591: The latest Xbox new + Graeme stops by

Larry Hryb: Hey everybody, my name's Larry Hyrb, Xbox Live's Major Nelson, welcome to the show this week. We've got a full gang in here. As usual, Laura's with us, hi Laura.
Laura Massey: Hello.
Larry Hryb: Nice to see you.
Laura Massey: Good to be here.
Larry Hryb: What a show it was last week right?
Laura Massey: It was a good show.
Larry Hryb: We're gonna talk about that in just a minute.
Jeff Rubenstein: You guys did a show last week?
Larry Hryb: Sitting across from you is Jeffrey, hi Jeff.
Jeff Rubenstein: Hi.
Larry Hryb: And then, you were in the- you were in the UK last week.
Jeff Rubenstein: I was, and look what I brought back with me.
Larry Hryb: And- and just, you know, he is carry-on size, Mr Graeme Boyd.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs) That's the nicest thing you've ever said about me.
Larry Hryb: Nice to see you.
Graeme Boyd: Hello.
Larry Hryb: It's nice to see you, we're here- I don't know, Graeme, I don't know if- I know you listen to the show frequently.
Graeme Boyd: Absolutely, yeah.
Larry Hryb: You know, you're alway-
Graeme Boyd: I hear you slagging me off all the time, yeah.
Larry Hryb: Well- well you are-
Laura Massey: [crosstalk 00:56]
Larry Hryb: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, well I had some annual leave, so I thought I would pop off.
Jeff Rubenstein: Oh, hey.
Larry Hryb: You're gonna just own it. That's what I love about you.
Jeff Rubenstein: Every year.
Larry Hryb: Yeah you al- you see- That's what I'm a little puzzled about, you call it annual leave, yet it happens like every two weeks. (laughs)
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: So ...
Jeff Rubenstein: I just love the eventuality, "I'd love to help you but I'm on- it's annual leave."
Larry Hryb: Yeah, I'm sorry.
Graeme Boyd: I'm not even gonna try to defend myself on this one.
Jeff Rubenstein: You know that Jeff and I, we have been talking about this for years.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Laura Massey: Maybe every week.
Jeff Rubenstein: You've been off the show, it's just-
Larry Hryb: Yeah, privately it's like-
Graeme Boyd: The only time I ever come up on the show is when you about it being a holiday.
Larry Hryb: But it's nice to see you, welcome back. Speaking of holiday, did you have a nice holiday? Because we haven't talked to you since your Christmas.
Graeme Boyd: Uh yeah, it was lovely. Yeah I had like two and a half weeks off, lots of time with my family.
Larry Hryb: Did you play some games?
Graeme Boyd: I did yeah. I got a chance to play a lot of games recently, more than I have been for a while.
Larry Hryb: Well usually, you know, we start the show with what we're playing so I'll just let you kick right into it.
Graeme Boyd: Yes, last week was a good week.
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: For getting to play lots of different things, so I guess the one I played most and took the longest time to pluck up the courage for, was Resident Evil 7.
Larry Hryb: Oh.
Laura Massey: Oh really?
Larry Hryb: How far- I want to talk about that when we get to my section, how far did you get? Without spoiling it.
Graeme Boyd: I think I'm about three hours in, so um ...
Larry Hryb: Oh boy, okay.
Graeme Boyd: Um, Mia was ... yeah, I've got to be careful with spoilers.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, right?
Graeme Boyd: She was running away from Marguerite.
Larry Hryb: Okay, enough said.
Graeme Boyd: When you're- yeah.
Larry Hryb: Have you played it Jeffrey?
Jeff Rubenstein: No, I'm trying to pluck up the courage, and falling short.
Laura Massey: I hear it is terrifying.
Larry Hryb: Have you plucked any, Laura?
Laura Massey: I have not plucked any.
Larry Hryb: Okay, we'll talk about that-
Laura Massey: I hear it's terrifying.
Larry Hryb: Okay, so you're playing Resident Evil.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, it's absolutely fantastic. So there's that, and then I got involved with some of the betas last week, so Halo Wars 2 Beta.
Laura Massey: Sweet.
Larry Hryb: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: That was good fun, I really enjoyed that actually, nice and fast, you know, the blitz mode stuff.
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: Because I haven't- I haven't really played real-time strategy for a long time. Like the original Command & Conquer was really the last time I uh-
Larry Hryb: Right, right, right.
Graeme Boyd: And I find it quite stressful. I was actually thinking about the original Command & Conquer, I don't know if you remember, there was like a glitch in it, where when you were building your base-
Larry Hryb: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: You could build sandbags around the outside of your base.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: And if you built enough sandbags, like across the map, you could actually wall in the AI.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Laura Massey: Oh.
Larry Hryb: Or wall them out.
Graeme Boyd: Or wall them out.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: And then just spend all your time building up a humongous army and then just absolutely steam rolling them. When I wasn't able to put sandbags around the AI I start to get a bit stressed out.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: But yeah, blitz kind of simplifies a lot of that stuff and I just love like, the fast pace of it and stuff, so it was good. The one thing I regret about it, is I didn't actually play it with another- like a friend, on comms. I was just sort of jumping into matches.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: But as I was playing it I was thinking, "If you're playing with someone you know, or two people you know on the same team and you're really coordinating what you're building, where you're placing it, you know, getting the high ground, that could be-"
Larry Hryb: Well that goes for any game though, I mean we see that in Overwatch.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: You know, all those types of games, yeah that's-
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, but I think if you know, when you're talking about real-time strategy and that quick thinking-
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: It adds that extra element, so yeah, so I really enjoyed that. And then the other beta was For Honor.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Graeme Boyd: Had a quick go of that as well, a quick swing at that. Um, which was a lot of fun too.
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: Because-
Larry Hryb: I got through the tutorial on that one, we'll talk about that. It was, I mean, it's a heck of a fighting game isn't it?
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: It is quite the combat.
Graeme Boyd: And I'm obsessed with vikings at the moment.
Laura Massey: Are you?
Larry Hryb: So you obviously, you didn't- you didn't choose the samurai or the knight.
Graeme Boyd: No, I went straight for the viking that was not even a choice for me.
Larry Hryb: Now tell me about that.
Laura Massey: Yes, how come you're obsessed with vikings?
Larry Hryb: Come over here.
Graeme Boyd: Well, the TV show. That's why I'm obsessed with vikings the the moment.
Laura Massey: Which one?
Graeme Boyd: Vikings.
Jeff Rubenstein: Is that on BBC One or Two?
Graeme Boyd: No, it's on the History Channel over here.
Larry Hryb: Sky?
Graeme Boyd: See this, right, this is my thing right.
Larry Hryb: Okay.
Graeme Boyd: I think Vikings is currently the most under appreciated TV show out there period.
Larry Hryb: All right so-
Graeme Boyd: And I think what's gonna happen-
Larry Hryb: Okay.
Graeme Boyd: Is that it's gonna have a bit of a Breaking Bad moment, where everyone's gonna suddenly realize how awesome it is. It's four seasons in, they've just finished the last- the like, season finale of season four. And I think everyone's gonna suddenly realize that that's the show. And everyone's gonna start watching it.
Jeff Rubenstein: So it's a drama? Or it's a documen-
Graeme Boyd: It's a historical drama, yeah. It's like based in history.
Larry Hryb: So vikings are the new thing, so I'm gonna- I'm dialing my phone right now, I'm calling uh, Rare. "Uh, gamer boss? Yeah, forget that pirate game. Vikings are where it's at."
Jeff Rubenstein: Just put the horns on them, it's kind of- exactly.
Graeme Boyd: A million miles apart.
Jeff Rubenstein: A little less Rome, but yeah.
Graeme Boyd: But, do you want to hear something bold?
Larry Hryb: Please.
Graeme Boyd: I think it's better than Game of Thrones.
Laura Massey: What?
Larry Hryb: Woah, woah.
Graeme Boyd: For real.
Jeff Rubenstein: No.
Laura Massey: Really?
Jeff Rubenstein: I can't believe you-
Larry Hryb: @AceyBongos on Twitter, let him know what you think of that.
Graeme Boyd: Don't @ me. That's better.
Larry Hryb: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: No, I'm not s-
Larry Hryb: Why?
Graeme Boyd: It's so- and you know, I should say, Game of Thrones is amazing, and I love Game of Thrones. So, I'm not saying it's rubbish and Vikings is amazing.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: But Vikings is so good because it- it has it's basis in history, for one thing.
