Halloween: The Game | Pre-launch Preview

Kris 0:00

The first scene after Halloween's title sequence puts us behind Michael Meyer's eyes. It's Halloween night, 1963, and for several minutes, John Carfenter sure lets us witness the murder of a teenage girl, but he also makes us occupy the killer's perspective. And it's only when the mask is pulled away that we see the truth. The eyes we occupied through a horrendous crime belong to a six-year-old child. And that opening does so much more than shock us. It establishes the visual language of the entire film. The camera glides through Haddenfield as if it's someone watching. Michael can be distant, hiding at the edge of the frame or completely absent, and we still feel his presence moving through the neighborhood. The then low-budget film Halloween earned more than $70 million worldwide and became a blueprint generations of slashers would follow. And now nearly 50 years later, Halloween the game is returning to the first dramatic idea the film gave us. Step behind the mask and see Haddonfield through Michael's eyes. But this time, we get to decide what he does next. Halloween the Game launches digitally September 8th, with early access beginning September 4th. And before we get a controller in our hands, we want to establish what this game is, who's making it, what it takes for the 1978 film, and how it separates itself from other asymmetrical horror games. This is everything you need to know about Halloween the game. Death has come to your little town, Sheriff. Folks, I am so excited that we're finally doing what the good people have asked about for so long. We have been getting requests, I think since literally since we started this show in 2017, Binks, to cover video games. And yet, here we are now.

Binx 1:59

It's okay. We needed to wait for the right game to debut this kind of episode. And I feel like there is no better game than this one, call things considered, right?

Kris 2:07

Yeah. It was all fun and games, and so easy to say no until it was actually Michael Myers and Halloween. And then I'm like, all right, well, gotta do it. And I think this is actually a perfect time because we're coming up on now 10 years of the podcast. You know, we've done the same format this entire time, but I also think it's really an exciting time to find a little bit of change, a little bit of experimentation, try some new things. We've built an incredible community that actually loves this stuff too. And I'm really excited because when we think of like our spooky season plan of shared experiences and leaning into nostalgia, Halloween is like the epitome of nostalgia for me. And my brother, who I grew up watching horror movies with, is also pre-ordering this game while he's up in New York. And now we're gonna be able to get to enjoy this together. So this is like a perfect storm of factors.

Binx 2:57

That's sweet. That's sweet. And it's funny that you bring up the nostalgia piece because as you were saying that, I was thinking maybe the nostalgia for me isn't so much Halloween, but it is video games. I know that we've definitely shared our love of video games and how big it is in my life, right? And I play video games every freaking day. But similarly, especially with my brother, you know, that that's like who I learned video games from and such. So this is one that, although, yes, I don't I don't know much about Halloween as a whole, there's plenty that I need to learn, and I'm willing to learn, to be clear. I feel like this video game I'm really excited about because it's something that I can connect to, and maybe it'll be my own personal thing with the Halloween franchise.

Kris 3:40

So it'll be so excited that you're here to try it. And man, even as you're talking about your brother and like learning video games from him, I just gotta throw back memory to the 90s, sitting in my older brother's bedroom playing Super Mario World on his Super Nintendo. And he was probably just so sick of me and ready to get me the hell out of his room. But somehow I managed to squeak a few rounds in. And man, this is I'm so excited because I can just feel such a calm sense of joy radiating from this game. And obviously, this is a game that has a little bit of a rocky road that led up to it, not necessarily for the game itself, but the reputation of the makers and the folks involved. And you may be tuning into a lot of different podcasts or watching a lot of YouTube channels that are discussing this game. I want to be clear, we're not them. You know, we're just, well, I can't speak for Binks. I'm just a girl standing in front of Michael Myers saying, Yeah, dude, I love you. And I'll do anything and spend any amount of money for the shit you got going on.

Binx 4:45

I love that. I love that. No, but I mean, God, I agree. And I and I haven't actually consumed a lot of the other pieces of media surrounding this game. Partially because, yes, I know that the reputation maybe is warranted in some areas, and in others, it's just a matter of, I feel like sometimes we forget a game takes people, and people are doing the best they can to, you know, make a living and put something out there that people will enjoy. I mean, we're talking about people's actual careers right now, right? When it comes to something like this. And for me, fuck, I certainly couldn't make a game. I don't, I wouldn't even know where to start. And so I don't know, I can't help but feel like I'm willing and ready to give anything a shot, have a good time. It's not that serious to me personally, you know, not to say that it shouldn't be for others, right? But for me personally, I'm just ready to have a good time, play with others, enjoy. It's something that I'm familiar with as far as, you know, the story Halloween, but just in general, horror, right? And I don't know. I I don't think that it's necessarily fair for me to just be like one way or another about the reputation of the game. Just take it at face value and have a good time with it.

Kris 5:58

Yeah, far be it for me to tell you to not follow your instincts, right? I mean, I think especially when we get into some of the other games that these folks have made, I've had even my own personal experiences with those, but I feel as though what this game is setting out to do is so exciting because it's almost addressing a lot of those concerns up front. Now, there are a lot of other things that are not addressed. And again, if you are a super die-hard gamer, if you are someone who plays extremely competitively, sure, this may be like a little fun to do if you also like our podcast, but this is more for just if you're a fan and you maybe like casual gaming. But I really want to get into some of the plans that we actually have in store for what we're gonna do with this run of episodes, because we're not doing just one episode. I mean, the game's not even out yet as we record this and as we release it for the first time. We're actually going to segment this out. And it's gonna be a mix of some public episodes, it's gonna be a mix of some Patreon episodes, but it's gonna really give us a chance to explore and dive into Halloween in a really exciting way.

Binx 7:05

Yeah, I think that that's brilliant, and I'm hoping that our listeners kind of love that too, because the way I see it is, man, they've been wanting this kind of content from us for so long. Like we just want to give it to them and give them it to them in excess. And I think also what's gonna be exciting too is that we are wanting to really get into the nitty-gritty of this game and come back to it later on, let you guys know what we think about it, you know, after a certain run. And I think that's gonna be really unique. So it's not just like, yeah, we could have just done one episode about the game, but what's the fun in that? We really want to give you guys what you've been wanting. So it'll be fun.

Kris 7:41

Absolutely. And some of what we also know you've been wanting is just more togetherness in our community, period. So, one of the major things that you can look forward to, and actually part of what I was setting up and testing in the background of Summerween is actually a whole slew of live streams that we're gonna be doing. We're primarily gonna be streaming on YouTube. I'm gonna try to also multi-stream over to Twitch. My Twitch account is like ancient. It was I set it up when I was still playing Dead by Daylight and streaming with Paris. Man, I'm excited to see how it goes. I'm probably gonna get roasted like hell because again, I'm not like a gamer, gamer, gamer, and I'm not very skilled at these games, but I'm excited to just have fun. Like day one, I'm gonna be live streaming the story mode for sure.

Binx 8:27

Oh, you must. And also, don't sell yourself short. You've been killing in phasmophobia. I see you.

Kris 8:33

That's more of a puzzle. That's more of a puzzle. I can't go up and like fight things, you know what I mean?

