We’ve been nominated by McKenna from McKenna Talks About Games! We’ll be answering her questions first. The Gaming Diaries recently did a Sunshine Blogger post with an open nomination for anyone, so I figured I would answer those questions as well, because reasons. I’m not going to tag anyone in this one, but I will leave some questions at the bottom for anyone who wants to answer in the comments, or on their own blog!

Questions from McKenna Talks About Games

What’s your favourite video game soundtrack?

This is such a hard question. I have so many favourites for different reasons. I talked about a group of my favourite soundtracks on Day 17 of the Geek Out Challenge and my top three picks from those games are probably Journey, God of War, and Diddy Kong Racing. Which is a weird grouping, but they all have amazing music. Journey for its evocative, wonderful composition that fits the narrative and gameplay perfectly. God of War for its power (and accuracy, with Old Norse lyrics), and Diddy Kong Racing for its fun. Here are my favourite tracks from each one (check them out if you haven’t!):

God of War (God of War Soundtrack, 2018), The Road of Trials (Journey Soundtrack, 2012), Title Theme, and Frosty Village (Diddy Kong Racing Soundtrack, 1997)

What’s your favourite video game (or narrative fiction) trope?

What a cool question! There are actually a lot of tropes that (dare I admit?) I enjoy – maybe just because they’re so omnipresent that I find them comfortable/relaxing in a sense – I know exactly what to expect. I don’t know that’s it’s necessarily my favourite, but I like the “Chosen One” trope, moreso in video games than movies/books. I like the concept of being the only one who can save the world! I like thinking that this is the reason my character is unique or powerful. There’s something compelling about being Johnny Average, or a “reluctant” hero as well, but sometimes, being the Chosen One is just more fun.

Not sure if it’s considered a trope per-say, but I also love the “all henchmen are exactly the same” trope used in video games, simply because it’s funny when the developers point out the silliness themselves. For instance, in a Pokemon game, every Team (insert Team name here) member is going to be named Grunt. Or, in Marvel’s Spider-Man from 2018, when Peter makes comments during a fight about how all the henchmen are dressed the same. We all know they’re just EXP fodder, but I like to think they’re still trying their best.

What’s your favourite place that you’ve lived? (And what should I do if I ever visit that place?)

So I live in a city just outside Toronto in Ontario, Canada, and it’s the only place I’ve ever lived, but I can’t say that I enjoy it that much… There’s definitely a ton of interesting things to do here, but I’m not a huge fan of the city life; the convenience of being central has its downfalls. Because I’m a giant nerd, I would recommend visiting the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) if you’re visiting, because it’s a great place to learn something new! They have specialty exhibits on all the time, and I love going. Of course, there’s the CN Tower, and Ripley’s Aquarium as well. If you’re willing to drive a bit, and like amusement parks, would highly recommend Canada’s Wonderland as well – they have amazing (and scary) rollercoasters. Their Halloween Haunt event in October is always a good time! Other than commercial/touristy things, there are some nice beaches, and hiking/camping spots (like the Bruce Trail) if you’re the outdoorsy type.

What’s the weirdest food you’ve tried, but enjoyed? (or that you weren’t expecting to like, but did?)

I genuinely can’t think of a single answer for this – I’m not a very adventurous eater, so I can’t think of anything I’ve eaten that would be considered “weird”. Unless you consider tofu weird. I’ve been trying to explore more vegetarian eating options, but I’ve pretty much liked everything I’ve tried.

What’s your favourite plant?

Japanese Peace Lilly. For reasons.

 

Questions by The Gaming Diaries

What’s your favourite animated film?

I have way too many. I talked about a bunch on Day 10 and Day 26 of the Geek Out Challenge I did a while ago, but maybe for now I’ll say Spirited Away. All of the Studio Ghibli films were released recently on Netflix, and my sister and I have been going through them all. Looking forward to watching Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke again!

What is your dream job?

I’m still in my “naive” phase where I’m dreaming about doing a job that doesn’t involve selling my soul to some heartless company. I’d love to be a writer in any kind of capacity, but ideally, a novelist. I want to bring some positivity into the world, and I feel like that’s the best avenue for me. I like the idea of creating stories that don’t have an objective and/or monetary value – just the value that people place on them.

If you could have one ability from a game, what would it be?

There are so many cool abilities and powers… how do you choose? The “time rewind” abilities from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, or Life is Strange would be pretty cool, but I think I’m going to have to go with the stereotypical answer of flying. For me, it’s always the coolest, regardless of platform or media. Flying around in Neverland in the original Kingdom Hearts was my favourite section of the entire game. I used to return to that particular world just to fly around for a bit.

What is one game you didn’t expect to like, but ended up loving?

For me, both 2018’s Spider-Man and God of War. I hadn’t originally planned on playing either, but due to a series of fortunate events, I played both. I now consider them to be two of my favourite games of all time. They both have fun combat, a compelling story, and fantastic characters.

Single player or multiplayer?

Single player, always. I enjoy multiplayer in certain games, but the vast majority of the time I’m focusing on single player games and experiences.

Who is a character that you would love to learn more about?

There’s at least 30 characters from the Souls games that I would love to mention here. Because of the way the lore is constructed, a lot of characters are mentioned in passing, or given a little bit of background, but you don’t get to know much beyond that. I’ve walked away from all of these games wishing I could know more about, well, almost every character: Solaire, Gwyndolin, Nito, Seath, Aldritch, the Candle Maiden. Sometimes leaving stuff to the imagination is great, but I’m also the kind of person who likes to know Things, so some of the open-endedness always bothered me.

Who is your favourite villain?

Again, so many. But since I recently replayed BioShock for the I-don’t-know-whath-time I’ll name my boy, the artist from Fort Frolic. It has to be Sander Cohen! No matter how many games I play, and compelling villains I cross paths with, Sander Cohen always sticks in my mind as one of the greats.

What is your favourite quote from a game?

One of my favourite quotes comes from Bloodborne – it’s attributed to Martyr Logarius, and you can find it on the Executioner Set in Cainhurst Castle. It reads: “Acts of goodness are not always wise, and acts of evil are not always foolish, but regardless, we shall always strive to be good.”

If you could recommend one soundtrack to someone, what would it be?

Based on my first answer for McKenna’s question earlier, I would probably suggest the Journey soundtrack.

What is one hobby/thing you would love to try?

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about martial arts (I don’t really know why, I just think it’s neat) lately, so that’s something I would be interested in trying, even though I feel like I’m too old now… RIP. I’d love to learn Jeet Kune Do, or Kung Fu.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs all the way!

My Questions:

Here are my questions (sorry they’re not very creative) for anyone who wants to answer in a post, or just in the comments:

1. If you were an Animal Crossing villager, what personality type do you think you would be? (for reference: Cranky, Jock, Peppy, Normal, Sisterly, Smug, Lazy, and Snooty)
2. What’s your opinion on the “separating the art from the artist” situation? Do you think you can separate art from its creator? Feel free to discuss using any medium (books/music/games/movies)
3. What game(s) are you looking forward to for the rest of the year? (you can substitute book/show/movie)
4. If you were a Pokemon Gym Leader, what Type would you focus on? What would your team (based on that Type) be?
5. Have you ever played a game where you wished you could play as one of the side characters instead of the hero? If so, which game(s)?