While games like God of War: Ragnarok have their time in the spotlight, Max and Jada have been digging into the depths of the PlayStation Store only to find some of the thirstiest platinum-farming shovelware we’ve seen so far. Thankfully, PlayStation seems to be taking this a bit seriously and is set to clamp down on games like these. Sometimes, we just wanna Stroke the Parrot. Other times, we wanna take a quick Italian Journey, and by quick, we mean it. What exactly *is* Italian Journey? Join the Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Colin Stevens on this episode to find out!
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Foreign [Music] This last time we did a regular episode Whenever that was exactly I don't even Remember the last time we recorded a Regular episode to be honest we've been Doing a sort of weird obstacle course of Holidays and outages and whatnot but Shovelware is a is a thing it's Definitely a thing it is a whole thing Uh I was poking around it was sort of Like one of those weeks where I'm like Oh what are we going to talk about There's kind of seems like slow for news I was like what came out this week and I Found a bunch of very strange games Which I was like it's called like stroke The parrot stroke the tarantula red do We have do we have pictures of those I Think they're yeah so stroke the parrot This is this came out um early November There's multiple of these came out these Are coming out like every few days There's stroke the parrot I think There's stroke the tarantula stroke the Spider not playing that one I actually I I got stroke the parrot because it was On sale I didn't want the tarantula Stroke the snake Um the descriptions are really funny Because the snakes are scary but still Lovable pets I mean it's true I know a Lot of friends with snakes for pets Stroke the rabbit stroke it before it
Hops away Um they do that the parrot was one I Think the description there said like Stroke it before it bites you with its Beak or something and I was like oh that Sounds like a real Challenge and spoiler There's no gameplay you like you Tap a Button until you get a platinum trophy That's the whole point of these they are They are trophy mining games they are I Think even sub shovelware but we're Gonna talk about them because I think They're hilarious and also like sort of Like weirdly like weirdly horny like They're like stroke the turtle he's a Big hard Turtle get a load of that Turtle oh the rabbit is yes you stroke The tortoise stroke it to make it come Out only if it was Donatello don't don't Like it nope blocked and reported get That tortoise out of here but uh yeah so Right after we're basically going to Talk about that PlayStation apparently Sent out a letter to developers uh Stating that shovelware and re-skinned Games and all that stuff is they're They're gonna lay the smackdown they're Not tolerating it uh this is Sort of it's it you know it's how do you How do you qualify like what what what Is shovelware what is what what is what Is trophy mining stuff and I believe the What they have here in this in this Letter that was uh the
Uh pulled by Dex dot exe uh from an Anonymous source and products whose Functionality and or assets are copied On or are not meaningful meaningfully Different from products already Published on PlayStation Store Irrespective of the publisher of record Multiple concept and product variants Published by individual partners that Have duplicative functionality or Experiences differentiated only by minor Variances of functionality or assets you Know like the stroke the tortoise stroke The spider stroke the rabbit series Which really it came out like kind of a Cartoonishly quick Cadence like here Yeah I actually got the Platinum I don't Want to boast or anything but yeah 71 Trophies So I actually I I this is so this is Cheating like to begin with like to play This game like it's cheating to get to Get the Platinum this way it is cheating Even more if you go and get an electric Toothbrush and hold it against your Controller to hit all the hit the button Repeatedly so I actually really I Cheesed the hell out of that I don't Blame you though I would have probably Would have done the same thing I thank You also for like taking the bullet on This one because I did not want this Game on my profile I gotta submit an Expense report for 279 for that parrot