Larry Hryb: Right, right.
Graeme Boyd: And viking culture is fascinating and bloody and brutal and, so there's amazing things there. But the narrative focus is much tighter and therefore the character development is much tighter as well. And you- they- you know, it's a sprawling story, but it doesn't feel as sort of disconnected as some of Game of Thrones does.
Larry Hryb: Really?
Graeme Boyd: Because let's be honest, there's some bits in Game of Thrones where it drifts a little bit, and you're like, "Mmm."
Larry Hryb: The story? Or ... because I don't know, I- I- I, you know what I have to watch it so I-
Jeff Rubenstein: Does it have dragons?
Larry Hryb: Well, on the ends of the-
Jeff Rubenstein: There's only one good answer here.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: No, it doesn't have dragons.
Jeff Rubenstein: Well forget it.
Larry Hryb: Now you guys, I just- I keep remembering, because we've got, obviously Game of Thrones is coming up later this year. Um, it airs in the UK Monday nights, so you have to go 24 hours in a black ... media blackout, so that you don't get spoiled, right?
Graeme Boyd: I think what they've been doing recently is they like air it simultaneously.
Larry Hryb: Oh.
Graeme Boyd: In the middle of the night in the UK.
Larry Hryb: I see.
Graeme Boyd: Then they show it again prime-time.
Larry Hryb: In prime-time, right. So it has officially aired once.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: If you want- if you've got the DVR or what have you.
Graeme Boyd: Exactly, I think that's what a lot of people do, stay up [crosstalk 06:24]
Larry Hryb: Waking up- I don't know if waking up Monday morning and having your tea and crumpets with Game of Thrones is really how you want to start your week. (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: I did actually do that one time, because we had like a public holiday on a Monday morning, and I got up and that was the first thing I thought, I was like, "Oh this is amazing, I can just like have a coffee and watch Game of Thrones."
Jeff Rubenstein: Clotted cream and clotted blood.
Graeme Boyd: Ew.
Jeff Rubenstein: Ew.
Laura Massey: Ew.
Larry Hryb: And annual holi- annual leave. There you go. (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: Um, yeah, so that was good, and I'm still mucking around with Forza Horizon 3.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, well of course.
Jeff Rubenstein: Good.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, that's what I played over Christmas a lot actually. Because Blizzard Mountain felt very uh, appropriate.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: And that game's just huge and amazing and beautiful and I just love everything that um, Playground Games do there. And then the other one we can maybe talk about later, was I got the chance to play Sea of Thieves.
Larry Hryb: Yeah let's talk about that later.
Laura Massey: So jealous.
Larry Hryb: Because I know you were up to Rare and Jeff was up-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, I was there uh [crosstalk 07:13]
Larry Hryb: So we'll talk about that later in the show.
Graeme Boyd: Okay cool. So that's it yeah.
Larry Hryb: Laura what about yourself? What are you uh, I know one of the games you're playing.
Laura Massey: Did you see me sign into Live?
Larry Hryb: Yes, yes I did.
Laura Massey: (laughs) So of course I still- I'm playing Mini Metro like constantly.
Larry Hryb: Right. Have you- are you playing this?
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Yeah okay so-
Graeme Boyd: I played it a little over Christmas, I haven't been so much lately, but I heard you talking about it, what two weeks ago in the podcast, and that put it back in mind, so may- I'm flying home today.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Laura Massey: Oh perfect.
Graeme Boyd: It'll be good for the plane, yeah.
Laura Massey: Perfect plane ride game. I finally unlocked more maps, so-
Larry Hryb: Like Amsterdam and Hong Kong and beyond right? Buenos Aires.
Laura Massey: Yes, keeping going on that it's super fun.
Larry Hryb: I don't know what-
Jeff Rubenstein: (laughs) You're just naming cities.
Larry Hryb: I'm just pulling-
Jeff Rubenstein: Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Larry Hryb: Melbourne. I know Melbourne was in there.
Laura Massey: Yeah it's in there.
Larry Hryb: That's right, that's right.
Laura Massey: And I've always picked back up on The Turing Test. Is that what you wanted me to play?
Larry Hryb: Yes. Well no that wasn't the one I- the one I was uh, referring to was you were playing, I saw you playing Overcooked.
Laura Massey: Yes, I tried that out too.
Larry Hryb: (laughs) But Turing Test, I thought you had finished that one.
Laura Massey: I have not finished it yet. I just finished third chapter, I'm probably half way through the third chapter. Am I almost done, you think?
Larry Hryb: I don't- I don't really remember.
Laura Massey: Can you remember how many chapters there were?
Larry Hryb: Yeah, I don't really remember, but it's fun puzzles though aren't they? Have you played it Graeme?
Graeme Boyd: I haven't. I feel really bad about it actually,q because I went up to see the guys at the Bulkhead who made that game.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: Just before it came out and did some video with them, and I've never actually got around to playing it.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, I finished that one, the whole thing.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Because it was just one of those things where you sit down and rip through it. Jeff did you play it at all?
Jeff Rubenstein: No, I need to pick up. It just came out on- well not just, but on Windows 10 as well.
Graeme Boyd: Oh okay.
Jeff Rubenstein: With the cheevos.
Laura Massey: Yeah, so I'm having some fun that.
Larry Hryb: Started playing that.
Laura Massey: And I also tried out Overcooked.
Larry Hryb: Yes, as we discussed.
Laura Massey: Yes.
Larry Hryb: It's so much fun.
Laura Massey: Uh, if you haven't seen this one, it's a- it's in the vein of Dine or Dash you know, on phones, but it's on Xbox and it's built to be a multiplayer game, which is to play with you and some friends on the couch.
Larry Hryb: Should we stream it sometime?
Graeme Boyd: You totally should. It's so fun.
Laura Massey: There is some opportunities for some chaos.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Laura Massey: It is definitely a team dysfunction game.
Larry Hryb: Chaos.
Laura Massey: Yes.
Larry Hryb: Okay.
Laura Massey: I tried to play it by myself and it turns out it's not that fun by yourself, because what you just do is instead of doing everything in parallel, you just do things in serial.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Laura Massey: You can swap between the different cooks, and you know go over here chop some steak, go over here fry the steak, and then switch to another chef and you know-
Larry Hryb: You know that's, you have to play it.
Laura Massey: But the game is meant for-
Larry Hryb: It's couch co-op.
Laura Massey: Couch co-op, and it's really fun.
Larry Hryb: Are you playing it at all at home?
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, I played with Fin my son-
Larry Hryb: Right.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: Quite a lot around Christmas time, and yeah, we had so much fun with it. I find it's one of those games where you can go- you know, because you're sitting next to each other on the couch, you can go from laughing hysterically about what's happening, it's so funny, to very quickly shouting at each other because the process dissolves and the kitchen goes on fire and-
Laura Massey: The kitchen's on fire.
Graeme Boyd: So it swings very quickly from you know, joy to anger.
Laura Massey: Yeah, it's probably one of the funniest moments in the game is if you let something cook to long, it'll catch on fire, and that fire will spread and spread and spread, and you have to go find the fire extinguisher and extinguish it, exactly.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: And it spirals, doesn't it? Once one thing goes wrong, it's just a downward spiral of doom but it's brilliant.
Laura Massey: Yeah, it's really fun.
Larry Hryb: Good, so that's what you're playing.
Laura Massey: Yep, that's me.
Larry Hryb: All right. Jeffrey?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, uh, so I've- I've finally broken the shackles temporarily of Overwatch. Overwatch is so good that you kind of don't want to play anything else, Larry, looking at you. Um, so-
Larry Hryb: Oh?
Jeff Rubenstein: I- I- I had couple of friends that were playing Titanfall 2, the other night, multiplayer.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Jeff Rubenstein: Now I played through the campaign when it first came out, I loved it, one of the best shooter campaigns of the generation for sure. Didn't play, since they had a beta at some point, which I played but no- no multiplayer games, so we jumped in, it is really, really good. Not that this is like a shock to anyone.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Jeff Rubenstein: But it came out in such a crowded period where it was something where it just- it- it didn't happen for me, and so we played the last few nights and it's- it's really exceptionally good. A few tweaks, a few things different from Titanfall 1, but the pilots feel like uh, it just- they know what they're doing. That team is just right on it, so Respawn, well done, we're gonna keep playing that. And with Halo Wars 2 coming out, that was one of- the original one came out when I was working somewhere else, and never really got around to playing the original.
