Portal Pro of sorts, that will likely play PS5 games natively. What does this mean for Microsoft Gaming Handheld? Can they afford to be beaten to punch by Sony? Have a “ready for a second plate kind of day” MK!
MK
2024-11-27 17:38:01 +0000 UTCGreetings Dukes, I have to have a word with my man LordTactics over here. Cog was fighting for his life in Metaphor two weeks ago, so I let it slide. But when I heard NOTHING about Metal Slug Tactics last week, I knew I had to step in. Would love to get a take on this Gamepass release, which surprisingly turned out to be an awesome tactics/roguelike experience. Have a ‘us Tactics-fans need to stick together; but one of us faltered’ kind of day. Simon
Saimon
2024-11-27 17:17:04 +0000 UTCProject Polaris aka The Witcher 4 is finally in full production. What would you guys like to see improved upon for this one? Thanks and have a “Cog’s arms are bigger than all of the turkeys on Thanksgiving” kind of day.
NeO JD
2024-11-27 14:14:11 +0000 UTCWhat’s up dukes I kinda wanna pushback on narrative that I’ve been seeing online and something cog said last week. In regards to Sonys possible acquisition of fromsoftware, the comments of ‘it doesn’t make business sense’ to make them exclusive are baffling considering Microsoft cut off PlayStation players from Bethesda RPGs and they have double the install base. Where were these comments then? I’m not saying they will or won’t, but it seems like that narrative is only one way. Have a it’s only 4 weeks till Christmas where the hell has this year gone kinda day
Chris Saunders
2024-11-27 10:12:35 +0000 UTCHey Dashing Dukes This is a first for me, but I wanted to offer up a little Health is Wealth message. For a few years now I've been over 100kg (about 220lbs) and have hated myself for it, but I never found it in me to do anything about it, always giving up when I've tried. In August I decided it was finally time to do something about it, so for the last 3 months I've been watching my caloric intake and working out after work 3-4 days a week, and I don't have numbers, but I've finally started feeling a little bit better about myself. I even had to buy a new belt a size down. Thanks for the positive messaging over the years, and have an "Elden Ring 2, only on PlayStation 6" kinda day
Macro
2024-11-27 07:00:59 +0000 UTCGobbles Gobbles my Dukes. Long time listener but first time writer (If this get pick) I wanna be pithy for a second with Microsoft & Activision for they own my all time favorite IP. You got Cog there asking for the Transformers comeback which PLEASE GOD, and you got Matty here begging for a remake of KOTOR. I'm begging for a Crash Bandicoot Adaptation. Movie or Show, how is it that there a Mario film, Sonic Trilogy, Halo show, MULTIPLE TOMB RAIDER ADAPTATION, Concord again Concord getting a short, and a fucking Poppy Playtime film coming. But no Crash Bandicoot? Everyone favorite IP is getting a adaptation but except my goofy lovable Bandicoot. Rant over and thank you if you read it on the podcast Have a, I also want the adaptation to happen so that Matty can finally do a Retro Rebound on Crash Bandicoot, kind of day.
PropellerDoggo
2024-11-27 04:29:15 +0000 UTCHey fellas! So, Nether Realm decided to stop any future dlc after Kombat Pack 2, even though Ed Boon recently said Kombat Pack 3 was going to come out eventually. Poor sales I'm assuming? Cog, youre the fighting game expert in LSM. This game got a lot of flack, especially on the social media front.. Why do you think that is? What did you find wrong with it? I personally loved it, and still played invasions mode to this day. Thanks guys and have a, I tried to do a fatality but didn't have enough time to put in the button combination, type of day.
EugeneLevyBassist
2024-11-27 01:08:37 +0000 UTCWhat’s up Dukes! I wanted to write in a GamePass pick o the week. Need for Speed Unbound! We have to give EA and Criterion their flowers. They have done 9 updates since the game has come out. The last 3 have been great, they’ve added Underground modes like Drag and Drift, they did a Hot Pursuit update that lets you be a cop with progression and everything. Now with Volume 9 this week, they added an extraction mode and it’s a blast. Yes! An extraction mode in a racing game! They are doing NEW THINGS and we have to applaud that. Anyone that says this game is bad or “rEmAkE uNdErGrOuNd” is just blind by nostalgia and don’t know wtf they’re talking about. Unbound is all games combined. Foh. Love Yall! Keep it up!
