Defining Duke, Episode 203: The Thread
Added 2024-11-18 17:35:44 +0000 UTCHey, all! It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 203 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 20th at 3 PM ET to make your submission.
Comments
Hey Dukes, Will either of you be checking out AC Syndicate now that it got an FPS boost across all consoles? It's an era of Assassin's Creed I missed, I'm playing through Unity now and gonna check out the London adventure next! Any love from the dukes for these more contained less bloated entires in the sprawling series?
Leeiscooljenkins
2024-11-19 11:11:06 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, Can we talk about Ubisoft’s surprise little w this week in dropping a next gen patch for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Didn’t expect them to do this and certainly not to give it an away for free. Seems like the sort of throng they would have done a bit more work on and sold as a remaster at full price. Either way, I have wanted to go back to this game for some time but it ran sub 30 and seemed impossible. What are your thoughts on this and came we expect more little tokens of good faith from Ubisoft in this new age? Love the content, from the UK.
Skooma Vendor
2024-11-19 08:23:39 +0000 UTCHey gents, on Matty’s mental health discussion last week, I have to recommend a book called the subtle art of not giving a fuck. It’s helped me put my thoughts into perspective about things out of my control. Thanks for everything you guys do. Cheers
Aran Benton
2024-11-19 07:05:55 +0000 UTCDear Double D Dudes, I hope you're both well. I was bemused to hear Matty gush so effusively over GOG's "digital game preservation" program on last week's show. I think it's unlikely they're going to be the hero you're looking for. One of the things that turned me off of GOG was their treatment of the game Devotion from Taiwanese dev Red Candle Games. GOG was preparing to re-release the game in 2020 after Steam was frightened by the mainland Chinese government into de-listing it. The day before release, GOG knelt in obedience to Chinese pressure and the game never came out. My question is this: of what use is online digital game preservation when, at the word of a commissar in a foreign country, GOG and Steam will roll over and delete any game they're ordered to? I'd like to preserve the games I want, not just the games that malevolent state actors graciously allow me to keep. I am very dispirited about our coming digital-only future. Kindest regards,
SK
2024-11-19 02:59:54 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, The greatest accomplishment of my health is wealth journey happened Sunday night: my daughter was born and is perfect and healthy in every way. I’m sitting in the hospital room staring at the fact that I somehow brought another life into the world, and will forever cherish the day I decided to turn my life around for this one moment.
Broderick Fleming
2024-11-19 02:04:37 +0000 UTCHello Dukes, With Gamepass costing upwards of $240 dollars a year. What are your thoughts with Call of Duty and Diablo IV being nominated at the game awards. Both games have heavy micro-transaction and require paid expansions throughout their life. Do you think Gamepass has really been a great value in 2024? Keep in mind if you spent the same amount on PlayStation you would own Rebirth, Astrobot, Stellar Blade, and Hell Divers 2.
Plazookas
2024-11-19 01:45:04 +0000 UTCDear Non-Voting Dukes, Let the LSM kingdom hear your biggest snub and easiest winner to predict out of The Game Awards nominees! Have a I tried to cough to mask my fart but couldn't get the timing right kind of day!
Mr. Scott If You're Nasty
2024-11-19 01:07:27 +0000 UTCHello fellas It's official. Another year of TGAs nominations, and another year of Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5 getting snubbed in the on going game category. I personally don't put too much stock into it, but it is pretty mind boggling, especially with Forza Horizon 5. Maybe they just need to add Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice in a future update to get the recognition. All jokes aside, your guy's thoughts, and have yourselves an A1 day.
Dillon
2024-11-18 23:29:52 +0000 UTCGreetings Dukes. This question is mainly for Matty, but I'm sure Cog can chime in. I've never played a Bioware game. Where should I start?
Nicholas Brilhart
2024-11-18 23:26:30 +0000 UTCHowdy Double D's, Microsoft's 'This Is An Xbox' marketing campaign is a pretty clear sign they're winding down the importance of their console. The point they're making is you can make an internet capable device you already own play console games with the cloud. If this is the direction Xbox is heading, why are they bothering making a handheld and a next gen console? Have a "every gaming podcast is now an Xbox podcast" kind of day!
