Cup of Indiana Jones - 10/31/16

This is an older video, but talking about the Gears review resonates with me because of Blood's rough score of Mass Effect: Andromeda, although I feel like that was more from the technical side of things than the gameplay/story content.

Brian Denu

Dude, if you need a copy of Goonies II for the NES, I will send you mine!

Hey Jones, I was re-watching GT's Last Stream Ever on YouTube and realised there are a lot less skits on Easy Allies. Is this just because the canon takes up so much time?

Nice show Brandon! Another thing I can listen to in my car ^^

I thought I had posted on here, but great episode! Really enjoyed it a bunch. Don't feel like you need to rush out the episodes. Take your time (I know you're a busy guy). Also, I'd love to email you some events that are happening in the midwest should you ever feel like covering them!

Hi Brandon, thank you for maintaining a higher moral ground on your shows, I really am sick of the F word online these days, it kills it for me. I try to play online games , but its F this F that . Killed it dead. Your shows show there is hope for us. Thank you all of you. Sorry maybe not read this on the show.

Hi Brandon, have you already considered to make console reviews? I'm very interested in your opinion about Xbox One S and PlayStation 4 Pro. Greetings from Germany!

SmallTurtle1985

Mr. Jones, would you ever consider combining the Allies merchandise with limited access (1 month) to the same price tier of patreon content?

Morgan Mohalla

Loved this! Question for Brandon or anyone else, what is his email? I'd love to drop him a friendly line every now and again!

Hey brandon, when you guys do your reviews do you have a guideline on what each section of the game gets scored on? back in GT you guys had it so there was a graphics score gameplay score and other things. Love and respect and am a new patron you guys are awesome thanks!

In the spirit of halloween, what are thoughts on twilight zone?? Have you ever watched it? If what what are your favorite episodes???

Tim Bechen

It might not be the case for everyone, but a well thought out review / opinion is what I am looking for when I look for reviews. This is exactly why I like the reviews you folks put out (and silky smooth Jones voice) Why did it take so long for us to get a Godfrey emote when he is clearly the most vocal and underrepresented ally?

Hey Brandon, I've noticed a lack of strategy games and I was wondering if this is due to lack of interest or simply due to lack of time in your busy schedules. Much Love and Respect - Mike P.S: Apologies if this has been answered previously, only just became a proud Patreon.

Hey Jones, in response to your editorial, there was one line where your were referring to people who find themselves on the lower end of the review scores, where you said "I don't wanna be that guy" but honestly I want you to be that guy, when the need calls for it. If a game is a 2 star game to you, then tell me it's a 2 star game and likewise if its a 5 star game. I think we the viewers are in the best position we have ever been in, when in comes to reviews. Not only because of the sheer number of review outlets, but in the last few years we have seen outlets (including GT/EZA) become a bit more personality driven and because of that we tend to get to know a bit more about reviewers likes and dislikes. To use Huber's review of Mafia 3 as an example, before I even watched that review, I knew that Mike really likes the Mafia series and probably wanted nothing more than for that game to be a 5 star game. At the same time I know I can trust Mike to give me an informative and honest opinion on it, as was reflected by the games final score. The score itself means little to me, as long the reviewer presents a clear, informative and honest assessment of their own personal experience with a game, then that's all I can ask for. I tend to read/watch a decent amount of reviews if I'm on the fence about a game and sometimes it's interesting to see the ones on the higher or lower end, just to hear a different side of things. I've never understood people getting angry about a bad score, I'd likely be more upset if I felt the review itself was not up to par ie. Poorly written, or an angry review just for the sake of being angry etc.. In my opinion It likely comes from people wanting validation that their opinion is the right one and when they see something that clashes with that, they tend to be the most vocal commenters. Also in the case of Gears 4 and other console or PC exclusives, I think this gets added too, due to fanboys flying their flag in their pretend war. All in all, while I imagine it has got to absolutely suck being on the lower end scale with a review of a popular game and having people spew vitriol (I read a lot of the Youtube comments) back at you because of it, but I still want reviewers to stand by their opinions and certainly never want to see someone inflate a score for fear of backlash. This hate from commenters seems to be an unfortunate part of the job for a reviewer now days and of course while I wish it wasn't, unfortunately I don't see it changing any time soon. On a side note it's a big part of the reason I love this community so much, sure people don't always agree but rarely does it decent into people insulting each other etc., so keep preaching that Love and Respect. Wow, I really need to stop writing such long ass comments :D

