The Giant Beastcast: Episode 137

oops it's 6 in the morning and i forgot to do the lay down and close my eyes thing

aww ya

Wa-hoo, it's the first Beastcast of the Year!

Stay frosty (or don't, rather)!

I do not like the way that snowman isn't looking at me.

Hinky, a word that has no meaning. From The Fugitive (https://youtu.be/VdPciselWuo)

I would loooove it so much if they did a film and 40's with that Cage movie "Outcast", the one where he is a knight or something and has that bad British accent

BEAST CAST! Too bad Abby is stuck in Toronto like a suckah.

Woohoo they're back.

Ow yeah happy first friday of 2018 everyone.

@sea_anemone: Love your Avatar!

Hey going out to Montanna duder: get a yo-yo. It's never been a better time to re-learn a yo-yo and walk your dogs. It honestly also sounds like a cozy place to read some thick books. Just imagine laying out in front of a freshly start fire, coffee just made and laying a foot next to you, and you cradling a thick novel in your hands.

@emphulio: I dunno, they still gotta do that F&40s of The Pest...

ALSO bears are hibernating in the winter... Dan.

Blessed beastcast

@sea_anemone: I forget to do that thing more often that I would like to admit.

Hinky

wonder if Dan will find out what's in the box....

and we start the year with some quality shitting on xbox and misinformation about the PUBG "disc" that is really just a digital code! happy new year!

and we start the year with some quality shitting on xbox and misinformation about the PUBG "disc" that is really just a digital code! happy new year!

Year of the Cage 2: Film & 40ier.

Never thought Dan, let alone everyone else, would forget that bears hibernate in winter. ~best ;)

Haha yeah this isn't a great episode for the narrative that Beastcast is anti-Xbox. That poor lady that talked to Bakalar about buying an Xbox over the holidays, maybe the last person in the world you should turn too.

People try and claim that they aren't almost always negative towards MS still?

Vinny needs to stop forgetting to breathe but continuing to talk, it sounds like he's going to pass out.

Last Action Hero suffers from the same thing T2 does: an obnoxious kid. Even when I was younger and watched those movies, I hated those kids. They're terrible.

Seriously, get a shotgun, they are fun. the ammo is cheap too. a Mossberg 88 is pretty cheap and you can just go off the back porch and shoot at targets, bottles or even small game and learn to cook them!

I've since learned.

Dan‘s survival advice: a shotgun and amazon prime.

@doncabesa: if I only referred to GB for information about the Xbox I’d assume it was some impossible maze to navigate that has no merits whatsoever.

Don’t get me wrong, as a PS4 owner with a great PC there aren’t many reasons why I’d want to get an XBO at this point, but the Beast crew make it sound especially unappealing.

I'm still completely baffled by Star Citizen. I could not be more a fan of Wing Commander 2 in the 90s. I have intense nostalgia for it. That speech pack! Dodging for 20 seconds as you tried to lock the torpedoes onto a Ralatha... That storyline, that CG of the launches and landings. The Kilrathi before those costumes ruined them.

Maybe it's aimed at Privateer fans, I guess. I wish they were interested in building a non-generic space setting. A place where I could see space burials on the Concordia, or where tense missions could revolve around a battle between two capital ships, or protecting one as it jumps to hyperspace, or pilots playing poker, or double agents and defectors, or romance, or dealing with prejudice towards your wingman, or any of what gave those old Origin games their character and intrigue.

The one trailer for Star Citizen looks so Mass Effect that it hurts. And now that franchise is sunk, so it's not reflecting so well. I browsed the Star Citizen website and read up about this alien language stretch goal that will be a barrier to operating in that species' territory if you don't learn the actual language. Color me excited about hoping the game will have such a huge following that I can waste time on learning a fake language rather than running a fake EVE spreadsheet.

Guys, I want an off brand X-Wing/Tie Fighter flight sim with some story and creative play mechanics. That's all I want. I even enjoyed Colony Wars for what that's worth. I realize the genre is dead and the only attempts being made at it are in VR. But the war's over, every gaming device and gaming PC now has analog sticks. Lucasarts isn't going to go back to X-Wing. I mean, it's an opportunity for someone, if anyone still understands what those games were like, and that it was fun to actually play them, and that playing it is what makes it a game. I'll put some money down when I see a game like that. It doesn't even have to come on fifteen 3 1/2 inch floppy diskettes to get my respect.

Yes, please.

Exactly. The shade thrown towards the xbox is getting really old. Coming mostly from Vinny here too...bummer.

Vinny being shocked that they are selling PUBG on a disc is baffling. It's one of their biggest games right now so of course they are going to sell it on disc. I believe it says right on the box that it is an unfinished version as well.

it's also not a disc as far as I know, it's a digital code just like they did with the "physical" release of Cuphead.... I'm getting really sick of them completely ignoring 1/3rd of the console industry to the point of constantly talking out of their asses lately about it.

all the trash talk about San Francisco and they complain about the snow, lol!

Con Air certainly belongs right up there with The Rock and Face Off _b

I can't tell if it is two stories tall or a perspective illusion.

What's the best time to get in emails before they record the show?

its a code, not a disc vinny.

To the guy coming to Montana for 2 weeks. I've lived here almost all my life. Listen to me and you might make it home safely. I'll go over a couple survival tips for you.

1. Always have a huge pot of mashed potatoes cooking. If you go outside, pour the hot mashed potatoes into a grocery bag and tie it off. Put that bag either down your pants or in your jacket. This will prevent you from freezing and give you a quick snack if you get hungry.

2. Shotguns and pew pew things are probably best handled by the people who know what they are doing. Last thing you want is to make the headlines and Montana is a weird state. Here's how it will read, "Out of Stater comes up and goes on shooting spree killing bears. Not confirmed if ISIS is involed." Real men don't use guns. Only 3 people on the planet have killed a bear with their hands. You could be number 4.

