April-June 2017 Quarterly Review: Admintendo X8 - The Admins vs Jas/Muss Connection

ZeroJones: Gosh, it comes round quickly, doesn't it? Here we are once again for Admintendo XVIII! I'm your humble host, ZeroJones. Also involved in the fun and merriment are...

JayMoyles: It's your boy, JayMoyles, here to serve up a hot slice of gaming chat right into your mouth. #TeamCake

The_Jaster: Forever keeping it simple, it's Jaster here. #TeamCake&IceCream

Muss: Plop Olli pop polls polls it's an incoming Mussile keeping it fresh for #TeamIceCream.

ZeroJones: Yes! At the time of recording, the Spla2n Direct finished about four hours ago? I'm #TeamIceCream , myself. Quick set of thoughts on Spla2n before we move to what we've been playing?

JayMoyles: I'm just glad there's another Testfire considering I've played literally zero minutes of Splatoon. It looks good, mind, but I want to experience the Splatting for myself before taking the plunge and buying the game.

The_Jaster: My hype levels are the highest they can get. All throughout the Direct I was hoping for one more early go of it before release and I'm so glad we are getting that with a Splatfest.

Muss: I'm looking forward to more of the same colourful action of the original, with a extra helping of more weapons and some Scary Salmon!

ZeroJones: Loving the Crusty Sean pun - someone's been hard at work in that department, mefeels!

The_Jaster: He was in the original, I think.

ZeroJones: Was he?! Shows how much attention I was paying... also totally thought of you, Muss, when that map name came up!

The_Jaster: Yeah he ran the shoe shop if I remember correctly.

Muss: I'm biased towards Musselforge gym! (I think that's what the map was called).

JayMoyles: I like the new duo as well - Marina for life.

An Original Segment

ZeroJones: Right-o. Blast. Anyway, let's shuffle out of Inkopolis Square and get straight to telling our lovely readers what games we've been playing in the last three months. I'd like to invite The Main One, Mr. JayMoyles, to go first.

JayMoyles: Ooft, the last three months? Well, deep breath, but here we go...

Persona 5 was in early April, right? Well, that more or less dominated that month. Easily the best JRPG I've played - oozing with style and worked out a lot of the problems from P3 and P4.

May saw my time spent with the Switch, mainly. A bit of Shovel Knight here, Blaster Master Zero there before topping it all off with some Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Cracking racer and I've had a blast playing it with you guys online.

June has seen a literal one-two punch of fighters punctuated with some robot dinosaurs. The fighters I'm referring to are ARMS and Injustice 2 - the former being Nintendo's fresher take on the genre, the latter being Netherealm's more traditional one on one fighting game starring DC's finest. I'm enjoying ARMS' unique take on the fighting game, but I think I need to spend a bit more time with it before coming to a final conclusion. The character design is ace in it, I'll say that much. Injustice 2 absolved the sins of SFV by launching chock-a-block with content and things to do. It plays a mean game as well - myself and Andyman have been sparring away, learning the intricacies of the game and generating a lot of salt in the meantime.

I've capped off my month with Horizon Zero Dawn, which I missed by it launching next to a certain Switch launch title (no, not 1-2 Switch). Again, a lot of fun. I found myself yearning for the climbable and far livelier open world of BotW, but the world design and combat in HZD kept it enjoyable during the 50 or so hours I spent with it. The world felt dangerous and the enemies suitably mysterious. I'm sure Drunka was involved in the design of the Thunderjaw though - a robot T-Rex with machine guns, lasers and rocket launchers attached to it.

And... breath!

ZeroJones: Crikey, you were quite busy! Was that your first time playing Shovel Knight?

JayMoyles: Nope, I played it on PC first. I've not played Plague Knight's campaign before though, so that's been a new experience. And I've still got Spectre Knight to return to!

ZeroJones: Both wonderful and different takes on the game - Plague Knight's was my favourite. How about ARMS? What questions do you need to answer before your conclusion on the game?

