Cup of Jones - August 9, 2021

Oh, crazy! Thanks for sharing that. - Brandon

Easy Allies

Apologies if you've already answered something like this since I'm not a regular CoJ participant, but have y'all decided whether or not you plan to cover Hogwarts Legacy? I thought of it because you quoted Harry Potter on the last podcast. Obviously with JKR being an active anti-trans activist and EZA having a transwoman in the group it seems natural to say lets not cover it. But I also know it's not just a black and white issue, what with gender nonconforming devs and allies within WB trying to actively work to add gender spectrum friendly features to the character creation in the game to fight against JKR herself. I hear some people saying you're a bad person if you want to play the game and then on the other hand I have a transgender friend saying it's fine if you play it. I just wanted to hear your thoughts and how you think EZA might handle this game going forward.

To be perfectly clear, the massive number of downvotes came within minutes of the video being posted. There was no way that most of them could have been made as a genuine reaction to the quality of the episode. It's very hard for me to see that as much more than a knee jerk reaction to having the word "lesbian" in the title. Totally understand if people with legitimate criticisms felt they were swept up in that, but that wasn't the intent. It's definitely something I view and consider separately. -Bloodworth

Easy Allies

Hey, Jones. Hope you're well. The good news is I have zero problems with HOG, y'all are continuing to kill it on that front imo. During the show there was one issue raised though, which was having multiple entries from certain franchises already inducted, so I wanted to float a possible solution, if it's even something the allies wanted to address that is. What you could do is introduce a new rule that states if a franchise game gets in, a game from that same franchise can't be brought to the next HOG. I'm aware it doesn't completely solve the issue, but it might help to keep more diverse nominees.

BeatenDownBrian

Heya Jones, Well, that's kind of a long story. Maybe another time. But if Easy Allies really wanted to be popular, would it hang with the right cohorts, be good at sports, or know the slang you've got to know?

Asbo Zappruder

Good morning Sir Brandon. This is my first time submitting to Cup as I generally enjoy just watching content and don't have any deep-seated opinions on it either way - something either entertains me, or it doesn't, there's not much more to it. But I just finished watching this weeks Easy Update, and the comments section left me with a lot of mixed feelings. To preface, I am female, supportive of all genders and peoples choices, and Isla is one of my favourite Allies and I was super excited for her about her transition. So I woke up this morning, made coffee like I always do, and started my Sunday morning with Easy Update. I watched it all, and I hate to admit it wasn't one of my favourite videos - the game being played wasn't my style, the vibe was a little weird, and that was going to be it - just a "meh, this one wasn't for me", no big problem. But then I looked and saw 86 dislikes on the video, and started reading a few of the comments. The consensus in the comments from Isla and Blood were that the dislikes had to be from "heterosexuals", "sad bigots", etc. This was really upsetting to see and feel like I was being called a bigot and being insulted for not liking this video, when my reasons for not liking it had nothing to do with Isla or her sexuality. Do you feel like you guys are having issues with taking constructive feedback on content when it comes to Isla? It seems like any negative feedback is being put under the "bigot" umbrella and not being considered as actual feedback. Anyways, thanks for everything, I'm sure this is very difficult to navigate and I wish you all the best. Lots of love to ALL the allies.

[This will likely be a longer post so feel free to skim or paraphrase as necessary if you'd like! I just wanted to give context and reasoning to what I was suggesting] Howdy Jones, I was very excited to see the new Hall of Greats this past week! All in all, it’s probably one of my favorite things that you and the Allies produce. After talking to a number of other allies though, there have been some ideas tossed around that I thought I would run by you for potential improvements. Some felt that the last stream felt a little tired as the first one back in the studio, while others just had ideas to help future streams from where they felt there have been past issues. Regardless, I think we all agree that Hall of Greats is one of the most widely loved and anticipated streams whenever it comes around, and we just want to help bring some suggestions to help it improve! Here are some of the things we tossed around: 1: Themed Hall of Greats – This was one that came up that I thought was interesting; the idea being that everyone would have to bring a game from a specific genre or franchise, etc. It could help fill out the Greats list with genres that are lacking at the moment, like arcade games, sports games and the like, but could be more open ended for something like open-world games so there’s more wiggle room. Obviously it would be boring to see everyone bring a Final Fantasy at once, but some sort of theme could help get things in that are otherwise having difficulties 2: Changes in Voting Structure – It’s been a long contentious argument among the allies over how they feel it is best to vote. Some allies I spoke to were pretty upset over how Huber chooses to cast his votes, while others commend it. It’s also no secret that Isla has shared the opinion that it doesn’t matter what game you bring as long as people like your presentation. My thought here was a potential double vote system; you get to vote for the person’s game, as well as for their presentation, and whoever gets the most of both combined would win. That would make things a little more complicated, but could help alleviate some of the contention around the way different people vote, allowing for games to have less of a chance to be banned, and more chances to be inducted 3: Knowing what’s being brought ahead of time – Some have argued that the current mystery surrounding the games being brought has led to a lack of depth in the rebuttal stage of the presentation; part of the argument being that the questions start to become more about the presentation than the game itself. An idea that was brought up to alleviate this was to allow all the Allies to know what games are going to be brought possibly a day ahead of time, just not who is bringing it. Then they would have more time to formulate possible arguments for the cross-examination, which could better sway people for or against what is brought. Hope these help, respectfully looking forward to your thoughts! Love and Respect, Brian from Happy Gaming

