See, the thing about Matt's writing... the thing that renders distractions powerless for as long as he's talking... is that it pretends to be about *the thing*... but it's actually about everything but *the thing*. And I want more of it. But I'm old enough to have learned patience. So I look forward to the next upload later this decade.
I feel Frostpunk is slightly misrepresented... the game will specifically reward surviving without resorting to power fantasies modelled through dictatorship and religion, but this is the most difficult way to win (and one few players achieve). Choosing the "drastic" paths doesn't feel powerful, it feels like giving up, which I think hits all the right notes and fits wonderfully with the theme of the game; ultimately you aren't celebrated for "doing what needed to be done", even though you technically "won", you are given a consolation prize for choosing an easy path and in turn giving up your humanity.
Thank you so much for bringing this up. I was looking through the comments to see if anyone had played through A New Home and achieved The Golden Path and you did not disappoint. Was really hoping Matt would mention that at some point, perhaps they didn't discover it? I think that leads to further discussion on how the intended message of "did it really need to be done?" isn't driven properly by the end of the game. There's no way for the player to ascertain that there's more to the game besides the cruelty they perceived they were forced into because the game doesn't lead them on, it almost affirms their choices. Is this to cement a player's journey as canon? "You did it your way, for better or worse" seems to be what I gathered by the end of my first playthrough, and it's very telling that the most humanitarian achievement is also one of the hardest. That alone speaks volumes to me about what it means to be kind and maintain honor towards your own morality. Frostpunk 2 Hype!
When I was but a boy my great grandfather, ancient by any standard, told me about this channel in hushed tones; whistling dust from between his few remaining teeth he would whisper tales under his breath about the last video you guys put out; a faded memory from his youth, but fondly recalled. Now I sit in my hospice awaiting a visit from my own great grandson, watching your new video and contemplating the divine symmetry of it all!
I can’t deny it any longer, Matt Lees is one of my favorite people on earth. Matt, thanks for every piece of your life you’ve shared with us. You brighten our lives with all you do. Every goofy song, every silly perfectly timed clever joke on let’s plays, every incredibly pointed and accurate critique in reviews (positive and negative) on board games and video games (and beyond), we appreciate all of it. Thanks for being you
Frostpunk does have a 'better ending' if the player doesn't engage in the end game authoritarian laws. I feel like the game is critiquing the culture of "it had to be done" by presenting the player with extreme options and challenging you not to use either of the paths it gives you. It asks the player to not overreach and abuse their power, even though doing so would make the game more difficult. If you do, the time lapse is the game asking you "did you really need to be an authoritarian to win?"
Man, I've missed this and it's so nice to have a new one after all these years. I enjoy Virtual Steve reminds me of his very early VR videos, plus Barry did some music for this too? What a winning combination.
3 things: 1 - it's good to have you back, Matt 2 - Baldur's Gate 3 falls afoul of the "all choices are bad BUT YOU HAD TO DO IT TO 'EM" and that's why I gave up in Act 3 3 - Outer Wilds remains the only game I've played where I'd love to be lobotomised so I can play it from first principles all over again.
Man it's so bittersweet that Cool Ghosts in over but I'm happy it ended on its own terms instead of silently fading away. The final moments of this video genuinely made me feel wistful but accepting that things have to change. Thanks for Cool Ghosts. It was a blast.
I really love this argument at the start of the video, even though I’m not sure I agree. But I think the way you phrased it finally made me realise why I get stuck in my hamster-wheel of doom in games like Darkest Dungeon or Frostpunk: I restart the run every time someone dies, because, as you say, I cannot do “what needs to be done”. But I’m not necessarily sure that Frostpunk does not appreciate the games that fall short and die a death of naïve idealism, just because it doesn’t have a closing sequence - I also think that the end game sequence you showed condemns your choices as a fascist leader, and I know for a fact there is an ethical way to play Frostpunk, the religious cult fascism wasn’t inevitable. But, I suppose love the game because I love fighting tooth and nail for my utopia. I make excel spreadsheets to map out the most efficient way to work to help my citizens on Frostpunk, for example. I’m just now realising that that might be odd! Does anyone else play Frostpunk restarting if anyone dies? Even though I don’t 100% agree with your criticism, I didn’t realise until now why I play those games the way I do so, as always, your coverage has enabled me to verbalise *why* I play games!! Thanks Matt!