BeatenDownBrian

Not sure. I assume it was given to them or around the office as a piece of promotion for the game. I just remember her showing up on GT streams all of the sudden

Also, you mentioned food in LA. I'm an east coaster, but lived and have visited LA a lot over the years. Some of my own favorites: The Arthur J is probably the best meal I've ever had in a restaurant and definitely the best I've had at a steakhouse Silver Lake Ramen The Republic of Pie Donut friend Aroma Loteria (not the best Mexican place in LA, but their Mole Burrito is sooo good).

Chachzilla

With regard to your question about review scores, I wouldn't say it ever makes me angry. However, when I disagree it awakens a fierce passion inside of me. It empowers me to spread the word especially when I feel that lower scores have hurt a game. A great example of this was Alien Isolation. Colonial Marines was a huge let down. Such a bad game. A lot of people were harsh on Isolation. Most reviews were in the low to mid range. IGN in particular gave it a 5.9. I had the game preordered because I absolutely love the Alien series and the game looked really immersed in that world. Then the negativity started flowing and lots of folks talked about how tense, scary, and challenging the game was....all things that stress me out in games...so I cancelled my preorder. A few months later the game was on sale for $20 so I decided to give it a shot. Man was I glad I did. The level of detail in that game is insane. They created that world so well and linked the story to the films in a creative way. Yeah it was incredibly tense. I couldn't play it more than an hour at a time. It got to me. It was incredibly challenging too and required a lot of trial and error, but I stuck with it and I'm so glad I did. Beating that game was one of my greatest gaming accomplishments. Afterwards I was kind of dumbfounded by how anyone could give it a 5.9. That reviewer I think just couldn't handle the difficulty, tension, etc. Instead of getting angry about it, I wrote a blog post about how I felt. No one reads my blog, but at least I got my voice out there. All I wanted was for people, like myself who might have passed on the game, to know it was worth going back to. You can check that out here <a href="http://escapistforlife.blogspot.com/2015/07/revisiting-alien-isolation-its-really.html?m=1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://escapistforlife.blogspot.com/2015/07/revisiting-alien-isolation-its-really.html?m=1</a>

Chachzilla

Just my two cents but you should never feel sorry for bringing up concerns or frustrations, that's exactly what COJ is for. Personally I kinda prefer the more spaced out episodes that fall on the longer side, as it's like have an extra podcast to listen to in work. At the same time I can understand why people would want the shorter, more regular one's too, as finding an hour to watch especially, can be tough for some. It's one of those situations where it's unfortunately impossible to please everybody. We have to remember EZA is still quiet new and things will change over time and so maybe when they get a studio (or Jones just has more time), we might see a change back to the more regular episodes. For now though I'd encourage you or anyone else that has concerns or wants to see something done a different way, to continue voicing them, but also to keep in mind that those things might still not change, or maybe might just not be possible to change, at least for the moment. :)

BeatenDownBrian

Gday Brandon, if Patreon was closed down and taken offline. What would be the next step for Easy Allies?

Hello Brandon, I am a Patreon of EZA since the very beginning and I am truly happy with the content you and the other Allies deliver every week. Unlike you it makes me sad to see that so many people jump off every month from Patreon before they actually pay. But that put aside I am wondering for quite some time about something. The goals you add for Patreon such as the retrun of Trailer Jones and the New Studio seem to only rely on the Patreon income. Why do you not try to achive this goals with the combined income from Patreon and Twitch? L&amp;R from Germany, Daniel

Daniel Fuchs

Frankly, I am glad you are sticking to your score. I don't play gears, granted, but watching and hearing the reviews, you articulate your reasons quite well and make perfect sense. As someone who would hate if things were more of the same, I will probably not liked gears of war 4 if I was into the franchise. As for series or games I love but was being reviews not well, I would not like it but if there were valid reason then I accept it. Or more like forget about it and just enjoy the game regardless ^^. So keep doing your thing and looking forward to more content :)

As someone who absolutely regrets not being around back at GT where does the cardboard cut-out of Lightning come from?