Laura Massey: No, I played that game so much.
Larry Hryb: Which one?
Laura Massey: Halo Wars.
Jeff Rubenstein: Halo Wars, the original.
Larry Hryb: Where were you working?
Jeff Rubenstein: I wa- it was 2009, I was at Sony.
Larry Hryb: Okay. I didn't know if- no I didn't know if this was- I guess yeah, you were off the couch by then.
Jeff Rubenstein: Uh, what?
Larry Hryb: (laughs) Remember you said you had that- that bad year, you were on the couch? Whenever was that, 2005 or 6?
Jeff Rubenstein: Oh yeah, well ... (laughs)
Larry Hryb: I'm sorry.
Jeff Rubenstein: I've had a lot of bad years. (laughs)
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: Uh, but during that- yeah, it was- that was one of the games where I looked over and I was like, "Oh, that would be really cool, but I don't have time to play it, or hook up for that matter." Um, so Halo Wars Definitive Edition, I've been playing it on my Windows 10 laptop, it's really good.
Laura Massey: It is really good, I played the entire campaign and multiplayer for months.
Jeff Rubenstein: So I'm sorry I missed it, but you know what, it holds up really well, and it's pretty challenging. I'm not really good at RTS's kind of like you, like I liked- well because I played those Command & Conquer days, I liked to build up a huge base and then steam roll.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: And you kind of can't do that, you know normally, because if you take too long, they're just gonna you know, like some giant uh, you know, machine's gonna come out and just vaporize you. So there's some interesting scenarios in the campaign. So it's really pushed me to become, I think, a better player. I'm sure that when I play multiplayer in Halo Wars 2 I'll still get spanked, but it's been really fun. So definitely check that out, Halo Wars Definitive Edition. And I got back into Minecraft as well.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, I see you- I see you playing [inaudible 00:12:26]
Jeff Rubenstein: So the e- have you played with the elytra like with Fin? The elytra's the wings.
Graeme Boyd: No, we haven't been playing it much lately.
Jeff Rubenstein: So I'm sure you've played creative mode.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Jeff Rubenstein: And you can hover and you can do whatever, but there's things wings called elytra or something like that, that let you legitimately fly, not float, but like move really fast.
Graeme Boyd: In survival?
Jeff Rubenstein: In survival or in creative mode.
Graeme Boyd: Oh okay.
Jeff Rubenstein: And what you can do then, is we've been setting up like checkpoints and doing races, because you go really really fast, it's the fastest you've ever moved in Minecraft. And it really changes the game quite a bit. So it's really fun, and so I've been jumping in on that and also cashing in a few achievements on the Windows 10 edition that I hadn't gotten to before.
Last game I want to call out is Pit People.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Laura Massey: Yes.
Jeff Rubenstein: So Pit People, made by The Behemoth, you know them from Castle Crashers and BattleBlock Theater, Alien Hominid. So uh, this is a sort of like a strategy RPG, um but with like, I would say very like stripped down more basic controls. But like, a lot of character. More character than like most, most of the genre, because it's like very funny looking and I'm- you can switch your weapons out and I'm attacking my- instead of throwing daggers, one guy's throwing carrots and the other one's bashing people with a giant piece of broccoli. It's really ...
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: Sounds like Overcooked.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, yeah exactly.
Laura Massey: It does.
Jeff Rubenstein: But the narrator is really good and is constantly taunting you and um, so definitely check that out. It's in game preview right now, part of preview program, but you can get achievements from it, which uh you know some games not until they're further along. It's really good, so uh, definitely check that out.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Jeff Rubenstein: And uh, yeah, so that's what I'm playing.
Graeme Boyd: Nice. [crosstalk 14:02] Pit People.
Larry Hryb: I guess it's my turn now, aye?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Yeah. Uh, I'm- I- you know, Jeff made the slight backhanded comment about Overwatch, yes I'm playing that. I reached level 100, I have my star now.
Jeff Rubenstein: Wow, nice.
Laura Massey: Congratulations.
Graeme Boyd: Did you get any Lunar New Year's skins?
Larry Hryb: Oh, I got a bunch of them.
Graeme Boyd: Did you? I didn't get any.
Larry Hryb: I got a- I got a bunch of them. So, um-
Jeff Rubenstein: Do you want the D.Va one?
Larry Hryb: I may, I may not have spent some money to open new boxes so-
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: I spent my first money to try and get some and- and- and stuck out so-
Larry Hryb: Yeah, I got the D.Va one, I got a whole bunch of stuff there, so I'm playing that, uh, playing Candleman. Have you seen Candleman? It came out this week.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Laura Massey: No, what's that?
Larry Hryb: So you play as a candle, a man who's a candle.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: And you have to solve the puzzles as your candle burns down.
Laura Massey: Cool.
Jeff Rubenstein: What's interesting, this game was made in China. And which- so, not a of- of games that came over here are made in China, so it's one of the first to come out of like uh, some sort of program there.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Jeff Rubenstein: So it's kind of interesting.
Larry Hryb: Yep.
Jeff Rubenstein: I've been reading good things about it.
Larry Hryb: A lot of fun.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Checking that, I've been- I've been- I can't really so too much about it, but I'm in the Gwent, the Witcher cardgame pre- uh, beta, so I'm playing that, getting my Gwent on.
Laura Massey: Oh nice.
Larry Hryb: Uh, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, um, I ... A- again no spoilers, I have been playing probably, in fact I can tell you right now, I have been playing I think I want to say 15 hours.
Graeme Boyd: Woah.
Larry Hryb: Let me just double check here, I'm looking at how long I've been playing it up on the- on the Xbox app. I've been playing it about 15 hours, I got stuck at this particular boss battle with a chainsaw, that's all I'm gonna say.
Laura Massey: Oh my goodness.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: It was- it was infuriating.
Laura Massey: Oh my goodness. Are you playing it in proper Resident Evil style, with the lights turned down?
Larry Hryb: Well-
Laura Massey: All the doors shut.
Larry Hryb: No.
Graeme Boyd: Headphones on.
Laura Massey: Headphones on, yeah. (laughs)
Larry Hryb: That stuff- that stuff doesn't really scare me.
Laura Massey: It doesn't? What?
Larry Hryb: No, in fact, maybe it's because like I brought- I was playing and I brought it into the office and I was showing somebody and I had the brightness turned way up because I don't- I don't fall for any of that, I'm like, "I want to- When I walk into a room, no surprises." I want to see what's going on.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: So um, I just kind of ... Anyway, I actually, I also found the combat, and this isn't because I'm queasy, you can actually go into the options and turn the blood down.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: You can't turn it off, but you can turn it down.
Graeme Boyd: Oh, okay.
Jeff Rubenstein: All right, so it's not scary when you have the lights on in your house, you turn the brightness all the way up in the game and you turn the blood off, got it.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: Not scary at all, it's-
Laura Massey: That's how I'll play (laughs)
Larry Hryb: And then unicorns show up, it was delightful.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: So I'm playing that, uh what else am I playing? Uh, I'm playing of course, uh, the Witcher. I started the D- finally, I finished the game of course but-
Jeff Rubenstein: What'd you think?
Larry Hryb: I love the game.
Jeff Rubenstein: All right, can we talk about- I don't know maybe at the ... I want to know what ending you got. Because there's a lot of variation on the endings.
Larry Hryb: I think it's okay, the game's been out for a while, and I don't know, have you guys finished? I know Laura, you haven't.
Graeme Boyd: Not even close.
Larry Hryb: Okay, so I'll- I'll ... Do you wa- Can I say it?
Jeff Rubenstein: I-
Larry Hryb: All right, if you don't want to know, I'm gonna say it, here it is, all right?
Jeff Rubenstein: Let's give it 10 seconds right?
Larry Hryb: Okay.
Jeff Rubenstein: For station identification, on the Major Nelson Radio Network.
Larry Hryb: Please stand by. I got the ending where Ciri becomes a witcher.
Jeff Rubenstein: We got the same ending.
Larry Hryb: We did?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Where she- where he walks into a bar-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: ... and she's kinda like, she pulls up her head and-
Jeff Rubenstein: So you- did that mean you didn't take the side mission that Sigi, or whatever his name, gives you towards the end about assassinating a certain monarch of a bad country?
