Cup of Jones - October 18, 2018

Hi, Jones. I hope you're well. My question this week is about Castlevania, after watching Season 2 of Castlevania on Netflix, it gave me a burning desire to play the entire Castlevania franchise, which I love very much. I know this might sound like much, but many Castlevania games can be finished in 5 to 10 hours - to put it into perspective, I spent 130 hours to completely finish Dragon Quest 11. You said you've never played any of the handheld Castlevania games, and they are some of the best Castlevania games in the entire franchise - some even regard some of them as better than Symphony of the Night and/or Rondo of Blood... Blasphemy, I tell you!!! As much as I love them - and is a lot, I just don't see it, but gotta respect people's opinions. Considering they don't take that long and you've said if you were to stream again, you would prefer to do shorter games, my question to you is if you ever plan to at least play the 3 Gamne Boy Advance Castlevania games - Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow? On average, you can beat Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (10 hours), Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (7 hours), Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (8 hours). Stats taken from the "How Long to Beat" site. If you ever do, they would be really great games to stream as they have some secrets and lore that the community could shime in and help with. As well as being perfect games for a Halloween, perhaps next years' one, or even for Easy Livin'. Just something to think about, as most of the Allies are Castlevania fans and these are some of the best Metroidvania games of all time. L & R

Daniel Ribeiro

safety reply

Samo Rozman

Aloha Brandon, I hope you're well rested after your sojourn into the Old West. You were looking a little “trail-worn” during last week's group-stream. Now that the busy month of October is behind us, I want to talk about something that's been near and dear to my heart since I was a little kid, and I know you love as well, Disney Parks. The first time I visited Disneyland was back in 1984 while my parents were working for ABC during the LA Olympics. One of my first childhood memories is talking and getting a photo with one of the princesses (Snow White I think) near the Carousel. Since then I've had a long-standing affection with amusement parks, with Disney parks being the main focus. So I was just overjoyed that I managed to visit Tokyo Disney last month. I just love that first walk-through, when its all fresh and you're overcome with anticipation of what's to come. I've heard you hyping up DisneySEA in the past so that only increased my levels as well. The rides, shows, and parades were all incredibly fun, although I'm super bummed I didn't get to see the Alibaba one (since its unique to DisneySEA and from what I've read after my visit, a highlight). I had the time, I just missed what it was, which makes it worse..... Also, yes, the 20,000 Leagues ride still has the water only between the glass panes. The scenes themselves are all using that slow-motion technique you described during my Showcase submission. So far that's California, Florida, Paris, and Tokyo down; Shanghai and Hong Kong to go. From one Disney fan to another, what are your personal highlights and where would you like to go next? (assuming you haven't been to all 6 parks already :D) Also what are your hype levels on the announced (or rumored) additions to all the Disney Parks? Love and Respect, Samo Rozman Star Wars and Marvel @ California Disney Star Wars (largest), Tron, Guardians, Indiana Jones, and Ratatouille (among others) @ Disney World (also Toy Story & Avatar if you haven't been yet) Star Wars, Marvel and Frozen @ Disney Paris Frozen, Tangled, Big Hero 6, Alice, Beauty and the Beast, and Peter Pan @ Tokyo Disney Zootopia and Avatar @ Shanghai Disney Marvel, Frozen, Moana?, and a new Castle @ Hong Kong Disney (PS I'm glad you liked all the Tokyo Disney and Universal goodies from my last package) (also from what I've read each of the 3 Marvel lands is going to be different)

Samo Rozman

Welcome back! :) - brandon

Easy Allies

Amazing. Definitely putting this in the episode. Thank you!

Easy Allies

Hi Jones, Do you or the other Allies do any market / competition research? Do you check out the way things are done at other streaming collectives or by individual popular streamers, or pay specific attention to the games topping the Twitch charts that might go beyond the obvious big hitters? I'm not suggesting in any way that Easy Allies should simply chase the latest fad, or significantly alter their editorial voice, or otherwise be something less than your genuine selves. At the same time, it would seem folly to ignore the successful way others do things if those methods could be replicated or learned from at EZA. Love and Respect, Ty~

Tygre

I'm not sure. Is it viewable now? - Brandon

Easy Allies

I haven't watched a Cup of Jones in over a year.