Kian Jahromi

I say every time we see an awesome trailer, we send him a comment here down below with a link ;) Eventually he will click and his itch will one day grow so strong that something will come of it :P

chocolate_prophet

Regarding the question you asked us in the editorial: I don't get upset at all if somebody likes a game less than me. The only time I remember anything like that is when I saw somebody give GTA 5 a 6.5/10 I think it was where I was just like "wow are you just a moron or what? This is a case where it's clear that this game is at the very least a great fun game." If it was packaged in a way where the reviewer was saying that it doesn't fit with their preferences then it's understandable and it's always great if they say they get how others would like it, but they just don't. However if they are going to come out and say that a clear giant achievement in gaming history is straight up not good, then I feel like they may just be a moron who doesn't belong reviewing games and their opinion loses all worth in my eyes like when Colin Moriarty straight up said that he felt Dying Light or Max Payne was the best game of 2015 more than Witcher 3, Bloodborne, etc. I would like to add that I prefer the old 10 point review scores better but I'll live haha. I found your review was fine Jones you spoke how you honestly felt with an open educated mind and that's everything we expect from you! I appreciate your honesty and concern as that just shows how seriously you take it!

Also posted this question on YouTube (not sure which one you go to for questions) - Brandon: Now that Halloween is through will Lightning be sporting a Santa cap for December? (yes, please)

John Leitner

Doesn't..watch..trailers anymore. JONESY! How can we help you fix this?

Hi Jones! On the topic of reviews and review scores, frankly I don’t care about the score. The reason I love GT/EZA review so much, are because of the explanation of your opinions and the game that leads up to the score. If EZA has a review of a game up that I am debating on purchasing, that will be the only review I watch to make my decision. You guys are fantastic with your reviews that has a level of quality unmatched in the industry.

I feel like i need to say, you don't need to apologize for your opinions Brandon. I support you guys and come here for exactly that! If people don't agree with your reviews there are plenty of other sources out there. I applaud you for giving a mediocre game the score it deserved instead of going with the safe score. As always, Love and Respect from Canada.

Chris Georgaras

The problem is with comments that are couched as, "I give you money, so you owe me X and Y at rate Z". As a patron, I have faith in the Allies and am primarily concerned with how I can facilitate their success.

Michael Wilson

Thanks to you Brandon for answering my question. I feel a little sorry for bringing up my little frustrations while I also admire you guys for the amount of work and effort you're putting into EZA. I understand your position, of course, and I'll join the other allies who propose shorter but more regular and more focused episodes of Cup of Jones. I think it could be a good way to solve the "problem". Whatever you decide to do, I'll respect it and wish you guys the best!

Hey Mr. Jones! First, allow me to give my surprise about the campaign not sticking with you. I think it's the second best of the series but that's just me. I just recently finished the game (sans Horde) and while I see it in slightly higher regard (4/5), I really enjoyed the review and now have new appreciation for it with the game behind me. Also, the very last line and scene before credits didn't grab you? Oh well. At least you played it and gave your honest opinion! Thank you for that! Second: To your question about the bottom of the scale, I think Mr. Huber's review of Ratchet and Clank is completely applicable to your example. In the review, the only criticism I heard was lack of weapon variety and everything else was glowing praise. My shock of seeing 3.5 was based of his script and unlike some of the negative criticism he may have received, his review is his, and I respect and appreciate him greatly for that (among many other things). If he had added other criticisms, I wouldn't have been initially so stunned. I may think it's better than what he scored it, but perception is unique, so everyone will have their own enjoyment, or lack thereof, and that's awesome. A couple more examples: I tried Final Fantasy VI recently and couldn't finish it, yet you love it. We love the Last of Us, but Mr. Hinck can't stand it. As long as we all can keep in mind that an opinion is totally valid, regardless if we are in agreement or not and one with level and critically thought crtiques, we should be able to recognize, "Hey, I see where your coming from and you didn't like it as much as me, but at least you put in the effort to try!" I am REALLY sorry for such a long post. Now onto my question for the next episode: In light of the top 100 games, have you seen the endeavor undertaken by user Exist2Inspire on the forums? It's an awesome thread, and one I'm confident you and other Allies would enjoy visiting! Thanks for taking my question if you do (and if you go see it!). Sorry again for the length.