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: I don't think that rings true. I'll have to go back. Is there a place I can check in the game of what I did? I think- oh it does.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah. Yeah you can.
Larry Hryb: I- I don't remember.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah. Because-
Larry Hryb: Because remember, I've been playing this for about- since it came out.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: So I did some of those quests a long time ago.
Jeff Rubenstein: Well that one, that one doesn't come up until very very ... you're already in the end game, you've already started down a path that it's kind of hard to deviate at this point.
Larry Hryb: Right, right.
Jeff Rubenstein: And Sigi- Sigmund, the tall guy, bald guy that works in the bathhouse, he comes to you at some point.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Jeff Rubenstein: You can't miss it, and offers you an opportunity to do a side mission.
Larry Hryb: You're talking Dijkstra?
Jeff Rubenstein: Dijkstra. His first name is like Sigismund or something, I don't remember.
Larry Hryb: I don't know, I just know him as Dijkstra.
Jeff Rubenstein: Uh, yes. So, um, he offers you to do an assassination mission basically.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Jeff Rubenstein: And I was like yeah, I'll come back to this after the game. Turns out, that has a dramatic impact on the ending-
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Jeff Rubenstein: ... And I- I think you may have sipped it like me. I told you not to.
Larry Hryb: Yep. So anyway, uh, finished that, lot of fun um, yeah. So that's the-
Jeff Rubenstein: How's the DLC? Are you playing Blood and Wine or you playing the ...
Larry Hryb: Uh, yes. And it's very very very very ver- ... I mean you've been up to CD Projekt right? I haven't been up there.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, I went up to Warsaw, yeah.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, it's-
Graeme Boyd: Brilliant.
Larry Hryb: Those guys are just ... They- they know what they're doing so-
Graeme Boyd: That's a cool studio as well.
Larry Hryb: Is it?
Graeme Boyd: It's one of those places where you go in, you know some studios are a bit soul less actually. That's a studio you go in and you can tell that everyone loves what they're doing, like, has real passion for the game.
Larry Hryb: As if it doesn't come through in the game enough right?
Graeme Boyd: Well exactly, you have to love that game right, if you're working on some monster like that, it's humongous.
Jeff Rubenstein: That's- That's funny because I felt the same thing about Rare.
Graeme Boyd: Yes. Absolutely.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Jeff Rubenstein: When we were up there. Like, a lot of studios, like you have an image in your mind, and sometimes you walk in and it's really just people on computers, and maybe they will be like a statue or a lot of posters or whatever but ultimately, doesn't look that much different, you squint and you could be at a you know any other office.
Larry Hryb: I could be looking at an insurance office in Connecticut.
Jeff Rubenstein: Exactly, but Rare is not like that, at all. I was stunned at 2how amazing that place is.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah. Well it's in an amazing place, first of all isn't it?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: It's quite unique, and uh, you're right.
Jeff Rubenstein: I saw a lot of sheep.
Graeme Boyd: It's the perfect example. It's like, it feels magical in there.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: There's a real sense of like-
Larry Hryb: Let's talk about that, so that's kind of what I've been planning, I want to segway in, because you said you went up to play Sea of Thieves, and Jeff, you did as well right?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, yeah. Same thing.
Larry Hryb: So you guys went out, not together but like a week apart?
Graeme Boyd: Yeah I was a week earlier so-
Jeff Rubenstein: We can't be in the same room for any longer than this once or twice a year.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Laura Massey: I have to know, what are your pirate names?
Graeme Boyd: Oh, uh, so they actually, Rare gave me a pirate name.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: Yeah they gave me one too.
Laura Massey: They gave me one.
Graeme Boyd: I think mine was Man Over Boyd.
Jeff Rubenstein: That's pretty good.
Laura Massey: Oh, very good.
Larry Hryb: (laughs)
Laura Massey: Really, really good.
Jeff Rubenstein: Mine was Rum Rubenstein.
Laura Massey: Very good.
Graeme Boyd: Okay. Yeah it's fitting.
Larry Hryb: Mine- mine was- mine was Admir- mine-
Graeme Boyd: Depends how you smell.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: It's- it smells good. Rum's a good smelling liquor.
Larry Hryb: Did you get one Laura?
Laura Massey: I did.
Larry Hryb: What- what is yours?
Laura Massey: Mine is Ten Lashes Laura.
Graeme Boyd: I like that.
Larry Hryb: It's- now that's interesting.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: (laughs) Hey now.
Graeme Boyd: Why?
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: Uh, no it just is, um now it's uh- It's mine is uh, mine is Admiral Nelson.
Graeme Boyd: That's perfect isn't it?
Laura Massey: Oh very good, you got a promotion.
Larry Hryb: Right, so I got a promotion of course.
Graeme Boyd: I like that.
Larry Hryb: Anyway so tell us about, can you ... What can you tell us about what you played?
Graeme Boyd: Uh, I think we can talk about it a bit right?
Jeff Rubenstein: Uh, yeah, yeah.
Graeme Boyd: The alpha build, so they're in tech alpha phase at the moment, so they've got a-
Larry Hryb: Is it different than the beta we- that we played many many months ago? I'm sure it is.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah. Oh yeah.
Graeme Boyd: Yes.
Jeff Rubenstein: More well developed.
Larry Hryb: That was- that was fun. I didn't know that was being recorded, remember we played that?
Laura Massey: It got recorded and we didn't see it?
Jeff Rubenstein: That was so funny.
Larry Hryb: It was bizarre.
Graeme Boyd: A lot of us didn't know it was being recorded so we were lucky.
Larry Hryb: We were just, and we were just having fun. (laughs)
Laura Massey: Oh my goodness.
Graeme Boyd: Which I think, you know, I think benefited the recording.
Larry Hryb: Remember I was just standing out on the- on the front of the boat just kind of just tossing them back.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, totally.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: Well this is the thing about Sea of Thieves right, that the build that was at E3 and Gamescom last year was the same build, and actually it was- it was quite limited in what you could do right?
Larry Hryb: Sure.
Graeme Boyd: You got in with your crew of four, you'd- you could have a drink in the tavern.
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: You got in your boat, you sailed around, and you saw another boat and you had a fight.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: That was essentially it.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: But, what was amazing about it is that people within that kind of quite constrained number of things you could do, people went off and did all sorts of nonsense.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: And had like so much fun. The build that we played is the tech alpha build so they've added quests.
Jeff Rubenstein: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: Right? So you can get a treasure map-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yep.
Graeme Boyd: And you go off and find treasure, which is a lot of fun.
Laura Massey: Awesome.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, yeah it's har- fun to figure it out, yeah.
Graeme Boyd: You have to work together to like-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: ... Decode the map, find the island, navigate to the island, get on the island-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yep.
Graeme Boyd: Find the spot that the X marks, and then dig it up.
Jeff Rubenstein: And then- well and then more importantly, bring it back and then bring it back to the quartermaster or the shipwright and- and-
Larry Hryb: Oh I did- I did play that build.
Jeff Rubenstein: And that's when it gets a little harder. Yeah this was a more, it was more polished than that, so it was much smoother and actually it looked, it looked beautiful, this is a beautiful looking game.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, I noticed. Yeah.
Jeff Rubenstein: I think in this point in where it's at, I can't believe how good it looks.
Larry Hryb: I remember when we- when I was working with uh, talking to Ken Levine who worked on bio- the original Bioshock.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: I remember him telling me, I don't think we did this on the show, but I remember him telling me in a separate conversation because I'm a SCUBA diver and we were talking about water, he said at one point, I believe they had four or five artists working on just the water alone.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: Right.
Larry Hryb: So I wonder if that's the case at Rare, because that water is unbelievable.
Laura Massey: The water is amazing.
Graeme Boyd: Some good water.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, I remember Ken Levine, that he- they put out a video. This is- we're going back to like 2007, 6 at this point.
Larry Hryb: You're off the couch.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, exactly. No, no. Almost, almost.
Larry Hryb: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: I was sort of like leaning forward, uh, you gotta rock them back and forth a few times before you get up. Uh, and they did a whole like 10 minute video on the water of uh-
Larry Hryb: Bioshock.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, and- and- I was trying to think of the name of uh ...
Graeme Boyd: Rapture.
