Desbreko

[color=indigo]I managed to get all 120 Shines about a month after SMS was released. It was a long, hard road filled with much swearing at the game, but I finally managed to track down those last few Blue Coins that are an absolute ***** to find.[/color]

[color=indigo]I think my favorite so far was in Metroid Prime, in the ending cutscene. I like the part where [spoiler]Metroid Prime yanked the Phazon Suit off of Samus, Samus looks down at her suit, then back up at Metroid Prime, and then just runs for it[/spoiler]. That was great.[/color]

Yeah, a lot of people have been busy, what with Christmas, New Years, and whatnot, myself included. Don't worry about it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=indigo][b]Drake: Note to self: Body shots don't do a thing against it. Wish I'd known that earlier, before I put fifty slices into its gut, only to watch them heal instantly. Lalia: Well, now you know, in case we ever run into one of these again. Drake: I agree, though, lets get out of here.[/b] The two hurried down the only passage coming off the room. At first, the ground was wet and soft like in the room they landed in, but as they went farther along, it became harder. Although there were no torches to illuminate the corridor, they could see; it seemed like there was something in the walls giving off a faint light. The pair didn't notice this, however, as they had more important matters of their minds. First of all, how to get back up to the surface. As they walked down the tunnel at a quick pace, they finally noticed that they were going downhill, and that the floor was a hard, black stone. The air was also getting stuffier and drier. Then...a dead end. [b]Lalia: We're not...we're not trapped down here, are we? Drake: I don't know. I didn't see any other passages, though, did you?[/b] Lalia shook her head, and Drake let out a long sigh. [b]Drake: Well, lets rest here for a minute. That fight was tiring.[/b] Drake started to lean against the wall of the dead end... And then fell right through it, onto his back. [b]Drake: Ow. Lalia: You seem to be quite good at finding these fake walls.[/b] Getting up, he stepped back through the wall, and rubbed the back of his head. [b]Drake: I kind of wish I wasn't, though. At least not like I have been. Lalia: Well, lets keep going. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Drake: Me too.[/b] The two of them stepped through the wall, and continued along the tunnel. After a while it began to slope back uphill, much to the relief of Drake and Lalia. For a long time, neither of them spoke. They just walked, both determined to get out of the dim tunnels beneath the Graveyard. Eventually, they came out into room. It was much like the room that they had fought the Dead Hand in, but this one, like the tunnel, had a sturdy rock floor. As they walked in, torches around the walls of the cave sprang to life, a stone door slammed down behind them, and a deep, growling laugh echoed from the shadows of the room. Quickly unsheathing his sword and readying his shield, Drake stood with his back to the wall in a fighting stance, with Lalia behind him. [b]Drake: This could be ugly...[/b] Out from the corners of the room stepped three Stalfos Knights and one Gibdo. The three knights glared at the intruders, the red glow in their eye sockets glowing bright. The Gibdo just stumbled towards them, arms outstretched, looking as if it was going to grab onto you and suck your life away. Drake jumped to the side as the nearest Stalfos struck, the blow clanging off Drake's shield. Then another Stalfos was on him, and Drake was ducking and dodging with all his skill to avoid the blows of their swords. Clang after clang, Drake used sword and shield to deflect the slashes and stabs, until he saw an opening: A slight hesitation by one of the Stalfos. Lunging forward, he stabbed his sword through the ribcage of one of the knights. It fell backwards and disintegrated it small puffs of white-purple light. At the same time Lalia was having trouble. Running from the Stalfos and Gibdo pursuing her about the room, she deflected a blow here or there with her rods, but there had been too many close calls. Then she heard Drake yell something as he jumped past the second Stalfos after defeating the first. [b]Drake: Lalia, use fire on the Gibdo![/b] And then he was back fighting off the remaining Stalfos assailing him. "Use fire on the Gibdo!" The words echoed through her mind, as she realized just how effective her Fire Rod would be against the giant mummy. Grasping the Fire Rod tightly, she turned, aimed, and took a shot at the Gibdo hobbling after her. Not being as quick as the Stalfos Knight, the mummy took the shot directly in the chest, and immediately burst into flames, and fell over twitching and flailing about with its arms and legs. Then the Stalfos was upon her, charging straight at her. She tried to jump out of the way, and partly succeeded. She managed to dodge the swing of the knight's sword, but not the bulk of its shield. The shield hit her in the side, spinning her around and dropping her to the ground. She let out a cry of pain as she went down, and Drake's head snapped around to face it. Seeing Lalia lying on the ground, the Stalfos standing