Brandon K Gann

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question about the reviews, really appreciate it. I'd like to add that your reviews are definitely worth waiting for. L&amp;R!

Richard Goetz

it looks absolutely fine here. most of the times better than all of the other shows actually

Guilherme Todorov

This is a thought I've had after a few Cup of Jones and EZA Podcasts so maybe I'm not getting the full picture, but... Do you not actually play video games all that much for just the hell of it? I kind of get the impression that between streaming and running a business, you don't play as many games as a lot of the Allies outside of what you're playing specifically for channel. Am I wrong?

Hey, I do like to get technical Jones; I work in IT after all! Anyway, the issue still persists! I watch all EZA videos directly from YouTube, and it's only the Cup of Jones videos that has this choppy/laggy quality. For reference, I have used both Firefox and Chrome, and both from my gaming desktop at home and my work laptop at work, with the same result. So it definitely cannot just be me.

Hey Brandon, I think people tend to take this personally because at the end of the day it is a personal experience. Basically the campaign didn't do much for you, but maybe for others it was fun and had its moments. Maybe you got a bit more criticism because the realtionship with the EZA audience is different. Whilst we accept reviews from other sites, we kind of know each one of you, so the personal touch I was talking about earlier is a bit more exaggerated. Its like if you love a movie and I mean love and Amanda said meh as you are coming out of the theater. It would 'annoy' you more, since you are more related to that person and you want to like the same things in the same way. Forgive the example but maybe it wasn't what you said but that you said it. People are more invested in you guys that in the guy of IGN that reviews this. So they are more disappointed if you don't like it. Stand by your score, and do not fear to be on the bottom of the pile if you are honest. Also, it would help if you tag the .5's a 3 is not a 3.5 and while both are decent, one is more decent that the other.

LiquidEnder

There's some goofs left in! :D

We need to get you some Barry's Tea, now that's the good stuff. :P

BeatenDownBrian

When you asked earlier this year how long we thought these should be I remember saying around 30 minutes, maybe 45. Then a long one like this hits and it just flies past. It's just so fun getting answers to all these different questions and I'm beginning to question if there is a max length where I'd get enough. Thanks for your passionate and honest answers! Proud to be an ally, hope you get that studio soon!

Benny Samuelsson

Hey Jones! Since the premise of this show revolves around the idea of drinking from a cool cup, usually mugs, while answering questions and due to your evident fandom of Disney I have a question pertaining to both. How do you feel about Disney cups and mugs? There is basically a whole industry in Disney mugs and cups. Do you enjoy them? Is it too much? Where do you stand?

Rick Argomaniz

I really love Cup of Jones and I don't really mind how frequently you produce it. However I am beginning to notice that you are answering a few very similar questions every time you do one. Eventually you will have answered a large amount of the most frequently asked ones. So my question is what will Cup of Jones turn out to be then? I assume it will be a similar format just with less community questions, but do you have plans maybe to reformat Cup of Jones in the future? Even slightly so.

I have donated my hard earned money to only two well deserved crowd funded (crowd supported? ) enterprises. First and foremost is EZA, second is "Bring Back Mystery Science Theater 3000." So I gotta ask, any MST3k fans among the allies?

We named the dog, Indiana!

Minamik

Would it be possible to read the scores at the end of reviews out loud? I typically watch EZA videos while working or gaming, which means I'm more listening than watching, and it happens to me frequently that I reach the end of a review and go "Huh? What was the score?" Then I have to rewind and find the animation...

Farex

Can you make community's GotY like you did community's Most Anticipated Game back in GT? Also how about community vote for the best stream, show, episode and piece of content that you've produced this year? I know that counting votes and making such videos is a lot of work, but they will be really useful for promoting Easy Allies.

Alexander Zyryanov

What are your thoughts of Kickstarter like projects to meet bigger investments such as equipment or Gamescom? For example, a Jones VO for an voicemail message for $XX would be a cool incentive with little overhead and could be a good surge of resources.

Zugdar

Jones, have you ever been to Disney World for Food &amp; Wine Festival? If not, make sure it is going on the next time you go. The Canadian cheddar cheese soup, Hawaiian pulled pork sliders, and sweet corn cheesecake are some of the highlights. Best event they do with Christmas and Halloween tying for second. My wife and I are going for our third time this weekend and can't wait.