Binx 8:38

Fair enough.

Kris 8:39

Fair enough. But in addition to that, we also have a few special episodes. Now, I mentioned that obviously we have this primer that we're doing now where we're kind of just laying the groundwork. We're gonna go break down the entire story mode, we're gonna break down the multiplayer experience, we're going to have a full episode dedicated to the characters that we see, both legacy and original characters. There's honestly just a plethora of topics. And I think when I sent Binks the breakdown of like the outline of what we have, she was like, I'm pretty sure some of this can go together. And I was like, but maybe there's just so much to say.

Binx 9:15

And you know what? Here's what I'll say about that. I'm probably most excited about the specific way that we're breaking these things down. Now that you like gave me that hindsight and and told me, like, actually, there's gonna be a lot more to talk about because we are like the polar opposites of perspective when it comes to this game and just this franchise, right? You are like the expert to me. You are the freaking expert. This is like literally tattooed on you. You know what I'm saying? You and Halloween are synonymous, literally. Oh my god, I just remembered that. Remember that lady that thought he was your son? I'll never remember it.

Kris 9:50

You know what I was just thinking about? The fact that we met at a horror trivia night and your dress is Lori Strode, and I got every fucking Halloween question right.

Binx 9:58

Exactly. Yes. So here's what I'm saying. Meanwhile, that is exactly how we met, and the gag of it all is how many movies did I see at that by the time of that trivia? What, like three, maybe? I don't even think I had seen the more recent Halloween movies by that time. I am just very beginner, I would say, in, you know, in comparison to you, of course. So we've got different perspectives here. I'm like an avid, avid gamer of not necessarily this kind of, you know, 4v1 type style, but just in general. We've got different things and you know, ways of dissecting what's to come. And I'm really looking forward to the topics and to learn, most importantly, to learn.

Kris 10:40

Hey, it's gonna be a lot of fun. All I'm saying is you were lucky I got called in as the ringer for that trivia night. But I'm excited to even learn, I think, gaming mechanics from you. Obviously, I know that you say you don't have a lot of the asymmetrical horror experience, but I think your perspective as someone who loves gaming and loves video games in particular, I cannot wait to hear your perspective on how this game comes together because even if it's not there for the ASIM, there is an entire other component of this game that I think is gonna be really valuable for. But probably the biggest thing that I'm excited for, in addition to all this good stuff, is when we get to bring our fine folks of our community together and actually have some community game nights that I'm gonna host a few times during September and October, the spooky season, where we're gonna get to match up. We're gonna get into a survivor lobby, we can get into some private matches. One of y'all can be Michael Myers because it ain't gonna be me, and we're just gonna throw down in Hattenfield.

Binx 11:34

Can't wait for you guys to absolutely destroy me. And you will hear me screaming as I'm running away. Promise you that.

Kris 11:41

If you've been listening to this podcast over the last few years and thought, I want to destroy Binks, now's your chance.

Binx 11:47

You can get back at me for my crazy hacks, let's put it that way.

Kris 11:51

I love that's the direction you took that. Well, let's go ahead and move on into the idea of Halloween the game. Because listen, I feel like I've dreamt of something like this coming true for so long. And every single time I saw another horror game, I thought, man, just give me my boy Michael. But there's a sense of danger that comes with that, right? Having it all is not always as good as getting it all. And we're in this moment now where we think back to a film that really pioneered the genre and now it's being adapted to a video game. And there's a lot of give and take with that. What's perhaps really exciting in a horror movie is you have someone who seems to just walk everywhere, but is always everywhere and is never rushed, is never running around, looking stressed. But a game has to make a physical mechanic for that to achieve the same result and still not look incredibly hokey. So I'm curious, Binx, when you hear about like Halloween just becoming a video game, even before you looked into all the materials that we had announced, what were your thoughts?

Binx 13:03

Well, I agree with you. I was just really curious about how they were gonna go about it and just what the style was, right? Because at face value, Halloween turned into a video game. I couldn't help but feel like maybe it was actually gonna be like an RPG because, or first person, even, right? Where you are really the character and embodied in that tension because you are being hunted into an extent, right? You're being stalked, is really the word I want to use, because that's what reminds me of Michael Myers, this idea of this ominous figure, the shape just in corners and looming somewhere nearby. And I feel like that's something that would be achieved really well as an RPG, especially first person. I I think that psychologically, when you're in a playing a first person game, you are really like in it in a different way. So asymmetrical style was a little bit surprising, was a little bit surprising. I think that there is still probability there where you can still have that tension and make it a little bit scary. But yeah, my first impression was definitely thinking like, okay, they're gonna go a traditional, maybe even like the more recent Resident Evil games, or you know, even Silent Hill is also doing this, like a little bit more of the very dark, you can barely fucking see what's on the screen. You better turn off every light in your house type shit, right? So really get that tension going.

Kris 14:30

Yeah, man, you're right. I think an RPG angle would be a really smart way to play this. And I'm excited to see that we get almost like a little bit of both here. But I need you to know, Binks, that as someone who is not afraid to throw down any hard-earned money on anything Halloween related, I need you to know I've been hurt. There have been so many flavors of Michael Myers that come through in video games. When Dead by Daylight originally came out, I didn't buy it until the Halloween chapter released. And you know what Michael Myers looks like in Dead by Daylight, or what he looked like before. I mean, he's no longer sellable, but if you own him, you can still play as him. He looks terrible. His mask is not cute. I know that there's always jokes about like shirtless Myers and everybody getting a little thirsty after him, but he just looks kind of goofy. He never got adapted. And even when they remastered, you know, the entire Haddonfield map, and even when you see what Lori Strode looks like in there, they never got Michael right. And there was another game that I tried that was like a mix of horror icons and like celebrity deathmatch and mortal combat. It was called the the I believe it was called the Terror Dome. And it was something that I like legitimately downloaded a virtual PC for just to be able to play this because I wanted to play something that looked like Michael Myers. I have invested so much emotionally in this dream of one day having Halloween. But what scared me about this initially was knowing fuck, you can really mess this up. Even the films themselves don't always have Michael even look quite that right. Obviously, in the day of Gordon Green trilogy that we got most recently, he looked a lot better. But this is like a very, very thin ice to skate upon. But what was encouraging to me was seeing the team behind it and knowing that the rights holders for Halloween are actually fully involved and John Carpenter's involved. The original actor who portrays Michael Myers, Nick Castle, is involved. So there's a lot that goes into this that that really shows they're trying to be as faithful to the source material as possible. Now I think for me, what makes this a danger I don't want to play Michael Myers. I do in a way, but I don't want to compete as Michael Myers because I I don't feel like I can live up to this idea of Michael Myers in my head. I'm not skilled enough in that gameplay, but the idea of surviving Michael Myers, holy shit. My brother and I were texting the other day, and he said, the second I turn a quarter and see that motherfucker, it's on.

Binx 17:16

On site? Like that? On the man.

Kris 17:19

On site. He's like, it's just the joy of surrendering to a killer who's always scared the shit out of you.

