Chaos Raiden
Avid Gamer & Reviewer
Thanks to Steve for doing this. 
1) What is your current occupation?
Full-time webmaster, I suppose. The pay is peanuts, the hours are never-ending, and the satisfaction is scarce, but the people I virtually meet are amazing. The dressing gown dress code makes everything all the more worthwhile.
2) What kind of games do you like to play? (e.g: Action, RPG, etc)
I'm quite fond of survival horror games, with Silent Hill and Resident Evil (the oldie ones) being amongst my absolute favourites. Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the new Slender: The Arrival are a couple of corkers, too. I still love to whip out those cutesy old school platformers like the old Sonic games on Mega-Drive whenever possible, as my 3-year-old son really responds to them, and my step-daughter will occasionally give them a bash as well.
3) What do you think about next generation gaming?
Doesn't interest me in the slightest. [Disengages elitest PC gamer mode]
4) Have you ever considered in doing a video game related business, such as selling games?
Nope. Not smarty pants enough; wouldn't even know how to get started. It's a nice thought, though, as I hear you get lots of cool promotional bits and pieces, like gaming-related posters and cardboard cut-outs and junk, when you're in the retail racket.
5) Internet is full of childish people, but at the same time full of dangerous contents for certain demographic. What do you think about the Internet generally?
The Internet is both the best and worst idea ever. Thankfully, reception isn't all that great underneath my bridge, so the kids and I aren't given much oppertunity to troll nowadays, so count yourselves safe for now.
6) How much expenses do you need to maintain this forum, as well as other forums?
Not an obscene amount, but the sites cost a helluva lot more to run than they generate. Passion (read: stubbornness) and generous donations are pretty much the biggest driving forces behind the continued operation of the sites.
7) How much donation do you usually need to sustain the forums that you are managing?
If every single unique active member (of which I roughly estimate there to be around 100-200 per month) donated just $1 every month, then I'd be able to accomplish so much more: I'd be able to earn a wage for a start, and help justify the absurd amount of time I spend sitting in front of a screen. I'd also be able to pay my host on time (instead of being 2-weeks-late every month) and keep up to date with premium software services and updates.
8) Is it possible for you to merge all the forums that you are managing now into one general forum for video game news and etc?
I sort of had a stab at something like this a few years ago when I attempted to start up a dedicated PC gaming and hardware website. I dedicated two years to developing it, but, tragically, it ended up a failure. I was extremely dissapointed to throw in the towel back in June '12, but likely not nearly as disappointed as the small community that had formed around it and supported it as best they could.
9) Have you promoted this forum and Website elsewhere?
Yeah, years ago. Back in the early-to-mid noughties, when affiliations were popular, I would reach out all the time to other fansites to exhange banners and links and the like. Nobody really seems to do that anymore. Most people find us nowadays through search engines, word of mouth, and some through social networking - something which I'm still trying to get the hang of.
10) How do you protect the forums from external threats like hacking?
I try and ensure that the forum software remains up to date (when I'm able to afford the subscription renewal fees), use obscure webmaster login details, and that I generally try not to mistakenly give out those aforementioned webmaster login details to strangers when asked.
General Game Questions
1) Why does playing games is considered minority and a waste of time for some people?
I imagine it's likely because those whom aren't radically into gaming can think of wholly more productive things to do with their time. My dad, whom was a workaholic, would humour me by watching me play the odd game here and there as a kid, but probably wasn't even remotely interested in the games themselves.
2) Why do movie adapted games (or other media adaptation such as books) are generally badly received by players?
I think it's partly because fans become so attached to the source material, that anything that does not fit into their own perfect vision is considered abhorrent and unacceptable. That's not to say that a lot of the films wouldn't have been cack anyway, irrespective of being an adaptation or not.
3) Have you ever thought of creating a social network like Facebook for this forum?
We sort of have one in place now. The forum software we use has a number of social network-like features to it, but I believe they're far too underdeveloped to be worth most people's time.
