Bad Games We Still Love

Hello, How's everybody doing today? Welcome back to Plug In for Player 4. I'm your host for today, Mark and I'm accompanied by Brandon and Ethan. Say hello, boys. Oh, boys. That's not how this goes all. Right. Say hello, girls. Hello girl. Hello.

Say hello, everybody else. Hi, hi, hi.

Awesome. So any, any any news that you guys want to bring up today? Anything of interest in your note? No, no, no. I got nothing. OK, what about you with them? You all should buy this game called Talented. It's really fun, That is all. Awesome, you want to tell them a little bit more about the game? No. Oh, let's go look at that and see it's 4 bucks. Fair enough, Fair enough. Fair enough. Oh, right. I guess we'll just dive right in today since you guys don't really have anything else to talk about.

Yeah, bad games that we still love. And it's not necessarily that the games are just bad, it's just that they don't have a certain appeal. They're very neat. Sure. Just the game series didn't kick off or it just petered out of existence. Or it was just ass. Or it was just bad too. Most of it is just up to personal interpretation, but again, these are games that we still love. Yes. You know, we're we're not bashing them. We're just say we're just come coming to an understanding that, yeah, they probably were not the best of games.

They have a lot of weaknesses. They have a lot of weaknesses, but we still appreciate them for what they were. And we'll continue to play them. Yeah, who wants to kick us off? Who? Who wants? Who wants to give the first game? I guess I'll take the lead here. Awesome. So my first game, it's a it's not a bad game necessarily, I actually really enjoyed it. It's just the fact that it's servers kind of died. This game is one of the Overwatch clowns, but it's actually Gundam Evolution. I I'm not the biggest Gundam fan.

I actually haven't watched any anime yet. I have 6 gunplot figures. Makes sense? Naturally. That I've paid 0 total of 0 towards. Oops. Anyway. But even though I'm not the biggest Gundam fan, I actually really enjoyed the gameplay of the game. There was 1 character called Gun Tank, which I naturally gravitated towards. And he was, he was really stupid. Basically he had a charge, like kind of a Reinhardt charge, but more controlled, but more controlled. And yeah, and I think he can charge in and then just bap him with your fucking arm and damage him that way as well as you had.

You have too mini guns as arms. You didn't even have hands. You just had mini guns.

It was it's it's great. It's he's just pure wholesomeness. And what is his other ability? Oh, that's right. He has rockets or whatever that he shoots out of his cannons on both his shoulders. So he has a really simple kit, but he's really fun. And then there was the bane of everyone's existence, Barbados. He was a guy with a Mace, a big old Mace, and he could, he was a really small frame. He could dive in and out of the a fight very easily. He could flank your he basically Genji. He he was your, he was your movement character, essentially.

Yeah. Yeah. And Todd, if you had a good Barbados on the enemy team, you were kind of fucked. But yeah, that was this game. Even though it died and and it being an Overwatch clone plus me not being really into Gundam, I found myself having a lot of fun with this game. Like just trying to find out which characters I like, trying them all out, finding ones I really didn't like.

It was just, I don't know, it just sticks in my brain is memorable. And I mean, I still have it and I hope that one day there will be fan servers of it so I can play it again. Which you could it could. Could I mean I've I've heard talks about it, I'm not sure how far in development it is. OK, it would be nice to see people who actually give. It I'll have to. I mean even if it's just a specific discord. Yeah. Dedicated to it. There's there's still a fan base out for. It. Yeah, yeah. And that's cool to see.

Yeah, right. I mean, it was like I said, Overwatch, you there were maps where it was kind of king of the Hill or is it King of the hill? What's that one game mode from? I remember it from Halo where it was king of the hill but the location swapped occasionally. Yeah, that's king of the. Hill, OH is it? Yeah, yeah, just sometimes. Some of the maps only have one location for the hill. Gotcha. Yeah, but it was like that would be, oh, the point is that A, it was moving to point B in 15 seconds. Yeah, no.

That is king of the hill. You hold the you hold the hill for as long as possible. And then there was also pretty much capture the center and then push the enemy base. And then there was also, I think just get as many kills as possible or some sort of yeah, yeah. Team deathmatch. Yeah. But others, Oh, just sticks in my mind rent free. I think about it every every so often as one of those games that just so pure fun. Want to come back to Yeah, yeah. You had a good time with it, right? That's cool.

I like that. All right. What about you guys? Oh, let's see, Shadow the Hedgehog. I still get to play it. It's right in front of me. Right in front of us, actually. This fucking chair is going to be the death of me. You're the one that shows the sit in. It I know. You came in the first day, we recorded, started the recording and you're like, I want that chair. I did and I still want it. It just sounds like a dying whale. Now a No Shadow the Hedgehog is kind of like a cult classic. What makes it bad?