Jimbo
2024-11-18 23:12:45 +0000 UTCHey dukes, Can someone check on Uncle Phil please? I saw the picture of him from his recent interview and he looks like Harry Du Bois at the beginning of disco elysium. Jokes aside, I hope he's okay, I'm sure his job carries an immense amount of stress. Also Matty, how are you enjoying death stranding so far?
ajwhite
2024-11-18 22:51:06 +0000 UTCHey Dukes I’ve been wondering about general audiences lately. One ignorant criticism of games I hear is that some games don’t have a character creator. Where does this come from ? why do swathes of ill informed gamers want character creation where it doesn’t belong or would not benefit the game?
Special Needs Cannon
2024-11-18 22:43:28 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, This last week marked the 20th anniversary of Half Life 2. I have never really heard you guys talk about this series and wondered if you had any experience with it? I think its not only great, but one of *the* greatest games ever made. It really follows a Nintendo philosophy of always giving the player something new to do, and is absolutely timeless in its design and excecution (apart from the ladders). I'm a massive Halo, Doom, Bioshock ect. fan. But in my humble opinion, they are all minor league compared to HL2. Also don't miss out on the excellent 20th Anniversay documentary! Have a, the G-Man has been holding me in a stasis prison for over 20 years, kind of day. (Seriously where is HL3?)
Phil Walker
2024-11-18 21:50:10 +0000 UTCHowdy gents hope everyone is well... So in the future of the game awards if a game releases in January and get dlc Six months later the like Prince of persia lost crown. " Probably not the best example but still" it can win game of the year... Id argue things like space marine 2 and hell divers 2 were bigger hits and it's a shame these game - Space Marine 2 - Stellar Blade - Helldivers 2 - Tekken 8 - Silent Hill 2 - Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Animal Well - Dragon's Dogma 2 - Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Sorry for the rant I just don't thinks a good idea would love to hear more about your thoughts.
David Markham
2024-11-18 20:52:56 +0000 UTCHello dukes hope this day finds you well, Gentlemen, with the game awards nomination revealed, I must come to say “Stand da Fuck Down”. Are you literally telling me there wasn’t 6 fantastic games this year to fill up the game of the year category? space marine 2, silent hill 2, stellar blade, Dragons dogma, animal well, infinite wealth, persona 3 reload and so on hell put hellblade 2 if you want, but putting a dlc in the category just feels like a slap in the face to all the developers and set a very bad precedent for the future. Thanks and have a I can’t even kinda day
KZEikon
2024-11-18 20:41:20 +0000 UTCGreetings Dukes, I was so happy to hear Matty enjoying Death Stranding last week. As someone who was similarly a hater despite loving Metal Gear, a $20 sale on Amazon had me give it a shot in 2021 and I loved it so much I held off until the Director’s Cut came out to go further. Similarly it was just the unique experience I was craving after being burnt out by triple A action games. My question, mainly for Matty is what would you like to see improved if anything in DS2? While I adore the game, combat is at times terrible and the story has moments where it seriously drags imo. But I would highly recommend jumping back in Cog, I think it’s gonna hit a lot differently playing it these days. Keep up the great work gents and have a “keep on keeping on” kind of day.
Daniel J
2024-11-18 19:48:28 +0000 UTCHey guys! This past week, I started playing Control after hearing lots of good things about it over the past few years. This was mainly inspired from a Summon Sign where Matty, Brad, and Jimmy talked about Alan Wake 2’s DLC; hearing that conversation reminded me of how much I’ve been meaning to get around to Remedy’s titles. Needless to say, I’m really enjoying it so far and am just now wrapping up Chapter 4. My question is, where do you rank Control on Remedy’s totem pole? Take it at whatever angle you want, from quality of writing, gameplay, aesthetics, etc. Given that I don’t remember literally anything you talked about regarding Alan Wake on that episode (and that my memory is often just garbage), spoilers are fine. Have a “my team just beat the Chiefs in the regular season again, but Christ just beat them in January for once” kind of day. (That Bills-Niners game in two weeks will be a fun one!)