Jeff Caseres
2024-11-26 22:44:57 +0000 UTCThey’re not interested in selling consoles because they aren’t intending to make them in the future. (At least in house)
CUMSoftware
2024-11-26 22:15:57 +0000 UTCAlright guys, Round #700 of employee of corporation “attacking” the people intending to buy corporation’s game…This time it’s the art director of Avowed. Will. It. Ever. End? Why do they think they can forgo the audience that doesn’t want to see this shit in the games they buy with their money? Why is it essentially a tax from western devs?
CUMSoftware
2024-11-26 22:12:02 +0000 UTCBlessed Day Dukes, It was expected for this to be my write in but I'm sure you saw all the information that released alongside the final Sonic 3 trailer. Direct references to Shadow's solo game and even a cool Genesis Cart that was sent out to some press based on the movie... They are killing it with the marketing. What's your gut check on the movie following this latest trailer? And Matty, will you give Kenau a chance as Shadow? This trailer showed he is taking the role seriously. Have a 'looking forward to enjoying my Thanksgiving and spending time with family' kind of day.
RK128
2024-11-26 21:09:08 +0000 UTCHappy Turkey Day Dukes! I am a big fan of the podcast, but I wanted to push back a bit on last week’s praise of the Avowed preview. Matty, after the recent catastrophe with the Dragon Age The Veilguard preview which you said was essentially a highlight reel and did not reflect the full game experience whatsoever, I was hoping you would see this as a lesson learned and be a bit harder on preview events and demos going forward. This is not the first time this has happened either, as both you and Cog were blindsided after having very positive Redfall previews (the same publisher as Avowed!) This feels like a “fool me once, shame on you but fool me twice shame on me” situation. Is it time to stop giving the benefit of the doubt to these vertical slices built solely for positive press coverage? I am very thankful for the endless hours of entertainment you guys provide each and every week! Thanks again for taking the time to read my question and have a “I am so absolutely stuffed that I can not even think of picking up a controller” kind of day!
Sam Kingma
2024-11-26 18:03:00 +0000 UTCHello Tri State Dukes, Once again, Xbox is releasing a possible Goty candidate after the cut off point for The Game Awards. All the chatter about Indy seems that it can be a great game, and if the developer counts for anything (Youngblood wasn't them) it's hard to believe this is anything less than something in the 8.5 range. Do you think that if it made the cut off point that it could have potentially gotten the spot Balatro or Shadow Tree took? Does you think it's PS5 spring release can keep it in the hearts and minds of voters for 2025 awards? Will any of that matter if the big dog pit bull GTA6 drops? Love the show, have a great Thanksgiving, and have a "All this and more, on the next exciting episode of Dragonball Z" kind of day.
Chris banging ladies wearing the Green Goblin Mask
2024-11-26 17:38:29 +0000 UTCHey dukes! My wife and I welcomed our first child, our son Christopher, into the world on October 31st. Ironically, Halloween is our favorite holiday, and I need to ask the mighty dukes...when the time comes for him to play video games, if he wants to, what should his first spooky game be? Five nights are freddies on his fifth birthday party with his friends? Dead space in high school? Fuck him up permanently and expose him to Silent Hill 2? Wishing you boys a great day
ajwhite
2024-11-26 17:16:09 +0000 UTCHi Dukes! If you had the chance to do a console what would be the key points to get people interested in it?