Binx 17:26

Yeah. No, I I'm with you because I think that's really special and a very unique thing for mega fans of a franchise. I could only compare it to like God. I mean, I guess like if I was playing Resident Evil, well, I'm playing Resident Evil 2 remake as an example, and right now I'm being chased by Mr. X, the tyrant, who like basically chases you halfway through the game at this point. And it's exciting because I remember being a kid and seeing that, or just like iterations of what tyrants look like, and or even like Nemesis in the Resident Evil franchise. And so in this case, I equate it to like you can't help but project yourself as these other characters that you're going to be playing and thinking I need to now survive them, or rather, need to survive this night, need to warn other people, need to survive Michael Myers and the way that I feel when I'm watching the movie, thinking that I'm Lori Strode, right? Or what have you. So that's that's really cool. But to give you another perspective, it's funny you bring all this up because I think me not having like been as big of a fan of Halloween or just not have having consumed it like you did, I'm actually most excited to play him. Because to me, it's more like I'm ready to be this motherfucker and chase around people. I'm ready to well, not even chase. I mean, he chases in a very unique and slow-paced way, very deliberate.

Kris 18:49

Yeah, for me, Michael Myers is on a pedestal and for being he's like, yeah, I'm gonna try this fucker on super size.

Binx 18:55

Oh yeah. Exactly. Actually, exactly.

Kris 18:59

I would never buy a Michael Myers costume because I know that none of it will ever look perfect. Like, I I just cannot do that. I would never I I tried once buying a Michael Myers mask and I was dissatisfied with it. So, in that same vein, I don't really want to play Michael Myers outside of the story mode because I know that I'm not gonna live up to him, I'm not gonna do him justice. But I love your confidence, Binx.

Binx 19:22

That's beautiful. That's beautiful.

Kris 19:24

Yeah. Now, as I mentioned, there is quite the team behind this game. And while the main author of the game is Ilphonic, they're also partnered with Compass International Pictures and Further Front, who share and hold the rights for Halloween. And then Gun Interactive is the really interesting thing that actually caused, I think, the biggest concern because of their long checkered past with horror asim games. But they are only publishing the game, they're only supporting with the publishing.

Binx 19:58

Okay, so it sounds like it's not necessarily their game, right? So Ilphonic and Gun, they've previously worked together on Friday the 13th of the game, and Illphonic has other licensed multiplayer works. They've did Predator Hunting Grounds, they did Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed, you know, they did Killer Clowns from the Outer Space. Okay. So pretty pretty good names, I would say, right?

Kris 20:24

They did a lot. They did a lot. I don't know if you particularly have any experience with any of these games at all.

Binx 20:31

I haven't played them. I've watched a video of the Killer Clowns from Outer Space one, though, which is fun. It looks fun. I I just again haven't played it.

Kris 20:40

I downloaded Friday the 13th, sucked at it, but I also joined the party way too late when everybody was already good at it, and it didn't feel very beginner-friendly. I needed friends or family to be in a lobby with so I could like try to learn how to play. And then Killer Clowns from Outer Space, I downloaded it the day that it launched. I didn't play it until long after it got imagined.

Binx 21:03

Well, the other one, as far as gun goes, that we need to call out is they published the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And although I am a huge fan, I actually never ended up playing this game. I watched gameplay of it. Something told me, I don't know, something told me I don't want to say don't bother, but kind of told me don't bother.

Kris 21:26

What I appreciate about Texas Chainsaw is while I'm not a fan of the films, that game was pretty fucking great in terms of like fidelity. Again, it's just the horror asym of it all. So you play as the family or you play as the victims and you have to try to escape the map, etc. I actually, funny enough, my nephew just earlier went and played a few rounds of Killer Clowns from Outer Space because somehow those servers are not completely dead and some They he found one person to play with. And then the Texas Chainsaw Massacre still has some lobbies live. It takes a little while for sure. But I played Texas Chainsaw a lot when it came out, and I played with Paris a lot as well. And it was the first time where I had fun playing a killer in a game. Because even in Dead by Daylight, I mean survivor. I can't really, I'm not very effective with the killer perspective.

Binx 22:26

But you see, this is a perfect example of what we were talking about, right? Where like you had no problem probably being Leatherface because to you, it's like, okay, yeah, maybe I'm not the biggest fan of the movies, but I can appreciate it for what it is, etc. Whereas for me, it's not so much that I have Leatherface on a high pedestal, but it's more like I love this franchise and these movies, especially like the original, a little too much. So I just would find it strange to see it played out in this kind of game structure that I'm not familiar with. That's the other part to it, too, right? Where I think I was a little bit too intimidated to even bother. So something in my gut was like, maybe this isn't for you, Queen. Maybe it isn't for you. Whereas I feel so differently about Halloween, I feel like this game, something about it is a little bit more inviting. I think, in truth, it's kind of because I've learned so much about Halloween through you and being on this pod that I feel more comfortable and less intimidated and scared to try something new. But yeah, something about this game in particular, I was like, uh, maybe I'll just stick to the movies and stick in my lane.

Kris 23:27

You know, nothing says safety like the warm embrace of Michael's arms or his hands around your neck. But the thing about Texas Chainsaw is, and actually, even with some of the other properties, these are games that sold a big promise and looked really good. And I think Ilphonic has a pre-I would say a stronger reputation here. But Gun really alienated its fan base, and that was a problem. There was a lot of promises that never got delivered. You look back on Friday the 13th, and everything that was promised seemed to be going great until the lawsuit hit and they had to stop work on everything. But Gun promised a lot for Texas Chainsaw, was slow to release updates, some really minor bugs, never really got fixed. And even some of the developer Q ⁇ A's and streams really turned fans off with even just their commentary and the way they handled things. So I think this big question that's looming over Halloween the game specifically is sure, it looks great, but is it gonna last? Is it gonna be around in a few months? Is it gonna be around after a year? And are you willing to trust them again?

Binx 24:42

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, and you can't blame that, right? I think when you hear the history that we've covered, right, between across all of these games, you can't you can't help but have a little bit of that caution. And it would be such a shame to see something like this happen to another mega slasher franchise. I mean, well, at this point, they've already done Friday the 13th to an extent, right? We've seen that play out. We've seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre play out. Halloween is is really next, is what I would have predicted to be next, right? So I think that there is reasonable caution to to be had, but I think it's very important that we had distinguished guns specifically, is just publishing, you know? It's not, they're not playing the same kind of role in this that they have with Texas Chainsaw Massacre specifically in their regard.

Kris 25:38

Yeah, I think that's why I'm a little bit more open to it. And I think what also you know is encouraging is Ilphonic has the first full year in roadmap built out. Now, how they announced everything, not necessarily, but what they share is there are imminent plans that are all just based on demand. So if this game does well, sells well, has uh long legs in terms of its fan base and folks who are keeping the game alive in lobbies, then if there is demand, there will be supply. And listen, I can hyperfixate with the best of them. And while I've not been a big gamer in the past, you're damn sure I'm gonna be fucking firing this game up every night after work. I will be one trying to keep the lights on for these folks.

Binx 26:27

I mean, I I would be so shocked if you weren't. If there's gonna be one person in that lobby left, it better be you.

