The Texture Pop: Episode 24: "Oh No She Has Ovaries. Fuck What Do We Do!?"

At long last, the crew is all together again. As a result, we're all rearing and ready to go with our usual shenanigans.



0:02:02 Viewer Questions
"What do you guys think of Project Steam?"
I wish at least one of us took a more serious look into it. Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing answer to the viewer question.

"What do you guys think of Splatoon?"
This was a much better answer. Not much more to add aside from what was said. I need to see more before I can comment further.



0:08:55 Gaming News
Transformers Universe shutting down
We do talk a bit about MOBAs and microtransactions in this segment, which is an interesting conversation. Mostly because it shows our groups various levels of tolerance with regards to microtransactions. For example, Garrett and Sam don't really question paying $10-$15 for a skin. I, however, could not possibly justify spending that much on something purely cosmetic in a video game. There's just no way.

Evolve DLC/Special Edition Convolution
This reminds me so much of the Watch_Dogs special edition chart. It's so silly that it hurts.
Watch_Dogs is a single-player game, so as annoying as it was, it is not a big deal. Evolve, however, is a multiplayer game. This is a base-breaker, in much the way that map packs are in Call of Duty.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong Kickstarter
If you love Computer RPGs, you should definitely get in on this. I can't stress how good these guys at Harebrained Schemes are.

Uncharted 4 won't have 60 FPS if it "impacts the player experience"
The great frame-rate discussion continues.
This is a pretty big topic, because it hits to the core of what many criticize about AAA gaming. That is, the push for higher graphical fidelity over smooth play. That topic is one I cannot hope to do justice to in the annotations of a podcast, so I will let the conversation stand.

Publishers wanted male protagonist in Life is Strange
This conversation is where we got the title for this episode. I just find it odd that no other publisher was willing to let Dontnod have a female lead. You think they would learn by now.



0:48:10 Garrett has been playing Evolve
It pretty much confirmed what I was most afraid of. This is a game, a lot like Left 4 Dead. If you don't play it with a group, you should not be playing it at all. That's just not worth $60 to me. I don't find enough value in that.



0:49:09 Garrett goes on a movie binge.
Y'know. Movies. That's more Chris and Garrett's expertise, not mine.



1:09:00 I played Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep HD Final Mix (via the 2.5 ReMIX)
And that is it for the 2.5 ReMIX.



1:10:00 I played Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut.
Hearing about how the combat is thrown in because publishers really brings sense to the whole game. Now that I know that, it makes so much more sense.
It does make me want to watch Twin Peaks, as an aside.



1:17:40 We detour to discuss Hotline Miami 2 banning in Australia.
I actually took the time to do research on this after the fact. As it turns out, the Adult rating in video games only allows for more violence. Sex and sexual content is still just as taboo.



1:19:25 I played Diablo 3 on the PS4.
Items and number, my friends. Items and numbers.
And no auction house.



1:25:25 I played Assassin's Creed: Unity: Dead Kings
It's not a bad DLC, but it's not particularly brilliant. It's pretty average. Still, the story does more in that one DLC than the main game did for Arno's character, giving his arc a bit more closure. If you've got Unity already, it's free so you might as well try it. However, it's not worth getting the game to play this DLC.



1:38:10 Chris has been playing Assassin's Creed 3!
That game is awful!
One of the things we hit on in this conversation is the optional objectives in Assassin's Creed games. I personally think that those perfect synchronization objectives are totally antithetical to what I want from an Assassin's Creed game. I want to be able to choose my own path where doing missions. Those objectives are the opposite of that, because it makes players conform to one strategy. This was worsened by the excessive linearity of the missions as well.
The collectibles were also really pointless, because they were mostly for trophies without much of anything in terms of in-game rewards.
Overall, the game sucks. Don't play it, watch it.



2:01:35 Sam watched some anime.
Like how Chris and Garrett are the movie guys, Sam is the anime guy. I'll leave that to him.



2:16:50 Sam and I record some Interactive Friction
And we talk about it. You, on the other hand, should go watch it.



2:20:20 Wrapping Up
You can check out my Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep article here.
Sam's site is also here now. Remember to update your bookmark.

