Sacred Symbols+, Episode LI: Checklists and Candles
Added 2020-07-21 16:00:04 +0000 UTCWhen did side quests become such an integral part of game design? Back in the day, side quests were truly that -- often scarce, usually unnecessary, and mostly additive -- but today, they are often central to an experience. Just what's the definition of "side quest" anyway?! On today's mailbag-centric episode of +, we discuss the philosophies behind side-questing, and whether we've become to focus too much on the optional. Plus: What are your gaming traditions? Do you adjust your living room's ambient lighting or look up a Trophy list? Do you light some candles... or perhaps a joint? Also: How can we get the older people in our lives to play games? Why isn't control remapping universal? Is Castlevania overtly sexual? What kind of liberties should developers take when they're remaking a beloved game? All of that (and much more) await you; all you have to do is press play.
Comments
Never had edibles...
Not Sure
2020-08-10 01:04:58 +0000 UTCI've recently tried edibles for the first time it's is clearly the way to go!!
Scott MacLure
2020-08-08 23:35:57 +0000 UTCI love a good bong hit, no doubt.
Colin Moriarty
2020-08-04 18:51:54 +0000 UTCBest way to smoke weed is definitely through a bong...always heard the water filters the weed somehow, and the first hit is always the most flavorful. But we used bongs in the dorms b/c the smell would be controlled by sucking in all the smoke from a hit and blowing it through a box fan in a window outside. However, weed became my biggest downfall b/c I think it's what triggered my schizophrenia with paranoid delusional thinking. No way I could smoke it now. I miss it, but at the same time, scared of it.
Not Sure
2020-08-02 21:13:26 +0000 UTCYes, some good recommendations in there. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-26 17:31:40 +0000 UTCHere are some good games for beginners: Patapon 1 &2, Jetpack Joyride, PAC Man championship edition, Little Big Planet, Uno, Wheel of Fortune, Journey, Knack, Metal Slug Collection (has unlimited lives), The Sims 4, Spyro, any Tetris, most Telltale games, any Cart racer, most walking simulators (a no pressure way to learn the sticks), and even some turn-based RPGs. Some Indies: The Swapper, Unravel, Stories: The Path of Destinies, Abzu
Sean Johnson
2020-07-24 19:12:51 +0000 UTCAll corrections are appreciated. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-24 15:40:32 +0000 UTCIt's a fact.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-24 15:40:24 +0000 UTCKeep this in mind everyone, Colin "Grammar Mafia" Moriarty has left this line: "Why kind of liberties should developers take when they're remaking a beloved game?" Hehe, just kidding Colin, but fix it mmk? :D
Jessica Gutiérrez
2020-07-23 22:56:15 +0000 UTCKaren’s are universal
KomakiKhaos
2020-07-23 18:40:59 +0000 UTCGotcha. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-23 16:16:04 +0000 UTCHmmm... kinda.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-23 16:15:55 +0000 UTCAs someone with small womanly hands I am not so keen on these new playstation controllers. I will get used to them but I preferred the smaller playstation 4 controllers to the xbox version.
Peter Campbell
2020-07-23 09:53:35 +0000 UTCTwin Breaker is great game to learn sticks.
Andykapped
2020-07-23 01:23:17 +0000 UTCI should consider that; it's too hard for me as-is. LOL.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-23 01:21:15 +0000 UTCCuphead is one game i did remap the controls for. It was like night and day for me.
Devin Groover
2020-07-22 23:53:36 +0000 UTCIt's 2020, y'know.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-22 20:07:37 +0000 UTCLmaooooo fuck all 3 colin 🤣🤣🤣
lazer_josh
2020-07-22 19:49:42 +0000 UTCI love when he does the old lady character!
Cannonball_Jones
2020-07-22 19:12:57 +0000 UTCGood suggestion.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-22 16:54:45 +0000 UTCDude, he's so talented. It's really amazing what he does, he's a performer.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-22 16:54:38 +0000 UTCIf it were available, I'd partake. It's just so weird not being in California anymore in this regard, where I could literally walk into a store and buy it, and would get it delivered to my house and pay with a credit card! LOL.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-22 16:54:13 +0000 UTC=)
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-22 16:53:27 +0000 UTCMy ex was into Hitman (the real one) for a bit, but she wasn't really dexterous enough to play it. She beat Detroit and a few other games, and loves Pokémon Go. But that's as far as she got. She couldn't meld action with movement, like your girlfriend in Uncharted.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-22 16:53:16 +0000 UTCHow does it help other players, what's the system?