Andrew
2024-11-18 19:45:43 +0000 UTCMy Defined Dukes, It's my favourite time of the year. It's the time when The Game Awards Nominees are announced and there are many meltdowns to enjoy. I noticed something this year in the Game of the Year category. Half of the nominated games are not on Xbox. They are all available on PlayStation. There is no Nintendo Switch slop muddying the waters. Here are the numbers for other years: 2023 = 3 games not on Xbox 2022 = 4 games not on Xbox 2021 = 3 games not on Xbox 2020 = 5 games not on Xbox What do the Dukes make of this? Is it a big deal or a nothing burger? Bonus Question: Is a PlayStation an Xbox now? We can play Xbox games there... Have a "How many attempted murders will we see at Full Gear" kinda day
OTTAPPS
2024-11-18 19:35:34 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, The Game Awards nominees are in and Destiny is nominated for Best Ongoing Game. Cog, do you think it's deserving of the win thanks to The Final Shape? It's competing against Diablo, Fortnite, Final Fantasy 14, and Helldivers 2. I hope it wins! Cheers and take care.
Kazden Risk
2024-11-18 19:26:32 +0000 UTCDear Dukesters. Jezz Cordon penned some great analysis on how the 'this is an xbox' ad campaign is confusing. The ad campaign shows devices and endpoints but doesn't really depict compelling content that defines an 'xbox experience.' Surely that should be the emphasis here - getting great experiences, everywhere... This clearly isn't a push for Gamepass, otherwise you would actually mention Gamepass....but as Jezz points out, a lot of the non console options depicted offer a sub par 'xbox experience,' so it doesn't really work as an ad for 'Xbox play anywhere' either... The big mystery seems to be: Who is this campaign targeted at? And what is the actual call to action here? What does Xbox hope to achieve with this? This is a 'lose-lose' marketing push - it irritates the core console base, and won't appeal to non Xbox owners either. As Jezz rightly states, this ad is 2-3 years too early, given how non console options don't offer a true Xbox experience. I am baffled by the thinking here. What do you think is going on? On a more constructive note: What would you do over the next 12 months to better market Xbox and/or Microsoft gaming? Have a 'can I get what Xbox's marketing team is smoking' kind of day? Cheers, Captain Hero. p.s Here's the article by Jezz: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/microsofts-this-is-an-xbox-ad-campaign-is-confusing-and-above-all-poorly-timed
Captain Hero
2024-11-18 19:12:13 +0000 UTCHey Cog & Matty! Just wondered who would be some 'dream guests' you would like to have on the show? A 3rd person on Duke for a week to either interview or just get there takes on the news and current Xbox affairs? I love you chaps as a duo! Keep it up and have a 'I thought Constellation was a starfield podcast' kinda day.
PortugalTheMark
2024-11-18 19:05:30 +0000 UTCOkay boys, Time to fess up! Which one of you are an Xbox? But, in all seriousness, you two were talking about Xbox's identity last week and the need for exclusives to draw people to the Xbox platform. Now, it seems like Microsoft has announced their new identity and everything is an Xbox! Do exclusives really matter when everything (even me?!?) is an Xbox and you can just access a gaming library on a variety of devices?
Zach Dalton
2024-11-18 18:52:42 +0000 UTCHey Dukes. This one is for Matty and I'm just wondering how his delivery journey is going with Death Stranding Director's Cut? Random fact but the actor who plays Die-Hardman, Tommie Earl Jenkins, also voices the character Ubercorn in the kids TV show Go Jetters! Go check it out, it's quite a contrast in characters!
Shaun Sannerude
2024-11-18 18:39:05 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, The Game Awards nominees were revealed and something odd stood out for me. Dragon Age 4 was only nominated for best accessibility despite the "amazing" reviews it was getting. What do you think happen? It did not even get nominated for best RPG!
