Shinmaru

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B]So in the end does it matter? You?re what; 1 in 180 million voters? Why bother, it?s not as if you?re vote even counts in the long run. [/B][/QUOTE] Really, this kind of thinking is what's contributing to people's negative thoughts about politics and the American government in particular. Many people here don't vote because they assume that their vote doesn't matter...but what they don't realize is that they can do so much more than vote. People can get their ideas out to other people and inform the masses. What once was one vote can become many if you can convince enough people to agree with you. However, a lot of people simply say "Screw politics, it's all a waste of time," sit on their ***** and do nothing at all. It's unfortunate, but it's true. I'm not saying you have to be some crazy radical who does nothing but preach politics and make insane speeches but a little more participation in politics can go a long way. Anyway, to get back on topic, I'll be registering to vote fairly soon, as well (my 18th birthday is a week from today). Even though I'm really stuck in the middle when it comes to Republican and Democratic ideas, I'll probably end up registering as a Republican, simply because I agree with them slightly more than I do with Democrats. But, really, I won't become one of those blind people who just vote based on their affiliation, because I hate that. People who vote for stuff just because it's Republican or Democrat annoy me.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i] [B][FONT=arial][color=336600] Does anyone remember seeing the Pink Panther stuff? I was really surprised when I started seeing Pink's merchandise recently. Not dismayed, exactly, but definitely surprised, heh. He was so cool. (On a less-than-cartoon note, has anyone seen the movies about the diamond?)[/FONT][/color] [/B][/QUOTE] Pink Panther was awesome. The theme song is classic...I watched those cartoons at 5:30 in the morning on TNT just about everyday. [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i] [B][FONT=arial][color=336600] I remember getting up early and watching [i]Garfield and Friends[/i] every morning. (My little brother does the same thing now, which kind of freaks me out, to be honest.) Heh, Garfield...good times, that was.[/FONT][/color] [/B][/QUOTE] Shame on me for completely forgetting about Garfield and Friends. Garfields was, of course, hilarious and the U.S. Acres cartoons were very funny, as well (off topic: I've never found a newspaper that had the U.S. Acres comics in syndication but I have several of the books o_O) [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i] [B][FONT=arial][color=336600]...and that show that everyone swears I'm making up, about Mario and Luigi...[/FONT][/color] [/B][/QUOTE] Why does everyone think you're making it up o_O I mean, there have been four shows with Mario and Luigi in it (well, three seeing as Super Mario All-Stars was only repeats of episodes from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and Super Mario World). Everyone who swears you're making that show up missed out, because those shows ruled...though, I'm probably a bit biased :p

All I can say is learn to ignore them. A lot of kids are assholes like that. Your situation is really no different than what a lot of kids go through. Sad as it is to say, there are a lot of kids who will make fun of someone just because they are different than they are, no matter how miniscule the differences may be. I went through the same thing for a while. A friend of mine and I loved video games; a lot of other people didn't. We were called nerds and made fun of. We ignored it. Guess what? Now just about everyone we know loves video games in some form or another. Who're the nerds now :p So, just give it time and ignore them. Once they realize that they will not get any reaction from you, they should stop.

My brother pauses the game all the time when we play Smash Bros. Melee. It's very annoying. Also, when I play FPSs, I hate when people peek over into other player's windows to see where they are. They have the damn radar...isn't that good enough? Thankfully, nobody I know pauses the game when they feel the need to make a comment. We just let the comments fly while we're in the middle of the game.

Well, it certainly sounds even better than Two Towers. I rented Two Towers for the GameCube and really enjoyed it. The hack and slash gameplay didn't really get repetitive to me and the graphics and control are both very sharp. The RPG elements really added a nice twist to the pure action of the game, as well. Anyway, Return of the King seems like it addresses the major problems that most people had with Two Towers (some levels were too short and there was no two-player co-op). The sheer number of characters that you can play as adds some replay value that Two Towers was a bit lacking in (I can't wait to kick *** as Gandalf and Aragorn). I'll probably end up renting the game. Who knows, I might even end up buying it.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by ARTommy [/i] [B]recently looked up "ghetoo" in the dictionary and it said a ghetto is a place mainly in habitted by the jewish in a city. So this guy screwed up when he made this game [/B][/QUOTE] Yeah, that's what I was about to post, heh. Ghetto (not ghetoo :p) was originally a term applied to Jews who lived in a poor area of a city and not African-Americans. If I'm not mistaken, ghetto is a Yiddish, not English, term. Anyway, the game hardly holds my interest. The only different version of Monopoly I've bought is Star Wars Monopoly and that's only because I'm a huge Star Wars geek. Though, if there was ever a Nintendopoly, I'd probably snatch that up, too...

