Hottest Takes of 2022 (Massive Podcast)
Added 2023-01-07 10:02:06 +0000 UTCIn this ep of after dark I cover my hottest takes of 2022 and record so long that my voice gives out by the end lol. Was fun to talk about this stuff though, sort of a cool way to do a year recap I hope :-)
Comments
Super late 100 Pikachus. :) I like this topic, because it's exactly why I started watching the channel back then! I saw someone was upset about Mark's elite spoon gameplay and I thought it was hilarious, so I checked it out. I'll necro this topic a little, so apologies haha To the topic: as someone not a veteran (been playing shmups maybe 3 years now? So my 'journey' is still pretty fresh in my mind) it took me maybe a couple hours to 1-All 1CC DFK novice, which was my first real attempt at playing shmups, and from there every easy mode has always been a completely blind run, first try, no miss no bomb 1CC in most shmups. (I do think the 2-All in novice for DFK is a pretty good example of an easy mode.) And, obviously, there are people who will struggle a lot more. But my main issue with these super easy modes is it's "Go in blind and instantly win" for a lot of games, to the next difficulty that's "Get your ass blasted in stage 2 or 3". If the super easy mode isn't going to at least introduce some sort of hint of what to expect (suicide bullets, but maybe with less density, in Ketsui stage 3 for example), then investment in a more granular difficulty system could be useful for onboarding folks as well as low to mid level skilled players. The Psykio ports do a great job of this, in my opinion. Maybe a little less condescending names for those difficulties though. :) But that massive jump between modes will be more discouraging than keeping new players in the genre, in my opinion. Lastly, and possibly a personal hot take with a sprinkle of melodrama, I always fear pushing easiness in the guise of accessibility for the arcade genre for just the sake of accessibility for more mainstream and casual audiences will waterdown one of the last bastions of great game design. It's so hard to find mainstream games these days that have a hard mode that isn't painfully easy or clearly not balanced/designed around the fact. I just would hate for that mindset to happen in the arcade genre. It's what brought me to the loving shmups, beat 'em ups, etc. That being said, there's definitely nuance and a balancing act to this. Psykio ports, Gunvein, Mushimesama, are three that quickly come to mind that did a good job at that, in my opinion.
Ushi Mushi
2023-09-03 22:57:04 +0000 UTCOh i love to see it!!!!!!! I'm really happy when new patrons go back and revisit old eps :-)
The Electric Underground
2023-08-31 22:03:22 +0000 UTC100-pikachus very late in the game
Elenddil
2023-08-29 17:44:36 +0000 UTCYay!!!!! I remember what this means ha.
The Electric Underground
2023-08-14 15:22:37 +0000 UTC100 Picachus 😎 Thanks for all the great content.
Fisken
2023-08-13 16:53:10 +0000 UTCAlso, 100 Pikachus to you Mark!
Arcade Hell
2023-03-23 02:31:04 +0000 UTCNintendo hasn't made a 10/10 game since Wind Waker? Bruh... Maybe this is just a couple pet games of mine, but I'd say Splatoon, Splatoon 3, and maaaayyybe Animal Cross: New Horizons. I love competitive first-person shooters and I think Splatoon (despite being third-person) has so many nuances that it is a terrific game, and it oozes style. I've mostly watched my wife play AC:NH and I think the presentation is nailed down pretty perfectly--and that's half the game.
Arcade Hell
2023-03-22 03:27:55 +0000 UTC100 pikachus baby haha
RiffMason
2023-03-18 23:50:32 +0000 UTCYeah there are so many interesting examples of that type of thing. I think that's one reason why so many people don't really want to look at the Michael Jackson case too closely, his music is just too good to toss out but at the same time there is a whole lot of very concerning questions around what he did in his personal life. Funny enough this is a topic I really dig into in the most recent patron podcast, all my influences are dead ha. Where I talk about how some of my influences as a youtuber were up to some pretty bad stuff outside their content and my thoughts on that sort of dynamic as a viewer.
The Electric Underground
2023-02-04 01:38:54 +0000 UTCYeah, definitely an industry that brings out the worst in everyone and people start off in it very young. At the same time I understand Hollywood could not have made a better movie than that trial ha. And yeah someone does/says something bad so we feel this need to assert we never seen any good quality in them ever. Almost overnight.