Jeff Rubenstein: Rapture, thank you.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Jeff Rubenstein: And um, it was amazing. That wa- that got me hooked on the game more than anything, and of course it's one of the greatest games of all time but-
Larry Hryb: Well, I mean I've told this story multiple times is that- the way I got hooked on it was backstage at- Peter Moore at the event we did in Barcelona, were you at that event?
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, like X06?
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: Was it?
Larry Hryb: And we backstage, I was tal- and we were getting- we were rehearsing and I was talking with Peter Moore, and he had his back to the screen and I was talking to him, and all of the ... They were just testing that trailer and I had not seen anything yet, and I was like, "Shh, Peter hold on." I hadn't seen this one and I was like, "Shh." He kept talking.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: Because I was so completely in, because I'm a SCUBA diver and I love Art Deco and the s- the swing music and I was all- I was all in, all in, in the first 30 seconds.
Jeff Rubenstein: Were you a big daddy for Halloween that year?
Larry Hryb: You know how I feel about Halloween.
Jeff Rubenstein: It's your favorite holiday, and?
Larry Hryb: A, it's not a holiday.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: It's a day, it's- and I guess it's-
Laura Massey: It is a day.
Graeme Boyd: It's a holiday for me, I always take it off.
Larry Hryb: Yeah I actually- I've actually I think for the past four years, have successfully been out of the country for Halloween every year.
Graeme Boyd: Wow.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: Anyway, uh, so you guys have-
Graeme Boyd: You know that X06 was 11 years ago?
Larry Hryb: Yeah thanks for making me feel old.
Laura Massey: Wow.
Jeff Rubenstein: How come we never go to- I want to go to Barcelona. Can you spin something out?
Larry Hryb: Sure.
Graeme Boyd: It's a good place. I got engaged in Barcelona to my wife, yeah.
Jeff Rubenstein: You did?
Laura Massey: Wow, cool.
Jeff Rubenstein: At X06?
Graeme Boyd: It wasn't at X06, no.
Larry Hryb: Was it- was it in front of the big cathedral?
Graeme Boyd: No it was on the balcony of our hotel.
Larry Hryb: Oh, brilliant.
Graeme Boyd: It was quite low key but it was nice.
Larry Hryb: That's nice.
Graeme Boyd: I think it was nice.
Jeff Rubenstein: Look, you're still married, so there's that.
Graeme Boyd: Don't ask my wife.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: It worked.
Larry Hryb: So anyways, so you guys had a good time at Rare, and you talked to Craig.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, it was great. You know the other thing they introduced in the build we played was combat, right?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yep.
Graeme Boyd: Because that was the thing I kind of missed at Gamescom.
Larry Hryb: What do you mean? We- we have combat. We have ship to ship-
Graeme Boyd: Person to person combat, weapons.
Larry Hryb: Oh, blunderbuss.
Graeme Boyd: We had a blunderbuss and a [crosstalk 23:53] pistol.
Jeff Rubenstein: And- and- a- a pistol. Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Do you have a sword?
Jeff Rubenstein: Uh, I don't think so.
Graeme Boyd: Not yet, not in what we played.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: But that was great because now you can board other pirate ships.
Larry Hryb: That's right.
Laura Massey: Take it over. (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: And actually take on the pirate one to one. And then just getting the chest, like the thing that got me, that I wasn't really expecting was that when you add in all those things, and the chests and the weapons, it introduces this real risk-reward.
Larry Hryb: Sure.
Graeme Boyd: That I hadn't really thought of before.
Jeff Rubenstein: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: So even when you land an island to try and get a chest, you're sort of like, "Should we leave our ship?"
Larry Hryb: Right, what do we do?
Jeff Rubenstein: Right it could get jacked, yeah.
Graeme Boyd: Do we need someone to guard the ship?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: Because someone, you know, another crew could come along and steal your ship and you'd be stranded in a island, once you've got the chest, you have to put it in your ship.
Larry Hryb: Right, and then-
Jeff Rubenstein: And where in the ship do you put it?
Larry Hryb: And you have to hide it.
Jeff Rubenstein: You know, do you want to make it, exactly.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: And then if you, you know remember when Gamescom and that, you would see another ship and you'd go plow in straight into battle, right? Where as now you've got a chest on your ship, you're like, "Should we?"
Jeff Rubenstein: "Did they see me?"
Larry Hryb: Because if I remember correctly, I think Craig mentioned this to me, if you have a chest and you lose your ship, it sinks.
Graeme Boyd: Mm-hmm (affirmative) absolutely.
Larry Hryb: And I think the other team can retrieve it.
Graeme Boyd: And the other team can get it, yeah.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, at the bottom of the ocean.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, so-
Laura Massey: [crosstalk 24:59] sounds great.
Graeme Boyd: You know, it's like, that prospect for s- like these amazing stories that comes out of all those, that risk-reward and that ebb and flow of how your crew behaves is brilliant.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: Like, one of the other crews in our um, play session, stole our chest-
Larry Hryb: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: Um, but there was only one of them left. So one guy had it, and he hid on this little desert island. We knew he was there, so we went and got in a new ship.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: Sailed all the way back to where he was-
Larry Hryb: Because he was stranded, he couldn't get off.
Graeme Boyd: Absolutely, he was waiting for his crew to come back.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Graeme Boyd: So, we managed to kill him and get the chest back.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: And we were like great, mission accomplished, and it was only afterwards he told us that actually, he had two chests with him. And yeah, we got ours back, but he had hidden another one.
Jeff Rubenstein: Ah.
Graeme Boyd: So when he got his crew back and they went back and got the other chest.
Larry Hryb: They got a chest.
Graeme Boyd: And we were like, "Oh if only we would have known, we could've had two chests out of that."
Larry Hryb: That's interesting.
Graeme Boyd: So that was a nice little twist in that-
Larry Hryb: Anyway, so there you go, so I'm uh, I'm ... We're looking forward to that. I don't know when we're gonna see more. Do we know when we're gonna see more of that?
Graeme Boyd: Well they, you know, you can- you can sign up for the insider program, now, through Rare's website.
Larry Hryb: Make sure we put that link in there-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, absolutely.
Graeme Boyd: SeaofTheives.com
Jeff Rubenstein: Yep.
Graeme Boyd: And they're doing tech alpha play tests now and over the next few months. And the one thing I love about what Rare's doing with Sea of Thieves is they're- they've got this amazing connection to the community.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Graeme Boyd: So they're putting out podcasts all the time, and updates and great videos-
Jeff Rubenstein: It's a very- it's very rich.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: For a game that isn't even out yet, they got a lot to talk about.
Jeff Rubenstein: Right, it's just amazing to see like, they've converted the studio like fu-
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, yeah.
Jeff Rubenstein: And- and- thi- this is, obviously they have a very rich history I'm sure ... If you've played Rare replay, you've seen, you know 30 games that go back in their- in their- in their history. But they- there was like cannons everywhere.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Jeff Rubenstein: They've really done it up to the point where I was like has it always been like this? And parts of it have, and parts of it have-
Larry Hryb: Because it's on water right?
Laura Massey: Yeah, they have a lake in the middle.
Jeff Rubenstein: There's a little [crosstalk 26:39] in the back.
Larry Hryb: There better be cannons out there.
Laura Massey: There are.
Jeff Rubenstein: There is. Oh, absolutely. Even on-
Laura Massey: On the-
Jeff Rubenstein: There's like these parallel buildings, and they have cannons like, broadside cannons like facing each other.
Laura Massey: And they have shi- what looks like ship windows.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Laura Massey: So they dress their buildings-
Larry Hryb: To look like little ships.
Laura Massey: ... like ships.
Larry Hryb: Oh that's-
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Graeme Boyd: It's- it's a strange studio because it is in a really beautiful part of England.
Larry Hryb: But completely remote.
Jeff Rubenstein: Gorgeous.
Graeme Boyd: [crosstalk 26:58] really remote.
Jeff Rubenstein: Sheep like everywhere.
Graeme Boyd: And you- and you would have no idea it was there-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yep.
Graeme Boyd: ... Because it's kind of, it's up along like, it's almost like a sort of country house drive-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Graeme Boyd: ... you have to go up to get to. And there's loads of nature and it's a beautiful place.
Jeff Rubenstein: And then there's like a gate out of nowhere and it was just like, uh please-
Graeme Boyd: A mysterious gate.