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by James [/i] [B][color=#707875]I also have one major beef with gamers; especially those who tried to compare Super Mario Sunshine with Super Mario 64 (by saying that it looks like a second generation N64 title). The biggest problem I have with these complaints isn't that people are saying that there aren't enough polygons or lighting effects or whatever. More specifically, I am annoyed that people worry [i]more[/i] about technical merits than aesthetic merits.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] This is my biggest pet peeve in gaming, really. Too many people overstate the importance of graphics. Are graphics important? Well, sure they are. A bad graphical experience can ruin a game, no doubt. However, a lot of people seem to think that graphics are the end all-be all in decided whether or not a game is good. It's sad when graphics are held to a higher standard than gameplay.

Man, you'd be hardpressed to find a bigger bargain than that. It's certainly the biggest gaming bargain (outside of online auctions and things like that). Think about it...four of the greatest games of all time, plus a system with several amazing games on it for upwards of $80? I shudder to even think about it. I bet this is the kind of thing that people who wait before buying a system live for. EDIT: I suscribed to Nintendo Power and am now awaiting the arrival of the Zelda Collection Disc. I'll post my thoughts on it as soon as I get a chance to play it, heh.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by James [/i] [B][color=#707875]Well, I only partly agree with you there. While a discussion of what is over/underrated is somewhat subjective, there are some very objective benchmarks out there. I wouldn't say that Super Mario Sunshine is a "fantastic and supremely underrated game", but I [i]would[/i] say that much of the criticism placed upon it isn't particularly fair. That is, people who complain about the game's visuals are, in my view, looking at a shallow issue. I also believe that you have to compare the media response to the public response. Some games (ie: Enter the Matrix) receive a pretty lukewarm response from the media in general -- but receive amazing sales at the end of the day. You could say, based on that information, that Enter the Matrix is definitely "overrated". Unfortunately, not enough games sell based purely on good gameplay. I mean, Metroid Prime establishes so many new standards that other games will no doubt follow -- but a copycat game may sell better than MP itself. You know what I mean? There are objective elements to all of this. So, with SMS...I personally don't feel that I overrated it, because there were many aspects of it that I felt were pretty slack. However, when I see GameSpot attacking it primarily on its "shoddy FMV quality", I have to wonder what they are smoking. Since when does one judge a game based primarily on that standard? It's not even like there was much FMV in SMS in the first place. lol Again...a rambly post. But, I hope it made [i]some[/i] sense. ^_^;[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] Ah, I see. I misunderstood your position on Super Mario Sunshine. I was trying to use it as an example but I guess I went a bit overboard, heh. I agree that a [i]lot[/i] of the criticism put on the game was unfair, especially about the visuals. I believe that the game looked pretty good, even spectacular at certain points. My main beef with the game was that the difficulty was supremely unbalanced; certain parts were very easy, while others were extremely tough (I'm looking at you, bonus stages). And I agree that there is an objective element to all this, as well - you can only go so far with gut feeling, unfortunately. There has to be some tangible fact to base everything on. So, I basically agree with you. A person can feel that a game is overrated based on their personal tastes but it's good to be objective about these types of things, too. And, no, I have no idea what GameSpot was smoking.

Yes, very good point. I tend to fall into that trap when it comes to my thinking about overrated and underrated games; if I don't care for it, and everyone else does, it's overrated lol. However, I do agree that Gran Turismo is very good at what it strives to do, and that is to be a very realistic racer. Also, I do recognize the attention to detail that the developers try to put into the game. The game is very realistic and I commend it for being so. But, with that said, it is not enjoyable to me. The way I see it, what is overrated and underrated is very subjective. Every person has a different perspective on these types of matters. While I may think that Gran Turismo is overrated, you believe that I'm speaking nonsense lol. It's the same with your opinion of Super Mario Sunshine; lots of people didn't like it, but you think it's a fantastic and supremely underrated game (and I agree with that). Though, also, I should recognize the fact that Gran Turismo is not meant to be played by every gamer. Mario Kart is meant to be a fun, easy to play game for the entire family. Gran Turismo is meant to be played by those who enjoy the thrill of racing and want a very realistic racer (which is why I don't enjoy it). So, in the end, all our perceptions of overrated/underrated are limited to our tastes, unless we're willing to acknowledge something even if we don't like it.