over her, he became filled with rage. He couldn't let this happen. He had to save her. [i]I swore to protect you, and I will![/i] He glanced up, and saw an old knarled tree root sticking down out of the ceiling of the cave. Several thoughts flashed through his mind, the last one being the plan he executed. He ran forward, shield raised, and bashed into the Stalfos Knight fighting him, momentarily stunning it. Drake used this time to quickly return his shield to its belt loop on his back, and unclip the Hookshot from his belt. He aimed quickly, fired, and the next thing he knew he was flying up to the tree root. As he reached the root and the chain dislodged from the wood, he moved fast as lightning, clipping the Hookshot back on his belt, and swing his sword around to point straight down, both hands on the hilt, and grim determination in his eyes as he fell. The Stalfos Knight standing over Lalia looked up as he heard Drake's yell, just in time to see the sword point pierce its skull. The sheer force of the fall drove the blade straight down the knight's spinal cord, splitting the monster in two, only to have those two halves crushed as Drake's boots came down upon them. A cloud of dust arose around Drake, some from the floor and walls of the cave, but most from the crumbling bones of the Stalfos. Drake was in a kneeling position next to Lalia, sword and shield raised, ready to defend or attack. He stood up, quickly looked around the room, and saw the last remaining Stalfos on the other side of the room. One would think it would have been frightened, seeing its comrade dispatched in such a manner. But Stalfos do not know fear, they do not know any emotion... Except hate; hatred for anything good and right. It came at Drake, the fire in its eyes burning as bright as ever, the grin of its fleshless mouth grinning at him, and sword upraised, ready for a fatal blow. And it would have been a fatal blow, if Drake had not had the strength left in him to dodge. The sword stroke swept by his head as he jumped to the side, but he was too slow. The blade caught his shoulder, slicing a gash in it. A minor wound, but enough to slow Drake down. The Stalfos had won. It knew Drake could not fight effectively without his shield arm. Drake raised his sword up in a parry, knowing the blow was coming... But it did not; there was only silence. He looked up, to see the Stalfos frozen in block of ice, Lalia smiling triumphantly from her sprawled position on the floor, Ice Rod in hand. [b]Drake: Are you all right? Lalia: Nothing serious. Just a bruised rib and an aching arm.[/b] Drake sat down next to her, panting, trying to catch his breath as he pulled his bottle of Red Potion from a pocket of his tunic. [b]Drake: I guess I'll get to use this, then.[/b] Taking a long swig, he drank the potion, and almost instantly his wound healed. Lalia sat up next to Drake, the two resting their backs against the wall of the cave. Lalia leaned against Drake, resting her head on his shoulder. For the first time, they really looked at the room they were in. It was roughly circular, growing narrower the higher it went--and it went pretty high. There was even a staircase spiraling around the edge of the room, leading up to something at the top. Drake couldn't tell from this distance. [b]Lalia: Drake, what's that? Drake: Huh?[/b] Drake looked back down, to where Lalia was pointing. It looked as though something was sparkling in the shadows against the far wall. Drake squinted, trying to make it out. He could just bare make out the outline of what looked like a big box. [i]Big...sparkly...box?[/i] Standing up slowly, he walked carefully across the room, until he could see what exactly the thing was. It was, in fact, and big sparkly box; or, rather, a treasure chest. Drake opened it, reached inside, and... [b]Drake: The stories were true after all.[/b] ...lifted up a Magic Cape. Drake walked back to Lalia, and helped her up before slinging the dark red cape around his shoulders. [b]Drake: I guess if I just...[/b] And suddenly, Drake was invisible, only a slight shadow on the floor to give him away. [b]Drake: And then if I...[/b] And then Drake was visible once more, grinning broadly at Lalia. [b]Drake: You know, I could really get to like this.[/b] Lalia laughed, smiling at Drake as he tried out his new "toy." [b]Lalia: I think we should be going now, though. Lets see what's through that trap door at the top of the stairs. Maybe it's another secret passage under a grave, if we're still under the Graveyard. Drake: Yes, lets go. I don't want to spend one more minute down here.[/b] And with that, the two of them set off up the winding stone steps leading up to what looked to be a trap door.[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, just a quick note... See how the picking up of items works, there? Drake used his Red Potion, bringing him down to three items. This let him pick up the Magic Cape without having to drop an item. If you have your character pick up, drop, or swap an item with another character, you'll probably want to write down what items your character currently has. I'd recommend editing your sign up post whenever there's a change in the items that your character has. That's what I'm going to do.