Bryce Ray Parker

Howdy partner! Can you tell us about your horses in RDR2? What you named them, who came in clutch for you, who was heartbreakingly lost along the journey? My first horse was Tortilla. I loved her and we were friends. On the way to collect a debt, I hopped off Tortilla, unaware just how close to the train we were. The ladder on the train clipped her, and she was done for. R.I.P. Tortilla.

Kate Bishop

Will there be a Red Dead Redemption 2 Spoiler Mode in the future?

Evan Charles Teague

With No Redemption and Box Peek coming out in the past week (as well as Busted Trifecta, Dons Discount Gaming, Black Jaguar, etc in the past), I've been wondering: Have you personally had any ideas for videos that are more experimental and creative in nature that you'd want to make for Easy Allies or do you prefer to take the supportive role when it comes to these types of videos? I love these creative videos and I think its what makes EZA so special and would love to see more from any of the allies L&R

Jesse Nye

*The first part can be skipped and answered in private, if you do not think it is worth brining up again, there is a second quesion after that. Both businesses related* Hi Brandon, *first question* I have a follow up question to the Starlink review situation. When the review aired, I was also confused about how much the score reflects the qualities of the non-Switch version and how much of an upgrade the Star Fox content is, since the video almlst only focused on the game like it was a Switch exclusive Star Fox crossover like Mario & Rabbits. So I wrote a tweet to @Easyallies and Damiani politly asking about if the score for the non-Switch versions would be the same and how much Star Fox impacts the overall enjoyment. No answer. It did not bother me, I was just a little disappointed to be left in the dark neither did I think this was a larger issue to the viewers and community than it seemed to be after listening to last weeks Episode of cup of Jones. After that I watched the clip mentioned, where Damiani addresses the review and - calling it how I saw it - insults the viewers. I know that you have to defend your employees. But since this is also a business meeting, at least that is what you call it on a regular basis, I would like you to have been a bit more critical about the situation. To me it seemed like you were not taking it quite as serious as your audience, especially the paying audience who is very invested, not only in your content but Easy Allies as people, wants it to be treated. All you basically said was, that it was a "weird game to review". Which I do not get. It's a game as any other. Of course. The bonus content on Switch makes it more difficult. You may had to give scores to different versions. But in my opinion it does not justify an reaction like this from the reviewer nor the editor. The main reason I bring this up is not, to stir the whole thing again for complaining sake. It was the first time I felt left alone and my complaints and wishes not taken seriously and kind of swept under the rug. Maybe there is a reason for the way you reacted last week. Just hoped to get a more critical response regarding the situation out of you. I do not have any grudges against any reviewer or Ally. Just want to see people take their mistakes to heart. Not insult the audience or play it down, since I know you usually do not do that. *second question* In regarda to hall of greats. Do you have any internal discussions regarding the "alliances" going on for votes? Especially with the latest episode it seemed like it was no longer about finding the "greats" of our hobby, rather than "winning". I was not aware of the colluding going on in the back and when it was brought up at the end by you guys, I was disappointed. In my eyes it devaluated the whole procedure. That should not be what the show is about. At least this was not what was promised to us as viewers. If it is no longer about objectivly finding the best video games, people vote with their heart for, but rather a kind of game show about selling a game as "best" to a group, that's fine. But maybe make that clear. I love this segment a lot. But it broke my heart when I heard how people are not voting for what the like the besr, but for what they have to because of shady deals (shoutout to Huber) L&R Matthias

PrinnyTonic

Hey first time questioner, Do you have a favorite public restroom that you've come across in your lifetime? Most of the time they are nasty, but once in a while you can come across a nice one. I find that they can be quite serene with the right combination of cleanliness, spaciousness, good lighting, pleasantly fragrant urinal cakes, and a soothing exhaust fan. Shoutouts to the Shopko bathroom!

