StaceyPowers

Does anyone long for a Skyrim sequel? I don’t just mean another ES game, I mean a Skyrim sequel specifically. I feel like that game set up a compelling situation politically, where the Imperials and Stormcloaks are divided and at war, but it’s the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion that stand to benefit. You can negotiate a truce in the game, but it didn’t feel satisfying to me. I feel like there’s room for a whole other game about the Imperials and Stormcloaks needing to actually contend with their true enemy. The issue I see is that it might seem “boring” to set another game in the same location. Perhaps the game could take place partly in the Aldmeri Dominion.

Are there games that for you feel like “returning home” if you start playing them again after a long time away? I think for me, Fallout and Elder Scrolls games most strongly invoke that feeling. In a different way, BioShock games as well.

This year I’ve been frustrated at the not-entirely-unexpected delay of the release of Ken Levine’s next game, Judas. Those following this know that game was in development hell for ages and ages. What are some other examples of games that suffered repeat or extended delays in development?

Are there any parts of your personal history as a gamer you wish you could relive? For me, I think it’d be fun to relive my childhood gaming days, back when everything was so different, and if you needed help with a game, you needed the walkthrough manual. I also wish I could relive the more recent years I got to spend gaming with my pet next to me, before she died.

Has anyone had a chance to play the remaster of Oblivion yet? I’d love to hear how it is.

Not sure if everyone’s brains work like this, but mine has a mental “default” for what I expect game controls to be. Like, my default is that triangle on PS = jump. So if a game uses that, that’s easy for me. If it doesn’t, then I get by okay, but the button always feels like a “divergence” from my “normal.” Anyway, my “default” is basically the default control scheme for Skyrim, because that was the first game I played at length on PlayStation. If you have a similar “default” control scheme in your head, what game is it from?

What game are you most proud you completed? For me, it is Outer Wilds, and only having needed hints about 3 times. I’m usually terrible at puzzles, so that is why that was an achievement for me.

What games have you played during hard times of your life that helped you get through them?

Do you think Microsoft will release future Fallout/Elder Scrolls games across all platforms? I was feeling pessimistic about this in the past. But now that I know they’re releasing Outer Worlds 2 on PS5, it gives me hope that they will do the same for future Fallout and ES titles.

What are some excellent games that can easily be played in a week or less?

What are some games you have said you are “about” to play for what has turned into months or years? I have been “about” to finally play Fallout 4 for about a year and a half now. I haven’t played any Fallout games in ages, so I am excited to start; I just still haven’t had a chance.

What are some games where you can dramatically lose a companion as a consequence for your choices? Particularly examples that are a bit ludicrous? For instance, in Dragon Age 2, I had a companion die because I was one approval point short of the threshold to prevent that from happening.

In most RPGs, I notice I almost never spend any of the gold I loot, except on healing supplies. I always end up with a huge pile of cash, but nothing that seems worth buying with it. If you are like me, do you have any ideas for what games could do to make spending in-game currency feel rewarding? What would probably work for me would be if I could use it to improve the game world, especially if it’s an open world.

Which years do you feel have been among the very best and very worst for game releases throughout video game history?

I see posts online sometimes of game rooms where two or more household members have PCs or consoles right next to each other. Does anyone else have this setup? If so, why? Is it to facilitate co-op and online gaming together? I imagine it’d be great for that, but terribly distracting when playing single player games.

What freemium games have you played that have angered or annoyed you the least with respect to their pricing model and overall fairness?

Are there some specific locations in games where you always pause to look around and just enjoy the scenery and ambiance for a while before proceeding on?

What do you feel is an ideal number of hours for a game, especially an open world game or other longer-form game? When does a game overstay its welcome? Is there a certain number of hours past which you lose patience, or is it more dependent on the content and flow of the game?

Do your pets do anything weird in conjunction with video games or video game merchandise? As an example, my cat currently is obsessed with trying to destroy one of my video game posters for no obvious reason. I had to put it away for now.

What are the cutest pets ever featured in video games?

What are your favorite relationships between companions? Not the characters’ relationships with the player character, but with each other.

I was thinking how it’s interesting that I finished Outer Wilds many months ago, and have only played it once, but I can remember the exact layouts of so many areas in the game due to the types of puzzles I solved. What are some games with rooms or maps that you remember this clearly? What lodged them so firmly in your spatial memory?

I love Bioware games, but their fights lasting 40 minutes to an hour sometimes drives me crazy. While there are tactical elements at play, what makes the fights so lengthy usually just comes down to spongey enemies. Who is the target market for these types of repetitious, fatiguing fights? I’m curious to hear from people who enjoy them how you would describe their appeal.

Are there any games where taking the “neutral” path when it is available can actually pay off? It seems like when staying neutral is an option in games, it often ends badly, or just with a lack of influence on events. i.e. in Skyrim, staying neutral in the civil war was pretty unsatisfying imo. I guess there may be a lesson there about sitting on the fence, but it would be nice to play some games where a neutral path can be rewarding.

Are there any older games that you haven’t played, but which you care about? I still haven’t played the System Shock games, which is a shame, because they’re significant to me. I’m a huge BioShock fan, and BioShock was System Shock’s spiritual successor. So, I feel like System Shock has contributed to my life in a significant way, even though I still haven’t played it yet.