Cup of Jones - 03/06/18

Hi Jones, over the past year NieR:Automata has become my favourite game of all time after playing it a second time. It's currently on sale on PSN and Steam for $30 in case you want to check it out after EZA in concert when things are a little less busy ;) I also encourage everyone else watching CoJ to give it a shot. That is all L&R RobbL PS: Great job on the Souls Retro part 4 and have a good Hall of Greats tonight!

Hey Jones, I was wondering if there has been any talk of Easy Allies doing a more comedy focused scripted show. The old Mandatory Updates with Ian and Elyse were some of my favorite videos from GT. I really miss seeing this side of everyone's personalities, and the occasional Easy Update skit doesn't quite fill that void. However, I understand that this type of content takes a lot of time and effort to make, and probably isn't quite worth the investment with everything you guys have going on. Also, completely unrelated second question, what are your thoughts on Avatar: The Last Airbender? Love and respect as always.

ZF

Dear Jones. Bring back First 15. Please. It's evergreen content, loved by many, that doesn't take long to film (could get one shot some time on a Tuesday). It could be edited over the weekend - we could have one released every week, with a different pairing of Allies each week - something to look forward to. EZA's main strength is having a large staff for such a small outlet, but instead of leaning into this advantage, we get a ton of single-person streams that honestly, the data says people aren't interested in (sorry to be blunt). If time constraints mean losing out on a few hours of streams a week to get the edit done, I think most would agree that it's a worthy trade-off. L&R, Louis.

Louis Sandiford

Hey Brandon I left this comment on the Hall of Greats Patrons thread, asking for votes for or against Allies being able to vote for their own submission and am really interested on your view; apologies if you have answered a similar question/comment before, I know there is a decent level of debate around the Hall of Greats induction process. I think Allies voting for their own submission is a secondary issue. I enjoy these streams very much for the presentations and the interplay between Allies, however for me; if the Allies are able to champion any game of their choosing for merits they must persuade the other Allies are irrefutably great then the cross examination needs to be stronger to separate the submissions. As I remember from previous streams, the Allies are not aware of each other's submission until they are presented which only allows the duration of the presentation to formulate questions, criticisms and arguments against it. As Allies do not have to adhere to an agreed set of criteria for their game selection it would make sense to me, to give the other Allies advance notice of the selections to enable a decent level of rigour in the cross examination and us the viewers a clear indication of the strengths and weaknesses of each submission depending of course on the quality of the presentation and rebuttal. Finally bearing in mind this is a Hall of Greats; if the Allies are given free rein to select their submission based on their own sense of what greatness is; I believe there should be a minimum number of votes cast, for a submission to achieve true EZA greatness and entry given to the Hall of Greats. Yes, that does mean that on occasion only one or perhaps no entries will be inducted.

Elliot Moscow

Hey Brandon! The recent Academy Awards got me thinking about La La Land from last year's awards. I've never been to LA and I'm not normally a fan of musicals, but this movie is easily one of my favorites of the past few years. Not sure if it's because I like the director's work (Whiplash is phenomenal too), the music (so many great songs) and enjoying it as a musician, the cinematography and use of color, or the misdirection of the movie as a whole (career vs romance and love). What do you think of it? What's your perspective on it living in LA and being married to an actress? Last week's podcast was one of my favorites in a long time! Keep up the great work and good luck at Revengeance, wish I could be there! Matt Kuryloski

Matt Kuryloski

Hi Jones, is this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_wdTejVo1E" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_wdTejVo1E</a> the Enter the Matrix tv spot you made? The dude getting knocked over is that you? PS: Those Oreo eggs are better served cold, you'll understand once you get the package.

