Watch Out for Fireballs!

This week we talk about the many reasons to replay a game, including some psychological ones, and why you should give yourself permission to take a warm bath in the familiar. We also read your responses to May's games: The Beginner's Guide, Teardown, and Max Payne 3.

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Poor Max. Poor sad, hyper competent timelord Max.

Our man is in Brazil this time, playing the patsy and killing more people than most video game protagonists do in a lifetime. When Rockstar took over the franchise, fans feared that they would ruin this classic series. They were half right, turns out, as bolting a cover system onto the breach and clear pace of Max Payne has damaged the pacing. So did adding a truly criminal number of cutscenes. There are moments of thrilling action and fun, and a genuinely interesting tale to be found here, but as fans of the first game, we're disappointed. Listen in to hear why!

This is the preview version of this episode. If you'd like to hear the whole thing, join us at www.patreon.com/duckfeedtv

Support Watch Out for Fireballs!

Poor Max. Poor sad, hyper competent timelord Max.

Our man is in Brazil this time, playing the patsy and killing more people than most video game protagonists do in a lifetime. When Rockstar took over the franchise, fans feared that they would ruin this classic series. They were half right, turns out, as bolting a cover system onto the breach and clear pace of Max Payne has damaged the pacing. So did adding a truly criminal number of cutscenes. There are moments of thrilling action and fun, and a genuinely interesting tale to be found here, but as fans of the first game, we're disappointed. Listen in to hear why! 

Poor Max. Poor sad, hyper competent timelord Max.

Our man is in Brazil this time, playing the patsy and killing more people than most video game protagonists do in a lifetime. When Rockstar took over the franchise, fans feared that they would ruin this classic series. They were half right, turns out, as bolting a cover system onto the breach and clear pace of Max Payne has damaged the pacing. So did adding a truly criminal number of cutscenes. There are moments of thrilling action and fun, and a genuinely interesting tale to be found here, but as fans of the first game, we're disappointed. Listen in to hear why!

Support Watch Out for Fireballs!

Teardown is an extremely good game. Don't expect a meaningful story or even a huge amount of variety, but DO expect a lot of freedom and a lot of destruction. You're a criminal who takes on jobs to steal, destroy, and commit fraud across several sandbox-style maps made of physics-modeled voxels. The majority of missions are tense heists where you spend the first part meticulously planning your routes, and the second part just barely managing to escape in time. Like the best games, it's about the simultaneous importance and folly of planning, and you've gotta do yourself a favor and play it.

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We've got a topic and Q&A overflow, and the only way to contain all of these questions is to round 'em up. This is the first of our regular WOFF! Dispatch Roundup episodes, which we will be doing once per quarter to make sure we get to all of your questions.

• The future for From after Elden Ring.

• Favorite X-COM clones.

• Thoughts on loading times and loading screens.

• What's our deal with fighting games?

• Games that feel like fanfiction.

• How to take notes on games.

• Heterodox game opinions.

• Best uses of diegetic music and sound in games.

• What makes an RPG an RPG?

• How WOFF could cover MMOs.

To make up for the dead week after getting rid of the early release feed, we're hitting you with all kinds of never-before-heard WOFF Dispatch Roundup episodes! Please enjoy this bumper crop of rediscovered Q&A episodes.

• Real life knowledge we've used in games.

• How important is backward compatibility?

• What studio do you hope gets ahold of an established series?

• Our game of 2020, and our favorite mythological creatures.

• Can you go back from a great mod?

• The importance of good characters to games.

• Our changing relationships with mastery in games.

• Spiritual successors.

• The different kinds of mods there are.

• How can a game feel "next-gen" today?

• Using walkthroughs to alleviate anxiety and stress while playing games.

• How to meet a game on its own terms.

In 2022, you can play a video game about almost anything. So why is it most games are about how friends are good and honor is nice? Can robots feel? Been there, done that.

The Beginner's Guide is a follow up to the wildly successful (and hilarious) The Stanley Parable dares to ask deeper and more personal questions about art and criticism. It's thematically rich and textually complex. Viva!

Support Watch Out for Fireballs!

To make up for the dead week after getting rid of the early release feed, we're hitting you with all kinds of never-before-heard WOFF Dispatch Roundup episodes! Please enjoy this bumper crop of rediscovered Q&A episodes.

• Games that would make a good TV series.

• Gaming with distraction.

• Games we regret, and favorite mods.

• Do we admire games with technical accomplishments but rotten gameplay?

• Humor in games.

• Mental health in and around video games.

• Gaming expectations.

• Trophies and achievements.

• What makes a game an 0451?

• Easter eggs and cheat codes.

• You got games in my games.

• The importance of music in games.

• Unlocking mechanics in games.

• Character progression.

• The sports to RPGs pipeline.

• Morality systems in games.

• Can nudity or titillation work in games?

To make up for the dead week after getting rid of the early release feed, we're hitting you with all kinds of never-before-heard WOFF Dispatch Roundup episodes! Please enjoy this bumper crop of rediscovered Q&A episodes.

Note: An original version of this episode went out that used the wrong name for Sophie Pillbeam, an error born of the disparity in time between when we recorded and when the episode was released. We've fixed the error out of respect, and apologize for our oversight.

• Games in the altered state of mind.

• What game genres have you fallen out of love with?

• The durability of the "games aren't art" sentiment.

• Interesting games that are interesting failures.

• Games we like that we know aren't good.

• Games and the daily routine.

• Hidden content, easter eggs, alternate endings and paths.

• Talking about games in context.