[color=indigo]About the only thing I liked from Midway was Gauntlet Legends, and probably Gauntlet: Dark Legacy as well, though I've never played it. I keep thinking I should try and find it used somewhere for the GCN or something... But yeah, I won't be all that sad if Midway is bought. I played a couple of the Rush games, and I didn't find them all that fun. And I've never liked sports games, so those are out...[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i] [B]I think the inclusion of small minigames would help... Not like Mario Party 4 stuff really, but more like in Street Fighter 2. If you remember, there were points in the game where you'd see who could break the most barrels or break a car first. I'd like stuff simliar to that to be in the next game. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]There are already little mini-games... Break the Targets, Board the Platforms, Race to the Finish, that sort of thing... I really liked some of those, especially some of the Break the Targets ones. And it's neat how each character has their own level for those ones, too, designed to require skill with that particular character's moves.[/color]

[color=indigo]Heh, don't worry about going off topic in a help thread if you're asking questions. It's easier when people post their questions in already existing help threads. But yeah, make sure each of your party members has at least one attack magic spell, since Barret is the only one that can hit them (them being the Hundred Gunner and Heli Gunner) with his normal attack. Just keep pounding away with magic and limit breaks when they become available, and have one person with the Restore Materia for healing whenever someone gets low on HP. And like Break said, Bolt spells are especially effective against mechanical monsters, so use Bolt as often as you can. This is one of the more challenging boss fights early on in the game, but don't give up. You'll beat them eventually, and shortly after, you'll be treated to one of the coolest cutscenes in the game.[/color]

[color=indigo]I'd recommend either FFVI or FFVII if you're just starting out. Sure, FFVI was originally on the SNES (you can get it in FF Anthology on the PSX, now), and FFVII is on the PSX, but you shouldn't judge games by how old they are, or by how good the graphics are. Both of these are incredible games, and are my top two favorites in the series. If you pass by these games just because they're a bit old, you'll be missing out on two of the greatest RPGs ever. The new FF Tactics on the GBA, FFXI, and FFXII won't be out for quite awhile, so if you're going to wait for them, you could be waiting a long, long time. (Probably the least for the new FFT, but still, it'll be a while). Also, you should be aware that FFXI will almost definitely have a monthly fee, seeing as it's an online game. If you like action/adventure type games, you'll probably love Zelda: A Link to the Past / Four Swords. (It's my absolute favorite game, though, so I may be just a bit biased, heh). If you want info on it, there's a thread about it in the Zelda forum. Likewise, you should be able to find threads about the other games in the Nintendo and Pokémon forums. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire aren't coming out for a few months, though.[/color]

[color=indigo]Bleh...I was hoping FFXII would be more in the style of the old FF games, like FFIV, where you had knights and castles and all that fantasy-ish stuff. I'm tired of all this futuristic crap. It just doesn't feel like Final Fantasy to me. Even FFVII was on the edge in that regard, even if it is one of the best in the series. And I still want to see another 2D Final Fantasy game like the old SNES ones. The newer ones may have flashy graphics, but I still prefer the old overhead view and sprites of the pre-PSX games.[/color]

[color=indigo]Now [i]that[/i] would be cool. A 2D Mario game on the GCN that lasts 20 hours just to play through... Man I hope they do something like that. I'm sure it would sell like crazy, too, seeing as how the Super Mario Advance games are doing so well. Heck, those are just ports, and this would be an original game![/color]

