Call and Response: WOFF Dispatch March 2024
Added 2024-03-16 03:18:12 +0000 UTCHello! The porpoise of this post is to call for your questions and prompts for WOFF! Dispatch. Please respond by Tuesday March 19 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
Do you find the intersection between game aesthetics and mechanics to be meaningful? In regard to your *personal* tastes, should a game like The Walking Dead or Until Dawn get a pass because gameplay isn’t the point? Or is that just an excuse to avoid criticism of the QTE-heavy gameplay? Why include game mechanics at all if they are not good? Would you enjoy playing the next Fromsoft Souls title if it was strictly the bare minimum wireframe for it to be playable, all mechanics intact? I’m mostly just interested to hear how much weight you guys put into either side of the balance. I personally have trouble enjoying mechanically dense games without much in the way aesthetics, but then again, I need a little bit of mechanical depth or kineaethstetics to keep me engaged. PS: not dogging on walking simulators or story games, I like that people enjoy them.
Coty Davis
2024-03-20 05:51:50 +0000 UTCNewer Patron who has been devouring your back catalog. Quick question for Gary the Guppy identified music snob; Growing up by the Wisconsin/Minnesota border I was a big fan of the Replacements and Husker Du, are they crap bands?
Jake O
2024-03-20 01:55:18 +0000 UTCHey guys quick question mainly for Kole. Kole, have you ever considered uploading stream vods to a Hex Crank Live YouTube channel? I have a hard time catching the streams live and really enjoy watching the vods back before bed, so it’s really sad when they go away permanently. I know uploading multiple hour long videos may be too big a workload to ask someone so I understand if that’s the problem, but I was just curious if you’ve ever considered it. Thanks!
Chase Moore
2024-03-19 23:10:36 +0000 UTCWhat is the band, artist, franchise, or other assorted piece of media that the most people throughout your life have tried and failed to get you to enjoy?
Mike Suskie
2024-03-19 21:06:58 +0000 UTCNew patron here, I just finished you're coverage of the Castlevania Netflix series on adaptation decay, you're opinions all seemed similar to mine but I thought season 2 was by far my favorite, wondering if y'all had any intentions of covering the show further, love to know what you guys think. Thank you for all the great content!
Skylar Blackwell
2024-03-19 20:46:59 +0000 UTCKole, I could be mistaken (if so, my apologies), but I recall you mentioning in a past episode that you played NFL 2K5 a fair amount back in the day. From what I remember, you mentioned playing the franchise mode like an rpg (doing a fantasy draft that shakes up the existing rosters, then building and maintaining a team that is competitive season by season). I've always been curious about which team you picked when you did this (I assumed the Bengals) and how you got into playing 2k5. I get the primary appeal of sports games is usually the competitive online aspect, but I find the single-player gameplay is great to pair with podcast listening (WOFF in particular). As a lazy nerd that got into football as a way to better connect with my long-suffering Chicago Bears fan grandfather, sports and video games have always intersected for me. I was glad to find a kindred spirit that plays/played these games similarly. Sorry for the novel. Appreciate all you and Gary do!
Jack Gould
2024-03-19 16:52:38 +0000 UTCPossible long form discussion topic if you think there’s enough to chew on here: what makes for good traversal in a game, both short and long distances? When is fast travel employed for good effect, for example? What metroidvania style powers like dashes and double jumps make it fun to platform from one side of the screen to the other? How good of a good boy is Torrent? What games do a good job of tying traversal to their other systems, such as the way DS1 made its exploration, level design, loot, and lore so good that you didn’t miss fast travel only for it to be such a great reward later once you’ve mastered the space? Love the show, thanks gents!