Jeff Rubenstein: Please go up, and the cab- the cabbie was like, "It'll go up, trust me, they know me."
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: And then, it did, and in I go.
Larry Hryb: Yeah I- I- I haven't been out there yet, but uh Craig keep- is- was dying to get me out there and I do need to go out there, but apparently there's a shed in the backyard out in the garden, that has a bunch of really interesting history.
Graeme Boyd: Oh.
Larry Hryb: Like Banjo-Kazooie stuff, and GoldenEye stuff, you know from over the years. So obviously the place has been fully pirate-ized, so they've stored it out there. But I'm dying to take a look at that shed.
Graeme Boyd: They've got great statues and-
Laura Massey: They do.
Graeme Boyd: You know, old merch all over the place like-
Laura Massey: And it's in their field as well, back in their recreational fields they have all the statues.
Larry Hryb: Right. Well I ... So there's sheep in the field right?
Jeff Rubenstein: There's sheep-
Graeme Boyd: Oh there's all sorts, there's sheep-
Larry Hryb: See this is what's really bizarre to me, apparently since Microsoft owns Rare and Rare has all that property, technically Microsoft owns sheep.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: Great.
Larry Hryb: Because they own the property, they own the sheep. How- what is- what is the term for a bunch of sheep? A q-
Jeff Rubenstein: A flock?
Larry Hryb: Is it a flock?
Jeff Rubenstein: I believe so, there was that Capcom game Flock and it had sheep so um, I think they're experts.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: Listen, I'm from Aberdeen, I know about sheep, trust me.
Larry Hryb: You do? Okay.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, a lot about sheep.
Larry Hryb: Too much maybe?
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: (laughs) How much is too much really?
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: Any who, we're now in a strange area, uh all right, so we're cooking along, we've kind of talked about what we've played.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: We've got some news this week, uh if you- you know, first of all I want to thank Graeme because by the time this show airs the news will have been out, two things. A, Graeme joined me on This Week on Xbox.
Laura Massey: All right.
Graeme Boyd: A dream come true.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: I must tell you, you haven't seen this yet, but they were putting together an image to promote the show, because one of the other bits of news is and let me see if I have- yeah I do have the notes here, is that Fallout Shelter is coming elusively to Xbox One and Windows 10.
Jeff Rubenstein: Really?
Laura Massey: Very cool.
Larry Hryb: Yeah we announced that on the show, and it's funny, if you watch the video Laura-
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: You know because if you played this on your iPad or your Android device, if you watch- did you see the B-roll they sent us Graeme?
Graeme Boyd: No I haven't seen it.
Larry Hryb: All, all the vault dwellers are named Larry.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: And they're just wandering around there, so they sent over this cool ... Thanks to Bethesda for that, so that's gonna be a free download, uh, watch the show for details on that. But in one of the images we were putting together to promote the show was the Fallout- with the Fallout boy and his thumbs up-
Graeme Boyd: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: And they put your face over the Fallout boy.
Graeme Boyd: Oh perfect.
Laura Massey: Oh really?
Larry Hryb: And I don't think it got approved by the powers that be, but I- maybe I'll just kind of put it out there accidentally. You've got to see this.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, well at least send it to me, I really want- wow, that sounds amazing.
Larry Hryb: I think that yeah, they were having a little bit of fun with it, so ... But anyway, but thank you for joining us on the show this week.
Graeme Boyd: Oh it was a pleasure, thank you for asking me.
Larry Hryb: A couple other pieces of news this week, we announced two- two uh, new color of Xbox wireless controllers Graeme.
Laura Massey: Oh awesome.
Graeme Boyd: Yes, love them.
Laura Massey: What colors?
Larry Hryb: These are the Ocean Shadow Special Edition Controller, which is kind of this blue gradient.
Jeff Rubenstein: Teal, it's beautiful.
Graeme Boyd: Teal, yeah.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, it's teal, it's beautiful, and there's the Winter Forces. Uh, which is kind of a you know, it's the grey-white blocky kind of camouflage-esque one.
Laura Massey: Oh okay.
Larry Hryb: So we've got uh, all those are on the show. I think I have them on this, there's this thing called Instagram, Laura do you have an Instagram?
Laura Massey: What's this Instagram you talk about?
Larry Hryb: If you check my Instagram, or as the kids called it, just Insta.
Laura Massey: Insta.
Larry Hryb: Right. How did you know that?
Laura Massey: Makes sense.
Jeff Rubenstein: Because she's a kid.
Laura Massey: No, because it's obvious.
Larry Hryb: Okay. Okay.
Jeff Rubenstein: I- you- I think it's funny. You were- you went from not understanding Instagram to being like a big Instagram you know, influencer really.
Larry Hryb: Well, I just kind of do my own thing over there. Uh-
Jeff Rubenstein: You're verified on Instagram.
Larry Hryb: Right, I am.
Laura Massey: There's a verification process?
Larry Hryb: Apparently. I don't know.
Graeme Boyd: It's got a tick.
Jeff Rubenstein: I'm gonna link to your Instagram you've got some good pho- oh, look at that keyboard.
Larry Hryb: Look at the second one in.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, oh yeah. That's uh, from Viva Pinata right?
Larry Hryb: So it's actually from right down the hall.
Graeme Boyd: Is it?
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: Because I saw that pop up the other day and I thought, "That's an amazing image." Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Yeah it's right there, I'll show you when we're done.
Laura Massey: Wait, what is this image?
Larry Hryb: It's this um, it's this Viva Pinata that's down the- it's this crazy like-
Laura Massey: It's a poster.
Larry Hryb: ... Max Fleischer-esque kind of-
Laura Massey: Is it a poster?
Larry Hryb: Yes it is.
Laura Massey: Okay. A Viva Pinata poser. I love Viva Pinata.
Larry Hryb: I will show you down the hall. But it's actually, it's actually artwork. Anyway ...
Laura Massey: Wow.
Graeme Boyd: Rare re-grammed you the other day on that one.
Larry Hryb: What, did you?
Graeme Boyd: No, Rare did.
Larry Hryb: Oh did they? I didn't know that.
Graeme Boyd: I didn't re-gram you.
Larry Hryb: You can gram me, re-gram Graeme.
Laura Massey: What's a re-gram? It's like retweet.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, like a retweet.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Anyway-
Jeff Rubenstein: Well but Graeme, but Graeme has to do it. He's the only one that can do it.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, Insta-Graeme.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: Anyway, so we have details on that, uh, we also you know, this is a big week um, here in the US because it is the Superbowl. For that other football game.
Graeme Boyd: Oh that's right.
Jeff Rubenstein: The superb owl.
Graeme Boyd: Wrong football, as I like to call it.
Larry Hryb: The wrong football?
Jeff Rubenstein: Look, there's room for both.
Larry Hryb: You can watch- you can watch the Madden Bowl at twitch.tv/madden, that's a big deal. Uh, we got the Witcher game, the- the- Gwent the card game is in, so we've got a whole bunch of stuff you can download or check out This Week on Xbox on YouTube. Gotta get it on Facebook, remember we were talking about it on Twitter?
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: It's Facebook we gotta get it on. We gotta get it on the Xbox-
Graeme Boyd: Facebook, okay. I'm taking a note.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, we gotta get it there.
Laura Massey: He literally is taking a note.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, he is, he is, he's quite-
Graeme Boyd: Mm-hmm (affirmative) Instagram stories as well.
Larry Hryb: Yeah we should do it there too.
Graeme Boyd: We were just talking about that today about doing something on there with This Week on Xbox, that would be cool.
Jeff Rubenstein: 10 seconds of Larry.
Larry Hryb: So, I don't know if we want that. Uh, but yeah, so you can go ahead and check that out, I put it in the line up square, but thank you Graeme for coming by. In fact, I may have you on the show next week ... I may have you do the show next week because I'm going to New York Jeffrey.
Jeff Rubenstein: Happy to do it, we'll have a spike in returns on Xbox one's once again.
Larry Hryb: I will uh- no.
Graeme Boyd: Can you wear another cool football jersey?
Jeff Rubenstein: I can actually, yeah. I'll go, I'll go buy one.
Graeme Boyd: That was my favorite last time you did it.
Larry Hryb: Uh, well uh ... I'm uh, gonna be in New York next week, I'll be at the Microsoft Store on Tuesday evening, we're doing a Halo Wars, kind of a pre-stream I believe.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Laura Massey: Cool.
