The Pothole which is Amazon

We are Escape Reality Comics Podcast Show, a podcast where we discuss all things nerdy, geeky and fandom and so much more. We will cover everything from what's happening in the world comics shows and fandom to the hard hitting stories, the news today. Now, here's your host, Chad and Kevin. Hello, welcome to Escape Reality Comics Podcast Show, I'm your host, Chad, my co host, Kevin, how you doing, buddy? Oh gosh, I'm way better this week. The vaccination I now have superpowers you do what kinds of browsers you have you have a third eye? Or do you have like a third arm or you know, a prong di.. What? it well I could have that third eye you were talking about or any of the things you were just listing but yes, the title of the day is gonna be the pothole which is Amazon. And we're gonna have a lot of things that be spoken about Amazon today. And not necessarily good things. So just stay tuned on that one. We're also going to be talking about what's going on with PlayStation. And of course, you're going to be hearing about our sponsors. You know, we have to and then the comic book of the week it is Saturday and then we also got Sonic the Hedgehog two what we're talking about. So today's gonna be exciting. So the first off let's talk about PlayStation what is going on with PlayStation. So a couple episodes back I talked about how Sony was going to shut down the stores for PlayStation three PlayStation Vita and PSP or PlayStation Portable, only just a couple of weeks now Sony's decided to backtrack on their this decision. So all due to fans, fans are very outspoken on how they feel about things shutting down. So even sites that I love checking out was leaving, like lists for like, hey, these are games you should download before they disappear. Who knows what's gonna happen with backwards compatibility? Well, that gives that doesn't none of those things matter anymore because now Sony's like. Okay, we're gonna keep it going. So, as of now, Sony says they're going to continue operations. So it's going to be for Playstation three and vitta. But the PSP is still going to go forward with shutting down all the way. I don't know if that means you can't add even access downloads for the PSP. But yeah, yeah, the fans have spoken. Very nice. Don't you dare shut down anything I know. Right? Well, luckily, the fans are happy with PlayStation. Yep, they're not so happy with Amazon right now. So the pit that is Amazon, the total shithole that is Amazon. It is such a bad so okay. So there last year, Amazon announced that they're supposed to come out with Lord of the Rings RPG game, right kind of like a guild wars and world Warcraft type game. Damn, it could be cool if it you know if it would have been a thing. Yeah. I mean, they. So this thing was supposed to come out. They announced it on 2009 and 2019. And I guess they just canceled it. They're not going to show it no more. They're not going to do it. So Amazon canceled Lord of the Rings RPG game and due to contract disputes with China's Leyou technologies holdings. That's what they're blaming on. But there's I mean, I dug deep on this whole story. Oh, my God, the Amazon Studios, Game Studios is so badly managed. It's ridiculous, dude. I'm gonna ask you a question, Kevin. Go ahead. You're a game developer, right? I'm trying to be Yeah, you're like more of a hobbyist? Are you kind of Yeah. Yeah. So you're a hobbyist you go out and you design games you try to make them so you're pretty aware of the program's you need to be done, right. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, you gotta gotta figure out if you're gonna make one from scratch or if you're gonna use an existing engine. Yeah. And normally when you make a video game, what's the first thing you're gonna do? Yeah, just kind of look into I the way the route I wanted was, what are they got existing? What existing game engines do they have? so unreal? Unreal Engine is a very, very big, big one. Yeah, so yeah. So that's the first thing you would look into look into game engines. Would you make your own like, honestly, like, out of the blue, though, with the level you're at now? Would you make your own? Oh, absolutely not. Yeah. If it's from scratch, now I my coding skills would not get me far enough. Right. So you would think Amazon would do the same thing would go after, you know, the ones you just listed like the Unreal engines and all that stuff, right? Oh, yeah. Yeah, there's there's a couple of handfuls a unity Godot. Game Maker. Your studio. They're just all great options. So yeah, so you think Amazon would do the same thing? They're multi billion dollar company now. I mean, you would think that's been a little extra money to get a really good video games. No, dude, get this. So Amazon Game Studios has big time internal problems starting with their goddamn game engine. Right? So, of course, they're not they are straight out refusing to use already established game engines like Unreal Engine and on the ones you listed. Instead, they're using a homemade game engine called lumberyard. And I guess it's ridiculous. Have you ever heard of Amazon designing lumberyard or anything like that Kev? I might have briefly like when they first first were talking about this, but yeah, it's it's not enough for me to you know, yeah. To be like, Oh, yes. Yeah, exactly what you're saying Chad. Right. So apparently, this thing's horrible. Dude, it's apparently so slow to process, art and data that the game developers are like playing video games and watching to this full on TV series because lumberyard takes so long to process art and code. So what is it? Are they back in the 90s? or something, I guess, but they Amazon's game studios are straight out refusing to use anything else except their own going on to the mismanagement of the whole situation. Also, that apparently is mismanaged. Oh, hell, and there's a bro-culture there apparently doesn't give women the same opportunities as men on there. So I mean, okay. It's been eight years since Amazon started their Amazon game studio, and they have only released two games. And Kevin, I think me snf you talk about this before the show, and you haven't heard these games and your big game guy, right? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I play on every platform. So. Yeah. So apparently, the first one that came out was the game, the grand tour. I have no clue. What's that about? But it game the game came out and they released and within a year he got removed from storefronts. That's, yeah. I'm wondering what the heck happened? Dude I don't Yeah, get back, take it back. We didn't mean to release that something. And then they had Crucible, right. Crucible is a second game they get released. Another I've never heard of. Yeah, exactly. Which got then shut down and November 2020. They released it and they shut it down. And they have multiple, multiple game project cancellations. You don't know how much Amazon spends per year for the game division. Got I can't even guess a couple million 500 million $500 million a year. Right. And you would think you know, okay, maybe these guys don't know what they're doing. What if they didn't bring out the right people? Well, apparently the head of the Amazon game studio is Mike Frazzini, which has brought big talent has design games, so does to design the game. Excuse me. So I mean, look, he has Kim Swift, who worked on portals. You have Clint Hawkings who worked on Far Cry two, Richard Hilleman, who worked on Madden and john Smedley who worked on Everquest, right. I guess three of them three of the four or quit. Only john Smedley is there to this day, apparently reason why they quit. Because Mike, the head of the game development of Amazon Game Studios, has ignored the advise of these well experienced game developers and understate understaffing projects, CEOs, I hope at least release something to keep the division The only I mean honestly eight years and you'll release two games which got canceled and got brought back I mean, apparently it's so bad that this Mike person apparently he was the head of was at the book division on Amazon. Now they moving forward over the game studio. And so he's he's demanding people saying that this is a Amazon should be a multi billion dollar franchise right after he says that he's laying off people. He's not he's firing people right and left, people are leaving, I mean, because he's understaffing and all that stuff. So I think you know if if anything if all this stuff happening would not be a surprise on a smaller studio, but it is concerning with with Amazon Studios, like I don't understand why they're having such a big problem with with all this stuff. I mean, at least they finished two games, but now they're not there was a point. I mean, it seems like they put out two games but they did it in the same time. cuz it was Oh, there it is. It's Yes, yes. Just super quick. I'd like to see what reviews there was for those, those two games, you know, right. It's not a bad idea. Well, and the way the game industry works is, you know, there's a huge game coming, like ign.com or, you know, the big companies will get early access, so that they can get it out ahead, you know, reviews and, and really kind of hype games more. So to get people to be aware. So yeah, maybe they never actually did release their games early for the, you know, for the gaming industry. Well, so now, word for our sponsors is going to be Popl. Yeah, I know. We got to talk about Popl every single episode. But popl so I'm going to do kind of fun like I did last time. oh, creepy, Are you tired of carrying a stack of business cards? Yes, you are. popl is your solution. Just stick the popl right on the back of your phone. And get ready to scan to your next Vic? I mean, potential customer type in ER comics at checkout for 20% off. Yes, I like doing these. Alrighty. So now we got the book of the week. It's It's Saturday. So we're gonna do the book of the week. So it's gonna be you know, since last time we talked about Shang-Ci I think it's only fair to bring up you know, because he is not well known act. He's not a well known comic character. Here's a chance to actually study up on him before The movie comes on. So it's going to be Shang-Ci. So I'm going to do the book description us to come up with the week. I'm also going to read the book description in dramatic music. So guys ready for this? who I was, I wasn't part of this last time. I think why not? And it was too bad because it was actually really fun. Okay, let's do this. I didn't say dramatic music right. here we go. THE MASTER RETURNS! An ancient and evil secret society has stayed in hiding since the death of their leader, Zheng Zhu. But now his successor has been chosen to shift the balance of power in the world...Zheng Zhu's son, Shang-Chi! Witness the Marvel Universe's greatest fighter return to a world of death and destruction he thought he left behind long ago...and