I'm so Happy to see Matt back writing on videogames again, The Outer Wilds perspective was particularly insightful in helping me gather my own thoughts on the game. Buuuut those framing scenes to the Cool Ghosts show showing Quinns no longer there, and the fact that Quinns is doing a lot of work for People Make Games and isn't that much of a part of this episode, makes me real sad they may have silently steeped back from Cool Ghosts. Of course, I understand that a lot has happened in the world since Episode 3 of Cool Ghosts (did you know we'd had a global pandemic? It's true), and I know I can still see Matt and Quinns occasionally on Sit Down and Shut Up, and that they're both off doing their own things, but it'd be real lovely to see them in an episode of this together again.
Cheers guys, I really love how you delve into the emotional funk of games and I'll miss this. I've spent way too many hours in Kingdom Two Crowns because of your videos. May this channel rest in peace
I was so happy to see the notification for this video!!! There were a lot of times i stoped what i was doing to rewatch some of your old videos to look for new games to play. Glad you guys are doing ok
Linking Outer Wilds and Dark Souls is so brilliant. The OW DLC expands on this beautifully; the threats in it are initially TERRIFYING, but after enough time you start to think ... why am I scared? Because they might end this 4 minute loop I'm on? And the theme is further highlighted by the creatures you find totally trapped by their fear. Just masterful. Also I've been sucked off in a virtual world!
This was amazing!!! I cant believe i hadnt found this channel sooner! Everyone in SUSD are geniuses in multiple ways making so much cool things! Excited to binge the previous episodes!
So happy Cool Ghosts did one more episode! One point about Frostpunk which I felt was missing here was that the ending timelapse will say “we didn’t cross the line” if you don’t go *too* far down the different Book of Laws paths. I liked it, because the Book of Laws is like a secondary research tree, and the game rewards you with the “best” ending by using restraint, and *not* “doing what needs to be done” when you can survive without completely losing your humanity.
Absolutely heartbroken that this will be the last Cool Ghosts. Thank you Matt, hope to see you again soon, your content is arguably some of the best on UA-cam.
In Frostpunk, you _can_ save refugees, make the moral choice, avoid going fascist, _and still win._ It's harder to play that way, and the ending montage is cheerier if you do. To me, that paints a picture where inhumane choices are the coward's way through. "Did what had to be done" are words the game puts in your mouth when you do something awful, but the game is employing a little irony there. It's designed in a way where _that's usually untrue._ It also gives you this fake binary tree of "religious authoritarianism or secular authoritarianism", and then the moral choice is to actually forgo the biggest gameplay advantages of either. Making the player opt out of power like that is a way a game can actually simulate self-sacrifice, and I found it pretty clever. All that together, I think Frostpunk is critiquing "hard choices" in a way pretty similarly to you. So I was surprised to see your take on it here.
Thank you for this. I can only begin to explain how much I enjoy hearing Matt talking about games. From Videogamer, to Daft Souls to Cool Ghosts, it's put me in touch with so many games I enjoy and I'm very grateful whenever we get some content.
I really thought we'd never get another Cool Ghosts and I was happy to at least have 3 episodes of some of the best games commentary put to youtube and now it's back and better than ever... one of the best days of my life
I recently rewatched the Cool Ghosts episodes, they're some of my favorite things on the internet, I was so excited when I saw the teaser.. These boys never disappoint!