bjørnar haraldsvik

Day one Patron, first time commenter here. I'm usually content to just give you guys money in exchange for the great content you produce, but I feel strongly enough about this subject that I want to say something. Multiple allies, including you, Jones, have claimed that they intentionally withhold nominating the games they feel are most deserving of the Hall of Greats for fear that they would not be inducted. I strongly feel that not only is this behavior antithetical to the very concept of a hall of fame/greats, but that it severely hurts the quality of one of your most entertaining streams. To the first point, imagine if NBA writers intentionally didn't nominate Magic Johnson in the first several years of his eligibility because there were limited slots and they knew Jordan and Kareem would get in before him. While I understand that it could be frustrating to potentially see a game like FFVI not be inducted, what I don't think you are considering is that the only thing worse than being nominated and not being inducted is not being nominated in the first place. Not only does not nominating a game you feel is deserving a disservice to that game, but it's also defeatist. If you truly believe in the greatness of a game you should nominate and defend it proudly. Let the game stand on it's own merit rather than try to wait for favorable conditions to sneak it into the HoG. Had you nominated FFVI in the previous stream it likely would have been inducted; instead we live in a world where Pokemon Red/Blue made it into the HoG before FFVI did. Finally, the HoG streams would be far more entertaining if the outcome wasn't predetermined. Because of the aforementioned strategies the viewers already know the top two games before the voting (or even before the stream if the nominations leak). At most there are three games in contention that are a clear cut above the others. I want to see a pantheon of truly great, deserving games duke it out. I want the voting to come down to the wire. I want to see incredible games not make the cut. Not knowing beforehand what games will make it in is far more exciting that watching everyone vote for Chrono Trigger because no one brought any real competition. I know I've written a lot but I really look forward to the HoG stream every three months and I think changing your and other allies approach to nominations would make an already great stream that much better. L&amp;R

Selarmor

Mr. Jones, What are your thoughts on the the violent video game reel presented by the White House when members video game industry were invited to discus the issue of violence in media with the president? (It is included at the bottom if you have not seen it) Fair/unfair? Warrants action? What would you decide if you were somehow given say over the type of content allowed into video games? I would give my two cents but I want to hear what you think about it without worrying about what the audience wants to hear from you. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o36-byW6ZTo&amp;has_verified=1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o36-byW6ZTo&amp;has_verified=1</a> L&amp;R Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla

What are your thoughts on Dick Grayson as Batman?? I really like him and especially the dynamic with Damian as Robin

Tim Bechen

Hi Brandon, I’ve got two questions for you. First, if you had to change the name of EZA to something else what would it be? And second, what’s something you would change about one of your favourite movies?

Kian Jahromi

Hey Jones, I recently re-watched your Cup of Jones from May 23rd, 2016, featuring a walkaround of the EZA garage, and found it a nice little blast from the past. Any chance you can do another one of those tour videos, considering the setup is quite a bit different now? Love and Respect, Josh Read.

Josh Read

Hey Jones, I noticed that a lot of youtubers and podcasts get sponsorships from lots of different companies like Blue Apron, Me Undies, Squarespace, etc. Have you guys looked into getting sponsorships from companies like this? I feel as though, if the financial incentive is significant enough, this may help you get to your studio goal. Love and Respect.

My Latin Lover

Hey Jones, I don't watch too many streams (due to time), but I do watch all of EZAs produced content, such as reviews and the like. If you guys weren't streaming would you be able to put more time into produced shows? Or, does streaming not really take up that much time in the larger picture, as you'd be playing most of these games regardless? I in no way want you to stop streaming, as I'm sure many of the allies can't get enough of it, I just wonder if you have any stats on what overall gets more views? L&amp;R, Joe Ellis

Hey Jones, I recently became infatuated with theme park history with the help of a surprisingly large theme park history community on YouTube. Disney parks have been of particular interest, especially the transition from the Walt era to the Eisner era and now the Iger era. What I find interesting, however, about all of this is that Disney parks are becoming less and less appealing to me. I see all these videos of rides full of imagination that were wholly unique to the park, and now it seems that the parks of being taken over by film IP. I think what got me the most was Maelstrom - a ride in Epcot I loved - being replaced by a Frozen ride. So in essence, do you think Disney parks are losing the spark of magic that made the parks so unique as they pursue attractions based on Marvel, Star Wars and whatever else is in the zeitgeist in the moment? Is there room at Disney parks for timeless attractions that aren't tied to any particular IP?

Phazonmasher

Woah. Jones just causally dropping writing of a scifi pilot?! That's a pretty slick move jones. I know you said it isn't an EZA thing... but... come on... details please? Anything you can share?