JayMoyles: How it feels taking the fight online with some properly serious play in Ranked battles - I've scrapped with the AI and messed about with some of the GNamer gang, but I want to try it out in Ranked before coming to a final conclusion on how I feel about the game. It's not like it's going to affect my opinion drastically - I still think it's ace.

ZeroJones: Good good! Jas, what have you been playing? I take it ARMS is in the mix?

The_Jaster: I've not played as much as ARMS as I'd like as I got sick a day after it came out so I wasn't playing any games for about a week or so. The months before that though it has been pretty much all about games on the Switch. The pick of the bunch has definitely been Graceful Explosion Machine which I can only describe as the Bayonetta of the 2D shoot em up genre - The controls are just so on point and make you feel very stylish but are still easy to pick up.

I've also been back on BotW trying to get those last few shrines especially to get those last heart containers so I was set for the DLC.

ZeroJones: Jas, I'm worried that BotW will swallow both me and my gaming time whole. Sell the game to me. No pressure!

JayMoyles: I'll sell it you Zero - I've got a copy going, £50 and it's yours.

ZeroJones: I couldn't possibly take that; you've not mentioned postage costs!

The_Jaster: Way to put me on the spot haha!

ZeroJones: I am secretly evil.

The_Jaster: To be honest, it's a game you can very easily dip in & out if you so wish but that game just calls to me just so I can explore the world & with 140 hours on the clock I am still finding new areas.

ZeroJones: You can dip in and out of it?! Praise the Lord! Traditional 3D Zeldas can take so long to get into and/or make progress in 'em. That's good to know. You may just have done the job there!

JayMoyles: I think why Zero would enjoy it is because it's not as guided as other 3D Zelda games. It really does just set you free in the world and lets you go have fun.

ZeroJones: As a teacher, I am totally against the idea of 'fun'. shudder

The_Jaster: It feels very much like a 2D Zelda to me which we all know are the best ones.

ZeroJones: You have put the icing on the cake and the cherry on top there. I'm sold!

The_Jaster: Yass! I got there in the end.

ZeroJones: Mr. Muss, what have you been playing recently?

Muss: Not sure I can catalogue everything as coherently as Jay so I'll just stick with a couple. I took a punt on NHL 17 a few months ago, which is Ice Hockey don't ya know. It's quite good fun, even though for large portions of the time I had no idea what was going on because I'd never seen or watched any Ice Hockey before. You can, however, mash the triangle button to initiate fights so I have been doing that a lot... currently yet to win a fight some 40 odd fights later mind!

Otherwise I've gone through both Tales from the Borderlands, and, Life is Strange, two choose-your-own adventure games that are absolutely wonderful. The former, a colourful, comedic action tale, the other an emotional roller-coaster.

The_Jaster: The fighting really is the best part of Ice Hockey games.

ZeroJones: The last NHL I played was... '94, I think? It's possibly advanced a wee bit since then.

The_Jaster: Maybe they need to chuck in a fully fledged story mode as to why they are fighting though.

Muss: I'm not quite sure what the benefits of fighting are, I think afterwards both men get sent off (for 5 minutes) so perhaps worser players use it as a tactic to stop the stars playing. I would love a story mode though haha.

JayMoyles: Have you played any other Telltale games, Muss? I would rate TftB as their finest work to date. Of course, Life is Strange pisses over anything Telltale has done though.

Muss: I've played every Telltale game save Minecraft, Walking Dead 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy, the latter of which I'll get one day. I find it hard to separate the original Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands. They're like my power 3, although they're thematically each very distinct. Life is Strange is something else though. From it's writing to its mechanics it really is a cut above the rest.

The_Jaster: Did Telltale ever say they are doing more The Wolf Among Us? That was my favourite adventure game from them.

JayMoyles: They've not said, no. A shame as that's one of their better games too.