Kris 26:35

Yeah, if there, if there are no Halloween the game players left, it's because I have expired from this earth. But here's the other thing that's encouraging a lot of these games are sold and were built on the ASIM element of it, on the online multiplayer element of it. And what I appreciate about what Ilphonic has done, along with the rights holder's Halloween, is establish a single player story mode. Being you get to live the night he came home. And it's not just living the night he came home, it's playing it through his perspective, it's it's filling in the blanks. You switch away from Michael Myers so many times in that movie, and the things we know he did, we now get to see how he did them. I am so stoked for this.

Binx 27:34

Yes, yes, yes, yes. And I gotta tell you, again, probably a big reason why I subconsciously am gravitating towards this. I'm super excited to play it because again, this aversion, this intimidation that I've had with ASIM games, right? It doesn't have to be the case here because I have options. I think it's brilliant that they're providing access to every kind of player. Because think about it. I think also you mentioned it a little bit earlier, right? Sometimes with some of these games, I can't help but feel like, you know, many, maybe you get shy and you're just joining a lobby with strangers and maybe you feel intimidated, you know, maybe you just don't know how to like make friends online in that way or play. You don't know who you're gonna run into. It can make you feel uncomfortable, let's be honest. So I think if you don't have other people that are into these kinds of games to like make up a lobby, you're not too sure what to do at that point, right? So I like that there are options here, not only story mode, but also an offline option. Like you've got things that you can do and interact in this game more than once as well. So that's always exciting.

Kris 28:41

I cannot stress enough how important what you just said is, Banks, because I love Phasmophobia. I'm a chicken shit in playing phasmophobia alone. I don't want to do that alone. That's a lot, it's also how many trips you gotta make going back and forth to the truck, not dog. But what holds me back from playing phasmophobia more is the small group that I've kind of clicked up with are all scattered across Central Mountain Time and the West Coast. And so if I want to play randomly in the afternoon, I have to hop into a lobby and hope it's not a bunch of 12-year-olds. So the multiplayer aspect of something, for especially as introverted and antisocial as I am, for sure it holds me back, but I cannot wait to be able to just unwind, unplug, and just enjoy my favorite film of all time in deeper context, in deeper detail. And I'm really excited because this story mode is actually broken out into six chapters, and it's even going to be narrated by Dr. Loomis. And I know I did not have great things to say about the guy who plays Dr. Loomis in the Halloween kills, like interstitial, but this guy sounds great.

SPEAKER_02 29:58

He also looks great.

Binx 30:02

Oh, I think it's brilliant the way that they are integrating like pieces of the film in this way. Chef's kiss. Truly, truly chef's kiss.

Kris 30:18

Now, obviously, the story mode isn't the only thing here. We do have the whole multiplayer component. And if you're not familiar with asymmetrical play, it's essentially you and a few other people hopping into a lobby at the same time from wherever the hell you are, and you're trying to work through objectives to reach a conclusion. Now, on one hand, like you think about Dead by Daylight, the killer's only objective is to kill all the survivors. And the survivors are trying to power up generators or trying to escape their map. But in Halloween, they're doing it just a little bit different, which I find really exciting. Being you get to not only interact with each other, so you're not just a civilian trying to counter Michael Myers, but you're also trying to save other people in Haddonfield. There are NPCs around the map, and you have a bigger job than just escaping, because escaping you can be done in a couple minutes. And for Michael, you're not just trying to kill the live players in the game, you also are being given targets and you're getting to have more bloodbath. You're trying to have a bigger bloodbath in Haddonfield.

Binx 31:31

That is incredible. Incredible. Because I mean, when we're talking about how this is the movie, we're really like meaning it. You know what I mean? From different aspects. So you feel like the sense of responsibility if you're one of the civilians and then you're roaming around Haddonfield, like trying to warn people. I mean, very Laurie Strode, very like, oh shit, the onus is on me to save people. But then as far as Michael goes, I love that there's these special targets because it also, from a gameplay perspective, it's not open world too much where it's like, okay, where do I even start and feel overwhelmed by that? But there is like some incentive to not only focus on just getting the lobby, but also these special targets as well, which I appreciate. It makes for a more compelling time.

Kris 32:22

Yeah, and just a basic level of etiquette that I'm actually really excited about because one of the biggest like pain in the asses when you're trying to play Texas Chainsaw Massacre is only one person can claim a character. You can't have multiple characters in the same lobby, which I can appreciate narratively. Like, I don't want there to be two leatherfaces, that's crazy work. But also, what if I want to be Leatherface? And I just like didn't select and hit this button fast enough, it sucks. So you have people who miss out on playing their favorite characters. But in this game, while there is only one Michael, you're gonna be able to customize your Michaels not only just with cosmetics and skills and perks, but as a survivor, you get to queue up as the same survivor if you want. So if you all want to be Rachel, if you all want to go back and yeah, be Marcus, you can all do that and then still have your own variants and customizations, very similar to how Dead by Daylight does.

Binx 33:21

That's awesome. I mean, it's also kind of neat because then you can, of course, like customize to what you need, you know, have your own like personal touch to this game. Yeah, I I love that you're able to actually like make it your own from each gameplay versus like the standard character design, and that's where you're locked in. Because I feel like there could be some repetition in that, you kind of get bored of that same element to it. Whereas this keeps the game dynamic, so that's fun.

Kris 33:48

Yeah, and I think the other aspect here that I really love about the multiplayer experience, you can't kill the boogeyman. You can fight back, but you can't kill him. You can try to detain him if there are enough cops, but you can't kill him. And that is just so thrilling to me. I am so pumped for that because I think even in Dead by Daylight, I'm not very good at the game. I can like hold my own, but the game is less fun when there's just a bully squad clowning on one killer. It just takes the fun out of it for me. So I'm excited that there's a lot built into this game to mitigate that, but also give you different objectives knowing that you can't kill him. He will power up, he will be able to dominate you, and you're still had you still have like a bigger point to the whole match. I I'm just I feel like this is just so well thought out.

Binx 34:41

And I feel like another thing that I typically am curious about again, from a unfamiliar standpoint, but just from someone who just plays games in which you are trying to survive, right? Survival games. And I think that searching for weapons, right, using distractions, like there's a level of strategy here that I think you need to have, which I do appreciate for these ASIM type games, whether it's Dead by Daylight or any of these other ones, right? You need to kind of be one step ahead from both perspectives, which is neat. And so I feel like they've they're definitely considering that part as well. So that way you are, again, always on your toes. You're always trying to think, okay, what items and escape routes can I typically take, or, you know, am I making too much noise that would maybe help Michael locate me? And then again, being Michael, you need to be aware, right, of those kinds of things. Everyone is on edge when they're in this lobby, and I think that that's nice.