shartofalexander
2024-03-19 12:37:22 +0000 UTCMr Kole, Speculation on the Bachelor route for Pathologic 2 is going bananas. I’ve been replaying P2 recently, and I’ve had it on my mind a lot. That being said, I feel P2 has one major downgrade from the first game (other than the music): the voice performances. I will defend to the death the cadence and direction of the original game’s voice actors. P2 sounds good in Russian, but it being a language I don’t speak means there’s a limit on how much I can appreciate it, and I actually really dislike the English voice performances. Voices do not match the characters, and the line delivery is exceedingly straightforward, even stock standard and mediocre. Any opinion on this? Mr Gary - in your episode on Pathologic 1, you said you had no interest in the remake. Now that a few years have passed and you have had time to heal, I’m curious whether you’d be open to the idea of covering P2 for the show. I promise, *compared to the original* it’s downright fun! Thanks, love u guys
Clever Clogs
2024-03-18 23:23:30 +0000 UTCHey lads, I've been rereading a couple of my favorite comics recently, and wondered if either of you have come across these and/or would cover them for Unfilmable or BSC. Monstress - Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda (lovecraftian) Kill Six Billion Demons - Tom Parkinson-Morgan (souls-like) Especially after last month's dispatch discussion, I thought the setting of Kill Six Billion Demons would be a unique place to explore in an Elden Ring style successor. Any way, I hope y'all are well and thank you for all that you do!!
Matt
2024-03-18 20:53:29 +0000 UTCHey fellas! Have you ever gotten into a game due to its meta/meme culture? I'm not much of an online shooter fan and had zero interest in Helldivers 2 when it was first announced. After my social media feeds became chockablock with gameplay videos of fail compilations and dudes being bros, (the latter often set to Creed's One Last Breath) I decided to give it a go since the barrier of entry was pretty low and it looked like one of those "so bad it's good" situations. Ironic chuckles have turned into unironic joy as my gaming group now strives for weekly play sessions where we'll spend the night making Starship Troopers references to one another while getting utterly cooked. Has this happened to y'all before? P.S. Looking forward to seeing y'all in Milwaukee again this year! P.P.S. Gary, the last time we were in Portland we found ourselves at Raven's Manor and of course had to get the Graveyard Dip. On a scale of 1 to 5 Necropolises (Necropoli?) I'd give it a 3.5.
Gautam Jayanthi
2024-03-18 18:57:05 +0000 UTCDisclamers : My name is prononced : Ant-Won Boh-maal. I’m a french speaker so excuse form y bad english. Also maybe this questions was already answered. If so, can you link me where you answered that?) Dear Kole, Dear Gary, What is your opinion on the issue of physical copies of games? There is no doubt that the future of the industry is moving towards the disappearance of the physical model (disc, cartridge, etc.). This disappearance puts me in an ambiguous position with pros and cons on both sides. On the pros side: • An obvious ecological aspect. The production and shipping of physical games are polluting, so it seems more rational to completely eliminate them, theoretically without any disadvantages on the gaming experience. • For the Indie scene, it provides easier distribution and remuneration for game creators. Having been part of an indie rock group in the early 2010s, I can tell you that sales made on Bandcamp brought us in much more revenue than selling vinyl records. On the cons side: • Owning the game once and for all. I recently retrieved my collection of PS1 and PS2 games, and all these games are still playable. No need for emulation, no need to spend money again for a remake. • Buying and reselling games. As a fan of second-hand stores, I'm always on the lookout for games. It's sad to imagine this practice disappearing, but I understand that from a purely capitalist point of view, game resale doesn't benefit the video game industry. • Playing a game in its "original state and the way the original creators designed it." This obviously has advantages and disadvantages. There would obviously be problematic cases of the "physical only" mentality defended by certain companies like "limited run," "special reserve," etc., which, in my opinion, take advantage of consumers concerned about physicality by simply scamming them. Where do you stand on this debate? Do you still buy physical games or is it a thing of the past? Cheers from switzerland
antoine_velvet
2024-03-18 09:01:53 +0000 UTCDid you ever have New Coke? What was it like compared to regular Coke? It was gone by the time I learned about it and I’ve always been curious.
Steven Riddle
2024-03-18 02:25:59 +0000 UTChi there, it's Apricot here :) I checked out The Tubs based on Gary's recommendation in a QuakStak episode (you had me at 'jangle'), and fell in love with their album. If either of you have any further recommendations to share along those (or other) lines, I'd be delighted <3 And no worries if not :) Thanks for keeping me company and making me laugh.
