0:00:00.000,0:00:01.351
[knock][br]Hey,

0:00:02.041,0:00:05.238
Mom says you have to let me [br]borrow your new graphics card.

0:00:11.323,0:00:16.758
KYLE: Previously teased in fun/corporate [br]cross promotional PR just a few weeks ago,

0:00:19.248,0:00:21.573
was officially revealed this week.

0:00:21.573,0:00:24.183
Immediate side note, [br]when I went to rewatch the trailer,

0:00:24.183,0:00:27.187
I noticed this banner on [br]Xbox's YouTube channel. It says:

0:00:32.901,0:00:36.738
Which would lead one to ask,[br]"Why would I pre-order something

0:00:36.738,0:00:40.306
that I'm going to eventually play [br]Day 1 on Game Pass?"

0:00:41.108,0:00:44.167
And I think what they mean here [br]is the "and" is an option.

0:00:44.167,0:00:45.938
You have the option to pre-order

0:00:45.938,0:00:49.238
AND you have the option to [br]play Day One on Game Pass.

0:00:49.238,0:00:52.138
It could be "or".[br]The end of the trailer says "or."

0:00:52.138,0:00:52.773
But if this said:

0:00:56.106,0:00:58.604
there's kind of no reason to pre-order.

0:00:58.604,0:01:02.075
It's like saying, "You can go on [br]a second date with me

0:01:02.075,0:01:05.966
or take this $20,000 [br]and walk away forever."

0:01:06.784,0:01:10.178
They're gonna take the money.[br]Nobody wants to pre-order that bad.

0:01:10.178,0:01:12.876
Really, though, this couldn't be simpler.[br]The solution's obvious.

0:01:12.876,0:01:14.325
Just make it a plus sign.

0:01:14.901,0:01:15.816
What were they thinking?

0:01:15.816,0:01:18.843
But I'd say when I watched that trailer,[br]I had two main takeaways.

0:01:18.843,0:01:19.910
First takeaway:

0:01:19.910,0:01:23.206
The Stop the Music moment[br]doesn't really hit.

0:01:23.206,0:01:26.903
And when I say Stop the Music moment,[br]I just mean that part of a trailer where

0:01:26.903,0:01:29.395
the music's goin' great, right?[br]We have a lot of momentum.

0:01:29.395,0:01:32.969
But then suddenly, bwoo.[br]Stop the music.

0:01:34.187,0:01:38.375
Big reveal. [br]"Whoa, they're doing WHAT?"

0:01:38.375,0:01:40.439
Music kicks back in.[br]Title.

0:01:40.439,0:01:43.960
Trailer's edited like you're supposed to [br]throw your head back and say,

0:01:43.960,0:01:47.696
"Wha--?! A-- Whoa![br]I can't believe they're going there!"

0:01:47.696,0:01:50.692
But, I don't know, [br]it just seems like another place.

0:01:50.692,0:01:56.777
Anyway, it's kind of interesting that [br]this collection of two classic games

0:01:56.777,0:01:58.984
would be so proud to advertise:

0:02:01.712,0:02:06.094
And I think it has something to do with [br]what they're doing with Tony Hawk 4.

0:02:06.094,0:02:08.247
Here's what the Xbox website says:

0:02:28.689,0:02:31.382
So Tony Hawk 4, back in the day, [br]tried out a new thing

0:02:31.382,0:02:33.598
where you'd have more open area levels

0:02:33.598,0:02:38.283
and you would skate around and pick up [br]whatever little missions at your own leisure.

0:02:38.283,0:02:42.792
Tony Hawk 3 + 4, I think [br]to be a more cohesive package,

0:02:42.792,0:02:49.374
has taken that fourth game and authentically [br]streamlined it into the epic 2-minute format.

0:02:49.374,0:02:51.987
Kotaku confirms that's what they're doing.

