I really do miss arcades. I know they still exist in some form or another but, even now, they just can’t hold a candle to the arcade you can have at home. And I’m not even talking about building cabinets and such.
We talk about this on the show but I’ll say it again here - arcades, as a kid, were like walking into the future. You had your games at home, sure, but they were nothing like what was in that arcade. That’s where the most advanced tech was. The best graphics and games you’ll NEVER get to play at home. Only at the arcade.
That’s how it was for me, anyway. Then it all changed and morphed and sort of went backwards. I’ll give credit to the arcade/bar synergy thing that happened, but I don’t run around those places wide-eyed at all the cool games like I did way back when. Now I look for whatever will give me the most redeemable tickets…or pinball. And that’s only if I make it out to an arcade to begin with. Not everyone has those places within reach and mostly, if you do, it’s full of just redemption games. Actually, it’s been forever since I’ve been into any local arcades here so I don’t know what they stock them with now.
Given the way technology is going and how great we have it at home, we’ll likely never see arcades be, to me, what they once were. And I’m okay with that. I absolutely love what we have at home on our consoles and PCs and handhelds. I also love that we can bring over most of everything we had at arcades into our home with custom built cabinets housing hundreds of games and even pinball tables too.
Which reminds me, I need to really work on building those two things, actually.
You can probably easily spot the transition here. You know what else used to be great but is not a ghost town of nothing - the Splinter Cell franchise. Ubisoft, it's been 3,843 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.
Pick a card…
Once this gets posted around everywhere, I plan on streaming for the first time in a while and it’s a game we talk about in the opening segment of the show. A little card game called Balatro.
The idea to stream it came to me as I was trying to explain it on the air and just figured streaming would be an easier way to show you how it plays. I may dip back into some pinball today as well - just for nostalgia sake. Maybe.
But that’s about today, what did we talk about on the show? Well, not really one specific thing after trying to explain Balatro. We covered Nintendo’s dev showcase thing they did earlier this week with not much to mention from that. There’s also the Elden Ring DLC but, again, not much to mention from that.
Then there’s the position Sony is sitting in. With no new franchise games being released until the midway to latter half of next year, what are they gonna do? My guess, given that GTA6 is coming next spring, is that we’ll get our midway revamp of the PS5 sometime this fall. GTA6 will not get a release on the previous generation consoles so those who want to play it are going to need to have a Series X or a PS5. And that game WILL absolutely move console sales. Having yours out there touting the best on the market is probably a good way to get that system sold for that specific game. And I don’t think Microsoft has any plans to release a Series X.5 just yet.
Something else with no plans of a release anytime soon…is Splinter Cell. Ubisoft, it's been 3,822 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.
Lead me not into temptation…
The amount of times I have said that to myself in relation to gaming. I’m currently being lulled into the new Rocksteady game. I shouldn’t be, but I am. After seeing so many previews of the game leading up to this release I was NOT on board for it. I had no interest and was pretty sad that Rocksteady had gone in this direction and just didn’t stick to Batman.
But I get being tired of doing the same thing over and over again and we should applaud risks - especially in gaming where a lot of the time we get more of the same. And there’s a place for that and other teams who can work on that, but you’ve got to branch out and try something new. I think Rocksteady were doing that, but Warner stepped in and told them they could but it needed to be wrapped up in a DC comics skin.
Regardless, after launching and reading forum posts of people who’ve played it, I find myself falling for their hype. Hype anywhere else for this game is nonexistent. Reviews are tanking it (although I’m about to give the Digital Foundry video a look) and most other people who haven’t actually played the game are crapping on it as well. Still, I look to the folks who have actually played it and I’m not getting the stink like I am from everyone else.
There could be something there. Something fun for a little while at least, but something that, for me at the moment, isn’t worth the SEVENTY dollar price tag they want. You take thirty bucks off that and I’m probably in. Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.
One game I’m certain I won’t wait for a sale on is Splinter Cell. Ubisoft, it's been 3,801 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released.
The King of FIghters XV - Climax Cancel Combo
Since the beta is open, I took some time in the lab to practice pulling off those combos that made this game so much fun. I finally managed to pull this one off after numerous attempts.
I almost had it ... until I didn't.
There are a number of fighting games that allows players to stage a comeback when they're on the brink of defeat. Super Moves, Damage & Defense Buffs, the list goes on. However, some games don't have these options available. You just have to rely on your skill, defense and ability to capitalize on any opportunity (if it's even presented to you).
In this clip, I almost pulled off the biggest comeback in any fighting game I've played using my main Jeffry against a player using Jacky. This shows that all it takes is one mistake to go from victory to defeat.