Q&A: February 17th, 2024

Due to recording six interviews in three days at rather... unusual hours, I couldn't respond to questions on Wednesday, so here's the Weekend delayed Q&A! Should be back to Wednesday's on the 28th!

DizzyDwarf Asks
Is there a weird video idea you have that you fear no one will watch or a game ya want to make a video on but no one cares/knows about?

ALMOST ALL OF THEM.

Obviously, things like Military Shooters or Need for Speed? I'm not worried about those finding an audience, even if it's one that's a bit more... worked up than my own.

However, OTXO, Racing Games, Alpha Protocol, Goldeneye Rogue Agent; Fuck me, almost everytime I'm working on a video, it feels like I'm typing my way to unemployment insurance. Combine that with fearing "this is going to be the one that makes everyone hate me" and you've got yourself some sleepless nights.

Needless to say, I'm rather surprised to still be doing this 5+ years in.

Arthur Says
My hopes for an Outer Wilds years later remains alive!

We all have our dreams.

Nathan Tellent Asks
I picked up Burnout Paradise Remastered on sale (never played it before) and it just made me want to go back and play Burnout 3.  Did you enjoy it?

I really like Burnout Paradise, but it is ultimately my least favorite of the post Burnout 2 games, mainly that I find the game to be generally too easy, even by Burnout standards, leading to a lot of events just being a bit boring.

However, there is a reason its Open World became a template for racing games 10+ years after its release, Criterion were well ahead of the curve.

So yee, it was a game I really enjoyed, beat it on PS3 and had multiple DLCs.

Holy Shift Asks
Don't remember if I asked this before, and this is a bigger question  

I realized that I've never really been a fan of Rockstar's more simulationist approach to open worlds, preferring more story-focused open world games to GTA – what about you? And have you ever played my other favorite of such "alternative" open worlds apart from Watch Dogs 2 – The Saboteur, which I believe to be the best implementation of the concept, given how you can actually influence your gameplay by clearing out enemy bases or posts ahead of missions or using rooftop-mounted weapons to solve problems in them? 

I haven't played Red Dead 2 yet, so I can't fully comment on Rockstar's commitment to realism, but I am of the mindset that Rockstar should pick a lane when it comes to games like GTA.

Either bring back the truly open-ended gameplay framework of earlier titles like GTA III where you could plant car-bombs ahead of missions, or invest in the storytelling and immersion of games like Cyberpunk, where it actually feels like you're interacting with real people instead of satirical cut-outs.

I've said previously that of the GTA Clones I've played, Sleeping Dogs is the one I've completed multiple times; even though I could criticize that game for hours and hours, there's just something about it that's pulled me through to the end credits, maybe a combination of the atmosphere, music, pacing ,and gameplay.

RIP United Front Games.

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