Master Pantz

Jonesey, any reason you guys don't jump on the low hanging fruit of "Best details in [insert recent popular game here]" compilations? RDR2 being the obvious example at the moment. Seems way more likely to get traction in than "Top 10"s about random topics. Honestly I think your best bet with Top 10s is to focus on something currently topical eg Top 10 games from studios acquired by big bad publishers or Top 10 micro-transactions lol

Lee

Hey Jones and Blood, just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment. L&R Chris

Swan

Hey Jones, long time EZA fan (but I don't always catch this show so apologies if this is a frequently answered question). I'm a bit curious about your review process. Obviously your game reviews are written by a single ally. While the writer is credited at the start of the video, the review is still branded as an "EZA review." Regardless of whether the words come from Ben or Huber or Damiani, the review is still intended to be representative of the group as a whole. How do you ensure that a review properly reflects all 9 of your opinions properly? Is there some form of internal approval process? Do you just trust the reviewer to accurately take the team's tastes into account? Or do you view it as an individual take on the game and not use other ally's thoughts in the process? What happens when two allies have strongly opposed opinions on a particular game? Does the non-reviewer just have to take one for the team and give control over to the writer assigned to that game, even if they disagree? I'm sure this is an issue that any game review outlet has to face and I'm just curious what your personal take on the process is. Love & Respect, Nimbus

Nimbus

Hey Jones, Do you have any pre-gaming rituals, pet peeves while playing, or specific environments that really stand out to you as a memorable gaming experience? For a “ritual” example, I sometimes will gear my entire week towards having as errand/work-free of a day for the game’s launch, and will maybe even plan a really fun meal for the same day too. For a pet peeve, I simply will pause the game to have a conversation, as opposed to doing both playing and talking at the same time (if it is story heavy). And an example of environment, I really enjoy being outside while gaming- I have far too many good memories of being camping, or traveling, while gaming to choose just one- The outdoors just adds a “4D” aspect to it all. Thanks again, Jones! TAHK0

TAHK0

I may not have gotten to all of the recent shows, but most of the YouTube playlists have descriptions when applicable. You can see Fiasconauts here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwa6fmqvU-4HEq905qLoNRVGenHroG5Ji" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwa6fmqvU-4HEq905qLoNRVGenHroG5Ji</a> Some of these are also clearly visible on the main channel page. It would take a little more to add them to the site, but something I can put on a list for future revisions. -Bloodworth

Easy Allies

Hey Jones. I hope you are having a good week, and that this comment finds you well. I am a recent patron, but long time Twitch sub. Before the last couple months my primary exposure to EZA was through Twitch. I found you all during your E3 coverage a couple of years ago and have been a fan since. Since becoming a patron I have been exploring all the various shows EZA has to offer. I noticed when combing through the youtube playlists there aren't any descriptions of what the shows are. There are episode descriptions, but not, what the show is, like Fiasconauts as an example I attempted to watch an episode and didn't understand what was happening. So I go to EasyAllies.com and I click on "Shows" button, the button then activates a list of each of the shows. If I click on a show it takes me to a page that has all the episodes listed, but again there is no description of the show. I went to Patreon, the shows are tagged, but theres no list of shows and what they are. Luckily the Facebook group was able to help, and told me what Fiasconauts was all about! I also decided to go back to easyallies.com and click around, and finally I clicked on "About us" and found a show description there. Maybe I should have realized it would be in the "About us" section to begin with, but I thought I would suggest putting the description of the shows as many places as possible just to make it easier!

