Podcast Questions (Lifestream.net Guest)

Hey guys, I've been living in Tokyo for the past 6 six years - Hokkaido for 2 years before that. (You might get a chuckle out of some of my recent activities, so... <a href="https://youtu.be/2kccAHHyVt0?t=13m15s)" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/2kccAHHyVt0?t=13m15s)</a> But I'm probably moving back to the US (hopefully just temporarily) in early December.

Dude, Xelz, where do you live at the moment??

Resonant Arc

Podcast question: Do you consider gambling a type of gaming? Below I just try to give some of my reasons for asking this question. (No need to read the following on the podcast. I just wanted to offer a bit of my thought process for asking about this topic. And of course there’s no need to answer the question at all if you don’t want to.) &gt;&gt;I think poker is a great game because player skill has considerable influence on the outcome. It’s like entrepreneurship in that regard. Going further down the chance scale... there are things like passive stock investments, speculative investing, and eventually RNG-based lottery, slots and stuff. &gt;&gt;Additionally, Japan is likely going to introduce “Western-style” casinos in the next couple of years, possibly in Landon’s old stomping grounds of Wakayama. Recently, gambling on horse races, boat races, and bike races has been encouraged a lot more than pachinko (my personal impression based on number of ads, etc.) which I think somewhat demonstrates a renewed focus on US relations, in addition to tourism- based economy stuff. (← Not sure if Landon or Casen has looked into the pachinko-North Korea connection much, but it seems that a majority of pachinko parlors were run by Koreans displaced by war, many of whom sent pachinko business earnings back to North Korea, through Singapore and China. People are sometimes arrested for doing that, but police don’t crack down on pachinko parlors themselves despite exploiting the same type of loophole.) &gt;&gt;Online currency and microtransactions/lootboxes might be considered in the same boat - using a third party to skirt normal laws regarding financial transactions or gambling. (I think bitcoin fought pretty hard to avoid being considered a true currency for similar reasons.) Not too sure about all that but… Anyway, just curious to hear your thoughts! Great work on the podcasts and everything as always! Casino <a href="http://www.ggrasia.com/wakayama-keen-on-hosting-a-casino- resort-governor/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.ggrasia.com/wakayama-keen-on-hosting- a-casino-resort-governor/</a> <a href="https://news.worldcasinodirectory.com/no-timetable-yet-for- japanese-casino-legislation-50979" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://news.worldcasinodirectory.com/no-timetable-yet- for-japanese-casino-legislation-50979</a> パチンコ <a href="http://jyavit.minibird.jp/maruyama" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://jyavit.minibird.jp/maruyama</a>#i-2 <a href="https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail /q13121551403?__ysp=44OR44OB44Oz44KzIOWMl%2BacnemuriDplqLkv4I g6Ki85oug" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail /q13121551403?__ysp=44OR44OB44Oz44KzIOWMl%2BacnemuriDplqLkv4I g6Ki85oug</a>

Got a question for next weeks podcast I would like to hear your thoughts on. How do you feel about games breaking the fourth wall? I just completed a game (can't tell you which without spoiling it) where the big reveal at the end was, that the whole thing was a game. So basically nothing in the world mattered, because it was just a game. But I'm also thinking about smaller examples; like when an NPC is telling you to "press x to jump". I've always hated that stuff. Even when I was little and playing a game like Sly and the characters would tell me how to control Sly... It always annoyed me. Would love to hear your thoughts. Keep up the good work ;)

What makes up a good rpg and not only that but a memorable one if you have less to work with such as a basic rpg without action or 3d space. I remember from last podcast you guys had a hard time thinking of bosses from those kind of rpgs that were memorable.

What is the difference between things that pull you out of a game world vs. gaming conventions you just accept? For me it feels random. For example, I hate quick travel in Skyrim, and scorecards at the end of levels or combat in games that should feel urgent. But it doesn't bother me that rabbits drop money in FF6, or that landscapes always end in cliffs falling off into oblivion. What do you think?

This is a little late but I shall post it here for the next podcast! Thanks to the power of hindsight, games that were criticized at launch have later been looked back on as great games. Windwaker springs to mind most notably and for some people even Final Fantasy XIII. Do you think once all the content has been released for Final Fantasy XV and it is a complete (or as complete as they can make it) experience, people will forget about it's rocky launch and hold it in high regard?

From someone who hasn't played Final Fantasy VII yet, what would you guys recommend: should I play the old version or wait for the remake? And what are your hopes for the remake? From someone who is a big fan of Shadow of the Colossus I really hope that they change the control scheme in the upcoming remake. Do you want them to change a lot in VII or keep it as close as possible to the original?