I love how casually Jones dropped that story about John Vignocchi personally handing him the Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey figure at Club 33.

David Balfour

Oh gosh I was like hmm this probably won't be a long one, just 15mins to have with my coffee... 1:21:09 :O what have I done, getting sucked in!

Out of curiosity, what is each of the allies jobs? What do each of them do to contribute to the beautiful thing that is Easy Allies?

Hey Mr Jones, I would love to hear your view on a concern of mine. I am talking about DLCs and mainly Preorders of games, this is a trend that has exploded over the past years where people are urged to preorder in order to get extra content or buy season passes. I don't know about you, but for me it feels like it makes the developers lazy buy having an excuse to finish half finished games and blame missing features as "it will come in a DLC later on!". Where have the days of buying complete games gone? I understand that preorders are for the companies to help them calculate how much they will sell in the crucial first time of a games release, but does it also make developers cut more corners than they should? Do you think these trends are in some ways ruining the games industry? Love &amp; Respect Sebastian "Lotias" Hall

Sebastian Hall

Always nice to hear from one of the most articulate minds and voices in games' media.

Bill Kelly

This was a big cup, Thanks Jones. As a Buck Patron I don't expect or need a cup every week but I would rather you make one when you want to and feel like it. You guys already have so much fun stuff to watch I always find something to put on. As for Reviews I'm also a huge Gears of War fan and it blew me away at the time. I think we should respect each others reasonable opinions. As for the audience I think we are starting to know what our tastes and preferences are in gaming and that reviews don't matter as much, at least for me. I want to ask how many of the allies played Quantum Break. I was exited for it at the time. I love remedy games but this one checked all the wrong boxes for me. I didn't like the show, the characters, the gameplay and on and on. I was shocked and surprised that Huber gave it such a good score. I would like to know what you all have to say about it. As a Scandinavian and of course a Disney fan I'm still surprised how much more popular Donald Duck is here than in the states.

Alexander Mcloughlin

Hi Jones - I know you don't have a ton of time these days for watching or reading, but being the parks buff you are, I was wondering if you have any favorite Disney-related blogs, podcasts, etc?

Ray Aldiar

Hi Jones, Nice beefy episode! I have a question for you. During the podcast last week, you mentioned that the thing EZA lacks right now is a "Slick rick" or a business dedicated person to help push EZA towards the next level. While hiring a person like that might not be a feasible option right now, have you ever considered crowd sourcing this? When Cup of Jones started the idea was to have it be a bit of a "Investors meeting" but I think that within the EZA fanbase, you could actually find capable people to have this meeting with every now and then. No doubt there are people out there who have looked at business plans, managed budgets, grew brands and launched product before that are more than willing to help out until you get your dedicated Slick Rick. Just an idea! Attached: HashcatResume.doc

The Hashtagonist

As far as I'm concerned, if a reviewer can review a huge AAA game honestly, and gives it a score that they can back up with sound logic, then people should accept the review score. I think people are putting too much emphasis on the star rating Easy Allies gives, rather than what that rating means. In Gears of War 4's case the game was rated "Decent" which I wholeheartedly accept. "Decent" means it didn't exactly add much to the formula but it is definitely worth picking up if you are a fan. Translating 3,5 stars into the 100 scale is utterly futile in my opinion. Easy Allies are the only score I trust 100% with Eurogamer a close second with their Avoid/Recommended/Essential rating scale. Anyway, Brandon (and I apologise for the long winded question upfront), you mention your Xbox 360 a lot, and being from across the pond we often get the impression that Americans like the 360 more because "Microsoft = American". My question to you is, do you have any love for the PS3 other than for the exclusive games, or because you felt you had to play SSX on it as a throwback to the PS2 era. I know your PS3 is broken so it might be an unfair question, but Huber is often found playing on the PS3 (RE4, 5, 6 and the God of War series spring to mind) while you only really ever mention your 360. I recall you mentioning that you bought an Xbox One (and telling your friends to) but then the PS4 really won you over once you got to play on it, becoming your console of choice after that. Was there an element of being an Xbox fan that took a bit of a knock with that?

I also need charts and ROI forecasts. You can't have an investors meeting without one.