Comment for the algorithm gods, and super glad that this channel isnt dead. Matt and the OG Videogamertv/xboxworld people were some of the formative media critique people I were exposed to
Frostpunk always tells me I didn't cross the line. The line is specifically in which laws you pass. The game tempts the player with bad choices that seem reasonable but aren't. If you pass up child labor early, you get medical interns later. This keeps everyone healthier longer and keeps every system working more reliably. What I find interesting about it is it's location. The game devs say it's near Iceland. It is not near Iceland. Iceland is a volcanic island that doesn't have wood or coal. A storm originating in Patagonia is not going anywhere near Iceland. All the shadows in the game point south, putting the game in the southern hemisphere. If you pass weird medical laws, you find out one of the engineers is a veteran of the boer wars. The boer wars happened in southern Africa, where the shadows point south, warmth is to the north, and is in the path of normal winds from Patagonia. Africa's great lakes region has the resources of the game while being directly north of London, SA. I suspect they want to put the game in a Nordic region for the same cowardly reason other game companies put their colonial games there: you don't have to ask what happened to the people who were there. Frostpunk follows a group of brittish colonists in the 1800s; they are terrible people and we don't need the text to speculate on that.
Why can't governments get involved with the task of getting more Cool Ghosts? International laws must be created so we don't lose them for good. Seriously though I love it so much. The use of Dreams for some of the content was top notch, and actually makes me wonder why more channels don't do it. Love you Matt and the team, hope you're all well.
The outer wilds is a proper rollercoaster of emotions when you play it. What's happening, why is it happening, can I stop it happening. You slowly discover everything and more, often with a tragic story attached. For a game that looks very child friendly, it scared the crap out of me and made me sad, but wanting more, so many times.
At current pace, we can expect Cool Ghosts 6 to be written out of your retirement homes. On a more serious note: I am SO HAPPY to see this video. Always glad to see you return to this series. Thanks a lot for your hard work
While I find the pacing and structure of the video odd, I greatly appreciate that you directly addressed the annoyingly cynical attitude of people/narratives that seem to think survival is truly worth any cost, especially if that cost is paid by someone else.
Been listening to regular features for over a decade but there’s one question I feel like I’ve never been able to answer; does Steve Hogarty like quantum leap?
So glad to get another cool ghost !! For the post apocalyptic genre though, I feel that Fury Road more than put a dent in the "it had to be done" individualist take on it !
I've been DMing a cultist campaign for Blades in the Dark with friends, and have been looking for material. You said the first sentence of the Shrouded Isle bit and I'm just going to buy it now thanks.
part game review, part essay video, that's what I'm TALKING about baybee; I know you gents are busy but any more of these videos would heal my inner child
Lovely vid. Presentation is sooo good. NIce to see a push in the shrouded isle segment against the dominant value of a forever game. I don't know how much I agree with the outer wilds segment entirely though, you're not completely centered but similarly to how the big bang happened here, there, everywhere, at once, there is this powerful connected feeling in Outer Wilds, that you are not merely an outside observer or archaeologist come to pick over a beautifully indifferent universe, but rather that all stories at once to everybody have deep value that spills out onto eachother. You are not the center but somehow everywhere is. You are not lesser than the world but deeply important to it.
More than 3 years ago I left a comment on Cool Ghosts: 3: "Still patiently waiting for Cool Ghosts Episode 4 :'(" The wait is finally over. Thank you. How many fashion credits do I get for my patience?
I'm puzzling over the point about Frost Punk not having a montage for failed games. I agree with the idea that games should consider losing a game as its own end to a story and think that the rougelike mechanism has the potential for a lot more stories than have been explored thus far. On the other hand, I'm imagining how Frost Punk would frame some of its failure montages and it feels like a very tricky needle to thread. If it makes any mention of the more unsavory roads the player didn't take to try and mitigate failure then you can read it as "well maybe you should have been a bit more fash so everyone didn't die? Next time don't be a coward with that hammer." If it says that your city didn't give in to its worst impulses and nobly froze to death with its principles intact, then that may also be read as "I'm not sure I want humanity to go extinct, maybe next time a bit of fascism next time?" Introspection on such things is fine but ultimately it'd be nice if the ultimate message of the game is that brutality isn't necessary to survive. I guess it's just a good job that it's possible to survive without doing any bad stuff. Could be that's the "true" ending?
