We're thrilled to tear into our inaugural Mailbag blog post. We've solicited questions from our community across social media and will feature our responses to ten of the questions at a time. Don't worry, the unanswered questions will remain in our pool to be used in future Mailbag posts. Thank so you much for taking the time to send in your creative and varied responses to our request.
"Which Secret Level episode are you most excited for?"
- Alex Cervantes
- For those who haven't followed this story, Secret Level is an upcoming anthology show, from the creators of Netflix's Love, Death and Robots series. This show will feature standalone stories set around various gaming franchises, such as: Mega Man, Warhammer 40,000, Armored Core and others.
Jeremy - Personally, I'm really excited for the Warhammer 40k episode, as we very rarely get official shows/films set in that universe. And given that Henry Cavill's much anticipated Warhammer project might not see the light of day, this might be the last thing of this caliber that we see from the Warhammer 40k brand for a while.
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| Photo from Prime Video. |
"Slitterhead is finally coming out in November and is the first work by Keiichiro Toyama's new studio. Where does his early work Silent Hill rank in your list of childhood video games, and are you interested to see how his return to the horror genre unfolds? Also shout out to all my Slittas"
- Marty
Jeremy - Truthfully, I've never played the Silent Hill games, so beyond recognizing Pyramid Head, I don't have any history with that franchise. It's not necessarily due to any sort of lack of interest, I've just never made the time to play them. I think it is exciting to see Keiichiro Toyama return to the horror genre, although I was a huge fan of his Gravity Rush series, and selfishly wish that he would keep making those. There's something romantic about seeing someone known for a specific knack or talent, return to that thing. We want to see if they still have it in them to make more of what made them famous. Also, on the name - Slitterhead - I hear people say that it sounds like a fictional slur of some sort, and I fully agree. Shout out to you too, my Slitta.
Ben - My experience is pretty light with Silent Hill as well, but growing up it was one of my friend BeamBrain’s favorite series. Because of that, I got to learn all bout the horrors that was Pyramid Head, and everything else that game had to offer. I have played a few of the PSP games personally, but never got around to actually finishing them. That said, I too am a huge fan of the Gravity Rush series, and I am excited to see what he does next!
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| Photo from bokehgamestudio.co.jp |
"Opinions on the new Titan Quest?"
- Randy
Jeremy - Titan Quest is a beloved game for me. For those unfamiliar, it is a loot-based action-RPG, similar to Diablo, but based on the various ancient mythologies of our own world, such as: Greek, Egyptian, Norse, etc. Shockingly enough, nearly twenty years after the original game's release, we're receiving a sequel. Titan Quest II looks to refocus the setting entirely around ancient Greece and has you exploring Greece and fighting mythological beasts and monsters. We haven't seen too much of the game just yet, but based on the most recent trailer, there looks to be a lot of thought put into the free-form character customization, in regards to the fluid nature in which you choose your skills and masteries. I'll be intrigued to see how weird and creative you can get with character builds.
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| Photo from Steam. |
"The current situation on mmos and the possibility of it being a dying game genre. While rts which was once seen as possibly being in the grave now having a possible resurge."
- Jacob
Jeremy - MMOs are truly one of my favorite game genres and I really hope they don't die out. It feels like the virtual worlds in which we used to spend so much time have largely been supplanted by social media and games like Fortnite. I've put thousands of hours into MMOs like Elder Scrolls Online, Neverwinter, World of Warcraft, RuneScape and Final Fantasy XIV, and I'd love to have new games cut from a similar cloth for me to spend thousands of more hours into. There's something really cool to me about starting your character from nothing and slowly earning your experience, cooler armor and mounts and watching your character visually look more powerful and capable defeating much more powerful enemies. RTS games, another love of mine, did in fact have a long down period where it seemed like they might go the way of the Dodo. But, in the last few years, we've seen enormous moves back into the genre through Age of Empires IV, Stormgate, Age of Mythology: Retold and smaller games that people are excited for, like D.O.R.F.; so we can certainly cross our fingers that MMOs receive a similar boon.
Ben - The market being over saturated is going to be an issue all genres will face. MMOs particularly are a huge time sink and ask for players complete devotion to play them. With so many live service games out now days, it isn’t always easy to choose which one to play. With so many feeling so similar, a lot of these MMOs get overlooked or ignored simply because they aren’t unique enough. Maybe when all of the smoke settles, we’ll start to see unique ones that are interesting enough to play again. That being said, I feel like established games like Final Fantasy XIV will continue holding their spots at the top.
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| Photo from Steam. |
"Would a modern Sega console be able to compete with Microsoft, Sony & Nintendo?"
- Kenny
Jeremy - Well, Kenny, I'll have you know, that Sega actually did just reveal a new console that can easily go toe to toe with Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. That's right, after many long years, they announced the ePico - an educational console, and a follow-up to their old Pico device from the 1990s. No doubt, you'll be able to solve fractions in staggering 8k, 120fps glory! But, in all honesty, I don't know that Sega could. I personally would love to see them take another stab at it. If they formed strategic partnerships with third-party publishers, and brought their iconic IPs back under a first-party console exclusive umbrella, I could see an interesting approach. Sega has done an amazing job of diversifying what they're known for. If they timed everything to also come to PC day and date similar to Microsoft and PlayStation, they could hedge their bets on at least that ecosystem also flourishing, but then make their first-party releases console exclusives. Could you imagine Persona 6 as a Dreamcast 2 console exclusive? Sega would be moving consoles like nobody's business. Don't forget too that while Sega ended up exiting the console space in the early 2000s, they were often known for being wildly ambitious and ahead of the curve on many aspects of the gaming industry, I can only imagine what they'd be cooking up if that same philosophy lives in the company now.
