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Andrew - December 1 '02- 12:00 Central Standard Time
Why is it when I have free time I start watching anime in large gulps? I'm halfway through Chobits already, and I started watching it on Friday. On to the letters!
Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry about the column going up so late. Next time I'll be more careful.
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Comic artists like RPGs too.
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Hiya!
What's up with Suikoden III? I haven't got the chance to play it (still play through the original and second constantly. But I'm a bit worried about playing the third now... what're your feelings on it?
OK, reading through the GBA list of games... I see I have quite a few of these... but what's up with Breath of Fire 2? It was the first game I picked up, made it about 5 hours into it, and now I've just stopped, it's not all that fun at all.
Tactics Ogre (the GBA game) is definitely cool, but I have to ask, exactly how many different ways can this game branch out? I know that I've just rejected the original guy I was working with, and fought a bunch of his men... If I had stayed with him, I'm sure that would have been different too... but... ah! So many choices, they make my head hurt.
Oh well, hope ya had a good Thanksgiving, mine was decent, but my birthday's coming up, so I'm more excited about that! ^.^
Henry "Demosthenes" Westerman
http://demos.keenspace.com
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Andrew:
1. Well, it's definitely got a different feeling from the first two games. I like it well enough, but it certainly doesn't grab the player like the first two games did. The trinity system only serves to hinder the pacing of the game, and I'm not sure what benefits Konami thought the series would have by moving to 3d graphics. Still, those are small flaws of an otherwise good game. Overall, it's worth a rental, at least.
2. The Breath of Fire series is pretty unique among RPGs. Very japanese, slow moving plotlines, and townspeople who could care less about the world coming to an end. I'm not too big of a fan myself, but back when RPGs came out one every few months, BoF2 was a great game.
3. Heh. Don't even bother trying to keep track. Just relish what you will never know. I've always had a hard time enjoying RPGs where they branch like Tactics Ogre does, since I hate replaying RPGs with the precious little extra time I have, just to get an extra 20 minutes of plot for 20 hours of replay.
4. Happy Birthday, your comic's link isn't working.
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Final Fantasy- 6-1, 6-2, 6-3...
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First off i'd like to say that the big fuss going on recently about Final Fantasy sequels/prequels made me realise how i'd like to see a FF6/FF3 prequel. Just think about it.. the whole War Of The Magi thing (who the heck is that phantom/warlock thing that got the best of Odin ?) is just perfect a scenario for a FF6 prequel. Wouldn't be a direct prequel as there would be a 1000 years gap between to two stories but heck.. FF6 WAS one of the best .. if not the best Final Fantasy out there... I'd definitely buy it. As would millions of gamers. Oh and i'd like to see it come on the same old school graphic engine that FF6.. maybe with a few tweaks and upgrades.. but no fancy polygons and 3D environments...
Furthermore, i'd like to say how much I despite Amano's artwork... got nothing against the dude.. but heck..... why does he have to ruin it for everyone ??? Take Cecil from FF4/FF2... the strongest party member, thousands of hit points.... and just what did he get ? Some scarf or whatnot with shoulders as large as Seinfield !!! Why Seinfield ? Well he's a sissy and I hate his humor.. and Kramer too.. freaky retards.
-Oh but he's a Paladin.. he MUST be a Peter Pan/Spawn crossover !
-What the f ???
Amano.. the only character he ever draw that he didn't manage to effeminate was Sabin from FF6.. I was freaking surprised he didn't add nail lacquer or some indian-styled loose pants to my favorite FF6 character..
anyone think i'm too focused on old FF games "nobody" cares about anymore ?
In conclusion i'd like to say you're the most evil and sinful bastard I ever got the chance to read.
Get a padawan before it's too late.. or something.
THE WORLD NEEDS TO GET ITS ASS KICKED !!
DrPopsicle
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Andrew:
1. It'd be nice to revisit some of the old worlds in the Final Fantasy series. Frankly, I'm all for a FF6-2, since the game really left plenty of room for a prequel or even a sequel, what with the end of the espers or, as you mentioned, the rising of the Empire.
2. Why do you care? Amano's characters designs are never directly imported into games, they're just used as the base. You sound like a bit of freak to me, with your fixation on long dead tv sitcoms. I happen to like Amano's work, especially his city designs, and I think the majority of people would agree that he's an excellent artist. As for his girlish drawings, I suppose you've never seen Steiner designs, eh?
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Okay, if I'm ever killed by an angry mob of villagers, I want Mike to take over for me.
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Yo Bastard,
Changes to your column? I don't see anything to change, except for what spits out of the
"sending" end.
Remember grade school English? What did your teachers tell you, huh? Something about
capital letters? Paragraphs? Proper punctuation and spelling? Now, fast forward a dozen
years.
WHY HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THEM?!?
It's simple, really. Spelling, punctuation, paragraphs, sentences, capital letters, and
all the rules of grammar are in place for one very simple reason: to help people quickly
understand what the hell you're talking about. The reason paragraphs are separated and
indented is to differentiate one subject from another. Periods and capital letters are
used to split apart separate thoughts.