Damn, I'm gonna miss this show. Can't believe it's already been 4 seasons of insightful analysis and absurdist sketch comedy! Okay, but honestly, this episode was incredibly good. Probably the best musings on Outer Wilds (or "The Outer Wilds") I've seen anywhere. Despite the absurd premises and execution of the sketches, I did find them quite funny. That salesman voice was so cartoony I didn't realize it was Matt playing the character until like 5 minutes from the end. Also Steven's lines were somehow delivered perfectly, in that sort of ineffably unhinged way. That voiceover in the first Virtual Steven segment was genuinely hilarious. The animation throughout was also fantastic. Particularly fond of the "fuck that" balloons. I don't know how, but the serious analysis and ridiculous humor, consistently hit in such, respectively, melodramatic and camp fashions, and with a surprising earnestness. I really do hope Cool Ghosts will continue in some form, or you decide to make another series about video games analysis and/or comedy. Nobody else that I've seen here is doing this, at least not in such a thoughtful and expressive manner that's far more than just a deluge of ironic detachment. Cheers!
Matt is such an amazing content creator. I LOVE his SUSD content but the insights he brings from computer games can be so meaningful and insightful. I just love cool ghosts. I wish it popped off more and you could dedicate more time to it, but business is business. End of the day, GREAT VIDEO. ❤️
I just knew having my notifications on would pay off eventually.
After 3000 years... we're finally free (to enjoy more Cool Ghosts)
See, the thing about Matt's writing...
the thing that renders distractions powerless for as long as he's talking...
is that it pretends to be about *the thing*...
but it's actually about everything but *the thing*.
And I want more of it.
But I'm old enough to have learned patience.
So I look forward to the next upload later this decade.
The fun thing about this channel is that the longer it stays away, the more appropriate it feels when it comes back form the dead~
FrostPunk and XCOM analysis right off the bat? I am instantly reminded why I subscribed
Matt is the godking of video game writing. So good.
I feel Frostpunk is slightly misrepresented... the game will specifically reward surviving without resorting to power fantasies modelled through dictatorship and religion, but this is the most difficult way to win (and one few players achieve). Choosing the "drastic" paths doesn't feel powerful, it feels like giving up, which I think hits all the right notes and fits wonderfully with the theme of the game; ultimately you aren't celebrated for "doing what needed to be done", even though you technically "won", you are given a consolation prize for choosing an easy path and in turn giving up your humanity.
Thank you so much for bringing this up. I was looking through the comments to see if anyone had played through A New Home and achieved The Golden Path and you did not disappoint. Was really hoping Matt would mention that at some point, perhaps they didn't discover it?
I think that leads to further discussion on how the intended message of "did it really need to be done?" isn't driven properly by the end of the game. There's no way for the player to ascertain that there's more to the game besides the cruelty they perceived they were forced into because the game doesn't lead them on, it almost affirms their choices. Is this to cement a player's journey as canon? "You did it your way, for better or worse" seems to be what I gathered by the end of my first playthrough, and it's very telling that the most humanitarian achievement is also one of the hardest. That alone speaks volumes to me about what it means to be kind and maintain honor towards your own morality.
Frostpunk 2 Hype!
Last video: "Sorry for the delay, we are going to release videos regularly now"
...4 years later we get episode 4 🤣
To be fair, they did.. just not on this channel.
@@stephenmercerProductions What channel pray tell?
@@mazrimtaim86 Shut up and sit down! Sorry i'm not being rude, that's the name of the channel.
@@mazrimtaim86Quinns is part of People Make Games. Both Matt and Quinns still do Shut Up and Sit Down.
See y'all in 4 years
Loving the sporadic upload schedule! Really adds an extra dimension to the absurdism of the show!
Thank god for Cool Ghosts coming back! Just got laid off, so this helps me pass the time.
There are no other video game channels like this on the internet. Such a rare treat of great writing and excellent video editing. See you all in 2030!
4 year wait for cool ghost 4. Looking forward to cool ghost 5, 5 years from now. While I play my xbox 360 in my bunker.
