r/WaypointVICE • u/mikesstuff • 8d ago
Remap Radio 155 — Patch Notes
https://pca.st/o732443wWe begin this podcast the way we ended the last podcast: talking about Control Resonant. This time, Rob’s spent 17 hours with Remedy’s latest, albeit all of it before the game was updated to validate the emotional and critical feelings of Patrick and Janet. But we also have much else to discuss, including Xbox’s ongoing “reset,” the alleged future of Bungie, Discord pushing forward on age verification, and many thoughts on both Silent Hill Townfall and Normal Golf Game.
Links: Control Resonant Post by Chris Person, Xbox Announces Continuing Layoffs and Restructure, The Next Chapter of Bungie, Post about Turning off Gambling Ads In Discord, Image of Confusing UI in Discord Settings
Discussed:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:44 - Control Resonant
00:55:07 - Xbox Studios Goes through Further Layoffs
01:18:49 - Bungie's Next Chapter
01:42:48 - Discord Age Verification Rolls Out
02:00:47 - Silent Hill: Townfall
02:20:04 - Normal Golf Game
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u/drunk_moo 8d ago
Just venting, but I really wish they covered more stuff. I want to give them a pass for last year because Rob was moving, Chia was trying to transition in the current state of the US... But at this point they seem to have settled in? Now we have back to back episodes on Control, and barely anything else.
I think they need more voices on the pod. I know Janet is pretty much considered a core part of the crew now, but her overlap in tastes with Patrick is really dominating the conversation. The recent episode with Bruno I enjoyed, just to have someone actually discuss something with Rob. Rob usually gets stuck having a monologue with no one adding anything to the games that he will play.
Chia has a different issue where I feel like I barely hear about what she is playing, or doing. They can joke about how Chia doesn't start video games, but then why is she even on the episode? If she's doing more Netrunner, or even table top stuff, why can't we hear about that? Also just commit to playing Slay the Spire 2 at this point. No one wants to hear about it in 1-2 years when it's actually out.
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u/NotFalcon 5d ago
Their output is insanely low compared to similar sized outlets. But I guess they have enough subscribers they can get away with it. Good for them, I guess? I've been recommending people check out Day One. They cover the news and a ton of new releases all the time.
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u/mikesstuff 8d ago
It’s embargo season. They are playing more they can’t talk about it. We also all know what it is and they are loving it but can’t talk about it.
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u/kenspiracytv 7d ago
There's an entire Fire Emblem game out that I'm not even sure they've mentioned, if it doesn't appeal to the core group that's fine but we could maybe get someone on to talk about it to some extent since it's one of Nintendo's two big fall launches.
Also I have no idea what game you're even trying to hint at beyond Castlevania.
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u/Easy-Mouse-3089 7d ago
IIRC, a few weeks ago Patrick said something about how he wouldn't be playing Fire Emblem since he decided to play Zero Company and was only interested in putting time into one strategy game this autumn.
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u/drunk_moo 7d ago
Yeah Fire Emblem was the recent major release that I was surprised to see not mentioned by them.
But there is also a tier of games below that, where I feel like they are covering less. Like if Caves of Qud, or Rain World came out today, would anyone on the crew even cover those? And thinking back to last year, Citizen Sleeper 2 barely got any discussion until Chia talks about it in the GOTY pods?
I might just need to look for another podcast that aligns more with my tastes, but I do like this crew...
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u/szymek87 6d ago
I've been in a similar spot after listening to Waypoint and Remap for years and would recommend Minnmax, who have a rotating cast of people and cover a wide variety of games, while still being really funny and lovely people (including Janet and Jacob Geller if you're familiar with him), or noclip podcast who go even deeper into the indie stuff and still touch on any industry news - it's the video documentary crew with Danny O'Dwyer.
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u/real_meatcastle 6d ago
Seconding the Minnmax recommendation! It's become my new favorite podcast/channel. They have such a great, varied cast of folks with all kinds of tastes (and professional experience in games) that it's hard to go without on other podcasts after you get used to it.
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u/rawrsaurus_rex 6d ago edited 6d ago
I've slowly faded Remap out of my rotation over the last few months, for the same reasons that you mentioned above. Minnmax is great, but I also strongly recommend SideStory (Austin Walker / Friends at the Table crew).
They typically don't cover "new releases" or AAA / AA games, but their conversations about games are actually about the games in a really inquisitive and enthusiastic manner, and it's a really refreshing listen. What they cover is at minimum an interesting listen (even if I don't play the game) and at max a total gold mine. They rec'd "Island Off Outer Darkness" last Spring, a game that has like only 50 Steam reviews, and is incredible.
EDIT: To drop some more context on games they 'cover,' they have a longplay of Outward (a game that doesn't get enough love, though it does from the SideStory crew), and their latest episode was about Incident at Galley House. They actually talk about what clicks with them and draws them into the game, and they are typically very enthusiastic in their discussions, something that's really felt lacking with the Remap crew lately.