[color=indigo]I liked most of the music when I rented it on the SNES a long time ago. I think it fits the game pretty well. I especially liked the music on the "Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy" (the name was something like that, anyway) level in the first world, and how it goes all funky when you touch a Fuzzy and the screen starts to go all wavey. That was definitely my favorite level, heh.[/color]

[color=indigo]Okay, people, if you're going to post, make sure you give some reason for why you like/dislike the game. Just saying "I like it," or, "I don't like it," is spam. *deletes a bunch of posts* I rented Paper Mario back around when it came out, and I liked it. I've never played Super Mario RPG much, though, so I can't compare it with that. I did like the badge system, and how you can do extra damage in battles by hitting the button at the right time and whatnot. I like that, instead of just entering the command and sitting back to wait for your next turn. Makes the battles more interesting, and helps to keep you concentrated on what's happening. Overall, I'd say it's probably one of the better RPGs on the N64. I only got through a little less that half the game when I rented it, but what I did get to play was pretty good. I liked the parts where you play as Peach, too. Those bits were always amusing.[/color]

[color=indigo]WOO! I've played Four Swords! Turns out one of my friends had already gotten the game, so I got to play it with him on New Year's Eve. I didn't get to play a whole lot, only the first area where it teaches you about the different items and whatnot, and then the first real dungeon area. Still, I loved it, and it was pretty much everything I was hoping for. The only thing I didn't like was that there weren't very many enemies, but I'm hoping that will change it the later dungeons. And you know what the best part about it was? The fact that I was having that much fun while only playing with one other person! I can't wait to be able to play it with three other people.[/color]

[color=indigo]Ah, those... Yeah, I've always gone and gotten the Red Shield right after I beat the Desert Palace, and I never really encountered the red soldiers with the spears without the Red Shield. [b]Question:[/b] In A Link to the Past, how can you kill Buzz Blobs with your sword without getting hurt and without using any other items or sword beams?[/color]

[color=indigo]Well, I've got a new favorite Zelda game. Yes, it managed to top A Link to the Past. What is it, you ask? A Link to the Past / Four Swords! The remake of LTP is exactly the same as the original, except for a few improvements. The only thing I don't like about it are the voices that they added, but I got used to those pretty quickly. Plus, it's portable, so I can take it with me. Now, just the remake of LTP by itself would've topped the original LTP, but not only does it have the remake of LTP, it also has Four Swords! A whole other multi-player game on the same cartridge! It's like getting two games in one! Now, admittedly, Four Swords is multi-player only, so you can't play it by yourself. But, when you do get to play it with other people, it's tons of fun. I haven't played it a whole lot, but what I did play, even with only one other person, I loved every second of it. I can't even imagine what it's like with four people. So, yeah, I've got a new absolute favorite game. Funny how the only thing that could top LTP was a remake of LTP with another Zelda game on the same cartridge, heh. I'm just loving this game [i]so[/i] dang much! I've only been playing it for about 4 days, and I've already done everything in LTP except beat Ganon. (Planning on saving that for later). And I can't wait to play Four Swords some more![/color]

[color=indigo]Three things? The only things I know of that can be blocked by the Fighter's Shield are arrows and rocks, and that's only two. The Red Shield Blocks fireballs, and the Mirror Shield blocks beams. What else is there?[/color]

[color=indigo]Well, my birthday is in about four days. I haven't really asked for anything (not seriously, anyway, heh), but people keep asking what I want, so I tell them money, because I'm not sure which video games and stuff I want. If I get enough, I might get a PS2, or I might just stock up on GCN games, who knows.[/color]

[color=indigo]Well, here they are... I usually don't really do this sort of thing, making new years resolutions and stuff, but hey, why not try it... 1. Convince Adam to do a Zelda site. 2. Convince Adam to let me work on said Zelda site. 3. Do a kick-*** job on said Zelda site. 4. Make the whole world know that I am the great Zelda Lore Master. hee...[/color]

[color=indigo]Yeah, forgot to mention online play. That'd be the best. I wouldn't want one on the GBA, though, because there's not enough buttons for it. Sure, you have A and B for normal and special attacks, R for grab, and L for shield, but that doesn't leave one for jump! I absolutely cannot stand using up on the control stick to jump in SSB/SSBM, because it just seems like you don't get as much control with your jumps doing it that way. They really should have put four face buttons on the GBA. It would've been so awesome to have a portable SSB game. Not to mention making other games easier to play, especially some SNES ports.[/color]