Matt Brookbank

Hi Jones, just wanted to say I loved the part of this Cup of Jones where you talked (more or less) about the lack of nuance in the videogaming industry opinions, and especially journalists/youtube reviewers. Especially on the topic of takin into account different type of players, and that a great game can be a game not for everyone (for me I'd say persona 5, couldn't get myself to finish it). I like EZA content cause there's a diversity in opinions, but you are basically the middle ground really often when it comes to commenting on games or industry news. It becomes rare to hear an opinion on videogames being something else than "It's great" "It's bad", "It's terrible, "It's amazing". You and ACG are my 2 favorite channels cause you have a real approach to videogames, honest. Not saying sometimes hyperbolic statements aren't made (Ben and Huber are really over the top sometimes :p ) but it's in general pretty detailed. Anyway, thanks for this cup of jones !

Térence Caron

QUESTION: Are video games "virtual boot camps" for mass shooters? No, the answer to that is too obvious...Ok, do you actually believe AAA publishers complaining to gamers that games cost too much, while at the same time they tell their shareholders how much fu**ing profit they make off of their "incredible" AAA games/life services/experiences? QUESTION 2 + UPDATE 2 on HOrizon Zero Dawn: I finished the main story and the Frozen Wilds. Final Score: 7.0. It can't even scratch Breath of the Wild. Do you think HZD has a chance to ever get into the Hall of Greats? L&amp;R, DiamondCrusader

Hey Jones! A couple questions. I've seen you and Brianne, Miss Movies, comment on each other posts on Twitter previously. She's is currently working with Collider and the Schmoedown, Do you know about the show and would you or anyone on EZA be interested in taking part in it? Apart from that, one of their Patreon tiers is to watch behind the scenes videos. Have you every considered doing behind the scenes videos for the EZA shows? Setting up the streams, the podcast, Tabletop Escapades, etc. ? Anyway, I hope it's not too intrusive but I saw you two talking before on Twitter and it got my mind working. L&amp;R always.

Maggie Frayer

"Tilda Swinton white" LOL

GW Fawkes

The corporate/sponsor stuff and GT getting bought out translates to Wayne's World as well!

VGJunky

Hey Jones. I know you guys are all adults with developed tastes and interests, but do you ever worry that, at times, you and the other Allies might be too set in your ways? Or do you actually see that you guys make a concerted effort to branch out and try different things? You guys are basically split up into "The JRPG Guys" and "The Zelda Guy" "The Racing Guy" and "The Horror Guy" and "The Open World Guy" and "The Quirky Guy (Kyle)" but would you like to see people swap it up a little? I get that there are a number of pros and cons to both methods and that people review what they want to review, but just wanted your opinion. I know that Ben seems to branch out the most, but what about the rest?

VGJunky

Hey Jones! I have faith I don't need to give a setup for this question for you to understand it. (though if you need to do a quick look up, that is okay too) Vampire Killer or Bloody Tears? Which is better? Which do you like more?

Parasitepaladin

What defines surplus? A little more money could cause any of them to live just a little more comfortably - $40k/mo can't sustain 9 people. If they buy nicer TVs or nicer cars with any 'extra' money we pay them (which probably goes into the exorbitant LA taxes and rent more than anything), what business is that of ours as long as they deliver on the level of quality and content that we are satisfied with? I personally consider any business expenses they make to be chipped out directly from their monthly salaries, whether it be the new lightning or an eventual new camera, etc.

VGJunky

What are some of your favourite and least favourite boxarts in gaming? Likewise, has a boxart ever persuaded or dissuaded you to try a game out?

Logan Tawse

I've accidentally skipped over some EZA videos due to the more discreet new thumbnails. May need more tweaking perhaps? Also I keep reading the review scores as 'Final [number] Score' rather than 'Final Score [number]' due to the format and colour choices, may also need a little tweak (or not). Enjoying the fresh look overall though. Keep it up!

Have you ever used the NegCon controller by Namco for the PS1? Phenomenal oddity with it's analog 'twist' steering and deep analog buttons. Way ahead of its time coming out in 1995 and still up there with the best controllers EVER! (along with SNES and GameCube mmm...) Side question, do you have a favourite controller? Love and respect from Scotland.

Good morning. Do you think there will be a moment when you will not have any more questions in Cup of Jones?

Aurélien GRANIER

3 2 1 .....