That damn 4th castle. Fuck, he just said it. He just fucking said it. God damn it Draw so the again, just like Sonic heroes, slippery controls and a I don't want to say this is bad, but it's just weird and emphasis on guns You're you're so you the guns are something that you are going to want to get used to using because you're homing attack is I don't want to say nerfed, but it's not great. Yeah, now this is not, I don't want to say it's not a bad game, but it's direction was just kind of. Weird.

All over the place, yeah. You have multiple different endings that you can get. Really. Yeah, it's. Like it's depending on if you take the good or the bad path for shadow. Or you take the neutral. Yeah. Oh, I didn't know that. That's cool. Yeah, it's I I'd say it's not really worth it going through all of these endings. I. Don't know, but it's still cool that there's different endings. Yeah, it's. It's just a weird approach that they to take the series. In it was, dare I say, edgy, edgy Mckedgy.

I mean, what was your first impression? The the guns or just the the the the quotes for the game itself? Oh fucking God, the fuck? Or or the art style for Shadow the Hedgehog. Yeah, I mean, I guess art style. It looks just like Sonic arrows. Yeah. So like, it's not like it's the same engine. I think it's Renderware. Yeah, that was the time for it. The the things that Shadow says, you know, where's that damn 4th? You know, he's like quirks. Or when he gets hit, you know, damn it, you, you know, gets hit.

Or if he falls off a fucking edge. No, not here. You know, like some dumb shit. So literally it's. A game fucking edgy as shit. It's a game meant for teenagers. I mean it's rated E10. It's really meant for teenagers. It's really meant for. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know why they need to just rate a teen. Can I? Just, I mean, it's just, it's a Sonic game and it was also a different time. Small thing but can I just say I love the rating system? Back then it was way more loose. Oh yeah but now it's if there's even one swear word.

Teen RR.

Like if, if Shadow the Hedgehog came out today, it would have gotten a teen rating. Yeah, it it it would, because I don't think they even used. Maybe an adult? No adult. Like if you get an adult rating for a game because that's after mature. Oh, oh, that's what I meant. Mature. Yeah, yeah, I would. Adult rating is not something that's I got them mixed up. Yeah, I. Haven't seen an adult rating on a long time actually. There are a few games that are are adult and if your game gets that rating. You've got a problem.

Yeah, yeah. But, you know, go make the shadow hedgehog. It's I think it's it's a fun time. It has its issues and there are some things they may put somebody off, but I I think it's a fun time. Yeah. Just kind of go into it, you know, knowing that it's kind of doing too much being trying to be edgy and shit, you know, and it's not your traditional Sonic game.

And it, it's, I don't know, I think it's fun. Yeah, it's fun, yeah. But I I revisit it like every so often. This one you get the little itch. Yeah, I mean, I grew up with it and I liked it. Yeah, and I still do. I know it's issues, you know, it's got a lot of them, but but it's a product of it's time. Oh, yes, you know, a lot of these are Yeah, and it's if you're going to play, go in it with an open mind and know that this is, you know, history. This is yeah, you don't see, you know, the like, see, they kind of did shadow bad with this game.

Hey, at least it's not as bad as they did Silver. Yeah, yeah. Sonic Not much else you can really talk about it. It's it's been talked into the green. I still say pitchburg at hand bring silver. Back Silver is a cool character. He is. They just did him. Poorly, like psionic powers is not something explored in the Sonic franchise. Yeah. Obviously he could kill Sonic if he wanted to, right? That he it doesn't matter how fast he goes. It doesn't fucking matter. But yeah, you know, if you've people listening, if you've never, if you haven't tried it, Shadow the Hedgehog, give it a try.

I mean, it is kind of expensive now because of the third Sonic movie, but I would just give it a try. It's it's a fun time. It's not great, but, well, what the hell. I mean, that's not what I say I'm I may not finish it, but I want to give it a try at some point. Oh yeah, Just so you know what it's about and how it plays and whatnot. I mean my reasoning is dumb. It's the same reason I got into Monster Hunter. I was in a party with Jack and Max at the time and Max said something about shooting one of Shadows guns.

I'm like Shadow has a gun and he's like yes he has multiple guns. I'm like, I want to shoot a gun a shot in this Sonic the Edge on kids game. They put some edge into my series. What? It's the same reason I got into Monster Hunter and fucking I was in a party with I think actually just Max this time. Yeah, just Max and yours broke your face. I'm like, I want to break a monster's face. That sounds awesome. Any anyway? I think that's the same pitch that you and Jack used on me to give you the Monster Hunter too, 'cause you, you and Jack were like, hey Mark, you want to hit monsters with like a really big hammer?

I was like. You're a simple man. I was like, I'm intrigued. I'm not so certain, but I'm intrigued. It took me a second. I was like, all right, here we go, Bunk, here we go. And the rest is history. The rest is history. Drag Yeah dragged Brandon kicking screaming back into the series, and he loves it now, too. Nope. I love to cut things, slice and. Dice, Dual blades, just wheel of death and Wild. Dude, man, that shit man you. And me are the Bunk brothers. Bunk. Brothers for life, bro. Bunk. Yeah.

