Podcast Questions!

https://youtu.be/0nCU95Q6YEE this YouTube video comedians break down movies and Louis gives an interesting take on 2001: A Space Odyssey and it's story arc at 1:02:45! I'd be interested to hear what you think

oh cheers, brilliant. I guessed as I wrote it, that it had been asked before. Thanks

I would say while the novels might leave the reader conflicted on which answer is "right", Geralt always has a strong stance and makes strong choices. I think the games tend to guide you a bit because Geralt is an established character and not a blank-slate avatar character. That being said, you do have a point here and I prefer the books because of this.

Resonant Arc

I don't think a 40-hour story is too ambitious inherently, but it is difficult to pull off on tight schedules. With the right time to develop, I think there are plenty of stories of that kind of length that could be very satisfying.

Resonant Arc

Wish I had a good answer to this! I don't think I have any hot takes on this though, unfortunately!

Resonant Arc

I don't feel like I have quite enough experience with DQ to give a great answer to this, but overall I'm not as drawn to DQ as other JRPGs specifically because of how it approaches storytelling. It's fine, but not something that really feels compelling to me.

Resonant Arc

I'm always suspicious of the methodology behind poles like this, and Splatoon 2 being so high is a perfect example of why. Haha.

Resonant Arc

Hi, Sam! We answered a similar question to this back in this episode: https://youtu.be/1lfso4dkxkM?t=3724

Resonant Arc

I'm not the biggest fan of the Tales of series--though I very much enjoyed Phantasia and Symphonia back in the day. I do want to try Arise though.

Resonant Arc

We are not manga readers, unfortunately!

Resonant Arc

You're just fine, Edward! I really want to take a vacation to Hawaii as soon as things calm down. I'd also eventually like to go to Japan.

Resonant Arc

I follow the NFL pretty closely, and also the MLB toward the end of each season. I think 162 regular-season games diminish the importance (and therefore the reason to watch) of most baseball games in the spring and summer.

Resonant Arc

Do you have any hot takes or unpopular opinions on certain rpg story beats? I wouldn’t mind a game where a human isn’t the main character or where they didn’t make up a majority of the party members. Maybe developers think players won’t connect with the main character that isn’t human. Games that have heavy lore with different races and cultures should have representatives of them in the party. (I’m looking at you FF XII) I like my fantasy with alien perspectives.

I haven't read The Witcher books, but I remember when you discussed it, you were explaining how some discussions were fascinating because each side will go back and forth giving really good arguments on their point of view, which made it difficult to take a side. I've been replaying The Witcher 3 and can see similarities in many quests, but because this media allows it, it forces the player to make a choice and basically pick a side. Knowing you love the books and the game, I was curious if you have a preference between them, or if because each media brings something the other doesn't, they are a different experience and not comparable. Also is the game too big to ever see a podcast about it or could it happen one day?

Are 40 hour long or longer stories in games too ambitious to make it cohesive whole? (I'm having a hard time to simplify the question...)

Toni Gröndahl

Hey i was wondering what your thoughts are on the style of storytelling of the dragon quest series. I know all rpgs have individual scenarios but the dragon quest series has always had a very distinct 'short story' feel to me in that all of the individual scenarios are often quite self contained and dont always have much to do with an overarching plot. I like that it makes the games feel like a big book of fairy tales but im curious if you think that style hurts their ability to tell an overall compelling story?

What's your thoughts on the recent Japan Top 100 poll? (https://gamerant.com/top-100-best-video-games-japan/) It's one of the biggest open polls in Japan and has made quite an impact, with even Miyamoto making a rare tweet to celebrate Nintendo's placements in there. Chrono Trigger making the top 10, so many Squaresoft games and classic JRPGs, the order of the Final Fantasy games, Xenogears next to Dark Souls 3, etc. I'm sorry if this question isn't specific enough but I just wanted to hear your overall thoughts on it. Did anything surprise you? Did you find it interesting? Are you guys going to release a retrospective review of literally every single game on that list before Valentine's Day?

After finishing the Xenogears playthrough, and having just played through final fantasy X and now playing 13 for my partner. I have been reflecting on how these games all have a heavily religious focus in an antagonistic view. It’s not uncommon at all for RPG’s to use religion, especially religious powers as a focal point but most times as the antagonist. Do you feel that is a fair view to project on audiences, that in almost every instance, religion is bad or corrupt? How do you feel about using such a group in the narrative sense, as far as a cheap/easy target, or is it a good way to in depth talk about organized religion? And lastly, have the use of religious powers in games influenced your personal views and feelings on religion with affirmation or questioning?

Also on a side note the battle system i thought is pretty unique with a action sort of element to it

Legendary Masamune

Hey guys just started playing tales of arise and this is my first playthrough of a tales of game I was doing research and suprised me at just how much history is involved with this series , nearly as long as final fantasy I was wondering if you guys have played any of the games and if you havent if you think there is any particular reason this has just never made it mainstream as much as other rpgs

Legendary Masamune

Second question (sorry for asking multiple), Casen you've mentioned playing old NCAA football video games where you used BYU before on old podcasts I believe. So, as a huge college football fan myself, I was wondering if you are a BYU fan and if so, given their rich football history who are some of your favorite Cougar players of all time?

Hey gents, hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. My question is if any of you two have ever read any manga? If so do you prefer manga over anime as a medium or vice versa?

Let’s assume that the pandemic is over, and everyone is back to living their lives normally. What would be your dream vacation spot? PS: Thank you for all that you gentlemen do, and I apologize if my previous question caused any headaches or anxiety. Happy New Year from the island of Saipan.

Thanks for answering my question last month! I want to start by addressing Casen's comment last time about his love for etymology: I love it when he brings up random facts about words. The origins of resentment and goodbye are still blowing my mind all these weeks later! As for questions, what kinds of sports do you both enjoy to watch? You both mentioned a lot of NBA talk last time, but do you follow the NFL or any other league? If you want a more video game related question, what are some games that you both know are pretty bad (either low quality, unfair, or inaccessible) that you still love?