Muss: It is a real shame The Wolf Among Us 2 hasn't seen the light of day. I fear Telltale have too many other lucrative things going on to give it a go.

ZeroJones: I'm sure they'll get round to it at some point!

My turn? My turn.

I only got my Switch this time last month, so much of my non-Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE playing has been on that (TMS#FE great, by the way - hope a port of some sort happens soon). I have MK8D, which is totally brilliant; Puyo Puyo Tetris, which is jolly good fun; ARMS, which I found demanding and rewarding but frustrating; and Shantae: Half Genie Hero, which I knew all about anyway. 3DS-wise, with apologies to Balla in advance, I got terribly addicted to Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, going so far as making some o'y'all download it so we could team up at the meet-up. Also ongoing is Dragon Quest VII, which I will beat before the month is out.

The_Jaster: Yeah I remember being thrown into a very hard quest on Team Kirby at the meet up, thought I done OK considering it was my first time playing it.

JayMoyles: I had more or less my fill of that Kirby minigame in the abridged version featured in Planet Robobot - played at Meetup #1, if I recall.

I'd be all over a TMS#FE port. Bring more of the Wii U's goodies my way, please!

ZeroJones: Hee! Both great games; someone must be thinking about porting TMS#FE, is all I can say.

The_Jaster: The only Switch ports I want are Bayonetta & Wonderful 101.

Muss: I missed the boat on Tokyo Mirage, so a port would be very much appreciated! I forgot to bring the old 3DS to the meet, but that battle looked intense!

I saw a teaser for The Wonderful 101 today. Nothing official mind.

The_Jaster: Yeah I think Platinum are just testing the waters.

ZeroJones: Nah, I reckon they must have something to show us... though why they couldn't have done it at E3 is anyone's guess.

Speaking of E3... #SegueKing

That There Games Conference Broadcast from LA

ZeroJones: Let's talk highlights and lowlights of that there E3 that there was, all back in last month. Jas, why don't you kick us off?

The_Jaster: As the years go by I get less and less hyped about E3 because it usually turns into "look at all these games you will be playing in 2-3 years time".

Highlights though definitely have to be the Devolver Digital press event & Nintendo announcing not one but two Metroid games.

Lowlight was being utterly confused by the Monster Hunter World reveal.

ZeroJones: I've felt less hype for E3 too. One too many disappointing conferences but then Nintendo can hardly announce all of the seven or eight things I want them to every time.

JayMoyles: Nintendo smashed it this year, didn't they? Before, you could see them positioning Kirby or Yoshi as their killer app, but they've got Pokémon, Metroid and Mario to prop up Kirby and Yoshi this time round. Great conference, that one.

I was totally underwhelmed by Sony this year.

Even Monster Hunter World, which after watching some further video looks like the business, fell somewhat flat for me at Sony's conference as Jas alluded to.

The_Jaster: Aye, Nintendo just get it & you only have to look at their release schedule for the rest of the year to see that. Hell of a first year for the Switch.

Muss: Pretty much on board with Jay. Nintendo were clear winners, putting out an enjoyable presentation from start to finish. A good, clear showing of games, and Super Mario Odyssey was simply breathtaking.

Sony underwhelmed, showing nothing of note which had not already been announced - unless you really want to play Shadow of the Colossus or some VR games.

Outside the big boys, Devolver Digital put on a bonkers show, good stuff. I think Ubisoft had a decent showing as well, although I often find with their games that while they really nail the look, and often have games placed in unusual or distinctive settings, the games are rather shallow. Happy to see a pirate game though, as the sailing in Assassin's Creed Black Flag was good fun.

Oh, and who could forget, the Mario - Rabbids crossover! Looking forward to that one.

JayMoyles: That VR bit in Sony's conference felt like it would never end.

I also enjoyed Devolver Digital's section - more stuff like that please. And yep, props to Ubi for a good showing this year. Kicking off your conference with Shigsy toting a gun helps, mind.

ZeroJones: That was like the Doctor picking up a gun.