Ibrahim Sozer

Quick question for ya Jones, have you in any way followed the development of Yandere Simulator? I know the game wouldn't be your thing per say but over the years it's like watching Blood, Sweat and Pixels happen in real time. Complete with thrills, twists, and excitement I'd at least watch one of the guy's update videos.

Dominíc Brown

On March 10, 2016 at 10:23 PM Pacific Time seven of you tweeted an image with a date “03.21.2016”. If it’s not a secret, why did you pick this moment to announce the release date of Easy Allies? Also can you tell us what was happening between that moment and March 21?

Alexander Zyryanov

If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you like Inside&amp;Limbo?

Hi Jones, When are you guys going to do a group stream of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds or Fortnite where everyone plays at the same time, as compared to having just a few of the allies playing the game? It will be great to see how you guys work as a team. I mean, Huber has keep on saying “Uneasy Alliance” every single time when talking about a certain game. I have enjoyed watching Ian and Ben played PUBG in one of the Easy Update episodes and Huber has become obsessed with Fortnite. It will be great entertainment to see the team in a single match especially if one of the allies tends to mess up for the team.

Testament to Jones' hesitation to universally recommend stuff. I'm that guy who doesn't like Inside. I also played Limbo years before and didn't like that either. I have my reasons why, won't go into them unless asked to, but yea I agree with Jones that very little is universally recommendable. I go through the same struggle when people ask me generic anime recommendations.

MBUN

Hey Jones I was curious if there are any notable unpopular opinions amongst the allies? I vaguely recall Huber at one point mentioning that Super Mario 64 is not as good as people say (not sure if that was in jest or not), and while you all clearly have extreme reverence for Lightning, there aren't many FF13 fans. Personally as someone who has many opinions considered unpopular I was curious to see which, if any allies had similar experiences P.S regarding the "sell me on it" I didn't mean that to come across as aggressive as you read it, it was more of a "I've heard this is good, and I want to want to watch it... What would convince me?". P.P.S And For That Reason I Know The Manager 2: Staycation Your family needs to go on a holiday but without a dollar to your name you need to grift yourself a room, ammenities and anything else you can at Le Grande Hotel. Hitman style world with an intricate machine of NPC's and items and locations to interact with to achieve your goals.

Daniel Rona

Howdy Dr. Jones. I've been subscribed since day 1 and I've grappled several times with formatting a Cup of Jones question for you that addressed many concerns I had with the handling of various shows, the lack of timeliness on reviews, wavering enthusiasm for certain games or genres, and a handful of other things that had been bothering me about EZA a year ago. Well, unfortunately for us both, EZA has been excellent lately and as such the critiques that I had been struggling to articulate are no longer invalid. So instead for my first Cup of Jones submission, I'd like to ask how you feel about living in California. As born-and-raised San Diegan, I had to get out of dodge when the cost of living just kept skyrocketing. I miss something things about the Golden State like Comic Con, Yosemite National Park and Disneyland, but survival comes first. If things got too hard to handle in California, is it feasible that the Allies could successfully move out of state and still produce content? Love and Respect, Josh

Brandon Talk to me about Broken Arrow and why it's the greatest nineties action movie.

Olf Himself

Mr. Jones, Lets talk finances. Last week a question came up about the money and how it gets spent. I know this is not a comfortable topic but hopefully you will consider it. If the Allies have a surplus from the monthly Patreon pledges where does it go (into that month's production plan, into a safety net fund, corporate bonuses, equipment, legos)? Are you spending your resources in a way that prevents a surplus? While I do trust you and the Allies, would you ever consider using an independent third party to regulate financial decisions (possibly when you get to a certain size). What makes you so above scrutiny if not? L&amp;R Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla

Hey Mr. Jones! For this week's question, I've been curious: Why the change to the thumbnail format? I like both the former thick sidebar and the current top thin line. But I was wondering that it was just a creative change up or whether the picture of whatever game the video is about needed to be more prominent. Also, I really appreciate a picture on the podcast thumbnail providing a visual representation of the topic. The date was never bad, but I like this change. Thanks as always for reading, have a great day, and.... Cheers!

Brandon K Gann

Hi Jones. What games are you looking forward to the most coming out in the next year? Mine is the Final Fantasy VII Remake, but not sure if that will be out in the next year (or in my lifetime - lol).

Adamantum

Good morning

ZatVunDoot