Questions & Answers: August 5th, 2020 (Patreon)

The Great Leveler Asks
What is the most immersive gaming experience you've had and what stood out about it to you? 

Half Life Alyx is the first game that came to mind. I distinctly remember the section in a Hotel, when the walls went from run down apartments to other worldly textures and alien material. Lighting that was once bright and vibrant became dark and mysterious, yet somehow, beautiful at the same time.

What's most remarkable is other people were in the call with me during this section, I was demoing the game to them, and realized the moment was so immersive, even they, who weren't playing, were still entranced by the visuals, sounds, and pacing of the experience. Headcrabs leaping from toilets made them jump, seemingly as involved with the experience as I.

Having just spoken to a friend, I believe VR's biggest advantage isn't being played hard enough, in pursuit of recreating experiences we already have on desktop. I don't want to just play Battlefield in 3D, I want to play something that doesn't work with  mouse and keyboard on a flat-screen.

Matthew Viq Asks
Has there ever been a game that's given you a strong emotional response to what was going on (i.e. From a heartfelt/heartbreaking story, developers meeting/exceeding their potential in terms of delivering a quality video game)? 

Absolutely! The repeated mind-fucking of Metal Gear Solid 2, sudden choir in Dragon Age Inquisition, intense multiplayer matches on Halo or Siege. There's almost too many to pick from. 2012 was the year that really opened my eyes however. Far Cry 3, Spec Ops: The Line, and The Walking Dead were the three big pieces for me taking games a lot more seriously.

Far Cry 3's incorporation of the skill-tree to its character's mental state (though I need to replay it, see how it holds up), Spec Ops' questions about player motivation, but more than any other, The Walking Dead.

I'm a very reserved person. Sometimes, I scare myself by how little situations effect me. Entertainment's no different. Things moved me, made me happy and sad, but no song, movie, or game had made cry. Not until Telltale's Walking Dead Season 1 ending, that was the moment I just couldn't help it, which was especially surprising, considering how mechanically sparse The Walking Dead is, but that just speaks to the power of interactivity.

That even its most subtle inclusions can go that extra mile in making you care about the world, story, and characters.

Dewm Asks
What's your favorite doujin? 

I don't speak degenerate.

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