Paul
Appearances
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
I mean, I don't really see what's the big deal about some Yelp reviews.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
Yeah, I mean, when you think about it, the restroom tells you a lot about the place. I want to eat at a restaurant where the bathroom is filthy.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
Paul. I'd love to go out with Kelly again.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
Okay. Yeah, I'm here there for a few months. We go around the same time.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
My bad. Yeah, she says normally I tell guys I have a boyfriend, but I'm not going to tell you that. So it's like, cool. Oh, wow.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
So what did you guys do? So both our schedules are really busy. It was hard to find time to hang out, so we actually settled on a gym date. Wait, huh?
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
We just kind of both agreed because we couldn't find any other time, you know?
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
Well, that was just part of the date. So she did come back to my place, and we cooked kind of like a healthy meal. Oh!
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
So how was dinner? It was good. Kind of funny situation happened where I was in the other room doing the dishes and I heard my phone beep, like a text came through. Okay. And I left it in there with her and I was like, hey, can you see who texted and what they said?
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
Yeah. She was kind of surprised. She was like, what? But I don't have anything to hide. I gave her my passcode. I don't care. Wow.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
So she tells me it was one of my friends who wanted to know if I'm meeting up tonight. And I asked her to respond to him. Tell him I'm on a date with a pretty girl cooking dinner. Oh, that's a good line.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
Yeah, so I didn't come back in the room for a few minutes, finish the dishes and all that.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
No, you know, that's it. I didn't have anything weird or incriminating. I didn't get a bad vibe from her, but you guys are asking if anything weird happened. So that's the only thing that was out of the ordinary. Did you kiss her? No kiss, but we hugged and she left like a little while later.
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
yeah it's only been a few days so i haven't seen her but i'm just kind of getting the vibe that she's not really into hanging out again i don't know yeah you can feel that it's like an energy shift yeah that's weird because you were so open with her i don't know well and they knew each other pretty i mean like not really well but like enough comfortable you know you're gonna see each other again oh yeah it is weird to go back to the place you just had a date with a guy and like
Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update
Second Date Update: Phone Paux
No, guys, I'm serious. I don't have anything weird on there, I promise. Okay.
Dateline NBC
The Devil's in the Details
But they died with this very, very certain pattern. The pattern they had was very, very severe hypoglycemia, which is very low glucose levels.
Dateline NBC
The Devil's in the Details
Yes. Insulin is metabolized or broken down by the body very, very quickly. You're not going to stumble across an insulin homicide. If you're not looking for it, you're not going to find it.
Dateline NBC
The Devil's in the Details
You might be able to find evidence that something was injected into the body in a particular location.
Dateline NBC
The Devil's in the Details
We tried to do that, but there wasn't a lot to look at. There was no way I could evaluate for injection sites just because there was so much decomposition.
Dateline NBC
The Devil's in the Details
Absolutely. The autopsy is just one part of the equation. What were the circumstances? What were the results of the investigation?
Dateline NBC
The Devil's in the Details
They could have a rampant infection, something like sepsis. They can have a drug or medication reaction.
Dateline NBC
The Devil's in the Details
Not from the medical record review and hospital records. No.
Dateline NBC
The Devil's in the Details
I came to the conclusion that the cause of death was exogenous insulin administration.
Dateline NBC
A Crack in Everything
And I asked the one patrol officer if he'd ever been wrong, that there was a small part of me that wished or hopes that he is correct, because if not, he's going to ruin a lot of people's lives. And he looked at me and told me straight up, I've never been wrong.
Dateline NBC
A Crack in Everything
There was never a time that Lisa did not want the kids to spend the night or to stay, and she might end up with five or six different children that...
Dateline NBC
A Crack in Everything
And it's not like you've had a long illness or something to get prepared. This was just sudden. Yeah.
Dateline NBC
A Crack in Everything
I had none. Brad called me on Christmas morning, and you could tell he was still terribly distraught. So that morning I came over, and he told me the whole story, and no, no, it never crossed my mind.
Dateline NBC
The Idaho student murders: new details. Karen Read's voicemails. And Sean Combs's trial begins.
I decided to process the area where Mr. O'Keefe was found and try to find out why he had the medical episode he was having.
Dateline NBC
The Idaho student murders: new details. Karen Read's voicemails. And Sean Combs's trial begins.
Because that's what we do. I think we had a duty and obligation to check around where he was found and see if there was any explanation to what caused his medical condition.
Dateline NBC
The Idaho student murders: new details. Karen Read's voicemails. And Sean Combs's trial begins.
And what was the purpose of using the red solo cups? They were plastic. They weren't going to leak. My thought was we could collect it, transport it, and transfer it to the crime lab who could extract the DNA however they saw best fit.
Dateline NBC
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Hey, Paul.
Dateline NBC
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
He says, I did it. I murdered him. I wanted her.
Dateline NBC
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
So how many times had you entered the Sementilli home through the back door?
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Yeah, so we have been sort of building to this moment, and it was fascinating to finally see Robert Baker in person. He was wearing a collared shirt and a blazer, and if it weren't for the handcuffs on his wrists, he would look like... Any other normal witness.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Yes, he had the cuffs on on his hand. And, you know, even just the very first question from the court clerk when he had to raise his right hand to be sworn in, you can see his cuffs. Okay, so...
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Right. He tells us that he served in the military for over a decade and said that his highest rank was a staff sergeant. And it was sort of an interesting moment when the defense attorney asked if he considered himself a good soldier. Robert Baker replied that he considered himself to be one of the best soldiers. Yeah, and is it true Robert Baker was at one point a porn star?
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
He starred in X-rated movies and also managed the careers of other performers. It's a really diverse resume.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Correct. Yes. And that's when the defense really launches into the heart of this case, which is his time at LA Fitness. He says that he started there in 2015, and then he met Monica.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Yeah. He was asked when their relationship started and how often he would see Monica. Robert Baker responded that it was very sporadic. Yeah.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Naturally, in the defense's eyes, of course she would be calling the shots on that. She's the one with a husband, with a family. But that phrase that Robert Baker used in his testimony, that she called the shots, When I heard that, I thought, oh, my gosh, the prosecutors must be, like, hoping that the jury keys into that phrase.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
If she called the shots about when she's meeting with him, she also called the shots on this entire murder operation. is what the prosecution would want the jury to see.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
According to Robert Baker's testimony, it got to a point where he said at the end of 2016, he said he was not seeing her as much as he wanted to. And as he described it, it sort of did a number on him. And he couldn't handle it.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Yes. You know, it's rare. Again, this has happened now twice in this trial. We, you know, it's rare to hear an admitted killer talk about how a murder has gone down. And this time, we've heard it through Christopher Austin, the other man that was with Robert Baker at the time of the murder. And now we heard it through Robert Baker.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Yeah. When someone who has done something like this is now telling the jury what they've done, how do you believe him? And what Robert Baker was telling the jury is, look, I have nothing to lose here.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
How are things on the West Coast?
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
That was really something that the defense attorney wanted the jury to hone in on, is that unlike Christopher Austin, who had something to gain because of his testimony, Robert Baker doesn't.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Yes. As soon as the prosecutor got up, who was cross-examining him, I mean, she pounced on him and over several days has been chipping away at... Almost everything that he said on direct exam, she had a response for. She wanted to, no matter how seemingly small a fact might be, she wanted to show the jury that this is not a witness that should be trusted.
Dateline: True Crime Weekly
A star defense witness takes the stand. The Zizians' leader in court. And a new scam called pig butchering.
Oh, really good being with you, Andrea. Thank you.
Embedded
Alternate Realities: Down the Rabbit Hole
I'm not sure where he's getting most of his information from. And it's been rather alarming. And I've been in the same room where he's shown me, like, is that Biden or not? And I'm like, I just don't see it. I'm not seeing what you're seeing.
Embedded
Alternate Realities: Down the Rabbit Hole
I think it would cause a rift in our relationship, and it has.
Kinda Funny Games Daily: Video Games News Podcast
PlayStation State of Play Rumored For Next Week - Kinda Funny Games Daily 02.03.25
You know, I think it came out on game pass when it launched. Yeah.
Search Engine
Why is the pool at Buckingham Palace a secret?
I feel her presence, and she's often in my dreams. I don't live in a mausoleum to Diana. I live in this world, and my life has changed as well. But you can never forget the people who touched your heart.
Search Engine
The Kidnapping of Ape #8398
I was just intrigued. I was interested. I was like, how is it that nobody can know who this guy is? Like, how can we not find his actual profile or his identity? And yeah, so I reached out to you because I didn't know like where to like, you know, I didn't want to like weigh in and like help out Seth Green. And like, you know, I wasn't trying to put my thumb on the scale.
Search Engine
The Kidnapping of Ape #8398
Yeah, exactly. I'm not trying to dox anyone. I'm not trying to like, I don't care what happens with these apes or this or that. I just think it's interesting, almost like as an exercise to see whether investigative techniques could be used to find an individual who was involved in like an NFT transaction.
Search Engine
The Kidnapping of Ape #8398
And I saw that among other social media sites, he has like a Instagram page, right? Which only has like, I think, five posts on it, all of which are NFPs that he is trying to sell. And these... So that told you, I'm just looking at his Instagram.
Search Engine
The Kidnapping of Ape #8398
So that one is mostly like graphic design illustrations and like advertising mockups and stuff like that. But at the very bottom, there's one post that doesn't fit with all the others.
Search Engine
The Kidnapping of Ape #8398
So at the very bottom, there's a post that if you see, it's a photograph in the style that's extremely similar to Darkwing's NFTs, right? Almost like immediately. Like I'm not a professional art critic, but I feel like, you know, Jerry Salt or someone would see that and be like, oh yes, this is a Darkwing 84. Like this is, you know, this is very much his exact style.
Search Engine
The Kidnapping of Ape #8398
Well, his initials, I would say, is DW, right? And, you know, he's a Sydney-based cinematographer. Because once you have his name, he has his own website. He has, obviously, a LinkedIn account, a Facebook page, the whole nine yards. Very prolific, very publicly available profiles. And, you know, the thing that strikes me is DW, Darkwing, right?
Search Engine
The Kidnapping of Ape #8398
And then 84, if you look at the year that he started college as an undergrad, you go back 18 years, he would have been born in 1984. So you've got Darkwing 84 right there.
Search Engine
The Kidnapping of Ape #8398
That's the fascinating part of this. And this is the part that gets me most excited as someone who works in compliance and stuff like that, is that this is completely uncharted territory.
The Bread Basket Podcast
Our Official Super Bowl Predictions, Kendrick Sweeps The Grammys, And Questions From The Sticks
100%.
The Bread Basket Podcast
Our Official Super Bowl Predictions, Kendrick Sweeps The Grammys, And Questions From The Sticks
Cool.
The Bread Basket Podcast
Our Official Super Bowl Predictions, Kendrick Sweeps The Grammys, And Questions From The Sticks
100%.
The Bread Basket Podcast
Our Official Super Bowl Predictions, Kendrick Sweeps The Grammys, And Questions From The Sticks
101.
The Bread Basket Podcast
Our Official Super Bowl Predictions, Kendrick Sweeps The Grammys, And Questions From The Sticks
100%.
The Bread Basket Podcast
Our Official Super Bowl Predictions, Kendrick Sweeps The Grammys, And Questions From The Sticks
100%.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Postgame Show: The Timing of Thunder (feat. Juju Gotti)
Der Boost Mobile Bonus Take wird von Boost Mobile präsentiert, dem neuesten 5G-Netzwerk in Deutschland. Sie können 305-486-GOTZ anrufen. Das ist 305-486-4689. Hey, das ist Paul auf dem Mobile. Erstmal, lange Zeit.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Postgame Show: The Timing of Thunder (feat. Juju Gotti)
Thank you. Mike Jacobs?
The Dr. John Delony Show
Why Do I Compare Myself to Other Men?
Well, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on trying to make friends at 44, when everything seems really good in your life, but I think 40, middle, mid-age is kind of a hard time to make new friends. Paul, it's the worst. It's the worst. I'm surprised to hear you say that. You kind of strike me as a very extroverted type of guy.
The Dr. John Delony Show
Why Do I Compare Myself to Other Men?
Okay. I hear you. I just discovered your show a couple months ago, and I hear you saying you have, like, all sorts of wild, adventurous people over to your house all the time. And it got me thinking I should do something like that, but... I don't even know where to start. I've been married for 19 years. Great marriage with my wife. Got three kids.
The Dr. John Delony Show
Why Do I Compare Myself to Other Men?
They're all super busy and they're all doing great. And focused on my career a lot for my 20s and 30s and doing really well in work. And then suddenly I had a good friend who a couple months ago moved away for work and I'm kind of alone. I don't really have too many close friends, certainly not in the area.
The Dr. John Delony Show
Why Do I Compare Myself to Other Men?
And so I think maybe part of it is I don't prioritize it because I'm thinking about my career, I'm thinking about my family, I'm thinking about my wife, and then suddenly I'm also introverted like you, and I sometimes feel like I don't have the energy to do it, but maybe I just need to prioritize it more is what I'm thinking.
The Dr. John Delony Show
Why Do I Compare Myself to Other Men?
Okay. So anybody in our life, like parents of other kids on my kids' sports teams and people I know from work and people from church. It's a great place to start.