AJ
2024-03-18 02:07:09 +0000 UTCKole, please name three X-men who were not starring characters in the 90s cartoon. Gary, please name three different leafed houses.
KL
2024-03-18 01:07:39 +0000 UTCEither of yall fuck with Delicious in Dungeon?? I know Gary isn't into anime/ manga as much but with how dnd based it is, I think yall would dig it.
Randall
2024-03-18 00:25:27 +0000 UTCWhat is your favourite superfluous game setting? These days I find myself turning off every possible thing, film grain, lighting bloom, depth of field, motion blur, 3d audio, controller vibration, trigger resistance, etc, etc. It just gets too much for my faint post 30 year old heart. But every once in a while, I do turn on a little screen shake and haptic feedback when I'm feeling indulgent.
Francisco
2024-03-17 23:21:27 +0000 UTCfollow up x3: if Guppy would improve would worm girlfriend be podcast?
Francisco
2024-03-17 23:09:53 +0000 UTCThis is my monthly request for season one The Terror for Unfilmable.
MIKEISTKRIEG
2024-03-17 21:50:25 +0000 UTCHey Kole, what should be the first survival horror video game I play? I’m into horror movies, demons and cults and cults and cults. (I have a ps4) thanks guys!
Jan Champion
2024-03-17 18:29:46 +0000 UTCA couple of podcast questions: 1) How far ahead is the schedule planned? I know you have called a few audibles in the history of the network due to bouncing off a game or other complications, but as a general rule, how far ahead is "set in stone"? 2) If you could magically get any guest you wanted, alive or dead, for an episode of any duckfeed show past or present, who would it be?
Malachi McRee
2024-03-17 17:25:37 +0000 UTCWith Easter coming up, a church near my house has updated their signage. It now says "THE TOMB IS EMPTY. HE IS RISEN." I'm a good Christian boy, but that's one of the scariest fucking things I've ever read. what are some of the most ominous bits of signage you guys have seen?
Chapel Collins
2024-03-17 17:06:30 +0000 UTCDid you ever play any browser based games, and if so, which ones? What about the old 'play by mail' games where you would send in your orders for a game a couple times a month to a company and they would send you the results in the mail soon afterwards, where you also competed with other people? I used to do both quite heavily in the 90's.
Greg Polander
2024-03-16 22:43:59 +0000 UTCsup fellas!! ive recently been getting into the beautiful chaos of game randomizers, as a way of shaking up & exploring the more weird/obscure boundaries of games ive played a zillion times. Some of the bigger ones out there (like your Zeldas, Pocket Monsters and Finals Fantasy) are ridiculously customizable, to the point it almost feels like crafting your own romhacks. Have either of you guys tooled around with playing/watching streams of randomizers outside of the Dark Souls ones? Are there favorite games of yours you'd like to see randomized?
sleepysmiles
2024-03-16 22:19:56 +0000 UTCThe good news is that you haven't been cursed by a genie for this question. The bad news is that you just lost a bet, and are now legally bound to speedrun a game of your choosing for one year, or until you hold the world record, whichever comes first. What game do you choose?
Michelle
2024-03-16 21:31:35 +0000 UTCHey Guys, Absolutely love all of your shows. Just got caught up on Best Quality Vacuum recently! Top stuff! Apologies if I’ve misunderstood the ask, but I wanted to recommend a movie for your Unfilmable series. I’m currently sat watching The Faculty (for the second time) and thought it would be a good candidate. I forgot how relatively star-studded the cast was despite also seeming like some sort of B-movie! I’m not sure what you would call it as I’m no movie expert, is it a “cult classic?” I honestly can’t tell if it’s good or bad! Anyway I thought it would make for a good episode. And the thing that sparked it was a scene near the beginning where “the teacher in classroom references the theme of the movie!” Keep up the awesome work Gary and Kole. Your shows have gotten me through some tough times. Take care.