#78: Assassin's Creed: Unity: Giving Players Freedom

Last week, I talked a lot about Assassin's Creed: Unity. Specifically, I went over the myriad of poor decisions that, while not affecting the main game too heavily, brought down the entire package. The inclusion of social media, companion apps, and microtransactions all contributed to the impression that Ubisoft was nickel-and-diming franchise fans for all they were worth. Still, the package as a whole was not bad. There were many positive improvements made to the usual Assassin's Creed formula. It is these that are the subject of this week's piece. I feel that they are worth talking about as much as the negative qualities. Positive criticism is just as much, if not more important than negative criticism, as they say.

The most notable addition to the game is the increased focus on character customization. There are two ways in which this is done: First, through the use of a character progression system. At the beginning of the game, the protagonist is relatively unskilled. He only knows basic parkour and combat abilities. As the player completes missions, the gain skill points. These skill points can be spent unlocking extra health, combat finishers, ranged techniques, and even classic moves like the Double Assassination and the Air Assassination. At first, it seems strange to be locked from many of the franchise's iconic moves. However, there is a clear sense of choice and progression granted to the player as a result. Skills fall into one of four different specialties: Close Combat, Ranged Combat, Health, and Stealth. It is up to the player to invest their points either in one of these specializations, or some combination of them. Whatever they decide on will ultimately determine how they play the game, as there is a notable difference between each choice.

The other way is through equipment. As in previous Assassin's Creed titles, primarily the Ezio trilogy, players can purchase new weapons and armor throughout their playthrough. Back then, those armors were straight upgrades. One armor was objectively better or worse than another piece of armor, and the same could nearly be said of the weapons. In Unity, this is not the case. Every piece of armor has passive abilities that are conferred to the protagonist when worn. Like as was the case with skills, these effects fall into the four categories of Close Combat, Ranged Combat, Health, and Stealth.

Weapons, on the other hand, come in several flavors of their own. The player can have only one melee and one ranged weapon at a time. For melee weapons, players can use a sword for balanced damage and speed, spears for longer range and comparable speed in exchange for less damage, or heavy weapons for extra damage at sword range, but with slower speed. In terms of distance weaponry, the choices are pistols, which come in accurate single or close-range multi-barrelled varieties, and rifles for extra long-range combat. No one piece of equipment is important by itself. When the whole package, including armor and weapons, is combined with the skills as outlined above, it produces a player avatar that is almost wholly unique for that of every other player's. As a result, though the general control scheme is the same for all, each player will be able to craft a protagonist and playstyle that is wholly their own.

This feeds into one of the biggest improvements made in Unity's design, the new take on Assassination Missions. Rather than the more linear, semi-scripted sequences seen in Assassin's Creed 3, Black Flag, and even the recently-released Rogue, the developers took a different approach. Referred to a “Black Box-style”, these segments strongly resemble what one would get from either the original Assassin's Creed. What can best be described as a rudimentary version of Hitman-style “choose your approach” gameplay, Unity's Assassination Missions are more free-form in the way they play out. Instead of following a linear script, with minor deviations, players are just given a zone of operation and the objective “Kill [Target Name]”, along with the number of possible routes, secret routes, and guards on location. Players only fail the mission if die or if the target escapes the area. Though the player is shown a couple of “opportunities”, side missions which they can completely to make the assassination easier, they are given no further direction than that. The game asks them to think for themselves and figure which method they would prefer to take out a target.

This is a fantastic change to the way these missions usually play out. Being able to decide for oneself how to approach a situation is empowering to a significant degree. I personally appreciated the autonomy, as it made me feel like I was an assassin in a way I have not since playing either the original Assassin's Creed or Hitman: Blood Money. Scouting the area to plan the approach, getting close without being detected, and striking at the right moment are all parts of that feeling. Though it is indeed possible to charge in, sword in hand, the player also needs to be careful when making this choice. While it is technically possible to charge in and shiv a target, that is only advisable to someone who has invested heavily in Close Combat and Health. Other characters will lack the damage output and survivability, as combat has taken a turn for the tougher and guards will easily dispatch the careless. Most characters will require more subtlety and thinking in order to accomplish their objective, using a playstyle better suited to their skillset. There are multiple possible methods and approaches, but the game will not judge the player for whatever one they take. Whatever works is a valid option, no matter how silly.

That is the best thing that Unity has done for the formula. Players now have much more freedom to think for themselves and plan out their own approaches to missions and general gameplay. Despite the many, many flaws present in the game, there is a lot of potential here to expand upon these ideas. Still, I fear that after Unity's poor reception, Ubisoft will learn the wrong lesson from this. Rather than expand upon the good of this game, they will simply retreat from it in fear after their technical blunders and unnecessary additions brought the whole thing to its knees. Perhaps another year would have polished off some of the glitches, but the fundamental design decisions talked about last week would not have changed. This seems to be what Ubisoft wants. Until they realize how bad a decision that is, they are going to suffer for it.