Oh, that sounded so bad over the head. You've heard. That Oh yeah. Hell yeah, I. Heard the knuckles collide. Perfect when the world's collide. When the world's collide.

Same brain songs. Christ. Anyway, yeah, that's fairly hedgehog. Yeah. Edgy Sonic. Edgy Sonic. I fucking hate it, man. Sonic Games. Speaking of Edge, let me bring up a game that I still love, that I come to terms with. Yeah, we're probably not getting any more, and they could have been better. Prototype. I have never played it but I want to either one or two but mainly 2. If you want like the definition of 2000s edge, yeah, that's prototype you. Just got to look at the main character. More edgy than shadow?

Yeah, have you seen the main character? Yeah, I have, yeah. Exactly. Everything about that game just screams edge Lord. Looking back at it now, still fun as hell. I, I still love the game, but I, I, I've come to terms that, yeah, it really wasn't all that phenomenal. And yeah, for like the general audience and for eventually what brought the company down was just poor sales numbers. I mean like, what's even the story of the game 'cause you basically have a Venom inside you or so essentially bioengineered.

You're playing as a guy who's got amnesia. He wakes up in the morgue and he has no idea what the hell is going on. He wakes up, there's soldiers over him. They start trying to shoot him. He finds out that he's got like, special powers to be able to absorb living matter and incorporate its DNA into him. Literally, he figures out I can use somebody's body to impersonate them. It kills them in the process by the. Way, of course. It's like a real bloody mass of you just absorbing somebody into you. Jesus.

But you, you can, you can change your physical appearance. You get blades and tendrils coming out of you. It is just is it literally, literally just edgelord stuff. You are just a unstoppable killing machine. There's, there's also a zombie virus going on and literally the whole game is you trying to piece together what the fuck is happening, why it's happening, and what, what, what the cover up is going on behind your creation. Because you're, you're, you find out you're like this biochemist that uncovered some sort of secret plot and you were trying to be a whistleblower, but trying to get out of the trying to get out of New York.

You were shot and whatever the hell you were carrying, you smashed it on the ground. You became what you are. And then simultaneously there's a zombie outbreak going on. And as you go through the game, you just see New York City just go to shit. You see more and more of the outbreak taking control of the city, more and more of the military trying to do what's best to kind of control the situation. So you start getting to just this ever changing city.

It is just, it's got its own, it's it's own sort of like morbid beauty, just seeing the world change in such a way. And it's all open world too. Oh yeah. Like your character can just leap and bound over over buildings, through buildings. Like you can, you can hijack vehicles like a helicopter or tank. You can just literally, if you've got like the the the blade fingers, you can just go through a crowd just mowing down people walking on their normal day-to-day commute or a horde of zombies while you're on the way to go do fuck all else like it.

It's a shame that we're I hear people saying that there's a potentially prototype of threes in the works, but I'm I'm more of I really need to see to believe it. Yeah. Especially because it's an Activision title and they're, yeah, they're very iffy about. Gotta get. My Call of Duty out. Well, they're they're very iffy on on how something performs with sales. So hopefully we get to see more. But again, it's it's just one of those things where, yeah, this was probably really great as a teenager, but I understand that the some of the is some of the appeal.

It was kind of, or some of the problems were kind of blindsided by rose tinted glasses. This this sounds like a game that I would play the fuck out of when I was a teenager. Yeah, not so much now, but as a teenager, like, I'll be all for it. Oh yeah, definitely.

Like the same thing I did with Saints Row 4. I played the fuck out of that. Oh, I feel that. Oh, I know, I feel. That. God, I didn't play 4 but I played three and I understand the feeling. Oh. Man, so fucking yeah, so good. Are you guys getting any other bad games? Are we going back to me? Yep. Yeah, it's your journey. Axon, I would like to dedicate to Tie the Tasmanian Tiger 4. Now if any of you guys did play Tie the Tasmanian Tiger, there was actually three games growing up. There was one, there was Tie the Tasmanian Tiger 2 Bush Rescue and then three Knight of the Quincan.

I really didn't play 3 all that much so I don't really have much nostalgic ties to it, but one is good. 2 is by far fantastic and then three, like I said, I don't really have much nostalgic tie but it's it's OK. Kind of solid. Yeah, it's it just it it took what 2 added and cranked it up to 11 and cause 1 was just you were tie 2. They added the bunyips, which are kind of just mecha suits that you can use to get around and use and then three just added more bunyip missions. But there's also flying missions as well where you're kind of flying and shooting a ship.