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-22 16:52:13 +0000 UTCMinecraft is great for learning sticks cause you can play with no enemies
FoxHopSmash
2020-07-22 14:06:51 +0000 UTCMan you made my day giving a shout out to kitboga. I fell down that rabbit hole a few months back and watched/listened to hours upon hours of scam calls lol
Mike Sage
2020-07-22 13:02:22 +0000 UTCColin you keep talking about how you have not partaken of the trees in a while, not sure if that is just personal choice, or because of your new location. But no joke, if you’re looking, I’m in the Richmond area as well.
Joe West
2020-07-22 02:32:48 +0000 UTCChris, your Bently comment made me spit coffee on my windshield. Hilarious! Thanks =D.
Monterey Jack
2020-07-22 00:20:20 +0000 UTCMy GF actually got into games recently, and she's been going hard on Animal Crossing. I don't get it personally, but she really loves it. She has over 100 hours in it now. She started Uncharted a while back also, but she still doesn't understand how to use the sticks. She watched me play Uncharted 4 and loved it.
Miles Williams
2020-07-22 00:12:14 +0000 UTCYou can't buy the Nier Automata trophies until late game. Basically to the point where you will have most of them anyways... At least I did. I didn't buy any because I love the game and wanted to earn them myself. I think it was to meant to show that trophies don't matter... which I don't agree with, but it actually fits the nihilistic theme of the game. During the credits of the game you get the option to delete your save data to help other players. It's one of the coolest things I've seen in a game.
Miles Williams
2020-07-21 23:35:41 +0000 UTCThere's nothing subjective about the usage of any of those words. They all have definitions, as words do. endemic: native and restricted to a certain place. parlay: turn an initial stake or winnings from a previous bet into a greater amount. inject: introduce a new or different element into something. compel: force or oblige someone to do something. satiate: satisfied to full. stymieing: prevent or hinder the progress of. This level of pedantry (excessive concern with minor details and rules!) suggests you may not be the "Word Nerd" you think. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 22:33:35 +0000 UTCCorrectness is subjective. Everything you said was intelligible, but the usages sound off to how they're normally used.
Jake Z
2020-07-21 22:24:20 +0000 UTCYeah, he's a weirdo.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 22:17:30 +0000 UTCMaybe it was you who doesn't have the will.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 22:17:25 +0000 UTCNo.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 22:17:12 +0000 UTCInteresting, are you by any chance an English teacher or literature major?
JD
2020-07-21 21:31:26 +0000 UTCI love this show especially because Colin uses a lot of good, descriptive GRE words, but oftentimes the usage feels a bit off. Here are some examples: He says the need to learn twin sticks is "endemic" to video games. That word kind of works here, but it sounds more appropriate to say "unique to video games" because of its more neutral connotation. He says you can "parlay" the twin sticks skill into other video games. While that sort of works here, it sounds more appropriate to say you can "transfer" that skill to other video games. He says games will "inject sanity" into your life. While technically correct usage, it sounds more appropriate to say "introduce" sanity into your life. He tried to "compel" his uncle to play video games. Compel? Strong word. "Persuade" sounds better here. And he wants to "satiate" his family's demand. "Satisfy" is probably the less obscure, normal term to use here, and its meaning isn't ambiguous compared to satiate, which can mean oversatisfied. And "stymieing" cognitive decline sounds bad, but it's good! "Inhibit" or "curb" is probably the better word to use here. Anyway, love that Colin is always learning new words and trying to incorporate them into his active vocabulary. I try to do the same thing and mess up frequently too. Just some observations.
Jake Z
2020-07-21 20:23:28 +0000 UTCCan you please put timestamps for the questions so I can skip the trophy ones? Thanks.
Jake Z
2020-07-21 19:43:19 +0000 UTCI would like to share that while I was listening to this episode, I turned around at one point to find that no fewer than twelve geese had descended on my location. I am confident that they could have performed a stealth-kill on me had they had the will.
