cvg

If you want to see your question featured in a future edition of Ask CVG Anything, either add it as a comment at the bottom of this article or keep an eye on our Facebook page or this forum thread where we'll be regularly asking for more.

(Note: We've been getting masses of questions from you since we started Ask CVG Anything, so much so that we don't have time to answer them all this week. If you asked a good question in the past and it hasn't been answered yet, don't despair - we aren't ignoring you! We have a backlog of questions and it will get answered in a future edition, most likely next week's.)

Cheat codes used to be a staple part of my gaming childhood. However, in recent times, they have become few and far between. What are your favourite codes and do you think that gaming misses the novelty of them? - George Bass
Tamoor - Konami code is a given, but my favourite is probably from the Mega Drive version of Aladdin, hit 'A, B, B, A, A, B, B, A, A, A' to skip levels. That code is burned into my head.

Chris - Konami code aside, I still have numerous cheat codes lodged in my mind nearly 20 years after playing some games. Off the top of my head I'm thinking ABACABB, ABBAABBA, ABRACADABRA, ADE-NAI-WRA-LKA and Down, R, Up, L, Y, B. Gamers my age will recognise most of these without me having to even mention the games in question but for those completely confused they're the blood code in Mortal Kombat, the level skip in Aladdin, the level skip in Chuck Rock, level 6 in Splatterhouse II (the level where his missus gets dragged into a pit) and the same-character 2P code for Street Fighter II respectively.
While recent games have brought a few cheat codes (I'm sure some gamers know the code to spawn a tank in GTA off by heart), they definitely do seem to have died out this gen in favour of unlockable cheats or easter eggs. It's a shame.

Were you more disappointed by Assassins Creed 3 or Dead Space 3? - Josh Fairhurst
Chris - I didn't mind either really, but I suppose Dead Space 3 impressed me the least. I suppose I'm just too cynical these days and having loads of big explosions and cut-scenes chucked in my face every two seconds for the first two hours annoyed me and started me off on the wrong foot with it.
Tamoor - Assassin's Creed 3, for sure. I didn't like Conner as a character at all and it felt so restrictive. I hated the eavesdropping mechanic and was annoyed that it wouldn't let me kill my target the way I wanted. I really only played it because I'm hooked into the lore, I needed to see what happens next.

Do you think more games should be ported to the Vita (X-COM would be a good fit) to make it a bit more desirable? - Ashley Winterbottom
Rob - I'd go as far as saying it is essential that Sony convinces developers to think of developing Vita editions of their games, but due to both financial and technical reasons, very few third-party companies are convinced. It's a huge shame that most companies can't afford the risk, but I do understand from their perspective. Don't worry too much right now - Sony likely has a bigger plan in mind with regards to reversing Vita's fortunes.
Chris - Usually when a system gets a port people moan because it isn't a new game (look at the hassle the 3DS and Wii U got in their first few months). At this point though, with the Vita's library in the state it's in, I'd be bloody delighted if anything came out for it, port or not. Give us an HD Patapon Trilogy or an HD version of the LocoRoco games - imagine how great upscaled versions of those would look on the Vita's screen. Sure, they may not be enough to shift loads of Vitas on their own, but just now the perception among gamers is that Vita has no games in the pipeline, so they'd at least help get rid of that notion.
Tamoor - Definitely! Some games would fit so well, X-COM and Tokyo Jungle are at the top of my wishlist. Unfortunately with Vita not selling very well developers and publishers have no incentive.
Chris - Tokyo Jungle is an AMAZING shout, mate.

I got a PS Vita today and I think it's a smashing bit of kit so far, what three games would you like to see come to Vita? (No rules or constraints, they don't have to "save" the Vita either) - TheLastDodo
Rob - Glad you like it! If I could choose anything, it'd be GTA V, the Half-Life series (all the way up to Episode 2) and especially the Streets of Rage trilogy.
Chris - HD Patapon Trilogy (as I said above), NBA 2K13, Rock Band Blitz (seriously, it'd be a great handheld game).
Tamoor - I'd really like to play Hotline Miami on it. Apart from that I'd like a new Metal Gear Acid; I might be one of the few people that actually enjoyed those games. Oh and I'd kill a man for a definitive Castlevania collection, I'd kill an adorable animal on top for redone art in those games.

Do you think there are too many shooters? Simple question, and I always hear there's too many, but when I look at my games, and I look at the games out there, there seem to be a plentiful amount of non-shooters. - spaceman_DOUG
Tamoor - Nope. I think we could do with more variety, but even then I'm reminded of Metro and BioShock, both which have promising sequels on the way. Less military shooters? Sure. I can get behind that.
Rob - Since there's so much noise about shooters, I can understand why people think they dominate the release lists, but in truth they are proportionally not as big as people think.
Chris Rob speaks the truth. There aren't too many shooters, there are too many shooter sales - or rather, there aren't enough sales of non-shooter games. Like you say, there are loads of games out there that don't have you constantly gazing down the barrel of a gun, but the fact is those are the games that sell, those are the games most people own and as such those are the games that often dominate discussion, giving the impression it's all that's out there.