The Texture Pop: Episode 18: Going Back to Persona Q

Happy late Thanksgiving from the Texture Pop! We recorded this on the Saturday after Black Friday, so we hope that you were in good spirits to the kickoff of the Holiday Season! We, as usual, were completely out of control.

0:00:00 Introduction

This intro referenced an earlier conversation we were having before the recording stuff.

And we mention Destiny again!

0:03:25 Viewer questions.

"What do you guys think about Sega?"

We jested on the cast, but in all sincerity, Sega has everything they need to be a successful company. However, they do not seem to have the saaviness to produce what audiences outside Japan want. Like many Japanese companies, it seems like they are unable to see too far outside of their national bubble. They've lost touch with the outside world, and they are paying for it. Especially with the release of the new Sonic and the not-release of Valkyria Chronicles 3 outside Japan.

This article talks a bit more about this, regarding Valkyria Chronicles 2.

0:17:20 News time, children.

Assassin's Creed: Unity's Season Pass is no longer on market.

And then we discussed Unity a little more. While this is the correct way to handle the problem, Ubisoft really should not have put themselves in this position.  The microtransaction discussion made us bring up this piece I wrote about Dead Space 3.

Dark Souls 2 coming to next-gen consoles.

And Sam said all that needed to be said.

Nobody is getting review copies of The Crew

Which is never a good sign for a game. This is especially egregious after what happened regarding Assassin's Creed: Unity and its embargo.

Sony is offering $25 rebate to early PS Vita adopters.

Halo: Master Chief Collection is still broken.

0:45:20 Chris has been playing more Hyrule Warriors

They released new DLC, feeding Chris's habits. Yes, Nintendo is very much like a drug lord.

We pretty much just run down the DLC in this segment.

This leads into a conversation about DLC, pricing, and Season Pass.

0:58:40 Chris played Mario Kart.

And again, there's not much to add.

1:02:00 Chris and Garrett played Warframe.

And he get a Destiny reference in. Truly, we are the best Destiny podcast on the internet. It's a lot like Destiny, except not bad.

It's free to play, so if this conversation caught your interest, you should check it out.

1:10:00 Garrett has been playing League.

And eating hi-chews. Also, he has Twitch violate Sly Cooper's copyright.

We also tell Sam about various mythologies and how much he doesn't know about them. Most of those deities are Personas in the Persona series, so I know quite a bit about them.

1:18:00 Garrett has been doing Holiday shopping.

And we talk about credit cards and shopping and stuff.

1:21:00 Garrett watches an anime called "The Devil is a Part-Timer".

Anime. And anime McDonald's clones.

It did remind me of Invader Zim (and my previous job), but that's not worth talking about too much.

And, so course, Sam talks about anime.

1:28:00 Garrett read "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" some more.

I admit, the comparisons between the book and the movie versions are quite interesting, because it highlights the difference between what readers want and what viewers want.

1:31:50 I played the Binding of Issac: Rebirth
When playing on my Vita, I was always constantly trying to minimize screen glare from the sunlight, which really hindered my experience. Further, the screen made some details hard to see even in ideal situation. Just moving to the TV in my room solved a lot of my problems.
But even then, the PS4 controller is so much more suited to playing the game than either KB&M or the Vita. Really, I would say that's the ideal way to play. Either that, or with a controller on the PC. Do not use KB&M, it will hurt you physically.
As on the time of this release, it is no longer free on PS+.

1:40:05 I played Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.
And you'll quickly see how we came up with this episode's title.
Also, I should not play games in the middle of the cast.

Going back to Persona Q:
If you like Persona 3 and/or Persona 4, this is a game that you need to play. Even if you dislike the Etrian Odyssey stuff, the rest of the package is so great that it is easily worth the asking price. You won't regret it. It feels a lot like an old-school JRPGs, for better or worse. However, someone like myself would be totally fine.
I actually made a mistake in this. I said that Zen/Rei get refunded for their SP they use for exploiting weaknesses. I was wrong, they actually have a skill that regenerates their SP as they walk around the map.

