Erich, Rick and Jason go over the week’s latest news. In addition to the news of the week, Erich explains why he thinks Red Dead Redemption 2 is actually bad. Take a look at the full show notes below, and listen below or on iTunes!

News/Trailers

Roller Coaster Tycoon Adventures coming to the Switch

New Switch and 2DS bundles for Black Friday

Nintendo Download

Sunset Overdrive releases on the PC

Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics coming to consoles

Spyro Reignited Trilogy comes to consoles

Crackdown 3 Release date announced

Return to Nuketown in latest CoD4 trailer

Games for November Battlefield V Darksiders 3

Reviews:

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Switch- Jason

Call of Cthulhu PS4 – Erich

Mega Man 11 Xbone – Jason

Jason’s Comic Rack

Marvel announces War of the Realms Back from the Dead?

Daredevil’s new creative team announced

X-Men Devastation Wolverine and Hulk team up to fight Hulkverines (not joking)

Kyrpton season 1 will be available in March

God of War #1 Comic Review

Dragon Age: Deception #2 Comic Review

Entertainment Earth announces Holiday sales

Metro Exodus’ Spartan Collection Edition details

John Stewart joins One:12

Marvel Gallery from DST

Erich’s opinion on RDR2

What are you playing?

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No. I genuinely think Red Dead Redemption 2 is bad. I suppose I will die on this hill.

On definitions

Let me get a few things straight here, before we really dig into this argument.

I think RDR2 is great and quite awesome. I think it is tremendous in its scope, and I recognize that it is awe inspiring in its ambitions and technical execution. In terms of narrative, RDR2 is one of the best-written stories I can remember experiencing, let alone in a video game.

So, what do I mean when I wanly say that game is bad? Well, that deserves its own subheading.

Too big for its own good

Read Dead Redemption 2 is a game that is too big and too grand for its own good. I don’t know how many hours it took me to complete the main story, but I can tell you this: it took way too long.

Through the first two-and-a-half chapters (out of a total of six), I made an effort to try to complete everything. I was hunting legendary animals, looking for legendary fish, upgrading my camp and performing good deeds for random folk out on the road. Somewhere in the middle of chapter three, though, I came to a revelation: I had been playing the game for nearly two weeks and was nowhere near completion.

Given the fact that I am an adult with a fiancee and full-time job, I have been making much quicker progress on this than most of my contemporaries. When I checked in with someone, they were surprised I was so far. I knew that I needed to cut some ties if I wanted to be able to experience the game’s whole main narrative in time for Fallout 76, Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee and (of course) get back to my backlog.

And so I did: I stopped playing side quests and began to work on the main story. A main story that still took tens of hours to complete.

Mechanically aged

Red Dead Redemption 2 feels “okay” when you are playing it. Most of the time.

Many of Red Dead Redemption 2’s missions end up turning into extended shooting galleries where the gimmick of dead eye is encouraged, and sometimes needed, to make the game manageable. While the gunplay is satisfying for a while, the main mechanic gets stale quickly when compared to the scope of the entire game.

There are for sure some things to break up the gunfight monotony. Poker games, dominoes and five finger filet are all available at different points. But in a way, these fail to help the game’s case. With so much to do, is playing poker or stabbing my fingers really the best use of my time?

In the end, the gameplay is too dissatisfying and there is too much monotony to make the potential stories worth hearing for me, personally. I am sure there are some incredible stories to be told. And quite honestly, if I had unlimited time, I might be happy with the amount of content available. As it stands, though, I get the real sense that Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that clearly does not value my time.

Don’t think I don’t understand the value of watching Arthur skin an animal 500 times. It adds to immersion and pulls players deeper into the game. However, in a year as packed with quality releases like God of War, Spider-Man and Octopath Traveler, it is tough to recommend getting invested in Red Dead Redemption 2 to anyone but high-schoolers with unlimited free-time.

On conclusions

I walked away from Red Dead Redemption 2 happy that I experienced the story and the interesting character development. I am also happy, however, with my decision to walk away from much of the side content, which is the real problem.

If a game has content for the consumption, and gamers need to pick and choose what they have time to experience within a single game, then the game is just too big. Add in the consideration that gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2 is plodding and aging, and I cannot say that I think it is a truly excellent game.

A great story? Yes. A technical marvel? Absolutely. An inspiring piece of art from a dedicated team? Assuredly. But a good game? I need to pass.

The post Opinion: Red Dead Redemption 2 is Bad, Actually appeared first on BrutalGamer.

Erich, Rick and Jason talk Red Dead 2, Call of Cthulhu and much much more. We have a good time, and so will you, if you listen to the show. Take a seat and settle in. Its a good one.

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So begins the opening narrative of Red Dead Redemption 2. The sprawling, open-world cowboy adventure takes 12 years before Red Dead 1, and in the decade following the events of the narrative unrelated Red Dead Revolver. The world is moving on, and, as we are quick to find, the world doesn’t want outlaws like Arthur Morgan, John Marston and Dutch Van der Lind anymore.