4) What genre of games do you think that have good money value?
First-person shooters, perhaps? Seems like there's one released every five minutes nowadays.
5) Last year, certain developers are under fire from fans for some controversial designs in the final game product, such as Bioware's Mass Effect 3. Is it actually necessary for the developer to follow their fans wishes instead of following their own creativity?
It doesn't hurt to listen to the fans, but, let's be honest: not all fans have a clue as to what's practical with regards to making a game. I certainly don't. I know that what I feel would be an amazing feature or design direction would likely seem like a terrible idea to many, and I imagine that this would be true in the case of a lot of people with wild ideas. Gaming studios have panels of professionals debating on the details, working-- attempting to appease as many fans as possible. It's not like they set out to deliberately alienate fans, right?
6) Pirated games is a major problem nowadays, and the reason of people buying pirated games is because limited finance. What do you think about this?
There's no excuse. I used to pirate games in my teens and I'm genuinely ashamed of it. It was when I was in secondary school that DVD burners were becoming widely available, so that didn't help. And then peer-to-peer programs started gaining popularity - sheesh. Thankfully, of the however many games I wrongfully acquired, I have since purchased legitimately. Seriously, I own about 500 games now; many of which being ones that I will never willingly play, just ones I felt obliged to buy in order to help put things right.
I haven't owned or in any way held a pirated game in my possession in nearly eight years. Go me.
7) Do you think publisher like EA should have creative control towards a developer's game production?
Sure, why not. If a developer signs a contract with a publisher which allows for creative control over a project, the developer must have been willing to allow it. If the developer is already a studio owned by the publisher, then I don't see how there's even an issue there at all, as you could say that the publisher is, in effect, making the game. This made more sense in my head.
8) What actually differentiates Japanese games and Western games to you?
I've never been able to discern a noticeable difference, to be honest. I might be able to pick up the odd cultural inspiration behind a gameplay feature or mechanic here and there, but only if it's staring me in the face, figuratively speaking.
9) Some games have good voice acting by professional voice actors, but others do not. What are the reasons for this?
Budget? Perhaps the developers behind games with non-professional voice actors employed those voice actors because they were the only ones whom were the ones to capture the essence of the character that they had envisioned? Silent Hill 2's Guy Cihi springs to mind.
10) Does a game collaboration between a Japanese and Western company works well in current market?
As long as they have access to telephones and email, why not?
11) What kind of games do you consider as niche?
Simulators, perhaps? Don't see many of those nowadays. The new SimCity makes from a nice break from the norm. Shame about the DRM, though... I used to really like the 'Theme' series of games, like Theme Park and Theme Hospital.
12) There is a case of Square Enix of having lower sales expectations of their games like Tomb Raider recently, and is undergoing restructuring. Is it possible that the developers often overestimated their sales beforehand?
Not a clue, but I would imagine that most studios would overestimate sales, rather than underestimate them, otherwise we'd hardly ever see any games released. I mean, if all companies presumed that a project would be a flop and underperform, then they wouldn't bother working on and funding it.
DmC: Devil May Cry related questions
1) Have you completed DmC: Devil May Cry? What do you think about the overall game?
Spoilers ahoy!
Yup, completed it about three or four times now. Invested about 40 hours into the main DmC campaign, another dozen or so hours into Vergil's Downfall, and spent a short while in the Bloody Palace, mostly for modding purposes. It's pretty good-- very enjoyable. I've really pleased with how it's turned out.
2) What is your impression on the game's story?
It's... different - good different. There are points where I believe the story fails and just doesn't make sense in context with what's going on, but I can still appreciate it overall.
3) What do you think about the characters in DmC?
Kat was brilliant and was essentially my main reason for following the story. Voice actress Sage Mears did an exceptional job with her character, as did the entire Ninja Theory crew. The kidnapping scene was brilliant and suitably poignant. Bob Barbas was made for a great love-to-hate sub-antagonist, and Phineas was really interesting; it's just a shame that we didn't get to spend an awful lot of time with him. Vergil was good, if a little inconsistent.