I have read too many posts, letters, and replies that mangle basic English courtesy to
point of spontaneous brain combustion. Thousands of other people trying to figure out what
the hell you mean will agree. A properly written letter is a thing of least resistance,
something that you take in as easily as a cup of warm chocolate. A letter with droning
sentences stuffed into a big blob of a paragraph and sprinkled with hasty spelling and
punctuation is like swallowing barbed wire.
Come on! How long would it take to run your letter through a spell checker? A minute? How
about using a few extra Returns to separate it into multiple paragraphs? Ten seconds? And
don't get me started on the people that thinking using capital letters is a waste of time.
Is 2-3 extra minutes of free time to play FFXXVI really worth having the readers of this
column vow to slice off your hands with a rusty saw the next time they see you?
And overuse of stupid symbols... don't get me started on overuse of stupid symbols... How
many exclamation points does one need in a sentence, huh?!?
-----
Speaking of video game music, there's one music genre that I've always wanted to hear
prominently in games: jazz.
When the drums are a-bangin' and the brass is a-wailin' and the solo's deftly dancing
through the chords, jazz is energetic yet smooth. It brings to mind combat that isn't a
bunch of people taking turns whacking each other with sticks, but a master swordsman
dancing through a battle with his sword singing. The type of style that would stun enemies
with awe.
As for the dramatic moments... well, you have the the Blues. A mournful saxophone,
trumpet, or guitar can capture sadness so well it brings tears to the eyes.
I can't think of any other music style that can fit so many different moods seamlessly
with such elegance and suave coolness. If there was a game that did jazz good, I'd pick it
up in a heartbeat.
-Mike Lemmer
"Man, if you have to ask what it is, you?l never know." -Louis Armstrong
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Andrew:
1. Ironic, considering the number of letters I got on my their/they're/there spoof. Here's a heads up people. I finish up the column after midnight, and at that time, even triple checking won't get rid of all my errors in such huge columns. However, remember when you send in a letter, a few thousand people will be reading it, so make sure to check for spelling errors, otherwise even your mom will be laughing at your lack of common sense.
2. I'm a big fan of music in general, but yeah, Jazz and Blues seem to be under represented in RPGs. A nice game in the 1930's would have plenty of great tunes, but in the mean time, why not watch Porco Rosso?
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Pretty letter. PRETTY INCORRECT.
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Greetings, O Host of Much Abrasivness!
Before I get to the letter, I must ask: how are you taking to your new post
as Q&A Weekend Guy?
That asked, here we go:
You say you disdain leveling for the purpose of leveling? Would you level
for the purpose of a goal? (Example: The Juggernaut spell in Legend of
Legaia.) I myself am periodically returning to an old save and trying that,
although I do not believe I will attempt to get Feena's last spell in
Grandia. There's leveling, and then there's masochism.
If you had to choose a RPG that was challenging, one that was very
nonlinear, or one with a fantastic plot, which would you favor? (Personally,
I prefer story-driven games. Challenge and openness, while good traits, rank
behind it.)
Final question. There are two PSX RPGs I yet wish to buy, and seek opinions
on which to go for first. What are the relative merits of Tactics Ogre and
Legend of Mana?
Oh, and for the guy asking about traps for tabletop RPGs? Here's a URL.
Looks revamped from the simple one comprehensive page I found it as, but
here goes:
http://www.ddream.com/traps/TrapManager.asp
Lastly, I'd tell anyone who wrote such a lengthy opnion letter to send it to
editorials, but if I'm not too mistaken, that guy's a staffer, and outranks me.
-Kenneth Whitten, aspiring RPG sage who never gets noticed
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Andrew:
1. Thanks for asking. I'm enjoying myself immensely.
2. Er, actually that was one of my points in defense of mass leveling. And yeah, I don't think anyone was sick enough to get Feena's last spell, which I believe was called Time Warp.
3. First off, good luck finding either of these games.
Orge Battle series- Battles that take hours to complete, decent plots, and a tough level gaining system. Hope you've got a few lifetimes to kill before you play any of these games.
Legend of Mana- Imagine a game that consists of nothing but mini-games and side quests. This is it.
Thanks for helping the D&D traps guy, I'm sure he was hurt that I mocked him.
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Girlish man fan mail. *barf*
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Greetings (Jaques sings)........
For the record I am not Flea, if anyone is possibly him/her/it that would
be Goog. I count at work as the token Bishonen I think. Actually I look quite
a bit like Sasarai who I might be cosplaying as at Anime Central. Also my job
was on Friday to make sure people don't try to cut in line by blocking an
isle in the store, though people were stupid enough to not notice all the
merchandise we used to block the isle with. I'm have to ask what do you wish
in Suikoden III plot wise was explained more? Also am I the only one who
wonders what is up with the all-female village since many questions have to
be asked there.
Imperial Mog
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Andrew:
You count as the token nut case.
1. I'm less concerned with Suikoden 3's plot and more concerned with the problems when Konami starts altering their games to look more modern for the sake of altering them to look more modern. Why have we forsaken 2d? 3d offers very little in return for it's blocky graphics, pop up problems, and camera issues.
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