Cup of Jones - December 16, 2019

I'll think about it! :) - Jones

Easy Allies

Jones, what is the chance that EZA might watch the original PS4 reveal and Xbox One reveal at some point in the lead up to the big next-gen reveals? I just feel like it would be fun, particularly since GT wasn't doing reactions at the time. L&R, Josh Read.

Josh Read

Hi Jones, Cutting it late, but I have a quick question regarding spoiler mode. Mainly about whether or not it is possible to have additional spoiler modes for a movie, game, ect after the original spoiler mode went up for EZA members who weren't able to film at the time. I know sometimes you can't get certain allies on for various reasons (poor timing when they're out of town, some members not caught up yet, ect) and want to get a spoiler mode out as close to release as possible for timeliness. But for some members who clearly have an attachment to some games/films/shows, it's a shame that we don't get to hear their opinions fully on the piece of media if they miss out on the original spoiler mode. Is there a chance of getting a follow-up spoiler mode for certain movies/games with missing allies who weren't on the original?

ContractHolder

Probably a little late, You should prerecord a message with who ever is left at the studio for next week's cup of jones. Something like happy holidays etc.

Ibrahim Sozer

Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber share the same birthday? Mind = blown. I'll try to incorporate it as much as I can. Wish me luck. - Jones

Easy Allies

Explain. - Jones

Easy Allies

Hey Jones, Simple question: when are we getting a Kinect Star Wars Dancing group stream? L&R

K

Hey Jones Summer is so far away. Could you guys do Freezy Livin'?

Olf Himself

Howdy Jones, First of all, just wanted to congratulate you on the amazing season finale of silver squad! What a rollercoaster of emotions we all went through, it was truly a legendary EZA moment and i'm so happy that i got to experience it live! I also want to congratulate you and Kyle for just how epic Silver Squad has become, you guys went through so many epic moments and to all come around in full circle: your final battle with Johnny! And, of course, the reveal we were all waiting for since you started Silver Squad - you can go back TO KANTO! Your reaction was nothing short of fantastic and funny, and i'm sure it's something that will always be remembered in the community.I remember when i first stepped out of that boat and understood that i could play in Kanto again, i jumped up and down and screamed so much that the batteries of my gameboy came out and i had to do the boat all over again.. good times! At the end of the stream you had to hurry up to go see Star Wars(how was it???) and we didn't really get to hear your thoughts, so i really want to know what did you think about this whole adventure so far? what was going through your mind in that final battle?? what was going through your mind when you got the big reveal?? what are your expectations when you see Kanto 3 years later? Even though you already know the map, kanto still holds a lot of surprises for you and i can't wait for your reaction! On a side note, you mentioned that you and Kyle were talking about the next game you were going to play in 2020. Is this just you two? That would be awesome! More Kyle and Brandon Streams PLEASE! Also, just a suggestion, would be cool if you and Kyle played a game that you love and Kyle never played! Sorry for the long post, Merry Christmas to you, Milo and Amanda, L&R.

André Roda

Hey Jones, Silver Squad's final reveal was fantastic, but even more fantastic was that somehow no one spoiled the 15+ year old twist for you. When it comes to streams, you obviously want to avoid spoilers when you can, but with older games that expectation is often not realistically achieveable. Which gets to my question: From a streaming perspective, would you have wanted to be spoiled there? Obviously this has an impact on your streaming schedule in the future, and it would've given you a proper perspective on just how deep you're into the game (hyping up the stream as the grand finale and then you moving on to other games vs. the climax of the first act in a great game). However, from a viewing perspective, having you be completely unaware of the twist was extremely entertaining, as was you talking in previous Cup of Jones' about how you were looking forward to wraaping things up. What are your thoughts? Do you wish someone had told you> Thanks, and Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Michael G

Heya Jones, Gotcha. Okay, that's-- oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead. No? Okay, I just meant that if Phase 4 of Easy Allies was an Austrian nun turned governess living in the even of World War II, would it prefer cream-colored ponies or crisp apple strudels? ps - Happy Holidays to you, Amanda, and all of your friends and family! I hope Milo's first Christmas is so amazing he zonks out for most of it. pps - I noticed that you scheduled the anniversary show on March 22nd, famously known as the joint birthday of Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. I therefore can only assume this year's show is actually a musical tribute to these two men. I personally thinks that's cool but feel I should warn you that some might consider that a bit off brand. Just my two cents, though.