[color=indigo]Right, now that I've thought of a question, I'll finally answer this, seeing as no one else has gotten it. [b]Answer:[/b] It's nine. There are ten patches, and only one of them doesn't have a Gold Skulltula in it. [b]Question:[/b] In the remake of LTP in Zelda: A Link to the Past / Four Swords, what character from Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons makes an appearance, and who is that character?[/color]

[color=indigo]The pain subsiding a little, Drake managed to stand up, though he was leaning on his sword, which was stuck in the soft ground like a cane. [b]Drake: Lalia, there must be a trap door or something in the floor in front of the chest![/b] Lalia slowly crept forward, and probed the floor with her foot. It wasn't a trap door, though--it was an illusion. Her foot went right through, and she quickly stepped back before she fell in. Back down in the pit, Drake was stumbling away from the large white creature. [i]At least this thing doesn't move fast,[/i] he thought... And then he found out why it didn't have to. As he stumbled backwards, a large hand wrapped itself around his neck, squeezing, trying to suffocate him. Struggling back forward, he looked up at the hole in the ceiling. He struggled to yell, as he saw that the monster was now directly below the hole. [b]Drake: Lalia, fire straight down the hole! Quickly![/b] Lalia, hearing the strain of Drake's voice, quickly poked her Fire Rod down through the fake floor, and fired. The fiery blast hit the monster straight on the head, and it reared back, moving away from the hole. The hand holding onto Drake also went limp, the monster no doubt distracted for the moment. Drake, now free, quickly stumbled away from the arms protruding from the ground. [i]Now I've got you, you nasty white bugger,[/i] he thought as he hefted his sword. Stepping forward, he swung at one of the long arms, chopping it off midway from the hand and the ground. The monster roared in pain as what was left of the arm quickly receded into the ground, and again, as Drake cut off another. Advancing toward the large white thing, he cut down arm after grasping arm, and was finally standing before the beast once again; this time, however, he wasn't defenseless. He lunged, and slashed at the thing's body, making a large gash in its side. It let out a shriek, so shrill that it hurt Drake's ears, and disappeared into the soft soil below. [b]Lalia: Drake, are you all right? What's happening?[/b] Drake returned to the hole in the ceiling, still gasping for breath a bit. [b]Drake: It's okay. I think I got it. Lalia: Are you hurt? Drake: My legs ache from the fall, by I'm pretty much fine. I think you might want to come down now, though. There's a passage leading off this room down here, and I don't want to go alone. Lalia: How am I supposed to get down? Just jump? Drake: I'll catch you. Don't worry.[/b] He said this as he sheathed his sword and returned his shield to its holder on his back, and held out his arms, ready to catch her. Behind him, though, a hand started to dig its way up through the soil. [b]Lalia: Okay, I'm coming down. Drake: I'm ready.[/b] Lalia stepped forward and fell, but the hard impact she was preparing for didn't come. Instead, Drake caught her out of the air and kneeled down to absorb the shock of the sudden weight on his arms, and set her on her feet at the same time. Standing up, he smiled at her. She didn't smile back, however. Her eyes widened and she let out a small scream as she saw the hand reaching for the back of Drake's head. She quickly raised her Fire Rod as Drake jumped to the side, and fired. The hand quickly retreated to the safety of the soil as the blast sailed by overhead, and charred the wall behind it. The main body of the monster was back again, the gash in its side gone, and it was looking angry this time. Getting a better look at it this time, Drake saw that it was a tall, white, blobby thing, with a long neck and small head. It almost looked as if it oozed its way along the ground, and its large, yellow, razor sharp teeth were bared, and it was moving along with more speed than before. [b]Drake: I can take this thing... Just keep out of reach of the arms.[/b] Drawing his sword and shield, he took a step forward, preparing to meet the monster.[/color]