2:05:11 I talked about Black Friday.
(My opinion does not reflect those of my employer.)
For the record, I work retail. (Also, this was recorded on the Saturday after Black Friday.) I worked three shifts from the end of Thanksgiving to the end of the Saturday afterward. It was not great.
Black Friday is an interesting subject to think about, because really wants to do it. It's just the natural consequence of the fact that nobody wants to shop before Thanksgivings, but everyone wants to buy tons of stuff immediately afterward. Shamus Young wrote a really interesting piece on the matter.

2:12:20 Sam played Hatsune Miku... something or other.
You know how it is.

2:13:00 Sam played more Far Cry 4.
And this kinda speaks to the Ubisoft formula. They prefer, for better or worse, small iterations as opposed to large changes. Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and even Watch_Dogs show how similar the Ubisoft open-worlds are.
If you liked Far Cry 3, you'll like Far Cry 4. If you didn't like Far Cry 3, you won't like Far Cry 4. It is as simple as that.

2:24:10 Sam played Assassin's Creed: Unity.
I am really glad that Sam got the chance to play Unity. The reason is that I have noticed that my viewpoint regarding video games is very critical. Sam is much more optimistic and positive in his viewpoints. As a result, I can play off him and we can talk much more about the positives of the game much more than I'd be able to talk about alone.
Because there is a lot of good to talk about. The character customization is great. The equipment and character development are great. And the assassinations are... amazing. I would almost recommend the game for the assassination missions alone.
So yeah, go optimism!

Sam's article about buying games on launch is here.

In response to Chris's question, if Unity would have been better after one extra year, I would say "No", with a caveat. While many technical issues would have likely been resolved in that year, I would posit that many of the fundamental issues I have with the game would still be present. This is because they mostly come down to design decisions, which I talked about here.

2:53:00 Wrapping Up
And we plan stuff regarding future shows on the air. Such professional!

#77: Assassin's Creed: Unity: The Broken Shell

There are many different types of games out there. Some of them are astounding bad in all categories. Others do one or two things well, but are brought down by mediocrity in other areas. Still more are games that are excellent, despite minor issues. And then, there are special games. Games with certain aspects done incredibly well and others miserably bad. Assassin's Creed: Unity is one such game. This is a title where the fundamental core of the game is solid, but the systems surrounding it, the shell, if you will allow this analogy, is irreparably terrible. In other words, it is broken. This week, I will tell describe this “broken shell”, and why it is the fundamental reason why Unity has become a laughing stock among gamers in recent history.

The most noticeable section of the broken shell is the Companion App. When the game proper came out, Ubisoft also saw fit to release a companion app for the game, available on both Android and iOS. This is not the first time Ubisoft has done something like this. Watch_Dogs had a companion app as well. C_TOS, as it was called, allowed players to enter the game of, and attack, other players. They could send police and trigger traps to defeat their friends, from anywhere in the world with a solid internet connection. Overall, this was a neat little diversion that was not necessary, but gave players a way of interacting with the game when they were unable to play it.

The Official Assassin's Creed: Unity Companion App works differently. Chief among these differences is the fact that it can only be played while Assassin's Creed: Unity is running on a PS4, Xbox One, or PC. It has several features, including a map of the title's rendering of Paris. Furthermore, a “Nomad” minigame, similar to the Brotherhood mechanic found in previous titles in the franchise. Players can recruit characters to develop their skills and undertake missions to earn resources. These nomads can even be used to open treasure chests scattered through Paris, like those in previous Assassin's Creed games. In fact, and this is perhaps the most egregious part of the whole thing, there are several chests and unlockables that can only be obtained through the use of this companion app. As a result, if one does not want to use it, or (like me) is unable to do so due to technical reasons (my phone will not run it), it is impossible to complete everything in the game. In this way, the app has gone from an interesting way to continuously interact with the game to a necessary component of it.

Another component of this broken shell is the integration with Assassin's Creed: Initiates social network. Not many people are aware of this, but Ubisoft has been pushing this little social network ever since the release of Assassin's Creed 3. Franchise fans can sign up for an account, separate from their Uplay account (though the two need to be synced to make best use of the feature). As they play Assassin's Creed games that have Uplay integration, they gain experience and level up on this profile. This unlocks series lore and information on the website. Furthermore, they may even receive in-game bonuses resources on certain titles.

Assassin's Creed: Unity makes more use of this feature. By syncing their Initiates profile to the game, they can gain Initiates experience by completing challenges in the game. Through tracking both these accomplishments and what players do during the assassination missions in the main story, Initiates will also determine the player's style. By itself, that would be fine. The issue comes from the fact that there are many unlockable outfits, and again treasure chests, that will only open if the player has a sufficient Initiates level. Just like before, this leaves it impossible to completely finish the game without first having such an account. Further, these unlockables are likely out of reach unless said player also goes back to all the older Assassin's Creed games and syncs their progress to Initiates. Unless the player has been a long-time fan of the series, they are unlikely to progress far enough to get much of anything.