Wolfwatching Music
2023-02-02 22:47:41 +0000 UTCOh do not get me wrong my friend, Amber Heard is not a good actor, nor would I ever say that. What I was saying was that good acting doesn't matter in comic book franchise films so they are not selecting actors and actresses off this basis ha. Amber Heard is physically attractive though, there is just no denying that, and when people say that she isn't physically attractive my point was that this is more of an evaluation of her personality, rather than her actual physical appearance. When it comes to all evaluation, i think it's important to be honest about the specifics rather than using a general idea and putting aside the detail. Also I think Amber Heard as a person is much more nuanced than the carbon characters of most video games. It's just a nuance of a broken girl sucked into an ugly Hollywood system (and having to do who knows what to rise through the ranks) that gamers prefer not to think about.
The Electric Underground
2023-02-02 18:12:36 +0000 UTCCertainly the hottest take here was that Amber Heard is attractive and even worse a good actor. Personally I much prefer the more nuanced character Frey in Forespoken, She has a much more appealing and unique look to me that you would never see in day to day life, while Amber Heard type girls are everywhere I look. I just can't stand it.
Wolfwatching Music
2023-02-02 18:01:38 +0000 UTC1. Hell yeah for making it to one hundred pikachus! 2. Yes apple and Nintendo have a lot in common, and that's not a good thing. I really wish sony made a competitor to the switch, I know the vita flopped but that's because sony always makes these insane decisions when it comes to system storage and stuff like that.
The Electric Underground
2023-01-22 01:07:08 +0000 UTCI don't know if Bayonetta 3 will ever be consider the weakest of the 3. Bayonetta 2 was quite criticized by the best Bayonetta players despite outstanding reviews, and nowadays, I think it's still (unfortunately) seen as better than the first one when it comes to the larger audience. 3 is a different beast since even among more casual 3D beat'em up players, I've seen many people disappointed by its level design or the overpowered summons so it will definitely remain the most divisive but people who just love the choices it made (diluted gameplay, popcorn fights with big summons against big unflinching enemies, popcorn mini games everywhere, weapons that don't even rely on you moving at all...) or don't even think about them and were just there for a over-the-top cinematic experience will still remember the 10+ hours they have poured into it quite fondly. Also it's a Switch exclusivity so telling people you didn't like that game was doomed to be controversial. This is like with Apple. Rationality has been replaced by a hundred Pikachus.
Kriegor
2023-01-19 14:34:28 +0000 UTCYeah, a director's cut would be cool!
Kriegor
2023-01-11 18:50:45 +0000 UTCYay! I'm happy to hear that
The Electric Underground
2023-01-11 16:09:24 +0000 UTCyeah no kidding, I don't actually think they could remake 5 or 6 and capture the magic of the combat (I don't think they know how). But it would be cool if they did some kind of director's cut and balanced the hitstun to be more lively (like re4) and then shaved all the dumb parts of these games campaigns. Like a directors cut more like a full on remake. Also very much looking forward to wanted dead, but let's keep up one arm up because it could also be a trainwreck, too early to tell ha.
The Electric Underground
2023-01-11 16:09:05 +0000 UTCI don't want remakes of RE5/RE6 either. I know how it will turn out. They will simplify the combat system a lot, making it appeal to a more mainstream audience. Making them play just like RE2/RE3 Remake. Besides, RE5 and RE6 are still played a lot. A friend just told me yesterday that despite RE8 receiving a big mercenaries update in October last year, there are a hundred times more uploaded mercenaries videos of RE5 and RE6 each week and both are more than 10 years old: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Resident+Evil+Mercenaries&sp=EgIIAw%253D%253D This shows how little replayability the new Resident Evil games have. Now it's all about the cinematographic experience. It's a ghost train. As soon as this train stops, and the game only stands on its gameplay, the interest fades away. I understand that's what Resident Evil fans want, so I wouldn't blame Capcom, but coming from RE4 and RE5 (this one might be the most scored game ever, every genres considered), it feels like a waste of awesome gameplay. At least I hope Wanted: Dead will be solid on its promises of Ninja Gaiden style action. If you dip into the Playstation 2 catalogue, consider Twisted Metal: Black. Old arcade vehicular combat at its best.
Kriegor
2023-01-11 08:33:59 +0000 UTC100 Pikachus for an amusing episode!
