Call and Response: WOFF! Dispatch December 2024
Added 2024-12-11 05:21:05 +0000 UTCHowdily hoodily, neighborinos! The purpose of this post is to call for your questions and prompts for WOFF! Dispatch. Please respond by Tuesday, December 17 by leaving a comment on this post.
We're looking for two kinds of things:
Suggestions for our long-form discussion prompt.
Q&A about the shows, behind the scenes details, and miscellaneous (including off-the-wall and off-topic questions). Ask us about games or other media, life in general... You name it.
One caveat we've given in the past: If the question is too personal or gross, we may dance around it and not give a direct answer.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Comments
Hi Gary and Kole! I’m playing through Marvel’s Midnight Suns and wanted to bring up the relationship building system in the game and how much I HATED it to start with. I wanted to skip as much of this content as possible but I was forced to play along to properly upgrade my heroes and get to the AMAZING combat. Thankfully, I’ve grown to love it and now look forward to date night with Tony Stark and meditating with Blade. Do either of you have experiences with games where you end up liking a mechanic you originally hated? And are there other instances where you put up with some bull shit just to get the good stuff in a game? Thanks and happy holidays to you both!
Troy Sand
2024-12-18 06:09:41 +0000 UTCI'm re-listening to your WOFF episodes on Disco Elysium (great episodes about a great game!) and was wondering if you ever got the opportunity to replay it after the Final Cut release. I only played it after the Final Cut, so the idea of the whole game not being fully-voiced is completely alien to me. Also, do you have any hopes for any of the various spiritual successor games that have been announced? I think we're at five different announced games at this point, all claiming to be the *true* successor, and the way that mirrors various leftist/socialist/communist factional breakdowns throughout history is somewhat ironically humorous IMO.
Erik Brown
2024-12-16 17:16:26 +0000 UTCBoys I'll keep it simple: what are top five REM songs and top 3 REM albums?
Sam
2024-12-15 12:46:13 +0000 UTCHey guys! Two questions today, omit as you please if necessary. 1. what's been some of your favourite comedy this year? I know Gary fell in love with Joe Pera this year, as did I last Christmas. As for me, I saw Patti Harrison for the third year in a row and she keeps getting better. Conner O'Malley and Dan Licata's new specials have been amazing, too. Also recently got into Stath Lets Flats, featuring Nastasia from What We Do In the Shadows. 2. i wanted to ask if you'd read Kimimi's examination of sexism in Planescape Torment (https://kimimithegameeatingshemonster.com/2024/10/08/planescape-torment-never-meet-other-peoples-heroes/) . I still love the game, but it's a really thoughtful perspective that I've never really seen brought to this particular game.
Robert M Fenner
2024-12-15 11:06:26 +0000 UTCWho was your Mario 2 main? I was a Toad kid myself since he was so quick, but there was something chaotically exhilarating about Luigi.
thosewholeft
2024-12-15 01:42:28 +0000 UTCHow do you feel about rom hacks, specifically ones that aim to improve upon the original? Is it better to play an "optimized" version of a game that hasn't aged well, or to engage with it as it was on release, warts and all?
Fatt Mox
2024-12-15 00:54:02 +0000 UTCEverybody be tapping their foot to Uptown Funk
thosewholeft
2024-12-14 17:57:40 +0000 UTCokay so you're in a room with 100 strangers and you have to pick a song that the most people will enjoy. which song do you choose? for my money, it's baby love by the supremes is a
Michelle
2024-12-14 11:26:25 +0000 UTCHe is enhanced with a suit, same with Gordon.
Hjalmar Ekström
2024-12-13 22:21:38 +0000 UTCHey guys! Did you see any of the new trailers/reveals from this years Game Awards show? Anything in particular got you excited? Thanks for all the great shows as always!
aidan.j
2024-12-13 19:25:54 +0000 UTCProbably Doomguy, right?