It's weird. But anyway, 4 was, I believe, a Kickstarter project to get 1-2 and three HD remade and onto newer systems to kind of bring back the Series A bit. At first I cause all three of them, all three of the originals are 3D platformers and collected thongs. Yeah. However, four, because it was such a project, it was a 2D platformer, it's very clunky. And at first when I decided to play it just because I wanted to support the developers, I was like screw it, why not play it. But as I played it, it was just not what I knew of Thai, and so I kind of dropped it for probably a good two years.

I didn't even think about it. I didn't even want to play it until recently, where I'm decided to download it, try it again, and you know what? Lo and behold is not that bad. Still just as clunky as I remember being, but honestly even after 100% of it, which I did recently, it's you still have to kind of force yourself to play it, but it's not as bad as I initially thought. Yeah, for what it is in a vacuum. Yeah, it's OK. There's a charm to it. Yeah. Like I I can appreciate what it did, even if it wasn't all that well fleshed out.

Like it kind of brought back characters from 123 and, you know, just made of unique scenarios and just still kind of a collect a thon. No, not really, but. It it has more the the 2D platformer and influence. Yeah, there wasn't so much a emphasis on, oh, look at all these cool rang like boomerangs that you can throw and look at all these different effects. It was more so like just here's here's all the memorable characters that you. Know and let's it was more. Kind of make a new story out of it. So it's more of like a a nostalgia beat and, and that sort of sense kinda, yeah.

Like, oh, you guys want a little bit more of your characters. Well, here's something. We know we can't really do the same as what was done before, but it's at least something. Like in the first game, your brother Sly was a bad guy. He was he was under the influence of Boss Cass. The second game onward, he was like, OK, I'm going to help, I'm going to help you guys 'cause you quite literally saved my family and our entire our species race. Somebody that in four he went back to being with Boss Cass for a mission or two.

Just but weird flippy floppy of a just. Character development. Yeah. I mean it, like I said, it kind of just brings back all those characters and kind of slightly original storylines. It's just the kind of a mishmash. There's nothing really too deep about it. Yeah. It's just, hey, here's these characters. Yeah. More, more than anything makes sense. But like I said, there's a, there's a charm that I found in it when I go back to it, probably not for a while, but like I do with one and two, but I I definitely see something there.

I need to I need to play the. The first, the first two, I mean, yeah, they're the first one. Like I said, play the first one before the 2nd. They're both really good, but the second just improves and makes everything. OK. It it kind of goes deeper because like how I showed you with fucking 40,000 different boomerangs that were. Locked. Yeah, really just quirky characters that are just really good. Yeah, like because what, they're like 5 bucks right now, aren't they? Yeah, at least the first one is that I haven't checked the second or third.

OK. Because I'll probably buy probably the first two. Yeah, I mean, if you like those debate getting the third one, it like I said, it's, it's different by far from the 1st 2:00, but I mean, it's, it's still something to see. And I I can show you if you just want to see it, that's fine. I I like those like collect a thon type games. Oh yeah and the first one is pure collect a thon, the second one, third one opals are currency, the first one Opal. There's 300 opals each mission. OK. That's it. They're not currency, they're just collect them.

OK. So it's pure collect a thon. Shit, I need to buy these now. Yeah, and then you'll play them on the Steam Deck. I'm like, fucking cool, man. Go Steam Deck for the win.

All right, Brandon, you got any other games? Well. Yes, I do. So Sonic Colors Ultimate, a re release of Sonic Colors. I don't know what the hell you wrote there, Mark, but yeah. Well, it's the full title. You got to read it, Yeah. Yeah, OK, you got to read the full title of the. Game. Let's see, here we have Sonic Colors Ultimate Awesome Kibash Blitz Battle Royale Saga.

What the fuck is that I? Mean you left the keyboard next to me. You just can't keep. It I didn't even see I, I, I saw the finished product. I didn't even see you type. That I don't even know when the fuck you guys. What the hell did you? I did. It like a little bit of a while ago while you were talking about Shadow of the Hedgehog. That's. Yeah, no wonder I didn't see it. Fuck. Hey man, I gotta keep you on the Joes. He's in a chair, dude. A squeaky chair. Gotta keep you on your cheeks. Oh, that came out wrong anyways, Sonic Colors.

Yes, Sonic Colors Ultimate the Cheeks Edition. Oh God, so it was pretty cheeky. Cheeky, brief

I. Yeah, who are you on?

I don't know, It is like seeing reactions. It's funny. Yeah, I've been told that a lot. Yeah. You just get animated. Yeah, in any extreme. Happy, sad, mad. It's the box. Cutter the box. Why do you need a box cutter? This is stupid. You shouldn't have. There's fucking videos for a box cutter. Just cut the fucking box. Just fucking cut it man. Like like you don't need 16 pages of how to cut a fucking box. Like what is this? It's a how to oh.

My God, I don't know how to cut a box open. Holy shit. Anyway, that is going to be a fucking topic on one of these podcasts episodes. We're going to talk about that in some we're. Talking about professional box cutting, apparently.