RDR2 is a lot of things wrapped up in a gorgeous package (Note: The game looks significantly better on Xbox One X hardware, but even on my base PS4 model, I am regularly blown away by visuals). The game is an extraordinary open-world adventure with light RPG elements and an incredibly engaging story. The game is also very slow, but I will get into the pros and cons of this a bit later.

A World Moving On:

The beginning of RDR2 shows us our heroes in a world that is moving without them. Before the events of the game, a robbery went catastrophically south, leading our gang to seek refuge in the snowy mountains. Images of the Donner Party reign supreme as the first cinematic shows a wagon caravan struggling through a blizzard. From here, the story ramps up to 110 percent. I won’t spoil anything, but RDR2 has some of the best storytelling I have seen in a Rockstar game.

Like most open-world games, RDR2 gives players the freedom to complete a number of tasks In a big sandbox. There are side and main missions for players to undertake and even an honor system to promote good behavior. I really enjoy this system in RDR2, even though I am not a huge fan of it in other games. Usually, there is a world-ending threat that is neglected while the hero learns how to cook and fish. In RDR2, the stakes aren’t quite so high, so the main character taking a brief minute to catch some fish fits thematically.

It is very relaxing to while away the days hunting and fishing while the gang lies low. It makes sense that an epic western story would unfold over weeks and months, so I love to kill time exploring and enjoying the world. This all makes it sound as though there are no criminal shenanigans to get involved in, and that is absolutely not true. The game is wide open in ways that Arthur can break the law, and, while some might make me squirm, most are fun, and morally justifiable with enough mental gymnastics.

Things That Don’t Work:

While I have enjoyed most of my time with RDR2, there are just some things that flat out don’t work the way you would like.

When walking through any town, you must be very careful, whether on horse or on foot, not to accidentally knock into any pedestrians. This might be excusable and brushed off as an accident, but the townfolk will either call the lawmen, who will shoot to kill on sight, or try to start a fistfight with you, resulting in additional charges leveled against you. This makes sense for the world, but it just isn’t fun. Maybe that is the point, but it is incredibly annoying to rescue a woman, ride into town, and have a man walk in front of your steed, causing you to lose the mission. This also can happen with bounties and is very annoying.

The aforementioned issues are only real issues because the game is trying to slow the player down at all costs. Every skinned animal, sale and interaction is slow. This is a divisive issue, as some people like games where the gameplay is so streamlined that you can loot a body from a corpse (*cough Assassins’ Creed Odyssey cough*). I don’t have a problem with the slow gameplay here, except when I am trying to travel the map. Fast travel is locked behind trains and camp upgrades, but this is the biggest issue I have with the game’s slowness. In total though, I don’t mind it. If feels good to slow down and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Wild West.

The last big part of the game that doesn’t work for me is the glitches. The game has a lot of glitches- horses spontaneously combusting, for one. This isn’t a game breaker, and is admittedly very funny, but a glitch is a glitch, and I don’t like it.

In conclusion:

RDR2 is a techinal masterpiece. With hundreds of animals, weapons and ways to be a rootin’ tootin’ cowboy, the game really stands out as one of the greats of this year. Coupled with God of War and Spider-Man, this is one of the best years for “mature” games in quite some time.

Even when the game is committing sins of being slow and getting me in trouble for townsfolk who can’t stick to the road, the game is a marvel. It sucks me in and doesn’t let me out again easily. Going in, I admitted that I was not the biggest fan of westerns, but RDR2 has opened my eyes to the genre.

RDR2 is not going to be for everyone. It is massive and unapologetically western. The narrative deals in some questionable activities and degenerate characters, but the whole thing feels alive.

If you are someone with the hankering for a new game to play, I have a hard time thinking RDR2 will disappoint you, especially if my drawbacks aren’t deal brakers.

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Red

I had some pretty high hopes for this new X-Men squad when it was announced last week. As an old school x-fan, I was hoping that the Jean Grey-led X-Men Red team would be something special. Something in the classic vein, loaded out with plenty of “throwback” characters. But clearly, that’s not meant to be.

You might think differently if you’re more of a Marvel contemporary. I’m sure you’d be way more pumped about this if you know these guys and gals. But I was hoping to see the original Wolverine (he’s back now you know), along with mainstays like Bishop, Beast, and Iceman on this team. Honestly, seeing so many “new” characters in this teaser image has pretty much made me lose interest.

I’m still happy to see another x-book in Marvel’s stable though. The resurgence of X-Men titles seems to be continuing, and that’s a very good thing if you’re a fan of Marvel’s mutants.