Happy Gaming

Hi Jones, I have a suggestion, normally I listen to allies shows while walking, on my way to work, etc. I have been listening to the monthly Q&A (back to back) and I like to suggest if possible before start answering the question, can an intro of all the allies that will be on that months Q&A be done? most of the time Ben does the welcome to the show and start asking the question and not all the allies answer all the questions, and because I have the audio file I'm not able to see who is available on that month Q&A, so a small intro like "I'm joined by Brad, Isla, Huber, etc", just like the start of Easy Allies podcast, will be great. Also I want to thank you and Bloodworth for the EZA podcast it always brings a smile to my face when I listen, and while I do agree with what you said on your last editorial about Blood, I don't feel you need to change your style, if there was a possibility to involve Blood on the main parts of the podcast maybe He can do "Also this Week" and Bets, maybe this can help to combine your styles, just and idea. Thanks for everything. Ben

Hey Jones, Just another Patron weighing in on HOG. Things have spiced up in the comments on this iteration of the Great Hall, and some of us are calling for a shake up. I personally still really enjoy all the HOG episodes, and I don't think a shake up is needed so much as a reminder or a clarification of the rules/mission statement of what purpose the Hall is supposed to serve. People seem to be falling into a few camps : Camp 1 - Seems to think that letting multiple entries of a series into the hall is "boring" and that there should be bans/limitations placed on a franchise when a game in its series gets inducted. Camp 2 - Seems to think that any given ally's presentation of their game should matter more, or as much as the greatness of the game being nominated when it comes to voting. Camp 3 - Seems to think that above all else this is the Hall of Greats. Capital G. Any game inducted into the HOG should be able to stand in a vacuum as a true great, and not have to come with an asterisk that explains that a smoke machine or cleverly edited video pushed it into its new position. Personally, I would very much slot myself into camp 3, as I said in my youtube comment, if someone hears about the stream series in 10 years from now, they will simply raise their eyebrow had Destruction Derby 2 made it into the list with the other heavy hitters on there. This is of course just my opinion however, and I think it would be helpful if you guys could gently remind the community of your actual goal behind the whole thing. Is this list meant to be the greatest games of all time, or if this list is meant to be games that the 8 of you love, either would make for a very different list, I'm sure you'll agree. Can we get a little clarification on the voting system also, is it 50% presentation, 50% the game, or skewed in either direction? I actually really like Destruction Derby 2 by the way, and I absolutely LOVE Don for the way he presents things, but I think he does it very tongue in cheek for laughs, which is great. It's great 1 chip material for presentation, but if someone else brings a better game, even if they botch the presentation, I think above all the better game should always win, or am I off the mark? Are we all just taking this fun silly show a little too seriously? Probably. I'd like to add that I dislike the discourse that's happening, even among some of the Allies themselves around multiple franchises getting in due to being "predictable". I think Brad's comment was absolutely spot on when he said something like "fuck that, the best games get in" I'm paraphrasing, of course. Super Mario World and FFX are unquestionably two of the greats, where is the problem with them entering the hall of greats just because their siblings are also in there? Disallowing two of the greatest games of all time into the HOG would surely be a little damaging to the journalistic integrity of a gaming media outlet, and some people are suggesting this. Anyway, I've gone on longer than I should have, and this honestly is not a negative criticism, I love the HOG in it's current format, I think we could just use a healthy refresh or possibly revision of the guidelines as to what it is (personally I vote a refresh not a revision) Thanks for reading, Jones. I'm sure whatever you guys decide to do will work just fine, you've never steered me wrong. L&R Ciaran.

Ciaran Lyttle

Heya Jones, I have a question, or rather more of a suggestion in regards to Hall of Greats. HoG is always one of my favorite streams that you all do, but lately I can't help but feel like it's grown a little stagnant. Granted a lot of this has to do with the whole global pandemic thing, but this most recent one still felt a little low energy. I think the problem is that it doesn't feel like it's being given the weight it needs. Though I wouldn’t dare speak for everyone, I think it’s fair to say that Hall of Greats is generally the most anticipated stream that you do, which is why its stagnancy is so distressing. HoG has started to just feel like another group stream, and much less like the special event that it originally was, and this is even more of a problem now that it happens more infrequently. I think if you could somehow find a way to restore its status as a special event, it could be reinvigorated. Something like motion graphics, or a pre-HoG hype stream could do wonders to differentiate it from a typical group stream. Those are just a couple of suggestions so disregard them if they seem unrealistic, I just feel like HoG has been missing the prestige that it once held and so dearly needs. Love and Respect, Aidan

Aidan Vilchis

Hello! It's me again, the long haul trucker, still listening to your excellent podcasts. I have a question, and a request. 1) Any word on a return of Mysterious Monsters? and 2) Is there any chance of getting individual videos for all of The Salmon Globe bits? I would love to have a playlist of them. Also if you find yourself with 7 and a half hours of listening time. Youtuber Noah Caldwell-Gervais has an amazing longform video essay of the entire Resident Evil series. Definitely worth the listen.