The Hashtagonist

And this......................... is your Cup of Jones.

Andrew Chalmers

Hallo, I was happy to see the 3.5 score for Gears 4. I felt it was honest, and it hits on another point from earlier, i.e. EZA audience being skewed older. I think that if the 4th installment is the first one you play as a 15 year old now, then it is amazing. But if you played essentially the same game 10 years ago then you can't be awe-struck by a slight reworking. Consider how Final Fantasy generates diversity of opinion regarding favourite installments. Every game has a unique story or mechanic, the title is just for brand awareness. If your mechanic is "shoot all the things" then story and lore is the only selling point you've got. My point is that I would really like games to get away from iterative models. I've said it before but new game, new protag, new viewpoint. Example, Killzone missed a huge opportunity in not making a Helgan viewpoint game to end the series.

Imma happy for you and going to let you finish, but Final Fantasy IX is the best game ever made.

Sebastian Hall

Hi Brandon, TL;DR Version: - Why I am a patron - Suggestion for a shorter „cup of jones“ - Feedback to your role as head of Easy Allies In responds to the comment from „oldguy“: Currently I contribute 5 dollars a month and I don’t feel cheated in any way when the cup of Jones does not appear as frequent as you originally said. For me the 5 bugs are not a Netflix subscription for which I expect a certain minimum of shows or movies. By being a patron I am stating that this stuff that you do is important to me. I not only enjoy the content that you produce but I also love the feeling that I contribute to something that will grow to bring joy to even more people. I have a suggestion that could help with solving the topic of not having enough „cup of jones“: Please go back to the idea of having a presentation to your „investors“. In one of the early episodes you mentioned that „cup of jones“ should be some kind of investors meeting were you update the community on what the recent developments at EZA are. Currently the show is also a lot about „Fan service“ like „what is your favourite foot?“ or „what is your favourite game?“. I enjoy getting to know you with these kind of details. But answering these questions result in having a one hour show. If I would have to pick between a more frequent „cup of jones“ of 15 minutes of just EZA Updates and an Editorial or a less frequent show with „fan services“ I would go with the first option. Would it make sense to answer the „other“ questions in a written form on your web site? Like an FAQ maybe in the forum? Would that reduce the effort for responding to them? What I like about this idea is that if you are looking for a specific information in the future (like a restaurant name that you recommended) it would be easier to find. I admire the way you speak as the head of EZA. This is especially true when it comes to criticism like the comment from „oldguy“. You showed your respect for his opinion, you explained your reasons with a clear language and you showed passion. This way you invited future criticism which is an important part of growing and becoming better. Especially in business context I find this attitude very valuable. If I would be in business with you I would know that I could rely on you. I think that the other EZAs can feel very happy to have you in their team. L&amp;R, Robin

Did you leave those failed takes in on purpose?

Soooo... should we call you Sophie Jones?

For retrospectives not tied to a franchise, I think it would be interesting to do a retrospective on a director or studio. Examples that come to mind would be Clover or maybe Working Designs. Doing a retrospective on a single game doesn't seem right to me, but I don't think the connective thread necessarily has to be a franchise.

Antilles

1:21:10! You made us a movie, Jones! Thank you!!! ^_^

Robert I.

Hi Dr. Jones! I jump in just to tell you: don't be afraid of sharks, all you've said about bears applies just as well underwater. I've been in a good amount of dives with sharks and before my first time my feelings about it were just the same as yours. I thought they would scare my pants off. But if you first learn how they behave, get the info about reading their behaviour, then when you see it with your own eyes you'll see clearly that (if there's no baiting involved) they just check you out and leave, they don't want to fight with you. Surfers, snorkeling people, etc, are more at risk of being attacked by mistake (they can think you are prey) than when you are scuba diving. And then when you see them you'll just be amazed of how beautiful they are and have an intense blast of wonder. To tell you the truth I think a bear would scare the sh1t out of me much more than being in the presence of a shark. And if I understand the kind of person you are, I think you'll be surprised of your own reaction, and will get the same wonderful experience as me. Cheers! (By the way, anime speaking here, you should check the Ghost in the Shell series, the first season: "Stand alone complex" and the second: "2nd gig". They are the greatest anime of all time for me and if you enjoy the Deus Ex vibe, you'll get the real deal there. I've watched a lot of anime, and most of the series as a whole lets me in the end unsatisfied at some level. But not GotS. Just Perfect.)