The Dr. John Delony Show
Why Do I Compare Myself to Other Men?
Thanks. And your wife, is she introverted too? So part of the struggle we have is it's kind of draining for both of us to have like a lot of people over, but, um, but I mean, you just sort of say, Hey, we need to do this. Cause, uh, We want to have friends. We want to have a network of people that we can call on when times are good and times are hard, right?
The Dr. John Delony Show
Why Do I Compare Myself to Other Men?
That's kind of what they're looking for.
The Dr. John Delony Show
Why Do I Compare Myself to Other Men?
Well, being introverted, doing the one-on-one thing is a lot less, I don't know, draining than going to big group settings. That's exactly right.
The LOL Podcast
Kate Rages At Cash For Reading Her Diary!
Oh, Paul. Oh, he's like talking about... It's a family recipe.
The LOL Podcast
Kate Rages At Cash For Reading Her Diary!
Cash just lays in bed. He's like, oh, no, I got got again. He does say that. He literally says that. He says what?
The LOL Podcast
Kate Rages At Cash For Reading Her Diary!
It's not that type of lunchable. It's nachos. Why you should have said that it was nachos. Then you do want your cheese drippy. Yes.
The LOL Podcast
Kate Rages At Cash For Reading Her Diary!
And then you just hear Harper go, hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo.
The LOL Podcast
Kate Rages At Cash For Reading Her Diary!
She likes another guy. What? I'm running out of stories here.
The LOL Podcast
Kate Rages At Cash For Reading Her Diary!
He's like, please don't take these beautiful things that I got.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
I've been doing it for 10 years, and I just can't stop. Once a year, the gorilla costume comes out, go around Rygate, goes away for the year. I hope it's washed in between time, otherwise... No comment. How was the race? It was okay, yeah. I'm glad it didn't rain, because that'll double in weight with the wet. So I did a 46.38, so I'm pretty pleased with that. Better than last year, yeah.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Not quite the PB, but that's okay.
The Ramsey Show
You Can’t Win With Money if You Keep Ignoring the Real Problem
I cannot even function because I'm just crying. My mom left us when I was four. I truly felt like for a while I had no family.
The Ramsey Show
You Can’t Win With Money if You Keep Ignoring the Real Problem
He triggered me a lot. Scared of losing Paul, scared of doing the wrong thing, scared of not being enough.
The Ramsey Show
You Can’t Win With Money if You Keep Ignoring the Real Problem
I don't know what to do.
The Ramsey Show
Financial Peace Starts With Clear Boundaries
I cannot even function because I'm just crying. My mom left us when I was four. I truly felt like for a while I had no family.
The Ramsey Show
Financial Peace Starts With Clear Boundaries
He triggered me a lot. Scared of losing Paul, scared of doing the wrong thing, scared of not being enough.
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
I'm 22 years old, about to turn 23, and so is my wife. We recently just got married about six months ago. And I knew before we got married that she wants to be a stay-at-home mom, but I have no idea how to have a career or a job or whatever to support that kind of thing. I'm a college dropout. And so I'm trying to figure out, like, how does one have a career?
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
Um, we don't have any kids right now, but to just stick her at the house, I would have to be making 85, but to have the amount of kids that we want it, I'd probably have to be making 150 to 200.
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
Yeah, we're waiting like five years to have kids.
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
Yeah. What's she earn? Take home is $33,000. Okay, great.
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
No debt. I made sure to pay all my college debts off.
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
I would want to probably – own a real estate and or logistics company.
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
I've just been kind of good at it and it's fun. Maybe that's weird to say, but it's fun. No, it's perfect.
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
I mean, I work for a logistics company right now. We supply apartments, but I don't really know what to do to get into the logistics space.
The Ramsey Show
Stop Letting Excuses Steal Your Wealth
Um... I could probably find some people on our company portal that I could probably email. Yeah, I think. Oh, Paul.
Video Gamers Podcast
Doom: The Dark Ages, Expedition 33, Ninja Gaiden 4 and Split Fiction - Gaming Podcast
Dude, I... I never grew up. I still want to be a ninja. You know, exactly. Guess what? We get to be a ninja because Ninja Gaiden 4 is coming out.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Hello fellow gamers! Welcome to the Pacific Northwest. Don't worry about the metal monsters, lightning storms, and mummified tourists everywhere. Just get into this station wagon and everything will be okay. We are the Video Gamers Podcast, hosted by three lifelong gamers who are also dads, and today we are deep diving Pacific Drive. I am your host, Paul.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Oh, it drove me crazy. Oh, it drove me crazy, too.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, I heard a lot of gameplay. Not so much story there, but thank you, Josh. You understood it, I think, better than me and Ryan.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Oh yeah. A lot of chaos happens for sure. All right. So basically, since you're trying to work your way out of the zones and they do tell you that this has happened to other people, but no one has survived. And so your goal is to be the first one to make it out. And basically, there's a lot of different routes of progression in this game that we can kind of divide.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
The one that I want to talk about first is using the route planner at your garage and how over time you make progression by unlocking new areas on your map that are all interconnected. And you're kind of working your way to get further and further away from the garage so that you can work your way out. So there's like multiple zones.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
You start in the outer zone, you have to cross into the mid zone and, you know, it kind of just progresses from there. Yeah. So the way this works is that you're in your garage and you can click on the route planner and it brings up a map and you can see where you can travel. It tells you some information about what might be there, what anomalies you might see, what resources might be there.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And you click on it. of where you're going to head. Now, if you're trying to travel far enough away, you're going to have to go through multiple junctions because your car can only travel so far. And so once you select where you want to work your way to, then the garage door opens, you hop in your car, and you start driving.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Now, the different junctions, and this is going to take a while to explain because this game is pretty complicated. For example... Let's say you can travel to Junction, I don't know, G9, and it's like right next to the garage.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
So the very first time you go there, you travel to G9, you can collect some mats, and then you have to go grab one of these stability anchors, and then you unlock a portal, you drive through the portal, it sends you back to the garage. But now G9 has opened a new connection to E7, which is further north and further to the west.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
So now I can go to my route planner, set it for E7, but now they're going to force me to go back to G9, work my way through. Now there's an exit point that I can drive through, and it connects to E7 or whatever. So kind of the whole point of this game is as you're trying to travel further, you are retreading the old junction areas to grab new mats.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And this sounds pretty complicated because it is. And the good news is that the game just explains it about as well as I just explained it to our listeners. Because, Josh, you even posted, like, hey, just so you guys know, like, here's what you have to do. And then we're like, yeah, like, we kind of figured it out. And the game does...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
teach you how to do things in it, but they only tell you once. And this game is so unique, they kind of should tell you multiple times. So you don't really know what you're doing in this game until you've played about five to six hours and everything finally clicks.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Well, you got to unlock new junctions on your map, Josh, so you can get to the next zone.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yes, but you have to first portal and then return and then take an exit for your next junction.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I think I'm more confused now than playing the game. No, in all seriousness, though, I will say I think it's actually a really clever way to progress the map. They basically just force you go explore this new area. take a portal back. Now go back to it again, see how the maps changed. And now you can drive onto a new junction that I actually do think is a very neat idea.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Now for better or worse, this does mean you are traveling in the early junctions, but, A million times over the course of this game. And the first couple times that I went to these areas, I was scrapping everything I could. Oh, there's a building. I got to go check it out. Oh, on the mini map, there's a point of interest. I better go there.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And then like six hours into this game, I'm just beelining it for the exits. I'm trying to drive down mountains, slamming into trees. Anything I can do to get out of here quicker. Yeah. And that kind of tells you like my mentality of playing this game. I, I found stopping to smell the roses was so much fun for the first hour. And then after that, I'm like, just get me out of junction G nine.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah. And not to belabor this point too long. I will say that every once in a while, like when you're crossing into the mid zone, you start driving through things that you haven't seen before. And that actually got really exciting because they've lulled you to sleep with the last four hours of content.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
But now I get to see something new and I'm driving through these corridors that are underground and I'm working my way through this wall, you know, so, so they do occasionally hit you with new stuff, but by and large, it does definitely get a bit repetitive. Um, Um, let's go ahead and take a short break and then we'll be right back. All right.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
So talking about Pacific drive, let's talk about the actual experience of driving. All right. So we talked a little bit about map progression when you're actually in the car driving through these procedurally generated areas. What, or maybe, maybe walk back to the first couple of drives you did. How did you feel and how did it play?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Little repetitious. Because if you want to save battery power, not only that, you're also turning off wipers, turning off your lights, turn off the engine, go into park, get out of my car. And then every time you get back in, you got to turn all those things back on.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Come on. At what point do we tell Shory that I've severely fallen behind on the leaderboard? I think I'm like three games behind. It's hard when it gets to be that big, man.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Alright, so hysterically, my biggest beef with this game is the driving. Because this is the anti-GTA. In GTA, you can drive, you can go nuts, you can go fast, you can do all these wild things. When you're playing Pacific Drive... In the procedural generation, you have to follow the roads because these cars do not perform well on gravel or on inclines, especially the starting engine.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
You can't even handle a 10-degree angle, it seems. It starts beeping at you, and you can't do it. So you're stuck more or less driving on the main roads, but every 40 feet, they hit you with...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
uh barrels in the road concrete barriers or the anomalies and none of them are hard to avoid they're just annoying so as soon as my car gets up to speed i'm slamming on the brake i'm slowly driving off road so i don't crash into something with my headlights getting damaged and i go back on the road and then i speed up for eight seconds to immediately slow down and drive around something else
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Now, the first time you see each anomaly, it's fun. But once you are traveling through this junction for the 20th time, and it's very easy to avoid the abductor anomalies and stuff like that, I just found it to be, I'm just trying to drive, and every eight seconds, you're giving me something that annoys me.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And I did not find it fun to just drive through the world or to do any kind of real exploration. Another example of that, I know that we haven't really talked about getting out of your car, but on these runs, you very quickly notice how much of the game is just repetitious.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Like if you need to go find chemicals, which we were always hurting for all of a sudden, I realized, oh, it's every building with the satellite dish has a hazmat cabinet. So now I just know to bypass every other kind of trailer out there in the world. But if I go into that one, Every time I got to bring my crowbar, there's the cabinet, there's my chemicals.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
There's always going to be these floodlights that'll give me bulbs. And then on the backside, there's lead plating. And then in the middle, there's always one to three PCs that I can break down for electronic parts. And I very quickly realized, oh, this is a game that's largely copy pasted through the procedural generation in a way that I found to be a little underwhelming personally.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, I really do feel like you get lulled to sleep. So when you get something moderately cool, it just seems all the cooler. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So we got to move on and talk a little bit about anomalies because that's such a large part of the game. We've already mentioned a few.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
How about you guys just pick like one or two that you think are neat or maybe your favorite or maybe the most annoying and kind of just tell the people about how it works.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, you're pretty okay yourself, buddy. Pretty all right. By the way, our community's doing all our work for us. They're telling people about Discord. They're telling them about Patreon. I love it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Similarly, there was an achievement I got for remaining airborne for six seconds. Oh, geez. And then that's another one that you can get if you kind of play around and go off the right ledges. For me, I'll share the one that I thought was the most annoying. I don't know about you guys.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
It was the one that was like the set trap where all of a sudden the six pylons would raise around you and start shooting electricity. It's so annoying because there's no indication that it's coming up and you have to slam on the brakes and just kind of like wait 10 seconds until the electricity stops in front and then you can drive through.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
But that's kind of like an example where I was like, don't just annoy me for eight seconds. The airstrip. Way cooler anomaly. The abductors. Awesome. Even the bubble bunnies and all the other stuff in this game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Oh, yeah. And on the extreme side, because sometimes when you check your map, a certain junction will have extreme anomalies. And sometimes I would still choose to drive through them because I'm like, well, it's four junctions to be line it or I've got to go six. If I want to avoid that, well, I'm just going to go straight there. Sometimes the whole zone is a hurricane. And these are no joke.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I don't know if you guys drove through hurricanes or not. It'll blow your vehicle up on two wheels on the side. It'll make you go flying off the road. I mean, it's no joke. And some of the extreme anomalies are actually pretty interesting to try to drive your way through. All right, well, let's go ahead and move on, and let's talk a little bit about the garage.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
This is actually what I thought was the best stuff in the game. I hated any time I was driving and going through the game. I did not mind the car maintenance stuff nearly as much. Let's start with basic maintenance and the status monitor, all right? What can go wrong out driving in your car and how do you fix it back in the garage?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I was just going to say. Everything can go wrong. Everything. Segmented parts of your car too, right?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Brian, will you talk a little bit about like repair putty and mechanics kits?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And the cool thing is that things will go wrong. And as your vehicle gets damaged, you can press and hold a button to scan it. So like, for example, you can look at your windshield and it's cracked. Like you can see also a little symbol where it has a little crack symbol. But if you look at it and scan, it'll say, you can fix this with a ceiling kit.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And now I know, okay, I'll go craft a ceiling kit and I can fix it. There were other things that I got hit with where I had short-circuited spark plugs. Now you got to go craft an electrician's kit. I did think that stuff was pretty interesting. I will say it felt a little bit overly needy because when you look at that status meter, it'll tell you your car's health is at 50%.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Well, do I really have to create more repair putty and hit these wheels that are two-thirds health? Or can I chance it and let it go? And pretty quickly, you realize you can chance a lot of things. I would kind of prioritize my bumpers because I'm going to hit stuff and headlights.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Because if you're stuck without headlights, and especially if you hit the eerie darkness, it's definitely tough to work your way around. Of course, later in the game, you start to upgrade and you get side lights and all this floodlights and whatnot.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, it really is a great community. There's a link for our Discord in the episode. Make sure to check that out. And then one last thing before we jump into Pacific Drive. Ryan, why don't you tell the people a little bit more about our Patreon?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
again rolling you to sleep with bad stuff and then mediocre stuff makes you feel good uh we'll have to go to our break soon but last thing i wanted to bring up is the friendly dumpster uh adding into more of just the magical things of your garage you want some when you come back from paul you want some panels
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
When you come back on a run, maybe your car basically got destroyed and you don't have any mats. So how are you supposed to get back out on the road? Well, the friendly dumpster will just start vomiting up
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
random parts that you need but what's so funny is that this bugged out multiple times on me where it would not stop shooting out doors and panels i sent you guys a screenshot picture yeah where i had legitimately 300 panels and doors out right next to the dumpster you had the friendliest dumpster ever paul i know i didn't get that i know my dumpster was stingy
