Q&A: May 26th, 2021

Avian TheAssassin Asks
So uhhh… Mass Effect Legendary, any change of opinions on ME1 (or the trilogy) over time or in comparison with the remaster?

Haven't played ME1 Legendary Edition yet, but I'm curious, because I'm not in the camp of people who couldn't get into it. I've played that game 4-5 times and have grown to like it more and more each playthrough compared to the sequels which have steadily declined in enjoyment per-playthrough.

Definitely curious.

Daniel Anugerah Asks
There's plenty of Battle Royales today.  Do you have a preference for any of them? Are there any with features that stand out to you?

Apex Legends.

I actually got back into it during Season 8 and had an absolute blast binging it with friends. I've yet to play it so much this Season due to other games occupying my time, but I've still played off and on and had a great time whenever I do.

It's not just the gameplay that's superior to other Battle Royale's I've played, it's the characters, art-style, music, and just sense of atmosphere when playing that game. When you lose a match at the very start, you're not mad because you get to hear some charming lines from people, hear some bitchin tunes, laugh at animations, and hop into another match right away.

The presentation takes over when the gameplay can't carry the weight.

OzarkTempses Asks
Games as a live service have become a bit of a meme (rightfully so IMO) but there are always stories like No Man's Sky to show that there are benefits to this system. What middle-ground do you think can be achieved between a "100% complete game, no support" and a "whoops, we forgot to make a game so we'll build it over a few years"?

Honestly, just do what the Middle Market is doing now, it's also how games just used to be in the 6th generation. They would release mostly completed, but with room for expansion that'd be delivered if the game was solid enough.

It's just kind of obnoxious when companies put the pressure to buy DLC for an unproven game, and it's honestly worrying that I'm starting to see that attitude creep into the vocabulary of players. I very much remember people writing off Apex early on, merely because it couldn't keep up with the weekly Fortnite updates developed out of mega-crunch sessions.

C R DubU Asks
A lot of your videos study military-based shooters, and discussing what it means to be a soldier and what struggles they often face, so out of curiosity have you ever been interested in joining the Canadian Forces? Or is the interest purely from studying the subject from an outside perspective?

Nope.

I never had the bravery or the patriotism to put my life on the line like that. I've met Canadian Soldiers though and it's always been a humbling experience, with them being kind, but with a stature you don't see in ordinary people.

The interest definitely stems from an outsider perspective, and if there's anything I'd want to do, is show that based on what I've heard from people who are soldiers, the real pull to return to war isn't being an adrenaline junkie or a psychopath like many movies setup, it's living in stripped down environment. Regular people have to face so many anxieties that stem from money, food, shelter, work, and most importantly, people who can't always be trusted.

When you're a soldier, your purpose is simple. Survive. Do everything you can to make sure you and your friends will make it out.

To go from that to a world where people are complaining about running out of their favorite cereal, that can be brutal, so they go back.

NephyrisX Asks
What is the most intolerable trend for game-related Youtube videos?

Man, this one's tougher to answer than I thought, perhaps because I don't really view traditional games media, or the outrage machines due to their intolerable trends. The latter's definitely more annoying though, because I can at least understand that most Games Journalists are not setup for success. They're running tight deadlines with shit pay for too much work, and no, forcing yourself through a video game for review is not play, it is work.

Outrage Machines however... they're just lazy cunts.

Seriously, they're doing it because it makes them money, it's easier than working an average nine to five, and you'll always get people validating you, because misery and cynicism is seen by the naïve as honesty.

The nice thing about those channels however is they never last, so it's something I only think about when Youtube's Recommendations forgets I hit "not interested" five times and their one video out of thirty that month doing okay shows up.

It was a particular slog during Cyberpunk, as so much of the fair criticism and new details surfacing of its development and publisher conditions were drowned out by dumbasses just trying to ride a wave for all it was worth without contributing anything to the conversation.

Jake Malone Asks
With ME legendary edition out, i found myself realizing that i never customized shepard in any of the games. Mainly due to how much the marketing material showed the default design. And while i always liked the design of both the commanders, i always felt like bioware not so subtly wanted me to play as the default design. Do you think this can tamper with someone who wants to insert themself into these games?

Hmm, possibly? Though of course, the marketing is only doing that way because it's impossible to market everybody's Shepard. Though, I could totally see this being a marketing campaign for a future game where you import a character's model code into an algorithm that puts them on the face of a trailer.

It's an interesting question, but I imagine the main reason you used the designs is as you said, you like them. I really like FemShep's design to, and typically use that one when playing ME3.

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