When I was but a boy my great grandfather, ancient by any standard, told me about this channel in hushed tones; whistling dust from between his few remaining teeth he would whisper tales under his breath about the last video you guys put out; a faded memory from his youth, but fondly recalled. Now I sit in my hospice awaiting a visit from my own great grandson, watching your new video and contemplating the divine symmetry of it all!
I can’t deny it any longer, Matt Lees is one of my favorite people on earth. Matt, thanks for every piece of your life you’ve shared with us. You brighten our lives with all you do. Every goofy song, every silly perfectly timed clever joke on let’s plays, every incredibly pointed and accurate critique in reviews (positive and negative) on board games and video games (and beyond), we appreciate all of it. Thanks for being you
Leaving a comment because I LOVE COOL GHOSTS!!! Thank you so much for, even for a single episode, bringing this wonderful show back!!!!
Frostpunk does have a 'better ending' if the player doesn't engage in the end game authoritarian laws. I feel like the game is critiquing the culture of "it had to be done" by presenting the player with extreme options and challenging you not to use either of the paths it gives you. It asks the player to not overreach and abuse their power, even though doing so would make the game more difficult. If you do, the time lapse is the game asking you "did you really need to be an authoritarian to win?"
Man, I've missed this and it's so nice to have a new one after all these years. I enjoy Virtual Steve reminds me of his very early VR videos, plus Barry did some music for this too? What a winning combination.
Oof, the music of Outer Wilds still gets me straight in the feels.
Destiny review of this room is one of my favorite videos
3 things:
1 - it's good to have you back, Matt
2 - Baldur's Gate 3 falls afoul of the "all choices are bad BUT YOU HAD TO DO IT TO 'EM" and that's why I gave up in Act 3
3 - Outer Wilds remains the only game I've played where I'd love to be lobotomised so I can play it from first principles all over again.
I know this one has had a tough journey, but thanks for putting this out into the world.
Man it's so bittersweet that Cool Ghosts in over but I'm happy it ended on its own terms instead of silently fading away. The final moments of this video genuinely made me feel wistful but accepting that things have to change. Thanks for Cool Ghosts. It was a blast.
I really love this argument at the start of the video, even though I’m not sure I agree. But I think the way you phrased it finally made me realise why I get stuck in my hamster-wheel of doom in games like Darkest Dungeon or Frostpunk: I restart the run every time someone dies, because, as you say, I cannot do “what needs to be done”. But I’m not necessarily sure that Frostpunk does not appreciate the games that fall short and die a death of naïve idealism, just because it doesn’t have a closing sequence - I also think that the end game sequence you showed condemns your choices as a fascist leader, and I know for a fact there is an ethical way to play Frostpunk, the religious cult fascism wasn’t inevitable. But, I suppose love the game because I love fighting tooth and nail for my utopia. I make excel spreadsheets to map out the most efficient way to work to help my citizens on Frostpunk, for example. I’m just now realising that that might be odd! Does anyone else play Frostpunk restarting if anyone dies?
Even though I don’t 100% agree with your criticism, I didn’t realise until now why I play those games the way I do so, as always, your coverage has enabled me to verbalise *why* I play games!! Thanks Matt!
2:08 'Send a child to fix it' has served one of our political parties well for nearly 200 years
Absolutely loved the absurd level of animation that went into this.
I'm so Happy to see Matt back writing on videogames again, The Outer Wilds perspective was particularly insightful in helping me gather my own thoughts on the game. Buuuut those framing scenes to the Cool Ghosts show showing Quinns no longer there, and the fact that Quinns is doing a lot of work for People Make Games and isn't that much of a part of this episode, makes me real sad they may have silently steeped back from Cool Ghosts.
Of course, I understand that a lot has happened in the world since Episode 3 of Cool Ghosts (did you know we'd had a global pandemic? It's true), and I know I can still see Matt and Quinns occasionally on Sit Down and Shut Up, and that they're both off doing their own things, but it'd be real lovely to see them in an episode of this together again.
With sympathy and concern and all due respect...don't hold your breath on that last one.
Cheers guys, I really love how you delve into the emotional funk of games and I'll miss this. I've spent way too many hours in Kingdom Two Crowns because of your videos.