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
My immediate reaction was, sweet, unlimited scrapped metal. I'm going to scrap all of this. Well, here's the thing. It was almost like a graphical glitch because none of those were real. I would pick up that panel, put it on my car, and I can see it. But as soon as I would pick anything else up, that would disappear. So now I have to clear all this stuff out.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I was like, all right, well, I'll just take my scrapper. Well, if you take your scrapper to that, they explode. When you scrap them, you get nothing out of it. And then it hurts your character by like 5%. So I would take my scrapper, blow myself up to 0%, run into the garage, heal myself, go back, bust another 20 panels.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I had to do that about 14 times just to clear the map of all this garbage on the screen. And it happened to me two more times where the dumpster wouldn't stop. It just keeps shooting crap out. Um,
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
So the game for me, I think I had more bugs than you guys did, but that was like one example where it was such a nuisance because now I had to spend like 10 minutes just to get rid of this glitch crap coming out of my dumpster.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I think they give you the minimum, so at least your car can have all 12 panels and doors and headlights. They at least give you, yeah, at least some. All right, well, let's go ahead and take our last break, and then we'll come back and talk about progression with car upgrades. Alright, so we talked a little bit about progression with the map, which was very difficult to explain by podcast.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Difficult to learn in-game. I think that when we are talking about the fabrication station, this is when we're talking about progression to your character, your car, and your garage. And boy, you guys know this. I played the first third of this game not realizing that there were like nine tabs to this. All I saw was the home screen on the fabrication station. And at one point, I'm like, guys...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Where are you finding blueprints? Because I can't find any. And I played a third of this game only crafting more crude panels, crude headlights, and crude doors, not knowing how I could unlock these blueprints. Dude, that was so good.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
talking about no you make them yeah and I was like no Josh not like the detailing station I know how to craft that stuff like where do you I have I have a million steel plates and I can't do anything with them and then I it was so funny because like we literally Paul was trying to explain that he knew what all these like stations were
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Paul was hamstrung for so long. Oh yeah. Like I, I was a pro at driving out there with the crude, you know, car, car parts. I will say that was the best hour of the game for me. Cause I got to unlock like 24 upgrades in a row and I upgraded every piece on my car. And for the record, Going from crude headlights to headlights is literally day and night. Yeah. It is so much better.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And joining me, he's desperate for more chemicals like Tyrone Biggums. Y'all got any more of them chemicals? It's Josh. Y'all got any more of that repair putty? I know, right? There's never enough repair putty. Ever. All right, and then joining Josh and me, he's dodging bunnies left and right so they don't latch onto his car like sentinels in the Matrix. It's Ryan. I am ready. Let's go. Oh, wait.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
You had so much stable energy. Oh, yeah. That was actually a blast was running through so many upgrades immediately because I had a million parts. I just kept shoving into lockers. I'm like, I don't know what to do with all of it. All right. Oh, I will say I have one complaint about the fabrication station. Sometimes in order to unlock a new part, it would require that you scan certain anomalies.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And I don't know about you guys. I was not scanning any anomalies because I was like, well, why would I? And then it was like, oh, before you can craft a steel bumper, I think it was, you have to scan an abductor. And I was like, oh, come on. I have all the mats. I've got the energy. I have all the other parts.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
So then for a while, I was stopping to scan every single anomaly and then I could unlock them. I don't know if that was really necessary because scanning the anomalies just gives you the name. It doesn't really matter. You know what they do. Like, I don't care that it's called hot dust. When I drive into it, I hear the Geiger counter and I'm taking radiation. I know what it is.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
So that I found to be a little bit of an annoyance. But otherwise, the fabrication station was always fun. Sometimes you got to build a whole new part of your garage where this is. I think they called it like a matter deconstructor. Yeah, because I remember being out in the field and I found like what did they call them like loot clams or something like that?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
It looks like a clam and it says like it could hold treasure, but you got to find a way to open it. Well, the matter deconstructor, you chuck parts into it and it spits out whatever it can break it down into. So unlocking new pieces like that in the garage, I always found to be an awful lot of fun. I do want to move on to my absolute favorite part of this game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And it is the best idea that they had in development for this game. And it's the fact that your car develops quirks. Yes. All right. This is so cool. So as you're out in the world, you know, getting damage from anomalies and crashing into stuff, your car will start to have issues that correlate to something else.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Oh, absolutely. We thank people in advance. We also give them shout outs on the show when they sign up. And we have two people that we owe thank yous to. We want to say thank you to Kyle McCourt, who signed up on Patreon and also Moose. Both of them signed up with rare status. We want to say thank you so much to Kyle and Moose for their support.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And you have what is called a tinker station in the garage that helps you diagnose the problem and it tells you how to fix it. So you activate the tinker station and it's not immediately obvious what it does. There's four columns of words and it basically just fits this format. When part A does this, then part B does this.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And so for example, the first quirk I realized is every time I turned my wheel and I would hold it there, my headlights would dim. So I would go into the tinker station and I could put when steering wheel constantly turns, headlights dim. And then sure enough, it says, ding, ding, ding, you are correct. Here's what you have to craft. You need a light bulb replacement.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And then I went ahead, I stuck that into the tinker station and then it cured my car of that quirk. That's a very minor one. You can have far bigger issues where all your car doors open or a tire falls off your car or the engine jolts forward. And you only get eight guesses to finish your diagnosis. And so you can't just like brute force your way through it like a hacker.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
But what a cool idea to give you these hilarious quirks and then giving you a little bit of a mini game to diagnose it. I thought this was the best part of the game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
All right, so before we read some community reviews and then do our leaderboard segment, last question for you guys. What change would you make to improve Pacific Drive? And if you want, it can be something relatively minor like beefing up the tutorial, letting you know twice how to do this stuff, or it can be total overhauls of certain mechanics. What would you guys do to this?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
All right. I think it's time, guys. Let's shift into drive and talk about Pacific Drive. All right, every time we do a deep dive here, we start out by reading a description of the game. Here's what they have on Steam. Face the supernatural dangers of the Olympic Exclusion Zone with a car as your only lifeline in this driving survival adventure.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna, even if it was as simple as paying some stable limb energy and letting you bypass a junction, or you could optionally do it to save it. It maybe just give you like some more choice.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, it's the opposite of fast travel to make you re-travel the same area 400 times in a row.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yep. And yet you still have to stop and scrap stuff because you're going to need those early mats. And it's just a lot of repetitious resource gathering. Also. I mean, that's one of my biggest complaints. I have a two part thing that I think would drastically improve this game. I'm not going to say change everything because this game sucks, even though that's true. I'm not going to say that. Um,
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I would say, first of all, they have to let you do more stuff on foot because when you get out of your car, there is nothing to do other than to run up to a resource and I'm going to equip. Okay, if I want to open the trunk, I have to do the pry bar. If I want to smash open this certain container, I use my impact hammer.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Scavenge resources, load up your trusty station wagon, and drive like hell to make it through alive. All right, so Pacific Drive. We've got some history here, right, Josh? We've been talking about this game for over a year. We've talked about the development. We've covered when the first video footage released, when the demo released.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Oh, if I want to bust out these lights and get the bulbs, I got to use my vacuum and And all you're doing is just clicking the tool and pressing and holding it to gather the mat. And you're just doing that over and over and over. There is no combat in this game. You are not engaging in combat on foot or in your car.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I think what would really add a lot to this game is you have to survive while you're in your car. But give me a little bit of offense in this game as well. When I get out of my car... have some guns, have some of the anomalies come fight me. They have, they have like the bunnies that are like the sentinels in the matrix. They'll attach to your car.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Let me shoot them instead of just taking a scrapper. And then they roll off the car. Um, and then imagine if this game was also co-op, um, All right. Imagine, Josh, you and I are in the car together and you're shouting, no, go around it to the right. And then the car crashes.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And now I'm jumping out and I'm trying to diagnose the issues with the car and I'm crafting stuff out of the trunk while you're pulling out your gun and fighting the anomalies while I'm fixing the car.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
that to me sounds exciting as opposed to oh i have to drive around the hot sand yet again and now i'm just gonna walk up and loot this backpack like that loop is so boring i feel like if you made that switch and i know that's a major change right that's you're changing the core mechanic of the game but that would be an actual fun product like give me a jump puzzle man
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah. All right. Well, let's move into community reviews and see what the other people of the world have to say about this game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Oh my God. What a sad, what a sad life.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I went back to one of our old episodes when Michael was on the show with us to hear what we had to say about Pacific Drive over a year ago. Michael was so excited, he said he was looking forward to Pacific Drive more than Diablo 4, which sounded like blasphemy at the time and almost seems worse now in hindsight. But that's a little bit of an insight as to how excited some of us were about it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
That is such a great point at the end. That is very true. The first time you see or do something, it's neat, and then it immediately loses all appeal.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Now, that's in part due to poor tutorial. Exactly. And they hit you with too much of that at the same time. They teach you about refueling your car and refueling the can inside the car that attaches to the upper left. And here's how you diagnose. And here's how you craft on the workbench. And here's how you craft in the back of your car. And here's how you install cardboard boxes.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And they hit you with all of that once. And then they never teach you again to where... I ran out of fuel on one run, totally forgot I had a fuel can in the car. I just abandoned the run. And then later when I was tinkering in the back of my car, I was like, Oh, I've got a fuel can. Oh, I'm such an idiot. I had all that fuel right there.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Why didn't I, you know, I, but I didn't remember because the game throws so much at you in one little truncated spot.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Oh, Josh, the fax machine is pointless. It's absolutely pointless. It holds your audio files, so you don't have to put them in your locker, and that's it. I built the fax machine. I got probably 15 messages on that thing, and none of them make any sense. They don't add to the lore. They don't add to the entertainment. Right.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
It's Escape from Tarkov with no guns and no fighting and pointless upgrades. And you're just grabbing four kinds of loot over and over. And they don't even look different. It's a blue square or a red square in my inventory. Everything about this game is so dumb.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I know, right? And I know a lot of people worked really hard. And for the niche audience that love this game, all the power in the world to you guys. This is not a major release. I looked on Steam charts. There's like 5,000 people playing it right now. Those 5,000 people must love it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
But I think for a lot of your average gamers, you're going to jump into this and say, where's the action and where's the fun?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
The save thing has ruffled a lot of feathers. I don't have as big of an issue with that. I don't either. If I can't finish a run, just hit escape. It pauses. Like Elden Ring, you can't pause. You bring up your menu and you can still die. In Pacific Drive, just hit escape, go do whatever you got to do, return in a couple hours, and then finish your run. I don't have as much heartburn over that.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
That's higher than I thought. Yeah, definitely. I think on Metacritic, it's a 78 on PC and a 77 on PS5, which is about right. I think that's kind of where it deserves to be. All right. Are we ready to go to the leaderboards? Let's do it. Any closing comments before we hit that? All right. Let's go to the leaderboard.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
For listeners who might be new, if you go to videogamerspod.com, there's a tab for leaderboards. If you tab over that or mouse over it, you can bring up our top 10 games of all time. You can also bring up our deep dive leaderboard where after every deep dive, each of us puts it on our leaderboard. Where does this game stack up against everything else?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
For example, I have at the top stuff like Red Dead Redemption 2, Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Cyberpunk, Disco Elysium, God of War, you know, absolute classic games. Down in the middle, we got some stuff more along the lines of like Ark, V Rising, Vermintide 2, Killing Floor 2, stuff like that. On the very bottom, I have stuff like...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Escape from Tarkov, which we already talked about me not liking. Elite Dangerous, Battlefield 2042, stuff like that. So where are you guys going to stick Pacific Drive? A game that I would say has a lot of stuff going for it that I would normally like. It's a smaller studio. It's under $30. It's relatively short. Those are all things that I like.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
But as far as everything else goes, I mean, I hated the experience of playing this game. And honestly, the first third where I did not know about any upgrades, I actually thought was more exciting because it forced me to be more careful with my car. This game's not difficult. No, it's not. Oh, yeah. No, it's not difficult and it's not fun. And it just did not jive with me on any level.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I immediately said, this is going in my bottom 10, no questions asked. I think on my leaderboard, I'm going to put it at 95 out of 105. So I did not like this game at all. Almost unredeemable all around.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
No, no, no. I'm usually pretty nuanced with my takes or you'll like this. This is maybe not so much my thing. I found this game to be overall abysmal and completely dead of any fun. Ryan, how about you?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah. And an extra 20 million or something. Give it more time. And it could have been something.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Play it for two hours and then refund it, right? Now, if they said... Pacific Drive way outsold all of our expectations. We're putting together a crack team of developers. We're making Pacific Drive 2. We're going all out. We're pumping in tons of money. All these gifted people we're bringing along board. I think all three of us would pick it up in a heartbeat. Yeah.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Because it's such a cool kernel of an idea. There's nothing wrong with the idea of getting in a station wagon, pimping it out, and having all these anomalies. It's just purely execution. It seems like it just needed more time, more money, more love, more innovation. But I would absolutely give Pacific Drive 2 a shot. Agreed. Yeah. All right.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Apparently, I was a little salty on that episode because you, Josh, said, yeah, I'm kind of with Michael on this one after he really gushed about it. And then you said, Paul, I know that you called us both crazy because you wanted to talk about Resident Evil 4. But then apparently, you know, the two of you outvoted me and we were talking about Pacific Drive instead.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Well, you know, I'm glad we didn't have to come to fisticuffs, Josh. I was a little worried this might be one game where you're like... It's just so fun. You're missing out. It's top 20, and I was going to have to go bananas. I'm glad we're all somewhat on the same page. Paul, before recording, I hate this game, man. I flat out told Ryan, I said, because you guys already knew how much I hated it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I just said, Ryan, if Josh comes in and just starts praising this game, I'm going to lose it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, totally agree with you, Ryan. All right. Well, I think that wraps up our deep dive on Pacific Drive. As a reminder, please make sure to rate our show five stars and swing by our Patreon support page to see options for bonus episodes, shout out on the show, all that good stuff. That's at MultiplayerSquad.com. Come join our free Discord. Hit us up on socials at VideoGamersPod.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Thank you so much to everyone for listening. Until next time, happy gaming.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