The last section of this broken shell is the newly added microtransactions. In Unity, the player can purchase new equipment, which affects their character's abilities, and upgrade it as well. They can, and likely will, spend in-game resources on these items. However, they can also spend Helix Credits, which can be purchased using real-world money. These Helix Credits can also be used, along with UPlay credits (which are acquired in the same way they are in every Ubisoft game), to purchase temporary boosts like “Extra Attack Power for 5 Minutes”. Given that the game already costs $60, it feels a bit like Ubisoft is nickel-and-diming players when they do not have to. It is worth noting that none of these are necessary to complete the game. Most players will never even consider purchasing them. However, the mere existence of this offering is indicative of what I hope is not going to be a trend going forward for the franchise.

I bring all of this up because it feels like many of the critics talking about Assassin's Creed: Unity are mentioning these grips only in passing. Rather, I am hearing many comment on the more obvious technical issues, like the face glitches. Though the technical problems are certainly worth mentioning, too much time is focused on them. They can be easily fixed and do not represent the vision laid out for the game. However, the design issues discussed in this article are representative of Ubisoft's vision. Unfortunately, this part of their vision is ugly. It represents a forced integration of social apps and social networking and a willingness to try and get players to make microtransactions in full retail-priced games. None of this really enters into the structure of the main part of the game, but it brings down all the same. This outer layer, what I call the “broken shell”, is what keeps players from appreciating the core of game. And there is a lot of like about Unity, despite these elements. Next week, I plan to discuss the good parts in more detail.

The Texture Pop: Episode 17: Ubi-bros

Unfortunately, Garrett wasn't feeling very well when we recorded this podcast, so he skipped out. He'll be back next week, but in the meantime the rest of us recorded our usual shenanigans... and called it an episode of The Texture Pop.

BTW, we also had no viewer questions this week. Don't forget to send yours in at thetexturepop@gmail.com .



0:00:00 Introduction
Anime discussions go on. I both show how much I know and how much I don't know about anime. Also, I hijack the host-gig to get this shit started.

0:04:20 Sam talks about some strange idea he got.
It sounds spoopy.
Then we discuss humping monitors?

0:08:30 We struggle to talk about gaming news.
Remember, we are a video game podcast. This should theoretically be easy.
We discuss new releases.
Jim Sterling going indie also came up in conversation, along with its potential implications.

0:17:50 Fuck it! Let's talk about Assassin's Creed: Unity (and start my turn).
It is amazing how it does some things very well, and other things so terribly poorly. It is worth noting though, that there is merit to AC: Unity. It's not irredeemable, but they really will need to step their game up in order to make up for this game's flaws.
Really, this conversation stands on its own. There is no need for me to add anything more to it. Besides, a Press Start to Discuss column will come out in the next few weeks about it, so I can discuss more then.

0:48:50 I also played Assassin's Creed: Rogue.
And if you enjoyed Black Flag, there is a high chance you'll like Rogue. In the way Unity draws much from AC2, Rogue draws much from Black Flag.
Aside from that, the plot is just so much more interesting in Rogue than it was in Unity, that I am surprised that this wasn't the main attraction.

0:59:30 Chris got Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
And was tempted by Amiibo. After all, we know his history with Disney Infinity. Honestly, the Amiibo's seem pretty worthless to me. Then again, I've never been a huge Nintendo-guy.
On the other hand, the game itself is excellent. Not much more I can add to the conversation here.

1:24:30 Sam has been playing Far Cry 4.
It sounds to me, like FC4 fell victim to what seems to be Ubisoft's new business model. That model is "make the next game almost exactly like the last one, doing little to change things up". It's working, but I doubt it will be sustainable.
It's basically Ubisoft game.

1:41:15 Sam played Dragon Age: Inquisition.
I know I've repeatedly said that I hated Origins. However, if I am being honest, I am intrigued by Inquisition. What I've seen looks interesting enough to play on Easy. Again, I have not played it, so I comment no further.

2:04:00 Sam picked up a new Hatsune Miku: The New One.
And we talk about anime... again.

2:13:40 Wrapping Up.
And I talk about renovating cafes.
And don't forget: thetexturepop@gmail.com