On our new premium episodes Unplugged, we talk about anything and everything real life anyway.

So yeah, Sonic Colors Ultimate, a re release of Sonic Colors that was originally on the Wii. So why I I guess it's probably kind of far to say that it's considered a bad game 'cause it's not. But in terms of this re release they could have done so much fucking better. Sonic is kind of a really off shade of blue.

The cutscenes are their pre rendered 480P fucking cutscenes from the original game. They didn't upscale them or anything. Why? I don't fucking know. I mean, OK, well that's kind of how Ty is, at least the first game. They're cussings are definitely not upscaled, but. They look better, that's the thing. No they don't. Not the cussings. Are you sure about that? Yeah. Yeah. Because Sonic Colors looks like fucking ass. Oh you should see the cussings for Taiwan HD. It looks like the PS2. It's so bad.

I like there. It has gone so far that there is a mod that is currently being developed. You can play it because it was part of the Sonic hacking showcase like a couple years ago. It it upscale this like these developers upscale the I think they upscale them the they make everything look way better. Like the game itself doesn't even look that great. Like just in game like playing like it's not it's not awful, but it was kind of honestly, it was kind of a downgrade. Like I would tell you just go play the original Wii version.

Like it's and it's also weird that because this game had motion controls. So you like use the Weaver mode, I think the turn Sonic and shit like it. It's not like the on rails like Sonic and the secret rings or Sonic in the black knight. But. It's kind of like exploration to an extent. Sonic Colors, right? It it's kind of like you're, it's like playing like Sonic Generations. It's a boost. It's what they call a boost game. OK, but the way Sonic like kind of moves because now these controls are now put on a regular controller.

It's not bad, just not great. Fair. Like and nothing is not playable. It is, It's fine. It's just that the graphics and everything is really just not good. How can you make something look worse? Like it looks so good on the Wii and that was a non HD console and then you put this on like APC or like Xbox of today and it looks like shit. I mean, talk to Rockstar about the remaster of San Andreas and. What the fuck were they thinking? Oh my God, you could have at least put in some work on the character models, dear.

God that's fucking crazy. And then they had the audacity to remove the originals from the store. Yeah, yeah, Yep. But besides that, Sonic Colors Ultimate, it's literally the same game. It I think they they added some little additions here and there, like you can change like Sonic's aura or like when he's like speeding off. Yeah, you can change his like, gloves, shit like that. Yeah, I guess. Also, this game does not have lives. It's instead if you fall like in like a pit, Tails comes and grabs you and puts you back.

Oh, he's like the little, you know, what is that Koopa McLeod? Yeah, pretty much. Now there's there are like, because it was fucking confusing as hell, because instead of Sonic's head, like for the icon, for the lives, it's Tails. And that's because of that. Because at first I'm like, what the fuck is this? Like I'm playing Sonic. Did they really fuck up this bad like that? Like, come on. And you can't play as any other character. It's just Sonic. Why I'll get OK, I'll. Get. Chirp Yeah. Like no jerk.

Yeah. Two weird choices, yeah. Other guy. Other guy. Hey, we leave that episode out of this. No, we're gonna. Talk. Nope. He's the other guy. Nope.

That sounded really weird. Oh, sorry. Vibrate in the ear I. Think you should get going?

And This is why I always get animated. I understand why. Actual term we have the we have those personalities that really grind people here sometimes. I guess. I don't know. Brain still likes us though. Yes, some of them must be doing something right there. Anyways, I guess it's my turn. Unless you still have some stuff to talk about. No, it's like, that's fine if you're going to play Sonic Colors Ultimate playing on APC and get that good old like update mod mod thing for it. Believe me, it will.

It's good experience better. It's good. Or just buy a Wii, they're everywhere. Or buy a Wii and buy the original game. Fair enough. Weezer everywhere. Yeah, so. Still solid console too give. It that it's a solid console. Yeah, really. Yeah, it. Fucking is, dude. It can play GameCube games? What?

Yeah, cause a lot of these game cubes are dying now 'cause they're just, they're so old. Yeah, I know my aunt, my uncle's is definitely starting to go. Yeah, but it's a shame, really. The Game Cube's fucking great. It didn't do that great when? It was, it didn't do well commercially, but as as a system it it really was pretty damn good. People learn to really love it now, yeah, which is a nice reason, you know, it revived it. It's a nice little swan song of the 2000s at this point. Yeah. Yeah. All right.

My other game. I want to talk about Zoo Tycoon, the complete collection from 2003.

It hurts to say it, but I love this game as a kid. Looking back at it now, I realize, wow, this game really was kind of held together with duct tape. That's kind of any of these. There's so many games like with the the animals moving from tile to tile, you would get the because it was like was. I wouldn't say no. No, it definitely was isometric because of the way the isometric tiling was laid out. You would get the the the tile closest to the player kind of clipping above the animal as they moved from tile to tile.