Kris 35:33

100%. Michael even has mechanics like shape, shape jump and shape dash that really depend on being in darkness and out of line of sight. And what's really cool is that for survivors, the camera, you cannot look behind you. Like in Dead by Daylight, you can turn or move the camera around and look all directions, but the the characters can only see in their periphery and in front of them. You can't actually turn around to see what's going on back there, which gives Michael Myers so much room to pull off the shape jump, the shape dash. You may see some gameplay videos and clips where he looks like a little spooky ghost walking around, but it's all just like a fictional mechanic to serve the same effect that he achieved in the movie, which is really exciting. And I think one other aspect that I love about this, cue times suck. Dead by Daylight got to a really good space where you can cue up as a killer, and there's gonna be a long wait, so you can play arounds as a survivor. But what Halloween the game is doing is you can actually queue up in either a role preference, so you can say, Okay, I want to play killer, or I want to play survivor, or I don't have a preference, just put me in anything. As you complete matches, you're going to earn killer tokens so that when you do want to queue up as Michael as a killer, you can expend killer tokens to lower your wait time, which again, we'll see how all of that works together once the game is actually in our hands and released. But what it sounds like to me is a brilliant way to incentivize just survivor matches, period. And hopefully they're capped. I really hope they're capped, and that you can't just like bankroll a million tokens at once because it's gonna create more access for people to be able to take the stab at this shape if they want.

Binx 37:23

I think that that's really brilliant as far as getting ahead of what the demand is going to look like from either perspective. And man, I better start saving up those tokens when I start playing because who knows? I mean, I I definitely don't want to kind of stick to one. I need to challenge myself and be either both a survivor and Michael, right? But that's a neat way to kind of make sure that you are incentivizing the player, the players, us, right, to consider Q times because man, no one wants to wait that long. At that point, a few minutes, I would be like, all right, I'm on to the next game.

Kris 38:00

Mm-hmm. It's true. It's true. Now, another thing that I'm really excited about is how this game actually brings the entire world of Haddonfield to life. And we actually have a few different maps that we're gonna start the game with that really shows us, I think the the in the entire first film in a whole new light.

Binx 38:19

I think that that's incredible. Again, the accuracy and the detail here is Chef's Kiss. That is without question. I think for the maps, I mean, we've got three multiplayer maps, right? We've got Haddonfield Heights, which is real nice. We have Haddonfield Town Center, which is real cute. I will definitely be hiding behind multiple cars, I'll tell you that much. And then we have Orange Grove Estates, which is essential, folks. I mean, essential stuff here. Orange Grove contains like the multiple the playable recreations of the Wallace and oil houses, which is fun. I think it adds definitely some new locations, but I mean, you get a mi a little bit of a mix of both, which is nice, but to your point from much earlier, you are so in love with this movie, and you get to actually be in these spaces. That's so cool. That's really freaking cool.

Kris 39:19

Binx, I cannot emphasize enough how excited I am to play in the Wallace house, to play in the Doyle house, to go into Nichols Hardware. I actually would you play through the story mode, you're also gonna see the Rabbit and Red Lounge. You're going to go to Phelps garage where he gets the suit. There are so many key spots and places in this map, in this entire game, that is gonna feel like such a great callback. And I'm really excited because we're going to do a really deep comparison on the maps to the original film in one of our episodes that we're gonna have on Patreon. It's gonna be so exciting.

Binx 40:01

Oh, yeah, we're gonna get into it. And I think that that's gonna be really fun, even for me to revisit some of these movies as we're playing the game, just to kind of I'm I'm committed. I want to like fully immerse myself. And I think that it's gonna be nice the interactions, both from either perspective, but both from a super fan like yourself, from someone who's, you know, maybe a little bit more aware, seen a couple movies, maybe someone who's brand new to this. We have to entertain that there's probably someone who's just watched Halloween and is just buying this game for the first time because they love these kinds of you know, ASIM games. So I'm really excited to hear different perspectives and how they're interacting with these maps.

Kris 40:40

So far, which map are you most excited for?

Binx 40:44

Honestly, I have to say the estates, the Orange Grove estates. But so the reason is though, is that I think the idea of being in a map of of houses, I think is like really terrifying because that could be any suburb I could, you know, maybe walk a block or two, right? But I feel like just being in the suburb community is something that we can relate to. And I feel like it makes it a little bit more tense. Maybe these houses aren't gonna look like ours in Miami, of course, but I don't know. I can I can picture myself there. I can project myself there and think, okay, I need to hide behind these fences. I have to hide behind, you know, this little car. I have to, I don't know. And and I also would say that it the suburbs and the like the homes themselves, to me personally, that is what I connect Michael Myers to the most. When I think of Halloween and I think of Michael Myers, I think of those bushes and I think of him peering around the corner of a suburb. I think of trick-or-treating in the suburbs and his presence and and this like ominous tone that he provides. So that's just mine personally.

Kris 41:54

I don't even know how I can narrow it down, but I am so excited that they even have Lloyd Schrode's house in here. I'm excited to walk into the Myers house. And what kills me, Binks, is in games like Dead by Daylight, I am not skilled in looping killers or playing through that kind of stuff, largely because I am someone who does not remember geography very well. I'm not I'm kind of directionally challenged in real life too, but I'm excited to go into these games in these houses and see how well I can navigate them just from memory of the movie and watching it a million times. Because I am also certain that there's some component to RNG here, certain objects will be in certain places, etc. But if I'm able to navigate the Wallace house, for example, that we spend so much time in in the third act, I think that's gonna be really significant, and I cannot wait to see that come to life. But the the fidelity and just how closely they match is mind-blowing. Like they have really pulled out all the stops here, and I cannot wait to do a side-by-side comparison from stills from the movie to stills of the game. It's going to be so satisfying. And we mean listen, you even have the spot where Annie gets stuck into her trying to do her laundry and and wash the butter out. I just I cannot be more excited for this.

Binx 43:23

It's gonna feel so cool. Like, there is no more immersive game than this, as far as a like horror fan experience.

Kris 43:31

When they redid the Hadden Fill Map and Dead by Daylight, and you get to go out to some of the like sheds behind the houses, you had to really squint your eyes just right and say, hmm, maybe this is what it was like in the in the in the Wallace house. But no, you're straight up there now, and I cannot wait to go see what the Myers house looks like. But obviously, places are only one component of this game, and places aren't any good if you don't have people. To breathe life into them. So I am beyond excited. And I know I keep saying that a lot. I'm like fucking passionate about this game at this point. We are going to get so many civilians at launch. We have several original characters, and we also have four reimagined versions of Bob, Linda, Annie, and even Lori Strode. One of the controversies here. And I don't think it's that controversial, but people have their opinions. How upset are you that they don't use the likeness of the actors?

Binx 44:42

Guys, I me personally, I'm I'm okay with it though. But am I really the person to ask? I don't know. I I feel like well, here's my thing. I feel that way about the development of games long term, right? And I think we have to be realistic with ourselves in terms of like these people are older. And intellectual property is a thing. And the likeness in the faces of these people, I can't believe I'm gonna say it this way, but it's just really the fact when you're a celebrity, it costs money. And so some of these people, looking at you, Jamie Lee Curtis, costs a pretty penny if you wanted to put their face on something. And quite frankly, they have every right to be like, no. I'm not to say that that's probably what happened here, right? But I'm just saying it's literally their face. And so I think we got to be practical here. What would you rather have? And I would rather have the budget and the money in spaces that makes this game good versus spending it on the rights to use the likeness of somebody's face and it sacrifice all the gameplay or whatever the other components would be.

