Season 2021 2021

With 2020 now safely in the rear view, we can all start dreading 2021 and its inevitable horrors. First, let's take one positive break and look back at the games of 2020 that won our hearts.

Could Fall Guys make the cut? The Last of Us Part 2? Animal Crossing? Who knows? Well, I know. So will you if you watched The Jimquisition Awards of 2020!

Everything is completely normal.

New year, new me, and an all-new Jimquisition for you to stuff down your stinkin' gullets! This week, we've packed four stories into one hot video, and I am very pleased with how an anthological Jimquisition turned out.

In today's blistering offering, we talk about the latest Cyberpunk 2077 chicanery, Grand Theft Auto IV, that new Star Wars game, and POGS! POGS POGS POGS! POGGERS!

Another normal one today! We chat about Euro Truck Simulator vaccinating itself against controversy, we say goodbye to the FCC chairman that nobody liked, and we discuss Activision making money thanks to a global pandemic.

Now I am going to brace for impact. No reason.

Also, Floridus Snake.

So there's really only one thing to talk about this week, and that's the whole mess that happened with GameStop and Wall Street. It's pretty much a perfect look at the wider problems we regularly discuss.

When the ultra wealthy find their positions challenged, they have little problem demonstrating that the free market is only free to them, and that all their shaming lectures about how you should invest are total garbage.

The whole system is a bunch of made up nonsense, designed purely to ensure the elite stay elite at everybody else's expense.

Patenting game mechanics is bad. It's bad. It's simply bad. So is Google Stadia, and we're going to talk about both Google's failings and Warner Bros. Interactive's patent hoarding.

Google ceases Stadia game development, Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System becomes WB's sole dominion, AND we get to take a look at what I've been doing in Monster Hunter lately. It's what you all tuned in for.

Love you.

People who use bots to buy up game consoles and resell them for a ridiculous markup are apparently sad that people hate them. This is funny, because they deserve to be hated.

Let's take a look at the way these opportunists portray themselves, and have some fun discussing why they're wrong, and why their view of what they do is completely pathetic.

We have three big ol' subjects for you today! After unlocking the secrets of Frog Purse, of course. After that, let's talk about Google being horrible to its Stadia developers.

As well as that, we'll talk about the responses to Nintendo Direct and Blizzconline. We wrap things up with the one you know is coming - the utter offensive nonsense spewing out of the dishonest mouths of Six Days in Fallujah's developers.

Anthem has finally been put out of its misery.

BioWare's Anthem will go down in history as a mighty example of how to fail at jumping on a bandwagon. Its development was rushed and poorly planned, its release was mediocre, and its subsequent slow death was almost pitiful.

And what's worse, all of it was predictable. Despite its high profile nature, Anthem's story isn't new. The industry is littered with the corpses of games that tried to hop on the gravy train but fell and broke their face on the tracks. Nobody in the "AAA" market ever wants to learn though.

So it is that Anthem joins such high profile disasters as Evolve and Battleborn and so many more. Just another "live service" wannabe, soon to be joined by Marvel's Avengers. Nobody learns. The dirge plays on.

On today's Jimquisition, we look at the latest nonsense from the world of live services, as Marvel's Avengers is set to be more of a grind for no reason.

On top of that, we've got a discussion on The Sinking City and legal issues surrounding both developer and publisher.

What a great video!

This week, we take ourselves a look at NFTs, and how one game developer is using an already shady concept to insult videogame artists.

Then there's the case of the unfortunately named #EAGate, and FIFA's latest scumbaggery.

You want some more? Okay, well we've also got a response to the claim Pokémon Go has "fun presents" instead of loot boxes. Ha ha ha.

With his weirdly mysterious PlayStation exclusives, Gilson B. Pontes is a legend among aficionados of terrible videogames. Sadly, it turns out he's just another bad dev with no tolerance for criticism.

After publishing a video on Gilson's latest mess, I received a copyright takedown strike. And another. And another. It soon became clear that Gilson, in retaliation for me saying his awful games are awful, was trying to kill my channel.

Obviously, he failed, but he came close. YouTube, for its part, tried to play no part. Not until the lawyers were threatened. It's only thanks to my platform and resources that this channel is still here. So let's talk about this whole sorry display.

Also, Gilson is a fraud.

In our top segment today, Gilson B. Pontes tries to strike again. While he continues to fail, YouTube apparently allows perjury to occur again and again and again without consequence.

Also, we share GameStop's solemn words, and tear into billionaire scumball Bobby Kotick. Fun!

Sony has basically given incentive for us to pirate every PlayStation game under the sun. With their decision to axe the storefronts of three systems and consign thousands of digital games to oblivion, the company has fully telegraphed its regard for entertainment software.

