Matt Demers - 12:40 EST

I'M BACK!

I'll at least be a little more effective at this, now that I'm on a computer that coasts through the internet at a tolerable speed. I'm telling you, it feels like dial-up has just become slower and SLOWER and S L O W E R as the years have gone by. I was barely online at all during my little holiday in Chatham, and not being online is a paralyzing thing to a guy like me.

That said, the holiday was great! Much Euchre was played, Dragon Quest VIII was finished off, presents were received, and partying was accomplished. I don't have many complaints, except that dammit, I'm going to have to go to school sometime tomorrow.

Ah well, let's see what new stuff you've sent in since last time.

Heya Matt,

I'm not sure why, but Chrono Trigger still ranks highly as one of my all time favourites. There's no other game (not even Lunar) that I can recall more of. The music/scenery especially. Zeal was one of my favourite chapters, as I thought the music and scenery were so lush and awesome. Interesting story arcs there too. I also like when you storm Magus's castle and the battle at the end. I haven't played it through in some time, but in a three year period back in the SNES glory days of olde, I beat it 10+ times, only 2-3 of which were New Game+. Comparatively, in this same time I probably beat FFVI 3 times, which is also a favourite.

On a related note, which game do you remember most not for game play or story, but just the music/feeling that music stirs up in you when you hear it/something like it/think of it. As said, the music from CT always brings a smile to my face, and I can easily recall what area of the games its from/story context. Ahhh, waxing nostalgic.

On a further related note, silent protagonists, I am absolutely adoring DQ8. I haven't played a PS2 rpg for more than 8-10 hours without abandoning it in the last 1.5 years. Damn World of Warcraft and all its supreme goodness. But I find in DQ8 the challenge/ level scaling is awesome! I can't remember the last console RPG I played where 1 lvl can make such a huge difference in battle. And when you get to the point you can 1-hit enemies that used to romp on you, that's a good feeling. And new equipment makes such a noted difference. It just feels like everything is worth doing/exploring. I won't get started on the presentation itself, but it blew me away. When I saw screens before playing the game, I though Yangus looked like a jackass I wouldn't want in my party, but his character/voice talent are awesome! AWESOME!

As it relates to the mechanics, what are your thoughts on: Psyche Up (Use it? Sparingly? Regular part of strategy?) Skill system (Too limited? Too broad?) and lastly the "scale" of the game. I.e. Did you find the challenge to beat a lvl 10 monster when you were lvl 8 to be similar to beating a lvl 50 at 48? Or does the game get even more challenging as your progress....*dr00L......

Peace,

ndhl

Psyching up isn't actually completely new to Dragon Quest. There have been similar abilities in the past, though they were never "layerable." I find that I only use it in battles where I need to (i.e. against Frogface-family monsters) or against bosses that don't have the ability to cancel the effects of it. I thought it would be lame at first, but it works really well for the game.

The skill system is a nice change of pace... the job systems of DQVI and DWVII were good but cumbersome. I'm much happier with 2 windows of somewhat useful techniques rather than the 12 windows of useless crap that used to exist. The fact that characters have their own individual things to learn is much appreciated since it reminds me of the good old days of DW2, 4, and DQ5.

Also, don't expect the challenge to go down anytime soon. Right up until the end, things stay the way they should be, and then even after that. You'll see!

Phew, that's a lot of Dragon Quest... it's been awhile since I've spouted about it, hmm? I had a lot of pent-up praise, I suppose. ^^;

Dear Matt,

Howdy, oh slime of Wonder-chantment. How's it goin' with all your games hmmmm? I'm doing good. I do have a question for you though, and this is one I'd really like to know the answer to. Why do we have reigon coding? I asked this in chat, and no one gave me a specific reason, other than to prevent pirating. Do you know the answer? I mean in my neck of the woods, nobody is gonna want a Japanese, or other foreign language game, copied or otherwise, if they can't understand it, and if you know the language the game you want is in, then why not just import it? I mean getting copied games seems hard enough as it is. Are you just gonna walk up to someone and say, "Hey can you get me this Japanese game?" or "Hey you! Wanna buy this copy of this Japanese game?" Why not just remove reigon coding and sell games to whoever wants them? Is there something I don't get? Thanks, Matt.

