Favorite video game music?
Probably Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy 6, or Streets of Rage.
Ask @AxiomVerge:
Have you set a personal goal on how many units you expect to sell, or is it too early to worry about that?
I'd like to be able to make enough to support myself while I work on the next game ... beyond that, I'm not too picky.
Do all these comparisons of AV with classic titles bother you, or do you find it just natural and expected?
It's expected.
Obviously tons of comparisons to Metroid have been made, but what games have you drawn most inspiration from for Axiom Verge and/or your game development overall?
So, Metroid aside: Contra, Blaster Master, Bionic Commando, Super Mario Brothers, Ninja Gaiden, Metal Slug, Star Control, Gaiares, Legend of Zelda, Phantasy Star II, Metal Gear Solid ... probably a lot of others, too.
Favorite current-gen console game you've played this year?
Sadly I have hardly any time to actually play games. The only current-gen console game I did play was Hohokum, so, I guess that has to be my favorite!
What are your thought on Metacritic? Do you think you'll care about the scores, besides the reviews themselves, when you launch AV?
I don't think the numbers themselves are that useful to me. Larger publishers will look at them to determine which projects to cancel or invest more in, but, generally, I only care about what score I give myself. Of course I'll want to read the reviews and do everything I can to make the game better, regardless of how it's scored.
Did you go to Sony to help fund the development of Axiom Verge, or was it the other way around?
I had to hound them just a little bit :-)
Is Chasm more awesomer than Axiom Verge?
Well, Axiom Verge uses Blast Processing, so...
Hey, you probably get this question quite often, but... do you have any tips for developers willing to try their hands at creating a metroidvania-style game? Things like good engines to work with (or maybe just sticking to MonoGame), map design tips, stuff like that. Thanks! :D
I usually suggest to try GameMaker. Monogame is more of a do-it-yourself solution rather than an actual toolkit; you end up having to make a lot of your own tools (which you might prefer). GameMaker would be more limiting in that regard but it's otherwise more targeted for 2D and supported on many platforms nowadays.
Still on Metroid: the reports on Other M are most definitely true. About that incongruence, what do you mean? That Fusion and ZM are more "linear" and guided than what the fans want?
To some extent. But also they took some George Lucas-esque liberties with Samus' character, retconning her into something a bit less bad-ass than what players expected.
Why did you screw up the ending in Mass Effect 3? And are you making Axiom Verge as an apology for screwing up the ending in ME3?
As the mastermind behind Mass Effect, it was my plan since the start of ME1 to lead players on a false path of hope that, years later, would lead to an anticlimax of seismic proportions. Axiom Verge is basically a sequel. [SPOILERS] At the end, it turns out you, the player, were never real to begin with, and in fact this is all just pretend.
Metroid is surely a great inspiration to Axiom Verge. Have you played all Metroid games? Including Other M? What're your thoughts on the series?
I played all Metroid games EXCEPT Other M (the reports of childhood-destroying properties were enough to scare me off). I love Metroid but I think there is a bit of incongruence between what the creators think it should be and what the fans feel it should be. In a way I thought that the Metroid Prime series captured the feel better than, say, Fusion, Zero Mission, or Other M.
Are you a fan of leather trousers?
I'm vegetarian ... since I sold my last car I don't even own anything leather.
Can you turn on the chuckalippa please? Like in that RHCP song?
I have a whole box of chuckalippas right here!
Do you enjoy making the game or the results of the game more (I.E. is the actual work fun for you or is it just a step in bringing your ideas to fruition?
Probably the making of it is more fun...it is a feedback loop, though. You need the full loop for it to work.
What's your all time favorite console?
It's probably the Sega Genesis. Super NES and NES follow closely behind.
Not a question really, just wanted to say that i love the shirt i bought! i shall wear it proudly at EGX later this month. hm, thats a question actually, do you know if AV will be playable there?
As far as I know, it won't be there, but, since Sony will be there, it's possible? I am pretty much at their mercy as to whether I'm shown or not :)
I don't know if you're allowed to talk about it, but is Axiom Verge going to be completely exclusive to Sony Platforms, or are there chances for a PC version some time later?
The PC version will probably come out in mid-2015 or so.
Do you already have Ask.fm app for iPhone?
No iphone here.
Which foreign country do you dislike the most?
I think it's a bit close-minded as to consign an entire country to "dislike".
How do you relax at the end of the day?
By working some more. Relaxing is so 2008.