When you discuss games in the 'what else are you playing' section, would you consider repeating the name of the game after your spiel? I frequently get really jazzed hearing about those games but have already forgotten their title by the end-- I listen in the car so it's hard to scroll back.
Also I'm so glad Justin brought up Murderbot Diaries! I've been trying to get people to read the series for years.
I am so shocked to hear Justin install Linux for personal use! As a server engineer I applaud their excitement for wading into waters even I haven't bothered to yet (hoping for Steam OS on desktop soon). Here are some recommendations for some quick helpers.
If anyone wishes to dive deeper into some of the basics, I highly recommend "Wizard Zines" by Julia Evans. They cover topics that are tough to even begin to "know what you don't know", and help you get a handle on the OS and what to look up next.
I also highly recommend "explainshell dot com" for whenever you need a quick explainer on a command that you found online. Easy way to learn what a command will do. It mimics the "man" (manual) pages found within the terminal, but in a more comfortable interface.
As a dev, I love hearing about Justin's journey into the wonderful world of computers, and I totally identify with the feeling of satisfaction using software that was made by a community instead of a corporation!
The fact that we continue to call monster hunter an overly complex series with dated ideas is absolutely baffling to me seeing as games like Elden Ring are praised for not telling you what the basic stats do and having YouTube be a requirement to even get a grasp of the storyline.
Yes, I'm being defensive, but for the life of me I don't understand why the obtuseness of a fromsoft game is a positive but discovering systems in Monster Hunter is a negative. The weapon combos may be buried in the start menu but at least I don't find out I have a debuff 5 hours later for hugging a lady.
Ironic (and shitty) how Monolith Studios is shut down days after the wider launch of Star of Providence, a game that chose to change its name from Monolith to avoid potential legal trouble. Fuck WB for copywriting the Nemesis system and then not letting Monolith Studios expand on it after the Shadow of Mordor games.
Good news! There IS a Slay the Spire sequel coming some time this year! I’m so excited for it. It’s such a good game for when I want something to play while I listen to podcasts, as I’m usually playing somewhat dialog-heavy games.
Also!! Thank you for recommending Eephus! I am a huuuuuge baseball fan (like I watch all 162 of my team’s sad pathetic games every season) but somehow managed to miss this! I’m going to watch it immediately after work!
I recently bought a steam deck because of how much the 4 of you always rave about it and it might be my favorite piece of tech that I own.
The ability to play Like a Dragon and FF7 Rebirth on the go is a total Gamechanger. I’m curious what game the 4 of you would say is a “Steam Deck essential” for a person looking to expand their SD library.
I pick up UFO 50 every now and then but I just haven’t found the game in it yet that makes me want to dump serious time into it. I’m still trying though!
I know you're asking them but for my two cents I have a couple steam deck games that never leave my console. Binding of Isaac, Lego star wars, and the tomb raider games are some of my favorites. Also shadow of war
Regarding the reused maps discussion, I thought this comment from one of the devs at Volition gives some insight on why this isn’t done more often.
TL;DR: Reusing the map from Saints Row 1 in Saints Row 2 still ended up costing the same amount of money and forced them to keep some creative decisions from the first one that they didn’t like.
Griffin... dude ... You got to stop trash talking Zelda 2. it genuinely hurts me every time because so often I am fully on board with your opinions about games, but in the case of Zelda 2 you are just plain wrong. Especially after your effusive praise for UFO 50s ability to get you past the initial blockage to playing genres that you wouldn't traditionally play and finding the great in them. And more specifically your willingness to look past the lack of a map and/or difficulty spikes to find the love in these games. I really think you need to take 5 hours and a world map off the interwebs and give Zelda 2 another go. I loved UFO 50 and agree that it might be GOTY 2024, and I also think that Zelda 2 is better than any game in that collection, by far! Give it the UFO 50 treatment, please! I really think you will find it less punishing than most of the UFO 50 games and, like UFO 50s Meta narrative about games that would have been the best of their generation if they actually where released in the 80's, Zelda 2's combat system is truly ahead of its time and insanely fun when you get proficient, and its spells and RPG progression are really great, and not very punishing or grindy at all.
At this point I know the final dungeon layout by heart and can get through it in about 10 minutes. That being said, there are some terrific maps for the final dungeon on google that will show you exactly where to go. Also, its nice that if you game over in the final dungeon, it respawns you at the start of the dungeon instead of the start of the game world, so you can dial in the two bosses. The final fight with Shadow Link is one of the most intense and rewarding boss fights ever. It's not as hard as Malenia from Elden Ring or Sword Saint Isshin from Sekiro, but similar enough to give you that same sort joy when you beat it! (Unless you cheese it, of course, then it is super easy.)
Believe it or not, Monster Hunter Wilds does have detailed weapon tutorial/instructions, but they're buried in the menus...
I wish it were more obvious, but there's a menu section called "Hunter's Notes" and it has very detailed combo instructions for every weapon, and even embedded video clips for some of the attacks.
The menu itself is nicely designed, and I referred to it ALOT in the Beta to test out all the weapons.
I have been a long time listener (and lover) of your show, but I am dismayed to say that I think my love has come to an end.
