Q & A - Henchmen Cast - Episode 23

Does anyone know when this next podcast is going to be?

Probably sometime next week.

I've always wished that there was an RPG that I could play with my friends but what I've noticed is that in many RPG games there's rarely any Co-op to play with friends within the game or even the story line, only example would be Fable 2 but even then the "Co-op" mode was greatly flawed and the friend couldn't even get really involved in the story.

So my question is, do you think a Co-op mode would be successful for an RPG like game or will it take away from also the "single-player-ness" of the story line + do you think there will be a time where developers will give in and make more co-op RPG style games?

VGH is growing bigger every day, and one day you will be one of the biggest video game websites/podcasts out there. My question is: Do you feel like you have to be more careful with what you say on the various shows and on the feed, since it might reach some people you didn't expect it to?

Many people refer to realism as a way to achieve immersion while others say a game should be fantasy and avoid realism "because they are games".

What role do you prefer fantasy to take in your games. Is it better to have a crazy world with aliens and unreal creatures (where immersion depends on relationship with characters, dialogue, game mechanics, etc) or is it better
to involve in a realistic story that you may not be able to experience in real life?

Since you guys fail to discuss this on the last previous podcasts I thought I should bring this question back up into hiding:


What do you all think are each of your fellow VGH staff member's biggest gaming strength and weakness? or just something you have come to notice about their gaming style/habits that they perhaps don't realize themselves?

I know you guys often comment on how some of the more popular games sacrificed that old school kind of difficulty or intense, seriously overpowering situations so the player can easily access more of the story.

Do you think a game with a deep story and a seriously hard difficulty will ever come around or will developers continue to play it safe?

If you can think of any games presently that already do this please list them.
(I mean the more 3d games, so games like Limbo don't count)

I often see reviewer's giving a game a high score when it comes out, but through out the course of the game's life, people start to see that it had very many bugs and exploits that negatively affects the game.

My question is; do you think it's better to give your impressions (or review) of the game early for those who are interested in the game and value your opinion, or is it better to wait until the game has been out for a bit and it's negatives have been identified before you give your impression of the game?

What is the worst game you got for Christmas? Why did you get that game and have you ever gotten a game for Christmas you did not want but ended up playing it and liked it?

People often judge a video game's quality based on the scores reviewers give it, some people even decide not to buy a game because of its score. While scores do give a general idea of a game's quality some would argue that the only way to really know if you will enjoy a game or not is to try it for yourself, for example with a demo or at a friends house.

Do you believe that that people look too much into the numerical scores that a game receives rather than actually looking at the game itself and forming their own opinion?

With respect to sequels that are better than the originals, even if there's no story reason to do so, do you ever feel compelled to play the previous games before the latest instalments in a series? If so, even knowing you don't need to play the original (and even knowing the sequel is an improvement), why do you feel the need to play the first one first?

I can safely deduce that "Murder Your Maker" is Prototype 2. But considering the hate for the first game. People hate the news. Alpha Protocol I heard landed on a cliffhanger but in a GameInformer months ago it was announced that the sequel was canceled due to sales.

I'm all for devs taking chances which not many does. I remember the good reviews Assassin's Creed 1 got but cuz of it's overwhelming repetition, it become Love it or Hate it. When Assassin's Creed 2 came out, it was a VAST improvement but due to the EVEN EASIER combat and A.I, the broken Banking System and many others, and even complaints about repetition again despite the variety, it too became Love it or Hate it.

I've seen in around the internet like the chat and forums and Youtube comment sections "Is Brotherhood worth it?" I do not hear that for games like Reach, Black Ops, New Vegas etc. Assassin's Creed will always be scarred via Assassin's Creed 1's status.

Prototype was flawed and I'm looking forward to "Murder Your Maker" and the 7-8 scores were treated as 3-4 scores. Are they important cuz of the VERY high standards Gamers have these days?

With the rise of iOS gaming on the iPhone and especially the iPad, do you guys think you'll ever get to the point where you will begin discussing about (or even broadcasting) these kinds of games?
Such discussions/broadcasts of other platforms besides consoles (like PC gaming as well) could potentially give you guys a larger, wider-reaching audience.

With the new year just a few more days away, or even if you are reading this then a few more hours. What gaming bad habits do you guys want to lose or want to change for the better? Is there anything you want to vow to promise and keep through out the whole year? Also what are your plans with VGH in the following future?

Simple question, has there ever been a time in a game where a character has died and you have actually felt an extreme amount of sadness towards their death?

I'm not sure if you have talked about this before but, is there a genre that you wish a specific game developer would make that they may not often do? For example, how Insomniac did platformer's (Ratchet and Clank) and then began to make first person shooters (Resistance).

Now looking back at the year 2010, what is the biggest regrets you guys had in general. Also, what do you guys think about the site surviving it's half a year being up?

What did you guys get for christmas?