But, oh man, this is a long time coming. We have talked so much about Pacific Drive. Now that we kind of read the description, talked a little bit about how the game looks like, Josh, why don't you actually walk us through the gameplay? What are you actually doing in Pacific Drive? What are the nuts and bolts?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Hold on. Hold on. You're in park going nowhere fast. Yep. Oh, boy. All right. We're going to be talking about Pacific Drive. But first, we have a little bit of housekeeping to do. Josh, I think we've got a community, not a community review, but a show review you're going to read. We have a couple.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, I think the only thing I would add on top of that is it does have a little bit of this roguelike structure to the game where you go out on runs and then you either portal your way back to the initial garage or if you die or your car is destroyed, then you'll respawn back at the garage and then you start a new run.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
So the whole idea is to accumulate enough knowledge and do enough work out in the world that in one run, you'll be able to work your way through all the zones and escape back to normal life. Is that fair, Ryan? Anything that we missed as far as core gameplay mechanics?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, and there's also a large aspect of while you're scavenging materials on the road, you're also fixing your car because it's going to take damage. And your car's health matters more than your person's health. And so keeping your car afloat until you get back to the garage, and then that's when you're doing your major upgrades and things like that.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I think it's actually a really cool and ingenious idea. I love the idea of being able to upgrade your car and go out and do these missions and unlocking new parts of the map. I think that stuff works really well. I will say just kind of like right off the bat here. I really struggled with this game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I a lot of times we try to keep our opinions to ourselves and we don't really talk until we record the show. this game did not jive with me at all. Um, in the episode from last year, I kind of asked you guys like what would make Pacific drive good or bad, or how do you think it's going to shake out? And Michael said, it could be a complete waste of time. Okay.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Great idea, but poor execution or a game where I keep going back to that. Well, for the next 20 years, um, I will certainly not be returning to this game in 2044. I can promise you that. However, all that being said, I will be completely fair. I think there are some great ideas in Pacific Drive. I think it has definitely found its niche audience.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
I don't think this is necessarily a broad game that's going to appeal to everyone. But as we talk about the game here, I think it'll help a lot of our listeners identify whether or not it's going to jive for them. All right. So let's talk about kind of like the opening moments of the game. So when you first fire up the game, you're driving your normal car on the highway.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
You end up being sucked into a portal and they start teaching you kind of like all the basics of the game. Here's how you turn on your car's lights. Here's how you turn on your windshield wipers, which by the way, are not all that terribly useful. And then once you go through that portal, you are stuck running on foot.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And this is when you run across the station wagon that you're going to have for the rest of the game. There is a radio where some people start talking to you and they say it's not a transmitter. They can't send anything back, but they can hear us. And they start guiding you
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
in your station wagon that you have found, and then you work your way to a garage, which is your home base of operations for the whole game. There's a woman named Oppie who talks to you through the intercom, tells you you can use her equipment, you can check the status of your car, fuel up, install some gear. And then they start to hit you with some of the lore and the story of the game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
They say that you're a breacher, that you're in possession of a remnant, which has taken the shape of the car. I really struggled following the lore of this game in part because every time they're narrating story to you, you're also driving and trying to avoid obstacles. And for me, it was very hard to multitask those at the same time, despite playing so much of this game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
Can either of you two understand and explain like the lore of remnants and the mass hallucinations and all the stuff that they talk about?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Pacific Drive - Gaming Podcast
And then later Alan comes into the mix, but go ahead.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It is a remake that has me tempered a little bit, but this game is going to be beloved. I think everyone who did not get a chance to play it like Josh is going to think it's so phenomenal. This is like guaranteed 90 plus on Metacritic, I think.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I'll let you take it at 37.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Ryan, you're Mr. Metal Gear Solid. This belongs in your list anyway.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
You're worried about your two bucks. Last year, I wasted 20, so there you go.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Yes, there's a very good chance that it could. No, come on. Red Dead got pushed back a lot.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
If there was a genie that told us it's 100% guaranteed to come out this year, I would go as high as $125. I mean, GTA four was the greatest game I had ever played up to that point. GTA five was the greatest game I'd ever played up to that point. Yeah. Red Dead Redemption two greatest game I had ever played up to that point. Like I have so much confidence in GTA six and yet at the same time,
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I am just very fearful that it could get delayed. I was prepared to go up to 100, but now that it's already there, I think I would bow out at that point. I can't go over 100. This is either a complete waste of $100 or Ryan won the draft. There's no middle ground.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I believe all of their other flagship games got delayed at least a year after the initial dates were announced. So there's a little bit of a track record working against you, Ryan, but a hundred dollars, like compare that to dragons dogma two from last year. That's paying for like one in a third dragons dogmas. That's so well worth it. Oh man.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's the beauty of the auction, right?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's also very hard to do a two-person draft. It definitely helps to have that third person. And I love the format of this episode. This is one of my favorite things. I had to come back and do it. I'm so excited. It's a great way to break down the upcoming year, but to also throw in that extra twist and to have some fun with it.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
all right we're back paul it's back to you buddy we got the big one out of the way now i'm curious to see where this goes remember last year when ryan was really bummed he couldn't bid any money on like no rest for the wicked because he won the first five games yeah that's exactly what ryan's doing again no i don't just spend recklessly what are you talking about ryan you have 57 to play with
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Which I played. Fantastic. Loved it. Can't wait for the follow-up. I am not too sure what to do with this game. I'm just throwing it out initially at 10. I know it's going to go higher than that. But how do you guys feel about the prospects of it releasing? Because this is one on the very short list of must-plays if it does come out next year.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I think I said 10, but yeah. Either way, I know it's going higher.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
All right. I'll take it for 38. I like that price.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Is this a little bit of recency bias because I literally just played Ghost of Tsushima?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
That's I think that's, that'll be a steal if it comes out.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
This is one of the ones where I'm not sure the community is going to love it, but the three of us are so hyped for this game. I know. I think 42 is a great price, but I'm going to bow out.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Ryan, you can go up to 57, 58, 58 is your max.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
This is the kind of pick that might look bad initially in the community. But in hindsight, I don't see this game being lower than a B-plus rating. It's going to be great.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I feel like there's 14 games on this list that kind of look like Claire Obscura.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
All right, you can take it.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
All right, $16. Clear Obscura. There you go, Josh.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Fair enough. Coming back around to me.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, all right. All right. Um, boy, there's a couple of lottery tickets that I'm really hoping to grab for like a buck or two at the end. So I'm going to avoid those for now. Let's, uh, oh man, I'm, I'm going to throw out midnight murder club.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's more like Lethal Company with PvP, I think, is more the vibe. Is that what it is? Yes. So if you guys haven't seen much about this, I think this is one of those games that very well could catch fire if you have the right people playing it. It has proximity chat, just like Lethal Company. You've got a flashlight. You've got a revolver. You are running around in the dark playing.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
and you vote on different game modes, and then you're trying to win the match. So the idea of getting into these multiplayer matches with six people, where you're going to have hysterical proximity chat, sometimes pairing off into groups and working together against the other parties, I could see this one being an awful lot of fun.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's one that I know is not going to go for a lot of money here, but I could really see this one catching fire, sort of like Pal World...
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Got some heavy hitters still.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I know. I don't like Subnautica, but most people do.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Brian, you can go $20. He'll keep bidding.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Can I come out of the woodwork?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
John's a really, really good dude.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I think it'll be 80% complete personally. That's just my guess. Yeah.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's like when I drafted Elden Ring.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
18 is the current bid. I didn't want to besmirch it too much, but to me, I don't know if there's a series that has more diminishing returns other than maybe Assassin's Creed, which I also already drafted. But my goodness, with each Borderlands, I like it less and less.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, I was just going to say the same thing. Like Battlefield?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Look at that window, though, Josh. Summer 2025 to early 2026? I feel like if they're already floating that... Yeah, I don't know. I'm a little worried.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It kind of is what it is. But he got named notoriety. People love Borderlands.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
All right, so for my next nomination here, man, I was kind of hoping to swoop in and grab Like a Dragon, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, but I feel like since I only have four open slots, I don't want to chance that one. I want to toss out one of the big heavy hitters still. Let's go Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Been on our radars for quite a while.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Okay, so we did this for the first time for 2024, and I hope, whether I'm included or not, that this continues every year here on out. The way that we do this is we all have a fictional $200 budget, and we are going to be doing an auction draft. If you've played fantasy football, you're probably somewhat aware of it.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
45. This is the thing. It's like... What am I saving my money for if I don't bid on it?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
But this one's coming out in February. This one is releasing.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
That gives it a little bit of a premium.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
And they made Kingdom Come Deliverance 1, and now they've basically remade the game that they always wanted to. So it has a lot of love and time and passion. I'll go ahead and say 47.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
How high would you have gone, Josh?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
If the combat hits, the game will be fantastic for that player.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Basically, the way it works is one of the three of us nominate a game that is set for release in 2025. And then basically auction style, we can outbid each other. We keep going until going, going gone. You just got that game at that price point. All three of us have to draft a total of eight games. So for you math nerds out there like me, that's an average of $25 a game.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Yotei at $38, I love. That's a steal, I think. Subnautica, I'm not the biggest fan, but at $20, that is such a great price. I am more than happy with it. Yeah.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
This went last year for $50, I believe.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's definitely releasing. Do you guys feel better or worse about Avowed now, like nine months later?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I think he might let you take it.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I was watching more gameplay of avowed and like, as time goes on, I feel less and less confident about it. A little bit. Yeah. Just a little.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, it starts with EO. Yeah.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
No, it's called... Oh, gosh. Pillars of Eternity.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
There's a lot of strategy here. Like, do you put a lot of money into the highest anticipated and throw out a couple of $1 lottery tickets? Or do you kind of spread all your money out and kind of go for like a whole bunch of B minuses? It's a lot of fun. It makes us look really stupid at the end of every year. Some of us more than others. I'm sure this is going to get brought up. I got crushed.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Ryan still needs six more games. It's all part of the plan.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
We talked about this before. I have never played a Metroid game.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Ryan, come on, dude. You got to start filling out this roster.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Well, Nintendo doesn't give release dates very far in advance, so a lot of times we just have no idea what's coming. What are you doing, Josh?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
All right, I only need three more games, guys, and I have $105 between all three.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Back to me. All right. I am going to nominate one of the bigger recognizable names on the list. I have a feeling maybe Ryan was hoping to wait and get this one on the cheap down the road. I want to throw out Gears of War E-Day.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I still love Gears of War. I miss it. I want this one.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Right? My bigger worry is that it'll get delayed. The release window is September to October 2025. Yeah, it's late. But I'll throw it out for $20.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
in our 2024 draft. And multiple people thought that I had won it at the time. And within a couple months, we all agreed that I did by far the worst. Almost all of my games got delayed. But it's going to be an absolute blast. We get a chance to compete, but to also talk about these upcoming games and how much are we willing to pay.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
What am I saving my money for? There's only like three things left that I want.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, you were feeling really good last year, though.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Have you played any of the Civ games, Ryan?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
devout like yeah they're like people who love civ games are like they love those games one more turn yeah and then it's tomorrow yeah exactly yeah paul was it sim five that we got into with todd for a while we played on it yeah we played a lot of five and then we did a deep dive on six and we didn't like it as much i played but five man we cracked out on that game what a fun game yeah
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Last year, I think our highest priced games went in the $67, $68 range. $69 for Black Myth Wukong. There you go. I'm very curious to see if we end up having a new all time record this year.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I wish I liked this series. I really hate it. I don't like Monster Hunter at all. I started playing, I think it was Monster Hunter 3 on the Wii. My brother-in-law, Jason, got me to buy it. I hated it. I played whichever one you and I did the deep dive on, Josh.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's just not for me, so I'm out. I get the appeal. It's just not my personal preference.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Back to me. Yeah. Looking at this list, I only see a couple of really big games remaining. I feel like we have to throw out Elden Ring Night Rain. This one got recently announced, supposed to come out by the end of 2025. I'm throwing that one out there. I'll start the bidding at $10.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
That's Josh's problem, not yours, Ryan.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
The best is that Josh and I are going to bid $0 on anything you bring up, and you're going to end up way under budget.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Dude, there's some great games here. Splitgate 2.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Just Stranding 2. Yeah. Dune Awakening.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Hyper Light Breaker. We know Josh loves that one. I do love that one.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I do like the first one. This game is worth so much more than $1, but I'm not going to bid anything because I only have one spot left.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Josh, you gotta throw out some money.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
That's a Josh pick right there.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's true. I only have one slot.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
No. You want to buy Subnautica? Five dollars going once.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Six dollars. Oh, come on, Josh.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Well, Josh can do $13. That's his highest.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