Frankly, I have never been more offended by anything in my entire life than when Justin went on a *tirade* after Griffin rightfully called out Capcom's absolute blunder of a decision of removing Palico chefs from Monster Hunter Wilds. In these dark times, there was very little that brought more joy to my heart than seeing these lil' acrobatic friends dancing around, preparing delicious, hearty meals with vigor, poise, and pomp. The pitter-patter of puny paws, so adept at culinary flourishes as to beg the question: "How do I even willingly return to my real life now?" In a series chock full of the most skippable cutscenes ever put to interactive entergamement, the moment the big, buff, furry boy nodded in approval at their work, revealing a delectable smorgasbord into which our hunter eagerly dug, was a respite for the eyes, the heart, and the stomach.
We have been robbed of that joy in the latest entry in the Monster Hunter series, and Justin's callous disregard shows not only a lack of seriousness about the subject, but also a willful disregard as to the wellbeing of the people who were devastated by this change—including, might I mention, his youngest brother, who—despite powering through the quivering stammer of an obviously shaken man!—could not allay the vicious condemnation by the eldest McElroy. I know they say "never meet your heroes," but I truly did not expect Justin, of all people, to gleefully trample on the feelings of those already stricken down and writhing. To call this behavior disgusting is a gross understatement, as it is, in reality, a travesty only overshadowed by a game developer, in a fit of hubris, deciding to remove the single greatest element of their game.
Capcom. Justin. I hope you feel shame, if you're even capable of it anymore.
As for me, I have resigned myself to a podcastless life, as the thought of being exposed to more verbal violence is far too much to bear.
In one of my university courses (computer science degree) we watched the documentary, Revolution OS which you can find on YouTube. It was a great explainer of why Linux was made and continues to exist (and be used by some parts of NASA) despite the challenges it faced from “big tech”. It’s not super long so I definitely recommend it to all the boys!
I would 100% sincerely love to hear Justin talk about his computer hobby in great detail
I was actually so inspired that I turned my old Chromebook (no longer supported, now just collecting dust) into a Linux box. Very excited
When you discuss games in the 'what else are you playing' section, would you consider repeating the name of the game after your spiel? I frequently get really jazzed hearing about those games but have already forgotten their title by the end-- I listen in the car so it's hard to scroll back.
Also I'm so glad Justin brought up Murderbot Diaries! I've been trying to get people to read the series for years.
Can do!
I am so shocked to hear Justin install Linux for personal use! As a server engineer I applaud their excitement for wading into waters even I haven't bothered to yet (hoping for Steam OS on desktop soon). Here are some recommendations for some quick helpers.
If anyone wishes to dive deeper into some of the basics, I highly recommend "Wizard Zines" by Julia Evans. They cover topics that are tough to even begin to "know what you don't know", and help you get a handle on the OS and what to look up next.
I also highly recommend "explainshell dot com" for whenever you need a quick explainer on a command that you found online. Easy way to learn what a command will do. It mimics the "man" (manual) pages found within the terminal, but in a more comfortable interface.
Justin drops his new Linux distro challenge??? 👀
As a dev, I love hearing about Justin's journey into the wonderful world of computers, and I totally identify with the feeling of satisfaction using software that was made by a community instead of a corporation!
My dearest besties,
The fact that we continue to call monster hunter an overly complex series with dated ideas is absolutely baffling to me seeing as games like Elden Ring are praised for not telling you what the basic stats do and having YouTube be a requirement to even get a grasp of the storyline.
Yes, I'm being defensive, but for the life of me I don't understand why the obtuseness of a fromsoft game is a positive but discovering systems in Monster Hunter is a negative. The weapon combos may be buried in the start menu but at least I don't find out I have a debuff 5 hours later for hugging a lady.
The final line killed me.
I think this is fair!
Ironic (and shitty) how Monolith Studios is shut down days after the wider launch of Star of Providence, a game that chose to change its name from Monolith to avoid potential legal trouble. Fuck WB for copywriting the Nemesis system and then not letting Monolith Studios expand on it after the Shadow of Mordor games.
Good news! There IS a Slay the Spire sequel coming some time this year! I’m so excited for it. It’s such a good game for when I want something to play while I listen to podcasts, as I’m usually playing somewhat dialog-heavy games.
Also!! Thank you for recommending Eephus! I am a huuuuuge baseball fan (like I watch all 162 of my team’s sad pathetic games every season) but somehow managed to miss this! I’m going to watch it immediately after work!
Beat me to it!
I would love to hear more about Justin's linux journey, what distro did you hit?
Time to scratch a notch in on my “justin said cruft” board. Ole Cruft Mcelroy. Love him.
Right up there with Russ said something was Strong
Hey Besties,
I recently bought a steam deck because of how much the 4 of you always rave about it and it might be my favorite piece of tech that I own.
The ability to play Like a Dragon and FF7 Rebirth on the go is a total Gamechanger. I’m curious what game the 4 of you would say is a “Steam Deck essential” for a person looking to expand their SD library.
Everybody already recommended it but I often find myself reaching for UFO 50 when I pick up my Deck.
