RE: Video Game Ask, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
5: Games based on movies - in your experience, good or bad?
Sticking strictly to tie-in games made to come out alongside the film, I remember enjoying the first two Harry Potter games for the PlayStation, and Spider-man 2: The Movie: The Game for the GameCube still holds up, but I know a lot of much worse examples by reputation.
If you loosen the definition up enough to include the Kingdom Hearts games, the average level of quality shoots up considerably. But I suppose thatâs cheating.
10: Do you tend to stick with one genre, or do you play a range of different game styles?Â
Somewhere in between. Iâm not a one-genre man, but I definitely have my comfort zones; 2D platformers, 3D beatâem ups, RPGs, Action-Adventure games, turn-based strategy, the occasional first-person action-RPG in the mold of SkyrimâŚ
15: When was the last time you played a game for the first time, and what game was it?Â
Fairly recently, it was God of War I. My initial impressions are⌠Not that great. Iâd be really appreciative if I found out God of War II had a dodgeroll button instead of using the right analog stick.
20: Is there one video game series that youâve been playing for a long time and a have a ridiculous loyalty towards?
The Legend of Zelda, currently (Although Skyward Sword did a lot to beat down the âridiculous loyaltyâ part, and Iâm worried that Breath of the Wild might knock it into the same pile as Final Fantasy for me, that of âI really love these old games but am completely apathetic about the series past a certain pointâ), and Mega Man before that (Although Capcom really needs to hurry up and make a new one of those before too long. Either that or put out a Legacy Collection for the Battle Network games.)
25: Is gaming your favourite hobby?Â
Itâs certainly the easiest one to put hours into.
30: What aspect of a video game is most important to you - eg graphics, storyline, soundtrack, controls?Â
In order of least to most important, in my honest opinionâŚ
A great soundtrack is good. A mediocre one is fine. A soundtrack has to really grate on my nerves before Iâll consciously note it.
Games are a young artistic medium, with a wealth of untapped potential for telling stories in new, more immersive ways than before, and itâs great when they manage to do that. That being said, a low-effort or even bad story isnât enough to get me to stop enjoying the game, unless it makes some pretty specific, glaring mistakes that I canât enjoy.
Graphics donât really matter. Aesthetics, on the other hand, absolutely do. The best video game story in years wonât do a game any good if itâs not visually compelling enough to get me to want to play it in the first place.
Back when I actually used to regularly watch the Angry Video Game Nerd, I remember he would make this recurring statement: âWhatâs the most important aspect of a game? Being able to fuckinâ play it!â And really, heâs right. A game with an amazing soundtrack, an award-winning story (And not just some token âbest storyâ award in a wannabe âThe Oscars But For Video Gamesâ show, I mean something legit, like a Pulitzer) and visuals so beautiful they routinely bring actual tears to the eyes of itâs audience isnât worth a wooden nickel if you have to wrangle with the controller to get your character to do what you want them to do, or if it just doesnât feel good to play. See, for example: I still havenât beaten Kid Icarus Uprising, I probably never will, and I liked the music, the writing and the aesthetic. The one area where it fell short crippled the whole experience.