Kris 45:53

Yeah, I completely see that. For me, I wasn't even thinking about the budget aspect of it. I feel, and this comes after watching so many iterations of Halloween, I feel like I am at peace knowing that Lori Strode is forever preserved in my mind as the perfect iteration in 1978, and Jamie Lee Curtis has been my Lori. I'm at peace with that, and I can let that go. I am excited to now have a game that doesn't rely on the attachment to her face. If it means setting up and welcoming in an entire new generation of players with something new to latch onto, and also what if this sets up an incredibly new universe of media for Halloween? I'm good with it. I think what they needed to do was get the vibe and the essence right, and I think they 100% it did. These characters look phenomenal. And again, we're gonna do a much deeper exploration of all these characters in a separate episode over on Patreon. But one of these characters is also voiced by an actor who appeared in Rob Zombies Halloween.

SPEAKER_02 47:08

Where's Sean? He'd be so happy. Wouldn't he?

Binx 47:12

He would. Wouldn't he be so thrilled?

Kris 47:14

He would. Now perhaps the most important character that you have to get right in Halloween is Michael Myers. And I was nervous about this. Obviously, in Halloween Kills, when they had the 1978 flashback, he looked great, he walked great, it went really well. But how does that translate to a video game? Well, we have a shared performance of motion capture, and I feel like I I just in my soul want a drum roll. We have stunt performer TJ Storm, and then we also have the man, the myth, the legend, Nick Castle. And I am so elated that we have him back in the saddle one more round as Michael Myers.

Binx 48:04

What a time. I mean, listen, sometimes we have to sacrifice a few things here and there. If it's Jamie Lee Curtis's likeness, boy, I think we're gonna be all right. Because to have Nick Castle back, that's really cool. There is no more authentic of an experience than literally the guy. What? This is awesome. And I gotta say, stop motion or sorry, motion capture. Motion capture has gone a long fucking way in gaming. You know what I mean? Timing is everything. And I think it's so cool that we have Nick Castle kind of taking on this role in a very different way, quite literally in costume in a different way, right? And we've got this incredible stump performer to really give us an authentic experience again that's going to feel extremely real because the technology is there as well. Like, could this have been maybe as great 10 years ago? Well, just about. I mean, we've seen some really good motion capture games 10 about six years ago for sure, but it's it's timing is everything. And right now we are seeing a lot of great work with motion picture and in motion pictures and with stop motion gaming. So I think that it's gonna be really, really cool to see.

Kris 49:22

100%. And what's even more encouraging is that you can see there's like such a great joy and chemistry between the two of them. The Halloween the game website and their official like news blog has a full interview with Nick Castle talking about returning to Halloween and doing the motion capture for it. He has a great thing to read there. We'll try to link a description in the episode show notes here. But this is just such a sign of good faith because you can slap a decent-looking mask on anyone, but if the movement isn't right, if the stride, if the gate isn't genuinely the shape, then you've got it all wrong. Now, walking is only one means of conveyance in this game. But one of the huge questions that surround the original 1978 Halloween is who the hell taught Michael to drive and move over Grand Theft Auto 6. We got some news here. Not only will civilians have to repair vehicles and try to use vehicles to escape, not only will civilians be able to ride bikes, but Michael Myers, and we should have known this for story mode. Michael Myers can also drive.

Binx 50:44

I don't think that picture. Oh no, no, no. I'm telling you, that picture right there that you're seeing on screen is crazy work. He is driving down I-95. That's nuts.

SPEAKER_03 50:57

Making my way downtown, walking fast.

Binx 51:05

It's crazy. What would he have playing? Is he Apple Music or Spotify? These are the questions we need to be asking, folks.

Kris 51:13

Oh, he didn't have M radio.

Binx 51:16

Oof. Oh, that's right. The time, the era.

Kris 51:18

Yeah, no, he's an FM radio. If it was modern day. Lori is Apple Music, Annie is Spotify.

Binx 51:25

I can agree with that. Yeah, that's actually really good.

Kris 51:29

It's really good. If you know, you know, don't at me. That's what it is. But obviously, driving as a mechanic is exciting. This is not GTA 6, although there is literally Grand Theft Auto in the Halloween movie and game, apparently. But this is just one of many skills. And as I mentioned earlier, you're going to be able to customize your character, whether that be Michael or that be Survivor. And there's going to be like a role system for perks and skill upgrades. So you can really have a level of nuance and make your Rachel different than every other Rachel, make your Lori different from every other Lori that you actually play in the game, which I honestly find really exciting. This is I what I hear is similar to what happened in Friday the 13th. But again, I didn't make it far enough in Friday the 13th to have a have an experience with that.

Binx 52:27

I think that for me, when I'm playing just like my regular like RPG games, like The Last of Us, right, as an example, I really look forward to like collecting things or or again, the strategy of it all to up my character skill level or in those kinds of games, like weaponry and stuff like that, like whether you need to upgrade your weapons. All of that stuff I think is so fun because it's all strategy to win, right? And to take you further. I like that there are elements here of the same thing where, again, like we talked about, you're making it your own, you're projecting yourself onto this game in a very singular, unique way. So I'm really looking forward to that too. Just like, who am I gonna be and what are they going to specifically look like?

SPEAKER_02 53:18

That's the question, Binks. Who do you think you're gonna main? Who do you think you're gonna be?

Binx 53:24

Man, gosh. Well, I don't want to be basic and say Lori, but I wanna at least start and try. I want I want to. I want to start and try. Well, and here's why. I think that it is very well known on this podcast that I certainly would not survive a day nor an hour in these kinds of scenarios, actually. So my chance to be a final girl, I'm gonna take it.

Kris 53:53

Wow, I love that. I am also not gonna be Lori. I'm not gonna be Lori, I'm not gonna be Michael. I don't think I'm actually gonna be any of the legacy characters. I'm pretty sure. Because again, this is my fucking psychoanalysis moment. I adore and have these characters on a pedestal so fucking highly that I can't even imagine existing as one of them. I instead want to be Marcus Navarro. I think I have, I mean, I'll see what his gameplay is actually like, but this is what I also do. I just try to pick a hot guy in a game and play him.

Binx 54:26

I mean, he is hot. Yeah, I don't blame you.

Kris 54:28

And I don't blame you. And Paris may also be downloading this game and joining us for some streams. If she does, she's gonna be the hottest bitch in the game. I can guarantee you.

Binx 54:37

Always.

Kris 54:38

Of course.

Binx 54:40

No, it doesn't. I mean, I believe that with my whole heart. A thousand percent, because she's a smart genius. I mean, to be clear, if this wasn't my opportunity to be a final girl, I too would be the hottest bitch on the game. I of course.

Kris 54:55

To be clear, I mean, these girls have final girl energy. Actually, two of the three of them do, one of them doesn't, but we'll talk about that in the characters episode.

Binx 55:05

Certainly, certainly will.

