[WRITE-IN] Firelink Episode #81

What's your opinion on video game bars irl and do you think they actually have a shot at becoming a thriving business? We had one in Vancouver BC years ago but the city bylaws prevented them from actually having video game consoles for public use (their hyped feature prior to opening) because it fell under some archaic gambling laws and they just became a really expensive bar with vaguely video game related menu items that shut down not too long after they opened.

Kind of a meh game but the bars in Star Wars Outlaws were neat

Do you think big indie devs owe anything to less popular devs in terms of sharing platforms/ recommendations? If Silksong hyped a bunch of smaller games 3 years ago as "good other Metroidvanias while you wait" would help or hurt the indie scene or gaming in general? Is that just them taking your job?

Do you think Silksong will get a drip-feed of free DLC like Hollow Knight did?

Seeing Silksong become reality, what clown nose follow-up do you think is most likely to actually see a release some day?

There have been so many great indie and AA games this year, I feel kinda bad for the devs of these incredible games who only get a week or two in the spotlight before coverage shifts to the next one. If Silksong meets (or exceeds) expectations, will it overshadow all the other great titles this year?

Also alternative question, do you play metroidvanias with the analog stick or d-pad? I use the analog stick but find that it sometimes causes incorrect inputs when I’m trying to press down for a move but the d pad tires out my thumb pretty quickly these days.

Tangentially related to Silk Song, I liked Hollow Knight but really got annoyed by the fast travel being limited and necessitating considerable back tracking. I’ve had a similar issue with other Metroidvanias. Do you think a more functional fast travel system with less required backtracking would ruin Hollow Knight / metroidvanias in general or would it be an improvement, and would you prefer a more functional fast travel system in Silk Song.

I heard Super Giant had to move the release date of Hades 2 because of Silksong. This was their version of GTA.

Did you know "Barcade" is trademarked since 2007 and they are litigious about it. Silly shit

Tifa is probably the most notable bartender in videogames

The Pelican bar appears in Uncharted 3 and The Last of Us. The newspaper found there in U3 was a cool easter egg for TLOU.

Part of me wants to pace & take time with Silksong to enjoy it but rather not risk spoilers. Great video game Bar is the ‘Naughty Ottsel’ from Jak 2 & 3.

Red Dead Redemption 2 has my favorite drunken bar segment. Lenny!

Do y'all have any thoughts on how Silksong Day 1 on GamePass might impact the perceived success of Silksong? At the moment I have no intention on buying it, and then possibly buying it if I like it (Seems likely if its good).

Unrelated buuut: does Marty plans to play through any other Western RPGs after finishing New Vegas? Just wrapped up Awoved myself, pretty neat stuff.

With the positive feedback on Snake Eater Delta do you think we are more likely to see this team jump into remakes of Solid 1 & 2 or use this as a springboard to build a Metal Gear franchise game without Kojima as has been rumored? As for favorite game bear? The Gates of Hell from Bayonetta. Who doesn't want to throw back drinks inside a neon-ified HR Giger fever dream?

The movement in the release trailer really reminds me of the Ori series, specifically Will of the Wisps.

Silksong is the GTA 6 of indie titles. Everyone is moving out of the way because they either want to play this game or know that it's going to take Center Stage.

Love the Whirling In Rags from Disco Elysium in terms of great bars. Love having the option to lick up pools of spilled liquor next to passed out dockworkers. Reminds me of Delores' Bar in season 2 of The Wire.

What are your thoughts on the differing way that Indie studios are approaching the pre-launch phase recently? Thinking specifically about the contrast between Silksong, who kept edging the fans to the bluest of balls, and the very extended game preview that Hades 2 has employed? It feels like one lands harder and the other tries to thoroughly iron out the bugs.

The bars in Cyberpunk are cool. Gotta love the Yakuza (Like a Dragon) bars and bartenders.

Update from last week : found nailmaster mato, got the wall jump, defeated silk, and expanded my badge slots. I'm figuring it out fellas. Expanding the movement kit made all the difference

I can't really get as excited as you guys as I've tried to play Hollow Knight about 10 times already and have fallen off each time. However Guacamelee held me instantly until that 100% completion. Should I keep trying or just accept that this doesn't click?

I love watching people play Hollow Knight, but I’ve never played it myself, as the map looks like an absolute nightmare to me, and I’m sure that Nick would agree. How did you guys manage to find your way around?

My favorite video game bar is Va-11 Hall-A. Maybe just because I played during Covid, maybe because one of the patrons is a Shiba wearing sunglasses

100 rads bar in STALKER is always a favourite. Somewhat wistful music on the stereo, creepy atmosphere, fat barman selling, oddly, more guns than booze and the crowd ambience you only get in jank video games like this and skyrim: lots of unconvincing npcs repeating the same disjointed lines over and over again. Spent so many in-game hours there it feels like home.

I don’t think I have a specific question, but I should point out that the impending silksong release was the catalyst to me buying a steam deck so I could continue playing it whilst rocking a baby to sleep.

Shout outs to the IGN Union. No shout outs to Crystal Dynamics, etc.