[color=indigo]Yeah, I beat that event match without too much trouble. I used lots and lots of Spin Attacks with Link, heheh. It also helps if you're good at spotting where they are, since you can kind of see them when they move. What annoys me, is that the CPU characters know where you are when you have a Cloaking Device. I've stood, unmoving so it didn't even make that little flicker, all the way across the level from them and they still just went right to where I was and started hitting me. That, and human players can tell where you are, too, because it always puts the little arrow that says "Jon" (the name that I use) above where I am. The only thing they're really good for is making it so you don't take damage while using one.[/color]

[color=indigo]I really, really, really doubt that is ever going to happen. Why? Because the Yu-Gi-Oh games aren't made by Nintendo, meaning that Nintendo doesn't have rights to the characters. As for some ideas for the next SSB game, I think that they should improve the AI of the CPU characters, and tone down the amount of cheap things they can do. They should also include the Saffron City level from the original. Out of all the levels from both the games, it's still my favorite. For new characters, hmm... I dunno, actually. I think they've used pretty much all the good Nintendo characters in SSBM. Unless they can manage to get the rights to use other characters, I don't think there's going to be much expansion in the selection of characters. Who knows, though?[/color]

[color=indigo]Retro Studios and Silicon Knights are already second party developers. (And didn't Retro actually get bought by Nintendo, too, making it a first party development house?) I was kind of looking forward to Diddy Kong Pilot on the GBA, but I don't know what's happening with that anymore, if anything. I always liked the plane levels in Diddy Kong Racing the best. I'll also miss Rare, but not that much. Nintendo still has lots of other great game series, though, despite losing the Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, and Perfect Dark series. Another 3D Donkey Kong game on the GCN would be cool. I liked DK64 quite a bit.[/color]

[color=indigo][b]Answer:[/b] 5000 Gil. [b]Question:[/b] In FFVI, do any of the characters ever have a Jump command?[/color]

[color=indigo][b]Drake: We have to go. Look, there's the grave we're headed for.[/b] He pointed over to a large grave over in the northeastern corner of the Graveyard. The mist actually seemed to be thicker over and it. [b]Lalia: Drake...[/b] Drake could here her voice waver with fear. He pulled her closer into a tight hug, trying to give her some reassurance; reassurance he didn't have himself. He felt himself start to shake slightly, but stopped himself almost immediately. [b]Drake: If you want...you can stay at the entrance, while I go in a little ways and take a look around. I won't go out of sight. Lalia: ...Okay.[/b] Drake released Lalia from the hug, slowly, and drew his sword and shield. He walked forward towards the large grave, Lalia following a step behind. Arriving at the grave without incident, Drake set his shield down, and pulled a Bomb from his Bomb Bag. Placing it at the base of the grave, he lit the fuse and picked up his shield again before backing away a few feet. The two of them covered their ears as the Bomb exploded in a large blast of fire and smoke. When the dust settled, the grave was gone, and a staircase below it had been revealed. It was dark, dank, and musty, yet surprisingly, there were faintly burning torches hung along the walls of the corridor below. Slowly they crept forward and descended the stairs, which led down about fifteen feet. Inside was a plain, nondescript corridor, with a treasure chest at the end, the torchlight shining off its bright golden surface. [b]Drake: Maybe this won't be so hard after all. Lalia: It still feels...wrong... Drake: I can feel it too... Do you want to stay here while I go and get it? Lalia: No...no, I'll come with you.[/b] Slowly, carefully, looking for any possible traps, they made their way down the corridor. Drake was almost in reach of the chest... And then it seemed almost as if he disappeared. Falling through what he had thought until a moment ago to be solid floor, he landed on soft, damp ground, 20 feet below the corridor. He landed, and his legs collapsed beneath him from the force of the impact. Lying on his side, he could just glimpse a large, white thing looking over him. It was tall, with a long neck and small head, and it looked as through there were long arms poking out of the ground in various places around the room. Although he didn't know it, this beast was called a Dead Hand, and was notorious from catching prey with it's long arms sticking out of the ground, and then killing them with a strong bite to the head. His legs still burning from the pain of the impact, he could barely move them. He yelled, as loud as he could, hoping that Lalia would be able to do something. It would take a minute for him to be able to stand again, and fight the monster. [b]Drake: Lalia![/b][/color]