GlasgowBear
2024-03-16 20:39:17 +0000 UTCHI guys. Recently I have been thinking of how nice it would be with a Mega Man game, made as a gritty, oppressive Dark Souls-like game (3D, 3rd person). In my mind, this would make for great opportunities in designs of levels, weapons, enemies, bosses etc. Maybe even re-interpretations of the classic NES games. I assume this would never happen, but is this an idea that tickles you guys? Do you think there's potential for a good game?
Owlology
2024-03-16 18:59:48 +0000 UTCHey guys! I love Unfilmable, always a highlight of the month. A question for Kole here. Kole, when will you buck up and bring a David Lynch movie to the podcast to make Gary watch? It was fun watching him bring Silent Night Deadly Night 5 and The Video Dead while you kept bringing conventionally beloved horror movies, but the Garbage Pail Kids movie?? He clearly won’t stop making you watch actually bad movies so what are you waiting for?
Eli Leslie
2024-03-16 18:11:01 +0000 UTCRE 2 remake is up there in my list as well
6r9dlee
2024-03-16 16:43:27 +0000 UTCWhat’s your peak video game character blunt rotation?
Naveen Sivakumar
2024-03-16 16:35:32 +0000 UTCIf you could send one game to the early 90’s, what would it be? My tops are Red Dead 2 for the robust narrative, graphics, and world, as well as The Last of Us for similar reasons. Maybe something like Fortnite for the scale of its multiplayer design? Love the show!
6r9dlee
2024-03-16 15:47:36 +0000 UTCHiiiiiiiii, I really enjoyed your Unfilmable episode on Neonomicon, and it got me wondering if you’d consider discussing a podcast or other media formats for the show? On that note, have either of you listened to The Lovecraft Investigations? It’s a really fun, creepy narrative podcast/BBC radio drama that uses Lovecraft’s stories and mythos as frames for contemporary folk horror. I reckon you’d both enjoy it! Message ends.
Morgan
2024-03-16 15:16:34 +0000 UTCA phrase of yall's that entered my vocabulary is "fucked-up little dudes"! Who are your favorite fucked-up little dudes in games? What makes a good fucked-up little dude?
Dylan Kilby
2024-03-16 13:49:57 +0000 UTCAhaaa I've been down in those this week, while listening back to the Bloodborne BFSC episodes. BB was the first Souls game I played and I found it SO TOUGH, not just in terms of difficulty, but just in terms of understanding HOW to play it
Charlie Frame
2024-03-16 10:39:17 +0000 UTCI've been thinking about Thomas Ligotti and his style of horror writing. I know you guys are horror fans, and there's been a lot of discussion about Lovecraftian cosmic horror across most of your shows. But I wonder what you think of Ligotti? (Teatro Grottesco is the one that hits the mark for me). Also, can you think of a game that might evoke Ligottian horror (as opposed to King / Lovecraft horror)? What might a game like this look like?
Charlie Frame
2024-03-16 10:36:40 +0000 UTCHello! Just wanted to write in and say that I really appreciate your Teardown episodes, they do me a great service as Teardown is one of the few games that give me debilitating motion sickness! It's on a shortlist of games I love that I just can never play.
Max Taylor
2024-03-16 10:24:38 +0000 UTCWhat's your guys take on all the MTG Universes Beyond products? Do you plan to buy any of the Fallout cards? I feel like they're pushing out so much content it's hard to keep up, and prices just keep going up. However, I loved the LOTR collection and I'm currently working on a Tom Bombadil commander deck.