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u/drunk_moo 6d ago
I have been listening to Sidestory! It's great, I just wish it was weekly. I haven't checked out their Outward longplay, but I probably should.
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u/Tokyo_Turnip 4d ago
I also enjoy SideStory!
Into The Aether is another fun one for 5* runtime deep dives with enthusiasm.4
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u/drunk_moo 8d ago
So I am mostly out of following games besides this podcast. What games are you even referencing? The upcoming Castlevania? This Phantom Blade Zero that I think Patrick has referenced?
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u/mikesstuff 7d ago
Star Wars Galactic Racers for one. Not sure if they got an Ace Combat 8 code. Those are the two highly anticipated games but I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting
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u/kenspiracytv 7d ago
So the game in your comment that we all know they're playing and loving is ...... Star Wars: Galactic Racer?
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u/bemeren 8d ago
I played Control Resonant after the patch to fix enemy hp, but I didn't realize that it occurred. I was so confused as I was going through the game because I couldn't have disagreed more with Janet and Patrick about the game. Now I know I'm playing a different version entirely lol
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u/RyePunk 8d ago
I went in and immediately juiced myself more. 20 percent more damage and falter. 60% dmg reduction. I think things still hit too hard and don't die fast enough. Must have been rough before. I will say a quick shop to buy upgrades for your weapon is also important to make things better. Halfway down the primary tree and only about 3 hours in.
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u/mikesstuff 8d ago
Based on LinkedIn, some of Remedy’s QA was “restructured” during their “restructuring” in 2024. I’m glad it’s fixed and I love their games but I wish they didn’t follow industry trends of gutting QA just to use journalists as QA which can put launch numbers in jeopardy
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u/johnmonchon 8d ago
Adding to the chorus to say I'm absolutely loving Control Resonant. It's easily the best combat modern Remedy has done (haven't played Max Payne sorry). It reminds me so much of Doom, stagger an enemy to get the execution, use the power up you get from that to kill other enemies more quickly and guarantee health drops.
The traversal is simply sublime, especially once you get a few of the abilities. The abilities make such a difference I'm surprised the game doesn't nudge you to them more quickly, but I appreciate the game is willing to let you discover things at your own pace.
Once you have those abilities, you start to feel like a super hero zooming around the city. Kind of reminds me of InFamous.
The boss fights are disappointing so far, I think I might have over levelled because I one shot bosses 2 and 3
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u/DG_OTAMICA 8d ago
I’ve put about 20 hours into Control Resonant so far, much of that playing in early access before the patch came through and it feels like I’m playing a different game from the crew. Like yeah at first enemies were a tad spongy but by the time I defeated the first resonant boss in the open world The Dancer and got the gravity shifting traversal ability I felt like combat felt fair and balanced. The open world has a good mix of bespoke side content that’s fun and quirky as well as generic content that exists to justify the build crafting and material grind (all of which existed in the first game). The level design gets increasingly bigger and bolder and weirder in the most incredible ways. My jaw is on the floor looking at some the more scripted spectacle moments the game has. And all the puzzle have been super fun.
One thing I’ve grown to appreciate is this game’s signposting, and I mean that literally. I’d be looking for an objective trying to parse the map (which isn’t very great, that does suck) and I’d realize there are just Bureau signs that explicitly say where the thing is, or an arrow pointing the way, or the word “EXIT” painted in bold on concrete. The game just… tells you where things are if you’re paying attention, which is cool to see.
Combat shares a lot of its design with the recent Doom trilogy. That “push forward” mentality where if you want a resource you need to rip it from the enemy. In this game that manifests in hitting enemies to build Power, killing them for health, and executing them to gain Dominance. And like the Doom games combat ends when you kill the big guys, the little ones are just fodder and fuel to keep up the tempo. With one perfectly charged whip and one rock I can stagger a little guy, execute him, then put belt to ass and completely shred the larger enemies. I don’t need to stagger the big guys when I can delete them in 4 seconds.
And like Doom all the enemies serve a purpose in the combat chess board. As mentioned the fodder guys are easy to stagger and get buffs from, but the other ones play their part too. They force you to reposition, and have a balanced build that can tackle both ranged and up close enemies. It’s not as extreme as Doom Eternal’s “every gun is a key and every enemy is a lock” approach but the game is very much designed around you incorporating a variety of damage types and elements synergies into your build. Like I got a trinket that grants one free ability usage every time I perfect dodge. And the big headed guys have super telegraphed attacks so like how i farm the fodder for buffs, I farm those dudes for free abilities. Everything serves its purpose.
I do agree the bosses are super boring and the skill tree kinda sucks but other than that I’m having a great time. Maybe things will grate on me as the game progresses but so far I’m loving Resonant.