Owen

Hello Mr. Jones! At least at an outside glance, your recent collaborations with Kinda Funny seems to have been successful. Your membership numbers have increased (even if just moderately) and my guess is that it may be partly because of this collaboration. Perhaps formally advertising Easy Allies on other platforms with more viewers/followers can be fruitful. I know that in the past, discussions around any Funhaus collaborations were not feasible due to scheduling and business growth concerns. Have you recently tried to re-engage discussions with them? My guess is that since previous attempts were unsuccessful, any new attempts may come off as abrasive and intrusive. Maybe the thought of formally advertising Easy Allies on a channel such as Philp Defranco or other large youtuber (as long as their brand aligns with your brand as well) maybe worth discussing. Then again, maybe it could just be a waste of time and/or money! What are your thoughts regarding something like this? Have you tried exploring what the cost/benefits would be to advertise your business on other more popular platforms? Love and respect! - Christian

Rammer

Yeah, as a viewer and fan I'm not in a hurry for them to move, although of course I understand the practical reasons why they should. I was not a GameTrailers viewer at the time, but looking back at old videos I have to admit I find the studio space too generic and impersonal. I love the homey, friendly vibes of the garage. I don't know how much, if any, of the look of the GameTrailers studio was down to any of the 9 people who make up Easy Allies, but when they do move to a professional studio I hope they make an effort to maintain a similar cozy atmosphere to the current setup.

Stuart F.

Hey Jones! I have a studio question. Hopefully this comment will no longer be relevant by the time you’re actually answering this, and if you’ve sealed the deal on the studio by the time the next Cup of Jones comes around, please ignore! My question is, now that you’ve maintained the studio goal for several months in a row now and have been actively looking for a space, what would happen if theoretically you fell below 50k for the month of November? Would you put the search on pause? Do you fear there may be a backlash from the community if that were to happen, considering the studio goal was met and maintained for an extended period of time? Do you think the Patreon community would feel entitled to that studio reward because the goal had been met and maintained for so long? (Personally I would not make a big deal out of a delay. I enjoy the cozy vibes of the garage and only want you guys to get a studio so you have more space...and AC!)

Corey Swafford

Hey Guys! Ever wondered where Brandon got the idea for the name "Cup of Jones". The other day i watched some old GT Streams and stumbled upon this: <a href="https://youtu.be/htqeDIuZ5iA?t=2823" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/htqeDIuZ5iA?t=2823</a> So i guess it was a community submission =)

Jan Hildebrandt

Finished "The haunting of hill house". My wife never screams or jumps during movies/shows...unlike me. However, there is a scare in that show that not only got her to yell but made us pause the show for a minute to laugh at how scared it made us. lol good show. The last two episodes were weaker. They wrapped up the story nice and all but they forget the scary.

ComboBreaker

Mr. Jones, A bit back I brought up the topic if Final Fantasy 6 and how i was frustrated with it. I brought up that I was going through all the numbered final fantasys with a friend of mine and you said that you would be interested to know how I rank the 2d games once i'm finished with 6. SO, i just finished 6 and i really enjoyed it once the world of ruin opened up. I loved having the economizer and gem box and hitting two ultimas for 2 mp. It's a beautiful thing. But anyway I thought I would share my ranking with you since you asked. 1.) FF5, I can't get over how many awesome class combinations you can do in that game. 2.) FF6, the story was fabulous, I like how the heroes are too late to save the world, largely they are fighting for vengeance. 3.) FF3, Same reason as 5 just on a smaller scale, it's amazing they fit all that into a nintendo cartridge too! 4.) FF4, Some of the characters are really cool. A lot of them aren't. Kain swapped allegiances one too many times 5.)FF1, so many broken spells, so many broken stats but it started it all, and the story of how it came to be is amazing. 6.) FF2 What a piece of trash So, on to FF7 which i have not played before. See you on the other side

Sean Dupree

Thanks for the excellent answer Jones! I'm gonna probe my gf with your suggestions to see what sticks :) L&amp;R Stefan

Stefan Vlemmix

If you do decide to do a series of streams where you make Dreams levels for each of the Allies, maybe you should call it "Sweet Dreams are Made of Ease".

