Episode #52: Assassin Grandmas

AVoCADo GamesCast

https://ia601505.us.archive.org/11/items/avocadogamescast_ep52/Podcast%2052%20edit%201023581390756.mp3

Featuring:
Merve
The Kappa
Lovely Bones
PT

Editor:
The Kappa

Timestamps:

0:15 – Introductions

3:40 – What We’ve Been Playing

28:55 – Urban Open-World Games We’ve Playing

43:55 – Stories in Urban Open-World Games, Part 1

53:50 – Themes and Societal Influence, Part 1

1:14:35 – The History of the Genre

1:18:55 – Weirdness in Open-World Games

1:23:00 – Themes and Societal Influence, Part 2

1:26:30 – The Content of Open-World Games

1:31:35 – Player Freedom

1:43:05 – Stories in Urban Open-World Games, Part 2

1:46:45 – Supernatural and Sci-Fi Elements

1:52:05 – Superhero Games

2:09:05 – Sandbox Gameplay

2:11:10 – The Business of Open-World Games

2:17:00 – The Future of the Genre

2:22:45 – Concluding with Some Saints Row 2

Download Link: https://archive.org/details/avocadogamescast_ep52

Podcast header image from Sleeping Dogs.

We had severe audio issues in recording this episode. We apologize for the audio quality. Listening with headphones is advised.

Content advisory for relatively mild discussions of sexual exploitation and graphic violence throughout. Linkdump and spoiler warnings after the jump.

Introductions (0:15)

• Sleeping Dogs’ “Death by a Thousand Cuts” mission. (Sleeping Dogs Wiki on Fandom)
• The Simpsons: Hit & Run’s “Set to Kill” mission. (Source: Simpsons Hit and Run Wiki on Fandom)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ “Wrong Side of the Tracks” missions. (Souce: GTA Wiki on Fandom)

What We’ve Been Playing (3:40)

• Wikipedia article on Destiny 2.
• Clarification: The Anthem demo was released in January 2019. The game itself was released in February. (Source: Wikipedia)
• Steam store page for Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus.
• Wikipedia article on Kentucky Route Zero.
• Wikipedia article on Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
• Wikipedia article on Chaos Walking.
• Wikipedia article on Six Days in Fallujah.
• Steam store page for Final Fantasy XIV.
• Steam store page for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
• Trailer for Bloodstained showcasing visual improvements. (Source: EurogamerGermany on Youtube)

Urban Open-World Games We’ve Been Playing (28:55)

MILD SPOILERS FOR GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY AND GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SAINTS ROW 2

• Launch trailer for Judgment. (Source: PlayStation on YouTube)
• Wikipedia article on the Kabukichō neighbourhood of Tokyo.
• Steam store page for Murdered: Soul Suspect.
• Steam store page for Saints Row 2.
• Buggy Saints Row: The Musical. (Source: Cabel Sasser on YouTube)

Stories in Urban Open-World Games, Part 1 (43:55)

No links here.

Themes and Societal Influence, Part 1 (53:50)

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR WATCH_DOGS

• Wikipedia article on comedian Dave Chappelle.
• Wikipedia article on Dan Houser.
• Steam store page for Watch_Dogs.
• Steam store page for Watch_Dogs 2.

The History of the Genre (1:14:35)

• Wikipedia article on Driver 2.

Weirdness in Open-World Games (1:18:55)

MINOR SPOILERS FOR YAKUZA 0, YAKUZA KIWAMI 2, AND JUDGMENT

• Wikipedia article on the tokusatsu genre.
• Clarification: By “ring of thieves,” Merve didn’t mean a group of thieves working together, Merve meant a sequence of thieves where the last thief in the sequence was the boy’s dad. (Source: Yakuza 0 Wiki Guide on IGN)

Themes and Societal Influence, Part 2 (1:23:00)

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR YAKUZA 0

• Episode #36 of the AVoCADo GamesCast, “AussieCast 2: Electric Didgeridoo.”

The Content of Open-World Games (1:26:30)

• Steam store page for Sleeping Dogs.
• Wikipedia article on the True Crime series.
• Steam store page for L.A. Noire.
• Steam store page for Saints Row IV.
• Steam store page for Grand Theft Auto III.

Player Freedom (1:31:35)

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR DEUS EX

• Steam store page for Deus Ex.
• Wikipedia article on Silent Hill 2.

Stories in Urban Open-World Games, Part 2 (1:43:05)

• Steam store page for Grand Theft Auto IV.
• Wikipedia article on the Hitman series.
• Episode #47 of the AVoCADo GamesCast, “It Turns Out We Don’t Live in a Society,” where we discussed GTA V roleplay

Supernatural and Sci-Fi Elements (1:46:45)

• Steam store page for Deadly Premonition.
• Wikipedia article on the TV series Supernatural.
• Steam store page for Vampyr.

Superhero Games (1:52:05)

MINOR SPOILERS FOR ALL THE BATMAN: ARKHAM GAMES

• Wikipedia article on the 2018 Spider-Man video game.
• Steam store page for Batman – The Telltale Series.
• Steam store page for Lego Marvel’s Avengers.
• Wikipedia article on Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
• Steam store page for Beyond Eyes.
• List of X-Men video games. (Source: Wikipedia)
• Steam store page for Batman: Arkham Knight.
• Steam store page for Batman: Arkham Origins.

Sandbox Gameplay (2:09:05)

• Steam store page for APB Reloaded.
• Steam store page for the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod.

The Business of Open-World Games (2:11:10)

• Steam store page for Grand Theft Auto V.
• Steam store page for Crackdown 3.
• Steam store page for Agents of Mayhem.
• Steam store page for Titan Quest.

The Future of the Genre (2:17:00)

MINOR SPOILERS FOR YAKUZA KIWAMI 2 AND YAKUZA 5

• Steam store page for Cyberpunk 2077.
• Steam store page for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.
• Steam store page for Yakuza Kiwami 2.

Concluding with Some Saints Row 2 (2:22:45)

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SAINTS ROW 2

No links here.