Somewhat rambly? You're not giving yourself enough credit, James :p Anyway, another game I feel is overrated are those darn Gran Turismo games. Now, before you crazy racing fans jump all over me and tear me limb from limb, let me explain myself. I'm not a very big racing game fan. Hell, I'll be the first to admit that the only racers I've enjoyed are RC-Pro AM and the Mario Kart series. Nothing else has really done it for me. With that said, every time a new Gran Turismo comes out, all I see and read is how they're "the greatest racing games ever" and how "they'll convert non-believers of the racing genre." I've played all three Gran Turismo games and they haven't come close to doing that. Gran Turismo is supposed to be realistic. I know that. But they're so realistic, that they border on unenjoyable for me. When I play games, I find it fun to bend the rules of reality and to be able to do things that you wouldn't be able to do in regular life. With Gran Turismo, it's all realism, realism, realism. And I just don't care for that. It makes me wish that people would take that into account before saying something is "the greatest of all time." So, there's my take on why the Gran Turismo games are overrated. They're certainly good games and they're great at what they do but they're not nearly as good, to me, as people say they are. Oh, and PoisonTongue, the person in my avatar is The Zookeeper from the episode of Futurama where Fry, Bender and Leela become supheroes. The Zookeeper is the villain in the episode. The episode is titled "Less Than Hero."

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by PoisonTongue [/i] [B]Haha. Not "Zelda fight." "Zelda [i]discussion[/i]." Hmm...Mortal Kombat. If we're talking about any MK related games between II and Deadly Alliance, then oh yeah, they're crap. 3 on through...Trilogy, was it? Gold? 4? Anyway, the individual titles don't matter...I feel Deadly Alliance saved the MK series. 1 and 2 were great games, original, injected new life into the fighting genre (and gave those Street Fighter fanboys a twist in their panties hehehe). 3 began the series downfall, leading the series into abysmal crap like Mythologies (sure, Mythologies was fun to play for a bit, then you realized just how bulky it was lol) and Special Forces. I wouldn't necessarily call the entire MK series overrated, just 3 through whatever came before Deadly Alliance. MK shouldn't be a button masher, and for the most part, it isn't. When you compare it to Tekken, MK isn't too much of a button masher. Come to think of it, MKDA isn't a button masher at all. Successful victories require timing, pacing, strategic movement, and the moves are linkable--not very effective when smashed alone. They almost require combos in order to be useful. 3 through Gold were certainly overrated regardless of the minute praise they may have received. Granted, 3 [i]did[/i] introduce a nice combo idea, but that same combo idea was being used in Virtua Fighter already with a much higher success (Right? My fighting genre history isn't too solid.). Thinking about the series even more, MKDA incorporated all of the gameplay ideas of the series (combos from 3, 3D and weapons from 4) and used them very well. I don't think one can write off the entire MK series as overrated, as 1, 2, and MKDA are truly excellent games.[/B][/QUOTE] Okay, maybe "fight" was the wrong word to describe it :p I was just never able to fully get into Mortal Kombat...though, admittedly, I was never a big fighting game fanatic back then (it took Marvel vs. Capcom to convert me). Mortal Kombat brought in some interesting ideas and MK2 is definitely the best in the series...I just don't think it's as good as a lot of people say. So, yeah, I guess the series [i]as a whole[/i] isn't overrated but a few games (MK3 in particular) were praised even though they had minute differences, at best, when compared to the other games. Deadly Alliance is pretty decent, I'll admit. Loads better than the crap in between that and 2, heh. And about the button mashing...I regularly play fighting games with a bunch of button mashing bastards lol. That's probably where my whole perception of that came fom.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Hells Fire [/i] [B]Here is a question what came first Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter? If Street Fighter came first then i just wasted my time. [/B][/QUOTE] The original Street Fighter came out years before the original Mortal Kombat did. Street Fighter came out around 1987 or 1989, I believe (my memory is a bit rusty) and the original Mortal Kombat came out in 1992. Either way, Street Fighter has been around way longer than Mortal Kombat.

A lot of people like to take enjoyment in not playing puzzle games because of cartoony looks or something. Sad, really. I've had some really great times with puzzle games. Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon, Tetris, Mr. Driller, Bust a Move, etc. With that said, I must now track down a copy of Denki Blocks and play it. Thank you, Shroom.