Clever Clogs
2024-12-13 19:08:25 +0000 UTCEasier question. Have either of you seen Anora? What a wonderful movie. It’s the type of movie Duckfeed could really never justify covering no matter how you stretch it, so if I don’t ask, I’ll never hear your thoughts on it. If the answer is “I haven’t seen it and don’t plan to”, that’s okay too!
Clever Clogs
2024-12-13 19:07:18 +0000 UTCI grew up among the LDS, and the portrayals are shockingly good. It’s really well done. I think I read both leads grew up as members of that church and were able to make changes to their characters to better fit their lived experience. It really shows.
Clever Clogs
2024-12-13 19:05:56 +0000 UTCQuestion for Gar-Bear, wondering if he fell for the same honey trap that I did. I have been excited for The Black Reliquary, and was saving it for the right time. I really love DD2, but I need a break from it. Thought I would fire up the unofficial Darkest Dungeon 1.5 I keep hearing about. Was casually psyched. Within minutes, I was assaulted by the character designs. A gaggle of soft core balloon-tits anime monstrosities. And they’re ALL like this. It’s completely ridiculous, it makes it unplayable to me. Just an incredibly frustrating choice. Gary, do you have any personal experience with this mod? What are your thoughts on the childish, dissonant, and embarrassing art style?
Clever Clogs
2024-12-13 19:02:59 +0000 UTCIn talking with Jeremy during Duckstream about cheat codes, I realized that Big Head Mode is one of the biggest losses of the video game industry. What other weirdo game modes or cheats do you guys like from earlier games? What modern video games would benefit the most from Big Head Mode?
Dylan Kilby
2024-12-12 20:37:34 +0000 UTCI'm curious about your view of competitive environments in games. I remember Gary talking about enjoying the Left 4 Dead scene as a spectator, and I know you both have some fun dunking on the Smash Bros scene from time to time. Is there something about one of these that works for you while the other doesn't? Are there other games you either love or dislike for their competitive scenes? Have you every done a dive into competitive gaming, either locally or more broadly?
Autumn M
2024-12-12 15:19:30 +0000 UTCLet’s talk show music! Bonfireside Chat’s gloomy acoustic guitar sets the stage wonderfully, while WOFF’s upbeat synths have great energy. I am also very partial to Best Quality Vacuum’s excellent mash up, especially its dour outro. But, damn, Abject Suffering’s intro and outro are so catchy, I’m often humming them throughout the day after I listen. I know you may not listen to them much anymore, but what are your favorite “show tunes”? Thanks Gary and Gwen for your fun compositions!
Jared Mogen
2024-12-12 05:01:53 +0000 UTCSince it’s the season, what is some of your favorite holiday media? Movies, songs, etc.?
Doug Lief
2024-12-12 01:46:45 +0000 UTCYou know what'd be cool? An RE style survival horror game that's melee combat focused and takes place in a dark fantasy world. I know game development is extremly hard, but that just seems like an easy win to me.
Jonathan Scratch
2024-12-12 00:22:30 +0000 UTCYour Balatro WOFF episode finally got me to give it a try. As someone that loves numbers and dislikes cards, it was a hard sell - but I’ve been having a great time trying all the different jokers and manipulating my deck to go alongside my builds. I have two Balatro questions: 1 - What would be a good way to expand the game via DLC? While I appreciate Isaac and Yennefer on my face cards as much as the next guy, I’m asking about mechanics and not just aesthetics. 2 - Do you find it frustrating that there aren’t that many ways to get ridiculously high scores? I don’t want to have to hunt Barons and Chads - I want other things to be viable. Keep up the great work guys! Like many others have said, your show has helped me through some rough times and I always look forward to hearing my favorite nerds talk games.
Charles Schillberg
2024-12-12 00:12:42 +0000 UTCWhat makes a good cutscene / dialogue interaction? While I love the dorky Bethesda style dialogue interactions, cyberpunk made conversations feel real. Maybe the actual dialogue leaves a little to be desired but the animations and scenes immersed me completely. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the complexity of the dialogue interactions in cyberpunk is special to me.