May this channel rest in peace
I was so happy to see the notification for this video!!! There were a lot of times i stoped what i was doing to rewatch some of your old videos to look for new games to play. Glad you guys are doing ok
Well that was fun. I look forward to seeing all you guys again in 2109 when episode 5 is released.
Can't believe I missed a Cool Ghosts. I'm glad you came back to it, even if this is one last time.
Linking Outer Wilds and Dark Souls is so brilliant. The OW DLC expands on this beautifully; the threats in it are initially TERRIFYING, but after enough time you start to think ... why am I scared? Because they might end this 4 minute loop I'm on? And the theme is further highlighted by the creatures you find totally trapped by their fear. Just masterful.
Also I've been sucked off in a virtual world!
I missed this channel. Thanks for bringing it back.
The budget on these videos clearly just keeps on going up and up ... 2 four packs of HEINZ beans AND a six-pack of soup?!
This was amazing!!! I cant believe i hadnt found this channel sooner! Everyone in SUSD are geniuses in multiple ways making so much cool things! Excited to binge the previous episodes!
So happy Cool Ghosts did one more episode! One point about Frostpunk which I felt was missing here was that the ending timelapse will say “we didn’t cross the line” if you don’t go *too* far down the different Book of Laws paths. I liked it, because the Book of Laws is like a secondary research tree, and the game rewards you with the “best” ending by using restraint, and *not* “doing what needs to be done” when you can survive without completely losing your humanity.
Outer Wilds is a blueprint for a new way to think about games. And with the expansion, they somehow did it again. Ridiculously audacious
Absolutely heartbroken that this will be the last Cool Ghosts. Thank you Matt, hope to see you again soon, your content is arguably some of the best on UA-cam.
UA-cam put this straight onto my homepage, so happy after 4 years
In Frostpunk, you _can_ save refugees, make the moral choice, avoid going fascist, _and still win._ It's harder to play that way, and the ending montage is cheerier if you do. To me, that paints a picture where inhumane choices are the coward's way through. "Did what had to be done" are words the game puts in your mouth when you do something awful, but the game is employing a little irony there. It's designed in a way where _that's usually untrue._
It also gives you this fake binary tree of "religious authoritarianism or secular authoritarianism", and then the moral choice is to actually forgo the biggest gameplay advantages of either. Making the player opt out of power like that is a way a game can actually simulate self-sacrifice, and I found it pretty clever.
All that together, I think Frostpunk is critiquing "hard choices" in a way pretty similarly to you. So I was surprised to see your take on it here.
I am very happy there is more Cool Ghosts. I would love more of the podcast and more episodes soon, but I will take whatever I can get.
Thank you for this. I can only begin to explain how much I enjoy hearing Matt talking about games. From Videogamer, to Daft Souls to Cool Ghosts, it's put me in touch with so many games I enjoy and I'm very grateful whenever we get some content.
I was just re-watching the old episodes - fantastic to see a new one!
I love this format so much. It's such a pleasure to watch one of these again!
I really thought we'd never get another Cool Ghosts and I was happy to at least have 3 episodes of some of the best games commentary put to youtube and now it's back and better than ever... one of the best days of my life
Preaching to the choir ...but in such an eloquent way!
Thank you for not giving up on this channel!
Worth its wait a dozen times over. It is so good to have supped once more at the pond of Cool Ghosts. Praise be.
So glad for you to have this made, Matt. Absolute banger of an episode as well! Do more if you want to or don't, whatever makes you happy
RIP Quinns. Good for you, Matt, for continuing the channel.
Don't scare me like that, I thought you meant the man was literally dead for a minute.
@@dagdammit Sorry 😱. Meant ghost Quinns.
I recently rewatched the Cool Ghosts episodes, they're some of my favorite things on the internet, I was so excited when I saw the teaser.. These boys never disappoint!
You can't belive how happy I am to see this show again!