~Donovan

Hello! My games are going very well, though I haven't had as much time to play them as I'd have liked. Now, with school starting, things shall get plenty interesting, I'm sure. Anyway, you'd think that would be true- that surely, thousands of people wouldn't rush out to buy a Japanese version of their favourite game whether or not they could understand it. Or would they? I think that the main reason for region-coding, Donovan, is because the people that would indeed do this would suddenly have the opportunity to distribute screenshots, music, or other things well before a North American release of the same game... something that the game company might not appreciate, depending on the circumstances. Sometimes other aspects in a game are altered slightly before a localization, so releasing screenshots might "wrongfully depict" something in particular. I can't help you more than that.

It might interest you, though, that Sony didn't implement region-coding for the PSP. Does that mean that the PS3 will do away with it as well? Is this part of a new trend, or just an isolated incident? I'm not sure. Stay tuned...

Hey Matty!

Going over the list of RPG's in the gamers choice menu;
One: half of the games have yet to or are not going to be released in Australia,
Two: I've only played Seven of them
Three: Half of them I havn't heard of and
Four: Of the seven I own my copy of Mario Hart DS beats handsdown

Yay at least it is known that Elder Scrolls and Mario and Luigi are coming out this year.

Anyway since Australia (and I guess New Zealand) is one of the last countries to get the XBOX released, what other RPG's other then ES4 is schedualed for the new XBOX. Also with this new Mana game coming out soon on the DS will it play like Secret of Mana and allow three people to be fighting at the same time (And with seperate screens allow more freedom then Secret of Mana)?

Lastly, is Mario PIT worth getting and why?

Your Dynastic Warrior Bainick

P.S. Another difference between North America and Australia is the electricity power that reaches the homes. In America there is a chance of dying if you are electricuted. In Australia, there is a slight chance of surviving if you are electricuted. Thank you Year 12 Physics!

I see. I'll remember to avoid sticking my wee little plug-shaped fingers into any sockets I see.

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time feels like such an "extension" of the original Mario & Luigi, mechanically, and it's right on with the humour, as expected. Most disappointing is the music so far, actually... I don't know what the sound people were thinking when they designed that horribly boring victory theme (the first M&L one was quite better) and the same situational tracks seem to be replayed ad nauseam. I dunno, I'm pretty sure that if you loved the first Mario & Luigi, it's quite probable that you'll enjoy this title too.

Yo Matt,

It's been a good while since I've last been to the site, so what happened to Googl... the previous QnA guy? Oh well, just wanted to ask you why there's such a lack of new Tales of Legendia info. For a game that's supposed to be released on Feb. 1, all that is known about it is the release date a a few character info (from ign's website). Is Namco just being tight-lipped or is it just flying under the radars?

Next, what's your impression of WildARMs 4? Since you just got Altered Code F, I don't know if you've played 2 or 3, but I've only played the third installment, which I loved, except for the final battle. The "Impressions" by Phillip(?) was short, but got my attention, so now I've got something to look forward to after beating Tales Of Symphonia again.

And finally, there is a song about the most "underrated" holiday. The Walkmen's "New Year's Eve" from their Bows and Arrows lp. That's the only one that I know of anyways. Thanks for your time and hope the holidays continue to bring you goodness in life AND gaming. Take care.

-V

Sweet. Unfortunately, that isn't the most underrated holiday... the most underrated holiday is clearly my birthday, which happens to be in eighteen days. Remember me on January 27, and drink something in my name. Oh, presents are also welcome. I turn 23 this year... *shudder*

Take care yourself, and have fun playing Tales of Symphonia.

Hey

I just bought a new computer and I wanted to test it out with some PC Rpg's. I really have no experince with Pc Rpg's in the least so what are the best ones without broadband.