Just about all of LttP's dungeons are multi-tiered; it's just that a lot of the time, multiple levels weren't taken into account for a lot of the puzzles. Blind the Thief's level and, I think, Turtle Rock are two dungeons that took advantage of the whole "multiple-floor puzzles" concept. With that said, though, LttP still has my favorite dungeons because I find their puzzles the most interesting. And I forgot about Adventure of Link...for shame! I remember that it had at least one level with a multi-tiered puzzle. [spoiler]I can't remember which dungeon, but you fell through a camoflauged floor and you kept falling forever unless you could stop yourself on the correct floor.[/spoiler] Rather devious, considering it was pretty simple, heh. And just so I don't drag this thread into one big Zelda fight lol...here's another game I feel is overrated: The whole damn Mortal Kombat series. I just never got it. To me, all it had was the novelty of blood and that's it. You could easily button mash and get pretty far in the game. Plus, it's a member of the Tekken school of "a bazillion buttons per move" and I've always found that to be extremely annoying. I always wished someone would've told them that you [i]don't have to use every button on the controller![/i]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by PoisonTongue [/i] [B]But the backlash against N for the vast commercialization of the franchise really put some hurting on the fun factor of Pokemon, and fans' attitudes were shaped by the outrageous and lunatic exploitation. I would go as far as to say, the exploitation of Pokemon added to the fanboy hatred of Nintendo. I love the Zelda series, but OOT just didn't do anything for me. I didn't feel the freedom that I felt in the original, I didn't feel the exhilaration of the NES edition. OOT felt really restricted. I missed searching 8 dungeons for the 8 pieces of the Triforce. I missed Death Mountain...the feel of a massive labryinth, dead-ends, death in almost every room. 4 LikeLikes and 6 Wizzrobes in a room that gave you very little maneuvering space. I missed that in OOT, and miss that in WW, too. I still have not found the Red Ring in LoZ, but I've gotten every piece of equipment in OOT. I suppose, my biggest disappointment with OOT is that it tells you exactly where to go, the levels are really linear, and it's not epic.[/B][/QUOTE] I would definitely say, at least in my experience, that Nintendo's commercialization of Pokemon has added to the fanboy hatred of Nintendo. I've seen more than a few message boards and the amount of hatred vented towards Nintendo, simply because of Pokemon, is astounding. Sad, as well, because those people who choose to hate Nintendo are missing out on the greatest gaming company in history. And, as for OOT, I think that it's really hard to capture the same kind of feel that the 2D Zeldas had when the transition is made into the 3D realm. The whole level design is vastly different. In the 2D Zelda, the whole idea of integrating multiple floors into puzzles was a rarely used idea. In OOT, it was used at least once per dungeon. That's just one example but the transition to 3D changes the whole dynamic of the series. I agree, though, that it was a lot more linear than the previous Zelda games (though, Link to the Past was pretty linear, as well). There are still a fair amount of side quests and minigames to take you off the beaten path but there wasn't as much of an element of pure exploration in the game. Basically, some character gave you an obvious hint and you were off. I still love OOT, though, if only for the amazing dungeons. I love them to death.

Hmm...I somehow managed to avoid this for a while. Anyway, if anything, the orignal Pokemon games are [i]underrated[/i]. It's just that they get tremendous loads of hatred vented against them because of all the exploitation it's gone through via Nintendo (really...I'm a huge fan of Nintendo...and even [i]I[/i] thought it was too much). Pokemon Red, Blue, Silver and Gold are all good, addicting games. Yellow and Crystal I could've done without, since they didn't add too much to the gameplay of Pokemon. I found Pokemon Snap interesting, if a bit short. And Pokemon Pinball owns you and your mother. Seriously, if you even remotely enjoy pinball, Pokemon Pinball would be a great pickup. I've wasted so much time with it, it's amazing o_O

I barely remember anything I did, much less watched when I was that young lol. From what my parents tell me, I was really into game shows. The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune being my favorites. I remember one story in particular they always like to tease me with, which I won't reveal here...suffice it to say, it's just one of those embarrasing kid stories parents love to tell your friends and neighbors :( [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Alastor [/i] [B]I used to watch Power Rangers all the time. I couldnt get enough. [/B][/QUOTE] Well, thanks for making me feel old :p EDIT: Gah, the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! How could I forget that?! Granted, I started watching it out of the age range in this thread, but eh. I was one of those dorks that did The Mario at the end credits, so this must be included.

First of all, in case I haven't told you enough, you own me and everyone else for getting me a Zookeeper avatar. As for the quality of it, it doesn't really matter too much to me; you can improve it if you feel like it, but it's not such a big deal to me. I just wanted a Zookeeper avi :p As for the Ring banner, I like it. The text goes well with the whole thing and I like the sudden and abrupt transition to the Ring symbol. Cool stuff.

