Patreon Q&A #6

The Great Leveler Asks
What is your best/most memorable co-op experience in a game?

I'll avoid listing Resident Evil 6 playthroughs, because it'd takeover this whole post. One of the most memorable for me actually, is Sven Co-op. I'm not heavily active on the game, but years ago friends and I were playing through the Half Life campaign on it, and there's a section shortly after the Dam where you once again encounter the Ichthyosaur.

However, the third person in our Trio didn't playthrough the Original Half Life, and didn't know this was coming up. So we told him "Hey, the switch for our Door is over there, get it" and he went "Okay" and shrieked about ten seconds later when he went underwater.

It was funny.

Matt Koster Asks
The 2010s just ended. Two questions: What was the Best Game of the Decade? What was your Favorite Game of the Decade?

Apologies, but I often don't comment on what I think is objectively the best game of the decade, as such there's such a vast difference in high quality games that its almost impossible to really hold one above the other. Like, how do we compare Witcher 3 to DOOM exactly?

It's even hard for me to pick an individual favorite for the same reason. In-terms of fun, Bad Company 2 comes to mind, but it's been so many years since I played that game outside of the occasional Custom Match, that it could just be Nostalgia.

Honestly, Spec Ops The Line might be it. If only because it's the game which helped shake me into believing games really can be more powerful than Film & Music, which I previously didn't hold. 2012 in-general changed my viewpoint, with Walking Dead Season 1 having you bond with someone, Spec Ops shattering your morality, and Far Cry 3 connecting fun to the protagonist's degrading mental state.

Holy Shift Asks
Rate HEALTH albums and explain your rating. Also/Alternatively, thoughts on their song CRUSHER 

One of the few bands I personally view in a linear order of quality.

Self-titled is unique, but just does not have the production quality to match their ambition. Drums, Guitars, and Synths all seem too flat for me to really feel their intensity, and comes across as mostly noise with the building blocks of what's to come.

Get Color is a straight improvement. Maintaining the unique pacing and song-structure, with production that's still not quite there, and songs that sound too similar to one another but certainly better than what came before. 

Death Magic's one of my favorite albums; sound quality compared to the last two albums is just night and day. The sheer time they spent on this record really comes through, not only in production, but pacing. Stonefist, to Men Today, and Flesh World (UK) and so on is a perfect order, breaking up its most experimental tracks with catchy beats and even emotional songs like Hurt Yourself. However, I can understand where people that followed Health from the start are coming from in saying its too poppy, and want more of that unconventional song-structure from the first two.

Slaves of Fear to me, is the best of both worlds, and another favorite. While featuring more traditional tracks than the pre-Max Payne 3 Era, it has so much more variety than Death Magic in just sound, that somehow manages to maintain that record's cohesion. By the time I've reached Decimation, I really feel like I've been on a journey, more so than any other Album they've produced so far.

Oh, and Crusher? I dig it. Though honestly, I haven't listened to the Remix Albums nearly as much.

Jacob Bartels Asks
What are your thoughts on Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2? 

It's coming!

Like with everything, I'm holding back expectations until release. But the trailer's tone is quite memorable, and after the original game's conclusion, I'm all for developing Senua's character even further.

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