Dante, Mundus and Lilith: none of them managed to bowl me over.
4) Does the gameplay feel right to you at all times, or do you have some problems while playing it such as problematic controls?
The combat mechanics were great, aside from the strange inclusion of three dodge buttons/button combinations when one would have sufficed. The lack of lock-on functionality also means that certain maneuvers require additional button presses, moreso than their original DMC3/DMC4 counterparts, which I personally found a bit tricky to pull off consistently.
5) Do you think Ninja Theory is a good choice in developing DmC?
Yeah. I might not be super agreeable with the direction they're going with the franchise, but they've certainly shown themselves to be capable.
6) If you have the creative decision, which company you would like to develop DmC instead?
Not sure, really. I quite like Valve's work... but Ninja Theory have done a respectable job.
7) Do you see a good potential for a sequel for this game?
Yeah, Ninja Theory has laid down some solid groundwork with this new DmC, so one would hope that a sequel would be on the cards. As long as Kat makes a return, then I'll be content.
8) What kind of improvements do you expect in the possible DmC sequel?
Combat refinements, more varied and unique locations, challenging and more frequent and unique boss battles, and an SDK to aid with modding.
9) Do you expect any multiplayer mode in the sequel?
I hope there will be one, provided it doesn't hinder work on the main campaign. A co-op story mode feature would be great, but only as long as it's not just shoehorned in, with the second player just assuming the role of a palette-swapped Dante. If another Nephilim makes an appearance in the sequel, like Nero or something, then it'd be cool to see him team up with Dante. Failing that, perhaps Kat could in some way serve as a playable character, fending off minor enemies and helping open demon doors and remove obstacles for Dante (player one) and allowing him to progress.
10) What do you think about the sales of DmC: Devil May Cry on all three platforms?
To my understanding, Capcom and Ninja Theory were hoping for better, but I'm optimistic that they'll consider it a success and continue onwards and upwards with the franchise.
1) What is your current occupation?
Full-time webmaster, I suppose. The pay is peanuts, the hours are never-ending, and the satisfaction is scarce, but the people I virtually meet are amazing. The dressing gown dress code makes everything all the more worthwhile.
2) What kind of games do you like to play? (e.g: Action, RPG, etc)
I'm quite fond of survival horror games, with Silent Hill and Resident Evil (the oldie ones) being amongst my absolute favourites. Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the new Slender: The Arrival are a couple of corkers, too. I still love to whip out those cutesy old school platformers like the old Sonic games on Mega-Drive whenever possible, as my 3-year-old son really responds to them, and my step-daughter will occasionally give them a bash as well.
3) What do you think about next generation gaming?
Doesn't interest me in the slightest. [Disengages elitest PC gamer mode]
4) Have you ever considered in doing a video game related business, such as selling games?
Nope. Not smarty pants enough; wouldn't even know how to get started. It's a nice thought, though, as I hear you get lots of cool promotional bits and pieces, like gaming-related posters and cardboard cut-outs and junk, when you're in the retail racket.
5) Internet is full of childish people, but at the same time full of dangerous contents for certain demographic. What do you think about the Internet generally?
The Internet is both the best and worst idea ever. Thankfully, reception isn't all that great underneath my bridge, so the kids and I aren't given much oppertunity to troll nowadays, so count yourselves safe for now.
6) How much expenses do you need to maintain this forum, as well as other forums?
Not an obscene amount, but the sites cost a helluva lot more to run than they generate. Passion (read: stubbornness) and generous donations are pretty much the biggest driving forces behind the continued operation of the sites.
7) How much donation do you usually need to sustain the forums that you are managing?
If every single unique active member (of which I roughly estimate there to be around 100-200 per month) donated just $1 every month, then I'd be able to accomplish so much more: I'd be able to earn a wage for a start, and help justify the absurd amount of time I spend sitting in front of a screen. I'd also be able to pay my host on time (instead of being 2-weeks-late every month) and keep up to date with premium software services and updates.