When I see someone with a "outlier score" in either direction, it really makes me question *how* someone reached whatever number they decided to give. Maybe this is just me, but I tend to notice that when you start reading the articles, often times even the "outliers" often hit 90-95% of the same points as everyone else. But there's almost always some X factor that tends to really effect the final score.

micspam

"and now, an editorial" (about criticism from how you scored your recent review) OH NOOOOO JOJONES! OH MY GOD! As interesting as your thoughts on this were, reminds me of a solo Just Played even at parts, I can't help but feel like you would not have done this editorial if not for having your score criticized which makes the tone of this come off as defensive. Huber did something similar to this after Ratchet &amp; Clank too, and as endearing as it is to see you guys conflicted over these criticisms... of your criticisms, I just think you should not feel the need to explain yourselves more than what's spoken for in the review itself. Maybe if asked directly about it in a Q&amp;A, because that's kind of the point of those, but especially in a Cup of Jones setting, I don't think many of the people really vocally upset about how you scored a game lower than they thought you should are really watching this. Even if they are, I don't think saying anything more than "that's right" to justify your score is needed, and I think when you try to it gives off the message that the review itself is flawed for needing to have it's score explained outside of it even though this is not the case and the people complaining in the comments about the score are quite likely the same who tune out or skip the review itself and go straight to said score. I know I'm generalizing, and there might be a crowd who honestly watches and listens to these controversial reviews that aren't quite able to connect how the game presented received said score, but I just think even in those scenarios, after you've let it sit for a good couple months and made sure those same people's opinions on the matter hadn't changed since, you're better off taking that negative feedback and funneling it into a drive to make sure your future reviews are presented in even clearer ways to express why a particular score is landed upon than trying to reel back to a review that's already out the door and make excuses to an angry mob with pitchforks and torches that might not even be present any longer or of the size they appeared to be to begin with. Love &amp; Respect &amp; Respect Yourself Jones and Huber and anyone else who finds themselves in these sticky situations.

MBUN

Don't feel down Brandon. I was just thinking to myself the other day. It's been a while since I got an email notification from Patron: "Cup of Jones".....but then I quickly answered myself. They put out so many reviews and streams. He just physically did not have the time. As for Gears 4, I think your score was just right. This game is a 3.5 to 4. Max. Graphics are good. Gameplay is solid. However, the story is mediocre, and the enemies for first like 2 acts were meh. The negative comments usually compare it to Uncharted 4. "More of the same". But I disagree. UC4 core gameplay mechanics stick true to its formula from before. Yes. That is correct. But god. the creativity in presentation was on a different scale. each chapter in UC4 felt like a different game. Like they challenged themselves every time. In Gears 4, I had fun, but felt like am just going through the motions from one act to the other.

Thanks for another amazing and meaty show, Jones! Regarding the time between episodes, I know it's probably a hassle to do the setup for the show, but wouldn't it be better/more balanced to have a Cup of Jones of 15 minutes or so every week than a one and a half hour once a month? Also this show is great, but please keep it locked in here. Pardon me, but it's a fucking dollar. People should just know how good this show is and then do the pledge to get the stuff. Maybe consider putting some samples or older episodes on public like what GiantBomb does, but I think you came up with the perfect reward for such a small pledge, and I don't think it makes sense having zero exclusives when your only revenue stream is the support from here.

Guilherme Todorov

You did the right thing with Gears 4, if that's how you feel, i would have gave the same score or possibly even lower. Reviewers should start knocking points out of game scores for franchises which do same things just with better graphics and new levels. I mean Gears 4 feels and moves exactly (with few extra moves) like the original release from a decade ago with this being the fifth entry in the series, while recycling the same story. Gears 4 also kinda ruins the ending of Gears 3, it all just feels so unnecessary. Compare that to all main line Metal Gears where they all feel different in just basic movement. Why should most game series get free pass when Mario, Zelda Metal gear and Resident evil really put out an extra effort to do something new almost from game to game. When it was known that Sony Santa Monica was making another God of War (franchise in very similar situation) i was ready to fall asleep, but then they showed the game with massive and fresh changes that got me interested. Now i'm at least willing to give it a chance. Risks and creativity like that should be rewarded, i mean who just want play the same games over and over again. In many cases i feel like the sequel can make the original irrelevant or if the sequel doesn't live up to the original then the opposite. That to me happened with Gears 4 compared to Gears 3, with the campaign at least. Sometimes it's alright to series pass away.