David Graham
2020-07-21 19:12:45 +0000 UTCChris was quick with that touché moment, but I gotta say I’ve never gotten weed in my teeth, no idea what the hell was going on there with him
Kenneth Oms
2020-07-21 18:27:43 +0000 UTCPlease do.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:22:35 +0000 UTCI'm hoping it sticks around.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:22:27 +0000 UTCHe had it coming.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:22:12 +0000 UTCI can't tell if you're serious.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:22:05 +0000 UTCIt's funny, that's what I was thinking.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:21:54 +0000 UTCHearing you talk about worldstarhiphop and Karen's asking for the manager reminds me of the time I simply tried to return an unplayable copy of Call of Duty 3 on Boxing day at the UK's Gamestop equivalent "Game" only for the police to get called. I may expand on this as question in the next episode as it's quite an amusing tale.
Craig Mcguire
2020-07-21 18:11:02 +0000 UTCI had a really good time playing Predator this year with friends, but it doesn't have the legs of Rocket League or Apex Legends for me.
Jake Z
2020-07-21 18:03:34 +0000 UTCI haven't washed my hands in years.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:02:01 +0000 UTCYou may have. Or maybe it's a weird edit, I dunno. We did stop a few times because of excessive noise around Chris' apartment.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:01:53 +0000 UTCI've become less of a remapper, myself.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:01:31 +0000 UTCBunch of nerds.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:01:20 +0000 UTCFixed!
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:01:11 +0000 UTC*Palpatines*
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:01:06 +0000 UTCEnjoy.
Colin Moriarty
2020-07-21 18:00:59 +0000 UTCKnack 2 is a great game to introduce people to gaming. Worked for me and it’s underrated
Dom posa
2020-07-21 17:50:42 +0000 UTCI’ve been playing Ghost of Tsushima and I’m so used to pressing Triangle to mount my horse from The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption II that Ive been attacking my horse in Ghost of Tsushima... it’s actually pretty hilarious. 😅
D'Ante Almo
2020-07-21 17:49:59 +0000 UTCA male karen is a ken
Adamthm
2020-07-21 17:43:56 +0000 UTCI'm not saying the whole episode was an elaborate ploy to get you to comment here...but Colin's silence on the matter is telling.
Michael Carpenter
2020-07-21 17:36:14 +0000 UTCOk, no shade to Brandon who wrote in about rituals (likely some time ago due to this being a mailbag episode,) but I have to point out that not only did I ask this exact question on last week’s Sacred Symbols but you even responded to it in the show! That’s where the candle talk started, which made it into the title of this episode and is the featured image, but as far as I’m aware candles didn’t even come up in this week’s show despite mentioning it as one of my own rituals last week! I’m only pointing it out because Colin even mentions that he’s surprised it didn’t come up in the regular show. It’s like I was baited into writing this comment!
Cannonball_Jones
2020-07-21 17:27:44 +0000 UTCHey everyone, if you’re reading this, I hope you have a good day. Also, wash your hands please. Not even because of covid, just like... wash your hands. It’s the best thing a person can do. Cheers!
Derek Waechter
2020-07-21 17:22:09 +0000 UTCAm I crazy or is there some kind of weird non-sequitar around 20 min in where Colin goes from talking strategy guide writing to bong ripping? Did I just black out and miss something?
Phil Crone
2020-07-21 17:19:04 +0000 UTCI HAVE to remap attack controls to the face buttons if they are on the triggers by default. God of War especially; which I highly recommend if anyone hasn't tried. Aiming the axe with L2 and throwing with R2 just feels perfect
James Pies
2020-07-21 16:53:00 +0000 UTCI just transformed my spare bedroom into a gaming room, I have LED lights around the back of my TV and around my room aswell as on the coffee table and i change the lighting colour to suit the game. During my play through of Control I set them to red, playing Ghost of tsushima I like to have them as a forest green, i feel it just immerses me into the game more.
Paul Warrington
2020-07-21 16:08:33 +0000 UTCScared Symbols+*
Dennis Johnson
2020-07-21 16:07:26 +0000 UTCTotally forgot today was SS+ day. A surprise to be sure but a welcome one.
JD
2020-07-21 16:03:41 +0000 UTCNotification Squad signing up. I was dying for some good podcast now. Thank you.
Zibi Majewski
2020-07-21 16:02:40 +0000 UTC