Yeah, it's like animals moving on a matrix. That's yeah. And. Then it was just, it was really simplistic. Part of one really big issue that you would get with your zoos is the kind of like this death spiral spiral of happiness where if you don't keep the animals happy, the guests aren't happy. And then they just don't. They just stop showing up and spending money, which puts you into a financial deathspin. Oh, OK Yeah. And then because you can only have 1000 people spawn in on the map at once, the the animal happiness becomes the just everything.

And then what what really gets worse is that a lot of the animals that breed really quickly, you have to keep selling the the young ones because if they get too overcrowded, well, that's a huge tank of the animal happiness. Everything is just so touchy. You could overcrowd the animals. You can not have enough animals in the same pen. You could have too many animals in the same pen. It just fluctuates so quickly that you just cannot really succeed unless if you really, really straight at playing things out.

And then again, even if a lot of the animals just aren't really viable for a profitable zoo either, like you can't just have every single animal in the game and be fine. You would have to really pick and choose what you want, which really kind of just limits the size of the zoo you can make. Unless you again go into like a death spiral with your finances and then you can't really do anything else after that. It's just it's a game I loved as a kid but looking back at it now I'm just again seeing seeing the game for what it is.

Wish it could have been better, but I still have that nostalgia trip with it. Honestly, like in terms of the animals per habitat ordeal you were talking about, it kind of reminds me of a newer game called Let's Build a Zoo. Kind of like a spiritual successor to Zoo Tycoon. Kind of, but a lot different where every fucking animal breeds like rabbits, literally. They like the fuck you. Have, you know, you start off with like rabbits, ducks, I can't remember what, but there's you start off with like the pretty pretty basic and easy, little easy to maintain animals.

And I think one of the first ones actually is rabbits. And so you're like, oh, OK, they're just breeding rapidly, you know, like rabbits do. But then you get the next one like ducks or something. Oh, they're also breeding like rabbits, to the point where you can enable or disable breeding within the individual habitats because because animals like let's say ducks, they require 2 tiles per duck in order to not be overcrowded.

So you if you have 10 tiles in a habitat, you can have five ducks without them feeling overcrowded. But you look away, you look back, now there's 10. Oh no. It's that bad And some of the some of the animals that require like just bigger and bigger amounts of tiles per animal like hyenas or something, they require like 20 or something. It's maybe not like specific time amounts, but they require more. Space. A lot more space. Per animal. And so it's just you look away, you look back, there's five hyenas and they're all mad because they all feel overcrowded.

Where did this come from? I looked away for two seconds. You feel overcrowded, Just stop bucking. Here we go. I'm just thinking the toggle, the toggle breed the animals listen where you just say you know. Yeah, we just put up a sign that says open, close. It's like breeding. Yes. No, we're closed for breed. Jesus Christ. Anyway, I I mean, just kind of ramp, but that's my 1 grape with Let's build a Zoo. Yeah. Did you have anything more to say about Zoo Take You in the complete collection from 2003?

No. What a fucking name you know. I mean it's better than Sonic colors ultimate awesome kit badge bullets battle Royale saga. It just rolls off the tongue better. Yeah. Yeah. Is it really though? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no. Stop eating, bitch. I don't know, Wow, for a Zoo Tycoon, it it, it really was just a product of its time. You know, games were really just sort of in a transition between some of the lower level, lower operating system games into more of the GUI games. And again, it's it's not awful.

You can still play it. It's just it, it, it's it's not as fun as I remember it being. Yeah. It's fair. Mm. Hmm. I don't know. You got anything else, Ethan? I mean, I, I have a couple more to bring up if need be, but right now there's this one I have written down. I think it's PPDS. It's. PP It's DSDS you're. Really pushing for us to make the unplugged cap on kids.

But in terms of this being a bad game, yes and no. It's actually very great. But in terms of being a game, not really. And what it means is Placid Plastic Duck Simulator. God damn it, you bastard. These suits right on in there. I was wondering. I was like there's no way. How is it right there in the notes this? Is a bad game. It's not a game. It's a simulator, that's all it is. But it's not a game, It's it's, it's a simulator. It's it's very fantastic for what it I I love. It I mean, I for what it is, I do too.

It's a great time, but. But there's really no gameplay. You're just a duck floating in a pool. And you can switch the duck. Yeah, or you can make the duck quack. Yeah, riveting. That's gameplay. Right. Riveting.

Why is this even on here? I don't know. I just put it on there because it's not a, it's not a game. But it's bad games that you love, you still love, and it's bad at the game. I I guess, guy, you're really fucking pushing this shit. Fuck. How does that make you feel, Brandon? Angry. You have to be descriptive. People don't see your faces. Use your words. Mind your PS and QS. I mean 111 I can talk about for real though is I think it's Bionicle Heroes and Jack has played this as well. Jack is been really adamant about this game, but it's it's.