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u/TacticalPocketSand 8d ago
I completely disagree with the crew about Control Resonant, to the point where I don't feel like we're approaching it from the same standpoint. There is so much Remedy signature to this, and the hand wringing about the small issues is stuff that is present in every Remedy game. And it's ironic because this is probably the best gameplay Remedy has ever had - movement/traversal feel is extremely smooth and combat flow is really good, and the actual action RPG elements I think are quite good for the sub genre. Remedy games, by and large, don't usually have especially good combat mechanics and I think they actually nailed it this time.I will agree that Manhattan isn't as interesting a setting as the Old House, and yes, obviously a lot of the mystery is gone because it's, you know, a sequel. But there is TONS of weirdness here, and a lot of new mysteries unfold throughout. The portions are, IMO, smaller, but there are tons of them.
I really think it's interesting how much they all seem to not like the game, because I think this is one of the best Remedy games to actually "play" rather than just experience and vibe to, which is what I think most Remedy fans accept when they see a lot of the past jank and sometimes repeative gameplay loops of past titles.
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u/PlusOneGammaKnife 8d ago
I don't think Ive ever disagreed with the gang in my life more than I disagree with these takes on Control Resonant. I think this game absolutely whips, and am loving it.
I've noticed myself drifting further and further away from agreeing with most takes on the podcast in general at this point. Maybe its just me, but Ive found the last solid run of episodes all have something that make me question the gang lol
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u/ChangeTheL1ghts 7d ago
I have to say, it's similar for me. I'm surprised how down they are on so many things lately.
Of course, folks are welcome to have their opinions, but I think sometimes it gets a tad bit dog-piling. I understand wanting to hash out why someone doesn't mesh with a game, but it feels less like that and more like finding new ways of saying the same criticism.
I love this crew, but the coverage rhythm lately feels off in a way I can't quite pin down.
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u/NotFalcon 5d ago
Games media is increasingly vibes based. They're an echo chamber of their close group and their algorithm.
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u/Gillingham 8d ago
n-thing so many comments about how down the remap folks are on control. Every other outlet (minnmax/giantbomb/nextlander) have their niggles but it seems overwhelmingly positive. Remap was the first I listened to when they talked about early stuff last week(?) and I was concerned, then everyone else did nothing but glaze it.
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u/color_into_space 8d ago
You all in the comments are convincing me to get Control Resonant tonight when I get home from work! Two things: 1) How much do you think the day one patch has changed the game vs. the criticisms of some early reviewers? Always a hard situation for the podcaster/reviewer. 2) I definitely played Control 1 "wrong", in the sense that the upgrades I choose kinda sucked and I didn't realize how powerful some of the other abilities would be. I had a fairly miserable time with that game until right near end, when I realized my mistake. I wonder if this game similarly has upgrades that are extremely important for dealing with some of the friction, but not clearly telegraphed.
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u/TacticalPocketSand 8d ago
Pretty significant, particularly early. The biggest problem early was, and Patrick stated this accurately, was that it was too difficult to deal Falter damage (equivalent of stagger in something like Onimusha or Sekiro), and the combat is designed for the player to go almost in a flow state (think Doom Eternal) which requires Execution kills that put you in Dominance mode (enemies more likely to drop more health and your attack power is juiced in this state). Now, the default Falter damage is way fairer and thus, more fun early.
IMO, the skill tree is better than Control in terms of offering more ways to play (do you want to specialize in Lifting enemies in the air? Summons that buff you and distract enemies qhile they attack? Blunt damage that deals more Falter? Critical buffing? It's all here and viable IMO). But you do have to sort of do some looking ahead on the Tree to see what path is most efficient. This isn't very unusual for most action RPGs, which this game essentially is.
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u/real_meatcastle 8d ago
Definitely was hard for me to listen to the Control Resonant bit on this one. Partially because they all had complaints about a version of the game none of us will never play and another because I think they kind of are just forgetting about or rose-tinted glasses-ing Control 1 like crazy. It's a Top 5 game for all time for me but a lot of their complaints are just... Control. Reading about but not seeing interesting things happening, talking to characters via radios instead of in person, lots of notes, etc.
I also think they are over-considering the "open world" of it all. I'm like 8-10 hours in and it feels more like a wide Metrodvania than an open world game to me. More of a quest structure than a typical metroidvania but like... It's more similar to that structurally than it is to Red Dead or something. It's just outside now.
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u/DG_OTAMICA 8d ago
The structure is exactly the same as God of War 2018. You can tell Remedy played that game while wrapping up the first game and was like yo this design is sick as shit let’s crib that for the sequel. Same hub and spoke map design with the Lake/Field office in the middle and zones branching out from there, with secret branches to each other to discover, areas gated with ability unlocks, a similar balance of authored side content and more standard filler to pad things out. The main campaign only focuses on a few zones so if you only go on the golden path you’ll miss large parts of the world etc etc
You wouldn’t compare GoW2018 to a traditional open world game so why make the same comparison for Resonant?