Eric
2024-03-16 10:22:05 +0000 UTCfollow up follow up: if your girlfriend was a worm would you still love her
Lizard
2024-03-16 08:32:01 +0000 UTCHi guys, I totally second this! The SoulsBorne music episodes were great (and shoutout to Hollow Knight for getting an episode too). As someone who listens to video game music while he works, I think a WOFF version would be awesome! Funny side note, I listen to podcasts on 1.25x speed (no shade, I’m just so eager to hear more…) and that means the music in each episode is sped up too. So that’s always a fun surprise, and if you ever want a little burst of dopamine, I recommend hitting the WOFF intro music at 1.25x speed 😋. Happy spring! (unless you have allergies)
Ben Gibbons
2024-03-16 08:31:44 +0000 UTCHey guys, I am sending you greetings and best wishes from your favorite place: the fucking chalice dungeons. After recently completing my second run of bloodborne I wanted to see what all the fuss was about - and guess what: I just finished the dreaded defiled chalice, and I am having a complete blast! I actually stumbled upon your podcasts while I was happily slashing my way through Dark Souls 3 last year for the first time, hoping to find someone to listen to who enjoys it as much as I do. That didn't work out exactly. Instead I found two wonderful and insightful critics, who I even enjoy when I massively disagree. Long windup for a short question: when and what was the last time that you disagreed with creators you admire? Actual greetings from germany, you're the best!
Marius Magaard
2024-03-16 06:25:06 +0000 UTCIn 2024, I don't see much passion for the 360/PS3/Wii era of games. After listening to the excellent Adaptation Decay on Rock Band 2 The Stars, it made me wonder why there seems to be a lot of nostalgia for the PS2 and GameCube but comparatively less for the PS3, 360, and Wii. Wondering if you have any opinions on that pivotal generation of video gaming and whether you think the more modern era of gaming will ever get a nostalgia wave. Seems like anything I didn't play on a CRT doesn't quite hit the same after a decade.
Mike Fowle
2024-03-16 05:46:12 +0000 UTCFollow up: If Gary turned into a worm do you think Guppy would improve?
Mike Fowle
2024-03-16 05:33:50 +0000 UTCIt’s pretty wild that there was never any sort of Venture Bros. video game. What would your ideal VB game look like? For the sake of this question let’s say the budget can be as large as it needs to be to fit your vision and you have the full cooperation of Doc, Jackson, and all the voice cast. I think an X-men Legends style action RPG would be a cool way to utilize the sizable cast of characters while leaving room for comedy and storytelling in the writing.
Ben Sapatka
2024-03-16 05:28:52 +0000 UTCHello gentlemen, in a previous episode (I don’t remember which) I heard one of you mention Rimworld off handedly. What are your feelings towards Rimworld or any similar games deep sandbox mechanics, but no clearly defined goals?
Steamtastic Vagabond
2024-03-16 04:27:36 +0000 UTCLife Question: would you still podcast if you were a worm? Also what kind of worm would you be?
Matthew Woodyard
2024-03-16 04:18:51 +0000 UTCHello! I haven’t played the teardown games yet but every music clip you played in the episode was a bop so I downloaded the soundtracks. They rule. I appreciate the clips you play during episodes because they have turned me on to some of my favorite soundtracks that I may have never heard otherwise (citizen sleeper and subnautica are both all timers for me now). I’ve noticed yall don’t discuss the music very often in episodes, and when you do it is brief. You are both musicians so I was curious why this isn’t a bigger topic of discussion during episodes? Any chance of maybe a semi annual or annual show highlighting some of your favorite soundtracks of the year? Something in the vein of the bonfireside chat deep dives of the music from the souls games? This may read as a complaint but I’m really just curious since I enjoy your thoughts on music in games. I just recently listened to your now 10 year old episode on video game music in general and would be curious if any of those thoughts/opinions/preferences have changed since then? Thanks for everything!
Joseph Hoffman
2024-03-16 04:14:17 +0000 UTCDo you prefer rpgs with fiction forward mechanics that eschew complexity but allow a wider range of player expression, or games that are crunchy and heavily mechanical, but does not offer much in the realm of roleplay ability?
Jordan and Maya M.
2024-03-16 04:11:29 +0000 UTCHi guys, I just wanted to ask what y'all's thoughts on the Gallio sub-genre of horror. I've found that films like Suspiria and The Beyond stand out in terms of unpredictability among horror films, taking turns that I never would have guessed.
Marco Perez
2024-03-16 03:30:57 +0000 UTCLife question: what would a burger Gary’s / Kole’s way entail? Do you have strong opinions on types of French fries? That is all!
Soulful Bison
2024-03-16 03:26:30 +0000 UTC
