As Activision CEO Bobby Kotick pockets an absurd $155 million for no good reason, let's look at the company being bad, and doing bad things, like a bad company.
No further criticism needed, right? Well...
2021-06-28 10:50:58 +0000 UTC View Post
This podcast is not brought to you by Snapple (yet; call us).
Games we played this week include:
EDF World Brothers (17:00)
FF7 Remake Intergrade (32:15)
Flower (39:40)
Infamous: Second Son (41:50)
News things talked about in this episode:
Marvel's Avengers bug displayed users’ IP addresses on screen while playing. (47:30)
Lost in Terra Mora is a first-person horror game on Steam. That's okay. There's hundreds of thousands of them, and this is one of them!
2021-06-23 00:49:04 +0000 UTC View Post
E3 happened, and it was a particularly mediocre one this year. Let's face it though, even when it's at its best, E3 isn't really that important or vital. It's always been guff, and always will be guff.
Rather than subject myself to the hype and lies this year, I decided to innovate a new E3 coverage style that involves watching as little E3 as possible. It was a very good ide...
2021-06-21 10:22:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi you luvverly patrons! As I type this, I'm in a hotel room with a tummy full of the metaphorical butterflies (contrary to rumors, I do not eat butterflies). I've got the nerves because after 15 months away, my rasslin' home, Ryse, is back.
I have the pleasure of broadcasting the event, at which I'll be doing my villainous doings, on my own Twitch channel at 7:30pm ET, with a pre-show hoste...
Unlike E3, these people know how to set appropriate expectations.
Games we played this week include:
Skatebird (15:30)
Final Fantasy Origin (19:15)
Tunic (26:00)
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (29:40)
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers (37:15)
Umarangi Generation (49:00)
Going Under (51:05)
Button City (54:10)
Unbeatable (54:40)
News things talked about in...
2021-06-17 21:30:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Scott Cawthon, creator of Five Nights at Freddy's, has been giving money to some of the worst people in America. While he's free to do so, I'm free to say he absolutely sucks for it.
Some have argued that contributing to the very worst Republicans around is harmless, because it's his money and he can what he wants. But when you're directly funding hateful, spiteful people who...
2021-06-14 11:31:19 +0000 UTC View Post[NOTE: For whatever prickish reason, Patreon isn't embedding the podcast today. Please find it at THIS LINK or wherever podcasts can be dredged up]
Not the ball draining we signed up for.
Games we played this week include: KeyWe (1...
2021-06-10 16:37:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Pride is never short of corporate exploitation, and every year companies compete to see who can put their foot in it the hardest.
This year, Warner Bros. offered players the chance to beat up Poison Ivy for prizes in Injustice 2. The problem with this is that Ivy is one of the very few canonically queer characters in mainstream comics.
If you don't SEE what...
2021-06-07 10:53:23 +0000 UTC View PostHey gang,
Thought I'd do another Asking Sterling here soon. If you're a new patron, basically patrons ask questions in replies to this post, and then I'll answer them in an upcoming podcast posted here. Pretty straightforward really, and maybe patronizing of me to explain.
Anyway, ask away. I shall endeavor to answer in the quite near future!
2021-06-06 22:48:36 +0000 UTC View PostHi folks! It's been a while since I did a bit of a bloggy update. How are you? I hope you are well. Thank you as always for the continued support, whether you're a patron or a viewer/sharer of the work. It is very very appreciated.
Also sorry, once again, for being bad at returning messages and whatnot. My ability to deal with correspondence, as well as other things, continues to be...
2021-06-05 15:28:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Bask in the glow of her power.
Games we played this week include:
Necromunda: Hired Gun (17:20)
Knockout City (32:10)
BioMutant (36:50)
Ghosts n Goblins Resurrection (44:10)
The Wild at Heart (51:15)
Fortnite (54:10)
Maneater (58:10)
Mass Effect 3 (59:25)
West of Dead (1:03:10)
News things talked about in this episode:
Ubisoft actually acknowledges p...
2021-06-03 19:31:31 +0000 UTC View Post
I want to like Biomutant. I really do. But I don't. Because it's not very good.
2021-06-02 12:42:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Electronic Arts wants you to give it all of your money as its business model shifts more and more to microtransactions and gambling. It's not above being positively vile in this endeavor.
EA is doing all it can to funnel its FIFA players toward one single mode - FIFA Ultimate Team, the mode that runs on loot boxes. I think we can safely call the company's reckless and predatory ...
Oh, you thought we were done with skin care?
Games we played this week include:
Psychonauts (6:15)
BioMutant (8:00)
Mass Effect 2 (28:10)
Dark Pictures Anthology - House of Ashes (35:30)
News things talked about in this episode:
Ubisoft makes wild claims regarding improvements to company culture (41:40) 2021-05-27 16:06:39 +0000 UTC View Post
The last Uwe Boll film left to do before we can move onto some hopefully better flicks, In the Name of the King 3: The Last Mission is aptly named.