CosmicCrown

Hisb

Sekiro505

Personal : My favorite far cry was 3 now I think it's 5. The world is beautiful and the side missions are funny and also cool ( not all ) the side side characters stories are very fun! The prepper side missions are quite interesting since they also give you some back story. Far cry would be better if the protagonist had personality added to him :( My question is what's your favorite far cry and why? AMOR Y RESPECTO / LOVE AND RESPECT

Sekiro505

Hey Jones! Since it appears that PSX isn’t happening this year, will there still be any EZA meet up by any means this December? (Also apologies if this has already been answered). Having attended both meet ups in 2016 and 2017, it would be a little sad to know that the meet up streak would be over (assuming there isn’t one this year) although understandable considering the lack of the convention. If a meetup could happen, perhaps the Allies could host it outdoors in the daytime instead of in a hotel at night as per the past two pertaining to PSX convention times. Love and Respect, Kyra.

Dear Jones I know Huber’s bad eyesight has been an ongoing joke for a while now, but I’m kinda worried about the guy, is he okay driving? How close to a TV/monitor does he have to be? Is Huber ever going to the eye doctor? Thanks Kola

Kola Aina

You and each ally playing through the dream level you created specifically for them could make for a great exclusive limited run series.

POKEY CLYDE

He already said they can't afford Amanda. Her Voice work is top dollar! Lets be honest tho, she is pretty much the 10th ally.

Jeffrey Tessar

Mr. Jones, My question is a little strange this week, but could you share the things you love to hate? This could be a villain that you cannot wait to have destroyed in a game/book/movie/show. This could be a cliche or stereotype that just needs to stop already. This could be a real life person, bad behaviour, or reoccuring interaction. This could be an attitude or phrase that triggers your temper- (Calm down, it's just a game!). Or if meditation has allowed you to transcend this, please explain your thought when these things come up. Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla

Hi Brandon, I just wanted to ask: Has there been any discussion about filming and uploading the deliberations for the Top 10's? Or is the idea of the Top 10's content that can be made relatively quickly? I'm asking this only because the most recent Top 10 (Scariest games) I really enjoyed and would have like a more detailed analysis of why games were or were not picked.

Stephen

Why isn't this weeks Cup of Jones showing up on my EZA podcast feed?

Yiorgos

Now that you've played Red Dead Redemption 2 can you compare it to Nemesis system from Shadow of War?

Alexander Zyryanov

Let it be known that I posted this shortly before the Top 10 Scariest Games was uploaded 😅

umryan

Guess red dead redemption 2

Paul smith

Hi Jones, since you've mentioned your fear of dark waters, how did you cope with the bathtub full of murky water in REmake? Did you pull the plug after much hesitation, or have you never found the courage?

umryan

Sub-room helped a lot during E3, for those of us who want the usual pleasant group stream 'chatmosphere'. Even if someone is going off, the numbers are low enough that people can actually talk that person down. It does mean leaving general chat to fester though...

Samuel Cardwell

Yeah, I really enjoyed GOTY's last year and enjoyed the discussions. Don't need to be added to CoJ, just wanted to put that out there

Skankman

Seeing GOTY deliberations is useful because it gives us much-needed context for how you came to the conclusions that you did You'll get feedback on those deliberations, both positive and negative, but I think that's healthy since it keeps you guys from being stuck in your own echo chamber, plus people will never stop asking anyway. If you're lucky you might even end up with some takeaways that help for the year after Fantastic Bonus Bit at the end there btw

VGJunky

Hi Jones! I got to thinking about last year’s GOTYs, and from what I remember, that stream might have been the worst I have ever seen EZA Twitch chat get (worse than E3, imo)! I know awards (and rankings) are basically inherently divisive, but it was another level of toxicity, ally-specific hatefulness, and spamming. From what I recall, Damiani was the only one occasionally reading chat, so you guys were probably spared from the worst of it, but being in chat that day was so draining- and nobody watching chat might have ecouraged folks to feel free to get nasty! Do you know if there’s a way to wrangle chat for this year’s GOTYs, or other upcoming big streams? &lt;3

Noah Weinstein

Hi Brandon, sorry for the mispelling on my last question, in my defense i did used google translate before sending the post, but yea... sorry... My question this week is now that you have played both Dragon Quest XI and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which do you consider that took a better approach as a prequel? if you consider the question as a spoiler, please go ahead and skip it, Thank you! Daniel Garza aka holyangelmx on chat.

