Ubisoft devs chat about their plans to improve Star Wars Outlaws | Friends Per Second #59
PLUS! Alanah Pearce co-hosts and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 review chat with Michael Higham
Hey Users!
Hope you’re keeping well, and if you’re in the US, hope you had a restful long weekend. We’ve got another packed episode of the Friends Per Second podcast for you to dig into as a little treat.
The big release of the week was S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. We all spent a bunch of time hunting around The Zone and came onto the podcast ready to chat about our adventures. Friend of the show Michael Higham from IGN joined us to talk about the process of reviewing a game that’s just a little bit broken at launch.
Ralph also catches up with the Star Wars Outlaws team to talk about their journey post-launch, and halfway through the show, a wild Alanah Peace appears to talk about potential new gaming handhelds.
Thank you for all your support as always, our next episode will be our annual in-person Game Awards special, and we’ve got something very cool lined up, you won’t want to miss it.
Games mentioned: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Star Wars Outlaws
Misc. mentions: The pubs of Washington (UK), Star Wars, Roger Federer, The Great British Bake Off, Canadian Thanksgiving, Bluey, Snoopy
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 review chat with Michael Higham
Right now, I cannot recommend: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 - Heart of Chornobyl (Review) - SkillUp
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl - Before You Buy - Gameranx
The critical consensus on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a little all over the place and that sentiment is mirrored here on FPS. For Lucy, it’s her first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game and she’s simply not vibing with it. Jake and Ralph are digging it, but are also very aware that it’s got its flaws. It didn’t help that the game’s review period was mired by the game being extremely buggy, and despite a hefty day one patch, it’s still got some jank. Friend of the podcast Michael Higham reviewed the game for IGN, and joins the crew to chat about just what it’s like to review a game like S.T.AL.K.E.R.
Games mentioned: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Deus Ex, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Red Dead Redemption 2
User question #1 - Connor
With the trend of IP based theme park attractions in full swing- such as Avatar: Flights of Passage built in Animal Kingdom, Mario Land, or the Star Wars experience- I thought to myself "Self, what sickass video game universe would make a cool, immersive theme park attraction?"
Okay, so maybe we shouldn’t quit our day jobs and become Imagineers but I think we should all take a day off work and go check out the Mass Effect ride.
Games mentioned: Mass Effect, Bloodborne, Outer Wilds, Metal Gear Solid, Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, BioShock
Misc. mentions: The Mummy ride at Universal Hollywood Studios, Rocky Balboa, Haunted Mansion
Star Wars Outlaws interview
We last spoke with the Star Wars Outlaws team back at Summer Game Fest when they were in the final stretch of production and gearing up for launch. Sadly that launch didn’t go as well as many hoped, with reviews and players complaining about some of the game’s core systems. Instead of moving onward to their next game, the development team at Ubisoft Massive have been working on some big changes for Outlaws. Ralph caught up with game director Fredrik Thylander and newly appointed creative director Drew Rechner to find out what they’ve been working on.
Games mentioned: The Division 3, Star Wars Outlaws, The Division, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, The Division 2, Ghost of Tsushima
PlayStation and Xbox handhelds (feat. Alanah Pearce)
We also managed to sneak in a little topical chat about potential PlayStation and Xbox handhelds, and halfway through we got jumpscared by our pal, Alanah Pearce, who joined us for the rest of the show.
Microsoft’s Gaming Chief Is Still Open to Acquisitions After Activision Deal - Bloomberg
Sony Working on Handheld Console for PS5 Games to Rival Switch - Bloomberg
Games mentioned: Tearaway, Destiny Rising, Persona 4 Golden
Misc. mentions: The PSP web browser (IYKYK), stuff goblins
User question #2 - Yagito
Do any of you have anything you consider a "toxic gaming trait"?
On this podcast we listen and we don’t judge.
Okay maybe we judge a little.
Games mentioned: The Witness, Pentiment, Death Stranding, Destiny, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, FIFA, Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Elden Ring
What we’ve been playing
We’ve all mostly been playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 this week, but some other games are on the radar.
Ralph’s previewed Avowed and is really digging it so far
Aw shit, here we go again, Jake’s been playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,
Lucy’s been rebuilding in After Inc, and has been swearing at her PC trying to get Dragon Age Origins to run
Alanah has just started playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
Games mentioned: Grand Theft Auto IV, God of War, Cyberpunk 2077, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, The Plucky Squire, 1000X RESIST, Rise of the Golden Idol, INDIKA, Batman Arkham Shadow, Plague Inc, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Baldur’s Gate 3, Mass Effect, Skyrim, The Outer Worlds, Destiny, Destiny 2
Misc. mentions: San Andreas theme, GTAIV theme, Mike Tyson/Jake Paul fight, Mike Tyson being interviewed by a kid, Batman
If you’ve got burning questions you’d like us to answer on the show, email us or drop them in the comments below!
Show and tell
This is the part of the show where we like to discuss things we’ve been doing that don’t involve sitting on our couches and playing video games. We’re well-rounded people, honest!
Ralph unfortunately went to see Moana 2 but he also got to visit Spotify in LA, so it all evens out
Jake watched Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Gladiator
Lucy watched The Penguin on HBO, sorry, Max
Alanah checked out the JonBenét Ramsey documentary on Netflix
Games mentioned: Kingmakers
Movies mentioned: Superman, Gladiator 2, Mission Impossible, The Batman, Heretic, Longlegs, Star Wars, Moana, Aladdin 2: Return of Jafar, Frozen 2, Toy Story
Misc. mentions: One of Alanah’s big announcements, Nick Cave’s Gladiator 2 idea, Arcane, Black Mirror, Nebula, Erewhon smoothies, Crumbl cookies
Thanks for reading! Lucy fully disconnected this weekend and spent some time painting (only four trips to Home Depot needed) and hitting the local antique fair. She picked up this incredible piece of art for a steal. Looking for suggestions on where to hang it.
We’ll see you in a couple of weeks for our Game Awards extravaganza episode, have a good one! <3 L
This is the only substack I'm a part of. Don't even know how it works or how I got here but I like it
that's a lovely painting! please, lucy, hang it somewhere people will see it!