Just when we needed them most, they returned.
getting this newsletter email was like a jumpscare but in the best possible way
As if you being back isn't great enough, the use of Freezy Peak from the Banjo Kazooie OST playing over Frost punk is *chef's kiss*
What is dead may never die, but rises again cooler and cooler
Thanks for everything all these years
So happy to get another episode of this. Hope you enjoyed making it!
Oooh actually there is a ending specifically for the idealist path, and an achievement.
Nobody has ever so concisely drilled down to the core of prepper psychology. Which is not the comment I expected to leave when I saw this video was up
Comment for the algorithm gods, and super glad that this channel isnt dead. Matt and the OG Videogamertv/xboxworld people were some of the formative media critique people I were exposed to
I'm so happy to see the return of my one of my favourite videogame writing teams EVERRRRR.
Temporarily unhid the UA-cam comments section just to say: So glad to see this series again!
Cool Ghosts is the best video entertainment software related on demand streaming serial, and I for one endorse it with all my might.
YES! Lovely to see CG back in action. Great episode - You've just made me have a BIG THINK about Frostpunk. Cheers!
Amazing. Soooo so happy to see this. Well done!! I have missed your fantastic writing and thoughts on gaming Matt. ❤
Thanks for another episode! Any day with new Cool Ghosts is a good day.
Frostpunk always tells me I didn't cross the line. The line is specifically in which laws you pass. The game tempts the player with bad choices that seem reasonable but aren't. If you pass up child labor early, you get medical interns later. This keeps everyone healthier longer and keeps every system working more reliably.
What I find interesting about it is it's location. The game devs say it's near Iceland. It is not near Iceland. Iceland is a volcanic island that doesn't have wood or coal. A storm originating in Patagonia is not going anywhere near Iceland. All the shadows in the game point south, putting the game in the southern hemisphere. If you pass weird medical laws, you find out one of the engineers is a veteran of the boer wars. The boer wars happened in southern Africa, where the shadows point south, warmth is to the north, and is in the path of normal winds from Patagonia. Africa's great lakes region has the resources of the game while being directly north of London, SA.
I suspect they want to put the game in a Nordic region for the same cowardly reason other game companies put their colonial games there: you don't have to ask what happened to the people who were there. Frostpunk follows a group of brittish colonists in the 1800s; they are terrible people and we don't need the text to speculate on that.
The inescapable chaos of now. You don’t get that in every game review.❤
Why can't governments get involved with the task of getting more Cool Ghosts? International laws must be created so we don't lose them for good.
Seriously though I love it so much. The use of Dreams for some of the content was top notch, and actually makes me wonder why more channels don't do it. Love you Matt and the team, hope you're all well.
The outer wilds is a proper rollercoaster of emotions when you play it. What's happening, why is it happening, can I stop it happening. You slowly discover everything and more, often with a tragic story attached.
For a game that looks very child friendly, it scared the crap out of me and made me sad, but wanting more, so many times.
Ahh Outer Wilds, the game that makes me wish I could get amnesia so I could play it for the first time again.
At current pace, we can expect Cool Ghosts 6 to be written out of your retirement homes.
On a more serious note: I am SO HAPPY to see this video. Always glad to see you return to this series. Thanks a lot for your hard work
I truly hope you continue making these, even sporatically.
While I find the pacing and structure of the video odd, I greatly appreciate that you directly addressed the annoyingly cynical attitude of people/narratives that seem to think survival is truly worth any cost, especially if that cost is paid by someone else.
So so good! I missed this series so much!
I have never been so happy to see a channel pop up on my subs page!
Been listening to regular features for over a decade but there’s one question I feel like I’ve never been able to answer; does Steve Hogarty like quantum leap?
I don't think he's seen it.
So glad to get another cool ghost !! For the post apocalyptic genre though, I feel that Fury Road more than put a dent in the "it had to be done" individualist take on it !
Fantastic episode! Cool Ghosts is my favorite bit of games criticism ever. Thank you for making them.
It's like Consolvania s3 never ended. Lovely writing, beautiful work boys.