ArrowViper
2023-01-10 20:51:50 +0000 UTCI think we've hit on the crux of this topic, how does a person get "baptized" into shmups? Twisted folks like us take to the grind like it's our day job, as you say, shmups require failure, suffering, and above all else time, but how do you sell this to someone new? Maybe I'm misguided in thinking people will make the jump from super easy to arcade eventually but I think it's worth the attempt at least. I would be very interested in some leaderboard analytics on super easy mode vs arcade mode engagement , I have to think just having them is easy money for M2
Chinopolis
2023-01-10 04:22:34 +0000 UTCI see what you mean but i just don't view it in the same way. It not an issue of elitism or shutting the door because the arcade standard modes are not elite and I'm certainly not anywhere near elite with my skill in the genre. It's more that some things, by their very nature, require time and suffering to learn and the best and most efficient way to learn is to fail and suffer. It's such a much more instructive teacher than inching into the challenge a over a very long period of time. One thing you gotta keep in mind is that there is a time factor to this conversation, like I mentioned in my "why is gaming not fun" video. These players don't have unlimited patience and if you try this ultra slow low grade ease in method, they are gonna spend a lot of time playing a less exciting form of the genre and in the end they still must meet the difficulty wall. That's just how it is. It's like overcoming anxiety. you can spend years and years trying to go around it and avoid it, but at some point you must confront it head on.
The Electric Underground
2023-01-10 03:07:49 +0000 UTCit's a fun one!
The Electric Underground
2023-01-10 02:50:27 +0000 UTCOooh boy, new podcast episode!
RiffMason
2023-01-10 00:20:23 +0000 UTCThe point me and BB are trying to make is that there are people out there for which these modes are a challenge. I've had a person DM me asking for help because they couldn't get past DU3 easy stage 1. I ran across a video of a guy documenting his progression through Futari Novice, IE the easiest thing cave has ever put out which took him about 10 hours. People like this are why we created the beginner list, which currently clocks in at 103 entries. The scale needs to drop that low as the genre grows in popularity and more and more people are brought in. I would never ever argue that shmups need to be easier on the high end, but to say they need to be harder on the lowest end is only shutting the door behind you and keeping people out. Obviously M2 agrees with this as they keep making these modes.
Chinopolis
2023-01-09 13:37:38 +0000 UTCIf the shottrigger ports had proper novice modes then having a super easy would be whatever, sort of a fun extra, but super easy mode is a classic case of watering down something until it loses it s purpose. If I serve you drink that s 99% water and %1 juice, is that juice anymore or is it flavored water, or just water with a drop of juice? The scale of these things matter and where this conversation has jumped off the track is the notion that shmups don't need challenge to be fun - that is categorically untrue. All games need challenge to be fun to some degree. Even harvest moon or whatever has some degree of challenge. It s a pleasant thing to say to people who are entering the genre (that challenge doesn't matter) but it s also untrue. Difficulty does matter. Just like how grand cross renovation is too easy. Before we can even debate how much challenge is enough for a novice mode, we do need to recognize that challenge is important and core. Also on the point of the VA, I did end up ranting about that probably more than intended BUT do not for a second think this issue will not continue to come up cuz it absolutely will. So being informed on what goes on in the workings of the industry I think is a good thing.
The Electric Underground
2023-01-09 09:15:12 +0000 UTCBut the bmx example is not accurate to the scale of what I m talking about. BMX is expert level (like ultra mode shmup) whereas super easy is training wheels. Scale on these things matter, it s not just general principals. If you don't have challenge there literally is no meaning to play. Why not just watch a video of someone else playing at that point. You mention these ideas for beginner players I imagine, but don t you think it s merely telling a half truth? It s like saying walking 23 miles at any pace is the same as running a marathon, at some point scale does matter and super easy has dropped that scale to low
The Electric Underground
2023-01-09 07:40:46 +0000 UTCI agree with your thoughts here Chinop - for veteran players Super Easy is way too easy but it seems to be M2's way of making the lowest possible bar for anyone who wants to play through the game. A shmup doesn't need to be difficult to be fun but to Mark's point I also feel like some sort of challenge should be present to be enjoyable... M2 are kind of stuck needing to make the game easy enough for the most novice of players to be able to scrape through (at least this seems like their ethos.) Until my daughter can 1cc Super Easy Ketsui there will still be people that are under this bar :P ps. Too many damn Pikachus (and could have done with 45 minutes less talk about Bayo 3 voice actress, sorry.)