Soulful Bison
2024-12-11 21:38:47 +0000 UTCI’ve seen an interesting debate come up with the new Indiana Jones game. While most of the game is an original story that has been well received, the game’s opening, essentially a shot for shot remake of Raiders’ opening, has been much more polarizing. As good as the game looks, the uncanny valley effect is particularly strong, exacerbated by the fact that most people of a certain age have that scene burned into their memory. Do you find it additive or subtractive when games attempt this level of mimicry, be it for movies, tv, or real life events such as the Normandy invasion?
Naveen Sivakumar
2024-12-11 20:12:14 +0000 UTCI bounced off Cyberpunk pretty hard on my first attempt. The world felt sleazy, but other than specific zones, everything still felt pretty empty on PS5. The driving is a bit of a chore, and finding a car to steal isn't as easy as it could be. However, I've recently really got into it. The atmospheric music is amazing, and although Johnny still feels a little "Spinal Tap" to me and I find myself rolling my eyes at everything he says, I think the relationship between him and V is handled pretty well. It's a great reminder at how brilliant CDPR are at side quests and relationships. The side quests in this generally feel really beefy, and the romance with characters feels way more organic and realistic than the Bioware approach. Looking forward to seeing what they have up their sleeves for the Witcher 4.
Ben Green
2024-12-11 19:42:02 +0000 UTCThat trailer is incredibly well done. Kudos to whatever group of people put that together.
Ben Green
2024-12-11 19:18:31 +0000 UTCWho is the naturally strongest human in video game history? For me, it is a toss up between duke Nukem and Guybrush Threepwood.
Hjalmar Ekström
2024-12-11 18:04:44 +0000 UTCAs a fan of early Dr. Katz and Space Ghost Coast to Coast, I've always had affection for Judy Tenuta. So boy have I been surprised to hear her brought up a few times in passing on Guppy and other shows. Is this a genuine affection for our shrieking accordion queen, or did I miss a joke somewhere!? ((And RIP as well)).
Eric Jedraszczak
2024-12-11 17:45:40 +0000 UTCThe Danganronpa games are great! Even though the writing/localization in the first one is some of the worst I've ever seen. The third one actually fucking nails some of the YOU'RE THE REAL MONSTER shit that Kojima (whom I love!) never really can.
Richard Cochnar
2024-12-11 16:25:39 +0000 UTCHow do you guys feel about romances in RPGs? I finished both Pillars of Eternity games this year and was refreshed to not have to engage with any romance systems. POE doesn't have them at all, and they must be so buried in POE 2 that I didn't even encounter any flirtations. It was a breath of fresh air after having spent so much time with BG3 recently--where I love most of the companions (except Halsin)--but I love them as friends. Do you feel obligated to engage with these systems, even if you don't really want to?
Richard Cochnar
2024-12-11 16:22:56 +0000 UTCWhat genres outside of Sci-Fi and Fantasy would you like to see more RPGs about?
Kerr
2024-12-11 15:47:45 +0000 UTCWhat are each of your personal favorite games that haven't made their way into WOFF coverage yet? Could be a childhood fave or something new to you.
ChazCheeto
2024-12-11 15:14:20 +0000 UTCTis the season! Happy Holidays! Thank you for providing another year of incredible podcasts and distraction from *the horrors* My question is, what is the best gift you’ve ever received and what is the best gift you’ve given?
Jordan and Maya M.
2024-12-11 14:38:23 +0000 UTCAny excitement for 28 Years Later? The trailer looks awesome, 28 Days is one of my favorite "zombie" movies of all time, 28 Weeks is pretty solid as well. While we're at it, any chance of doing either 28 movie for Unfilmable? Love all the shows and congrats on a very successful Duckstream!
erix84
2024-12-11 13:24:02 +0000 UTCAny exotic pets you have had or would like to have someday? Cats are great and I will always keep a couple around, but I also miss the chinchillas and sugar gliders I've have the privilege of cohabitating with in the past. Conversely, any (nonlethal) pets you would absolutely never allow into your homes?
