Absolutely crazy, I tell ya! Absolutely crazy week here in my hometown. Yep. Homecoming Week has finally concluded. You know what I'm talking about: the most evil time of the year when high society ties on their happy faces and participates in social (can you believe it! Social! Hah!) activities and promotes "school spirit". How long has that been dead? Huh?

Ah......I thought it was since the early 90's. Thanks for the info. ;>

Well, I'm back for more weekend Q & A goodness and negotiating with a mailbox more flooded than anything Noah ever saw. Ah, but I love ya guys, and I love writing these mega-long introductions. But now on to the mass answers for the week:

1) Who is Tristan MacAvery?

  This question was much easier than you thought, if you were one of the many respondees to my "Bet you don't know who Gendo Ikari is!" challenge last Saturday. Tristan MacAvery was the dub voice of Gendo Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion. He did lots of miscellaneous roles, such as Joyrock in Slayers: The Motion Picture, Waldess in Dirty Pair Flash: Mission 1, and had a supporting role in Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe. He left A.D.V. Films and is working for a company called Intangible Plastics located in Dayton, TX. (I have no idea what the company does...so don't ask.) 'Kay? Next question!

Very very carefully. All you guys need to do is get is 3 gallons of Rocky Road ice cream, a cardboard cut out of Aeris, present them to Mike, and he'll fit you in somewhere! Simple as that!

3) What's your take on Final Fantasy 8?

I've been avoiding the question for a while now...but it must be addressed sooner or later, so out with it.
I absolutely love it! The storyline is very interesting, the characters are extremely deep, and battling isn't a chore. Overall it's a very well done game. I also think it blows Final Fantasy 7 right out of the water in almost every aspect. (except for the airship. I want another airship! ;_;) It still has to prove to me that it is superior to Final Fantasy 6. I don't think it will be, but it will probably escalate to one of my top three favorite RPGs.

Bring on the mass mayhem! ^_-

just a few quick questions for you. I was listening to an MP3 of the ending theme for FF8 a few days back ( I havent made it to the end yet, so i'm assuming that it's completely accurate). well, at about 7 minutes into it (the MP3 was just over 13 minutes long) the tune changed completely, and became a variation on FF4's ending theme. any ideas why they did this? or were they so strapped for ideas that they decided to recycle past musical themes?

ok, second question. i've been wondering about this one for a while, lol. how many games include chocobos somewhere within them, and how many renditions of the silly little chocobo song are there?

thanx

Mike in New Orleans

Veronica:
The fact is suddenly switched surprises you? Did you ever see the endings of Final Fantasy 6 or Final Fantasy 7? Both of the games switched to the "FF4 ending theme" close to the end of the song. I think it's now a Final Fantasy tradition, as is the inside joke of having a "Cid" in every Final Fantasy game. (Ones released in the United States that is...)

Chocobos are starting to become as over exploited as Pokémon, and that just ain't cool. Chocobo Racing? Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 1 & 2? Hell, there's a Chocobo on the PocketStation game of Final Fantasy 8! I think there are between 10-12 games with the "giant chickens" in them...and I dare not guess the number of remixes of the Chocobo song.

With all due respect to the man Vincent Valentine (one of my favorite characters, ever) can you imagine what a date would be like with him?

Veronica: So have you ever read anything by Poe?

Vincent: Who? (accidently crushes glass with deformed claw-like hand)

Veronica: You know, the early twentieth century writer and poet. He wrote The Raven, THe Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Imp of the Perverse.

Vincent: Imps! where? I hate those guys! (turns into Hellmasker and starts chasing your waiter around with a chainsaw)

Veronica: Ahh, well, there's always Setzer. (Tune in next week for Veronica's date with the mysterious gambler)

Felt truly inclined to do that, ta-ta!

eternally,
Malachi

Veronica:
Hey... I thought it was funny! :/

*grin*

In FFVIII, you get paid salary, as you well know...but the thing is...say you're at SeeD rank 15. You get 12500 per payment (That amount's probably wrong...sorry ;( ...), right? But that's how much Squall makes when he's off on his lonesome. Now...say you've got Squall, Mister-hot-dog-lover, and the cowboy-with-an-attitude with you..Shouldn't that be THREE salaries collective? And even with that in mind...Squall is paying out his own cash to beef up the arsenal of his buddies! They don't contribute...nosiree... My friend says he thinks of it as a spending account..but if that's true, then why do you get the same amount of money for one person that you do for three??? I'm just nitpicking of course...I just think it's funny to make fun of...

Friends, this is called "having too much free time."

Here's a more serious question though...What's the last RPG you've played that DIDN'T have a currency system? I can think of just ONE...Parasite Eve. Then again, I haven't played too much lately...Even PokŽmon has Pokebucks, for crying out loud...

The furthest back I can remember to is Ultima Exodus for NES, and I think that had a currency system. Hmm...that's a good question... Help would be appreciated. Dern. I now realize because I just said that, I will have a flood of e-mail tomorrow. *sigh*

Furthermore...what government controls PokŽmon Island? I mean...it's supposed to be set in modern times...They found Aerodactyl fossils somewhere near Venezuela, and there are references to the Apollo landing on the moon...So, is PokŽmon Island a US Territory, or a fierce monarchy ruled under the iron fist of Professor Oak?

Two words that will make everything clear: Republican Conspiracy.

And if it IS set in modern times, who is STUPID enough to buy a bicycle for a million POKEBUCKS??? How does that store stay in business??? Maybe they actually SOLD one somehow...that million dollar sale WOULD keep them in business for some time...

