Frame Trap - Episode 35 "Pyres and Slimes"

Not gonna lie, I'm a little upset that NieR: Automata wasn't brought up once when talking about the great games of 2017. Having now beaten Persona 5, BOTW, and put a good chunk into Horizon, I think Automata is still my GOTY.

Ian, i didn't played layton's mystery but you pick the worst game to start. First thing akira tago the puzzle master died last year <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/03/16/akira-tago-professor-laytons-puzzle-master-dies-aged-90" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/03/16/akira-tago-professor-laytons-puzzle-master-dies-aged-90</a> that's why the puzzle aren't has great has the real layton games. I'm waiting for the 3ds version to test it but try the 6 others games the puzzle are great

Nice hotake. I'm in the Best buy gamers club so I can easily get new physical games for cheaper than digital stores. I get the disk, box, sometimes bonus extras (hate preorder dlc) and don't have to fill my hard drive nearly as fast. For being from the Midwest you're lucky to know of Mom and Pop stores. I live in rural Minnesota so box stores and GameStop are my only local choice. So instead if I have a chance to favor the devs over the retailers I'll do that otherwise it's all about the cheapest source.

Zugdar

.. and comrade Ian apparently ;)

comrade huber taking it to those corps.! fight the power!

Frame Trap weeks are the best weeks :-) Regarding your Germans joke, Ian. I am from Germany and even I have sometimes a hard time to understand Germans speaking English... or German.

For me it's the same as for @Chris Sleep. In the Netherlands you pay 70 Euros (82 Dollars) for a full-priced game on PSN. Those prices very rarely go down, only when PSN has a sale or something. And the internet speeds of PSN in the Netherlands is incredibly slow. Downloading a game can take hours (or days). Most of the physical stores sell physical copies for less than 70 Euros or have customer cards with which you can get good discounts. And the game stores I know here in the Netherlands don't have sales persons who are going to talk you into buying something. If there are no more physical game stores here I would have to pay a lot more for games from now on, it would take ages to download them each time I want to play them (not having unlimited HD space) and me being paranoid, I don't want to be dependent on Sony and PSN for being able to play 'my' games.

Backlog Crusader

It's funny that Ian mentioned Gameplay, since I used to work there a few years ago (roughly around the time that the b-roll footage was shot for Pach Attack. That's an old coworker buddy of mine in those shots). Working at a "mom and pop" shop definitely had its highs and lows, but what I loved about working there is being able to establish a personal rapport with customers and coworkers without having the pretense of being part of a huge corporate entity. It was great being able to really get to know people and their tastes in gaming without feeling the pressure of meeting mandated quotas. Most of the people I worked with had a passion for gaming, so we were naturally knowledgeable about what we sold, and we were honest about our thoughts about titles that came out, which was greatly appreciated by our clientele. Working retail can still be tough to remain in for too long, so I eventually had to move on, but I do miss being able to interact with gaming enthusiasts from both sides of the counter on a regular basis.

Larry DuPreez III

I can only speak to my experience but I hope physical doesn't go anywhere. Where I live, Australia, 2 things stop me from buying games digitally, cost and garbage internet speeds. Right now on the Playstation store For Honor is $99.95. Why would I pay that and wait hours for it to download when I can go to a store and buy it for $39. (I'm sure For Honor isn't the best example but I'm sure you get the idea)

p.s. Ian you implied that you've found multiple valid solutions to problem 014 Happy Family, can you elaborate on that? For the life of me I can see only one, thanks! Also Star Trek is no sun shine and rainbows some people made it out to be, for all their supposed enlighten out look, humanity have suffered a near apocalypse, only picked back up by survivors salvaging the pieces and external help, even then they've embroiled in centuries of conflicts with multiple species and internal power struggles. In a way it is more dark in its portrayal of the human condition, for without an external omnipotent force to blame for their failings, they have to reap what they've sown.

BHL

Lady Layton Mystery Journey is the worst entry point into the series, it is inferior to the professor Layton games by a wide margin in both story and quality of the puzzles, kind of a disappointing path for the series to take, and I loved Layton Brothers much more for its darker take on the Layton world.

BHL

I can't wait for the Spoiler Mode for Persona 5. It looked like Huber was about to explode from all the things he wanted to say but couldn't in this video.

