Giant Bombcast 656: Throw Up Your Bungers

*plays the Matlock theme*

https://youtu.be/SQgdfJoxX1s

#notadetective

MY BUNG IS LIT AF

video messed up? I'm not getting any video

Was someone revving their motorcycle in the background during the Genshin Impact chat? So annoying.

@permanentsigh sorry about that

Can a generous soul provide a time code for the Matlock part? If there even is a Matlock part?

Was Brad wearing a new giantbomb shirt ?

Wait, so assuming there is a GOTY podcast on 12/22 (who knows this year) episode 666 is due on the last Tuesday of the year 12/29/2020? Could this be the date 2020 just finishes it off and ends the world?

I a sitting here saying Genshin Impact is outrageous because it still is. Don't play this crap. Not only is it designed to take all your money it's actively infecting games that used to be designed for fun.

@rocketraccooncmro:
Mm mm.

I see what you're saying. But let me think about it while I do my dallies in Fate/Grand Order and saving my SQ for my next 11-pull while waiting for the weekly reset in Destiny 2 so I can hopefully and smoothly gain levels in the battle pass to get the new Exotic before the Beyond Light expansion comes out.

Oh! My expeditions in Azur Lane have come back, and there's a Gunslinger Girl collab in Girls' Frontline!

(Your outrage is heard, but will only fall silently in to the abyss we have fell in to. Spare no emotion for us; only desperately warn others from falling in to this hell.)

It was me, I was protesting the censorship in the game and that was the only way I knew how!

Any plans for GiantBomb 666?

I pulled four characters with my free wishes. Three of them were lolis, one a lolito. I dropped it after that. Also after my initial positive thoughts, I lost interest in the gameplay loop.

Can't agree more.

Genshin Impact is not a video game. It's a business model made to take your money - with lolis. I hate that these programs (they're not games) even exist, let alone get substantial, marginally positive coverage on this website. They are vile disgusting garbage and I don't want to be reminded of their accursed existence.

And I fucking hate that this shit is normalized now. I don't care if "it ain't new." It's gross. Tell me my "pearl clutching" is late. I don't care. I was clutching those pearls with horse armor and I never let go.

So far, I'm still enjoying Genshin Impact. I'm currently at adventure level 14, another main story mission unlocks at 15 and 18. I haven't reached the point where I have to spend money to continue with the game, and I was able to roll Noelle and Xiangling as extra characters. However, I'm beginning to see how the game might become a grind, because the adventure exp builds slowly, and Kaythrine of the adventure guild just introduced daily side missions. I'm beginning to suspect that around level 20, the now you must spend money factor might come in, but since many other people claim you don't need to spend money, I'll see. The game really has to be enjoyable for me to give a little cash. I did so in Warframe for extra inventory slots for weapons and Warframes, and I haven't regret it.

Furthermore, people beating up on this game is misplaced. Even if I do decide to drop it days or weeks from now, the real crime is when AAA games have a gacha gimmick to it. You spend 60 (or 70) for the game, and they still nickel and dime. Yet, not enough people are complaining about that.

Seriously, everything from the look, to creative, to business model is trash.

Genshin Impact looks more fun than any of the games that have came out this year. This year sucked for games besides doom eternal and marvel avengers. Cyberpunk and Valhalla will save one of the worst years in gaming.

Definitely gonna check Genshin impact out though it looks amazing

Agree with the general sentiment about Genshin Impact in the comments.
Although Jeff did put a disclaimer about the exploitative nature around the 23 minute mark, just saying avoid it if you have poor impulse control, does not capture the the extend of how problematic the gacha business model is.

If you are susceptible to this addiction promoting design and have poor impulse control, having people talk about it regularly in so many media outlets due to their insane marketing is not helping. But not only are the guys talking about it here, they are actively promoting the game, which granted the majority of the free game might deserve.

While this is clearly not the only predatory model in or outside of gaming, and people should know for themselves and do not need to be protected, I think it doesn't hurt to avoid putting these games in the spotlight.

Nothing is lost when healthy people do not play a f2p game, while lives can take a hit when susceptible people are tempted to fall into a predatory trap.