Asbo Zappruder

Hey Brandon, I hope you are having a lovely day. I was watching the GOTY deliberations for 2017 as a way to get prepared for the upcoming GOTY talk (used it as a podcast while playing BotW mostly), and one thing I noticed is the fact that you guys didn't do best story/narrative? That seems like a category that a lot of allies would be into and have something to say about it. I know it already takes hours to do the GOTY stuff but I was wondering if you might be interested to add that to this year's discussion since we had some really good stories in games this year. I know spoilers are something that people might be afraid of for games they haven't played but you can do a spoiler warning/tag when that category is brought up. Thoughts? Thanks and as always Love & Respect. P.S: Miloooooooooooooooooo ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The recent Kill Your Babies Easy Update was fantastic. Since it came up, I'm curious: Final Fantasy VI or Red Dead Redemption 2? Which would you kill and why?

DashTwenty7

Safety Post

Happy Gaming

Personal: Hey there, If you had to change an existing Disneyland ride or attraction to be a part of or incorporate elements from a now-owned Disney property (Star Wars, Marvel, Ghibli), which would you choose and how would you change it? Love and respect, Brian from Happy Gaming

Happy Gaming

Mr. Jones, The end of the year is often a time of reflection and looking ahead to what comes next. For EZA, did you accomplish the goals you set for the company? Were there things left undone? What are your personal and professional goals for 2020 (that you would be willing to share). I guess my question is "what are your 2019 takeaways" and how will you implement them into 2020. Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla

Business Question: Morning Jones, now that the Year 4 dates have been released I was wondering if there were any plans for Monday, 3/23 ala the Meetup at the Park or somthing similar like that. Or is the Disneyland meetup the official meetup this year and after Sunday's (3/22) events, that would be a wrap? Just wanted to ask before I make travel plans on how long I should stay for. Either way thank you for taking the workload off of me this year and organizing this dream meetup for us Allies. L&R.

XWF Outlaw

Just an FYI as a possible option on controlling the laptop for the screens in the podcast. You could forego having a direct line and have Ian just remotely control the laptop from his PC (over Wifi). There are many ways to do that but a free option is "Chrome Remote Desktop". Just wanted offer an option in case you hadn't considered it.

Scott Dancer (Zdman)

Hey Jones, You may have seen IGN posted a 2019 review of Star Wars Battlefront II. I know you've been asked a lot on cup about revisiting reviews in this fashion but this seems to be one of the first major times I've noticed something like this happening. Not saying I want you guys to start doing this or anything, but more just curious if you think this could open the flood gates for media outlets to start doing this amass which would in turn eventually put pressure on EZA to do the same as the practice could become somewhat of an industry standard. Merry Xmas and L&R.

Nathan25

Hello Brandon. Can you tell us how Huber got involved into The Game Awards?

Alexander Zyryanov

Hey Jones, I know you were hoping for more betting special questions: Bosman said recently (maybe on the podcast, I can't remember) that you all expect Sony and/or Microsoft to have console reveal events in the spring. On the last Cup you mentioned that you need an event with reveals worth betting on, but I was thinking if either of these is a streamed conference, it might qualify. Theoretically. Hopefully. I know you can't promise anything, but could you maybe start poking and prodding Huber and Bosman - start dropping hints to come up with stakes or rules or bets so that in the off chance a show gets scheduled they might be prepared ahead of time to throw together a special? Thanks and sorry for two betting special questions in a row ~Adam