I pick up UFO 50 every now and then but I just haven’t found the game in it yet that makes me want to dump serious time into it. I’m still trying though!
I know you're asking them but for my two cents I have a couple steam deck games that never leave my console. Binding of Isaac, Lego star wars, and the tomb raider games are some of my favorites. Also shadow of war
I’ve heard great things about Binding of Isaac! I plan on picking it up the next time it goes on sale.
Regarding the reused maps discussion, I thought this comment from one of the devs at Volition gives some insight on why this isn’t done more often.
TL;DR: Reusing the map from Saints Row 1 in Saints Row 2 still ended up costing the same amount of money and forced them to keep some creative decisions from the first one that they didn’t like.
https://np.reddit.com/r/truegaming/comments/52hlhl/why_dont_we_reuse_open_worlds/d7ke95h/?sh=a3cc43f4&st=IT11HJU3
Thanks for sharing this!
Griffin... dude ... You got to stop trash talking Zelda 2. it genuinely hurts me every time because so often I am fully on board with your opinions about games, but in the case of Zelda 2 you are just plain wrong. Especially after your effusive praise for UFO 50s ability to get you past the initial blockage to playing genres that you wouldn't traditionally play and finding the great in them. And more specifically your willingness to look past the lack of a map and/or difficulty spikes to find the love in these games. I really think you need to take 5 hours and a world map off the interwebs and give Zelda 2 another go. I loved UFO 50 and agree that it might be GOTY 2024, and I also think that Zelda 2 is better than any game in that collection, by far! Give it the UFO 50 treatment, please! I really think you will find it less punishing than most of the UFO 50 games and, like UFO 50s Meta narrative about games that would have been the best of their generation if they actually where released in the 80's, Zelda 2's combat system is truly ahead of its time and insanely fun when you get proficient, and its spells and RPG progression are really great, and not very punishing or grindy at all.
I tried it again a few years ago, and while I did enjoy it, the final dungeon can fuck right off.
At this point I know the final dungeon layout by heart and can get through it in about 10 minutes. That being said, there are some terrific maps for the final dungeon on google that will show you exactly where to go. Also, its nice that if you game over in the final dungeon, it respawns you at the start of the dungeon instead of the start of the game world, so you can dial in the two bosses. The final fight with Shadow Link is one of the most intense and rewarding boss fights ever. It's not as hard as Malenia from Elden Ring or Sword Saint Isshin from Sekiro, but similar enough to give you that same sort joy when you beat it! (Unless you cheese it, of course, then it is super easy.)
Believe it or not, Monster Hunter Wilds does have detailed weapon tutorial/instructions, but they're buried in the menus...
I wish it were more obvious, but there's a menu section called "Hunter's Notes" and it has very detailed combo instructions for every weapon, and even embedded video clips for some of the attacks.
The menu itself is nicely designed, and I referred to it ALOT in the Beta to test out all the weapons.
You're so close to figuring it out, Capcom!!!
Was gonna say the same thing. This is most of how I've learned to play the weapons since the MH Rise demo back in the day.
Just hopping on to say “Canadian-Bacolton” is an excellent joke. Ok bye
Dear, Besties,
I have been a long time listener (and lover) of your show, but I am dismayed to say that I think my love has come to an end.
Frankly, I have never been more offended by anything in my entire life than when Justin went on a *tirade* after Griffin rightfully called out Capcom's absolute blunder of a decision of removing Palico chefs from Monster Hunter Wilds. In these dark times, there was very little that brought more joy to my heart than seeing these lil' acrobatic friends dancing around, preparing delicious, hearty meals with vigor, poise, and pomp. The pitter-patter of puny paws, so adept at culinary flourishes as to beg the question: "How do I even willingly return to my real life now?" In a series chock full of the most skippable cutscenes ever put to interactive entergamement, the moment the big, buff, furry boy nodded in approval at their work, revealing a delectable smorgasbord into which our hunter eagerly dug, was a respite for the eyes, the heart, and the stomach.
We have been robbed of that joy in the latest entry in the Monster Hunter series, and Justin's callous disregard shows not only a lack of seriousness about the subject, but also a willful disregard as to the wellbeing of the people who were devastated by this change—including, might I mention, his youngest brother, who—despite powering through the quivering stammer of an obviously shaken man!—could not allay the vicious condemnation by the eldest McElroy. I know they say "never meet your heroes," but I truly did not expect Justin, of all people, to gleefully trample on the feelings of those already stricken down and writhing. To call this behavior disgusting is a gross understatement, as it is, in reality, a travesty only overshadowed by a game developer, in a fit of hubris, deciding to remove the single greatest element of their game.
Capcom. Justin. I hope you feel shame, if you're even capable of it anymore.
As for me, I have resigned myself to a podcastless life, as the thought of being exposed to more verbal violence is far too much to bear.
Be better.
Keenan
In one of my university courses (computer science degree) we watched the documentary, Revolution OS which you can find on YouTube. It was a great explainer of why Linux was made and continues to exist (and be used by some parts of NASA) despite the challenges it faced from “big tech”. It’s not super long so I definitely recommend it to all the boys!