3. Check with your Air BOB people you are renting from before you go starting fires everywhere. Montana is a high plains desert and last thing we need is you setting the state on fire with advice from Dan Ryckert.

4. And in closing. depending on where you are going, you are going to be tempted to buy "gifts" for people from your adventure. You'll inadvertently speak to a local who will refer you to the Montana Made Store/State Liquor Store. You'll go in this place and there will be teddy bears chainsawed from a block of wood. There will be blankets etc. These things are fine to buy. But stay away from one thing...and I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT buy anything huckleberry flavored. We don't eat that shit up here. Nobody does. It's a joke we play on "out of staters."

Hope this helps! Good luck and I agree with the guys. Film your adventure and post it here! I'd love to see it.

The baka-reunion.

No comment has ever made me more worried about the emails prior to listening to a podcast than this one.

Where's that Apocolypse rpg Austin DM'd that they talked about?

@upperdecker: I thoroughly enjoy how within the last year I went from not knowing that Huckleberries were even a thing to thinking, while listening to this podcast "I bet that dude from Montana that really hate Huckleberries chimes in in the comments."

Good job, duder!

@sethmode: Thank you sir! If you ever find yourself in Montana, I will take you out on the town and show you nobody likes them. Then when you hear stuff about Montana on any media platform, you will say, "Hey! I was there once! Nobody likes Huckleberries there! But for some goddamn reason they are for sale everywhere! I have to spread the word!"

Did Vinny say that GBE is doing a table top thing with Austin Walker?

@london_: Yes, last week's Beastcast was that very thing. And Part II might be next week.

Another native Montanan here, with advice for Jeremy. I live in the Bozeman area, but I've spent lots of time in the Seeley Swan Valley in conditions that sound much like your Airbnb cabin, and I'm excited for your adventure out to the Treasure State! I'm assuming that this cabin you have rented in northern Montana is in the Glacier National Park area, as that is one of our bigger "tourist" locations, so you will probably be able to go into Kalispell for groceries, car rentals, etc. Here's what I have, in order of importance:

a) Water and hydration is good in any situation, and making sure you can stay hydrated in your cabin is important. On the off-chance that there is no running water in your cabin (unlikely, but the cabin was described as in the middle of nowhere, so it's always possible), pick up some of those plastic 5-gallon jerry cans of water from the grocery store for $2-3 a piece.

b) On a similar note, try to find out what your kitchen situation will be like before traveling out here. If there is a freezer, picking up frozen food items will be great. If not, canned goods like soup or stew is a solid bet (make sure you have access to a microwave or stovetop in that case), along with lunch meat and bread. Make sure to grab some baby carrots and one or two other veggies; balanced nutrition is important, especially if you'll be staying in the cabin most of the time.

c) On the subject of bears, bear safety is important, especially in the woods, and for that, I recommend picking up some bear spray. Bear spray is a jacked-up pepper spray that will make the bear stop what it's doing while you clamber to safety, and can be found at any sporting goods store for around $35 (hardware stores can also carry it, and even some gas stations, depending on where you are). There is an excellent chance you will never need it, but it's worth the expense for insurance, and my girlfriend and I always carry some when we go on hikes. I echo UpperDecker's comments about leaving firearms to those with more experience.

d) For entertainment, two weeks sans internet and with only light cell service is an excellent time to catch up on any books you may have, or to start any new ones. I like escapist, world-buildy fantasy books when I get away like that (last time, I read through the first Witcher book, and before that a Terry Brooks Shannara doorstop), but that's your call. A Nintendo Switch sounds positively ideal in your situation, as well. Also, this is your time for any movie marathons you've considered. Really, anything goes. Enjoy your time to yourself!

e) Lastly, consider doing one or two things outside your comfort zone (aside from the obvious initial step of booking this trip in the first place, of course). March will probably still have some snow on the ground, but sans much of the miserable cold, so maybe try renting some cross-country skies or snowshoes and check out the area around your cabin. Or take a trip to one of the smaller towns in your area and people-watch; lots of folks come through that area on the way to Glacier or Whitefish Mountain Resort, so there may be a good mix of locals and out-of-towners to observe. Also, tourism is a big part of our state's economy, so there is a good chance the locals will point you towards something to do if you ask them. And, as Jeff said, take lots of pictures!

Please check in with the Beast Cast as well after you return; I would love to hear about your time. Let me know if you have any questions, as well!

PS - I happen to like huckleberries quite a bit; they're have the exact right balance of tart and sweet for my taste, though I admit that the flavorings don't do the actual fruit justice. That said, huckleberry vodka is never a bad bet, especially when mixed with lemonade.

Rub two sticks together to start fire. Dan

Dead lol

@iamaparade: Ok look Montana visiting guy. Yeah. His stuff made way more sense than mine. BUT. BUT. BUT! Imagine coming to Montana, you and me meet up and we fight some bears with our bare hands and kill them?!

Obviously I want slot number 4, and you can have five, but I'll help and nobody needs to know.

Honestly, @iamaparade and I both welcome you to this beautiful state. I hate to think if you come to rent a place, that you will need survival tips, but I'm sure I speak for both of us when I say if you need a lil help exploring the state, we will help!

Also, DO NOT LISTEN TO DAN. Please don't burn my home down.

Vinny: "Maybe you could rent [a shotgun], there's a lot going on in that state." Does Vinny think Far Cry 5 is real?

It's a shame that the audio isn't great (specially on Vinny and Alex), but this was a good episode, maybe my favorite Beastcast since 2016.

Also, Last Action Hero aged way better than expected. I think it's probably funnier now than it was back when it was released (the same could be said for other Schwarzenegger movies, like Total Recall).