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GAAS-LIGHTING

That one live service game you begrudgingly like? It's probably just as bad as all the others, you just need an intervention

As if "always online" is a selling point for entertainment. I'm always online! Let me log off!

Image credit: Bungie, VG247
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Video by Jim Trinca Former Video Producer
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If you're anything like me, nothing makes you lose interest in a game quicker than the words "always online". Or "free-to-play". Or "connected experience", or whatever other marketing terms they've come up with for "live service grindfest that sucks". Sometimes they don't even tell you upfront that it's a GAAS title, leaving it up to the prospective audience to divine this information from visual cues in gameplay trailers like... three distinct types of in-game currency, numbers popping out of enemies heads, and the whole thing having that unmistakable whiff of a project that no involved creative could ever muster real enthusiasm for. The core of a good idea spoiled by shareholder demands. Etc.

It wouldn't be so bad if every single effing game didn't seem to ship with live service elements nowadays. But still, sometimes a s**t sandwich comes with sprinkles, and people can enjoy any old muck if they have to. Which brings us to the topic of today's Best Games Ever Podcast: what's the best live service game you begrudgingly like? Could it be Destiny 2, the series that many hold responsible for this genre? Could it be Genshin Impact, the poster-child for F2P games that are Good Actually? Or could it be Diablo 4, which leverages a beloved ARPG brand to lure people into its miasma of micro (and macro) transactions?

To find out, you'll have to watch or listen to this podcast, and you can do either via the methods listed handily below these messages:

The Best Games Ever Podcast from VG247. It's a good show for smart people who are cool.

Watch the video version of The Best Games Ever Show here:

Cover image for YouTube videoThat one live service game you begrudgingly like
This is the video. You should watch it, you get to see our faces as the Diablo 4 discussion reaches its 19th minute.Watch on YouTube

Listen to the audio version of The Best Games Ever Show here:

This is the audio. You should listen to it, that way you can bed getting on with some household chores as the Diablo 4 discussion reaches its 19th minute.

Stay tuned for a new episode of The Best Games Ever Show every Friday. Subscribe right here on VG247, or wherever you get your podcasts:

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  • It's even on YouTube if that's your thing.

    • Special thanks to David Bulmer for performing "Jim's Theme".

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