I also just finished DQ8 a couple of weeks ago, and i found the ending to be rather disapointing especcially in the fact that they pratically tell you where the post game stuff is located. This hapened throughout the game with peale telling you exactly where to go and what to do, I thought it took away a big part from the Rpg experince. What are your feelings on this subject?

Mogexpress

Without broadband, huh?

*twiddles thumbs*

Well, I'm not exactly up on my PC gaming so far, let alone PC RPGaming, and most of my PC RPGaming friends play online delights such as World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI, or Guild Wars.

I actually tried to swallow my pride recently and I went out and bought the PC version of Fable: The Lost Chapters for my sister for Christmas, since for whatever reason, she enjoyed the original on a friend's XBox. Well, I was once again burned for my efforts, since it doesn't run without strange errors and safe-mode-implementation on my sister's PC (one that is less than a year old). I hate PC gaming, and this is exactly why.

Thus, any recommendation I make to you is going to be second-hand. Based on the mail I get and the dialogue I have with all you reader-folk, I'd say that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic would be a good bet, whether or not you're a Star Wars fan in the first place. I've heard nothing but good about the games, so you might consider looking into that. Minesweeper is always fun, though, with all the mines... and the uh, numbers.

About DQVIII, I have to disagree with you: There are several different places in the game where it is simply up to you to wander about before finding the next place to go. Besides, I think that there is far more to search for, explore, and discover in DQVIII, both in and out of the main storyline, than in any other RPG I've played in the last few years, so I'm not sure we see eye-to-eye on this subject. Really. As for post-game bonuses, I had to search around, personally... but maybe I missed something. The five-second scene at the end is the only clue that is given, as far as I know, and I don't think it's incredibly obvious. Even so, I'd rather have an idea of where to go than having to mindlessly search every single place in the world again in vain, finally resorting to cheaply looking in a strategy guide or online to figure out the correct location.

Anywho, thanks for the time and the memories. And the letter, for that matter.

...and I'm fresh out! It's time to start writing in yet again, because without the letters, it's difficult to answer any. I'm not going to do another self-questioning segment, either, like I did that one time when the site had problems. It was an interestingly bad idea, to say the least.

The Spectacular Ongoing Contest of Knowledge is back at long last! Now, if only we could remember the questions from last time...

Yes, the date was December 14, 2005 (a whole YEAR ago!) and we were up to numbers 75 and 76. 75 happened to ask "which of the following Chrono Trigger characters has a name that has an anagram meaning 'to hum or sing softly' ". The answer was a) Crono, because you can rearrange the letters in Crono to make CROON. That was worth 40 points to everyone who guessed it correctly!

The second question involved the Australian Football League. According to Bainick, there are d) 7 umpires on the field at the same time, consisting of three central umpires, two boundary umpires, and two goal umpires. For those of you keen enough to get it right, 30 points have been added to your score!

And of course, for yon unfortunate folk who got neither right but still took the time to send in your guesses, a free SIXTEEN POINTS was still donated. Do better next time!

And now, for the first new questions in nearly a month! Let us begin 2006 with these, including a devious one from our favourite dwarf berserker:

Question #77: Which of the following games did I not receive this past Christmas? (35 points)

a) Golden Nugget Casino DS
b) Final Fantasy IV
c) Mario Kart DS
d) Radiata Stories
e) Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Question #78: Ask Xlash!--> Which of the following spells DO NOT restore health points? (40 points)

a) Dialma
b) Dios
c) Madi
d) Dialko
e) Dial

Hmm. Of course, keep sending in your ideas for questions; you'll receive double the points that it's worth, if I decide to publish it!

Otherwise, I don't have too much more to say for today. For tomorrow, though, tell me how things are going with the new games you've purchased or received recently. What do you think about Wild Arms: Alter Code F? Final Fantasy IV? Magna Carta? Any or all of the above will do!

***Matt has class in 110 minutes