Kris 55:08

Now, one of the things that's really cool is getting into this game, the level of customization and the adjustment to some cosmetics. So, for civilians, you're gonna be able to do a few things. You can change their hair options, you can unlock and equip various 1970s inspired clothing pieces. Like, we actually have some Hadden Field varsity jackets, casual wear, etc. Lori Strode actually there's advanced access depending on which version you order of the game, but she has her final girl look, which is her outfit at the beginning of the game, at the end of the game, and then there's another variant of that outfit where there's the bloody scar going down her arm, so that's really exciting. You can add hats, glasses, you can adjust your makeup, small details like blemishes, band-aids, etc. So listen, they're gonna be looking good. And even Michael himself has a few different cosmetics. What you actually see right now is Phantom Myers, who is actually an exclusive if you pre-order the game.

Binx 56:12

I am so glad I pre-ordered because he looks creepy. I need it.

Kris 56:18

And there's more versions of Michael, which we'll get to in just a minute, but feast your eyes on some of the cosmetics and some of the looks here because damn, they look great. They look so good. I am going to be spending such a stupid amount of money on playing this game. And again, I think a lot of these things you can actually unlock just through progression and even just through story mode, but I'm gonna I'm gonna be thrown down for sure.

Binx 56:46

Listen, you almost took me out with that first fit. I mean, it can't be denied, guys. These outfits are great, they feel just so authentic, you know. Like it's also incredible graphics here, as far as you know, a game like this one, I'm loving like the the creases and the costuming. I look at that cheerleading outfit. Come on, it's gonna be amazing. I'm gonna be everybody, I'm gonna have every outfit.

Kris 57:15

Oh, yeah. I cannot wait to see how you actually fare here. But I want to mention a couple of the exclusives. So if you see here, we have the standard edition pre-order. So just a pre-order gets you Phantom Michael. That's that. But if you did the digital deluxe Bings, did you do the digital deluxe? Sure did. Well, you get even hotter people because you have Phantom Myers, you have inmate Myers with a blurred face and a hospital gown, which is really exciting because they don't want you to see what Michael Myers actually looks like. You have Richard as an exclusive civilian, Alexis as an exclusive civilian. I'll give you a closer look here, and then you have Lori's Final Girl Cosmetic, which is again that bloody wound on the left arm. But you also get a digital edition of the digital of the Halloween the game comic that is made alongside this game.

Binx 58:14

They are giving you a lot for a pre-order. I appreciate that.

Kris 58:18

Mm-hmm. They sure are giving you a lot. Look at these two. I might main him actually. He might be my number two. Paris would absolutely be Alexis, I'm sure. Uh yeah.

Binx 58:30

Yeah. That's a fucking fit. I would wear. Well, no, I don't have first of all, enough boobs for that. And B, enough confidence.

Kris 58:40

Maybe your Halloween costume?

Binx 58:45

You know, it could be. That belt right there is super like popular again. This whole fit, it's incredible. Incredible. Oh wow, this is great. This is a really good, and I I wanna say I also love the commitment to Lori with the cut on the arm. Because again, as we mentioned earlier, I was dressed up as her when we met, and I really did want to do that cut on the outfit, but I gotta be honest, I I kind of needed to return that outfit immediately after buying it. So sorry, that's just my truth. But I really wanted to like that's that is uh Chef's Kiss commitment to the bit, design, and authenticity that I appreciate.

Kris 59:34

Also, Lori looks fucking great. She looks phenomenal in this game, and I know she's not Jamie. For sure, she's not Jamie, but she looks really good.

Binx 59:45

But she does. I almost feel like, to be honest with you, with the again looking at the graphics and just like how it would look, I fear that she would have looked really bad if they had even tried to make it look like Jamie. You know what I'm saying? You mentioned this earlier about how they had done Michael earlier in Dead by Daylight, right? When they had done that. I have a strong feeling like that it would have been something like that. You try too hard to capture that likeness, it's gonna come off wrong. You're better off with a fresh slate.

Kris 1:00:18

Absolutely. In fact, my nephew's one request for this episode was please talk about how hot Lori is. Yeah, she's pretty hot. Okay, but there's another edition that you can pre-order. And actually, you probably can't pre-order it anymore at this time unless some miracle happens and they open up more availability. But that was the limited collector's edition. So, with this, you have exclusive lenticular art, an exclusive poster, an exclusive shape jump variant, six-inch figure from Trick or Treat Studios, iconic. You have the collector's box, the physical game. There's more surprises, you actually get the physical copy of the comic book. You have civilian cosmetics, advanced access, you don't have to try to grind and unlock them. And then for Michael Myers, you get a Sawin, Sam Hain, Clowns, and Clown Skin. Fucking exciting, terrific, Binks. I paid too much money for this game, and I bought it like three times. I was gonna say, please tell me that you bought this. I almost didn't get to because when this came out, when the news broke, I was at work, and when I logged in, everybody was sold out except GameStop. I got a pre-order in with GameStop. Every day I check my email and check my order status just to make sure they're not catfishing me.

Binx 1:01:49

GameStop for the win. Also, listen, at least me, I can say confidently with my full chest, physical media for the win. I love this. I love this. This is so freaking cool. The clown skins, come on, that is terrifying.

Kris 1:02:08

The fact you get to have adult Michael wear Kid Michael's costume, I love it so much.

Binx 1:02:17

It is so cool. That is so cool. It's quirky, it's it's kind of like silly, but I love it. I'm just picturing it already. That clown little costume, that Sam Haym costume, just also just walking around, just stalking. I also shout out to this six-inch figure, too, because that's gonna be real sick in the collection.

Kris 1:02:39

Mm-hmm. Binx, I need to get an identical one of these shelves systems that I have, because I still have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen NECA figures in boxes that I haven't unboxed yet and put up. Some of them are Michael Myers. So my plan for this season, a little extra content. Maybe this is what I can do on Twitch or YouTube. We'll see. Is actually unboxing my NECA figures, and one of them will be the unboxing of the shape jump variant, Michael. Because you know what? Yeah, I am gonna take it out of the box and I am gonna enjoy it.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:18

Hell yeah. You deserve it. Mm-hmm.

Kris 1:03:21

Yeah, love it. I can't believe I bought this game so many fucking times. Jesus. Okay. Well, we have a lot to look forward to, Binx, and I'm so excited about it. But one of the things that we really have to do here is just take put a put a flag in the ground and make some predictions. Binx, what do you think this game's greatest strength is going to be? And I have my answer if you want to cook for a second.

Binx 1:03:50

Okay, yeah. What's yours? I have to I have to decide actually.

Kris 1:03:54

I want to be clear that this is not the only strength. But for me, what will keep this game going so much longer, and at least it gives me a lot of replayability, it's that single player story mode. Because there's multiple endings, there are multiple options. You can try different objectives and challenges. You're gonna be able to unlock so many different things. I 100% can see myself continuing to pick up that story mode uh month after month, maybe not back to back to back. I'm gonna dabble in some multiplayer. But I think that's gonna be one of the things that saves this game in comparison to some of its predecessors.