Really. Basic for what it is. Do you have I I don't know Bionicle or I don't know Bionicle series like Jack does, but I think it's the original 6 that released or based off their original 6 and their paracas I think are the enemies. Yeah, they would. Yeah, 'cause Paraka Park yeah, Parakas are the one of the first enemies that you. So it's based off, you know, the the six originals and the six parakas as well as there's some BBEGI don't remember who he is, but this game is kind of very simplistic in how it plays and really repetitive.

But the core gameplay it's it's it's brainless fun. It's. It's nothing complicated. No, not really. I mean. In all due fairness, it is a Lego game made for kids back in the early 2000s. Yeah, there's not too much you can ask from them. Yeah, like, even the music is repetitive. Like just look look up Bionicle Heroes. Hero mode music. There's I think it's hero mode where once you fill up the bar at the bottom top, you press a button and you go to hero mode, which you need for something. But as soon as you fill up that bar, the music changes, I think.

But it's it's. It's been a while since. You listen to the music and that's going to be at least 50, maybe 75% of the music you listen to the entire game. It's because of how often you get it's going. To be one of those repetitive like soundtracks, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, again, like I said, Lego game made for kids in the early 2000s. Yeah, and like you have, I think it's 6 sections, one for one for each of the baraccas. And then in each of those sections you have 3 levels and then the boss. So in total 4/24 plus maybe I think the final boss level.

So 25 levels, not much there. But then you also have goofy stuff like Baraca Park in which you can use money to build stupid goofy cutscene like little what would you call those? Like where it's just a goofy, maybe 10 second funny, hot like slapstick ha ha got. Like a clip or something. Yeah, something like that. Just cutscene there's you can build a seesaw and then depending on how many paracas you've beaten, that's how many paracas will be in Paracas Park. So if you've beaten 2 paracas, there'll be two of them.

Two out of the six, Yeah. And then the seesaw requires 2. So you press the call button, 2 baracas will two of the nearest baracas will come and do the seesaw. Like maybe, maybe they'll start seesaw and then one will get angry and start jumping up on the seesaw. And then then we'll fly into the space. Something funny like that. It's it's dumb. It's just a slapstick stupid. I'm a kid and I want to laugh. Yeah, yeah. Stuff. That's fair. I can definitely say though that the old flash games from the Bionicle website where are are probably a lot better.

Especially there was one that was kind of like a point and click adventure, but it it's still the holds up. I'm not sure where you can or even if you can play it anymore. Dude if it's flash just died years ago. If we want to go down that road, we can go to the Hot Wheels website. Fair enough. There was there was the one where you can go where you can. Your goal is to drive down a street as fast as possible. Yeah, but the street is chaotic as hell. Like it's like 45° cliffs and then like intersection, but there's there's one car where way back when I think there was like a newer version that fixed it, but way back when, when you were in the air, it just spun whenever you went into the air, it just started doing barrel.

What a chaotic St. to live on. That would suck. Imagine you're just trying to back out of your driveway and you see this car just flipping all over this fucking place in the air. My poor property value. Like Jesus car, What property value? It was so bad, but it was so fun.

Oh God, God, early physics engines. Yeah, there was something to behold. It was just that one. There was like multiple cars. It was just that one that did it.

Do a Corkscrew the whole barrel roll. Star Fox and shit. I mean, that was kind of just my. Mini rant but do you guys get any others? And you can brainstorm up. Not that. I can think of no, no, not else. That I can think of, honestly, because Ethan, you said you had another one. I mean, if we really wanted to get into it. Technically was with a gun we don't have to, but no I I think I. Think we could say that for? Another topic. OK, yeah, we we can probably think of something that would fit more.

I mean, it's not, it's not a bad game. Oh, no, not at all. It's a it's a good game, Very great. The company shuttered. Yeah, that's why. What? What else can you ask? What else can you really say about it? Because the way I think about a bad game is that there's a lot of. Definitions, depending on who you ask. Yeah, it's a. It's a loose definition. But you kind of get the same sort of, oh, there's something with the story or something kind of like characteristically about it now, Wizard with the guns pretty solid, especially for.

Especially for being. Kind of like a. An. Isometric shooter. And you kind of inspired. By Don't Starve, in a way, yeah. Looks very similar graphically, yeah. Yeah. No, we. We. Can talk about that another. Day with another topic. I feel that's not really suited for this topic. OK. Yeah, I'm trying to think of. Any other games but I just the creative juices are just kind of. Yeah, plus the stop, it was kind of sprung on us. Like half a day to prepare for. I'm trying to think of like DS games or game game Game Boy games because I feel like that era just not a lot of trash.

