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Googleshng - February 18 '03- 2:00 Eastern Standard Time
If you only see one episode of Trigun, make sure it isn't Ep 18.
"Bow-wow!" *shudder*
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Thousand Islands Game Design
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Ever notice how certain series usually end up being based in an archipeligo of some kind? At the top of my memory, it hit King's Quest (the sixth game), The Legend of Zelda (the new one), Chrono Cross, and (mind you, this might be wrong) Dragon Warrior (the seventh game). Do developers end up getting lazy in methods of creating diverse environments and end up reverting to using different islands to make it easy?
FerretWarlord
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Googleshng:
It does tend to happen quite a bit. I mean, when you want to have a wide variety of different cultures,
without having to explore the whole world, a little chain of islands is a good way to go. Besides, it worked
for Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
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SoA Praise the First.
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Wow... I'm in awe. I just finished Skies of Arcadia Legends, and I have to say, it ranks as one of my top three RPGS of all time. Why is it that just about everyone (including myself, excluding you) just dismissed this little treasure back when it first came out? Tsk tsk... here's to there being a sequel.
-Kayma
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Googleshng:
The answer to your question is quite simple really. It was on the Dreamcast.
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SoA Praise the Second.
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I went to "Gamespot" with full intentions of buying a PS2 and Suikoden 3. Being the penny-pincher that I am, I spotted a sign that said: Buy a new Gamecube and get a free game!!! I quickly picked up a Gamecube and Skies of Arcadia Legends and haven't looked back once. What a great game!! Now my question is, are there any other Gamecube RPG's that are out now or coming up that you would recommend? Thanks a ton.
Scarecrow
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Googleshng:
Hmm... honestly I can't, unless I can count Zelda. There's a Tales game in the works, but I've never really
been a fan of the series. Same goes for Harvest Moon. FF:CC might be a pleasant surprise, then there's
a smattering of obscure games and Dreamcast ports.
Come to think of it, I can't think of more than two RPGs I'd really recommend on ANY of the current consoles.
It's seems like all the big name developers are either taking a nap or doing stuff on the GBA. It's been
a good couple years for most other genres though, so if you have some cash burning a hole in your pocket,
feel free to diversify.
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.hackery
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Hey Google, long time reader, first time writer.
Anyway, on to my point. I'd like to ask what you have against .hack? Specifically I mean.
Early on in the game's development, I took one look at the proposed storyline and said "pshhh... How can an RPG about an RPG possibly have a compelling storyline?!"
As the game neared release, I realized that the game had a certain draw to it. I was intrigued enough by the concepts and the story that on its release I decided to buy it.
And you know what? I love it. The 'boring combat' isn't boring at all, at least once you have enough levels/equipment under your belt that normal attacks become 'worthless' (I hesitate to use that word). After that point, combat becomes about strategic command and positioning. Choosing the correct strategy for your party members is often the difference between life and death, and by positioning I mean finding the exact angle of attack that will return greates results (IE, hitting multiple enemies with one move).
The combat is definitely far more engaging than, say, FFX (hmmm complaining about hitting x over and over...oh wait theres a limit break -_-), and the game is more challenging than most of the more recent rpgs.
Add to that a well balanced xp system with a soft cap, an intriguing 'magic from items' system, and you have what I consider to be one of the better releases on the PS2.
The game has a few flaws, however. While the devs try very hard to make the simulated World 'real', people seem to have only one or two precanned responses that they repeat ALL THE TIME. It gets grating after a while. The graphics are relatively low tech, though they are clean and lack flaws, and the framerate is consistently good. Special effects-wise, the game is vanilla, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on what your opinion of having to watch ten minute summons repeatedly is.
All in all, I'd say the game is at least worth a rental. It has a novel concept that has not been tried in a game before as far as I know, and while it may not feature the best combat system ever (that and the graphics seem to be the overriding complaints about the game, and I don't think graphics are really THAT big a deal), but its tactically interesting and at least as fulfilling as your average Final Fantasy (this may not be saing much though). Its definitely NOT for everyone, but I find it to be a far better choice than the upcoming Xenosaga (I hated Xenogears, and am in no mood to watch a 65 hour movie).
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Googleshng:
It's not so much a question of what I have against .hack, it's that I don't really have anything FOR it.
I mean, it emulates a MMORPG, a genre I have no interest in. It's a licensed game. The only good things
people have said are that the plot and combat pick up if you sit around character building for 10 hours,
and that isn't really a good thing. More importantly, I'm currently trying to save up money, so I'm not
really trying to gain interest in a new game.
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Admission of Guilt
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Yo Goog,
To our readers, we do in fact have Deus Ex coverage, but forgot to add a link to it on our Games page. There should be a link there now and you can click here to get to the coverage right now. Hope that clears up everything!
- Michael "Kamikaze" Bischoff, Head of Media
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Googleshng:
Huzzah.
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Randomness
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What the Smeg? FIVE YEAR OLDS at Final Destination 2? Did you happen to be
there to witness that or did it make the Stupid Parenting News (considering
nothing else is happening other than the fact that it's snowing like a
bastard where you are?) Jeez, I saw previews for that movie watching The
Two Towers, and you'd think that the rest of that movie was TAME considering
all the Really Creepy Stuff (tm) they put in the preview (which I shall not
elaborate on for the sake of the other readers.)
Look, I know how the studios have to make their movies PG-13 or otherwise
lose all their teenagers (read: customers,) but why does that give people
the impression that it's OK to take kids under 10 age there? Especially
when you KNOW that they're either going to (a) bawl their eyes out or (b)
talk through the ENTIRE THING or (c) eat all their junk food and complain
about having to go potty.
*gets off soapbox*
In the Land Of the Rising Sun, there are no such things as 99 cent loaves of
bread and 2 percent milk. It's six really thick slices for a hundred yen
and you get a whole QUART of whole milk. Oh yeah, and 7-11s all over the
country are out of the FFT/GBA-SP combo. That's all I have to say.
Card Captor Ribby
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Googleshng:
Yes, my aunt dragged me out to see FD2 Sunday night, and there were two five year olds sitting behind
us. To their credit though, they didn't start bawling their eyes out until the scene with the ladder from
trailers. That's some pretty sick freaking parents though. Since when are 5 year olds allowed in R-Rated
movies anyway? I mean, even if they had no idea what the movie was about beforehand, you'd think they'd
get the hint in the first few minutes.
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