Desbreko

[color=#4B0082]Nice commentary, but we've already got threads for [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=49165][u]FFVII: Advent Children[/u][/url] and [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=41879][u]Kingdom Hearts 2[/u][/url]. So please use those if you'd like to post farther thoughts. Thread Closed[/color]

[color=#4B0082]*sighs* See, this is what I was afraid of when I first posted in this thread. Someone always feels the need to take someone's statement of belief as an attack on their own. Just to put Nomura's statement into perspective, look at it this way: If you came to someone and told them the building you're both in is on fire, wouldn't you think them rather less than intelligent if they just told you, "Whatever, I'll be fine"? I'm sure you would leave the building as soon as possible and think them an idiot for needlessly suffering fiery death. Okay, now consider that a Christian believes people are going to hell if they don't trust in Jesus to save them--that parallels the statement of the building being on fire. We try to tell people this, and obviously we get a lot responding with the same, "Whatever, I'll be fine." Now, to a Christian who believes wholeheartedly that people are going to hell unless they trust in Jesus, they're going to think people foolish for turning down an escape from that fiery death. This is not to say that Christians call unbelievers outright stupid. (Or at least they shouldn't be.) But it's kind of impossible to fully believe that something is right while also thinking someone else is the model of intelligence when they believe something contrary. It just doesn't work. And if you think about it, whenever you say a Christian's beliefs are wrong, you're doing the very same thing. You have your beliefs, and if you're fully convinced that they're true, other people with contrary views must be wrong. In conclusion: No one's attacking anyone's level of intelligence (well, maybe DeathKnight is :p), all of the views posted here are personal beliefs, no one is directly attacking your beliefs, and indirect contradictions of belief are unavoidable. So if anyone feels the need to tell someone else they're wrong, you should instead get off your high horse and keep your bickering to yourself. Like SunfallE said, this thread will have to be closed if it degenerates into that.[/color]

[center][img]http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/255/zfspurplelink9hx.jpg[/img][/center] [color=#4B0082]Purple Link is [i]obviously[/i] more awesome than everyone else when it comes to fashion. And everything else for that matter.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]That's true, it would be good for those that see it as a fun little thing and nothing more. Kind of like the fanlistings you see around the net for various things. But those that take it too seriously make more work for the moderators, so there has to be some balance. I guess if anyone can make it work, James can. He hasn't failed us yet. :)[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Wow, old thread. In remember this back when it was in the Pokemon forum. . . . *nostalgia trip* It's kind of sad, though, that my sentiments about Pokemon are largely unchanged from my first post in this thread from two years ago. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness is a standalone GCN RPG, sure. But the whole "dark Pokemon" thing, and having to purify them before they can start leveling and learning new attacks, seems like a boring time waster to me. Something put in just to make the game last longer. Other than that, we've gotten the little-changed R/S/E and the FR/LG remakes. Why don't I just go play my copies of Yellow and Gold again? New Pokemon don't really get me excited if the games have little else new to offer. Oh, and let's not forget that you have to trade between Ruby, Sapphire, Fire Red, Leaf Green, [i]and[/i] Colosseum in order to capture all the current Pokemon. Marketing gimmick you say? No, can't be. :rolleyes: Of course, I still have lots of fond memories of playing Yellow, Gold, and Stadium 1 & 2. So whenever a new Pokemon RPG is announced, my hope perks up that they'll actually make the series fresh and fun again. Maybe with all the new features on the DS and Revolution (including online play!) that will finally happen. I really hope so.[/color]