Dr.Medic

Brandon I hope everything is well. My question is about the Hall of Greats. I know I know. I feel like you have many questions every week after a HOG is done. But I felt this was the one that made me want to see a change up to HOGs. This one that just finished felt rough to watch. I felt like not everyone gave it their all when giving their presentation. I think maybe do HOGs twice a year or do only when everyone is not busy with reviews. I know the allies are very busy and doing a HOG at a certain point can be rough on them. I don’t have any allies to rush to pick a game for a presentation for HOG. Another change might be a one per franchise per year rule might need to be used now. I felt for Huber that another Final fantasy or another Mario made it in. Like for course those games will get in because they are 10/10 franchises. Because if this keeps up I feel like we will get every FF game into the Hall of Greats before one of Don’s game.

thejjuan1

Hello Brandon. Did you know that in PC version of Mass Effect (both original and legendary) decryption minigame is completely different? If not, this is how it looks on PC: https://youtu.be/j6Ef9BxoArc?t=190

Alexander Zyryanov

Hi Jones! I want to revisit my request from last week about the Mass Effect codex. To be clear, I wasn't asking you to read the whole thing for us like that narrator does, I want you to summarize all the main events and lore off the cuff after having read it yourself, like you did with turians and the First Contact War. Does that clarification make this any more likely? 😁. Thanks, L&R!

Joseph La Russa

Hello Jones! Screenshots in old magazines always made me interested in Bayou Billy. However the one thing that really draws me to Bayou Billy more than anything else, is the alliteration of the name. Also I am more than likely never going to play the game. Emulation is most likely the easiest way to play it now a days. ANYWHO. Because of my painfully selective memory, I can tell you the situation when you brought up Bayou Billy on the podcast. It was a game! I am a little fuzzy on the details, but it was that Kyle would give you a hint, and you would have to answer with a combination of two game titles. I forget what the hint was, but lets say it was something like "scrambled eggs down under". And you correctly guessed Bayou Billy Hatcher. Thanks for taking this Bayou detour with me.

Parasitepaladin

I'd honestly be super down for alternating between Jones and Blood as moderator, (assuming of course both parties would be interested in doing such a thing)

Nelo Nero

Heya Jones Not really a question so I hope this is okay but last week a couple people suggested games for you guys to play at the easy living type stream so I thought I’d throw a couple potential games at you to suggest at the meeting. First thing that comes to mind and it was mentioned I think last week too but that smackdown here comes the pain group stream was one of the best in a while I was laughing so hard and I think that is a must especially with the whole group there. Also you guys usually had a tournament at easy livin and you haven’t had one in general in a while so I thought a tournament is also a must, perhaps guilty gear strive or maybe even Smackdown. Also as you know I’ve been a huge champion of hitman 3 this year and I think it also makes a great group stream. you guys have also played it at the past easy livings. and it’s always been a fun time so I’d also love to see that. Lastly I feel that no easy livin even if it isn’t technically going to be easy livin would be complete without some form of Resident Evil being represented. Also could make for a good potential Full Playthrough and the good thing is basically every one of them excluded 4 and 6 could easily be beaten in 1 sitting. Just a couple of my thoughts sorry for rambling on Jones thanks for listening to my input love and respect!

Sage_Mode_Q

Hey Mr. Jones! Inspired by your editorial last week, there’s an aspect of moderating the podcast I was wondering about: When you’re absent and Mr. Bloodworth takes over, do you still build the run of show, so picking the Corrections, news topics and their subsequent order, the L&R submissions, writing the bet, etc.? Or, when your out, does Mr. Bloodworth have free reign to build it how he sees fit? A small thing to be sure and one that isn’t really needed all too often, but a small curiosity I had. I’ll end it here by always thanking you for reading and wishing a wonderful rest of your day! Cheers! QUESTION: When you’re absent from moderating the podcast and Mr. Bloodworth takes over, do you still build the run of show, or does he have free reign to build it as he sees fit? A small curiosity I had with how the podcast gets built, and was hoping to get insight on.

Brandon K Gann

hello everyone. 1 question....why no more walking and talking videos? u know.....just 2 allies walking in LA and just talking about stuff, trying some new or favorite foods and drinks.....loved those videos and would be a nice throwback to the beginning of EasyUpdate....and u would take advantage of the lift in restrictions....L&R