I think it looks okay. It is admitedly a bit plain but it's still decent. I especially like the pic of the Sephriothic Chart - looks very good. A good start seeing as this is only your second (I think) slide show banner.

Some good stuff here, Des. In your first banner, I really like the black and white background. I'm a big fan of black and white pics, heh; they just look really cool. The shining blue lettering goes very well with the banner, as well. Nice choice. To be honest, the Tarutaru freaks me out a bit but that's hardly your fault, heh. I really like the second banner. It has a bit of a grainy look but it's not really noticeable (only if you look really closely like I did lol). The mountain background is a really nice backdrop and the sunrise (or sunset) casting rays on it is very cool looking. Of course, the classic Final Fantasy lettering just seals the deal ^_^ I also love the first set of avatars. The flags have awesome looking designs and they indeed make great avatars. The second set of avatars are done well, too. Terrific looking characters with a bright background. Good stuff. The last set of avatars are very catching. The characters are getting ready to attack and I think that the glowing effect seen in the opening movie is used very well to get some sharp looking avatars. All in all, great work, Des. I shall recruit more people to reply to this. If they don't...your plan shall be set in motion...

I've somehow managed to stay away from the remake of [i]Psycho[/i] and its many sequels. Something just tells me they won't be good at all. I wonder what it is ~_^ I think that's a very good point. A film could be able to stand the test of time but not be a masterpiece and at the same time, a masterpiece could be very good in its era but maybe not in another. It all depends on the perception of the people who watch the movies.

Great work, Solo :) I think it's a very, very funny story so far - made even better by the ridiculous (yet somehow believable in the context of OB o_O) premise. Of course, it helped that the fic was very well written, heh. Like I told you a few minutes ago, that chat needs to be made as soon as possible lol. Especially if it's a chat with hundreds of people in it - I TEH CHATT!!!!11!000! would be a fitting name lol. Though, I probably wouldn't talk much in it because I'd be so overwhelmed by the other people in it o_o I loved how James accidently caused everyone to be inserted into the computer, heh. Spilling coffee onto the keyboard and pressing the Enter key is just classic stuff, man. Reminds me of The Simpsons when Bart and Lisa pressed the Enter button on the television controller and got zapped into the television lol. "Thank you for logging in, James." You even included the message! I'm so loving this so far hehe. I also thought it was very clever of you to integrate people's avatars with their OB appearance - especially my big scene with Desbreko :toothy: I'm pretty sure everyone identifies Mario with James by now lol. And, if they didn't, they sure will after reading this ~_^ [quote][i]Originally posted by Solo Tremaine[/i] Syk3 especially, who had changed into a full-sized Evangelion Unit 01. He could tell interactions with Mei were suddenly going to become a lot more complicated.[/quote] I'm telling you, this line made me laugh so much. I can't wait until Syk3 sees that lol. Syk3: O_O! Me: XD And, as I also told you, I loved it that when Charles told everyone that he didn't know where they were, the first person who asked a question asked where they were lol. That seems to happen more often than not here :p And, usually, a line like "Welcome to OtakuBoards." would be cheesy but I think that it works very well here. Very nice work, Solo. I can't wait for the next installment :D

There should be another option on the poll..."who gives a crap?" Honestly, I don't see why so many people have to be so high and mighty with things like this. They see one element of a show that's similar to anime (which anime probably took from some other form of entertainment) and the immediately scream "Rip-off! Rip-off!" I haven't even been at OB for half a year and the number of threads that I've seen that are similar to this is astounding. So what if Teen Titans decided to "borrow" a bit of anime style? Who are you to say that it shouldn't be used outside of Japan? Elitist crap like that just annoys the hell out of me. Besides, this is exactly how new and more interesting forms of entertainment are made - a person is influenced by another person's work and decide to integrate it with their own ideas to create their own style. It's been a standard for years. Hell, I doubt 99% of anime is truly original, anyway. But it's from Japan, so I should automatically assume that it's the most incredible thing in history! Give me a break. EDIT: [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dagger IX1 [/i] [B]2. Hellsing: I don't know too much about HS. However, I do know that it definitely doesn't take place in Japan.[/B][/QUOTE] I haven't watched much Hellsing but I believe that it takes place in England.

Well, just because Will Ferrel is making a more family-oriented movie does not mean he's lowering his standards. From what little I've seen, the movie looks okay...it can really go either way, in my opinion. I'd just wait and see what other people say about it before making a decision about going and seeing the movie. But, honestly, it doesn't look too bad to me. I'm a big fan of Will's. I'm sure it'll end up being watchable.