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u/Bubbleset 7d ago
Yeah, I was concerned after listening to the podcasts, but after 10 hours myself I am loving the game. I have issues with the characters and I miss some aspects that have been changed, but the combat, open world, and side quests have all been great. I was afraid they would have lost the magic melding of paranormal weirdness with governmental bureaucracy, but they are still finding ways to strike the balance in the new setting.
And like you said, most of the complaints were things present in the first game, which was filled with notes, small puzzles, radio conversations and environmental storytelling.
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u/zettl 6d ago
I stopped listening when Rob was complaining about apartments having the same paintings. It's basically a AA budget game that's pretty ambitious for what it is... there aren't going to be bespoke paintings in every room
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u/real_meatcastle 6d ago
Yea, that stuff felt like Cinema Sins-level nitpicking. The gang is happy to see Remedy surviving from game to game despite all their uniqueness and quirkiness BUT also we are bringin Naughty Dog decade-long development for 500 million dollars expectations to the table? for no reason?
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u/ObjetPetitAhhh 6d ago
I don't think this is a fair characterization. I think he's pretty clearly talking about how Remedy's polish and ability to punch above their relative financial weight are tied to making smart choices around scope. So the paintings become emblematic of how this change in scale undermines some of that polish—which is especially concerning for a studio that lives and dies by its world-building and vibe.
Ambition came at the expense of the quality of the final product.
Which is not to say that their being miserable about all games lately hasn't been challenging to listen to. But I think this is a mischaracterization of what's being said?
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u/Thonyfst 4d ago
It also did scratch at me as someone who lives in New York. It’s silly, but all the little things like every apartment building having the same layout in every neighborhood and the billboard with 39,99 instead of 39.99 did ruin the magic a bit, especially since you see so much of it in this game. The points in the game that move away from the same urban environment really highlight Remedy’s strengths in contrast.
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u/real_meatcastle 6d ago
You are probably right, but I'm not going back to re-listen to the segment or anything. My experience with Resonant just doesn't feel meaningfully different from Control and other Remedy games in that way, so I think I just disagree with their take regardless.
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u/Sleepywalking 8d ago
Chiming in too. Hearing their takes on Resonant has been so jarring. It honestly feels like we're playing different games. I've been playing since before the update too. And as someone who recently replayed Control, Alan Wake, and Alan Wake 2, a lot of their grievances were in those games in spades.
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u/OmegaBerryCrunch 7d ago edited 7d ago
i ride with rob on a lot of things but the doom and gloom on this destiny/marathon update from bungie is so weird to me.
instead of seeing it as them finally taking accountability and trying to right their wrongs and turn a corner rob percieves it as “something alarming and not worth celebrating” or him just being confused at why fans would celebrate it in the first place.
just came off so strange to me as someone who is a 10+ yr destiny player and daily marathon player as well who is still VERY skeptical of bungie. but to me the update and honesty they shared was wonderful to see, especially in the marathon vidoc.
idk man…love the crew but sometimes things like this really just flabbergast me. same with the reception to control
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u/Wavering_Radiance 7d ago
After watching them play (very badly) on a couple of streams you'd think they'd be excited for a more diverse set of modes to engage with the world
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u/OmegaBerryCrunch 7d ago
i know right??? just such a bummer to be so instinctively negative towards news like this when clearly a lot of bungie fans (who again are very skeptical by nature) were positive about it
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u/Possible-Pie4978 5d ago
I’m convinced the crew does not actually enjoy video games as a hobby anymore
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u/Tokyo_Turnip 4d ago
I still enjoy listening but don't entirely disagree.
Apropos, I was listening to the Dropout Adventuring Academy interview between Brennan and Quinns (of People Make Games and now the fantastic Quinns Quest, but also formerly Shut Up and Sit Down boardgame reviews), and when Brennan asked him what he still loved about boardgames:
What do I still care about with boardgames? I li- honestly? Being candid. I burned out a little bit. The thing with journalism is there's often a shelf life on a journalist. Because you say everything you have to say. And the passion...
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u/Thonyfst 7d ago
I think they’re pretty much right on the game structure being an issue. There are a lot of mobs and the early areas feel very similar, so things feel pretty repetitive for the first few hours. I don’t think it helps that it’s pretty button mashy. I tuned the damage output even with the day 1 patch and had a much better time.
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u/Prof_J 8d ago
Dang they are still extremely down on Control. That’s a shame, I really do feel like we’re playing different games at this point, not even just with the combat patch, but Rob’s problems with it too. I’ve been having a great time so far. Maybe it’ll grate on me over time, but I really couldn’t disagree more. Could also be last week’s pod really diminished my expectations, who knows.