John is joined this week by Crystal, Lilith, and Jackson to talk about all the games they’ve been playing. John’s been playing Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army while Jackson’s been streaming a lot of PEAK when he’s not playing Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers. Lily’s been digging into the Lies of P DLC and playing the demo for Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation while Crystal started up Final Fantasy IX and has been playing Eastward. The crew also goes over the news from Warner Games, Sakurai getting heat, Dreamsettler being cancelled, and a whole bunch of Donkey Kong.

You can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on Social Media @TheGamesline, Scott, John, Lilith, Jackson, and Crystal.

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If you want to send in questions, send them to our email podcast@gamesline.net!

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Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Edited by Lorelai

Video Production by Scott

Here’s an excerpt by Crystal:

[Listener Question: Which Donkey Kong characters do you think could eat 15 ice cream cones at once without getting a headache?]

John: I don’t think Lanky feels… anything. I think that he would eat those ice creams and I don’t think he could process the concept of “cold.” He’s like a fucked-up homunculus.

Jackson: It’s not a real creature, it’s a clay golem.

Lilith: Monkey as imagined by Hunter S. Thompson.

John: I’m gonna be honest, I feel like that is just something that all Kongs would be able to do. I think Kongs can just eat whatever. They’re big apes.

Lilith: Are you implying that Kong is a title you earn after eating 15 ice cream cones?

John: No! They’re like… they’re apes. That’s just what they are. I don’t know, can a real gorilla eat a bunch of ice cream cones? I mean, they would probably get brain freeze because we get brain freeze. Diddy Kong is a monkey, he has a tail.

Jackson: Yeah, but he’s still a Kong. He’s still part of the group. I’m thinking Donkey and Diddy can’t, but Dixie and Candy can, and it makes them really mad. It’s something they passively work towards, and when they do it Dixie and Candy are like: “We don’t care. This doesn’t mean anything.”

Lilith: You’re describing an episode of that old animated Donkey Kong series.

John: I was about to say that is 100% just from the animated show, oh my god. Yeah, if we’re taking that into account then I guess Yeti Kong would be eating all the ice cream, cause he’s in the cold, he’s a Yeti.

Jackson: Yeti Kong??

John: Okay, so Bluster Kong can’t, but Leo Luster can.

Jackson: What are you saying??

Crystal: I’m learning so much!

John: Everyone’s saying “Oh John with the lore, he should be going into it more,” and now I’m out here talking about fuckin’ Leo Luster, oh my god. That series is all available on Youtube now. I don’t know if they did that to line up with Bananza or what. Donkey Kong is not one of my favorite Nintendo properties, okay?!

Lilith: Do you think Funky Kong could do it?

John: Oh, totally. 100%.

Crystal: I think Funky Kong would get a headache, but he would try to tank it and not show it.

Lilith: Oh, so he’s crying behind the sunglasses.

Jackson: He walks behind a corner so nobody can see him and he curls into a ball like “Ouughhhhh… oughhhh!!”

John: He’s trembling behind his surfboard!

Jackson: “Ohhhh, why’d I do this…”

John: Oh, Funky Kong is like the L.A. Beast of Kongs, I can see that.

Jackson: I was just thinking like, he’s not going to eat them one at a time, he’s going to put them all into a big banana float and then chug it. And he’s like, “Yeah, I’m fine!”

John: Yeah, exactly, and like ten minutes later he’d be yarfing like crazy, and that would be in the video. Oh yes, the new Bananza Kongs, we can’t forget them. Do you think Grumpy Kong and Void Kong and Poppy Kong could do it?

Jackson: Poppy’s not doing it. Poppy’s watching them and just shaking their head no, like “This is stupid.”

John: “Nah, I’m not participating in that.” But then Void Kong is like “I’ll do it for evil!!”

Jackson: First ice cream in, Void Kong headache, freaking out, tapping out. And then Grumpy’s on their 30th cone like, “What?”

John: “There was a contest? Okay.”

Jackson: “Okay, yeah, whatever.”

John: Donkey Kong… [laughs]. Thank you Ina for the question. Let’s do one last question from chat and then we’ll wrap this up. Maverick is asking, “Do you think that Banjo and Conker could also eat the ice cream?”

Lilith: Conker’s too hungover to do it.