8) Is it possible for you to merge all the forums that you are managing now into one general forum for video game news and etc?
I sort of had a stab at something like this a few years ago when I attempted to start up a dedicated PC gaming and hardware website. I dedicated two years to developing it, but, tragically, it ended up a failure. I was extremely dissapointed to throw in the towel back in June '12, but likely not nearly as disappointed as the small community that had formed around it and supported it as best they could.
9) Have you promoted this forum and Website elsewhere?
Yeah, years ago. Back in the early-to-mid noughties, when affiliations were popular, I would reach out all the time to other fansites to exhange banners and links and the like. Nobody really seems to do that anymore. Most people find us nowadays through search engines, word of mouth, and some through social networking - something which I'm still trying to get the hang of.
10) How do you protect the forums from external threats like hacking?
I try and ensure that the forum software remains up to date (when I'm able to afford the subscription renewal fees), use obscure webmaster login details, and that I generally try not to mistakenly give out those aforementioned webmaster login details to strangers when asked.
General Game Questions
1) Why does playing games is considered minority and a waste of time for some people?
I imagine it's likely because those whom aren't radically into gaming can think of wholly more productive things to do with their time. My dad, whom was a workaholic, would humour me by watching me play the odd game here and there as a kid, but probably wasn't even remotely interested in the games themselves.
2) Why do movie adapted games (or other media adaptation such as books) are generally badly received by players?
I think it's partly because fans become so attached to the source material, that anything that does not fit into their own perfect vision is considered abhorrent and unacceptable. That's not to say that a lot of the films wouldn't have been cack anyway, irrespective of being an adaptation or not.
3) Have you ever thought of creating a social network like Facebook for this forum?
We sort of have one in place now. The forum software we use has a number of social network-like features to it, but I believe they're far too underdeveloped to be worth most people's time.
4) What genre of games do you think that have good money value?
First-person shooters, perhaps? Seems like there's one released every five minutes nowadays.
5) Last year, certain developers are under fire from fans for some controversial designs in the final game product, such as Bioware's Mass Effect 3. Is it actually necessary for the developer to follow their fans wishes instead of following their own creativity?
It doesn't hurt to listen to the fans, but, let's be honest: not all fans have a clue as to what's practical with regards to making a game. I certainly don't. I know that what I feel would be an amazing feature or design direction would likely seem like a terrible idea to many, and I imagine that this would be true in the case of a lot of people with wild ideas. Gaming studios have panels of professionals debating on the details, working-- attempting to appease as many fans as possible. It's not like they set out to deliberately alienate fans, right?
6) Pirated games is a major problem nowadays, and the reason of people buying pirated games is because limited finance. What do you think about this?
There's no excuse. I used to pirate games in my teens and I'm genuinely ashamed of it. It was when I was in secondary school that DVD burners were becoming widely available, so that didn't help. And then peer-to-peer programs started gaining popularity - sheesh. Thankfully, of the however many games I wrongfully acquired, I have since purchased legitimately. Seriously, I own about 500 games now; many of which being ones that I will never willingly play, just ones I felt obliged to buy in order to help put things right.
I haven't owned or in any way held a pirated game in my possession in nearly eight years. Go me.
7) Do you think publisher like EA should have creative control towards a developer's game production?
Sure, why not. If a developer signs a contract with a publisher which allows for creative control over a project, the developer must have been willing to allow it. If the developer is already a studio owned by the publisher, then I don't see how there's even an issue there at all, as you could say that the publisher is, in effect, making the game. This made more sense in my head.
8) What actually differentiates Japanese games and Western games to you?
I've never been able to discern a noticeable difference, to be honest. I might be able to pick up the odd cultural inspiration behind a gameplay feature or mechanic here and there, but only if it's staring me in the face, figuratively speaking.
9) Some games have good voice acting by professional voice actors, but others do not. What are the reasons for this?