Ben Bishop
2023-01-09 02:52:56 +0000 UTCI think we just have a completely different outlook on shmups as a whole then, for me the challenge is simply a part of the game, not an end goal. But to use your bike analogy you can't just go straight into BMX stunts on a half-pipe, you ride a trike as a toddler, then training wheels for a bit then on to the real deal. Some people are going to learn faster than others but I don't think anyone is under the illusion that using these modes is a substitute for the real thing, they are simple extra content in a genre that already has a stigma for lacking content. The only way I could see an argument against their inclusion is if they are taking away development time from a proper arrange, but that remains to be seen.
Chinopolis
2023-01-08 21:44:11 +0000 UTCTotally understandable. It's my favorite game, and I still can't think of it as a 10/10 game. But I can see past the flaws and enjoy it regardless.
Josh Dieckmann
2023-01-08 21:42:37 +0000 UTCthe super easy schism of 2023 ha. This might be a divider that cannot be crossed like Pope in Christianity, but I fundamentally disagree that playing the genre in super easy is a worthwhile effort something that i think works beyond the most basic of introductions. It sounds nice to tell players "oh yeah there's nothing lacking in super easy mode, you do you" but we both know that is completely untrue. The genre is built on the premise of challenge and difficulty, without that it has no meaning. None of us players actually believe that super easy mode is a worthwhile way to play the games beyond pure introduction, so why pretend to believe something we don't? it's like when your kid learns to ride a bike and then is afraid to take off the training wheels. You can say "oh there's nothing wrong with training wheels, just keep them on forever," and that's good? Is that nice? or is that telling a gentle lie? Personally, I think it's much kinder to tell the truth that training wheels will indeed hold the child back from experiencing the full joys of riding a bike and then offering the child encouragement and support to help him ride the bike fully independently. Also thanks so much for tuning into the ep and listening to the secret conclusion XD
The Electric Underground
2023-01-08 20:58:45 +0000 UTCI def know how that feels, I had the same experience with MGS3 where I was going through a rough time and something about that game spoke to me, so I played it for a year over and over. The issue with BOTW, like pretty much all nintendo properties now, is that it goes from a good game, maybe even a great game by todays standards, to an untouchable masterpiece because of the legacy IP stuff. I love mgs3 more than it probably deserves, but there are still clear issues with the game that could have been improved like some of the controls, the awful menu system, and the tacked on rpg elements. So if I read a review of the game and saw a 7/10 I could understand why this would be possible, but with BOTW it's an untouchable 10/10 and hence why i won't ever officially cover it on the channel ha.
The Electric Underground
2023-01-08 20:47:08 +0000 UTCYou already know I'm on board the BotW train, but I can still look at the game objectively and see that it has flaws. It just happens to have been the right game at the right time in my life that captivated me, and also helped me cope with some life crap that really dragged me down the year it released. I understand why people don't like it for different reasons. I came into the game not being a fan boy of the series, but having enjoyed a couple of the previous games, and having finally discovered, just a couple years prior, what was so special about the original. That may be part of my connection to it since it kind of serves as a reimagining of the original in some ways. So I don't think saying BotW isn't a great game is a hot take, so much as a reflection of your general perspective on gaming.
Josh Dieckmann
2023-01-07 23:52:44 +0000 UTC100-Pikachus You missed an end of the year, still on-going (personal)controversy: that no one cares about Super Easy modes. Even in this podcast you say "You can't play shmups casually." I personally interact with a lot of people who do just this, they enjoy the design, music, history or whatever and have no desire to really push for hard 1cc, just like I have zero desire to push for high scores. People play for different reasons and these modes can only bring in new players. You might say well you can just credit feed then but we both know that credit feeding mindlessly is a different experience than completing a game under a pre-determined set of rules. As for the modes themselves, for your core audience of course Super Easy modes are too simple, but I mean they are called SUPER EASY. Imagine how crushing it would be for someone who has never played a shmup and thinks they are impossible already to boot up super easy and get dumpstered, they may never touch another shmup. Now where you are 100% right Super Easy isn't going to prepare you for a full arcade clear, but what it will do is give just a taste of what it's like as well as a bit of confidence. That's where modes like Garegga Premium, Crimzon Clover Novice, and Dangun Fever mode etc come in. Both modes serve their purpose. You might be aware of the beginner list that me and Aktane run and you wouldn't believe the amount of positive feedback we get from people that thought they would never be able to clear a shmup. Super Easy modes are the entry point, most people do clear them right away but having a clear path forward is super important.
Chinopolis
2023-01-07 21:00:40 +0000 UTC