I saw Valerian with 3 other people and we all had very different opinions when we walked out of that theater. I had the least favorable reaction and I honestly think it is because the movie has so much potential but it is squandered with the bad casting, awful dialogue, and unnecessary scenes. I definitely wouldn't discourage someone who is interested from seeing it, but I have absolutely no need for a re-watch. I think there is value to brick and mortar stores but not so much for games. If I am buying something and I want to be able to hold, examine, or try it before I decide to purchase, a physical store is the way to go. I don't personally need a physical store to do that with games. I'm also in the boat that I don't want to be upsold or generally talked to while I'm shopping (which is why I made a shitty salesperson when I did those jobs) so for me they don't really matter. I do appreciate being able to trade in games but I typically don't play them fast enough for this to be a cost effective strategy, buying games I want to play when I have the time usually means they'll be cheap enough that it would have been a wash and if I like a game enough I usually end up keeping the physical copy anyways. I can understand the position of digital having the potential to be wiped out by an account suspension, loss of hardware, game being delisted, ect; but physical copies can be stolen or your house could burn down so either way you have the potential to lose. I'm also at the point in my life where I am tired of the clutter of physical media. I love the games I do have but I'm just kind of sick of having them around at this point. That is my personal stance but I do think we could do without GameStop at this point since they are such a garbage company and don't have any intention of treating their employees better.

Brittany Fuller

I was going to bring up the same point! I second this!

Brittany Fuller

The problem with digital media for me is that I feel too dependent on someone (servers from a company, be it Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo) for being able to play those games. P.T. is probably a harsh example, but still. If that company decides to 'take' that game from the consumer, they are able to do it. For 'simple' and short games I don't necessarily need the physical disc, but if there is the possibility I can buy a physical copy of a game, I'm buying that. Am I being paranoid for thinking like this?

Backlog Crusader

Ben, maybe you should add Frame trap sponsor's links to the screen when you are talking about them. It will be easier for viewers.

Alexander Zyryanov

Ben, just an idea for the Frame Trap word. It would be cool editing in some frozen or glitched out frames when someone says the word. The audience would know the moment the word was spoken and still allow you to point out the word at a natural part of the conversation.

I used to work at a movie theater too, and it really did have an impact on employee morale to have to work on holidays. It's weird how consumers can show disdain for shady company policies, but encourage those policies with their buying habits.

Just for the patreon sponsor : Try to avoid "a love letter to world war 2" in your description of the game :p

Térence Caron

Ben is on the money in regards to having a physical space to talk about and be surrounded by games. It's really important- I don't really navigate online spaces that much and it's been really nice to get in a chat with a stranger at a games shop.

See You When I Get There

Not "A Song of Slime and Pyre"? :)

Unless they're cheaper indie games, I'll only buy physical games. For one I think it's absurd to pay 60 dollars for a digital title which you don't technically own, but I also like trading in games once I platinum them. So far this year I've already purchased eleven $60 AAA games and that wouldn't be possible without trading in completed ones to lower the price of newer ones. I also just like enjoying physical copies of the things I buy. I'm an avid reader too (roughly 100 books a year) and I've never read a single e-book. I like watching my physical collection grow, I love the feeling that comes with needing to expand shelf space. So yeah, I agree, brick and mortar isn't going anywhere. If anything they may just need to slightly change to find a slightly larger appeal. Though in Gamestop's case they'd probably bring more people in if they improved their image. They're notoriously bad towards their employees and in the internet age those stories spread. (Thanks Jason Schreier).

Physical Games aren't going anywhere, it's still an absolutely massive market. It'll shrink, but not disappear. There's still a market for Physical movies and there will still be a market for Physical games. Digital certainly hurt GameStop a bit, but the real recent killer for them has been Amazon and Best Buy effectively selling New Games for $48 with Amazon Prime and GCU with free Release Day shipping. They completely cannibalized a huge chunk of GameStop's business. (And Amazon is actually cannibalizing pretty much every story of every kind and it's become a significant problem according to some recent business articles.)

OMG IAN! I missed that same damn question on the drivers test out here. I was so pissed cause I read that manual thoroughly.

ZyloWolfBane

Ah man I'm glad this was posted. Currently battling a black mold allergy (I was recently exposed to some) and I'm at home struggling to breath. I feel horrid. Frame Trap always makes me happy so this is a much needed podcast tonight. Starting it ASAP.