Game and I can't get reimbursed for that Yeah all stroked out it's really not It's you know it's sometimes we get to Play amazing games working at IGN and Sometimes you get the stroke the parrot You know I'm I'm actually kind of happy I got that Platinum up first when he Cracked down on these like I feel like This is gonna be like like PT but not Like really like a much worse PT that's Gonna get delisted I'll be like yeah I Played it I got the trophy I'm the only One in the world Um well not definitely not the only Person well when you have that you know You brought that brought these games to My attention it inspired me uh so we're Gonna play a little game It's a little new segment uh I'm gonna Have the U2 the rest of our panel I'm Gonna have you guys uh I'm gonna be Picking games I hope you guys haven't Played most likely you haven't because This week's theme is shovelware Um and basically you're gonna tell me What this game is about based on only Getting the name of this game and then After you guys give me your descriptions Red will play the b-roll and we'll see What the game is actually about now keep In mind these are all real games Um I'm not making up any names here so Uh I'm excited I love I love a good Surprise and I love garbage so this is a
Good combination so I want you guys I Want you guys to give me the main Character what the main character you're Playing as a elevator pitch for what the Game's about and then what the gameplay Is like those three things okay All right so the first one is called Finger Fitness Max let's start with you Um I don't there's you I'm guessing the Main character Yeah is it a hand okay and it's a hand And you have to make it You have to Push there's actually just it's a it's a It's that the game is a is a hand on a Controller and you have to make it Do stuff on the controller okay that's My that's my theory I think Colin maybe I wonder thinking it Ah man I mean that's basically word for Word what I would have said uh okay um Find the main character is a finger Um and which finger Uh right right pointer okay uh this is Your one chance to flip off the audience And have fun with it and be accepted and You fail ah I I can't I can't do that Not not on my first time back in a long Time Um and you are exercising as said finger You're doing pull-ups on like uh monkey Bars
Um you're you're playing soccer with Just the one finger and as you go Through the game you get more fingers And you complete the hands and then you So it's a metroidvania and then you can Only get access to new areas that you Could only fit into such as the pocket Yes there you go yeah yeah red roll the B-roll [Music] So as you press buttons you will gain Points Um or experience which you can then go Into the shop to buy upgrades okay Um and then using those uh upgrades You'll get these little these these Little you know frog and octopus and I Think that's a potato Um and a parrot You Can level them up And drive me crazy so in Photoshop if You go to Lair and then go down to the Bottom there's a thing that says remove White matte and it gets rid of that halo Around pngs they didn't do that here and I don't like it one bit Now this is dual sense uh and this will Sense the capability is very important Here yes and this one they they Highlight the like the the rumble Features and all that that's the Feedback and stuff I don't think that's Shovelware I think that is A kooky Indie title So this is this one's probably the
Furthest away from shovelware that I Picked on the list but uh I I wanted to Start with that one because I thought it Was a great way to kick it off Um okay The next one and we'll start with you Colin um also finger Fitness is 99 Cents And it came out last year in November so It's about a year old Um Next one is beaver fun This one is definitely shovelware Um Um what I want to say I'm not going to Okay um however product not yet it's It's an Angry Beavers game you actually Just gave us the subtitle for an Angry Beavers game so it's the two beavers I Can't remember their names Thank you thank you that's some expert Nickelodeon knowledge Um it's the two of them and uh the game Play is you going around Um I think that there were a lot of Pneumatic tubes in that show if I Remember correctly Um honestly I have like one memory of That show and a pneumatic tube is Involved so I think there's like a Pneumatic like mail delivery episode Yeah maybe so they got their mail yeah Yeah Um and they're just trying to sort all The mail almost like a like a uh
Cooking mini game partner game type type Situation all right All right fun Beaver fun I think Colin is grossly overselling a beloved IP and I think this is the most Half-assed like clip art looking Beaver That is chewing on trees and knocking Them down and you get like a point where You you get more maybe more than one Point some points for doing trees making Them go down and they don't they don't Do it maybe it says Timber on the screen And it has like a really badly drawn Like uh like a cloud effect when it Lands to suggest that it fell hard on The ground roll that b-roll red Fun is a rhythm game where you have to Hit the buttons and your beaver just Kind of you know does a little Canadian Jig this doesn't look fun at all these Uh you know you're just watching them Get trophies like yes in real time Yep This is and this video is captured from If I remember it I captured this one Straight from the PlayStation Store wow So they've got they show the trophies in The trailer yes spoilers Um The uh the the description for this game Beaver fun is a retro rhythm game that Lets the user complete a level with the Controller buttons try to complete the Level with your best time trophies are Collected as you complete the Rhythm