John: Banjo? Absolutely. Kazooie? I think Kazooie would also be someone who’s above it, but I think Kazooie could do it. Kazooie wouldn’t want to do it, but Kazooie could do it.

The post The Gamesline Podcast Episode 55: A Fleischeresque Hellscape appeared first on Gamesline.

We dig into all the big news stories of the week with a Riot Games guy going completely off the rails in taking down a fan project, Konami making a funny joke in saying they are getting back into games and then pulling out of E3, Toys for Bob being brought into the Call of Duty fold, Yoshinori Ono joining the team at Delightworks, and the Noid returning to come for the automated vehicles delivering your deliciously mediocre pizza’s.

As always you can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on Twitter @VGChooChoo, @john_michonski, @jugdgementscythe and on instagram @fataleflare

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and tell a friend about the show! If you want to send in questions send them to our ask box at videogamechoochoo.tumblr.com/ask.

You can also join our Discord channel at thegamezone.zone!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Subscribe via iTunes, Hipcast, direct download, or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 356: Should We Still Avoid the Noid? appeared first on Gamesline.

I did not think I would end up liking this game after the beta came out. I played the beta and utterly loathed it, probably because I was trying to play it like an anime fighter. Once I got my head around the fact that it has the pacing of a Street Fighter rather than a Guilty Gear, I actually found myself having a damn good time with the game. New characters came and went and I kept coming back for more grappler action with Ladiva, easily my favorite grappler in fighting games. At least until an update broke the way she worked, making her near unplayable and leaving me scrambling to find a new main before settling on Percival. The game is great, well balanced, and had some interesting ideas with it’s strange single player gatcha beat ‘em up and it’s one button press specials that kept bringing me and my less fighting game inclined friends back for more. If it hadn’t been for the Ladiva breaking balance change, it would have been much higher on my list.

9. Pixel Puzzle Makeout League

I thought for sure this spot would be Murder By Numbers, another great Picross puzzler, but once I played Pixel Puzzle Makeout League, it soared to my top games of 2020. It does a phenomenal job of building images and using the puzzles to tell a story through easily recognizable images as they built out. Its ending is also one of my favorite things this year and worth the time investment to get there. Seriously though, I implore you to ignore the game’s bad title and play through this absolute gem if only to experience some of the wild places it goes.

8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing is a series I’ve always tried to connect with and until this one, I failed every time. I thought once again I’d drop it after a week of boredom and go back to Rune Factory or Stardew Valley. Maybe it was the pandemic, or maybe it was being in the right space to enjoy it but this time around I lasted for months. I’m less consistent checking in on my island these days, but for a solid half a year I put in the work and finally found the fun that people have with this series.

7. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

I was really skeptical of Valhalla as the PR campaign went on and on about what were my least favorite parts of Assassin’s Creed in the past. Odyssey was great, but going in hard on the combat system was not its strong point. For the first time in the new series style, the moment to moment combat all felt good. I actually enjoyed running into a place, two broadswords in my hands, swinging wildly and cutting everything in my path down. It was a fantastic time with some great writing and incredibly cool moments that I needed after the complete travesty that was Watch Dogs: Legion.

For those of you who haven’t played it yet, here is a suggestion: when you are asked what gender you want to be, let the Animus choose for you. It’s a choice that actively improves the story they are telling and makes the game better as a whole. Do it, I know you want to play as a female Eivor because she’s a hell of a lot more interesting, but that’s the thing, you will. So let the Animus choose for you. I know you have your preference, I know I did, but trust me when I say that it’s an option worth taking

6. Final Fantasy VII: Remake

Final Fantasy VII: Remake did the impossible for me: it made me interested in what’s coming next after the crew leaves Midgar. It’s weird how the changes they made are straight out of the Father’s Day episode of Doctor Who and yet they have me chomping at the bit for more. Everything about FFVII:R worked for me, from the way they adapted the ATB system to the fantastic characterizations and overall writing. Having just started coming into my own in my queerness, the part that scared me the most, because of its poor handling in the original FFVII, ended up feeling empowering. I love this game through and through, and I really need to sit down again soon to finish off that platinum with my good friend Chadley.