I like you, Veronica (But not in that way...I'm not flirting...)...You're hilarious to read, just like the RPGurus, except you're much more well informed.

I wouldn't say that. All of the past and present RPGurus are much more informed than I am, and they are the ones that deserve your praise. (This is what I like to call: "Covering my rear.")

Needless to say, I'm impressed, and I'll be going to the New Media section much more frequently now just to read your remarks...Even after Mr. Tidwell elects to move you back...As much as everyone misses Thor, I'd be perfectly happy for him to stay away for a few more months to be graced with your columns for a while... You've got the mad column-writing skillz...

Aww, come now! You're just being overly kind so that your letter will be published! Well, I'm not falling for it! No sir-ee!!

Enough tomfoolery (what a word...)
Cutriss
-- I wish I could be just like Prince Poo...He replenishes his PP just by drinking water!

And that has to be one of the stranger taglines that I've seen, o.O;;

I just got to disk 2 in FF8, and it rocks so far. Except for the fact that there is no armor and you stick with one weapon, grrrrrrrrrr. But anyhows IM TOTALY FREAKED OUT! there is a hole in my GF listing between brothers and carbunkle. Did i miss one? or is it that diablo fellow i haven't tried fighting yet? Oh yeah, and in the begining of disk 2 it's like two years later for Laguna right, so were Squall and his homies in that prison for two years too? Do you think Irvine chews tabaco and listens to Hank Williams? It's all cool ya know but Johnny Cash is way cooler than Hank. Oh yeah, i just wanted to tell you that i always thought Veronica was like way cooler than Betty.

GNXgypsy

Veronica:
You're absolutely right; Diablos is the GF you are missing. (I faced this same situation Monday night and quickly figured out whom I didn't have.)

I don't think that Squall & co. were in prison for two years, although Laguna's world may have been seen 2 years later. I think you might see what I mean if you play further into the second disc. :-)

I don't think Irvine is the kind of guy who listens to Hank Williams...unless the current lady in his life is mad about him. Face it, Irvine would probably listen to Duran Duran and N'Sync non-stop if the girl he was trying to woo liked them. It's a sick, sad world. -_-

And what are you talking about?! Jughead was definately the coolest of the Archie characters!

Square fired my ya know that Veronica. HUH!! Well I got a letter today from Squaresoft saying I was out of FF8. I the great lightning master Ramuh was FIRED. They said this new guy Qualzelcotl or something messed like that would have MY JOB AS THE LIGHTNING SUMMON SPELL!!! Discrimination I tell you. THEY SAID IT WAS BECAUSE THE PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE ME BUT I KNOW THE REAL REASON!!! It was because i was old!!! DISCRIMINATION!!!. I'm going to cast Thungaga on them all for this!!! REPLACING ME with a dumb young bird!!! A BIRD!!! INSUBORDINATION!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK PHEONIX IS!!! ITS BAD ENOUGH THERES ONE BIRD!!! I've been from FF2 to FF7 and now they didtch me... oh GREAT Veronica i'm begging you STOP playing this game and tell others to stop also... or i'll have to live on the streets.

POST THIS OR YOU'LL SEE A GREAT BIG THUNDERSTORM KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR!!

-Ramuh

Veronica:
Oh great and wise, Ramuh, whom I slightly miss from the Final Fantasy series...
It's a shame you're not in Final Fantasy 8, and I know the heads at Squaresoft may have told you that you were too old...but it can be explained simply.

Affirmative Action replaced you.

Well, seriously! For the slightly uninfomed out there, Quezacotl (it's really spelled "Quetzacoatl". I did a term paper on him last year, so I've got all the facts. ^_^) was an Aztec god that did a number of things, but he was known best in his bird form, and more appropriately as a God of Lightning. He was a nasty character...very nasty, but he was awesome. (Legends say that after his many uncles killed his father, he hunted every one of them down, killed them, ripped open their chests and burned their hearts in his hand. Yummy.)

The keyword here is Aztec. To show that Squaresoft didn't discriminate against other races, they took on Quetzalcoatl and forced you into early retirement. Be happy for him, why dont'cha? You've had your run. How 'bout you buy a nice condo in Southern Florida and join a country club. ^_^

If the hero of FFIX were to be an ugly, yet highly intelligent and funny, guy, do you think he'd get the girl? Or would his best friend use his good looks to get her?

Also, how do I beat that giant cactus with the mustache? I can't seem to beat that horrible monster! If I had Sabin's pummel technique, I'm sure I could win, but I can't find Sabin in the entire game... Now that I mention it... I can't find any of the FFVI cast in the game... I'll continue looking though, cause FFVI is the best. *wipes tear away from eye*

- Ace

Veronica:
Poor dear...you're having Cactrot problems too. *hug*

Well, to answer your first question, I would like to see a hero with more brains than brawn or looks win the girl, I don't think it would happen. I imagine a scene straight from Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" would transpire.

To defeat the Giant Cactrot, you might want to try the following strategy:

Designate one member of your party as the "healer" and load them down with curing spells such as Curaga and Recover. (The Revive ability helps out very much as well.) Always use your medic to cure your party members after being hit by the 10,000 Needles attack.

Next, make one character concentrate on nothing more than using Water magic or physical attacks, and have your other character do nothing but summon Leviathan.

Be cautious when you get the message that the Jumbo Cactuar is hesitating, because he is preparing to run away from the battle. If he does so, you'll have to find him again and start all over again. That wouldn't be fun, huh? To avoid this, stop attacking the boss with the exception of Leviathan. Finish it off quickly with your strongest attacks. (which would be Leviathan...)

A lot of praying might help, too. ^_^ (j/k)