The_Jaster: Oh forgot to mention I watched the Devolver event live at 6am which made it extra weird due to me being half awake.

It even feels like it was a crazy dream to me.

ZeroJones: I have to admit that I didn't really get on with Nintendo's presentation. Overall, they 'won' E3 (personally wish that wasn't still a thing, but hey ho) because they kept the announcements going throughout the Treehouse stuff (Metroid: SaMuss Returns? Yes please) but there wasn't enough truly new games in the main presentation to get me going. Although, sneaking Rocket League in the opening was a masterstroke.

JayMoyles: I think that'd be down to Nintendo's Direct style of revealing games. Where other companies hold off on revealing games to show them off at E3, Nintendo will trickle them across the year. I dig Nintendo's style more.

ZeroJones: I guess I'm still too focussed on the event itself. The Pokémon Direct beforehand, too... you're right, it is more about constant hype than anything else.

JayMoyles: Plus, there's the Treehouse to consider now too in Nintendo's E3 showings.

The_Jaster: They (Nintendo) even get the games out in whats seems like a shorter timeframe, Metroid: Samus Returns is out in about 3 months which is crazy when you think about it.

Muss: It's certainly true that E3 as a whole feels less and less like a big reveals show. I think I'm happy to give Nintendo a pass relative to chaps like Sony, since it really hasn't been long since they came out with a host of big announcements back before the - still really new- Switch had launched.

I guess Nintendo E3's feel a bit more like recaps of their Directs, at least to some extent, which has it's place considering Nontendo-ers might not be watching each direct. I'm happy with the direct style though, always worth watching with good information and gameplay spliced together into a small chunk of viewing. It's companies like Bethesda who waffle on about 2 or 3 games I'm not interested in which for an hour which I cannot stand when it comes to E3.

JayMoyles: Bethesda's was easily the worst conference. Sparse on games and interminably long.

ZeroJones: Yes! Yes to all of what you all are saying! The Treehouse helped keep the 3DS reveals 'out of the way', as well as great focus on gameplay. Directs are where it's at and other companies should really be looking to follow suit. Reveals close to release encourage extra hype and set themselves notably against "Out At Some Point Before The End Of Time" release dates.

Muss: Oh yes. I mean, God of War still isn't out yet. But I've seen/heard so much about it that I think I've completed it.

So hopefully, Nintendo's tease of Pokémon on Switch and Metroid Prime 4 will remain just that until they're relatively close to coming out.

JayMoyles: Is God of War out before next E3? Please say it is, I can't bear hearing about it another year. Like Muss says, I hope that the distance from release for Metroid and Pokémon won't result in a God of War style situation developing there.

ZeroJones: Fingers crossed!

The Closing Thoughts

ZeroJones: Let's wrap it up on E3 2017 with a tiny question: was it a good E3, or a bad one? I vote 'good', purely because of Metroid (echoing yer man Jaster).

JayMoyles: Good, I'd say. Nintendo elevated it beyond average, and Ubi had a good conference overall.

The_Jaster: Aye it was good but I did heavily regulate what I wanted to watch.

Muss: Good conference for Nintendo fans. Nontendo has some good stuff coming too, but there's no way I'm watching Sony's conference next year!

ZeroJones: The ayes have it, gentlemen! Roll on E3 2018.

The_Jaster: Where it'll be Trump screaming "I'M THE PRESIDENT" for 3 days straight.

Muss: Hey, Jas, as long as the 'Judge a Game by its Cover,' and 'whaddaya so mad about,' threads keep going he can be my president (he's not my president)

ZeroJones: So, with not a moment to lose, that about wraps it up for Admintendo XVIII. It's been an absolute pleasure to be working with such fine fellows as yourselves.

Muss: Good chat lads, peace.

JayMoyles: Yep, as always, good games chat gentlemen. Till next we meet!

The_Jaster: Aye it was fun chatting about dem videosgames.