Adam

Hey Jones, Thanks a lot for answering my question last week! I thought of one more but it’s a little spicier. Since the beginning of the current console generation, PS4/Xbox One specifically, I rationalized away the need to upgrade to the pro/x by telling myself I’ll simply wait for next gen. After all, Sony and Microsoft promised that all games this gen are still being made with the base consoles in mind and will run perfectly fine on that hardware. The problem is, this isn’t true of many third party titles, and I have noticed a slightly worrying trend among the review industry concerning this. Games like Control and Jedi: Fallen Order have had very noticeable performance problems on my base PS4, and despite me usually not minding a few issues every once and a while I found these examples drastically hampering my experience. When Control turned into a slideshow every time I encountered a group of enemies I found myself disliking an experience I otherwise would have really enjoyed. Fallen Order’s 45 second load times also hampered an otherwise excellent game. Both these games are great from a design standpoint and are right up my alley, but they ended up being 7’s to me due to these base console specific issues. Reviews, however, are very high for both of these games and are not always mentioning these problems. I think this might be because reviewers are often playing on the most up to date hardware, and aren’t experiencing the same issues I am . My question is this: should reviewers at least dip a toe into the base consoles before finalizing a review to see if there are any glaring problems? I don’t expect another full playthrough, I understand how crazy that would be from a time perspective. However, if you watch the Digital Foundry videos done on Control specifically, I think they show some issues that absolutely deserve to be brought up in a review for a game at launch before patches are rolled out. Not calling out any reviewer or outlet (especially not from EZA you guys are great) but what do you think? Hope you all have a wonderful holiday! (sorry this was so long) Tldr: Should reviewers need to spend some time with the base model console version of a game to avoid missing performance problems like the ones present in Control at launch for reviews? This problem may become more prevalent now that mid gen refreshes and PC like console builds are becoming more common. -Matt

Matthew Stormont

Hi Jones! First time posting a question on here. Kyle said in the most recent podcast that you give him the eternal heebie jeebies because of a song you sang during a GT Rockband stream. What, if anything, gives you eternal heebie jeebies? Thanks for reading and L&R!

Helen Y

Not Disneyland

Mac

Good Day Mr Jones. I am almost certain you will have covered this before, but for my own curiosity how exactly do you manage the workload so all members carry an equal weight? When I think of how much you personally contribute - Cup of Jones / VO / Trailer Jones/ Edits / Permanent Podcast attendee / Reviews etc - is it right to assume others do more things behind the scenes? For instance Don, Blood and Brad who don’t tend to have regular personal shows? Not that I’m suggesting anything other than hard work that I’m sure they contribute. But I would be very interested in how roles are drawn out to keep things fair. L&R

Shadow of Agro

Damiani will blame it on his eyes but he would put both his hands over his mouth and has 0 contact over his eyes. If EZA cared more about how they looked in reactions into how they sound, there will be less complaints. People quote lines in movies not actions. to quote the Dark Prince of Nerd Media himself, "I'm a professional"

Ibrahim Sozer

Morning Jones, Can you and Damiani stop covering your mouths with your hands, it's hard to understand what you're mrfahmrffh. The Dark Prince of Easy Allies iboshow P.S, EZA should kickstart a horror movie.

Ibrahim Sozer

Hi Jones. You mentioned that for The Game Awards, the EZA as a collective puts forward one vote for GOTY. You also provide a GOTY discussion video in January for EZA's GOTY. Which can be a lengthy discussion. How does choosing the GOTY for TGA and EZA differ? Is it how much deliberation and effort is put into it? Can you give the last 2 years of GOTY's as examples of what was chosen for TGA/EZA and how the process of choosing them was different. If the end results aren't different (regardless of the process getting there), is the potentially lengthy EZA GOTY discussion redundant? L and R.