0:02:51.987,0:02:56.841
So I wonder if including the water park in [br]the same breath as explaining these changes

0:02:56.841,0:02:59.567
is their way of saying, [br]"It's all good, alright?

0:02:59.567,0:03:02.887
None of this is bad.[br]We're not taking anything away.

0:03:02.887,0:03:05.939
In fact, we're giving you more.[br]We're giving you a water park."

0:03:08.749,0:03:12.329
And then the other big takeaway [br]is obviously, "Woo,

0:03:12.329,0:03:14.203
look at Doom Slayer here."

0:03:14.203,0:03:19.141
Not just a hidden character, mind you,[br]but a Digital Deluxe incentive.

0:03:19.141,0:03:25.796
To me, an indicator that the Doom Slayer [br]is teetering on the precipice of becoming

0:03:25.796,0:03:29.299
a mascot.[br]I do think it is less exciting in that

0:03:29.299,0:03:33.526
he looks identical to his in-game [br]character model from Doom Eternal.

0:03:33.526,0:03:34.933
So does this Revenant.

0:03:34.933,0:03:38.368
And sorry that the best shot I could find [br]of that guy is from the Switch trailer.

0:03:38.368,0:03:42.178
I think it's apparent to anyone whether [br]they're really thinking about it or not,

0:03:42.178,0:03:46.194
that the specialness of a crossover [br]is reduced when

0:03:46.194,0:03:50.126
you're looking at a 3D model [br]that has already existed before.

0:03:50.126,0:03:55.856
It's like, "Big deal. [br]You put Quagmire in Grand Theft Auto.

0:03:55.856,0:03:59.590
You're not gonna get a blog post [br]about that anymore. We've seen it."

0:03:59.590,0:04:03.654
I feel like the real magic,[br]the real fun of a crossover event

0:04:03.654,0:04:09.405
is when the guest character has to [br]adhere to the host game's aesthetic.

0:04:09.405,0:04:12.460
Recent example: Sub-Zero in Fortnite.

0:04:12.460,0:04:16.966
He's both unmistakably Sub-Zero AND [br]unmistakably a Fortnite character.

0:04:16.966,0:04:18.445
They really pulled this off.

0:04:18.445,0:04:23.053
Least they could do here is [br]give Doom Slayer, like, a sideways hat.

0:04:23.999,0:04:27.832
Maybe give this guy a shirt [br]that says "Gnarly Dude." Make 'em fit.

0:04:27.832,0:04:31.296
By the way, I don't believe these boards [br]contain any original art.

0:04:31.296,0:04:33.875
It's basically, [br]"Yeah, we took some PNGs we had

0:04:33.875,0:04:38.513
lying around from the last few Doom games [br]and slapped 'em on some skateboards.

0:04:38.513,0:04:40.332
Enjoy those."[br]Those could've been cool.

0:04:40.332,0:04:43.089
All what I'm saying is they--[br]Maybe it would've been cool if they hired some

0:04:43.089,0:04:48.802
unique artist to do Tony Hawk-specific [br]Doom original art for those boards.

0:04:49.538,0:04:51.110
Kinda like what Fortnite does.

0:04:51.110,0:04:55.659
I think the Unmaykr Hoverboard down here [br]is pretty much a new asset.

0:04:55.659,0:04:57.589
Yeah, that's what the gun looks like.

0:04:57.589,0:04:59.446
So there you go.[br]That's a new thing.

0:04:59.446,0:05:03.229
And I think a funny thing about this,[br]just in case you are concerned that

0:05:03.229,0:05:08.878
maybe you're plunking down 20 US dollars [br]on a swaparoo of pre-existing assets

0:05:08.878,0:05:12.279
is that the bullet points for the [br]Digital Deluxe Edition on the store page,

0:05:12.279,0:05:16.539
in a very self-aware fashion, [br]stress that each of those characters:

0:05:18.630,0:05:24.437
To me, that is exactly technically enough[br]to shield this from being a quick asset swap.

