StaceyPowers

Are there any devs or publishers which you have love-hate feelings about?

What are some classic games that time has forgotten that would perhaps make for good remakes?

Anyone tried the new fishing feature available in Skyrim SE/Anniversary editions? I am confused about how long to hold down the button to reel in the line. Though I think it doesn’t matter so much as when one pushes the button?

What would you do when you got there?

So, this continues from RDR to RDR2 =D

New Vegas. I didn't know Morrowind is subject to quest-breaking NPC deaths (I have not played it yet). With Oblivion, I usually just walk carefully around most of the gates, except the ones I have to close. The dragons in Skyrim can get a bit tedious. I think in general, Skyrim is the buggiest of the lot though, which can definitely disrupt the relaxation value. Fallout 3 and NV rarely actually glitch on me, except in that they slowly break as my save file grows on PS3. But I believe that has more to do with the system I'm on than the games, and at least it is a predictable decline.

I love how you explained it with Joel and Ellie--that's another great interpretation. And it connects well with the Buffy example.

lol. Not really what I was getting at. More like ... the soundtrack was an expression of his state of mind prior to that event--like, we're on a mission/epic quest. But then it's silent when it's just a man searching for his surrogate daughter, who doesn't care anymore about the mission.

How do you feel about the enchanted item soul gem charging in Skyrim vs. Oblivion? I find the soul gem demands in Oblivion are so high per use they almost don’t seem worth it. But even in Skyrim, my use of enchanted weapons has dropped since playing Dawnguard for RP reasons (trapping souls turns out to be far more evil than it appears at a glance). Any thoughts on any of this?

What are some games that feature solid climbing system? And I don’t just mean that you can, if determined, jump up any surface. But like, proper climbing.

The minimaps in some games seem far more functional than others, but I have a hard time pinpointing what makes one useful vs. useless. What qualities do you think make them most functional?

In what games do you enjoy dungeons the most and the least? My favorite “dungeons” are definitely the vaults in Fallout games, as they usually tell an interesting story that you get to discover as you play through them. Meanwhile, as much as I love Oblivion, I have to admit I find its dungeons very tedious.

Games all have different rules for awarding XP—i.e. clearing a dungeon will award it in some games but not others. Attempting a task and failing it might award it in some games but not others. What games do you like most in terms of how they award XP?

Is being lost and/or confused in a game always annoying, or do you sometimes find it fun and immersive? In what situations?

Do you think of yourself as a “gamer?” Why or why not?

Does anyone have an idea in mind for a type of game that to your knowledge has never been made? What is it?

What are some moments in video games where the absence of soundtracking itself makes a statement? For example, this happens in TLOU when Joel is looking for Ellie at one point, and I feel it conveys how focused and desperate he is.

How do you feel about games where you can’t pause combat (except, usually, by pulling up the game menu)?

Do you prefer combat systems in games that let you target specific body parts for different types of damage (more than just headshots, which seem almost universal)?

Do you prefer your health, stamina and mana to regenerate passively, or not?

Do you make use of blocking and dodging in melee combat? I’ve found them almost useless in most older games, but I love how dodging works in TLOU 2.

I see lots of people complain about third person in Skyrim. How could the next ES improve upon it?

I see lots of articles that assert that the draw toward VR and metaverse are just so we can escape our problems. But I think that for a lot of us, we are very aware of our problems, and how those problems prohibit us from doing other things (i.e. if you are poor and cannot travel, of course you are going to do the next closest thing by embracing meta-worlds). I also think meta-spaces can offer us places where we can experiment with questioning norms and exploring alternate ways of life. What do you think?

Favourite game you've played this year?

It's hard to think of specifics--I don't think I have anything as cool as @Reality vs Adventure's reply. But maybe standing at the docks at the Citadel in Mass Effect 3, looking out the window at the Normandy.