Drew
2024-11-26 16:22:07 +0000 UTCBuongiorno Dukes, hope you boys are having a great day! Sadly it has come to light that Humanoid Origin, the new studio headed by Casey Hudson (creative director of our beloved Mass Effect trilogy) will be shutting its doors and the Sci-Fi, narrative focused RPG they were hoping to develop will never see the light of day. From their LinkedIn post a shortfall in funding was to blame which sounds a lot like an investor might have backed out at the last second which is sadly a story we've heard a few times lately. In the end it begs the question on what is going to happen with the talent that they were accumulating at the studio, prime of which is Hudson himself. You think he will go back to Bioware to help out with the new Mass Effect, go somewhere else or retire for good? What do you boys think? I'm not too sure myself but either way it's a shame that it had to come to an end this way. Humanoid Origin had not just a neat RPG in the works but also a novel "work from home" perspective to their developers that I would have hoped would cut off a lot of overhead of having to rent/own a studio in Edmonton, Alberta and having previously lived there myself I certainly know how nasty the prices for real estate can be. Hopefully everyone can get back on their feet soon and with that I hope that you boys have yourselves an incredible "My STALKER 2 experience has been broken to hell and back and I wouldn't have it any other way" kinda day!
Tomthechosen1
2024-11-26 16:15:24 +0000 UTCHey dukes! As the year comes to a close I was wondering, what games are you looking forward to most in 2025? Is it avowed, Doom the Dark Ages, Ghost of Yōtei, Metroid prime 4, or maybe GTA 6? It seems 2025 is shaping up to have a best in class lineup, the launch of the switch 2 and gta 6 alone would make for a stellar year. I can’t wait to see what Xbox has in store (please god let the Oblivion remake be real) Have a, you went in for the thanksgiving stuffing but someone put oysters in it, kind of day.
Quantum Radish
2024-11-26 13:49:11 +0000 UTCHello Dukes, First time writer, long time listener. Recently, I hooked up my old 360 for my nephews, it’s their first console. Booting it up was like getting slapped with a whole bucket of nostalgia, my avatars were untouched, the dashboard exactly how I left it 11 years ago. With Xbox’s disappointing sales this and last generation, should Phil hit the big red button and invest in an old 360 dashboard option for modern consoles. To Tap into people’s nostalgia?
Remington Wilson
2024-11-26 11:03:41 +0000 UTCThoughts on the xbox social media managers post of the ps5 pro saying "This is an Xbox"
Six Bucks
2024-11-26 06:47:29 +0000 UTCHello Dukes, If the acquisition of Kadokawa by Sony moves foward do you think Microsoft will try to needle Sony throughout the approval process as Sony did during the ABK acquisition? I'd think not given they seem to want to further their 3rd Party publishing on PlayStation, but sometimes companies can act a little vindictive. Happy Thanksgiving to you both, thanks for the great show each week. P.S. I hope you both have a "Xbox and Playstation handhelds are gonna release the same week aren't they?" kind of day.
BelovedEmperor
2024-11-26 03:34:06 +0000 UTCWhat's up Dukes! With Phil soft confirming that the Xbox handheld is in a few years and rumors around Playstation doing a handheld of their own to be released around the same time frame I've gotta ask: is this market worth pushing for? We talk a lot about the Steam Deck's success but it's only sold 4 million units, a major success for what Valve wants that device to sell but substantially lower than the Playstation Vita. I worry that both Playstation and Xbox won't realize just how niche this market is and spend tons of resources on something low volume. Am I overreacting? Thanks for all you guys do!
TheUnchartedWolf
2024-11-26 03:06:17 +0000 UTCGreetings my Dukes who define, I wanted to write in and tell you about a breakthrough I had while streaming games on the xCloud and more specifically using the Logitech G-cloud. At the recommendation of Matty I purchased one about a year ago but immediately found the experience of streaming games to be very disappointing. I was plagued by poor resolution, compression artifacts and just the overall visual experience was headache inducting. This was despite having 1Gbps internet and overall a good WiFi setup. Fast forward to today and I’m minutes away from listing this thing on eBay and cursing Mr Mattys name. However I stumbled on a reddit post where someone suggested the “Better Xcloud” which is a free app/browser extension, and let me tell you what a game changer this was! It lets you set the resolution manually and really customize a lot of the backend settings to your liking. Now my games stream at 1080 and look beautiful, no more compression! I’m beyond excited to finally start using the G-cloud to the full. Also I tried out “Hades” which was just added to the “stream your own game” catalog and it worked flawlessly like the other games. So if anyone else had the same poor experience like I did you owe it to yourself to give this a try, I’m astonished at the upgrade in the visuals and performance. I don’t understand the voodoo that makes it run better, but it does. Keep doing what you guys do, and thanks so much for keeping me entertained all these years.