Whether it's PSP, PS Vita, or PS3, you might as well just download everything. At least one Sony executive would agree with you - the one so blinkered he can't even understand why you'd PLAY old games, let alone buy them.

It is morally okay to pirate all the PlayStation games you like. Sony basically loves it.

The age-old debate about easy modes has reared its ugly head again, this time due to conflicts in the streaming world. Should streamers get to play games on easier difficulties? Yes, obviously, but let's validate our own opinions in a video!

Also, Google Stadia gets a hot non-exclusive, and CaseyExplosion is here to recommend an indie game!

How does one critique a game that they literally cannot access, even after buying it? Even if other people can get into the thing, should the critic not share their absurd experience? How forgiving does one need to be for the sake of a "AAA" videogame?

Outriders, developed by People Can Fly and published by Square Enix, is unplayable. Apparently I'm lying when I say this, but it's the truth. Be it co-op or solo, I cannot start the game, and have been almost entirely unable to since it's launch.

It's so bad I need to seek a refund, much to the chagrin of people who are mad because of facts that I cannot change.

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, hello, I am back from doing my first wrestling match since 2019! How did that amazing battle go? Find out!

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 people. The way in which this money is accumulated is often corrupt in and of itself.

Meanwhile, employees are abused and underpaid. Videogames cut more corners and add more predatory economies. We're told there's not enough money, but the truth is there's MORE than enough. It's just constantly sucked out of the industry by parasites.

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.

Join James Stephanie Sterling and Beanie Tuesday for a special celebration of a momentous milestone.

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 the death of innocent enjoyments.

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 behavior evil now.

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 the problem is, you might be in line for a job at WB!

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 have coordinated attacks on LGBTQIA+ communities... you suck.

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 idea.

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...

There are mounting reports that Electronic Arts is about to announce some sort of Dead Space remake, with the leading suggestion being a reimagining of the original game.

As someone who loves Dead Space, I should be happy about this news, but my apathy is palpable. I am not interested in EA's Dead Space, not after EA drove the series into the dirt and killed the original studio.

This isn't Dead Space. This is EA's Dead Space, and even if it's good, I want nothing to do with the company's opportunism.

Nintendo announced the Switch OLED to a chorus of angry boos this past week, even though technically Nintendo didn't do anything wrong. It promised no upgrades, hyped no announcements. That didn't matter after weeks of rumors though.

So let's talk about the Switch OLED, the hype that was built up around it, and how Nintendo fans trolled themselves again.

An alleged crypto mining farm turned to out to be an alleged FIFA Coin mining farm, highlighting the ridiculousness of EA's sprawling microtransaction economy.

As players "skip the grind" in less legal ways, Electronic Arts continues a years-long struggle against the FIFA black market. It's a struggle EA deserves.

Nothing fun or funny to say this week. Just anger and sadness over an industry that remains truly screwed up and rotten to the core. Activision, Ubisoft, Insomniac, "AAA" powerhouses and small indie outfits.

It's rotten.

Pokémon Unite is sick. Aimed at children, this flimsy MOBA seeks to exploit anybody it can get its talons on with excessive monetization, including a battle pass, loot boxes, and active pay-to-win mechanics.

It is also, sadly, the natural conclusion of the track Nintendo's been on, as well as the mindset with which Pokémon was released back in the mid-90s.

God though... it's really despicable.

Activision Blizzard has been running damage control ever since stories of the company's abusive work culture exploded. Blizzard president J. Allen Brack is out, and hand-wringing contrition is in.

Be aware that Activision is only looking out for itself, and simply wants us to forget this ever happened. However, while Bobby Kotick and his unethically enriched executives remain in charge, nothing meaningful will change.

The remorseless profiteers who oversaw all this are still entrenched.

Sometimes, feedback can be just plain weird, especially when that feedback takes the form of angry protests against covering industry abuse.

A most highly requested episode, we take a look over the recent kerfuffle involving Wargaming and its tumultuous community.

World of Warships, like many free-to-play games, has only gotten more shameless with time, and its latest stunt involving loot boxes was seen as a bridge too far. There's been a community contributor walkout, and that's good to see, because loot boxes are filth.

So anyway, let's look at all that!

Ever heard of Hate Raids? You're lucky if you haven't. Hate Raids are targeted attacks on Twitch TV aimed at marginalized streamers where masses of people spam the chat with hate speech.

Lately, the Hate Raids have gone automated and it's resulted in anyone who isn't a cishet white guy getting drowned in utter vileness, yours truly included.

So let's look at that, and Twitch's stunning inactivity on the matter. With contributions from Pleasantly Twstd and Cypher of Tyr!

Steam refunds have been a source of low-key controversy over the years since their institution, especially when it comes to smaller indie games.