I've been DMing a cultist campaign for Blades in the Dark with friends, and have been looking for material. You said the first sentence of the Shrouded Isle bit and I'm just going to buy it now thanks.
part game review, part essay video, that's what I'm TALKING about baybee; I know you gents are busy but any more of these videos would heal my inner child
Yeas so glad someone is tackling this. Finishing a game != getting the ending devs made. Sometimes your just finished.
It's been 84 years!
Those were indeed some pretty cool ghosts.
“**Please let me live in an oblong**” Bless you, Matt. 😂😂😂
Its been so long but so worth it. I really hope you continue with the channel in some form even if the format of Cool Ghosts right now can't continue.
Lovely vid. Presentation is sooo good. NIce to see a push in the shrouded isle segment against the dominant value of a forever game. I don't know how much I agree with the outer wilds segment entirely though, you're not completely centered but similarly to how the big bang happened here, there, everywhere, at once, there is this powerful connected feeling in Outer Wilds, that you are not merely an outside observer or archaeologist come to pick over a beautifully indifferent universe, but rather that all stories at once to everybody have deep value that spills out onto eachother. You are not the center but somehow everywhere is. You are not lesser than the world but deeply important to it.
Love Matt from watching SUSD and just found this channel, so enjoy an extra view on every single video over the next while! 😅
More than 3 years ago I left a comment on Cool Ghosts: 3:
"Still patiently waiting for Cool Ghosts Episode 4 :'("
The wait is finally over. Thank you. How many fashion credits do I get for my patience?
Love Cool Ghosts so much! super excited to see it start right off with Frost Punk, that game is so good, I've got like 240 hours in it
Thank you for making this episode. I know it's been a long time but I happy to see it appear. Best people talking about games show there ever was.
I'm puzzling over the point about Frost Punk not having a montage for failed games. I agree with the idea that games should consider losing a game as its own end to a story and think that the rougelike mechanism has the potential for a lot more stories than have been explored thus far. On the other hand, I'm imagining how Frost Punk would frame some of its failure montages and it feels like a very tricky needle to thread. If it makes any mention of the more unsavory roads the player didn't take to try and mitigate failure then you can read it as "well maybe you should have been a bit more fash so everyone didn't die? Next time don't be a coward with that hammer." If it says that your city didn't give in to its worst impulses and nobly froze to death with its principles intact, then that may also be read as "I'm not sure I want humanity to go extinct, maybe next time a bit of fascism next time?" Introspection on such things is fine but ultimately it'd be nice if the ultimate message of the game is that brutality isn't necessary to survive. I guess it's just a good job that it's possible to survive without doing any bad stuff. Could be that's the "true" ending?
Damn, I'm gonna miss this show. Can't believe it's already been 4 seasons of insightful analysis and absurdist sketch comedy!
Okay, but honestly, this episode was incredibly good. Probably the best musings on Outer Wilds (or "The Outer Wilds") I've seen anywhere. Despite the absurd premises and execution of the sketches, I did find them quite funny. That salesman voice was so cartoony I didn't realize it was Matt playing the character until like 5 minutes from the end. Also Steven's lines were somehow delivered perfectly, in that sort of ineffably unhinged way. That voiceover in the first Virtual Steven segment was genuinely hilarious. The animation throughout was also fantastic. Particularly fond of the "fuck that" balloons. I don't know how, but the serious analysis and ridiculous humor, consistently hit in such, respectively, melodramatic and camp fashions, and with a surprising earnestness.
I really do hope Cool Ghosts will continue in some form, or you decide to make another series about video games analysis and/or comedy. Nobody else that I've seen here is doing this, at least not in such a thoughtful and expressive manner that's far more than just a deluge of ironic detachment. Cheers!
Thanks for the final hurrah Matt!
Thanks for making this, hope you're well mate
Matt is such an amazing content creator. I LOVE his SUSD content but the insights he brings from computer games can be so meaningful and insightful. I just love cool ghosts. I wish it popped off more and you could dedicate more time to it, but business is business. End of the day, GREAT VIDEO. ❤️
This was really good cheers Matt thanks Steve
Just want to say i love your guys work and hope you are doing well!
Praise the Lord!