Tom
2024-11-26 02:54:55 +0000 UTCHello, Duke gentlemen. So I was helping my buddy look up Black Friday Xbox bundles for his little brother and I was stunned to see that Xbox isn't offering an official Black Ops 6 bundle deal. They might be saving it for the holiday season, but I figured this would be a no-brainer for them. Even after exploring the official Xbox online store, the only Black Friday Black Ops 6 related deal I saw was a free BO6 console wrap with a purchase of a Series S. Why isn't Xbox offering more tantalizing deals in a year when they could get some serious ground against their competitors? Is this another case of the devious Wrap Guy striking again? Thank you and have a "Wrap Guy has taken over Xbox HQ" kind of day.
Adam Razak
2024-11-26 01:23:10 +0000 UTCG’day my supple boys What game have you purchased the most? The recent Avowed previews got me thinking about my most purchased game, Pillars of Eternity. I have it on Xbox, Steam, Gog and even the Apple store. I even bought the kickstarter exclusive strategy guide on ebay for an absurd amount. However the sad reality is that I have not even finished the game. Also quick shoutout to Cog for his enthusiastic and hilarious retelling of his journey of attrition through Metaphor. Have a “Joe Normal is the wrap guy” kind of day Scott Holdsworth
Scott Holdsworth
2024-11-26 01:14:50 +0000 UTCHello International House of Dukes, I was curious about the Ihop and Xbox promotion and decided to try some of the food. I tried the Indiana Jones cookie butter french toast. As soon as that fluffy toast touched my taste buds I let out a big OOHWEE. It felt like the great serpent descended from the clouds above and shattered my space. I braved this sugar encrusted caloric challenge and now I am happy to say that I have enough points to buy that sweet Xbox collectors glass. I just have to wait for the Indiana Jones glass to drop. I have to say after this journey I realized it wasn’t about the journey but the diabetes we gained along the way. My question is Dukes…. will you try any of these meals and report back?
ZipDavis
2024-11-26 00:26:12 +0000 UTCSup Dukes Is it time to give Xbox their flowers? Today an interview with FF7 remake co director Hamaguchi came out and one of the things he said was Square CEO Kiryu made the decision to go multiplatform because "that's just the way the industry is going" something Xbox leadership has been mocked for saying. Another thing is recently, like Xbox, Sony made it possible to stream PS games from the cloud to the PS portal without the need of a PS5 which alot people said Sony wouldn't do because it devalues the Playstation. So when will Xbox get the credit for being the current visionaries they are???
Anthony Mota
2024-11-25 22:39:56 +0000 UTCNice! Congrats. 🫡
Directional Joy
2024-11-25 20:30:22 +0000 UTCMy Defined Dukes, I come bearing frustration. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024's launch has been marred by launch issues with many players (including myself) struggling to get into the game. It's believed that Xbox's next console could leverage the cloud in a major way. Whilst he upside can be amazing, I am a tad worried that there will be more issues with Cloud Hybrid Games. I have Gabe Newell's infamous quote from 2013 going round my head: "Cloud gaming works until it becomes successful, at which point it falls over from its own success." Can you imagine the demand for say, Halo that is utilising the cloud? I know we see these problems with online games in general, but when my "Single Player" Flight Sim won't let me in because there is no room on the cloud, that chaps my arse. What is the Dukes take on this and a potential future of Cloud Hybrid Games? Excited, concerned? Should Xbox rethink this and play it safe or push us into the Cloud Gaming future? Have a "I am with Jon Moxley" kinda day
OTTAPPS
2024-11-25 20:22:04 +0000 UTCDukes of the Zone, Well, it's official. News has broke regarding Playstation's efforts to make a handheld to rival the Switch. I feel like Microsoft is usually pretty good at being forward leaning, sometimes too good where they're even ahead of the normal consumer. Not the case with a handheld device. Did the desire for a handheld manifest from nowhere or were there plenty of clues Microsoft should've seen to beat the competition to this space? Who is first to the market? Does it matter now? Have a at least those political commercials are over and we can all enjoy watching sports again kind of day!