JayMoyles: Take us home, Zero.

The_Jaster: Cheerio.

ZeroJones: Jo's got the car at the momen-oh I see.

Goodbye, good luck and good skill to all'o'y'all!

JayMoyles: -FIN-

Good read like always.

God of War is coming out in that Uncharted 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn slot in 2018 far I'm aware, I think Sony had the best worst conference as they showed me the most games I wanted to play which to me is the job of E3 but I knew I was going buy those games anyway.

Sony have the problem of doing a bunch of shows they are talking about doing GamesCom or PGW this year, they have TGS and PSX to do also and then there's all the smaller shows.

They do have a different feel to them as we normally see European based stuff at the European show such as FIFA, WiLD then at TGS be likes of Ni Nu Kuni II, Dragon Quest and PSX is what I enjoy the most as it is basically a live Nintendo Direct but for PlayStation fans where the likes of Windjammers gets cheered.

They also have the issue that you can pretty much road map the rest of the life of the PS4 based on what first party & second party studios are doing and when the games will likely come out as were 4 years into a generation and we know PS5 is coming out some point, meaning their is little to be surprised about from Sony.

MS sort fall into the same trap but only do the one or two events but they have less to show anyway and again Xbox One is 4 years old and the whole beyond generation talk has sort of quieted down that again seeing a proper new console in 2 years isn't a shock.

I did read this, I just forgot to respond! Great work, gents, as ever. Nice to see the Musster on, too.

The 'dippability' of BotW is one of my favourite things about it. It's definitely a home console game, but it can be played like a handheld. Perfection! Or near as damn it.

I too want that TMS#FE port! But why are you apologising for the Kirby game, Zero?

I give Jas less than a day after MHW's launch and he'll be eulogising the hell out of it.

Shigsy picking up a gun was like a family favourite franchise going all sweary... oh.

Can't agree with all the people saying that E3's dead and that Directs are where it's at. I love me a big reveal-filled showing. For me, a Nintendo E3 should be all the (Switch: Zero's right that keeping the 3DS games to Treehouse was bang on) games up until next E3, with Directs before releases to highlight the details. And I must admit to missing a bit of the madness of previous E3s: the closest we got was Shigsy with that (very non-adult) gun.

Fun fact: if you rearrange the letters in 'Calamity Ganon', take some away, and add some others, you get 'Donald Trump'.

balla wrote:

I give Jas less than a day after MHW's launch and he'll be eulogising the hell out of it.

You're probably right (I already feel better about it after seeing proper gameplay recently) but that doesn't stop the initial reveal being very poor not only for fans of the series but newcomers as well.

Balladeer wrote:

And I must admit to missing a bit of the madness of previous E3s: the closest we got was Shigsy with that (very non-adult) gun.

I think Devolver Digital's conference captured some of that madness and then some with their bonkers presentation.

To be fair I heard the same, but I meant from the standard issue non-parody presentations. Nintendo usually has a bit more 'fun' in its pressers, rather than Reggie asking where said fun is in intimidating tones.

I'm now worried that I've overhyped TMS#FE for y'all: it is very much an acquired taste that demands your time and attention to detail, alongside there being a couple of problematic characters (mainly Barry Goodman... oh dear). A port may never happen, as well... though I think it really should.

And I wasn't apologising for Kirby, Balla - after all, no-one puts Kirby in a corner. I was apologising in advance for mentioning that console. You know - the Hee Hee Eff? Don't want to write it down in case you explode into a fuming Hulk-like figure.

I'm a big fan of JRPGs that try to do things slightly differently, so I still think I might like it.

My most-played game at the moment is Ever Oasis Zero, you're safe!

I don't think you've overhyped it, Zero as it does sound very much like Persona and from finishing the GOTY Persona 5, playing 40+ hrs of Persona 4 Golden along with finishing DAN & watching both anime's and how everyone talks about Persona 3 that hypes up TMS #FE for me.