Video game ask ya nerd! 3-8!
3: Best game you've ever played?
Like, on what merits though? Best gameplay? Best story? Best art? A game I really enjoy? My favorite?
I think I could easily say Bloodborne here. It has a perfect mix of everything I love in games, meticulously crafted into a game I would gladly herald as one of the most expertly made games ever, but it’s too easy, you know?
Let me instead tell you about my most enjoyable gaming experience. I’ve had the joy to play so many great games in my life, but no game will probably ever match up to the joy I felt playing through SWERY’s game Deadly Premonition. I remember I went to a game dev talk once and was told ‘If you love the game you’re working on; it’ll show’
And you know what? I don’t think I’ve ever played another game that was made with as much love and child-like wonder over the medium of games as Deadly Premonition. Look, this game is so hilariously unfocused in its features and scope it borders on unplayable at times, I’m not going to lie. A majority of people will be so turned off by the uncanny-looking graphics, multitude of bugs and repetitive gameplay. But I loved every moment. It’s pretty clear the dev team just made the game they wanted to make with 0 regard on how it would sell, play or perform. But it’s like watching a kid play with toys. It makes me so incredibly happy, brings me so much joy, and I think that’s a brilliant quality of a game.
4: Worst game you've ever played?
Ok, so, let me preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of the Silent Hill series, so this is almost entirely based on the crushing disappointment I felt watching my all-time favorite series devolve into this shell of what the series was to me. Rather than the surprisingly deep-woven narrative about personal hells, religious themes, and deep symbolism, Homecoming devolved into a convoluted mess that was too busy to visually reference the Silent Hill movie instead of having it’s own visual identity.
Mired under all the mediocrity are a few actually pretty good ideas, but the gameplay was average, there were basically no puzzles
Overall, Homecoming was an average game, and would have been an okay horror shooter, had it not decided to slap on the name of Silent Hill.
Plus points, however; sweet-ass monster designs, and super fucking rad soundtrack!
If you like Homecoming; that’s awesome! I’m happy you saw something I didn’t in it. I’m not some form of Silent Hill elitist here, come in my inbox and I will gladly defend the Silent Hill movie.
5: A popular series/game you just can't get into no matter how much you try?
Dragon Age Origins. I’ve given this game the most honest shot. I wanted to love it, I wanted to be swallowed up in its world and be immersed in this epic fantasy tale, but the immersion never came. I loved the characters, I love Thedas, but the battles are so boring and the gameplay so tedious that it killed any shot the game had to pull me into it. Which sucks, because I really, really love the Dragon Age universe.
6: A game that's changed you the most?
This question has a couple of answers. If we’re talking what game has made the most impact on me overall? Or what game made me leave it as a completely different person? Or most influential? I’ll divide this up!
The one game that has had the most impact on me and my journey through video games and myself, it’s Silent Hill 2. This is my all-time favorite game, no question about it, but it’s also my most integral and important moment in gaming. This game has been my biggest artistic influence, this game convinced me about the integrity of games as an artistic medium. This game is what made me want to pursue art as a career.
Personally, and for my emotional development, however; it’s Yume Nikki that changed me the most. This low-key, slow-burn free RPG maker game was probably the most emotional experience I’ve had with a game. I know this game has a million interpretations, but I feel you interpret whatever you bring into it. For me, it was the emotional catharsis I needed to work through the trauma I went through being severely bullied throughout middle school.
Lastly, I’m going to also name Dark Souls, for revolutionizing how I view environmental storytelling and how I forever aspire to make my environments.
7: A game you'll never forget?
OFF by mortis ghost. This game has a funny way of staying in my head. I’ve gone over it my head a million times, but I can’t pin down why and how it left such a huge impact on me that I can’t forget it. If it’s the unsettling designs, the uncanny feeling of the world, or trying to figure out what the hell everything means, there’s just something about it and the bleak world it paints I have not yet been able to shake.
Motivation: Ludwig The Holy Blade Boss Theme