A lot of people in the industry reckon that the next generation of consoles will be the last. Do you agree? - flash501
Rob - Well, without wanting to ridicule those people too much, I would suggest such claims are made without taking all factors into account. The console business is remarkably complex, and you could grab any collection of related stats to form your own opinion about it.
But I think the most important stat is this: More and more consoles are being sold as each console cycle passes. This gen is already a new record, reaching beyond 240 million units sold.
The key point: There are millions of people who love dedicated games consoles and businesses will continue to want to reach out to this addressable audience. The games industry is in a constant state of flux, but I don't think this central fact will ever change.
Tamoor - I don't think so. I think the meteoric success of mobile and tablets might be clouding people's judgement. Too many people still value dedicated games consoles. I'm one of them. DEATH TO MOBILE AND FACEBOOK GAMES!
I kid, I love gaming on iOS. Facebook games can do one though.
Chris - I do think that by the following generation (i.e. the one after PS4 and 720) we might be looking at a different way we get our games - for example, I think disc-based games may be dead and we'll end up digital-only, maybe even using a Netflix-style subscription service - so there's a possibility that the next generation may be the last time we'll see console games on the high street and in supermarkets. However, there are far, far too many people who like playing games on their TV using a dedicated games console for the arse to suddenly fall out of it in five or six years' time.
And I like Facebook games, Tamoor. You and I are going to have to have a chat.

If you could take one genre that is in such a bad state at the moment and reinvigorate it which would you choose and why? - EighteenSky
Tamoor - I don't know about genres but I have a few franchises I think could do with some new ideas: Legend of Zelda, Mario, Call of Duty, Battlefield, FIFA, Resident Evil, Silent Hill.
And before you start planning to murder me I absolute love those franchises, I just feel that recent entries have been weak and they're in need of a shake-up. I fully expect Nintendo will deliver the goods with Zelda and Mario.
The problem with Call of Duty, Battlefield and FIFA is that they're so popular now that idea of any sort of change scares the shit out of their publishers. They'll look amazing on next-gen consoles, but will they play all that different? Probably not.
Oh, MMO! That is a genre in dire need of freshening up.
Chris - Edutainment. Nah, we need a good new side-scrolling Streets Of Rage-style beat 'em up. Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim are decent recent examples but they don't have that 'feel' that Streets Of Rage did.

Is the Survival Horror genre finished forever? - flash501
Chris - Nah. The problem is that there haven't been many great survival horror games on Xbox 360 and PS3 recently, and as far as a lot of "hardcore" gamers are concerned that's all that exists.
People in the office are sick of me talking about this, but Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on Wii and PSP is a truly incredible game, one of my favourite games in the entire Silent Hill series, but one that was ultimately completely ignored by the mainstream. Meanwhile, you've got Silent Hill: Homecoming and Silent Hill: Downpour stinking up a storm on Xbox 360 and PS3 so everyone's saying Silent Hill is doomed, even though Shattered Memories is just sitting there, being all beautiful and unnoticed.
Tamoor - There are still some gems out there. I loved Amnesia for the PC and A Machine For Pigs looks like it's shaping up nicely. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Wii was excellent. I didn't like ZombiU much but I know a lot of people that did.
Good survival horror games are becoming difficult to find, that's for sure. But they're still out there. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Shinji Mikami's Zwei, he's talking it up as a classic survival horror game. He better make good on those promises, or else...
Chris - A full-length Slender game that isn't just pissing around looking for jotter pages would be great too.
Rob - Look, we're all going to buy The Last of Us and we're all going to have a good time. :)

Forget the rumours for a moment: what is the most important thing you'd like to see from the next lot of consoles to be released? - Balladeer
Rob - A digital platform that mimics every single thing that's great about Steam.
Tamoor - I really hope digitally delivered content isn't as expensive as it is today. Proprietary hard drives are bullshit, none of that please. Here's a crazy dream that will never come true: Cross-platform multiplayer. We'll get peace in the middle-east before PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox players make merry in the digital playgrounds.
Chris - Here's my revolutionary idea. The next Xbox or PlayStation should have a Netflix-style service in which you pay £20 or £30 a month and get access to the console's entire game library for download. You can play any game for as long as you want. There'll still be paid DLC - that'll be how developers and publishers make their money - and the fact that every game on the system has potentially the same audience means the kids who only get Call Of Duty or FIFA every year might finally be encouraged to try something different. Games will never go out of print, and the second-hand problem will disappear. Rob's not so sure, though - I've argued with him about this at great length. To be continued.