So $14, and it can be yours, Ryan. All right, I'll buy it for $14.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah. That's what I'm here for.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
That's right. All right, so back to me. I've only got one spot left. There's a couple games here that I really like, but I am going to go for one that we have under our unknown list. There is no release window. I am just going to take a shot in the dark and guess that it's coming out this year. I am going to throw out Super Mario Odyssey 2 for a dollar.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
16. He's going to go up to 23.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Oh. You can win it, Ryan, if you really want it. You can outbid me. You have more money than I do.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
By the way, I definitely think this game's coming out this year, and I think that'll be an absolute steal. They're gonna want to push it for the Switch, too.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Yes, I do, brother. All right. So that goes back now to Ryan.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Then there's one, one last game that I would want on the list. So at least it worked out.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Josh really wants arc Raiders is my prediction and or hyper light breaker. If you care, right. If you want to run them out of a few bucks.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Risk of brain 2? It could be even better.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I would have outbid that for sure if I had more slots. It's the only reason I'm not pushing it.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It is shocking that all of your games released because you took Dragon Age when it had a different name, not even a release year, and you threw out... a whole bunch of money for it, and yeah, all eight of your games, Ryan. Congratulations.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Is this going to come down to you two fighting over Silksong with your last money again?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Ryan, you should have pushed him another dollar because once again, Josh has $1 more than you at the end.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Now, Hollow Knight Silk Song. No release window. No indication it's coming out this year.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I am tempted to throw it out just to see what you guys bid for it. But I am going to stay true to myself. There's one last game on this list I want to play more than all of the others. I'm going to throw out Splitgate 2.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Dang it. And I'm going to go ahead and nominate Splitgate for $11. Yeah, which gets it for Paul.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Dude, Splitgate, I don't know that I've had more fun in a shooter since Splitgate came out.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Well, my team is done, and I have $13 left on the table that I could have spent that I did not. Well, lend me some money. Yeah, wait, hold on. You already have enough, Josh.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Technically, you have 11 and 10.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Dude, Outer Worlds 2? We're throwing some shade by not bringing it up. That deserves mention.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
You're kind of pot committed on Silksong from last year. Double down, dude. Go for it.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
One day. 2025 is our year, boys.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
You got $1 left over since Ryan couldn't outbid you. And then Ryan, you get your pick of the litter, bud.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Those are some good games all around.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
What do you guys think we'll look back on and say was the worst value? I'm going to say GTA 6 because I think it's going to get delayed.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
I don't think so. I think people might say the alters, but we wouldn't say that. No.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
As always, thanks for having me on. It's always a blast. I'm always excited when I get to join you guys. And I'm really looking forward to this year in gaming. It's going to be pretty great. Oh, where wins meet? No one drafted it.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, go fly to China. You can play it there.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
That's just Paul's luck, man. So bad. The only one that I was pretty sure would not release was Ark 2. And we said it at the time. It's like, I'm just going to throw it out there. They say it's releasing end of 2024. That one did not surprise me. I'm still shocked that Snake Eater, Avowed, both got pushed. Those both would have really helped me a lot.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Josh has Black Myth Wukong, which I thought was the best game of last year. Space Marine 2, we said at the time, very well could be the steal of the draft. Dragon's Dogma 2, I know Ryan hated it. It's a very good game. And Indiana Jones kind of came out of nowhere. I mean, I know people knew it was going to come out, but people were shocked at how well-received it was.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
You've got like four killer games in there, plus Stellar Blade.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It changed my strategy in that I really prepared last year. I did zero preparation this summer. I did absolutely nothing other than helping. I think all three of us contributed to the list of upcoming releases along with dates. If there were any, I helped create the list and that is it. I have done nothing else to prep. It doesn't matter. This is very random.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Uh, I, I did think about coming in and only drafting quarter one games just to ensure that they all release.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
But I'm not going to do it. I'm still going to shoot for the fences. I'm still going for just the most anticipated. And if they come out this year, great. If not, I'd rather go down with the ship drafting my GTA sixes or whatever and and have it go down that way. Then try to play it safe.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
So the question is, do I nominate something I want or do I try to start draining your guys' funds?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Alright, I'm going to throw out a game that is set for release in February. This is one that we've talked about on the show a lot. I'm going to toss out Assassin's Creed Shadows. Shout out to Ace. You know he's anticipating it. I know people love to hate on Ubisoft, but I'm kind of... I think this is a good litmus test. Where's this one going to go? I'm going to just start out the bidding at $5.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
Ryan, you like Assassin's Creed in general, right?
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
It's me! I'm here for another episode. And by the way, Josh, you should know by now, Silksong does not exist. It's not a real game.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
$20 for Ryan. I'll say $21.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
21 going once. I'm out. All right. So I won it for $21? 21 bucks. That's ridiculous. I'll take it.
Video Gamers Podcast
The MOST Anticipated Games of 2025 - Gaming Podcast
zero chance game of the year nominee. But yeah, if it's just a solid middle run, probably a lot of fun.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You can call down a traditional weapon like a flamethrower or a railgun, something like that. You have orbital cannons, where basically your ship in orbit will send down a barrage for where you mark a target. It does a ton of damage, but it has a little bit of a cooldown.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You have hangar eagle strikes that happen much quicker because they are flown in by jets that are already on the planet's surface. That'll come in and it can destroy buildings or enemies. You also have an engineering bay where you can call down some kind of machinery like a little barrel that'll spin in a circle and shoot out mines that are going to destroy enemies who walk over them.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And you also have a robotics workshop where you can call down sentries. Ryan is very familiar with the robotics workshop. These are sentries that will drop down and they will automatically fire on enemies. Okay. Now, stratagems do carry their own refresh timers. Some of them you can only use once, and then you have to wait for a cooldown. Some of them you can redeploy multiple times.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But Ryan, I'm going to let you do the honors here. How do you call in these stratagems from space?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, man. We'll have to settle the debate of who's done the most friendly fire, and I think all three of us know who the answer is.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I will say, never in a million years did I think that something so simple as having to input a code would affect gameplay and the feeling of being in combat so much. There's people listening that are like, I don't get it. So you hit a series of directions, right? And it's like...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, we'll have to reveal that a little later if you can't already tell. All right, before we jump into Helldivers 2, Josh, I think you're going to read a review or two?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But having to do that in the heat of combat when you are being approached by 50 automatons or you have 40 bugs chasing you and you're the only guy left in your squad and you know you have about a half a second to throw that stratagem because the stratagem is also how you redeploy your squad mates. So when people die... They don't come back automatically.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You have to summon them by throwing the stratagem that redeploys them. So this lends itself to insane stress and amazing clutch plays at the same time, though. When you're running and you've got a horde of 40 bugs chasing you, and I'm the only one left, and I mean, you have to redeploy Stratagem. It doesn't change. Now, that's the thing.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
These codes don't change unless there's a modifier, which we can get into a little bit later. But, I mean... up, down, right, left, up, you know, to throw the redeploy. And it's like, you have to do that so fast. And if you whiff it, you have to start over. So then you're freaking out. Your buddies are all freaking out. I mean, it is, it seems simple, but it adds an incredible layer to this game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
We do have... Hey, you know what is awesome is we've been getting a good bit of reviews lately, so thank you to everybody out there that is taking the time to leave us a review. It really helps the show. So if you love the podcast... If you want to help us out, take just a few seconds and leave us a review. There's a good chance that we'll read them on the show.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
That it's hard to describe. This is one of those things where you have to experience it. You have to be in the heat of battle. And some of them are long. Honestly, depending on how good the stratagem is, sometimes they're like eight key presses. The rover dog? Yeah. Yeah, that one's long. I mean, some of them are long.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And it's this incredible thing where you might have a gigantic bile titan, which is this colossus of a bug stomping down on you. You have aggro. You see it coming. And you're like, well, I've got something that can help deal with this. But you get one chance to summon that stratagem and throw it before you get obliterated by this guy. And it's like, if you make it, it is glory for your squad.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And if you whiff it, you are dead in a very spectacular fashion. And I love it, man. It's something so simple in this game, but it really adds something just tangible to it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, 100%. It is so simple to just have to enter this code, but the fact that you don't just enter the code, but then you have to throw the grenade, and you have to try to time it, and you have to manage your cooldowns. This is where you are doing most of your damage, I think is probably fair to say. Oh, yeah.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
wiping out an entire patrol at once or destroying buildings or closing nests that are spawning more bugs. Believe it or not, it's already time for our first break. So we're going to take just a short break and then we're going to come back and talk about our favorite stratagems. Okay, we are back. I want to say that one of my favorite stratagems is the reinforce. And here's why.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
When you call someone in for battle, they drop in in a drop pod. Now, you have about 1.8 seconds for... from the time that pod enters the atmosphere till it hits the ground, but you can pilot and control that drop pod.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And if you land on an enemy, it will absolutely do a lot of damage to X. There are times that I've died and I've said, guys, I need to reinforce, chuck me on the bile Titan and I'll kill it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It'll take it out. We just did that last night. And I love the fact that when you die and come back, that's actually part of like your strategy and fighting. I have never seen a game use a respawn mechanic better than this. In most games, like if you die in Mario, you just come back at the beginning of the level, right? And that's fine. That's how most games handle respawn here.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It's part of the lore. It's part of the story. It's part of the strategy. I think it's completely ingenious, right? Is it my absolute favorite stratagem? No. But I absolutely love how Reinforce works. And I just kind of wanted to hear from you guys. Do you have any favorite stratagems? And Ryan, why is it the Mortar Sentry?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
We'll let Ryan try to defend his love of the team killer. You know, this is another cool part of the game is there's a lot of stratagems. I don't know the exact number, but I mean, I would say it's 30 stratagems. Maybe even a little higher. Yeah, 30 or 35, somewhere around there. Honestly, I bring different ones depending on who we're fighting at the same time.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
If you are listening on Spotify, you can rate us five stars. But yeah, these really help the show out. It's a great way to just say thanks for the content and we appreciate it. And we'll read a couple like I'm going to do right now. This first one comes in from Nolan the Turtle and it's titled Finally.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
There are two stratagems that I never leave home without, it seems like, honestly. One is the heavy machine gun turret. It is a giant turret that you get in. It's got dual cannons, and it turns very slowly, but it obliterates things, man. It feels like a heavy turret should feel, and there's just something fun about calling this thing down,
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Getting in it, slowly turning to where the the hordes coming from and then just mowing them down while you guys are like on foot, like just trying to survive. I absolutely love it. It does really good against the big guys as well. It's very risk reward.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And when I see you get in that, Josh, I try to pay close attention to your back because you're stuck. Like if someone comes up behind you, you're going to die. And in this game, you die fast. It could just be anywhere from one to maybe five hits at the most. And so that's part of the team play. When I see you doing crazy damage with the HMG, I'm trying to watch your back at the same time.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, because if you don't, I'm getting one-shotted. And then now I'm not in the HMG anymore either. So I love that. It's also hilarious, like we mentioned earlier, to just hear your character start screaming because you're just mowing down bugs. And it's like this weird, joyous scream that he's got going on. It's great.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And then the other one is a little bit later in the game, but it's called the Orbital Laser. And I mean, imagine a Death Star beam from space. And like Paul said, this is the beauty of this game. We're going to get into some of the aesthetics of it here in a little bit. But this laser comes from your ship that is in orbit.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
So you can literally look up in the sky and see this thing beaming down this Death Star laser. and it has like tracking. So it will just sit there and scour the battlefield obliterating everything. And it's so good for like the really heavily armored guys. Now it takes a while to kill them.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
This is not like a one shot, but it's just this glorious, like it's the light of Liberty guys beaming down from the heavens.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Or if you just hit like one, two, three, four, and that was it. Like think of how it would not be nearly as far.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And it says, I've been listening for about eight months and just have been so lazy, I didn't write a review. This podcast is great because all of the hosts are always very funny. They always give great game suggestions. And I have gotten into great games with my friends because of them. Some examples being Bopple Battle and The Finals. Overall, it's an amazing podcast. Nice.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Worth it is Ryan's catchphrase, man. That's all we hear. Paul and I are dead. We're like, now you have to call us in, Ryan. Ryan's like, I'm busy fighting, guys. I will die on this hill.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I love that. We have posted so many memes about Ryan and his murder century. One of them is from Tim Robinson, where he's in the hot dog suit, but he's got like the hell divers helmet. He's like, We're all trying to find the guy that killed us, and it's just clearly the Mortar Century. We also have the one with the car salesman slapping the roof of the mortar.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
This bad boy can kill so many hell divers. Did you see the Uno one? Oh, yeah, the Uno one. Go ahead. What does it say?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
The Mortar Century absolutely has its time and place. Which is always. Which to Ryan is always. It's great for defense as long as you're not near any enemies. As soon as you're near enemies, you're dying to it no matter what. Yes. The stratagems in this game are such a blast. It is very fun to swap between them, to test out new ones. So let's talk a little bit about progression.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
So there's actually... One second, Paul, because I got to say this because we haven't touched on this either. When we talk about the stratagems and calling in giant orbital lasers and mortars and napalm strikes, and I mean, the list goes on and on and on. The one thing that is hard to capture is how visceral...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
these things are like Ryan touched on it earlier, but it is like, I mean there, I have seen a hundred napalm strikes get called in and I have never, not once just gone like, Whoa, you know, like honestly this game, the effects in this game are second to none. Like honestly, I don't know if I can think of another video game that does it as good as hell divers to does it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It is, it's like glorious is the only way that I can describe it. And it's everything, man. Like even Ryan's stupid mortar, which I hate, like he mentioned it, it makes this thunk sound and you can literally watch the mortar go up in the air. Yeah. 50 feet. And then come crashing down right on top of my head and killing me. But it's like, you can watch it the whole time.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