0:05:24.437,0:05:27.847
The value is in that horn toot.[br]Better show it twice.

0:05:27.847,0:05:30.646
[two horn toots]

0:05:30.646,0:05:33.721
But also, take a look at that cover [br]for the Digital Deluxe Editions.

0:05:33.721,0:05:36.557
You see what I'm saying?[br]This is mascot status.

0:05:36.557,0:05:39.987
You don't do this unless [br]Doom Slayer is huge.

0:05:39.987,0:05:42.388
And by the way, if any [br]of that footage was confusing,

0:05:42.388,0:05:48.097
it's from a whole minute-long trailer just [br]for the Digital Deluxe Edition of this game.

0:05:48.097,0:05:54.187
And what this is and why it is so funny that [br]they do still advertise Day 1 on Game Pass

0:05:54.187,0:06:00.205
is that they also, at the same time, trying [br]their best to discourage you from doing that.

0:06:00.205,0:06:02.746
"If you want to play as the Doom Slayer,

0:06:02.746,0:06:06.312
how about $20 on top [br]of your regular subscription?

0:06:06.312,0:06:11.663
If you wanna play 3 whole days before Day 1, [br]slip us an Andrew Jackson.

0:06:11.663,0:06:18.053
If you want this Wireframe Tony Shader[br]and access to the demo at some point,

0:06:18.053,0:06:20.270
pre-purchase now."

0:06:20.270,0:06:26.230
The message everyone is receiving is that [br]while your 19.99 a month is really nice,

0:06:26.230,0:06:30.345
it's simply not enough.[br]You need to be doing better than that.

0:06:30.345,0:06:35.629
However, let me be uncharacteristically [br]fair to poor Xbox for just one moment.

0:06:35.629,0:06:40.270
Back in 2020, back when Activision [br]was its own publicly-traded corporation,

0:06:40.270,0:06:44.120
you did have to digitally pre-order [br]Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

0:06:44.120,0:06:46.145
to access its demo as well.

0:06:46.145,0:06:51.145
So some of this was really just[br]Activision business inertia.

0:06:51.145,0:06:53.546
We can't stop is now.

0:06:53.546,0:07:00.012
So while it's fun to see Activision characters [br]finally mix with Microsoft characters,

0:07:00.012,0:07:04.112
it's also kind of fun to watch [br]Activision business and marketing

0:07:04.112,0:07:06.921
mix with Microsoft business and marketing.

0:07:06.921,0:07:10.670
There is a Digital Deluxe Edition [br]of Tony Hawk 1+2,

0:07:10.670,0:07:13.888
which was a measly 10 extra dollars.[br]And

0:07:13.888,0:07:18.228
included The Ripper, who is, I believe, [br]and icon in skate culture.

0:07:18.228,0:07:26.252
But, curiously, there are no trailers that [br]end advertising this Digial Deluxe Edition.

0:07:26.252,0:07:31.361
There's not even a single trailer that is [br]only about the Digital Deluxe Edition.

0:07:31.361,0:07:34.262
I mean, there are no [br]promotional screenshots, even.

0:07:34.262,0:07:36.695
I had to pull this from the Tony Hawk wiki.

0:07:36.695,0:07:42.653
He does look cool.[br]It's at least an original character model.

0:07:42.653,0:07:43.645
[HONK]

0:07:43.645,0:07:47.678
So it's hard to say if Tony Hawk using its [br]final, dramatic seconds of its trailer

0:07:47.678,0:07:50.553
to advertise way that you can pay more now

0:07:50.553,0:07:54.569
is more of an Xbox influence[br]or

0:07:54.569,0:07:56.203
a Call of Duty influence.

0:07:56.203,0:08:00.403
Or maybe that's just how you end your [br]trailer if you're, like, a big shot game.

0:08:00.403,0:08:05.927
But for Tony Hawk, it wasn't there [br]5 years ago and now it's here.