Larry Hryb: So I'll be out there by myself, I'll have a blog post up on that, but just follow me on twitter, you can find out when I'm gonna be there. If you're in the- if you're in the tri-state area, did you have a tri-state area in Texas, Laura?
Laura Massey: Uh-uh (negative)
Larry Hryb: Oh well there's- sorry. It- it's ...
Graeme Boyd: Texas is the size of all the tri-states.
Jeff Rubenstein: There is no other states, there is only Texas.
Larry Hryb: But you know what I'm talking about when I say that right?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, oh well so- it's interesting, my tri-state area was Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Jeff Rubenstein: And then, but yours also would've had New Jersey right?
Larry Hryb: New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
Jeff Rubenstein: We're all fighting- I guess, more like South-Jersey, Princeton on down.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Anyway, so I'll be in New York at the Manhattan Microsoft Store Tuesday. I look forward to seeing you and your friends come on by, say hello.
Laura Massey: Are you all right?
Larry Hryb: No, I'm hearing some weird noise and I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's my headphones or ...
Laura Massey: Is it me?
Larry Hryb: No. I- I don't know what's going on. Anyway, we'll just keep- we'll just- we'll just soldier on gang.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: What other headlines you got there Jeffrey?
Jeff Rubenstein: Well uh, since it is a new month, it is February, Games with Gold. New Games with Gold are out. So uh, right now, uh, well as soon as you're done listening to this, download Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Around this time of year, Valentine's Day coming up, you'll tend to see stories on like, "What are the best couch co-op games of all time?" And Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime absolutely belongs on that list.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Jeff Rubenstein: I know we talked about Overcooked.
Larry Hryb: You and I played that didn't we?
Jeff Rubenstein: We did play this game.
Larry Hryb: Okay.
Jeff Rubenstein: Um, and so basically what it is, is two um, it's very cute. But like, two people are in a circular space ship and they have to rescue these little cute things and then escape. The thing is, there's two people but there's like eight or nine stations on this ship, so you can, you know, if you've got someone driving, then no one- then you need someone else to man a gun and they need their shields and then there's uh, a tractorbeam. There's all these different things, and so you really need to coordinate-
Larry Hryb: All the different stations around.
Jeff Rubenstein: Exactly, and you can't just- it- it- it's you- you have to really coordinate well. And so it's a- like I think- much like Overcooked and really any good couch co-op game, you- there's equal parts yelling and laughing.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: And so I definitely highly recommend, and since it's free I really don't feel like I have to try too hard on that one.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: And then also, Monkey Island 2.
Laura Massey: Oh.
Graeme Boyd: Oh.
Jeff Rubenstein: Is now available. Uh, that was uh, from XBLA, uh, back in the day and that one is also available for free.
Graeme Boyd: Good preparation for Sea of Thieves as well.
Jeff Rubenstein: Uh yeah, pirate themed, yes.
Graeme Boyd: And they um, when I was up there, I was actually on their podcast and they were talking about how Monkey Island ...
Jeff Rubenstein: Influenced?
Graeme Boyd: Was a big influence for them, yeah, how much they loved it, so yeah.
Larry Hryb: Good.
Jeff Rubenstein: So uh, that is ...
Larry Hryb: Those are the headlines for-
Jeff Rubenstein: Well that's the major headline, that and the controllers. And a few games came out, uh-
Larry Hryb: We've got a bunch of games.
Jeff Rubenstein: A lot of indie games coming out this time of year, like a lot.
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Jeff Rubenstein: So uh, most recently uh, Subject 13.
Larry Hryb: We talked about Candleman.
Jeff Rubenstein: Uh, Candleman, Kill The Bad Guy, and uh, Wells.
Larry Hryb: That's a creative title.
Jeff Rubenstein: Well, you know, there's room for everything, and a game called Wells, which seems to have a locomotive in it.
Larry Hryb: Wells.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: All right, we're kind of getting to where we kind of need to wrap things up because I know, you've got a flight to get onto.
Graeme Boyd: Yes.
Larry Hryb: All right so, we're gonna take a break here and do uh, Name the Game.
Laura Massey: Name the Game time?
Larry Hryb: How's that sound?
Laura Massey: Sounds great. Let's do Name the Game.
video game 1: ... I see you ... Run, run as fast as you can, can't catch me I'm the boogey man ...
Laura Massey: So that was name the game from last time, and it was, Wick.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Laura Massey: It's a good game.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Laura Massey: And the winner-
Larry Hryb: Winner.
Laura Massey: Is Adam from Ruskin, Florida.
Larry Hryb: Florida. Do you know where that is Jeffrey?
Jeff Rubenstein: Ruskin, Florida? That sounds like west coast.
Laura Massey: That sounds like near Tampa.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah. That's what-
Larry Hryb: That sounds like west coast, what is that- how do you know that?
Jeff Rubenstein: It just sounds like we- you know what, and it is.
Larry Hryb: (laughs)
Laura Massey: All right, well congratulations Adam, we appreciate your entry. Let's tell Adam what he's won.
Larry Hryb: Well, I'll let you tell him what he's won, because you're the one who cleans out my uh, my office.
Laura Massey: (laughs) Got a good load of games here for you Adam.
Larry Hryb: I don't know how you get in there to get that stuff.
Laura Massey: I'm going to give you a copy of Wick, as well as TowerFall Ascension.
Larry Hryb: Yep.
Laura Massey: And RWBY: Grimm Eclipse.
Larry Hryb: Yep.
Laura Massey: Which is a new game from Rooster Teeth.
Larry Hryb: Our friends at Rooster Teeth.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative) Also a copy of I Am Bread.
Larry Hryb: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Laura Massey: Which I do want to check out, it looks- it's actually pretty cool. And Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Laura Massey: That's a little nostalgia there, and that's not all-
Larry Hryb: Not all.
Laura Massey: The last thing is the Resident Evil 7: Biohazard season pass.
Larry Hryb: So you can have even more horror.
Graeme Boyd: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: (laughs) You have a season pass to nightmares.
Laura Massey: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: Your welcome.
Laura Massey: Your welcome, exactly.
Larry Hryb: Anyway congratulations Adam, from the west coast of Florida as Jeffrey has, is that a-
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, it's near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which is one of the most impressive bridges you could ever drive over. It's I think, the second highest bridge in the world.
Larry Hryb: That the one in Tampa right?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, it's the one that goes from like uh, Tampa to St. Pete.
Larry Hryb: Wasn't there like an accident or something where somebody went off of it or somebody plowed-
Jeff Rubenstein: Oh yeah, there was, and I'm sure it's happened more than once but it's really re- like when you see it from a distance you're like, "I ain't driving over that thing." It is, it's like a bridge to nowhere. I think there's in Europe and you might've- in France there's like a really really long bridge there.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, I've seen that one yeah.
Jeff Rubenstein: It's been on like Top Gear a million times.
Larry Hryb: Is it the length or is it the height?
Jeff Rubenstein: It's the height. In this case it's the height, although it's also really really like, several miles long.
Larry Hryb: Right.
Jeff Rubenstein: It's really impressive.
Larry Hryb: Have you been over it?
Jeff Rubenstein: Oh yeah, of course.
Larry Hryb: Okay. Well, I- okay.
Laura Massey: Okay.
Jeff Rubenstein: [inaudible 00:38:10] Come on. Uh, but yeah I think it's sec- in height, it's second only to the Golden Gate Bridge but because of just like, it's in the middle of like a very flat area, it stands out.
Graeme Boyd: Yes.
Jeff Rubenstein: It just looks like, it doesn't even look like it could be real.
Larry Hryb: Should we put a f- want to put a-
Jeff Rubenstein: You know what, I'm gonna put a little bit on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
Larry Hryb: A little Wikipedia link to that. All right, and that way Laura can get ready for her next name the game, you ready?
Laura Massey: Yes, I am ready for name the game for this week ...
video game 2: ... (grunts)
Laura Massey: So that was name the game for this week. If you too would like to win fabulous prizes, it's super easy, all you have to do is send me an email, [email protected] and cc [email protected], just tell us what game that is, super easy.
Larry Hryb: People nee- people hit us up on Twitter all the time like, "What's your email address?" And ...
Laura Massey: Right, and yeah we don't take entries over twitter.
Larry Hryb: No.
Laura Massey: Just in email, it's really hard to catalog.
