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Team Talk | What Team Talk has taught us about each other throughout its first year

9/10/2019

 
Team Talk | What Team Talk has taught us about each other throughout its first year - Pass the Controller

​We've seen alliances forged and broken since Team Talk's inception one year ago, but today we look back on that first year with fondness, as we think about all the... err... wonderful things we've learned about one another.

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by Chris Brand
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@SuperCrisco

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by Team PTC
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@pass_controller

Chris

I've learned that Rob is an old school gamer at heart and a champion of the indie scene. If there's a chance to wax lyrical about the golden age of gaming (somewhere around the '90s, I believe), Rob is there with no-nonsense outlook and, occasionally, a new word or phrase for my lexicon.

If you're looking for an innovative indie to pass a few hours, Rob's the man to see.

James may not finish a lot of games but I'm sure that the right RPG will draw him in quicker than most. His picks tend to revolve around huge, single player experiences (with the exception of Rockstar's open world offerings) and, unlike most of Team PTC, our eagle-eyed editor can pick out the best house in Fire Emblem with only a moment's glance.

If James isn't excited about an upcoming AAA release, it's probably safe to ignore it.

Sam's love of Dark Souls seems equal in scope to my hatred of the franchise, nay, the genre. In fact, I've struggled to find a single point that we've agreed on, barring the universal disdain for Google Stadia.​

​Unfortunately (for me), Sam is usually bang on the money and it takes me some time to come around to his way of thinking. Remember when he predicted that Crackdown 3 would be disappointing? And then it turned out to be disappointing?
Liam and I are very similar in a lot of ways. We both have an aversion to horror games but can fight through the fear if it's compelling enough (or we have a little back up). It's thanks to Liam that I've finally got around to the underrated Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and his choice of starter Pokémon is second to none.

I wouldn't say our professional relationship has evolved to the point where I'd consider moving to a different country just to be physically closer to him, but I can respect anyone's decision to do such a thing.
Team Talk | What Team Talk has taught us about each other throughout its first year - Pass the Controller
He's almost adorable.

Sam

Having been Team Talk’s baby daddy throughout most of its first year, before recently handing the reins over to the very capable combo of Chris and James, I’ve almost definitely spent longer pawing over past entries than anyone else.


More than anything I’d say that compiling five (or thereabouts) different opinions on one topic each week has taught me how diverse gaming is and, similarly, how diverse Team PTC are as a group. Many a time I’ve choked at the sight of someone’s unbelievable pick - or, in the case of an appalling lack of support for Sobble, everybody’s - but after resisting the urge to make liberal edits I’m generally abated by logical justifications made in 200 words or less.

As Chris pointed out we rarely all agree, which is fine - in fact, no: it’s great! At times games (especially of the AAA variety) can feel homogenised, but in reality, to each individual perspective the landscape is very different.

Most recently, however, I learned that our new host is more perceptive than I give him credit for. I am always on the money and, as predicted, Crackdown 3 is total shit. Thanks Chris!
Team Talk | What Team Talk has taught us about each other throughout its first year - Pass the Controller
So much potential...

Liam

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Having recently moved back to Blighty, I’ve saved Chris the trouble of having to up sticks and join me in the wonderful land of Nether, however, looking back at my contributions – which includes admissions of liking EA’s maligned Battlefront reboot and finding Roof-Crouching Simulator 2012, aka, Dishonored, rather rubbish – the gaming masses would surely feel his loyalty has been misplaced.

I feel slightly less bad about starting and never finishing a game knowing that James, our leader, is a serial offender too. He also favours an aggressive, no nonsense line-up when it comes to assembling a crack team of gaming characters, something I can relate to, considering my suggestion for stopping Voldemort involved massive military strikes.

Like me, Rob grew up in the beautiful south (the location, not the 80’s pop group), but there must be something in the sea air down on the coast that’s addled his mind. This is, after all, a man who thinks of slaughtering legions of undead as a party, and, by his own admission, actually bought a Wii U. That being said, there's no-one I'd trust more when it comes to the classics.

That’s not as disturbing as Sam’s own revelations, which include never having played Ocarina of Time(!), championing an invisible frog, and using Little Sisters as cannon fodder – though he does display exceptional taste when it comes to Mario Kart and superhero games.

Despite all our differences (which, again, is a good thing) it was nice to see this here crew at PTC come together when it really mattered, namely sticking the boot into Google Stadia and loot boxes. You’re welcome, Earth.
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Though we could be singing a different tune once it's out in the wild.

James

Getting a team together is all the rage these days, thanks to them Avengers taking the box office crown this year and also plotting a game release next year. Team Talk has shown off our range of skills quite effectively, establishing the team as our own bunch of colourful superheroes.

Sam is our Tony Stark, working tirelessly pushing the envelope with not only Team Talk itself (his Vision, if you will) but our weekly giveaways and a huge number of well thought-through, entertaining and engaging reviews. Fortunately he shuns Tony's less desirable penchant for self-destruction, but is pushing himself to bring you all more gaming stuff from his brain than ever before with new gigs, writing on other sites.

Chris is Captain America (or Captain Britain), the anchor who holds the team together by keeping the news agenda going, bringing you hot takes and breaking news from all over the place, from the announcements for new games and consoles to supporting our E3 watch parties (and the subsequent lengthy write ups, in case you missed them).

Liam is our Black Widow. Chris' co-pilot in the news stakes and often throwing in a review or two of his own. Also he's a globetrotter, jet-setting from Denmark, to the UK, to Australia and back again in the dead of night. Undoubtedly looking the part in a leather catsuit, Liam's skills keep the team flexible and, until recently at least, let us hit our international quota.

Rob is the Hulk. Not only a smarty pants, but prone to lengthy periods of absence to take on all manner of creative pursuits, including music. He's our resident Nintendo guru and will soon be bringing you his take on Ninty's latest hardware – the Switch Lite.

Everyone has something interesting to say and Team Talk is the best place to hear from all these clever people.
Team Talk | What Team Talk has taught us about each other throughout its first year - Pass the Controller
Which would make James our Nick Fury, because Thor is a fictional character.

Will we be all smiles and sunshine after another 12 months of working together? Find out next year.
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