Andre Swartley
2024-12-11 13:19:16 +0000 UTCAs someone who generally agreed with everything you said about Sekiro, I was very surprised on a recent replay to see just how reasonable the bosses felt since playing Elden Ring. It's only the first time I've replayed the game, but even the most awful bosses (I'm looking at you Sword Saint and OwlPlus) felt like they had fairly telegraphed attacks and openings compared to the Shadow of the Erdtree finale. I imagine it also helps that I've played before and know what to expect, but it really felt like the combat sang this time round. As notorious Sekiro haters, have you guys replayed the game at all since covering for Bonfireside Chat? Have your opinions on the game changed at all one way or the other? Do you think we will get to a point where Promised Consort feels anywhere close to reasonable as From inevitably keep making things harder? Congratulations on another great Duckstream. Love the network, keep up the good work. PS The Demon of Hatred can still get fucked. What an absolutely dreadful boss.
Ben Green
2024-12-11 12:57:57 +0000 UTCLightning Round! 2024 is coming to an end and we still don’t know what a Bakugan is. What is a Bakugan?
Steven Riddle
2024-12-11 12:28:00 +0000 UTCI've been loving the WOFF retrospective topics! If you feel like indulging in another, I'd love to know who your favourite antagonists from WOFF games are? A few of my own personal picks include: The Practical Incarnation, Gaunter O'Dimm, The Bakers, Shodan, AM, Dr. Breen, and Bob Page.
Béa(u)
2024-12-11 11:56:15 +0000 UTCHey guys! What are your thoughts about the online pushback against games being in first person over third person? You’re currently playing Cyberpunk 2077 a first person game by a studio that has since only made third person RPGs. It’s a game that got a lot of flack for choosing the first person perspective, potentially because of the game having a customized protagonist but also because of expectations set by the Witcher. The recently released Indiana Jones & The Great Circle by MachineGames a company whose bread & butter is first person games also got the same flack. Are modern gamers too used to the over the shoulder action adventure first party Sony games? What are your thoughts on this?
Christopher Grunert Pedersen
2024-12-11 10:12:28 +0000 UTCWhat are some of your little things of the year that deserve a shoutout? What was your favorite new food of the year, funniest meme of the year, cutest animal of the year, satisfying little moment of the year?
Luke Summerhayes, visionary host of the excellent Game Game Show podcast
2024-12-11 09:03:14 +0000 UTCI'm just here hoping you guys manage to watch Heretic. I just saw it a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed in after going in knowing next to nothing, but loving the Hugh Grant renaissance we are currently experiencing.
Gaz Darkwood
2024-12-11 08:40:28 +0000 UTCFirst time long time! Loving the chat about Cyberpunk 2077. Was wondering how you feel about the urgency of the main story. What I mean is on my first playthrough I was really engaged with the main plot, and how it made me feel that if I didn’t get to the next story mission my brain infection could kill me at any second. Therefore, the “point of no return” came a little too quick and I wasn’t really able to appreciate the game until a second playthrough where I would try to ignore V’s imminent death and engage with the side content. This is a real pet peeve of mine and I feel this and Fallout 4 are the prime offenders. Any other games you feel fall victim to this or avoid it in a clever way?
Jake
2024-12-11 06:28:07 +0000 UTCKole: Hearing you talk about Saw makes me want to hear all your thoughts about Danganronpa, since I know you like those. Like, across the series, what's your favorite case? And some favorite characters? Gary: I assume this is off the table for you for any future WOFFs? Abject Sufferings?
SindrElf
2024-12-11 06:05:31 +0000 UTCI would love to hear you guys talk at length about What We Do In The Shadows. It might actually be a good fit for a special episode of Unfilmable. There's some grade A horror in that show that is easily overlooked because of all the goofyness. Without actually rewatching the whole thing to do one episode about it, is that something you'd be willing to cover somewhere?
SindrElf
2024-12-11 05:59:01 +0000 UTCDo you think Shadow of the Erdtree deserved a 'game of the year' nomination? Does it matter that it's a DLC (I don't think it does, but some people seem really upset by its inclusion)?
Drew
2024-12-11 05:27:38 +0000 UTC