Deathspank
2024-11-18 18:27:36 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, Time for a mid-season NFL checkin. Matty - it must have been tough watching the falcons get beat down by the Broncos and rookie sensation Bo Nix, knowing it’s due in major part to a roster dilapidated by injuries. Cog - even tougher loss to the division rival Seahawks at the hands of last minute heroics from Geno Smith. Sorry to be so hard on them, but that’s facts as the kids say. Both teams had high hopes at the start of the season. How do each of you envision your teams can turn it around, if at all? For me as a Broncos fan (Sorry Matty) - I have to say I’m loving what I’m seeing from Nix as he leads all rookie QBs in TDs and is seemingly getting better with every start under center. Thanks for all you do and have a “Can’t believe my team just lost to a 34-year-old QB scrambling for a last minute touchdown” kind of day.
Luke Bernhard
2024-11-18 18:18:25 +0000 UTCAssuming all the currently announced first-party titles for next year hit their release date, which title do you think would have the best shot at being nominated for Game of the Year for 2025? Which title are you excited for and why? I'd imagine this would include Indy as well. Do you think any currently announced title has the chance of being listed among the best at the end of 2025? Thanks to all of you and have an "is this thread question an Xbox?" kind of day.
Jay Jenkins
2024-11-18 18:16:39 +0000 UTCHey Dukes! I recently received an email from Microsoft advertising the Xbox Mastercard. I won't go too far into the details, but approval for the card would automatically set the cardholder to a level 2 Microsoft Rewards member, in addition to giving them 6000 card points after their first purchase within 180 days of account opening. My question is simply this. Have you ever been interested in offers like this? I actually have been a PlayStation Visa cardholder for over a decade and have enjoyed getting bonus points, often in large amounts compared to regular transactions, for every purchase I make on the PS Store. I would imagine the Xbox card would offer a similar value for dedicated Xbox players, but I just want to know if you have ever been enticed by these financial offerings? Thanks, and have a splendid day!
Jamin Fuller
2024-11-18 18:09:30 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, I’m sorry but I have to say it, has going to gamepass given Call of Duty the permission to have Free-To-Play energy? For the last 5 years, Call of Duty has felt like a premium game for about 1 month. Then the endless skins and ads start showing up in the menus. The new Shark and Demon skins are just a step too far. I paid to play a military shooter, not a Fortnite FPS. End rant.
Uvula Smack
2024-11-18 18:08:34 +0000 UTCHello Dukes, With the news that Avowed is launching on Battlenet and people with PC/Ultimate Game Pass can play the game through Battlenet instead of the Xbox PC app. Do the Dukes think this will be Microsoft's solution in the short term to the woes of the PC app at least for 1st Party titles? Enjoy the podcast each and every week. P.S. I hope you both have a "Duncan died for this?" kind of day.
BelovedEmperor
2024-11-18 17:50:57 +0000 UTCHey Dukes - I loved last week's episode and especially your thoughts on Metaphor and Death Stranding. Cog had me rolling with his stories about those super bosses and the badass bosses of decades past. I have to know - where does Cog rank Metaphor in his top RPGs of all time? I'd love to hear a little top-three or top-five from the OG himself. I haven't gotten to Metaphor yet, but last week's detailed discussion on character classes/team composition and the twists and turns of the story bumped it up a few more spots on my list.
Giovanni D'Amico
2024-11-18 17:47:30 +0000 UTCWell played
BelovedEmperor
2024-11-18 17:46:01 +0000 UTCMy fine Dukes! We are only a few short weeks from the 4 year anniversary of the release of Cyberpunk 2077. Despite its rocky launch it now stands as one of the greatest comeback stories in gaming. I am one of the lucky ones that had few issues at launch and I enjoyed my time with it. I also highly enjoyed coming back after major updates, and again after the release of Phantom Liberty, which in my opinion is an incredible expansion. I now have hundreds more hours of playing the game on pc with mods and different craft-building and this stands as one of my favorite single player games. What are your thoughts on the release, life of the game and future of the series? Best regards!
Andrew M
2024-11-18 17:44:43 +0000 UTCIs this thread an Xbox?
hasnopants
2024-11-18 17:42:14 +0000 UTC