A napalm strike is one of the coolest things I've ever seen him in the game. Yeah, the IBM, I just unlocked a new one. It's an orbital rail cannon where this red laser comes and targets something, but then you can see. Now, it's super fast, but you can see this shell come whizzing in at like 1,000 miles an hour and just explode something, dude. Even something as simple as mines.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You mentioned that at the top of the show. You get this thing that lays down this giant minefield. It comes down looking like a little pyramid with the top cut off. And then it opens up these four doors and it starts spinning around like crazy.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, thank you, Nolan. That's so sweet. And by the way, shout out to Bopple Battle. Still one of the best indie games we've ever played.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It's ridiculous. It is hard to describe. And I have seen video of people using these things. And until you're in the game and you are hearing the sound effects and your screen is shaking because of some giant bomb that just got dropped. Like it's hard to describe, but man, the effects in this game are second to none in a video game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Like they honestly are have to give them credit for that because it adds to that feeling like you are in combat. It's it is awesome, man.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, yeah, that's a great point. It's very visceral. The screen shake, the audio, all of it just makes you drop your jaw the first time you see these things. And sometimes they get dropped very close to you. And we all start yelling like, oh, that's a 500 kilogram eagle. Get out. And everyone just starts scattering.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Absolutely. And you know what? Hey, it's okay to be honest and just say, hey, guys, I've been lazy. I like the show, but I just haven't left a review. We're not going to pick on you. We're just thankful that you took the time. As long as you still do it. Better late than never.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But if they drop like right next to you and sometimes it will blast you off your feet and it won't even necessarily do damage. And of course, it can kill you if you're like right under it. but they all look and feel so different. Like I don't even have to see it or like, I don't have to see the actual laser.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
This game took the world by storm. We were so hyped for this game. It came in as our personal favorite game of the year in our Game Awards episode, and so we just wanted to revisit the excitement, the hype for Helldivers 2.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Cause if you look at a laser coming down from space, it'll tell you like, Oh, this is an Eagle airstrike five, four, three, two, one. And then it lands. Um, I can tell what they are just based on the sound. They did such a good job designing all these stratagems. I can tell right away, oh, I hear Ryan's mortar going off.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
By the way, life pro tip, stand next to the mortar and you will hardly ever die. That's the trick. All right. So let's talk about progression because we all love progression. In games like this, a lot of times this lends into longevity. Does the game have legs? Are we going to play this game for one weekend and be done? Or does it have more long-term play?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
This game actually has several progression mechanics. Let's first talk about the ship management computer. All right. Now, whenever you run a mission, at the end, you gain XP for finishing the mission. So your character does level up. As you hit new levels, new stratagems become available. You also earn currency, which are called requisition slips, for completing objectives.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
If you do optional objectives, you gain additional requisition slips. And you also... get a certain bonus for how much time is left on the clock. Cause some missions are short. They have a 10 minute timer. Some are 12 minutes, some are 40 minute.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And basically the carrot that keeps you coming back to play match after match is leveling your character, having new stratagems available and spending that requisition slip money on it. And, You also have ship modules that require rare materials that you can find in the game and you have to extract with it. And then you can spend that, which will upgrade an entire tree of stratagems.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
So maybe you increase, um, all of your orbital strikes. So now they all call down one second quicker. Now these upgrades for the ship take far longer than the stratagems. It requires a little bit more play. Um, I wanted to kind of ask you guys, how do you feel about the system of unlocking stratagems and ship modules?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, exactly. All right. And then this next one comes in from TechCat13, all the way from Great Britain. And it says this podcast is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by those who have been cursed so badly to not have heard the beautiful voices of Paul and Ryan. And then the voice of Josh.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I really enjoy the progression system. You guys know I don't stick with games for too terribly long. And this was a concern, right? When we first started playing, we got the combat. It's there, right? And it's like, okay, I don't care how good the combat is. If there is nothing to do but combat... like that's gonna have a short life.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And so I was very, very pleasantly surprised when I started to kind of see the progression systems. Early on, it's, hey, you just gotta acquire money and levels. As you level up, you'll get access to new stratagems, but then you have to be able to buy those stratagems. So, you know, you've got the progression of going up in levels.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Well, now you've got the progression of you need to have enough money so that you can buy the stratagems that you want. And there, you know, certain ones unlock at certain levels. So you've got this nice little progression route that you can go. And then like Ryan touched on, you have the ship progression route. This is where you upgrade your actual main ship.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And that, in turn, then affects a series of stratagems that you have. So it's like, oh, well, this is cool. This is more long-term upgrades. And then you get medals when you complete a mission... And then you realize that you can spend your medals on these battle pass type things. But it's like you said, maybe it's an armor set that actually affects the gameplay.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Maybe it's heavy armor where you don't take as much damage or you get two extra grenades or you get extra stims or extra stamina. You get these team boosters that you can select every so often. So now you get a buff that affects your whole squad. So then you've got that progression route. Then you've got the route of the difficulty levels.
Video Gamers Podcast
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This is the podcast of three gaming dads who just want to put their opinion out there in the most fun and wholesome way until Josh starts yelling. In short, if you don't listen to this podcast, you can suffer in the silence that you have created for yourselves. I love it. That's the best one yet.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And I feel like the pacing is about right because you're in the very beginning. I thought, Oh wow. It kind of takes a while to level up. Like once you hit level four, you got to run like three missions to hit five. And then I was like, Ooh, if it's going to start slowing down that fast, maybe this is going to be too slow. But then 27 hours in, uh,
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I've unlocked a vast majority of the stratagems, but not quite all. And I feel like that pacing is about right. And I do feel like we have to touch just a little bit more on the war bonds, which is their, quote, battle pass. Now, battle passes, I usually do not care about at all because they're usually cosmetic. I never pay for battle passes.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
If you're going to have a battle pass system, I actually really love the way they do it in Helldivers. Basically, you earn these medals when you complete missions. By the way, missions combine where if you run multiple missions in the same area, it's an overall operation. And if you do that, you get even more medals. Well, when you finish a level...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You can bring up your acquisition center and you can start spending those medals on your unlockables, but it gives you an element of choice. It's not like a traditional battle pass. Oh, you're level five. Here's a spray you're never going to use. Instead, I have multiple options. Maybe I do want that emote or maybe I want a background card or I want a victory pose for my character.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But this is also how you unlock new weapons, right? So whether you're going to unlock that new SMG or a sniper or a shotgun or whatever it may be, this is where you are unlocking things over time. There are 10 pages of, of gear or different mechanics in the game you can unlock.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And then you can either pay $10 for the premium war band, which I think is called like the hardened veterans war bond or something or, But you can also unlock all of that with the in-game currency. You don't have to spend any additional money. Every single thing in this game can be earned just by putting in the time and playing.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
If you want a little bit of a shortcut, you can pay $10 for the optional warband, but you're going to get it there anyway. And that's only three pages. 10 out of the 13 pages are the same for everyone. You just get access to the last three when you complete the first one. So, I mean, do you guys like that? I think it's so much better than a traditional battle pass.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, that kind of counterbalances the, to only Josh, I love you.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I could care less about battle passes. You guys know this. But this is how it's done. I really like the idea of mixing something fun. I mean, all of us went with the finger guns victory pose so that we were all in sync after a successful mission. But then at the same time, I was super excited to unlock a new grenade type. You know, or a new sidearm or something like that.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I mean, I literally was talking earlier today. I'm making it further down. I'm going to get a new team booster soon when I have 75 medals. And it's like, I can't wait. Right. Like, I mean, I'm saving my medals and I cannot wait. Like, let's run more missions, guys, so I can get more medals so I can get this booster for the team. And I really enjoy that. I'd be honest.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Hey, you know what? Tech Cat, I love you anyway, man. Paul and Ryan need their own separate love sometimes.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I don't care about the steel veterans war bond. I've looked at it and I get that people are paying $10 to access that. And it's like, but it doesn't, that doesn't matter to me. Is there, there's a, yeah, there's a neat gun in there, but I like my gun, you know? So it's just one of those things where it's like, I will likely never dig into that. The premium war bond.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Because it just doesn't affect my gameplay whatsoever. And you're going to get there eventually for free anyway. And that's exactly the point because you can unlock it using super credits. You get super credits on some of the planets by finding these cool rare caches and things like that. Or just buying them in the normal war bond, they give you 100 premium credits at that point.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
The thing I really do like about this system, though, is you have to spend the medals. So you start off on page one, and I think there's probably 10 options that you can buy. Well, to unlock page two, it will say spend 30 medals. So it's like, well, I have to buy these things. So I don't wind up with choice paralysis.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I don't wind up with the, I don't want this stuff because it's like, well, I have to spend these metals. So I might as well go with the victory banner, you know, or something like that. And I'll be honest for somebody like me, that works really, really well because a lot of times I'll just hoard this stuff because I have like choice paralysis or I don't really know or I don't care.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, I don't think anyone's ever called any of our voices beautiful, but I will take it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But in this case, I like the fact that they're saying, hey, just spend them. When you spend them, you'll unlock a new page of stuff at that point. And it really just kind of keeps things moving along.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah. I was actually going to say the only reason that I would buy the premium Warbond is because I literally want to give them more of my money.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, and also, if you have played Helldivers with me, you're going to realize that I am this loud and boisterous in life in general. This is not just for the podcast, so...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It's worth more than 40. I don't need the Warbond.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
That's exactly what I was going to say. If anything, it's just to support the game. Yeah. All right. Well, let's go ahead and take our last break and then we'll come right back.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Okay, so guys, one thing that we haven't even mentioned up to this point is that when you go out on these missions, everything's procedurally generated. And I think this is part of what keeps the game really interesting. There's all these planets that you can choose, and they all look and feel a little bit different. Objectives are never in the same spot, but...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But I think one of the coolest things is some of the optional objectives affect the gameplay and the planet in really cool ways. Like, for example, sometimes you drop on the terminated planets with the bugs, and there's almost like a thick fog everywhere. And that's because as you run through these levels, there's like these mushroom spores.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And if you run over them, they slow you down as you get this big puff in the air. Well, there can be a massive spore spewer tree that is creating that fog on the planet. And if you go run around and find that tree and... Call in an eagle airstrike. It'll blow up the tree. And then very slowly, everything clears. And now you have visibility.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Like, how cool is it that they're just adding in little optional objectives? It's not as simple as go blow up that building and then go on your merry way. It's actually impacting the gameplay.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, playing Helldivers with you versus our buddy Steve. I was running with Steve and two of our other friends. We're just talking about my time working for Progressive. We're chatting the whole time. When we're on with you, it's just nonstop yelling about Chargers and Bile Spewers and Bile Titans. It's just nonstop yelling and screaming. I live in the moment, guys. What can I say? All right.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, I love these little things that they do like that. You don't have to do these objectives. They do reward you fairly well for doing them, though. Initially, when we first started, we were just beelining the main objective. Yeah, we didn't realize. Yeah, we soon realized if you do the side objectives, you actually wind up making a lot of money. And they're fun and things like that.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And there's a good variety of them. Some of them are, hey, you have to download data, so you have to protect this one guy while he's standing around waiting. Or like you mentioned, the spore spewer tree. There's the... Like the soil sample ones like there's there's a wide variety of like the side missions, but then there's also a really good variety of the main missions as well.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And we see it in the really cool thing is they're different between fighting the bugs, which are the Terminids and fighting the robots, which are the automatons. And so like, even though sometimes it's similar, like it's like, Hey, go destroy the nests. You know, with the bugs, the nests are in the ground and there's a giant hole in the ground. And there's usually like four or five of them.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Whereas when you're fighting the robots, they have like a fort and you have to go into this fort that is walled. So there's only one or two ways in. And they have these little houses that have like vents at the top. And you got to chuck a grenade in this little vent to, When they open. Yeah. To blow up this little hut thing that's producing these robots.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
So the variety that they give you is honestly really good. And I like that you have the main missions and the secondary missions. And what people don't realize is like with this spore spewer tree, you can't see nothing, man. You can see like four feet in front of you.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Do you know how crazy it is to be in the super thick fog and then come across a giant bug that is in front of you that wants to rip your face off? But you can hear him. Yes. It's like, that's what adds to this overall feeling in this game of like dread and fear. And like, you feel like you're on an alien planet. Yeah.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Well, and I know we're really waxing poetic about it, but we ran a mission where we were waiting for the extraction. So that's one thing we haven't really mentioned. Once you finish all the main objectives, you have to get to the extract, you call in your evac ship, and you have a countdown, and you have to wait it out. Now, we did an evac where we were surrounded by buildings, right?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And we're like, okay, there's like three ways in. Josh gets on his HMG in the one channel. Ryan pops a mortar. I pop a gatling sentry to take care of this path. And over the course of battle, we've destroyed all the buildings around us. And now it's just a flat landscape. And we were joking about that. Like, guys, we destroyed all of our cover.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But that's like how destructible the environments are. And it's just fun to see like the impact of all this stuff. Now, shockingly, there are still main things about combat we have not even touched on or talked about. And I want to talk about what is... I can't believe I'm about to say this. One of my favorite things about this game, and it's the dive mechanic.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And then, Ryan, tell the people about why they should support us on Patreon.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Guys, this game lets you... Ryan's acting it out. You get to dive and it's a directional dive, but you can still fire your gun while diving. And this might, this might not really translate like over a podcast. Sometimes you're diving just to get out of the way of like a bug that's charging you. And you kind of know, okay, you dive at like a 45 degree angle and that way you don't get
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
hit but there are times that you have to like like some of the the bases you'll see have like a broken bridge you dive over it and you're firing while diving it's it's hard to describe what it's like but diving backward while firing your gun is so satisfying in this game