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| Photo from asia.sega.com |
"Which developers or studios do you think will be the first to release games on the Nintendo Switch 2?"
- Anonymous Submission
Jeremy - This will be so much easier to guess once we know the machine's specs. I think third-party releases will be big on the Super Switch (still crossing my fingers that they have the courage and taste to call it the Super Switch) just like they were on the original device. Games like Skyrim, Doom, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and The Witcher 3 were quite popular on the device, and I think that third-parties are going to want to continue that trend. Depending on the Super Switch's power and capability, I could see some ports of games like Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Starfield, Cyberpunk 2077, etc. Other than that, I think Square Enix has been one of Nintendo's biggest supporters in the Switch era, so I think they'll be working hard to get their upcoming games ready for the new console's release.
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| Photo from Nintendo.com |
"What was the reason behind Nintendo discontinuing their original DS system (the one with two screens)? Was there something wrong with it that made them stop making it?"
- Anonymous Submission
Jeremy - I'll offer a few answers to make sure I'm getting to the core of exactly what I think you're asking. The original Nintendo DS was replaced by the 3DS. The DS actually lasted for quite some time: 2004-2011, with several iterative versions releasing within that window. The 3DS could play DS games, as well as new, more complex games, so it was a natural path for replacing the original DS. The 3DS itself, also had a comically large number of iterations across its life cycle. Ultimately, the 3DS and its home console cousin, the Wii U, were jointly replaced by the Nintendo Switch, which is a hybrid handheld/home console device. I think ultimately the DS/3DS was killed off so that Nintendo could focus their releases onto one device and hypothetically, that device could fill the need of both being your console and your handheld. I personally think that Nintendo is missing something by not having a dedicated handheld with bespoke games, as it kept them having to creatively innovate smaller, handheld-friendly games, and now with only the Switch, it seems like they aren't quite as concerned with making those types of games.
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| Photo from Nintendo.com |
"What is your favorite Final Fantasy game from PlayStation?"
- Anonymous Submission
Jeremy - I'm thinking you're asking about the formerly exclusive PlayStation Final Fantasy titles, which consists of: Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, X and XII. For me, it's gotta be Final Fantasy IX. I was obsessed with this game as a kid. The setting and the party are so unique, and it was fun seeing the franchise return back to a primarily fantasy setting, following the slow change to steampunk-esque settings over the last few entries in the series. I remember seeing Vivi on the cover of the game and just having to know what his story was. I'm eagerly anticipating the news on the alleged remake of XI that is supposedly in the works over at Square Enix.
Ben - Following the pattern of only discussing the exclusive games, my vote goes to Final Fantasy VII. I know it is a popular opinion, but surprisingly I’m not a part of that initial fan base. I always heard great things about it, but I was the person who couldn’t care any less. The series wasn’t something I was interested in at the time, and VII was not a priority for me. It wasn’t until after I had played I, II, IV, VI, and XIII that I decided to finally give to give it a chance, and I instantly regretted ignoring it. I personally love the game to its core. The characters, story, gameplay, world, and just about everything else drew me in. I still consider it one of my favorites, and I really enjoy the remakes as well.
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| Photo from Finalfantasy-ix.square-enix-games.com |
"What are your thoughts on Microsoft's new Xbox Adaptive Joystick"
- Anonymous Submission
Jeremy - I can't say that I would buy one myself, but I'm really pleased to see how supportive and innovative Microsoft and Sony have both been in trying to provide physically disabled gamers with options to be able to experience and enjoy the incredible games that have been coming out in the recent years. They deserve a kudos for that.
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| Photo from Xbox.com |
"Did the original Mega Man ever fight zero, and what was the outcome?"
- Anonymous Submission
Jeremy - I'm not incredibly well-versed in my MegaMan lore, but from what I gather, there are lots of fan theories that suggest Zero killed the original Mega Man. Canonically, I don't believe that has ever been explicitly stated anywhere. You could infer whatever you like based on the lore, but until it's clearly stated, it wouldn't be anything more than a theory. A game theory.
Ben - As Jeremy has stated, it has never been confirmed. Capcom has intentionally left the gap between Classic and X open, which allows them to build more games set within both points of the timeline. If they were to fight however, we already have a pretty good idea of how it would go. The fact that X is a much more advance robot than MegaMan ever was, yet even with armor upgrades and weapon abilities he has struggled in his fights against Zero, it is unlikely that MegaMan could do it. Of course plot armor could allow him to win if Zero were to show up in MegaMan 12 or something, but it may also never happen. There’s also the fact Zero has his awakened form, so the odds aren’t really in MegaMan’s favor. (Although skilled players in X Dive could win using Classic MegaMan, but that is a different story.)
Thank you everyone for your questions and submissions! We look forward to answering more of these. The plan right now is to do a Mailbag post once a month, with ten questions featured in each post. So, if you don't see your question or submission answered here, stay tuned for the next one!
- Note to Buniel from Twitter, neither myself nor Netto have played World's End Club, but we plan to eventually review it or do some sort of feature around it in the future. We didn't want to ignore your question, but it will be some time before we have any sort of article regarding the game. Thank you for your question!
- Note regarding the submission from Quora asking where Fallout 5 should take place; Netto liked your question so much that he wrote an article about it!
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