But there was a lot of. Games with. Little. A little content shovelware. Oh yeah, much. Yeah, yeah, the the portable games. Really did. Have a lot of shovelware and just really basic like that. And the Wii. The Wii had a lot of oh. God. Oh yeah. Jesus. I mean, there there's a. Game I have for the Game Boy, It's in my basement. You have a lot of games through your. Basement, it's called. Corvette. That's it. It has a. Corvette like. Fucking sticker on the cartridge. Is it a racing game? Of course.

Oh. OK. And of course you. You you race and you get money, and then you can use that money to buy more Corvettes. I don't know how the game plays. I haven't played it, I don't care. To play it, I was just waiting for, you know. What Mark has like, is it a racing game? And I was just waiting for the no, it's actually this. No, it's actually a rogue like you.

It's. A dating SIM. It's a fuck. Oh. God no. It's actually an FPSI. Mean frames per second, not first person shooter. Oh, OK, OK. Yeah, well, sure, sure. Bud, no, we'll go. We'll. Go with that. Now you say, man, that's Yeah,

actually here's. One it's it's a weirdly titled series. I wanna I wanna try to play the later ones in this series cause the first one didn't vibe so well. Disgaea I think it's called I think the first one's Disgaea Hour of darkness. I have never heard of this but. It's. Kind of like a tactical game where you have your your characters, I think you can choose up to 10 characters and you basically play them like chess pieces compared to the enemy. And these boards can vary in size as well as height because there are.

There is a height aspect. Actually, and I don't I don't remember how far back console wise this game goes, maybe PS1, but the fact that I had like a leveling system and item system. The items had a leveling system and that's goes for per character. There's different types of characters depending on how far you get. I guess there's a voting system. I could not figure out how to do the voting system whatsoever. I don't even know how it works anymore because it was I couldn't get dork or however to do it.

Voting system. Yeah, because you can. You can do something. And then there's people you can get to vote, and depending on how they vote. Something happens, I can't remember and. There's like two ways to get them on your side. Either you can like the game, basically it says you can beat the fuck out of them and they all get your vote this time, but they will absolutely hate you afterwards. Or you can get their their gate you to like or get them to like you gradually. Oh wow. But I. Couldn't. I just couldn't figure out how.

To get it. So that's why I'm. Like maybe I can play the the later series and see how because I have I have 1/5 and six, Yeah. On the switch, but yeah. The fact that there's. Different types of characters and they all have their different strengths and weaknesses. Ranged, healing, melee, and even then different types of melee. There's also monsters you can introduce. Which monsters they can't get certain somethings again been a long while. I think maybe weapons? I think they just are melee or whatever abilities they have and then you can level up items.

Like you buy the items but then you can level them up to increase their stats. Yeah, but the game the. Game just kind of got too. Grindy too fast for me, yeah, but the draw to this game to. Me was the fact. That you can level up characters and items to absolutely absurd levels. I'm talking the thousands. Oh boy. Fuck, Oh geez.

Yeah. God damn in because like, maybe. The first one hits home in the in a series sometimes not like Dead Space hits home, but Oh yeah, like Tyler says, mean Tiger one hits home, but sometimes games just don't. I'm not sure how one is because I don't. I haven't played two, haven't played three. Not 4, not 5, not 6. I think there's even A7 now. But I I want to try 5 and 6 at. Some point and. See how they hold up compared to the first one. Maybe they improved on mechanics, maybe the story got worse, I don't know.

Yeah but there is. I feel like personally this gay 1 is a bad game OK? But I do like what it did try. To do. I do like the the mechanics behind it, how it operates. It's just I hit a wall. Yeah, that's fair. And when I hit. Walls more often than. Not I will drop. Games. That's fair. I feel like I can. Sometimes do the same thing. I feel that.

And especially grinding walls. Don't do that shit. I I like to play my games for fun, not to dread. Yeah, yeah. This is coming from an achievement. Hunter that will do tedious. Things. That is a good point, yeah. That is a very good point. If there's a big. Enough grind, there's a chance I will stop. There's other things you would prefer to focus. On yeah, it's, it's kind of a time thing. Yeah. Like, is this worth my time? Yeah. Yeah, it's fair. It's understandable. And that's something that. Honestly, in life, I feel a lot more people can afford to really start to think about with the modern gaming ecosystem.

I mean, it's again. A topic for another time. We're kind of discussing that, right. I mean time versus money versus? Entertainment. Yeah. It's like the triangle. Yeah. Yeah. Like how do you want to? Put that. Put your. Point on that triangle. Pick two. Yeah, pretty much. Pick. Two. No, no, I get that. Well, I guess. Right here is about as good of a time to wrap up. You guys have any other final remarks? Brandon's a butt head. The fuck did I do? You yelled at me last. Episode, I don't want to hear anything.

From you butt head. Go listen to the other episode if you want. To know what's going. On you. You don't know what episode? Just the other one, just the. Other one I'm. Nipping this in the bud. I've been. Mark here with Ethan and Brandon. This has been plugging for player 4 and you player are good to unplug. Have a good night.

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