Binx 1:04:39

Yeah. Yeah, I have to agree because I think from my perspective, it's more like I like that I can dip my toes at my own pace, very low pressure, right? I'm not diving into the deep end of getting into a pool where, you know, there's several people that have played these ASIM games and know it like the back of their hand. And sure, they still need to kind of, you know, get their bearings with this particular game, but there's definitely some transferable skills, obviously, and some things that are pretty across the board across all of them, right? In terms of the mechanics. So I think that for me, I like that I can just kind of take this on my own pace. But that being said, I do like, aside from the story mode, I think its greatest strength is the customizations of everything of these characters, both legacy and, you know, again, these new characters that you get to play, because you get to tell your own story in a way as you are playing in this queue, right? Or if you are playing with legacy characters, you're reliving the actual authentic film experience. There are several different ways to go about playing this game, even from the ASIM standpoint. So I'm looking forward to what that's gonna feel like for me. Because I feel like as I'm making it a little bit more my own, I'll feel a little bit more confident to come back to it and keep playing, get my other friends that maybe don't really like consume Halloween as a franchise very often, but like these kinds of games, encourage them to join me in a lobby. Like, let's low pressure. We don't need to be perfect, but let's just have a good time and roam around Haddonfield. Like, how much more fun can that be?

Kris 1:06:23

Ooh, okay. Man, I'm I'm curious to see who you end up shacking up with in a lobby. That's gonna be interesting.

Binx 1:06:31

I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I'm gonna start pitching it to everyone I know that at least has picked up a controller in the last like month. If I can get my brother to play this game, that would be wild, but I'm gonna try.

Kris 1:06:44

Wait, wait. What that's on a sentence. How about you and your brother meet me and my brother in a lobby?

Binx 1:06:51

Yes. Us and our older brothers. That's that's a that's a cue.

Kris 1:06:56

That's a whole fucking episode, I think. Yeah. Okay. So when it's all said and done, if this game is not a success, what do you predict will have been its greatest weakness?

Binx 1:07:11

That's a good question. I mean, to be honest with you, I think that they really did a good job about this whole Q system and using the tokens because I I could only imagine, and this is coming from a place of where I don't play these games often, but I could only presume that sometimes with these games, I mean, even with Phasmophobia, I suppose, like it's the waiting, it's the feeling like it's not instant access to the game itself, right? That is resolved with this story mode, sure. But I feel like with this game and its biggest selling point being that it is a 4v1 type of situation, you want to be able to play with other people. And if you're always like in a queue waiting to play a particular character or waiting to kind of be Michael or whatnot, and you're just waiting around, that can just be a little bit of a buzzkill. So I like the system. I hope that it really like pans out. You talked about like, you know, having a cap on things as well. Like, I think that it sounds great. I hope in practice it pans out. Because I can't help but feel a little bit curious as to why that system hasn't been implemented in other ASIM games thus far for these studios, but we'll see.

Kris 1:08:25

What I appreciate about Elephonic is I think they're really taking the time to think through the roadblocks and the hurdles and trying to come up with new innovative solutions to match long-standing issues that have played these games in the past. I want to be very clear. I don't really have any concerns about what this game's weakness will be. I think they have had so many aspects of this game very well considered and thought out. I feel like any concern or problem I had has already been addressed. I think if this game ends up not being a success, it's going to have come down to perhaps responsiveness to the community and stopping long-term support. That's my prediction. If they and I don't think that this will be the case, but if they go the way of Killer Clowns, if they go the way of Texas Chainsaw, and again, this isn't Guns game, but they are involved, so let's just call it for what it is. If there are promises that are not delivered, and if there are bugs that plague the game and make it really unenjoyable, and there isn't a swift response to that, then I think because of the history that has already existed so far, I think even a small measure of that will tip the scales and lose a lot of trust and goodwill and good faith. Now, again, I'm not super concerned about it because I know I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this. Barring this thing not launching on my PlayStation or pulling a phasmophobia and crashing every two rounds. I think that we're gonna be just fine.

Binx 1:10:04

Yeah, I think so too. But I mean, you're right. I I think especially with the gaming community as well, it's a very interactive, engaged community, and they need to feel like, you know, that sense of customer support, quite frankly, is there and present, and those concerns are valid. These things aren't cheap, y'all. These games aren't cheap anymore. And so can't help but feel like, man, if I'm paying this money and I'm investing my time and my money, especially in this economy, I want to feel like you've got it, you know, you you you've got me considered. And yeah, I'm with you. I don't think that we've got much to worry about, though. I'm feeling really good about this. And do I see myself playing this in December, come December? Honestly, yeah. I don't say, I mean, I'm really hoping that I'm good at it. I'm hoping that I'm like actually good. But to be real with you, I'm really, really comforted by this idea that I have different ways to play this game. And that's what makes me the most confident that I'll still be playing in December. Because even if I get too nervous and I don't want to deal with some, you know, crazy people in the lobby, let's just I'll say it like that. I could just be playing by myself, you know, or I could be playing with the bots, quite frankly. And I'll still have quite the time.

Kris 1:11:25

Just me and my bots. Yeah, there's no way I'm not gonna be playing this in December. Again, barring this game being totally abandoned, crashed, and burning, and then also the long-term support crashes in such a negligible, negligent way that it won't even launch at my PlayStation, so I can't enjoy the story mode, which again is not gonna happen. Yeah, I'm gonna be playing this not just in December. Uh catch me next year. Because now, now my perfect Halloween routine of watching the entire franchise, starting with Halloween one multiple times. Now I'm gonna be playing the game too. I gotta restructure my whole spooky season now. You do Halloween is gonna look different. Halloween is gonna look different. I am so glad I have so much time off in October. Woo! Well, we also now have to consider what's next and really share along and share that with you so you can come along in this journey. Early access begins on September 4th. That's one on the night of the fourth. I'll be streaming on our YouTube channel. Binx, if you're available on the fourth, please feel free, come on over. We'll stream together. We're gonna be live in Paddingfield and see what exactly this game is all about. So please come to that stream and bring your questions. We'll keep notes, we'll carry the best questions into next week's public first impressions episode.

Binx 1:12:55

It's gonna be fun. And then that next first impressions episode is going to be quite the episode because after that, we're going to be having weekly series of these, right? Like we talked about over on Patreon throughout Halloween. We're gonna be covering that story mode, like we said, that multiplayer, Haddonfield's maps, the sound, the reimagined civilians. We talked about Shape Jump and the community, the forms around the game. We're gonna be talking about everything. So if you want those full episodes, you have to join us on Patreon at patreon.com/slash hackerslash. And as we said, the Patreon members will receive every complete special edition episode as it releases. Well, we will be sharing those public excerpts from selected conversations on YouTube, of course, but the full deep dives, which is what you really want, obviously. They're gonna live with our members.

Kris 1:13:43

And hey, if membership isn't an option, you can just stay with us here. That's cool. We're not gonna kick you out. You should subscribe to the podcast, follow us over on YouTube, share the episode with the Halloween person in your life, and come hang out in Discord or during our live streams. You can just watch us play and have some fun together. We'll see you next time, folks. And remember, everyone's entitled to one good scare. It's Halloween.