0:08:05.927,0:08:11.562
But, to be clear with you, [br]I do think it is cool that this exists.

0:08:11.562,0:08:16.003
Back in 2021, when Vicarious Visions [br]got sucked up into Blizzard,

0:08:16.003,0:08:20.745
it seemed like there would [br]never be a Tony Hawk 3+4.

0:08:20.745,0:08:26.395
So it is encouraging that Microsoft [br]was able to justify publishing this game.

0:08:26.395,0:08:28.444
Now,

0:08:28.444,0:08:32.553
we just have to hope that [br]nobody plays it Day 1 on Game Pass.

0:08:32.553,0:08:36.061
And that's Delayed Input.[br]I'll be back next week.

0:08:36.061,0:08:37.028
Thanks for watching.

0:08:48.061,0:08:51.910
As the Doom Slayer [br]becomes an official mascot,

0:08:51.910,0:08:55.894
I do feel like it's time [br]to call out somebody who is

0:08:55.894,0:09:00.761
definitely, certainly become a mascot.[br]That's Astro Bot.

0:09:00.761,0:09:03.203
Just in July of last year, [br]Sony put out that:

0:09:06.086,0:09:07.436
presentation, right?

0:09:07.436,0:09:09.385
They had this slide for [br]Exciting New Releases

0:09:09.385,0:09:11.918
and didn't even include Astro Bot.

0:09:11.918,0:09:15.777
He wasn't their guy yet.[br]It wasn't worth mentioning to the investors.

0:09:15.777,0:09:19.886
However, in November, [br]after Astro Bot sold 1.5 million copies

0:09:19.886,0:09:23.143
in its first 9 weeks,[br]Sony started to talk it up more.

0:09:23.143,0:09:24.502
Look at this weird stat, by the way.

0:09:24.502,0:09:26.844
37% of people who bought Astro Bot

0:09:26.844,0:09:31.161
didn't buy any other first-party [br]PlayStation title in the last 2 years.

0:09:31.161,0:09:32.577
That is kinda crazy.

0:09:32.577,0:09:36.843
But I feel like its a couple of recent [br]ads that have really solidified this.

0:09:36.843,0:09:41.052
Astro Bot's appearing in 2 ads [br]co-starring Finn Wolfhard,

0:09:41.052,0:09:43.544
who you might recognize as the guy

0:09:43.544,0:09:47.410
who's got the Slimer subplot [br]in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

0:09:47.802,0:09:49.970
[Slimer screaming]

0:09:53.194,0:09:53.826
TREVOR: Yeah.

0:09:53.826,0:09:55.603
KYLE: A legitimate, famous actor.

0:09:55.603,0:09:59.577
Listen to how affectionately [br]he talks to Astro Bot.

0:09:59.577,0:10:00.903
WOLFHARD: Alright Astro, break's over.

0:10:00.903,0:10:03.877
KYLE: Yeah, I think it's apparent that [br]Astro Bot is a good mascot.

0:10:03.877,0:10:08.735
But what I also appreciate is the [br]marketing team seems to realize and recognize

0:10:08.735,0:10:17.593
that their more serious human face IP[br]can be mascotified with Astro Bot robots.

0:10:17.593,0:10:21.986
Robot Joel and Ellie finding [br]some big mushrooms and freakin; out

0:10:21.986,0:10:23.809
is actually incredibly funny to me.

0:10:23.809,0:10:27.985
Last of Us is huge. It's a huge success. [br]No one would argue that. However,

0:10:27.985,0:10:32.726
some franchises just aren't [br]cut out to become controllers.

0:10:32.726,0:10:37.369
Meanwhile, Astro Bot, [br]practically born to become a controller.

0:10:37.369,0:10:40.661
They shoulda just [br]put a little beard on this.

0:10:40.661,0:10:42.402
There you go.[br]Last of Us.