Here’s the skinny on the new comic:

Last week, Marvel announced the continuation of Jean Grey’s story with X-MEN RED, a brand new series written by Tom Taylor (All-New Wolverine) with art by Mahmud Asrar (All-New, All-Different Avengers Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor). Today, Marvel is excited to reveal the heroes who will accompany the omega-level telepath as she battles against one of mutantkind and mankind’s most dangerous villains! This uniquely qualified strike force includes Namor, Nightcrawler, All-New Wolverine, her sister Gabby, Gentle (a mutant from Wakanda), and the mysterious new character Trinary, whose secrets will be revealed throughout the pages of X-MEN RED!

“We’ve also got one more fan-favorite hero joining the team in this first arc,” says X-MEN group editor Mark Paniccia. “As the threat level escalates, Jean needs to build a highly specialized team…not just those she trusts, but allies who can survive the oncoming storm.”

When one of the most dangerous X-Men villains returns to wreak havoc, Jean’s dreams of peace are threatened…and order starts to turn to chaos. It’s mutant against mutant this February in an all-new adventure that will have X-fans on the edge of their seats, as Jean Grey’s team takes on the Marvel Universe – only in X-MEN RED!

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Erich, Jason and Rick are talking these releases, the free games coming to Playstation Plus and Games with Gold, plus much much more. Listen here, or on your favorite podcasting app!

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The free games for Playstion Plus and box Games with Gold were announced, and they kinda suck! We talk Star Trek: Discovery and go into the retro consoles coming imitating the Atari and Sega Genesis.

Jason talks toys and comics and the gang goes through this month’s Games of the Month, with Crash Bandicoot taking top honors.

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Red was only preceded by the prototype seeming Pokémon Green. More than two years following the worldwide debut in Japan, the game would come to America. The game, and others of that generation of Pokémon are primitive, but stand up as solid JRPGs even a the seventh generation continues with new games releasing this Fall.

The premise:

I am not sure this really needs to be talked about in 2017, but just in case, here we go.

Pokémon Red puts the player in control of a kid who lives in a tiny town, consisting of three whole buildings. You try to wander into the wilderness when the resident Pokémon professor, Professor Oak, gives you a Pokémon. The rest of the game consists of the player moving through the game world, collecting badges proving their strength and thwarting the efforts of the Pokémon mafia.

The world is populated with many different monsters for the player to collect and battle with. This makes sure that there are always new ways to play the game, and offers near infinite replayability if this is your type of game.

The monsters all have different types, and therefore, it is up to the player to create versatile and compatible teams to deal with the trials of the mafia and various Pokémon gyms.

The story here is extremely light, but I don’t knock these games for light story. The interchangeable gameplay makes up for light story aspects.

The Gameplay:

This is a Game Boy game from the mid 1990’s, and as such, there isn’t a ton of room on the cartridge for fancy gameplay mechanics in addition to the depth of mechanically simple gameplay.

The worst thing I can say about Pokémon Red is that the menu systems, nearly all of them, are clunky. Every item goes into a single list, making the game much more cumbersome to navigate than later games in the series.

Battles move quickly, though. Traversing the overworld is simple and easy. The worst parts of exploration include the need to give certain monsters useless battle moves in order to move through the world. These moves take up precious roster space, and are only useful to move through certain parts of the world. This often pushes the player to capture a Pokémon with the express purpose of teaching it these terrible moves.

Turn based combat means that the game flows at a speed where even the most careful players can take their time.

Presentation:

This is where the flaws start to pile up on Pokemon Red. At least in terms of graphical presentation, the game has a rough time.

The overworld consists of cities and environments that look the same for the most part. The monsters look different than they will eventually look as a standard aesthetic and the sprites of the monsters from behind are absolutely garbage, failing to represent the monsters even at the best of the sprites.

The music, on the other hand, is pretty great. This game is recognized for the classic music presented. Some of these have gone on to spawn entire internet culture stories like the Lavender Town theme.

Overall:

Pokémon Red really looks and plays like a game from 1996.

In terms of pure aging, the game has aged better than most from that era, but you can most definitely see the age wearing on Pokémon Red. The overwhelming player options that set the foundation for an entire sub genre of JRPGs is present, and as long as that is there, the game is an easy sell for me.

Pokemon Red
Original Release Date: September 28, 1998
Original Platform: Nintendo GameBoy
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Game Freak

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The majority of the five minute direct consisted of a video detailing how Pokemon has evolved through the years, showing people interacting with and through the game. The biggest hit of the direct came towards the end, when Ishihara announced that Pokemon Sun and Moon would be available for a worldwide release during Holiday 2016.

In addition to this huge announcement, Ishihara announced that the eshop versions of Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow will be compatible with the Pokemon Bank. For the first time ever, trainers will be able to take Pokemon from the original generations and use them in the new games. The eshop rereleases will be available tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 27.

Ishihara mentioned that all of  the adventures leading up to Sun and Moon will be culminating here. I really hope we might get to travel to some different regions this time around. Time will tell.

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