The doods say that Genshin looks good, but to me it just looks like the most boiler plate generic anime art style of all time. Also from my 10 ish hours in the game, it just feels like a very bland hack&slash game.

"Genshin a go-go, baby!"

It just bums me out that the idea of needing self control to not ruin your financial life in order to play most popular games has just become the accepted norm. Like, “We’ll GIVE you the tools to drain your bank account, but if you do it that’s your fault.”

Yea nothing I have seen about Genshin Impact looks like the kind of anime shit I enjoy. I saw a grand total of one character design I like and I'd have to pull for a chance to get her. On top of that, games that don't end have never interested me.

They already announced the next game from Enhanced Games: Humanity.

https://enhance-experience.com/1031

https://www.giantbomb.com/humanity/3030-75375/

The Afro Samurai game on that "Not PS5 Compatible" list was delisted and removed from people's purchase histories, so it is in a similar place as PT.

There have been cases of game companies offering better odds on loot boxes to streamers if they opened said loot boxes on their stream.

5 Star Bulge should've been the episode title.

I'm tickled that Yuri Lowenthal is getting so much mention by the GB staff. It's to be expected of someone who voices a beloved Marvel character, of course, but it's cool nonetheless.

Going downhill fast.

@permanentsigh said:

I have no idea what it was, but it was a bit annoying how it kept happening. Thought the Terminator theme was going to start playing in full.

"Unenthused But Available 3rd Backer of Planet Hollywood" should be the final MK dlc. Then if nothing else they can put it in a skin with vest and hair and release it as Xmas dlc.

Brad is like an order of magnitude quieter than everyone else here for me at least. If I turn it up loud enough to hear him well, everyone else is super loud. It sounds like what Jeff Bakalar was sounding like before he attached that thing to his mic recently.

No love for Simon and Simon?

I'm with Bradley on the Iphone notch thing. If this year's phone would have removed the notch I would have jumped on. Maybe in a couple of years.

Crucible, gone from release back to beta in a month, and now getting axed just three months later... Radical Heights aside, has there been another game that has met a quicker end?

25:09 Jeff “I’m okay with the idea of paying a game’s worth of money for a game I’m actually enjoying.”

I couldn’t agree more and if more people felt this way, and somehow we could instill this value into kids, we probably wouldn’t have any gacha games to worry about.

@chillster7000: Oh sweet, that'll be my birthday!

Brads volume needs to go up up up

When Brad said "Paul W. S. Anderson" I thought he meant Paul F. Tompkins and for a minute I thought Paul F. Tompkins had announced Palicos would be in the upcoming Monster Hunter film.

@zoofame: the anime porn? Jeez, didn't know having legs and eyes was porn. What a ridiculous comment.

I really do hope Rockstar updates Red Dead Redemption 2 for the PS5 because it's me, I play Online pretty much daily and find a lot of enjoyment out of that mode. Having better visual fidelity, framerate and load times would be pretty fantastic.

I actually feel bad for the devs that worked on Crucible. It must be brutal to work on a game, having it launch and receive absolutely no player base whatsoever.
I hope they will overcome this and come out stronger.

@tadthuggish: and of course one of the palicos needs to look like Princess Carolyn.

@drew327:yeah, idk how this has gone through so many sound checks.

1 - Not a detective.

2 - The greatest detective show theme song is The Rockford Files:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj8V5sRVXGk

Brad's volume is not low enough. I can still sense him like a gentle breeze in the background. Next time I want to see his lips moving and no sound.

What is it about Genshin Impact that's bringing out all the tinfoil? Are people seriously believing that Jeff and Jan are getting duped by a nefarious company tweaking their pull rates? Really? I know there was already a duder in the Quick Look trying to suggest Jan had been compromised, and I've yet to see any conversation about this game not be hounded by the angriest gasha pearl-clutchers I've ever seen.

Bemoaning these games isn't new, but the venom for Genshin Impact is on a whole other level. Is it the Breath of the Wild cribbing? That has to be a big part of it, right?

Yeah Matlock wears a regular tie.