StaceyPowers

That's very exciting. I just finished my first playthrough of Origins and the DLCs, and am about to start DA II.

Follow-up question: What video games have the best character development?

I feel the exact same way about the issue - exactly why I asked :) By the way, I really enjoy your articles, so it's great to see you here on the forum!

In huge open world games where fast traveling is an option, how often do you do it, and do you have any “rules” for allowing yourself? Normally, I try to avoid fast traveling unless it’s to help me get around some kind of a glitch, or because I forgot to do something back in a previous location (i.e. buy something before I left). The rest of the time, I try to walk or use in-game transit options.

How often do you read or collect materials associated with your favorite games, i.e. novels written to fill in the blanks for a particular franchise? Any particularly good books or comics you’ve read that enhanced your appreciation for a certain game?

Favorite TV show during the 90s? (if that applies to you)

Do books count as a toy? lol.

I've mostly hesitated to buy a new Dualshock 3 just because of how quickly mine have died on me, but I've never owned one that wasn't used before. What type of lifetime is typical?

Nope, not even while playing MMOs. Having played male and female characters, I didn't find that my experience was all that different. There were different social expectations, but nobody complained when I didn't fit their preconceptions in either case. It's IRL that I usually deal with discrimination, but it usually hasn't been because of my sex. Good to see you around again :)

Favorite quests in any Bethesda games you play?

Anyone ever deal with annoying dragon spawn related glitches in Skyrim? Literally every time I try to fast travel or walk to Karthwasten, I encounter two dragons simultaneously. There is no getting around it. On that note, does anyone have bugs with Bend Will? When I use it, it works initially, but the dragon almost always turns hostile again a few minutes later. I then have to fight it or Bend Will again. This can go on an indefinite loop before it finally decides to fly off somewhere else.

This could be an issue with eye strain, or it could have something to do with posture/muscle tension/cervicogenic issues. Where do you typically feel the pain?

What are some of the best and worst aftermarket controllers you have used for any system? I’ve had two DualShock 3s die on me within a relatively short time period (both were used when I got them). I have a couple of aftermarket controllers right now. One of them is a bit buggy with connecting after shutting itself off during inactivity, while the other is pretty much okay. But the sensitivity on both is ridiculously high. Would love any suggestions if anyone has found anything good.

I'm on PS3. I think it's just that there are so darn many screens, and I never remember which order they are in, so I always go the most convoluted way around to reach the quest list, etc. And a lot of screens (i.e. herbalism) I had to look up online how to find. I haven't started Dragon Age 2 yet, I just finished Awakening. I've heard that the menus get even more annoying ... I can't wait, lol.

I actually liked that vault, lol, but it was a bit mazelike. And yes, I hate those animal puzzles. Having to search dark corners to find the combinations isn't really puzzle-solving, just ... being frustrated by dark corners.

Which games do you feel have the best and worst menu systems? I like the minimalism of the menus in The Las of Us a lot, but I do find them less than intuitive in some ways. The worst menus I’ve dealt with so far are the convoluted ones in Dragon Age: Origins. I am used to them by now, but the initial learning curve was ridiculously steep for me.

As someone who is a bit executive function-challenged, one of the things that gets me killed repeatedly in video games is when I switch from game A to game B, and I keep pressing the controls for game A in game B. Anyway, which games do you all feel have the most intuitive controls? And which annoy you by totally reversing things on you? Personally, I like the defaults for Skyrim and Fallout with the triangle for jump, the X for use, the square for drop, etc. I've noticed similar controls in other games. But now and again I pick up a game where things are completely switched around, and it drives me crazy. On that note, I love how The Last of Us continually reminds you of what buttons to push, but does so in a subtle, unobtrusive way.

What games have combat systems which irritate you? This could be for any reason--maybe they are overly simplistic, ridiculously convoluted, or just downright unintuitive.

I game with someone who routinely becomes frustrated with the occasionally maze-like nature of dungeons in Skyrim, and will frequently give up on them and their associated quests entirely. I can’t say I find most of Skyrim’s dungeons problematic, but I did detest Shroud Hearth Barrow for trapping me inside with an obnoxious puzzle. I also find Fallout’s vaults quite tedious in terms of layout—there is no orderly path through them. That being said, the only one that drove me utterly insane is the irradiated vault connected to the Hard Luck Blues quest, which I still haven’t finished.

Excellent analysis. I agree with pretty much everything you said here. Good point too about the Nords being likely to swim out on their own to drown. You may be right.

Those who play Skyrim, where do you weigh in on the Forsworn situation in the Reach? Setting aside the annoying fact that the Forsworn are programmed to attack you even after you help them, I can easily get behind their cause, especially given the information you can find in a couple of the books in-game regarding their history and how they administrated the region before they lost power. I wish there were a quest to help them take back the Reach.

For Skyrim players here, I was just curious which of you sided with the Empire versus the Stormcloaks? Obviously you may have played through with both sides, but which do you think actually was best for Skyrim in terms of politics/dealing with the Aldmeri threat? I went with the Empire since they seem like the lesser of two evils versus the Aldmeri Dominion, and all that is holding them off. I figured Ulfric’s war for independence weakens Skyrim either way. Plus, the Empire’s religious oppression is messed up, but at least it was done as a grudging last resort. By contrast I felt the Stormcloaks were enthusiastically racist, and I couldn’t get behind that.

When selecting followers in video games, what do you look for? For me, a good follower: -Uses tactics and weapons which complement mine -Has a reasonable amount of dialogue programmed in -Has an interesting story/quest-line -Isn’t irritating (totally subjective of course) -Won’t mess up my agenda with their own -Nice to look at is a plus -Doesn’t throw me off cliffs for kicks (looking at you, Barbas)

Ah, I forget that sometimes. My weekends fall on strange days, so for me it is mid-week =D

Is there a game you have played which fell flat (either with you or with critics and gamers overall) which had the potential to be amazing? What would need to be changed with that game to make it great?