Mr. Scott If You're Nasty
2024-11-25 19:49:15 +0000 UTCNow that stalker has finally released, will either of you be checking out the movie that the game is loosely based on? I've asked this question many times before but it's such a special movie that is rarely ever mentioned in the context of the game.
Derrek Beeck
2024-11-25 19:43:56 +0000 UTCAlright Matty, i wanted to save this for Summon Sign but as I don’t know when you’ll be on again ima ask it here. I’ve played every game prior in the series, and I just finished Cold Steel 3. Since you didn’t make a video inbetween Zero I need to hear some thoughts! Have a “when the credits song is PEAK” kinda day. -Easel
easelgames
2024-11-25 19:39:48 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, I was wondering how powerful do you think the XBox Handheld (XBH) will be? Series S or X level? Or potentially more? Do you think it will include AI upscalers and AI frame generation since that seems to be direction sony is going with the PS5 pro and PS6.
Arqum
2024-11-25 19:35:28 +0000 UTCHealth is Wealth Greetings I am going to be honest that I usually roll my eyes during the health is wealth segments but I did try something Matty suggested and it’s worked wonders. I run a lot and the last few months have been having terrible pains during and after my runs. This has severely limited how far and often I can run. Well Matty I tried turmeric and it’s working wonders having little to no pain and you have made me a believer. Have a I asked my mom for Castlevania for X-mas and she got me Ghoul School instead kind of day.
Casey Cieslikowski
2024-11-25 19:19:28 +0000 UTCSup Dukes! With the seemingly impending Sony FromSoft acquisition and the prospect of their games going exclusive, I pose a question: Phil reiterated their intent for more acquisitions, but on the smaller side. He also talked about global presence, specifically mentioning China. With the idea of souls games missing the platform, could Xbox’s next acquisition be something akin to a Neowiz or Shift Up? Lies of P got a GP bag, and the potential of that franchise seems to be just scratching the surface. It’d be a good protective move in case Sony plays hardball, but do they need to do it? And could they legally navigate it as an American company? Thanks, and always remember - health is wealth! 💪🏼
Mr Jimbob
2024-11-25 19:16:49 +0000 UTCMy Benevolent Dukes, The race is on! As reported by insider gaming, Sony is in early stages of developing a handheld. I for one, am very excited to get back to the psp/vita days. On the other hand, what does this mean for xbox? We said before that xbox NEEDS to get to market first to even have a chance to compete, or things will be the same or even worse. Not only that, but I’m now of the mindset that they need to have extensive features on top of the handheld. Native gaming, cloud streaming, multiple storefronts, color ways, and customization. Xbox needs to go all out on this thing. Do you think this accelerates Microsoft’s plans at all? Have a “Sonic trailer just dropped and Keanu is goated as Shadow’s voice actor” kind of day!
Not John Cena
2024-11-25 19:15:28 +0000 UTCGreetings Dukes! I’m here with a GamePass pick of the week. I know there’s a lot of great ones to choose from this week but I HAVE to shout out Nine Sols. This is one of my favorite games of the year, and I recently wrote an article for Lords of Gaming about “why you should play Nine Sols” so feel free to check that out (wink wink). Nine Sols is the perfect blend of the Sekiro-like parry/deflection combat, and the incredible world and story of Hollow Knight. Metroidvania soulslikes are a dime a dozen these days, but in my opinion Nine Sols is the very best of what the sub-genre has to offer. Please do not skip this one, and Matty specifically, I really think you’d love it since you finally clicked with Sekiro this year. Thank you guys for all you do, and have a great Thanksgiving!
Connor Reese
2024-11-25 19:13:50 +0000 UTCDukes! With the platformer IP that Xbox now has access to, do you think we could get a connected universe series/game with Banjo, Spyro, Crash, and Conker? Thanks, Zach
Zach Wishnuff
2024-11-25 19:12:53 +0000 UTC