[quote name='EVA Unit 100']You're confusing Moses with Abraham. While I find the literal interpretation of that story to be troubling, you must understand that the Bible isn't meant to be taken literally word-for-word. My personal interpretation of that story is that Abraham himself was going crazy and was the only one forcing himself to sacrifice his son. The only thing God did in this story was stopping Abraham.[/quote][color=#4B0082]I think that, unless the Bible is obviously being metaphorical (don't [i]actually[/i] cut off your hand if you sin with it), it should be taken literally. In the case of Abraham and Isaac, the story reads very literally, so I think things happened exactly as described. But there's a very simple explanation for God telling Abraham to sacrifice Isaac: He was testing Abraham's faith. God wanted to see if he was willing to give up what was promised him (a son) in order to obey God. God never intended that Isaac be sacrificed, He just wanted to see if Abraham would do anything He said. Hence the reason God stopped Abraham short and provided a ram for the burnt offering instead; Abraham had passed the test. If you look at Jesus' words in the New Testament, "Take up your cross and follow Me," He's saying the same thing. You have to be willing to give up control of your life (taking up your cross and dying to yourself) to be able to follow God's ways. And this was the same kind of test Abraham faced: Trust God with his son, or trust his own plans. So that's how I look at the story.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Go to your page's backroom, then click on the Edit Styles link over in the left column under My Account. That'll let you edit a bunch of the colors on your page.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Eesh, yeah; that would take a lot of time. I wasn't aware that a mod had to approve every new group. I still think groups would only encourage all the little cliques that pop up. . . . Though I guess it [i]would[/i] be pretty awesome to have an actual group for Desbreko's Fangirls. :animesmil[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Um . . . this is the anime forum. And since this thread is about FF games, it should go in Play It, the gaming forum. Also, take a look through the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=49238][u]Final Fantasy Fan Thread[/u][/url], and you'll see that there's already been a lot of talk about favorite FF games in there. Also, the shift/caps lock key should be used sparingly. Posting in all caps gets old fast. Thread Closed[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Meh. I really don't notice the difference in graphics for most of the games I have. Sure, if I'm paying attention, I can obviously tell there's a difference. But comparing Mario 64 to Mario Sunshine, for example--it all looks the same when concentrating as hard as I can on making that uber hard jump or whatever. Or Super Smash Bros. to SSBM; I'm not about to notice the graphical difference while fighting for my life in a four way brawl. And I still love Mario's blocky nose in Mario 64. I was almost sad when it became more rounded in Mario 64 DS. I'm odd, I know.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]James was the one who set things up originally, so you'd have to ask him for the exact reasoning. Though I imagine it's something along the lines of some people being petty and getting into arguments over group X being better than group Y, etc. So for a board that tries to be open and friendly to everyone, groups don't really fit too well into the picture.[/color]

[quote name='Queen Asuka][size=1][color=hotpink]I want to believe in God and Jesus and all that stuff...but after figuring out the Mormon church is an organization founded on lies, I am just HURT and torn.[/size'][/color][/quote][color=#4B0082]If you want to believe in God and Jesus, I would simply say, believe in God and Jesus. No organization required; all you need is a Bible and an open heart. If you earnestly search for the truth, He'll show you. Obviously then, after that last paragraph, you can see that I am a Christian. I attend the local [url=http://www.calvarychapel.com/][u]Calvary Chapel[/u][/url], a non-denominational church that strives to follow biblical teachings and nothing more. And I believe being a Christian means having a personal relationship with God, not simply being involved in formal religion. Oh yes, and I should mention that this isn't the place for debates. There are certainly threads for that purpose, but this one was created simply to ask what people believe. If people want to state their reasons why they do/don't believe in God, that's great, but arguments will only derail the thread. kthxbai :catgirl:[/color]

[quote name='Ezekiel][SIZE=1']"LOVE WILL SHOW US THE WAY!" [/SIZE][/quote][color=#4B0082]Awesome +1 for Ezekiel. Personally, I've become a good friend of Mr. Apathy. Sure, I care about some things--the things that are important to me. But there's a whole lot that isn't. And I find it hard to make myself care when something isn't directly affecting either myself or a friend. This is not to say that I'm depressed, as apathy and depression so often go hand in hand. I've been there, done the teenage angst thing, and I've no plans of going back. I know misery loves company, but you know what? I don't care. :p I think this old image that Shy made best describes the situation: [img]http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/5853/shyboskograph0tl.jpg[/img][/color]