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, it's it's another one of those. You feel like you're fighting for your life. Like I'm going to keep using the term visceral because it really just describes things. But yeah, I mean, you've got bugs charging at you. And I mean, they leap at you, man, with their little sharp bug claws out and stuff like that. And so if you're running, you can just dive backwards.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And it's this midair like heroic thing. you know, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone dive where you're firing while your guy's in the air. And then when you land, you land on your back. So you're now prone shooting at these things on the ground that are towering over you at this point. And they can stomp you sometimes and you'll die. Oh, they definitely stomp you.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And it's like the same thing. Yeah, like there's these big armored bugs, man, that they're called chargers because guess what they do? They charge at you and... You have to like dive to the side then. So it's like your guy will literally dive sideways. Now there's again risk reward here because if you dive now you're on the ground and you're not moving.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
So then you're spamming space bar to try to get up as quickly as possible so that you can start running for your life again.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But you also get like an increase to accuracy with the machine gun because it's designed to be shot while prone. Right.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
So now you've dodged this attack. You're laying on the ground. You're lighting up all these little bugs that are pouring after you. It's like a last stand kind of thing. And again, it's just one of those magic moments like in a movie or a video game where you're just holding off this horde on your back shooting for your life. You know, it's funny.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You can dive off of like tall buildings and stuff like that. The physics in this game, honestly, are really good. If you melee something, it's got weight to it. I meleed Ryan off a cliff the other day, which was hilarious. You did do that.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
But yeah, I mean, I will say the dive mechanic adds yet another really neat thing to it, because for me, you have to dodge some of these attacks or they're just going to wreck you. But once you dive, you're on the ground now and you have to spend time to stand up off of the ground, which is terrifying in and of itself when you have a horde of bugs chasing you or you have an automaton Hulk with a.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And you start yelling, I'm going to die. I'm going to die.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, it's like they added the perfect amount of stuff that's useful and fun, and there's no fluff on top of that. I mean, even the emotes, some people might say the emotes are fluff.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I think it's hysterical to have my guy go out there and stick out his fist and wait for a fist bump where if one of you come up and press the emote button, now we're doing an explosive handshake at the end of it or hugging and things like that. It's absolutely hysterical.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
just a couple other real minor things here i love the fact that when you reload a magazine you lose any ammo that was in your clip yeah like games always do like the magic ammo where you've got 200 bullets and when i reload i don't lose the 20 bullets in the clip ryan you and i in our first few matches were like dang it i hit reload and now you lose an entire clip first yeah we had to get used to it because yeah i have a really bad habit of reloading too often and this game has kind of cured me of it yep
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And then we got to talk about how at the end of every mission, you love looking at that stat sheet, baby. You get to see kills, how much friendly fire, how far did you run? How many stim packs did you use? All of it pops up on that final screen. And then we all get to go. Yep. Ryan had the most accidental kills every time.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Ryan points out that he had the most kills. And then I go, yeah, of your teammates too.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And Josh and I are like, yep, you killed all the little guys. Good job, buddy.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, it's so great. He'll never quit using the mortar either. The fact that there's so many better stratagems to use too. And Ryan will just stick with that mortar till the end of his days. I honestly have like one load out.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
The mortar is so good. You just have to use it at the right time. Yeah, like waiting for extraction, pop that baby down. It helps immensely protecting the citizens as they run out of a building to the hangar to evac. Mortar is great, but if you pop a mortar on something, you're trying to run in and attack. It's instant death.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I will say the closest to a fight that I think Ryan and I ever got into in a video game was him using the mortar and me whining about it. And then I realized that I can just blow up his mortar anytime he summons it. So I would just tell him, Ryan, if you're going to use the mortar, I'm going to shoot it. And then he'd be like, no, you're not.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And he dropped the mortar down and I turn and shoot it with my shotgun and then it would blow up. And then Ryan be like,
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
If you haven't played the game, if this episode doesn't get you excited to do that, man, I don't know what will, especially since they just released the free DLC where the Illuminate have been revealed. takes place in cities. They gave us something like a warthog, so it's time to jump back in.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah. Eventually we just learned to start calling it out. So I would see all of a sudden that blue laser from space. And I look at it and says, mortar century, eight seconds. I'm like, Josh, here comes the mortar. Just start running. All right. So leading up to the release of hell divers too, I feel like the one thing we were most concerned about was longevity.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
We talked about the in-game progression stuff already up to this point. Do you guys have any concerns about longevity? Because there are some things here that we still haven't even talked about like mission modifiers or like the tweet that went out. I think it was just yesterday. And then you get it in game where they say, Hey, here's a news alert.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And you'll get a shout-out on the show, and we owe two of them here today. We want to say thank you so much to Alex, who signed up with Epic Status. He has been super... Active? He has been super active in our Discord lately. We want to say thank you to him. And also Ace of Shame, who has come up several times on this show.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
The automatons have issued a cowardly attack on Super Earth. All Helldivers are being redeployed to the automaton levels. They have done a lot of things to help keep the game fresh, and I am not really concerned about longevity at this point. This is not a game you're just going to play for one or two weekends.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
whole time so i i really hope this keeps going i don't foresee it like obviously like every game it's gonna bleed off but man this this has been a wild ride so far yeah i will say i was i was concerned about the longevity of this game at this point i've i'm 35 hours into this game i've unlocked all the stratagems i got a little worried when i was like great well now what do i do
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I don't want to grind the war bond to get that other weapon or something like that. But then they came out and they did this breaking news with the automatons attacking these planets and all hell divers need to report. As we're going up in difficulty levels, we're realizing that there are actually new enemies that they introduced at higher difficulty levels. Yeah.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And that's when I caught that glimmer of hope. And I just went, dude, if they keep this up with this live service type thing where they have these weekly events and they're talking about they're going to release new stratagems, they're going to release new creature types, they're going to do new mission types and things like that. A whole new enemy type. We only have two out of the three so far.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And that's the crazy thing, right? Because in Hell
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
divers one there was a third and the thing that i love is you do five or six missions against the bugs and then you go guys let's go fight some robots the game feels completely different like the robots are so different in the way that you fight them and the strategies involved that it's like a completely different game so then i'm like if they come up with a third one like oh my goodness you know so i i will say i mean i do think there's a world where they could botch it
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And if they do, I mean, we still got our money's worth hands down. But if they can actually land this, if they can bring this home with this live service and constantly evolving this game and these neat events, the groundwork is there. This could be like a historic level game if they pull off this like continuation of this like galactic war that's going on.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Absolutely. And I'm so glad that this game turned out so good. We had such high expectations. I was a little worried that no matter what, we were going to feel let down. And instead, I feel like it exceeded every single one that I had. I mean, this is the point of the show that I love most when we've been able to play some kind of game co-op or even PVP in nature.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I just want to open things up where we can just share some funny stories or interesting stories. And I have one. I'll go first. Oh, here we go. I'm sure Josh remembers our very first game together. We dropped down for our very first mission. We pick where we want to drop on the map. our three pods drop in boom, boom, boom.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
He has re-signed up with Legendary, and that's going to lead to another Hijack a Host episode down the road. If you sign up at the highest tier, which is Legendary, you get to actually pick a game and a host, and they will have to play it, and then we will deep dive it on the show. So yes, if you want to go check it out, like Ryan said, MultiplayerSquad.com is the place to do it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
We each step out of a pod and I just immediately see Josh turn to me and shoot me in the face and I'm dead. It was literally 0.3 seconds into our first mission. Of course we all laugh and I'm like, are you going to call me back in Josh? Cause I had already played like a couple of missions without Josh and Josh is like, Oh, I have to call you in. What do I do?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And I'm like, you got to enter the stratagem. So then Josh calls me down and, And I did not kill Josh back. I'm not one to get revenge. But later that same day, I unlocked the laser cannon and we drop into a mission. I immediately call down my laser cannon. Josh runs over and yoinks it from me. So I shot him in the back and Josh died. He's like, dude, I'm like, you stole my laser cannon.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And to this day, it is the only time I have intentionally killed someone. I was going to let the first death go out of humor, but once Josh stole my new shiny toy to play with, I finally got my revenge.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You're a better man than me, Paul.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah. What are some stories that stick out for you guys?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
On the same vein, because we did mention Friendly Fire is 100% of the time in this game. You will die from your buddies gloriously, and it will happen a lot. I mean, it is just built into everything that happens in this game. So usually Friendly Fire is one of the fun stories about the game. Ryan, you mentioned it earlier.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
If you call down a stratagem, your guy holds it in his hand, but then you have to chuck it to activate it. If you get hit, if you get knocked off your feet, if you throw it and it bounces off of a creature that is in front of you, it will then redirect somewhere where you do not want it to go. And so one of the funniest things in this is just somebody going, if you hear the words, uh-oh,
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Dude, it doesn't matter whether you're fighting a giant bug or you've got a horde chasing you. Everybody scatters. If you hear the words, uh-oh, it does not matter what you're doing. Everybody runs in four different directions because there's some giant explosion that is coming to wipe out your team. So anytime uh-oh happens, it's always hilarious.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
One of my favorite stories actually happens to involve Ryan's son Because Ryan had to step away from his computer for a minute, so he let his son take over. Who is six or seven? He's seven now, yeah. And he loves talking to us. He's hilarious. Josh is his favorite person in the world. I love talking to him, honestly. Don't tell him I said that. So Jackson gets on and he goes, Hey guys.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And he's like, I'm gonna play for my dad for a minute. And we're like, okay, what's up? And he's like, I'm really good at video games. And I go, Oh, this game's really hard. And he goes, I won't die. I'm really good. And I say, you're going to die because everybody dies. And he's like, I'm not going to die. I say, I bet you $10. You're going to die. And he's like, I'm really good.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I'm not going to die. You guys can trust me. And I go, I bet you $10. You're going to die. And he goes, you're on Josh. So I did the exact same thing to him that I did to Paul.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
All right, let's get into our deep dive of Helldivers 2. This one has been waiting for such a long time. Let's start out by reading the Steam description as we always do. All right. We have been waiting for a multiplayer shooter for such a long time. We thought the finals might have been the answer to that. Josh was a little bit higher on it than me and Ryan.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
and i lost it dude and i the whole night i just kept telling him i want my ten dollars you owe me ten dollars now and it was just the best thing man he took it like a champ like so to his credit when he hops on he still goes i'm gonna have your ten dollars for you that's yeah my my wife actually reached out to me she's like yeah i don't know why jackson's yelling a ton she's like he's yelling in the room he keeps yelling at josh
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
the last one that I wanted to talk about was one of our earliest missions. When all three of us were on, it was the first time that we did the nuclear strike mission. So like we haven't, we haven't really talked about the specifics of the missions, but like one of them is where you have to launch a nuke and you actually get to the location. You activate a terminal. You have to enter a code.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You got to undo all these latches that are, are blocking the like launching pad from opening. Then you have to activate the terminal and, And then we launched the nuke. And I think it might've been Josh where Josh was like, wait, we can watch this. And we see like the rocket come out from underground. It takes off. It starts flying. And then it goes way off in the distance and then detonates.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And you get the mushroom cloud, the whole planet kind of like gets like the orange sheen and you see it in the distance. And it was like, you could feel it. And that was like a moment for me where I was like, I have only felt that kind of elation probably only one other time since we started the pod. So we're talking almost four years now.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
The only other time I felt like that was the first time, Josh, when you, me, and Todd fought a troll in Valheim, where we were using those really dinky arrows and kiting it around, and it took us 20 minutes. That, to me, was the only other time where I was like, this is an epic moment that I'm not going to forget. It was one of those landmark things, and it was just so much fun to see.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
okay let's go and then you just go off you know i did just remember one last thing and it was that same mission it was the first time i ever noticed the explosive barrels and i picked one up it was us and steve and i turned to you guys and i go guys i'm holding an explosive barrel josh immediately shoots it and now it has a hole in the barrel and it's spewing flames yeah
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
and i immediately hit the interact button to drop it and i hit dive backward and then the thing exploded and i don't think i died i think i took some damage but i was like oh my gosh i can't believe josh's immediate reaction was let me shoot it but it just it worked out so perfectly it was such a funny moment in playing the game i can't believe this game is only 40 bucks what what a value i know
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And they're not paying us to say that. That's the sad thing. All right, guys, it's time for our last segment. Let's go to the leaderboard and see where this game stacks up. If our listeners don't know, you can go to videogamerspod.com. There is a tab for leaderboards. We have our top 10 games of all time, and we also have our traditional leaderboard.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Every time we do a deep dive like this, each of us individually place it for where it stacks up against every other game we've done a deep dive. So, for example, how do I compare Helldivers 2 to Metal Gear Solid 5 or Hearthstone or No Man's Sky or Deep Rock Galactic? Like these are all vastly different games.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Ultimately, it didn't really go anywhere. We finally have Helldivers 2. We have talked about it a lot on this show in anticipation, just in case any of our listeners out there didn't hear any of it, or maybe this is the first episode that they're listening to. Josh, just kind of give us like in a nutshell, what is Helldivers 2?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
We each have slightly different lists because we haven't all deep dove the same number of games. But I wanted to ask you guys, where do you want to place this on your leaderboard? Oh, who's going first? Let's have you go first, Josh. You've got a total of... By the way, I haven't updated it with Ghostbusters yet. My apologies. You have 107 games on your leaderboard.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Well, if people haven't caught on to what we're putting down, this game is freaking fantastic, dude. This is one of those games that is tailor-made for me. I love... 80 things going on at any given moment. I love hilarious moments with your friends. I love progression. I love good combat. I love beautiful graphics. This game is gorgeous, man.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I mean, there is so much to this that I am honestly blown away. And I know I'm trying to have some... some temperament with recency bias because we're in just the throes of Helldivers 2 right now. But honestly, this game is perfection for me. I mean, this game would not be as fun solo. The fact that we can play together is what makes it. If you are a solo player...