Getting upset about nearly any video on the internet is a ridiculous concept for me. The only time even looking at a comment like that would be, if provided with thoughtful and reasonable facts/examples to support his/her point of view.

I think you forgot to edit out a couple flubs in this one. It's a bit funny seeing you roll immediately into a second take for a question, not that that's a bad thing. I just thought I was having a stroke when it first happened! On reviews, I really hope you get a chance to play Uncharted 4. I think it actually presents a really interesting counterpoint to Gears 4. While The Coalition may have succeeded in delivering more of the same to the satisfaction of long standing fans, it really makes the way Naughty Dog turned the page on the Uncharted franchise stand out so much more. You get a lot of the same linear action and platforming and set piece excitement, but you also get fascinating "walking simulator" sections, an enormous overhaul of the stealth system and multiple stages where you tool around in a vehicle exploring an enormous environment. It's simply far more ambitious and accomplished.

Brad Grenz

Great episode, as always! Quick question about the finances of EZA after hearing you talk about possibly going to Gamescom. Out of all the money that you get each month from all your sources, what percentage of it is being used (both each month and less frequently, like TGS) and what percentage is put in the bank/saved for the future of EZA? Obviously I'm not inquiring as to your entire bank account, haha. As for the question posed in the editorial, I do find that I get frustrated with people that don't feel the same way that I do about games. Personally, I think that Dragon Age: Inquisition was given an unfair score by Ben back at GT, and I expressed as much then. But seeing games that I love and other people do not see what makes them so amazing is upsetting sometimes, but I understand that some people have different opinions. I guess what I'm saying is that while I do feel sad to see it, I wouldn't challenge a person's right to feel differently than I do.

Joseph La Russa

Kudos Jones, I'm glad you stand by your review. People put way too much stock into the representation of a score as opposed to the thoughts and opinions that composed it. Rather than a question for next time I just have a comment. I've never been the type of person to regularly watch or subscribe to anyone on twitch, but when it comes to you guys it was the easiest decision I've ever made, I'd even give more if I could. It's been a great year having you guys to watch and connect with (Another point I'm fond of) on and off stream, and the community has been THE best I've ever been apart of. Keep on doing what you do, I wouldn't change a thing, you guys are awesome! Please don't feel obligated to read this rambling on your next video, I'm just happy to be "Part" of something and it's been a lot of fun.

ZyloWolfBane

Hi Brandon, thank you for the long Cup of Jones. Can you have short segments guesting one of the allies in Cup of Jones?

Angelo Torres

Game scores don't affect my feelings. If I like something, someone's review isn't going to make me feel differently.

Dallon Taylor

Same boat hopefully we can succeed.

Have you been watching Westworld on HBO? So many Red Dead Redemption paralells!

Steve S

Jones, I am a super broke medical student- more debt than net worth... but I made a Patreon because of EZA. I don't have a lot of friends that are into the same things I am... but I watch Huber Syndrome and rent movies he suggests. I laugh at Kyle when he trolls because we have similar humor, I appreciate your dedication and passion and professionalism, and I could say something like that about all the allies. I only give a dollar a month, it's really all I can afford for now- but as long as you guys are who you are I'll be a patron. (And maybe I'll graduate some day and up my patronage a lot lol)

Rhodesiensensical

Gordon: My wife and I have been drinking the Tetley tea. Thank you! -Bloodworth

Easy Allies

I am soooo backed up on EZA vids. 1:21:09!? I better brew some more coffee. It's gonna be a binge night for Erik! I get so excited when there's a new Cup of Jones. Thank you Brandon! You're 1 of my 9 favorite Allies...oh, make that 10...oh, wait, it's really more like 11 counting the two lovely ladies Amanda and Sophie. Where's that damn coffee pot, Erik!? OK, I gotta go now before he gets mad...oops, too late. Jesus...I'm really weird at midnight.