Goals single player fun and arcade style Entertainment Beaver fun 299 dropped in September this year okay Um that uh there's also a beaver run Which is also a rhythm game I bet you Make the Beaver Run in that one then There is also pickle fun and pickle run And then there's also Ninja Run yes Pickle fun and pickle run yes and then There's ninja fight pickle fun and Beaver Fun got it got it oh and then there's Also ninja run which honestly makes the Most sense for one of these types of Games but still probably yeah but what's That a euphemism for Ninja Run I don't Yeah I don't know sneaky diarrhea some Uh some gen Z vernacular that we're not Familiar I don't even wanna I don't want To know well that there you go so Um head on over to the PlayStation store And grab these uh shovel titles while You still can before sodi goes in there And just deletes all of them uh do we Have time for one more you have one more Really good one okay Back to you Max Italian Journey Italian Journey Italian Journey so said Brian's not here for this I know Brian's Italian I did and he's mentioned that a Few times in New Jersey anyway Um I'm gonna say the again the world's Most horrible clip art Mario look-alike And it's uh an infinite Runner like
Maybe maybe slightly more royalty-free Than Flappy Bird looking but okay Similar Vibe and you are just pushing The buttons and the buttons are probably Like it's I think the prompts are large Okay like maybe even larger than Beaver Fun Colin wow uh this is actually just The Godfather part two but only the Parts with Robert De Niro when he's um Uh coming to uh Italy and then finding Its way to America and becoming uh The Godfather that we know and love is is Robert De Niro actually voicing this Yes oh absolutely this is that this is The that would be the most expensive Shovelware game ever made Um or just a passion project that he was You know snake oiled into for some some Reason why not uh red you got that B-roll ready for us oh boy Italian Journey Um this is the game Um join this Italian journey through Through the Italy in the car enjoy the Graphics with the best Tunes Um the car does not go past that the car Doesn't go it just that's not even a Journey What is that You literally you literally hold a Button you don't even press buttons it's Not timed you literally just hold one of The trigger buttons and it just and it Just drives and Loops back that's it it
Doesn't even go back they didn't even Use the rest of the so for those who are Listening at home there is a there's a Picture of a beautiful uh beautiful Italian yeah and a car drives it just Drive it drives like there's a windy Road quarter of the screen all the way Up the screen and there's like coin it Does it's very bad it's a very bad Looking game these aren't good uh yeah I Uh I don't like it one bit not a fan of That they didn't even try I in so in Like maybe 1999 I tried to make a flash Cartoon using like the trial version of Like Macromedia of flash ver 2001 or whatever Whatever version was that and I just Made the world's worst drawing of a Pod Racer and had it driving off screen it Would make like a crashing sound effect And it was like one motion queen and I Put it on new grounds and it got deleted 20 minutes they were like this is crap I Wish I I had my game prepped I I built a Game I built like three or four Little Indie type games and stuff like that Probably better than that yes definitely Better than that Um it even has credits wow um yeah I Built everything yeah but what I was Getting at is this have your name a Million times uh yes and then has a Special thanks to my partner because he Helped with some he helped with some
Ideas so written and directed by hideo Kojima yeah my partner in crime how did You know no it's just it's weird that Like new grounds in 2000 or whenever had Better quality control than the PlayStation 5 store and Aren't just in the you know PS5 Storefront you'll find these on Steam You can find these on the Nintendo Switch Um I haven't looked in the Xbox to see If they're there man Sony can't even get Exclusives in the shovelworks I want more exclusives if you enjoyed That check out full episodes of Beyond IGN's PlayStation shows we goof around About everything PlayStation related Sometimes covering it seriously new Episodes drop every Tuesday on ign.com Or youtube.com igngames [Music]