Andrew Chalmers

Personal Question: Brandon, Since you were unavailable for the podcast on the night of the Game Awards I was just wondering your personal opinion on the name/design of the Xbox Series X. Take Care!

yarden

Business Question: Dearest Brandon, Just wondering if the Easy Allies give out or send out any type of ribbons or trophy like items to the developers/publishers that win your various E3/End of the Year Awards? Just thought it would be kind of cool for someone to get a “Best of...” award from you guys. I remember Ian and Don gave a physical award to the “Best Carpet” one year. Even though it was meant as a joke, the winner was still really happy. Keep up the great work!

yarden

Hey jones I saw you’re wife on the TV which was cool. I’ve brought this up before but if you haven’t heard floatplane is now in beta and able to add more content creators. Any update on floatplane? I would like to consolidate the platforms I use for early access content L&R Jason.

Wire rope

Audio version of the Q&A's to download please?

Prototype Jay

Have you watched any of the Box Peek Q&A streams? I feel Kyle talks about a lot of this in them.

Olf Himself

Hey Mr. Jones! I am VERY sorry for the length of this comment. As always, the question is at the very bottom. But ask for my Box Peek criticisms, you receive my Box Peek criticisms. I am more than happy to list them out, and have no problem sharing them publicly, but allow me to go ahead and establish my question for this episode first. This week, my submission revolves around Silver Squad. I’m writing this BEFORE you receive the surprise you’re going to run into within the first 10 minutes (post-art), and with all the language you’ve had utterly convinced you would be finished before the end of 2019, keeping the secret, the twist, inside has been a build-up ever since Brandon Plays Pokemon for three years. So the question: Do you think by experiencing Silver and its surprises as a stream with the community instead of playing at your own pace heightened the experience? With Diamond Joey, Ruth, and surprises yet to come, the reveal feels like just something else that made this the best way you could have played Silver. Regardless, I’m VERY happy you’ve gotten to see this without prior knowledge and I hope you continue to enjoy the game (and just throwing this out there, if you want us to let you know where to catch Houndour ahead of time, we’re here for ya just to let you know ;-] ). Honestly, when you talked to the guy who greets you in Kanto, I thought you recognized it, but wasn't blown away. But that stream crunch was what I was hoping for. Perfection. BOX PEEK CRITICISMS (Feel free to read aloud if you so choose): While I agree with the sentiment of not liking the ending, I didn’t really want to publicly comment at the time with the negativity several expressed and because I have no artistic ability nor a compelling imagination, I don’t feel comfortable saying negative things about something I have no way of doing, much less improving. In addition to that, while I may not have felt good about the ending, it doesn’t take away from the show’s quality and my dislike is minor in the grand scheme of things (In other words, not really worth dedicating time to stew over). BUT: Because you showed great interest (and you were right, the way you brought it up last week DID catch me off guard), the decision to address my criticism is as such: Showing the Box Peek match told off camera in Episode 8 (a.k.a. The match between Jordy and Bom-Bom [?] ) Criticism 1: The ending. Jordy just dropping Box Peek in its entirety felt completely out of nowhere and unearned. When the series starts, Jordy is going to be the best box peeker out there and not once up until the ending does he show he’s losing interest, by the conclusion the Jordy/Bom-Bom match, a throwaway line Jordy could say something to the effect of, “Yeah, it was alright I guess,” as he’s being congratulated by Kozomi could plant the seed he’s getting tired of it. Criticism 2: Inconsistent importance on certain characters, mainly Tuquay and Victor. In the case of Tuquay, the more he’s shown in the series, the more I, as an audience member, am led to believe there is a payoff worth the time. If Tuquay had his episode (episode 3), and maybe one more appearance, then this criticism is moot, but with all the instances he appears (Sneaking up on the group, hiding behind the trashcan, and ultimately the off camera explanation of the end of his character arc), it feels (again) unearned. If you show the grandma making fun of him instead of just saying it, problem solved. As for Victor, he’s being presented as the main antagonist, while the BPO feels secondary. While I thought cutting Victor off was very funny, not seeing the fallout of his failure that his obsession with box peek cost him his family and freedom, it feels like, for lack of a proper term, “meh” when considering his entire arc. Criticism 3: Bom-Bom himself. As I hope you’re noticing, these criticisms are decreasing of personal importance on my list, but this is another thing that I didn’t like: Showing him in EVERY opening signature, AND making him the thumbnail, but not showing him. I know this is completely intentional, but it just didn’t feel right. And speaking of inspiring interest and intentionally disregarding it: “What the heck is a super peek?!” Criticism 4: Episode 7 (a.k.a. The “anime or Power Rangers” episode). While the episode itself doesn’t have anything wrong with it on its own, it stands out in a negative sense to me because outside of giving Kozomi a special power that she doesn’t use “on camera” until the last shot of the entire show, it does not, in any way, contribute to the overall narrative that every other episode does in some way. If the Box Peek match between Jordy and Bom-Bom was episode 7, and episode 8 was just the secretive meetings between the Fangs, Romanicellos (?), and maybe showing more of Victor’s rise to power on Bonefield Island, then everything ties together. Again, by showing Jordy v Bom-Bom, it shores up all my issues and the final product, and speaking ONLY for myself, would be tighter and a better package. But that’s just me, and my silly letdowns are my own and ultimately do not matter. Thanks for showing interest in my criticisms of Box Peek and as always, for dedicating all your time for reading and answering my questions. Have a wonderful rest of your day, may the Force be (and stay strong) with you and Merry Christmas to you and your family! Cheers! QUESTION: Do you think by experiencing Pokemon Silver as a stream with the community instead of playing at your own pace heightened the experience? And with all the language you had about Silver Squad finishing up in 2019, how do you feel about the twist itself, a decades long, oft-discussed spoiler you (thankfully) experienced naturally? Like I said in a previous post months ago: Silver Squad is a stream you could play for a LOOONG time X-)