[color=#4B0082]In case people don't know, you can use the GameCube AV cables and RF switch with the N64 as well. So if you're just missing one of those, but you've got a GCN, you can swap the cables to play your N64. Though if you're missing the AC adapter and/or controller, there's not much you can do about that besides order another from Nintendo's online store.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Since it's still up, even if a couple things used in the examples aren't, I shall direct you to my [url=http://www.sweethypocrisies.com/rupees/myotaku/htmlfaq.html][u]HTML FAQ[/u][/url]. Written for all your myOtaku-related HTML needs. :toothy: Though just for quick reference, to put that image you want on your myOtaku page, you can just use this bit of code:[/color] [code][/code][color=#4B0082][b]Edit:[/b] Or you could, anyway, except that the site seems to block hotlinked images. It looks like you need to download the image (right click -> Save Picture As...), then upload it at a free host such as ImageShack or PhotoBucket, as mentioned earlier. Then replace the URL in the code snippet above with the one you get from ImageShack or wherever.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]As Boo said, it's a standard feature of the vB software, so it's just kind of there. We aren't making use of groups at the moment, so there are none to join. And, as far as I know, there aren't any plans to use them in the future.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]I still go back and play my N64 every now and then. But not as often anymore, since I now have the N64 Zeldas on the GCN (OoT/OMQ disc, Collector's Edition disc), Super Mario 64 DS, Mario Kart DS, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Those largely replaced their N64 version counterparts, though Perfect Dark still sees some play time every now and then when I have friends over. The same thing happened with my SNES. I rarely play it anymore because I've gotten GBA ports/remakes or sequels to most of the games I have for it. Super Metroid is about the only thing that draws me back, unless maybe I want to play Zelda: LttP on the TV screen instead of the small DS screen.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]I agree, I wouldn't call all movies or all games art, the same as I wouldn't call that piece of crumpled up paper art. But the thing being called into question here is whether video games, as a medium, can be considered an art form along with paintings, writing, movies, and all the other widely accepted ones. Judging whether or not something is actually art or not is highly subjective, but defining something as an art form--a medium of artistic expression--is relatively objective. My point here is that video games as a medium can convey a vast range of artistic expression just like other widely accepted art forms. Yes, all games are not what's generally accepted to be art. But then, I don't think anyone would consider the paint on your bedroom wall as art either, yet paintings are an established art form. So I really see no reason why video games should not also be accepted as an art form. As for my comment on censorship, I realize our right to free speech is not directly related to something being an art form. But, given the parallels between games and movies, censoring one while leaving the other alone is completely illogical. What I was saying was that, were the government to try and censor movies like they've tried with games, I think there would be a huge outcry not only because people like their movies but also because it would be censoring a widely accepted art form. And because it's illogical to censor one and not the other, and because people would scream a lot louder against one than the other, there's something wrong there. Oh, and to come back to your comment about most movies not having a message: Like I said, classifying things as "art" and "not art" is highly subjective, so you're perfectly entitled to your opinion. . . . But I don't really see why something needs a message to be considered art. There are many beautifully constructed buildings around the world which I and a lot of other people consider art--and architecture does happen to be another widely accepted art form--yet I don't see any message in most buildings' designs. It is, in fact, kind of hard to convey a message in architecture simply due to the medium's nature. So you have to ask yourself, "If art must have a message, do I not consider architecture an art form?" Myself, I tend to follow the definition for "art" that I quoted from Dictionary.com:[/color] [quote]The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.[/quote][color=#4B0082]Now, there are two main criteria for art being described here. First, the subject in question must be created with care. "The conscious production or arrangement..." means that the random crumpling of a paper, or the random slathering of paint on a bedroom wall, is not art because no real thought went into it. A fine painting or a well made video game, on the other hand, has hours of planning and revision poured into it before it reaches its finished state. The second criteria is that the subject "...affects the sense of beauty..." This is where the distinction between "art" and "not art" becomes subjective. Obviously, what one person considers beautiful, another may find ugly. I personally don't find bloody and gory movies/games to be appealing, but sales figures show that others obviously do--so who am I to call such games/movies "not art"? There's no final authority in this area, so to each his own.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]I figured it was an April Fools joke. But the sad thing is, that article isn't very far off from real articles that try to predict which console will come out on top. . . . I think the only difference is that it's saying the Revolution will win.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Yeah, we already have Gaara kun's thread for this game. Please post in that one if you'd like to talk about it.[/color]