discover the secrets to Shang-Chi's past that will change his world forever Don't miss out on this epic tale of family, betrayal and justice as the incredible team of Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese), Dike Ruan (SPIDER-VERSE, BLACK CAT) and Philip Tan (UNCANNY X-MEN) launch a new chapter in the legend of Shang-Chi! can't say I did half bad No, no, I want to go by the book. Right right. goosebumps Chad no righty. We have fun we have fun. All right, dude. Guess what I saw? Because you told me just before the show. Well, what's it Oh, we're on the Sonic the Hedgehog. Baby and guess what? I was more excited for we all you know, you know, last movie was cute. It was fun. It was fun to watch it was like innocent counsel. I don't care how well that goes as long as they keep alrighty then guy. Jim Carrey that's what their god the key though alrighty then guy. Oh, Alrighty then. Jim Carrey I don't care. Well, this one goes as long as they keep Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik like they got to keep him they got to keep him so and guess what else? You know we all knew tails was coming out i don't i don't care. Everybody's all excited for tails I no one cares about tails. All right, we all knew tails coming out last movie at the very end of it all like the the cinematic end of all the credits went through you saw freakin tails. Guidance little freakin chopper tail and going through a whole right we all know even better. The greatest character of MMA even better than Sonic. I would have to say personal opinion of course. How dare you. Hey, if I mean, Knuckles is coming. Knuckles, all I care about all I'm gonna see. I'm not gonna see for Sonic. I'm seeing it for knuckles. Knuckles is OG, badass. I don't I don't care what anybody says. Yeah, I absolutely loved him in the original Sega Genesis stuff like when they had that add on the cartridge. So you can play Sonic two maybe? Yeah, three 32x had one. They had the sonic knuckles game on there, but they had the cartridge on the Genesis. And then you can put Sonic two and Sonic three on it. And that goes would show up in those games. Yeah, I can't remember. I still I have two 32Xs. I have two of those things. I don't know if they work or not. But I can't check it out. But probably Those are probably worth something. But yeah. And other podcasts are here. But that's all I care about this movie. I'm just gonna see this movie. Because of freaking knuckles. That's it. Yeah, and the the set photos are pretty funny because they finally they got actual, you know, realistic models to give an idea for the actors. Yeah. Because the last last movie, they had no idea what Sonic was really gonna look like, I think they had an idea of how tall he was going to be. So the actors, you know, the main actors had an idea where he were to look. Because I think that's that's a big selling point in a movie is like, if the actor sells it, you know, is the actor actually looking at a character even though he's CGI? So this movie kind of, you know, they had some moments where I'm like, Oh, I can tell he doesn't know even what he's looking at. But now on set they have these you know, actual all three of the characters. You know, Sonic tails and knuckles. Yes. And that's awesome. Just to see it sitting there. There's a guy in the big photo that showed up on social media is him. This guy leaning down with his sun hat. I said adjusting Sonic and yeah, making sure the set looks good, you know? I mean, the first one is cute. I like the first one. My daughter loves that movie. I don't even know how many times you've watched the the first Sonic movie. I mean, it was good. I like it a lot I thought was really good. I didn't care. Energy Jim Carrey energy was ridiculous. So yeah, big time. Jim Carrey was awesome as Dr. Robotnik I mean, they have to keep him he's a must have dude but Knuckles yeah, I hope Yeah. but Knuckles. I just hope it just is as good as the first one. You know, I know they should put me on marketing marketing. This thing is like this movie. It's like hey, we're gonna market this sonic the hedgehog two. And I need you to market for us to make movie. Okay, great knuckles that it, sold everything sold out. Every started storming you know the theaters, they're going to demand that the theaters will be open. They're just gonna go out and just watch it because all all you have to say is knuckles and boom. Sold out. sold the film. Good. So the posters don't even have to have Sonic and, Nope just Knuckles. Okay, Knuckles and Dr. Robotnik. Know, Jim Carrey Jim Carrey has to be on it. Jim Carrey has to be on it. But that's it. That's all you need. Because Hey, you know Sonics, okay. You know, Tails, meh All right, knuckles. That's all it is. all it is all you need. But we'll see how the movie turns out. It's just a picture of knuckles the whole two hours. Jim Carrey just like sold out sold the film. We're good. Okay, well, anyway. Alright, I think that's all the time we have today. I think we're just talking smack now. You guys have a wonderful night or day morning, midday afternoon, evening, whatever. When you have that nice cup of coffee to that nice glass or Marlo? You have a good night or nice day or nice evening and see you on Wednesday. Baba. Bah bah, bah, ba bi Thank you for listening to E.R. Comics podcast show. Tell us how we did. You can let us know on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, tik tok and YouTube. Just search for E.R. Comics.