It's also fittingly horrid.
2021-05-25 10:54:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Millennials are blamed for the death of many things. This is because people love to talk nonsense. Millennials didn't kill anything, they just can't afford to support the things that need money to thrive. Like themselves.
There is, however, one thing millennials did mercilessly throttle. Fun. Pure, old fashioned fun. As they fight for Pokémon cards and PS5s, let's look at th...
2021-05-24 10:38:27 +0000 UTC View Post
It's a game called Knights of Riddle. It is trying. I can at least say that.
2021-05-21 14:53:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Do not attempt the stunts performed on this show in your own home.
Games we played this week include:
Resident Evil Village (13:45)
Mass Effect Legendary Edition (22:20)
Monster Sanctuary (32:00)
Dragon Quest Builders 2 (34:00)
The Outer Worlds (35:30)
Pine (41:15)
News things talked about in this episode:
Ubisoft still hasn’t addressed the...
2021-05-20 17:36:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Join James Stephanie Sterling and Beanie Tuesday for a special celebration of a momentous milestone.
2021-05-17 12:43:00 +0000 UTC View Post
It dongs for thee.
Games we played this week include:
Resident Evil Village (05:15)
Dragon Quest Builders 2 (19:00)
Train Simulator (31:10)
Bunny Bunny Dig Dig (33:30)
Wind Waker HD (36:50)
World’s End Club (43:00)
Dex (48:00)
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (51:45)
News things talked about in this episode:
Is it porn for this banana to be naked? (56:00)<...
Resident Evil has never tasted so much like Halloween.
Resident Evil Village is a camp and schlocky delight. It's spooky, and silly, and has a lot of Resident Evil 4 in its DNA. In short, I like it. In tall, Lady Dimitrescu!
2021-05-11 14:23:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Repetition is what makes Gamer Discourse go round, and I should know - this very show has been accused of repetition since inception. It's not like the accusation is untrue.
However, is Gamer Discourse ever original? Aren't we just rehashing about five arguments over and over? I know one thing - the arguments have more cycles than Returnal.
2021-05-10 11:14:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Not to be confused with Microsoft and their exceptional line of products.
Games we played this week include:
Before I Forget (07:40)
Cadillacs & Dinosaurs (19:45)
Pokémon Snap (21:45)
Undermine (28:25)
Returnal (33:45)
Disc Creatures (45:20)
Tin Star (48:40)
News things talked about in this episode:
Epic v Apple court proceedings begin (50:30)
2021-05-06 22:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Finally! Something new and interesting for the PlayStation 5. If you have one, this curious roguelite shoot-em-up might be your cup of tea. I'm personally enjoying it a lot.
It's a tough game that has all the trappings of a permadeath run-doer with shiny next-gen graphics. Add some subtle existential horror, and you've got yourself an intriguing time... provided you can keep the gam...
2021-05-05 15:32:14 +0000 UTC View PostHey folks! Just a note to say I'll be streaming at twitch.tv/jimsterling for a couple hours! We'll start at 3pm Eastern. Not quite sure what will be on the docket, but y'know, it might be good content!
Also hoping to have some Jimpressions stuff up soon. Maybe Returnal tomorrow?
2021-05-04 16:47:49 +0000 UTC View Post
The sheer amount of money hoarded by videogame executives is astounding, especially when you're constantly told that videogames are too expensive to make.
Bobby Kotick just "halved" his pay, but is still in line to make hundreds of millions of dollars on top of the billions he has, and CD Projekt RED's five board members just gave themselves enough money to cover over 800 peo...
2021-05-03 11:59:55 +0000 UTC View Post
On the march and looking fab.
Games we played this week include:
PHOGS! (10:55)
Ballistic Ecks vs Sever (18:35)
Congo The Movie: Secret of Zinj (20:25)
The Longing (24:20)
Pathway (29:20)
Steven Seagal is the Final Option (31:50)
Road Runner Death Valley Rally (35:50)
Train Simulator (39:00)
Hypnospace Outlaw (42:00)
The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpki...
Remember that LEGO Mario with the electric eyes? Do you know this child's toy gets firmware updates?
Do you know this child's toy got an update that sold products directly to kids? While it's mostly being presented as cute, the idea of a toy calling for its brother as part of an underhanded sales pitch is just... it's just... well it's not bloody cute!
Also,...
2021-04-26 14:48:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Assess advantages afforded our arthropod associates
Games we played this week include:
Portal Reloaded (5:30)
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (13:30)
Later Alligator (18:15)
PS3 Emulation (22:35)
Princess Farmer (30:10)
Narita Boy (36:00)
Resident Evil Village Demo (38:55)
The Longing (41:35)
News things talked about in this episode:
LEGO Luigi teased in emot...