[QUOTE=RedVelvetGlove]I agree. It is not really art because it is not meant to convey a message, and a single person doesn't put their heart and soul into, it is a job to a lot of people. God, I am gonna get yelled at for this, but that is my opinion...[/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]Heh. I'm not going to yell at you, but I do disagree. Again, I'd bring up the fact that movies and even anime are widely recognized as art forms. Yet both of those are also worked on by many people for a living. As well, games are just as capable of conveying a message as any movie or anime. A lot of them don't even bother to try, but then again, a lot of movies and anime don't either. There are so many parallels between games and movies in this regard that I think it's logically impossible to include one as an art form while exluding the other. It just doesn't make sense. If you want to limit your definition of "art," you can exlcude both, sure. But I can tell you right now, there'd be a lot of screamers if the government tried to censor movies on the basis that they aren't an art form and not protected under the free speech clause. Which, funnily enough, is what some people are trying to do to video games right now.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]In order to insert a music file in a post it has to be uploaded somewhere on the internet. We don't allow the attachment of music files because they're too big, as mentioned in one of my earlier posts, and other people can't access things that are stored locally on your hard drive. So it's gotta be uploaded elsewhere. Most free hosts don't allow the storage of mp3 files, though a lot don't have any problem with midis. So if you're looking to include mp3s you'll probably have to either pay for web space or leech off a friend. (The second option is a personal favorite of mine. :p)[/color]

[color=#4B0082]I don't pay any serious attention to predictions of success/failure when it comes to gaming systems. Most of the time, as James said, analysts are basing their predictions on scant little information, and there are so many times when they turn out to be completely wrong. If people want to make predictions, go ahead, but they shouldn't act like some prophet come to deliver a divine revelation about which gaming system will succeed. Myself, I'm confident that the Revolution will do better than the GameCube did, but I'm not about to make sweeping claims of domination.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Must be another perk of the international version. (Which was released everywhere but the US, I think.) I scoured pretty much the entire world after getting the airship, looking for the crests and sigils for people's weapons, and I never found any Dark Aeons in my travels. That sucks, because they sound like a lot of fun to fight.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]I don't know about dancing to it, but I really love Belinda Carlisle's Summer Rain. It has a sad, yearning, but determined feel to it that really strikes me as beautiful. It's one of my favorite songs out of everything--and I mean [i]everything[/i]--that I've yet heard.[/color] [quote][b]Summer Rain[/b], by [b]Belinda Carlisle[/b] Whispering our goodbyes Waiting for a train I was dancing with my baby In the summer rain I can hear him saying Nothing will change Come dancing with me baby In the summer rain I remember the rain on our skin And his kisses hotter than the Santa Ana winds Whispering our goodbyes Waiting for a train I was dancing with my baby In the summer rain I remember laughing till we almost cried There at station that night I remember looking in his eyes Oh my love, it's you and that I dream of Oh my love, since that day Somewhere in my heart I'm always Dancing with you in the summer rain Doesn't matter what I do now Doesn't matter what I say Somewhere in my heart I'm always Dancing with you in the summer rain I can hear the whistle Military train I was dancing with my baby In the summer rain I can here him singing Ooh, love is strange Come dance with me baby In the summer rain I remember the rain pouring down And we poured our hearts out As the train pulled out I can see my baby Waving from the train It was last time that I saw him In the summer rain Oh my love, it's you and that I dream of Oh my love, since that day Somewhere in my heart I'm always Dancing with you in the summer rain Doesn't matter what I do now Doesn't matter what I say Somewhere in my heart I'm always Dancing with you in the summer rain Every time I see the lightening Every time I hear the thunder Every time I close the window When this happens in the summer Oh, the night is so inviting I can feel that you are so close I can feel you when the wind blows Blows right through my heart Oh my love, it's you and that I dream of Oh my love, since that day Somewhere in my heart I'm always Dancing with you in the summer rain Every night and every day now Though I know you've gone away Somewhere in my heart I'm always Dancing with you in the summer rain[/quote][color=#4B0082]Another song that I have to mention is Melodies of Life, from Final Fantasy IX. You can find the Japanese lyrics, English translation, and English release lyrics on [url=http://www.squaresound.com/lyrics/ff9/melodiesoflife.html][u]SquareSound[/u][/url].[/color]