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
This game is not going to resonate with you the same way it would if you have two or three buddies to play with. I think even with one other person, it will drastically improve your experience. This is going to sound bananas, but a game that I compare this to is Outriders because it's similar in a lot of ways, right? Like chaotic combat, group with friends, missions, that kind of stuff.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I mean, I was always super high on Outriders. Outriders is getting dethroned for me, right? Wow. I am putting this game at 13 on my leaderboard because it is insanely good, dude. It has no business being as good as it is. I mean, we've been talking, we've been gushing for an hour and 13 minutes now, and I could keep talking about all these aspects of this game for another hour.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Like, honestly, what game has come along lately that has done this? I handle our social media. I can't tell you. I have never seen people so united on social media as they are about Helldivers 2. It is people just saying, come play with me. And then you see that they're playing together and they're having a blast.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I've seen people that have resisted picking this up and then saying, you wore me down. And then literally the next day going, this might be one of the best games I've ever played in my life. Like, it's not going to be for everybody. I get that. But if any of this sounds fun to you, it is way more fun in person playing it than anything we have described on this podcast so far, man.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, this is a top, top game for me. I'm putting it at 13. It is that good, man.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
So here's the thing with my leaderboard, which is just slightly smaller than yours, Josh. Mine's 105 games. My initial gut reaction when I just looked at my leaderboard was to put it at 10 to put it right below apex legends and rust, which are two of the absolute best multiplayer games that you can play still to this day. I don't want recency bias to play too much of a role here because
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Now, you kind of just screwed up the point I was going to make, Josh, by plopping this game right in the middle of a chunk of games. Somehow, miraculously, you and I have a block at 12, 13, 14, where we have the same games. We've got Satisfactory, Valheim, and Outriders, slightly different order, but we have those three games in the same slots.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, man. How do you explain Chaos Incarnate? Helldivers 2 is a up to four player co-op game. You are basically sent down to a planet that you can pick. And then you have a series of missions that you need to complete on this planet. Depending on the planet, you are fighting either the Terminids, which are straight giant bugs that are something right out of like Starship Troopers.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Those are all some of my all-time favorite multiplayer experiences. So to honor that and the fact that I know I played Outriders probably like 70 hours before I placed it there, I'm going to put it right below those and Grand Theft Auto Online. I'm going to put it at 16, which is right above RimWorld, which I absolutely adore. It's one of my all-time favorites.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
So I'm going to put it at 16, and that's only to protect myself. Over time, that might end up creeping up a little bit. It might even hit top 10, but I'm going to go ahead and put it at 16 for now. Ryan, your deep dive list is a little shorter because you've been with us for almost a year. You've got 35 games on the list. Helldivers, I'm guessing, is super high up there.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I just want to know, are we going like four? That was my guess for you. I thought you were going to put it four.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Such high praise guys. We all adore this game. It's so good. It has zero chance to win game of the year, but it, I have a very hard time picturing myself having more fun than I have the last, I don't know. How long has this game even been out a week?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Spent out like eight days, something like that. I don't know that I'm going to have more fun the rest of the year than this.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
everybody's always on there hey who wants to play hey i'm getting off at this time hey i'm getting off at that time you know everyone's always trying to get on and play together so it's it's wild that that the community is even getting in on it there's something truly special about this game i like honestly there really is i know we hyped it a lot and we had very high expectations for it but it has blown all of those expectations away
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It is very rare that a game like this comes out and is universally enjoyed by so many people and creates those moments that gamers love. I mean, that's really the thing is it's like, I mean, co-op with friends, crazy moments, incredible gameplay, polished really, really well. I mean, that's the point we're putting down.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I mean, if you can't tell by our rankings and stuff like that, there is something very magical about this game.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
This game will absolutely pop up at the end of 2024 when we do our end of year gaming awards. This one's absolutely going to pop up, whether it's most memorable moments, favorite weapons, best game of the year. I have a feeling this one's going to pop up a lot.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It's just going to end up being a lot of hell divers too, I think, which is a good thing. Not complaining. Yeah. All right. Well, I think that wraps up everything for today. Besides, we got to go spread liberty across the galaxy. They're waiting for us. As a reminder, please go check out support options through Patreon at MultiplayerSquad.com.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You can toss us a follow on socials everywhere at VideoGamersPod. And make sure to rate our show five stars and leave a written review. Thanks so much for listening. Until next time, happy gaming.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Some of them are huge. Some of them are little. Some of them are fat. Some of them are fast. I mean, there is a good variety of bugs in this. And then you get to hop into Terminator world because you get to fight the automatons. And those guys are nightmare fuel with their cyborg bodies and human skulls and giant buzz saws and laser guns and all this stuff. I mean, it is bananas, man.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
That is the best way to describe Helldivers 2. But you get to go in with your buddies. You have guns. You have these, we're going to call them skills to just make it relatable, but they're basically called stratagems in the game that you select before you go into the mission. And then it is just chaos, survival, screaming, and joy all mixed together in this crazy package.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
We hope you enjoy this episode on Helldivers 2, and we'll be back at the beginning of the year with our most anticipated games of 2025.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I know we were hyping this game forever. We were saying, hey, this looks like this could be the next big game that we're really excited for. And we're here to break it all down and tell you if it satisfied us or not. And by the way, it's got some friendly fire as well.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
There is? Oh, I didn't know. Ryan wouldn't know. Josh and I do. Oh, man.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, this game has been so much action, so much chaos, so much fun. I love having co-op shooters like this. Now, of course, being Helldivers 2, it's a sequel to Helldivers 1. None of the three of us ever played it. Helldivers 1 is like a 2D top-down perspective, kind of like a bullet hell kind of game like Enter the Gungeon. It kind of has that kind of feel.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Here in Helldivers 2, they made the change to be in full 3D. And obviously it helps when you already have war and an established universe to draw from. But I really want to talk, before we start talking about combat, I want to talk about the game's identity and the game's humor. We loved all the trailers leading up to this game. It has a lot of over-the-top patriotism and bravado about it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
The game, I think, is intensely funny. I was not sure if that was going to come through in the gameplay as well. I think it does absolutely in spades. I kind of want to hear from you guys. How does it feel to be in the Helldivers universe fighting on behalf of Super Earth?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Hello, fellow Helldivers! Welcome to Super Earth, where prosperity, liberty, and democracy are our way of life, but freedom doesn't come free. We are the Video Gamers Podcast, and we are here today to deep dive the smash hit Helldivers 2. I am your host, Paul, and joining me, he is running straight into that orbital strike straight ahead, it's Josh.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
I will say I was very pleasantly surprised by how the comedy and the way that the game kind of views itself lands. I mean, it's beyond just the, you know, I'm on fire and you hear my character just screaming. It goes beyond my arm gets crippled by a bug and my guy's like, how am I supposed to spread democracy with only one arm? You'll never stop me.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You know, to a guy being in a turret and just going like, Get some! Get some! But it is so over the top. It is so campy. But when you're playing the game, it works so well because you can't help but laugh, man. And there's this weird thing where when you're fighting for your life against overwhelming odds, your buddies are all dead. They're screaming at you through the mic to redeploy them.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And you hear your character just belt out this funny line, you know, or something along those lines. It really just adds another layer to this cake that is it just works, man. And it's funny because the game doesn't take itself seriously. If it did, it would be a completely different game, in my opinion. But I love the little things that happen in this.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It really does add to the overall like recipe, in my opinion.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Yeah, sometimes these shooters can feel a little bit too dark and oppressive. And even though this game gets quite difficult, especially if you're playing on the highest levels, every hell diver in this game, like the characters you play, are just so excited to enter the battle. They drop in. They're going to die within, I mean, at best, minutes.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
you know, 10 minutes, but they're just excited to be on the battlefield. They're screaming, they're yelling. They're, they're kind of like almost narrating what's happening in such a funny way. I mean, they're literally yelling, have a cup of Liberty, you know, while fighting the bugs and stuff like it, it's so hysterical. I absolutely love it.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
It kind of lightens the mood while you're dealing with the chaos and it just blends together so well. Um, I mean, even in the fact that when you first do your initial tutorial, which, by the way, is hilarious, like they have you stand in front of a terminal and they're going to simulate a battle injury.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And then just a spike comes out and just like stabs you like not like a needle, like a full blown giant spike, like you're going to die if you don't heal. And that's how they teach you to use stims. And then you finish the tutorial and. And you get your own ship and you get to name it. And I love when just games add little touches like this. You just have a bank of words.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Ryan, is that your freaking mortar again? No, it's orbital.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And the format is your ship is going to be the blank of blank. Maybe you're like the dispenser of liberty or the stalwart of justice or something like that. I just wanted to ask you guys, what did you end up naming your ship?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Quit bringing that, Ryan. You killed me again. Oh, boy. And joining Josh and me, you know, Josh, you beat me to the punch. He just can't help himself mowing us down with his mortar sentry over and over again. It's Ryan.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, I went, I just embodied it, man. I mean, we're trying to spread democracy through the galaxy. I went with the harbinger of peace because I'm bringing peace to the galaxy, whether you want it or not. When they're all dead, there's peace, right?
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
Oh, nice. I named my ship the Stallion of Midnight. I won't say why, but it just made me laugh a little bit when I saw that as an option. All right. Now, you might kind of be wondering, okay, so this game's funny. It's got its identity, right? What actually makes this game special? Because we have so many shooters that are out there. Is this just one of many? This is not a AAA title.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
This is a AA studio. It's a $40 game. It's a little bit on the cheaper side. So what is it that actually sets Helldivers apart? And I would argue that there's actually a few things that do this. But the main bread and butter are the stratagems. So you mentioned this earlier, Josh.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
You are running around, not just with your regular weapons, but over the course of the game, you are unlocking stratagems, which are basically... Sometimes they're items. Sometimes they are actual offensive attacks that you are calling down from space. So while you are running these missions, you can look up in the sky. You will see your ships up in orbit.
Video Gamers Podcast
[Replay] Heroic Helldivers 2 - Gaming Podcast
And these stratagems, you can carry four with you on a mission. And basically, they give you the ability to call down something that is going to drastically change the battle that's going on on the planet. Now, to give you an idea of some of the things that your stratagems can do, for example, there's one tree that is called... It's just supplies, right?