Q&A: November 18th, 2020

DaCody Asks
What is your favorite halo song that wasn't composed by Marty?

You mean, Marty didn't create everything by the sweat of this brow?

Just kidding; going by childhood nostalgia, Blow Me Away is the definite winner, but I also love the Halo Wars OST by Stephen Rippy, and I've previously recommend Tom Salta's Halo scores here on Patreon.

Hammiam Asks
Thoughts on Codemasters being bought out by Take-Two?

...Fuck.

Juhana Linnavirta Asks
How often do you answer these Q and A's?

I've managed to do these every Wednesday so far since I started. It's fun. The sort of writing that keeps me on my toes.

Hibiya Mori Asks
What are some games you think do justice to the real life places they're set in? Example: Sleeping Dogs set in Hong Kong.

It's always hard to tell, because while I've travelled across the border, that's as far as I've gone. North American exclusive. So it's not my place to judge something like Max Payne 3's Brazil, or Human Revolution's Shanghai.

Vegitorial Steve Asks
How do you feel about the releases of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S?

I think it's telling that what interested me the most about these systems was getting to play last-gen games at higher frame-rates. In technology, these consoles are wonderful, offering experiences that are a big step up from the underpowered systems released in 2013.

But in-terms of games, design, and innovation, this is easily the most underwhelming console launch I've been a part of. Maybe that'll change if I trade in the PS4 Pro for a PS5, but frankly, I've used the Pro so rarely, I'm not rushing to get it replaced.

Flash Gordon Asks
What changes do you think will be made with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and any ruminations on the next Mass Effect game?

I'm expecting EA to continue their unimpressive track record established with Need for Speed Hot Pursuit and Burnout Paradise. However, those were announced much closer to their release date from what I remember than this Legendary Edition was, and if the rumors are correct, Bioware's been working on this for over a year.

I'm not changing my expectations as nothing is confirmed, but it would be great if subtle refinements, like adding the reputation system from Mass Effect 3 to its predecessors, upgraded visuals to the level of the mod community, or (this is a reach) new maps for ME3 Multiplayer. That game had cancelled multiplayer maps the community was able to play grey-boxes of, perhaps they could be repurposed.

Okay, maybe I'm dreaming big, but I'm expecting little.

Brandon Asks
Have you ever seen videos from B-Mask? I know this sounds like total shilling but I'm sure you'd really dig his videos. He's also buds with Mandalore and Shammy, so there is some crossover between you two in a sense.

Not yet, but I've seen him on both Twitter & Youtube and have been meaning to check out his content for a while. Like with entertainment, I'm slow, but are looking forward to sitting down and binging videos.

The Great Leveler Asks
Who is your favorite protagonist from a game and why?

I think it's Max Payne, not because he's the greatest character, there's many Squadmates, NPCs, and antagonists I think are more interesting than him, but most protagonists in games are meant to be vessels for the player.

But in Max Payne 2 specifically, the character is incredibly introspective, to the point where I think I even took influence, which might've led me down this path of digging into things like Art; I mean, I used one of his monologues to conclude Andromeda Years Later.

Submit your questions in the comments below, for future Patreon Q&A's.