One such game is Summer of '58, which kicked off the old refund debate yet again. Games on Steam can be returned within two hours of purchase, and Summer of '58 is about 90 minutes long.

You can guess what happened. So once again let's dive into this issue, and see if we can't find something useful to say.

John Gibson, former CEO of Tripwire Interactive, is a lover of horrible things, especially fascistic oppression of other peoples' bodily rights.

His statement in support of Texas' recent horrific abortion ban was abhorrent and was quickly received as such. Also, both Gibson's beliefs and the beliefs espoused by his nu metal Christian band demonstrate the hypocrisy of self-styled freedom lovers.

So let's chat about that mess!

Let's please PLEASE not start calling them "AAAA" games. Having to debase ourselves and go along with "AAA" was bad enough!

Microtransactions are an accessibility issue! Apex Legends and FIFA can get praise for considering disability, but until they stop actively exploiting those with invisible disabilities, they deserve scorn in abundance.

Also, we're joined by special guest Laura Kate Dale!

eFootball 2022 is an impressively bad new direction for the formerly beloved Pro Evolution Soccer series. Konami has once again provided the world with something truly terrible to make delighted fun of.

More than that, however, it's yet another example of how so-called "AAA" publishers continue to screw up their precious "live service" games by rushing undercooked trash to market.

Oh, Konami, whatever will we do with you?

Twitch is becoming more and more of a circus lately, and the latest performance easily tops them all! The entire site leaked. The whole thing.

Utter disaster. Let's poke at it a bit.

Kotaku got itself told off by the gaming community for allegedly encouraging piracy. This is because it wrote about Metroid Dread being emulated in 4K, a news story that is news.

Meanwhile, Nintendo has made a great case for emulation by offering a premium subscription service that offers access to a selection of easily obtainable ROMs. The value just isn't there.

So, let's talk about emulation, Nintendo, and why companies need to better rather than expect us to pretend downloadable alternatives to their own storefronts don't exist.

God of War is coming to PC, and wouldn't you know it, zealous PlayStation fans are up in arms! They see betrayal, contempt, and even hate, almost as if they put far too much emotional stock in a corporation.

That stake, and the assumption that someone "deserves" exclusivity in return for their loyalty, interests me. Plus it's just funny to see overenthusiastic fans lose their minds.

It doesn't take much to get the defenders of Scott Cawthon to take their masks off and reveal the frothing hatred underneath.

Enjoy this little recap of what those who stan for the creator of Five Nights at Freddy's had to say this past week. It's quite horrible, folks!

NFTs are the latest craze, and they're horrible. A stain on the art world, a total scam, and environmentally damaging. Naturally, videogame publishers are huge fans!

As NFTs are embraced by the vile likes of Ubisoft, EA, and Square Enix, enjoy this video where I go absolutely OFF on them. I swear way more than normal, because NFTs truly are disgusting.

The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, otherwise known hilariously as Grand Theft Auto Definitive Edition, is terrible. A disaster. A most amusing circus.

Having been thoroughly review bombed, mocked on social media, and revealed to be a bug-laden mess, Rockstar's latest release has managed turned the days since launch into a real ride.

Let's take that ride right now. Strap yourselves in!

The CEO of Activision Blizzard has been outed as a truly vile creep. Yes, somehow more so than before. Oh dear.

When Ubisoft's horrific history of abuse was exposed last year, it stunned me how quickly games media moved on when it came time to review the latest Assassin's Creed guff.

Some argue game reviews and coverage of game releases are no place for reminders that said games are published by monsters. I argue they absolutely are, and that it's ridiculous how quickly some of us want to forget.

Activision Blizzard isn't going to let a massive scandal over its work culture get in the way of some good old fashioned layoffs, and it won't let human decency get in the way of making those layoffs cruel as possible.

DigiPen Institute of Technology is an incredibly influential establishment in the games industry. A college respected enough to land its students jobs on sheer reputation, DigiPen is highly regarded.

It also teaches students to accept being overworked and crunched to breaking point.

The Jimquisition has spoken with a number of DigiPen students who report feelings of mistreatment and dissatisfaction with the unprofessional and abusive way Digipen prepared them for a life in the game industry. It's a telling reflection of the industry's prevailing attitudes.

Awards are meaningless. Videogames don't deserve applause. It is, however, the end of the year, and that means trophies must be given whether we played deserving titles or not.

Join me, then, as your old pal James Stephanie Sterling lists a number of games they didn't completely hate this year. They're all at least adequate. Well, one of them's actively bad. Awards are meaningless.

The year is wrapping up, and that means the grisly business must be undertaken yet again. Ten horrible, horrible games that contributed only misery to the industry are here for your nasty edification.

From the expected to the obscure, drink in the filth as we once again scour the depths. It's garbage day!