Rayman Legends delay. Opinions? - Balladeer
Chris - I think it's pathetic. The game's ready, Wii U needs new games, the developers are unhappy with it, the fans are unhappy with it, the Pope quit because of it, and then Ubisoft dumped salt in Wii U owners' fresh wounds by saying "oh, don't worry, we're working on another demo." We don't want another bloody demo from your finished game, we want to give you actual cash for the actual game.
Tamoor - I get why Ubisoft did it and I can't blame them, it makes sense from a business standpoint. I think Rayman Legends stands a better chance of being successful as a result of the delay too. Either way, I'm not fussed. I can wait a little longer.

Is there room for another console? Could the new Valve Steam Box break up the console party and lure console gamers away to the promised land of simplified PC gaming? - jim2wheels
Rob - This is a massive question that I am going to do no justice with a really short answer: There's no room for another console that mimics the current ones, anything that innovates always has a chance, and I'm not yet convinced by The Steam Box.
Chris - I'd never say never, because people didn't think there was room for a third console when Sega and Nintendo were scrapping, then Sony muscled in. I do think a fourth would be taking it a little too far, though. You can't keep splitting up the audience because everyone gets a smaller slice of the pie.

What is the biggest missed opportunity of this generation? Personally I would go with the Assassins Creed series. In theory it's a fantastic idea, in execution I think they've fluffed it up in many areas. - TheLastDodo
Tamoor - The Assassin's Creed franchise has been one of my highlights of this generation. Missed opportunity? Alien: Colonial Marines. How's that for dumping salt in still fresh wounds?
Chris - Star Wars Kinect. Or Haze.

What's your Hidden Gem of this generation? - StonecoldMC
Rob - Great question! Think it's Drop 7 for the iPhone. Not exactly "hidden" for some, but I think the world should know about it. Genuinely, I think it's as good as Tetris!
Chris - Rock Band Blitz. I'm a big fan of rhythm action games and I loved the way this took my existing Rock Band song library - which was sitting there doing nothing - and completely transformed it into a joypad-based rhythm game. The addition of power-ups could have completely ruined it but instead they added a whole new level of strategy, and I ended up spending 57 hours on it (according to the stats on my Xbox Rewards page). I actually played it so much one night that - no word of a lie - there's a dark curve burned into the top of my LCD TV where the combo meter sits and I can't get rid of it now. So either that, Puzzle Quest (get it on DS or get Puzzle Quest HD on iPad, it's amazing) and the aforementioned Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on Wii/PSP.
Andy R - I find it incredibly challenging to cast my memory back that far now, but here are a few; XCOM, Prince of Persia 2008, Blur and Child of Eden.
Tamoor - I really love Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery for iOS. I'm quite fond of To The Moon. Binary Domain, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars and Xenoblade Chronicles too. Lost Odyssey... Zack and Wiki... Mark of the Ninja... Dust: An Elysian Tail...
Argh! There's so many, I'm just going to stop.

Has a game ever made you cry or come close to it? - StonecoldMC
Tamoor - Metal Gear Solid 4. The game makes it seem like Snake is dead and gone right at the end. I couldn't help it, I cracked man. I CRACKED.
Otherwise, I'm 'ard as nails.
Rob - Honestly no, a game hasn't ever made me cry. I'm not trying to sound hard - I've cried like to loads of things in film and TV like a total wuss - but writing in games is so consistently average, and the task to build a character you can sympathise with is so much harder, that it just hasn't done anything for me.
Chris - Obviously Rob, with his steel man-heart, has never played Elite Beat Agents, specifically the mission entitled "A Christmas Gift". I'm not going to go into detail - just watch this video all the way through and you'll understand why. I was weeping buckets the first time I played it - I can't play it on the Tube to this day in case people think I've had an accident.
Andy R: Perfect Dark Zero.

Which forgotten game would you like a sequel to? - Queen Skillage
Rob - Does Nintendo know it once had an F-Zero series?
Tamoor - MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER. MORE SOUL REAVER.
Chris - Battletoads. No, wait, Zelda II. Yup, another side-scrolling Zelda RPG, only on 3DS, would be amazing. Actually, now I've mentioned it, how great would a new Elite Beat Agents on Wii U be?
Andy R - Ditto F-Zero. It's about time we had another Retro-developed Metroid as well please (and not that tripe Team Ninja served up).

I feel that the Commodore Amiga isn't given enough credit for the part it played in gaming during the latter half of the 80's and early 90's. Do you guys agree? - TerrorK
Rob - What's a Commodore? (jk)
Chris - My trusty Amiga 1200 (played with my Mega Drive controller, natch) was the stuff of dreams. Zool, Superfrog, Sensible World Of Soccer, Wizkid, Cannon Fodder... amazing days. It did, however, have the worst ever port of Final Fight, because every time a different enemy appeared you had to swap disks to load them up. Final Shite, I used to call it.