Budget? Perhaps the developers behind games with non-professional voice actors employed those voice actors because they were the only ones whom were the ones to capture the essence of the character that they had envisioned? Silent Hill 2's Guy Cihi springs to mind.
10) Does a game collaboration between a Japanese and Western company works well in current market?
As long as they have access to telephones and email, why not?
11) What kind of games do you consider as niche?
Simulators, perhaps? Don't see many of those nowadays. The new SimCity makes from a nice break from the norm. Shame about the DRM, though... I used to really like the 'Theme' series of games, like Theme Park and Theme Hospital.
12) There is a case of Square Enix of having lower sales expectations of their games like Tomb Raider recently, and is undergoing restructuring. Is it possible that the developers often overestimated their sales beforehand?
Not a clue, but I would imagine that most studios would overestimate sales, rather than underestimate them, otherwise we'd hardly ever see any games released. I mean, if all companies presumed that a project would be a flop and underperform, then they wouldn't bother working on and funding it.
DmC: Devil May Cry related questions
1) Have you completed DmC: Devil May Cry? What do you think about the overall game?
Spoilers ahoy!
Yup, completed it about three or four times now. Invested about 40 hours into the main DmC campaign, another dozen or so hours into Vergil's Downfall, and spent a short while in the Bloody Palace, mostly for modding purposes. It's pretty good-- very enjoyable. I've really pleased with how it's turned out.
2) What is your impression on the game's story?
It's... different - good different. There are points where I believe the story fails and just doesn't make sense in context with what's going on, but I can still appreciate it overall.
3) What do you think about the characters in DmC?
Kat was brilliant and was essentially my main reason for following the story. Voice actress Sage Mears did an exceptional job with her character, as did the entire Ninja Theory crew. The kidnapping scene was brilliant and suitably poignant. Bob Barbas was made for a great love-to-hate sub-antagonist, and Phineas was really interesting; it's just a shame that we didn't get to spend an awful lot of time with him. Vergil was good, if a little inconsistent.
Dante, Mundus and Lilith: none of them managed to bowl me over.
4) Does the gameplay feel right to you at all times, or do you have some problems while playing it such as problematic controls?
The combat mechanics were great, aside from the strange inclusion of three dodge buttons/button combinations when one would have sufficed. The lack of lock-on functionality also means that certain maneuvers require additional button presses, moreso than their original DMC3/DMC4 counterparts, which I personally found a bit tricky to pull off consistently.
5) Do you think Ninja Theory is a good choice in developing DmC?
Yeah. I might not be super agreeable with the direction they're going with the franchise, but they've certainly shown themselves to be capable.
6) If you have the creative decision, which company you would like to develop DmC instead?
Not sure, really. I quite like Valve's work... but Ninja Theory have done a respectable job.
7) Do you see a good potential for a sequel for this game?
Yeah, Ninja Theory has laid down some solid groundwork with this new DmC, so one would hope that a sequel would be on the cards. As long as Kat makes a return, then I'll be content.
8) What kind of improvements do you expect in the possible DmC sequel?
Combat refinements, more varied and unique locations, challenging and more frequent and unique boss battles, and an SDK to aid with modding.
9) Do you expect any multiplayer mode in the sequel?
I hope there will be one, provided it doesn't hinder work on the main campaign. A co-op story mode feature would be great, but only as long as it's not just shoehorned in, with the second player just assuming the role of a palette-swapped Dante. If another Nephilim makes an appearance in the sequel, like Nero or something, then it'd be cool to see him team up with Dante. Failing that, perhaps Kat could in some way serve as a playable character, fending off minor enemies and helping open demon doors and remove obstacles for Dante (player one) and allowing him to progress.
10) What do you think about the sales of DmC: Devil May Cry on all three platforms?
To my understanding, Capcom and Ninja Theory were hoping for better, but I'm optimistic that they'll consider it a success and continue onwards and upwards with the franchise.
Interview List
Angelo Credo Part 2
CosplayingGoddess
Shadow