5. Sakura Wars

First, Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan is the greatest theme song in video games, don’t argue with me I will fight you. Second, they didn’t fuck up their child character and make it the most uncomfortable thing in the world. That’s a first for the franchise and it’s the first time that I can go “hey, you should play this game” without the MASSIVE caveat that it’s kinda super creepy with children. They combined my two of my favorite things in the world, Sakura Wars and Dynasty Warriors, and I would much rather play a mediocre Dynasty Warriors than a mediocre strategy game. And, uh… let’s maybe not talk about how much time I spent playing the Koi-Koi Wars Hanafuda mini-game.

4. Hades

I didn’t think I’d care for Hades but enough people I care about loved it, so I jumped in and sucked at it. It took me 74 times to get my first clear, and yet I still kept coming back. I wanted more; more juicy writing, more tight gameplay, and more time for my girlfriend to watch the screen and talk about how much she loves Dusa. This is a game we shared: we spent weeks taking turns, succeeding, failing, doing it together. Hades was a real boon this year, something everyone around me could love and enjoy together as we strove for more and more clears, finally seeing credits and jumping right back in. Hades will always hold a special place in my heart and a permanent place on my Switch.

3. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

I’m shocked at how good this game was, as I was so worried by the changes they were making. Would I like this goofy looking new character? Would I be able to get past not having Kiryu and company as my main crew? Would the RPG systems actually work in a game like this? Well, the answer to those questions is it’s probably my favorite RPG since Lost Odyssey and might actually be my favorite Yakuza game. The way the characters interact and naturally grow as friends; the way the minigames and substories fit with Ichiban’s character rather than being a complete contrast to it; . It’s a goofy game with some of my favorite moments this year.

2. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Patches 5.2 – 5.4

No game this year took up my time like Final Fantasy XIV. It was a game I’ve jumped in and out of a lot over the years, but this is the first time I’ve fully bought in and once I did, it’s been one of the most important experiences of my life. I created my character Oulan in December, deciding that this would be the year I would finally finish A Realm Reborn and experience Heavensward, which everyone told me was great. 2 weeks later, I found myself through the entire story, hooked with a whole new group of friends and community that’s been incredible. That’s a big part of why this game, while it’s not my Game of the Year, is the most important game I played this year. It’s given me community, from the old longtime internet friends I’ve joined up with, to streaming alongside Solon. It’s been something that’s kept me going through quarantine, and made it feel like I still had something I could do to interact with friends.

It’s that interaction that has made me who I am today. I’d sit in voice chat, and it didn’t matter what my voice sounded like, people called me she. They referred to me by the gender of my character and it felt so right. It’s why I’m Christine and not Chris and I’ve been so much happier with that realization of myself and I don’t know if it would have happened if not for the family I’ve built around myself in the world of Eorzea. Joining up with friends, realizing myself, and seeing them constantly willing to join up and help me out when I’m dealing with colorblindness issues in bosses. ALL HAIL NOVA RIKO AND THE DORITO OF SAFETY! Please Square Enix, I beg you to make properly implemented colorblind filters because what you have is not enough.

Seriously though, I love the family I’ve made through this game; all of my friends are so important to me and I would not give up the time I’ve spent here for the world. It can be frustrating, maddening even, but it’s been the biggest boost for my mental health and it’s made me who I am today. So here is to all of you, my friends, my family, the people who have kept me going over this last year. This isn’t just a celebration of this game, it’s a celebration of all of you.

1. Nioh 2

I didn’t think any game would be capable of taking my attention away from Final Fantasy XIV once I was fully bought in, then along comes Team Ninja. I’ve been joking for a long time now in calling it “Game of the Generation Nioh 2” every single time I talk about it, and I’m not actually sure anymore if it’s a joke or not. Every little addition they make to the game brings me back in, new equipment, new stages, new weapons, and they all continue to keep my attention and give me the same thrill I got the first time I started as I create character after character for each of the weapons. Hundreds of hours in this game and it still continues to be a thrill, whether it’s the new DLC content or the added difficulties, I can’t stop myself from continuing to live in the incredible world Team Ninja has built.

Even after multiple playthroughs I still find the story incredibly compelling and fun: the boss fights still excite me even though I know most of them by the back of my hand, and every single loot drop gives me that serotonin drip of possible improvement to the look of my character. I love everything about this game, and it feels right to me that the game I see as probably my game of the generation came out in the final year of the console cycle. Now get ready for me to start talking about the game of the new generation of consoles when Nioh ½ Remastered comes out in February.

The post Christine’s Top Ten Games of 2020 appeared first on Gamesline.