Brandon K Gann

If you're looking for something to fill the schedule with during the holiday break, it might be cool if you do a 2 hour stream of all 10 episodes of box peek? Would be fun to watch them all back to back with twitch chat.

Missilemage

Hi, Jones. Now that you've been a father for most of the year, was it everything or more than you were expecting? What did you learn about fatherhood this year? And what is one of the best memories you've had with Milo - that you have not mentioned on camera before? Since next week will be the last CoJ of 2019, I want to wish you, Amanda, Milo, Sophie, Norbert and all of your families a very heart warming and sincere "Happy Holidays". L & R PS. Don't forget to feed Sophie and Norbert some ham and other goodies. They deserve it.

Daniel Ribeiro

Now that the Imagineering Story on Disney+ has concluded (?), what are your thoughts on Disney building another park and where would you think it would be built?

Professor Metal Gear

Did you mean Disneyland Shanghai as another park you have not visited for the answer to this week's personal comment?

Professor Metal Gear

Dear Jones & Allies, every now and then during discussions the Easy Allies say that they can’t comment on something or another because they know very little about actual game development. On the top of my head, I can’t think of an example, but it has happened so often that I started to notice it. And I started wondering, why is it that none of the Allies don’t know enough about game development to comment on it? As gaming journalists you should have some idea about this process, at least enough to comment on it, right? The same way a journalist who reports on Capitol Hill might have never helped pass a law, but is probably pretty knowledgeable about the actual processes and everyone and everything involved passing one. I’m asking this because oftentimes I’m very interested in your hot takes, but every time someone makes that remark the discussion almost immediately dies out. Of course I would understand if you would say that you’re not familiar with the development of that specific game, but that’s rarely the case. The Allies always say that they’re not familiar with game development in general and I’m just curious: why not? Love & Respect, Lieven

Lieven Hanssen

Hey I’m relatively new came on a few months ago after lurking and listening to EZA podcasts for a bit and had a quick question. As a primary podcast only listener I was wondering if there was any reason in particular that your game of the year deliberations don’t get uploaded as a podcast. Apologies if the question has been asked before love you guys and what you do keep being awesome!

Heurou