Q&A: February 17th, 2021

Rose Graham Asks
What games did you warm up to overtime and which ones gave you the opposite effect?

I've expressed before that Deus Ex and Metal Gear Solid were games I started about 7-8 times before they finally clicked with me. What you describe however, is more like my experience with Cyberpunk. Early on, I was thinking it's cool but nothing special, and the more quests I did, the more and more I continued to binge it.

Stealth games also fall very much into this category. Teenage me who had the patience of a child, didn't have the mindset to appreciate games like Thief: The Dark Project, or MGS3.

C R DubU Asks
I recently rewatched your entire channel, and you mention the Deus Ex franchise in a multitude videos (usually in reference to either the soundtrack, universe/worldbuilding, or philosophy). Would you consider doing a "... Years Later" series on the Deus Ex games that you've played?

Not sure about a Years Later as Deus Ex is one of the most analyzed games in recent memory, but I've definitely been thinking about revisiting Mankind Divided as that's the game that Cyberpunked me. I was hyped for it, bought it day one, and found the game was near unplayable on my machine.

It's time to finally judge it in ideal conditions.

The_Surviv0r Asks
So I started to listen to the Health band a bit, seeing your praise for it both here and in the Max Payne 3 vid you did a while back. My question is which album should I go to from the Max Payne one?

Definitely Death Magic or Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear. Health's earlier records are much more chaotic, with a notable gap in production quality. For their later work, you'll notice Max Payne 3 OST characteristics, but with the band's full variety on display. Death Magic's the most accessible album of their discography and what I'd recommend starting, but both are fantastic.

OzarkTempses Asks
What's your opinion on AAA games' pricetag?

As I'm always behind launch windows, the pricetag of Triple A games don't impact me much, though the pricetag themselves for many are themselves a Level 1 access card, as they still pack in various microtransactions and expansions. The irony is these days, is that the worst time to buy a game is often when it comes out. When I see a new Ubisoft game I always think "Can't wait to play that four years after with all of its content for 50% of the price with actual polish."

DaCody Asks
What is your favorite game that has a F in the title?

FEAR.

NephyrisX Asks
What makes a good turret section, and by extension, is context the most important factor?

Context is absolutely the most important factor. In-fact, I'd argue that for linear narrative structured shooters, context is always at the forefront. Take away All Ghillied Up's music, visuals, and atmosphere, and you remove most of that level's enjoyment.

Turret sequences are tough because the player's stuck in one-place, and it's hard to communicate vulnerability and anxiety when you're tanking rounds. Sequences like Turret Sequences in Duke Nukem Forever don't work because there's no masking of what the segment is. You're literally just shooting at distant ships from a static-position on the Roof. Meanwhile, something like Call of Duty World at War's Black Cat's mission is excellent, because while doing effectively the same, you're plane is moving close to danger, you're swapping between positions, and you're rescuing soldiers on the ground.

You feel like an actual soldier in the battle, rather than a sentient turret whose job is to tap tap until everything's quiet.

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