Daniel Garza Andrade

Just would like to know what your favorite scene of all time in any Disney animated movie is? For example my favorite scene is from the end of the Lion King when Simba ascends up pride rock to become King and he is walking up in slow motion in the rain while everyone is staring at him in awe while Hans Zimmer’s epic score is playing in the background. It is easily one of the most epic scenes out to film. Love to know you favorite.

Megan Linart

Good Morning Jones! The end of the year is approaching and two things are on my mind: the crazy number of high-profile releases; and Game of the Year. I am glued to EZA and other outlets for reviews, news, impressions, etc. After watching hours of content, I'm starting to really notice some stylistic differences between how outlets and editors choose to review and score games. For example, ACG tends to focus more on the game's quality as a product, and even 'scores' the game on a 'buy, rent, skip, etc.' scale. Meanwhile other outlets like IGN give numerical scores that seem more like an indication of the game's quality or merits as a piece of popular culture/art. As someone with limited time and cash, I use reviews to make educated purchasing decisions. As someone with a love for games, I use reviews to educate myself on the merits of games I maybe haven't played. How do you take both sides into consideration when making a review, and do you think EZA sides more to one side or the other? Love and Respect, Mark Dalga (it's pronounce doll-ga)

Any interests among the allies in returning to Reindeer Academy? It doesn't need to continue right after the previous episode, but could jump ahead a season. I really enjoyed the writing room format of that Easy Update and think it would be cool to see more stuff like it, even if it didn't deal with Reindeer Academy.

Tyson Nguyen

Hey Mr. Jones! On the recent podcast when discussing crunch, plus the last editorial, the point about having a dozen plus hour workday came up and it got me wondering: does EZA as a group mandate having time set aside to just have off to recharge and refresh, or is it on each Ally to be aware of how much effort they’re putting into their various projects and set aside time to prevent themselves from burning out? If there ISN’T a mandated set of time, do you think it would be a good idea to pose to the rest of the Allies, “Everyone, take (Insert day here) off every week.”? Thanks for taking my question if you do (or I should say if Patreon lets you =-D ) and have a great day! Cheers!

Brandon K Gann

Hello Jones! Just wanted to give my opinion on Spoiler Mode and why I think it was one of the best ideas you guys came up with. I really like to hear what you guys think of games like your recent Dragon Quest XI Spoiler Mode. Frame Trap does a good job of this as well, but I know that you guys don't want to spoil stuff for people so I'm glad you came up with the idea of Spoiler Mode so that people could what you think of spoiler content from their favorite games. How do you feel about Spoiler Mode so far, and do you think it is accomplishing what your original goal was?

strawhatninja

Good Morrow! Do you hear anything regarding credible rumors about whether Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC? I do not currently own a console system, and I cannot justify the purchase of one. What makes matters worse is all the talk on when the new consoles will be released. Watching the Allies talk about the PlayStation exclusives makes the console a seductive would be mistress indeed, but I am a frugal man who just will not make the plunge. Also considering that I have spent most of my gaming time on my PC for the last 15 years, but I digress. I would reckon the PC market would be something that Rockstar would see as a cash cow waiting to be milked, but we are approaching the official launch and they wouldn't want to hinder initial sales by announcing something like the PC port. In the past they have taken anywhere from 6-18 months to do a PC port. Much to my dismay, however, Red Dead Redemption never got that treatment. As someone with their proverbial (and maybe literal) ear to the ground, I was curious on what you think. Love and Respect, Jeremy

Let's do this XD

That rdr2 lol in seriousness it’s gotta be busy if ur getting the code so close to launch given the scope of the game

Soul