Larry Hryb: We'll say hello over Twitter but it does not count as an official entry Graeme.
Laura Massey: That's right.
Larry Hryb: Keep that in mind.
Graeme Boyd: Sorry, I'll stop doing it.
Larry Hryb: Okay stop doing that, so uh, anyway.
Laura Massey: Yep, send us an email.
Larry Hryb: So good luck to everybody who uh, who can guess ... Are you looking at the- you are looking at the Wikipedia page aren't you?
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah. They film a lot of commercials on that.
Laura Massey: He's studying the bridge.
Jeff Rubenstein: Photos do it no justice, but anyway, I like bridges.
Larry Hryb: All right, good to know.
Jeff Rubenstein: Oh yeah look at this, there was a big accident, like a ship hit it in 1980, like the old one.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, yeah. Like the old one?
Graeme Boyd: It sounds like Quantum Break.
Laura Massey: Yes, it does.
Larry Hryb: All right, so we're wrapping up the show here, we got a few more minutes, Graeme do you want to share us any details on how things are going over in the UK?
Graeme Boyd: It's all going great.
Larry Hryb: Yes.
Graeme Boyd: No, we're having a good time just now you know, I think um, it's nice to come out of the craziness of-
Larry Hryb: The holiday.
Graeme Boyd: November and October of last year and try and get caught up on some games.
Larry Hryb: Now I don't know if I've- I tweeted this out and I don't know if it's the same for you, maybe it is for you Laura and Jeffrey but, as the weeks go, on my calendar is filling up more and more with meetings with the subjects line, "Scorpio."
Laura Massey: I saw that tweet.
Larry Hryb: Right? And it was, it's true, I can't say what it- Scorpio what part of it or what's involved, but I'll just say ... Is that, are you finding the same thing Graeme?
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, absolutely, I mean it's part of the reason why I'm over here this week.
Larry Hryb: It's delightful.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah it's really exciting, really exciting.
Jeff Rubenstein: See I didn't get- I started here nine day before the Xbox one launched.
Larry Hryb: Did you know that? Did you know he started nine days before the launch?
Laura Massey: I didn't know it was nine days.
Jeff Rubenstein: Nine days. Like literally I came here Monday, you do your training, day two, Larry's like, "Uh, you need to get a Amex card real quick because you need to book a flight to New York because we're going out."
Larry Hryb: We're going to launch. Well here's wh- here's why, because Jeff, when I- when we hired Jeff to join the team, and he and I were working together, um, I knew that he wasn't around for a console launch, he wasn't around for the PlayStation launch.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah, I missed PS3 by six months-
Larry Hryb: Right.
Jeff Rubenstein: ... And I left like two months before PS4.
Larry Hryb: Right so I was like, I wanted you to experience a console launch.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Because it's having that- because having that, you know when you check that box, you're like, "I've launched a console."
Jeff Rubenstein: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: I've launched a platform. Because this will- Scorpio I was counting will be my 1, 2, 3, I think fourth or fifth platform. It's a big deal.
Graeme Boyd: Wow.
Jeff Rubenstein: Well I- it's- it's really fun to be here now that we're-
Larry Hryb: Planning.
Jeff Rubenstein: ... months and months ahead of it, it's really cool.
Larry Hryb: Anyway, so it's- it's a lot of fun as-
Laura Massey: It's very exciting.
Larry Hryb: It's very exciting.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: So, I'm glad you came over Graeme.
Graeme Boyd: I'm glad I was here.
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: (laughs)
Larry Hryb: No, you had a good week.
Graeme Boyd: And thank you for asking me in.
Larry Hryb: By the way-
Graeme Boyd: We've seen each other quite a lot.
Larry Hryb: Yeah well this is the second or third time we've seen a- which is- which is not normal. Um, and so when you come back we'll have to-
Graeme Boyd: And you gave me a drive in your car the other day which was fantastic.
Larry Hryb: I was gonna actually have you drive it, but I didn't know, do you- do you- do you- if, you know, if you've ever driven an electric car and would it be okay, because it's on the different of the road and-
Graeme Boyd: I'd be- I think I'd be all right there, yeah.
Larry Hryb: Okay.
Graeme Boyd: As long as you trust me.
Larry Hryb: Well, maybe we'll jus- maybe in the parking lot to start.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, I get it.
Larry Hryb: Like drivers ed. Uh, but yeah it's uh- we've got a lot going on here as we said, we- we're, the other thing is we've got preview, uh Xbox Preview members, we're shipping that out.
Laura Massey: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Larry Hryb: We- we did that last week where we have this new concept, you have the build at home right, right Graeme?
Graeme Boyd: Yes, absolutely.
Larry Hryb: And Laura do you have it at home or ...
Laura Massey: I do.
Larry Hryb: Okay, so you're testing out with the one button to guide-
Graeme Boyd: I love that.
Larry Hryb: And we've got Beam integration, which is just stupid easy.
Laura Massey: That's great.
Larry Hryb: You just go, beam, boom you're done. I may or may not have been testing it out for my console over the past week. I can't say that, so ... Uh, so we got that coming out, we're looking forward to that releasing, we got a lot of new features there. Uh, yeah, so a lot going on there and I don't know if we have anything else, we're gonna wrap so you can go and catch your airplane.
Graeme Boyd: Yes, thank you.
Larry Hryb: Because you'll be home, you can spend Friday, are you just gonna go to work tomorrow or are you gonna stay home and sleep?
Graeme Boyd: I might take it off as annual leave tomorrow.
Larry Hryb: (laughs)
Graeme Boyd: I got a few days to burn.
Jeff Rubenstein: You're owning it.
Larry Hryb: A few more? (laughs)
Jeff Rubenstein: You know what, we make fun of you but you're the one doing it right.
Larry Hryb: Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Graeme Boyd: No, I will- I will- you know, I think I land about noon Friday, so yeah I'll catch up a little bit and then roll in into the weekend.
Larry Hryb: Yeah that's- and then are you far from the airports? No.
Graeme Boyd: 45 minutes.
Larry Hryb: Did- was it better going to the airport this time? Because I remember last time it was quite dram- remember, your car broke and there was something else?
Graeme Boyd: Yeah that was like the worst day, everything went wrong that could've. It was fine this time, it was nice and smooth so-
Larry Hryb: Now we normally don't, we normally, for obvious reasons, we really don't talk politics on this show but how's the whole Brexit thing going?
Graeme Boyd: Uh, well ... (laughs) do we need to (laughs)
Larry Hryb: Well, we've got our own issues over here.
Graeme Boyd: I wanted to come here and just think about games for an hour as an escape.
Larry Hryb: Well, we've- we've got our hands full over here, we'll just say this.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah, we're all in this together let's just say that.
Jeff Rubenstein: We're at the point where like I want to tweet something about games and I look and I'm like uh, this is not a good time for that.
Graeme Boyd: Yeah.
Larry Hryb: Yeah.
Graeme Boyd: Well that's a no, people ... people really need games.
Larry Hryb: And we're here for you.
Graeme Boyd: Possibly more than ever.
Jeff Rubenstein: They do, they do.
Larry Hryb: We are here for you, games are uh, will always be here for you. Great games. A lot of great games coming out. All right gang, we're gonna wrap it up, Graeme again, thank you so much for coming over and I wish you safe travels back to the UK and uh, enjoy your annual leave.
Graeme Boyd: Thank you. Lovely seeing you all.
Jeff Rubenstein: Yes.
Laura Massey: Great to see you Graeme.
Larry Hryb: And how can people find you on Twitter?
Graeme Boyd: @AceyBongos, and Instagram as well.
Larry Hryb: Is your- are you just Graeme on Instagram because that would be awesome.
Jeff Rubenstein: Insta Graeme, you gotta- does anyone have that?
Graeme Boyd: Should've gone for Insta Graeme shouldn't I? Yeah, I just went for AceyBongos.
Larry Hryb: Oh, that's fine. And of course you can find Jeff, he's @JeffRubenstein.
Jeff Rubenstein: That's correct.
Larry Hryb: And Laura ...
Laura Massey: @lauralollipop
Larry Hryb: Yeah, and the other two you can just follow, look at me, and you follow them, see there you go. Tah-Tah gang, we'll talk to you guys next week, buh-bye everybody.
Laura Massey: Bye.
Graeme Boyd: Bye.
Jeff Rubenstein: Bye.