Desbreko

[color=#4B0082]I've spent nearly 1,000 hours on Guild Wars so far. I think I'm currently around 975, since Mario Kart DS has been distracting me. My interest has been dropping off, though, since barely anyone else from the OB guild plays anymore. For a console game, though, Super Smash Bros. Melee probably takes the cake for most play time. Total power time is somewhere above 300 hours, and play time is around 250 I think. Most of that from just me playing, too, since I barely ever have other people around to fight. And yes, Nintendo is working on an online SSB for the Revolution, which they're trying to have ready for the system's launch. I can't wait for that. [b]Edit:[/b] Just a little update here. I passed the 1,000 hour mark in Guild Wars a couple days ago. Go me.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]FFVI had a ton of summons; one for each magicite, of which there were what. ... 20 or so? *goes and counts my collection of sprites* :p Yeah, 26 in all. Not all of them were terribly useful, and you could only use them once per fight, but you got a heck of a lot of variety. Palidor was one of my favorites, because a full party jump attack is just freaking awesome. In my mind, though, the Magus Sisters from FFX will just never be all that great. Sure, they could do a lot of damage. But geeze, after fighting them in FFIV and then seeing the mockery of their costumes in FFX, when they could've been such cool characters ... no. I don't think they came anywhere close to the originals. [img]http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/8366/ffivsandy3hl.gif[/img] [img]http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/9307/ffivcindy8az.gif[/img] [img]http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/4759/ffivmindy6tr.gif[/img] I mean, Cindy's got a freaking [i]scythe,[/i] for crying out loud![/color]

Samus laughed quietly as Xiaoyu scurried off to the bathroom. She had to admit, for all its other features, the self containment of her power suit was one of the best. It kept the monster goo off her, and she had encountered a [i]lot[/i] of different kinds of monster goo. Skrees in particular, she recalled, seemed to explode into a rather large number of bits when shot. Her chuckle fading into a sigh, she turned her thoughts back to the present. A shower wasn't such a bad idea. Samus reached up and pulled her helmet off, which turned some heads. "Hmm. Expecting something else?" She shook her head to straighten the blond ponytail behind her, her face expressionless. Silence prevailed for a few moments before CJ finally burst out with, "Damn, bitch, you's hot!" A resounding slap echoed through the appartment before Ada cleared her throat and lowered her hand. "[i]What[/i] did I tell you back in the lemming dungeon?" A red hand print was emblazened across CJ's left cheek. He looked a bit dazed. "Yea, yea, we coo'. . . ." Shaking her head slightly, Samus restrained a laugh from escaping her lips. "Well then, I'll leave you two alone. I'm going to follow Xiaoyu's plan of action and go wash up." Watching silently thus far, Dante couldn't help but speak up here. "Hey, you mean--" "No." Samus' expression had turned deadly serious. Dante shrugged. "Hey, was just askin', you know." "Be glad I'm not following after Ada here," Samus said as she raised her metal-clad left hand. "My hand would hurt a whole lot more." Walking away down the hall to her room, leaving silence behind her, Samus again restrained a laugh. Things were getting interesting.

[color=#4B0082]Yeah, I think it might be a good idea to hold off until Monday to start the next challenge. I've got family over during Thanksgiving break (Thursday through this weekend) here, and I'm not sure if there are any plans to do stuff this weekend. I imagine others are in similar situations. Either way, I'm going to try my best to avoid skipping out on it again, but it would make things easier to wait till Monday.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]You know, I thought I wouldn't have to deal with any of the standard online crap with Mario Kart DS. Matchmaking can be done to find people who are close to your skill level, so if you look you can find a pretty fair match. And you can't talk to your opponents in any way. So what could go wrong? Well, it turns out people are still sore losers no matter what the interface. I've only had this happen once so far, but I've read about other people who've seen it a lot. What happens is, if a person doesn't win the first race or two (out of a set of four), they disconnect in the middle of a race. Now, if they just disconnect in between races, the rest of the players can continue without them and finish out the set. But they don't do that; they wait till the middle of a race to disconnect, which of course then disconnects everyone else. Why do they do it? Because they can't take having their precious win/loss record tarnished. The guy who I saw do it had something around a 30/5 record, I think it was. Seeing that before the start of the first race, I thought, "Hey, this guy must be pretty good." Wrong; he sucked ***. Which makes me think the only way he could've gotten a record like that is through lots of disconnecting, which doesn't affect your record in any way. I wouldn't really care about this except for two things: First, it doesn't just drop them out of the game when they do it mid-race, but everyone else too. It pissed me off when I had it happen to me because the first race had been a close match between me (2nd) and the guy who got 1st, which was a lot of fun. And second, it not only makes win/loss records near meaningless, but it also makes people suspicious of anyone with a good record, even if they got it the honest way. And my faith in humanity slips just a little farther away...[/color]

[color=#4B0082]We've already got a thread about Tekken 5. You can find a link to it in the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46746][u]Play It Thread Directory[/u][/url], so please post in it if you want to talk about the game. Thanks. Thread Closed[/color]

[QUOTE=Baron Samedi][size=1]... I did :( [/size][/QUOTE][img]http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/9104/barondance3li.gif[/img] [img]http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/4305/baron5fu.png[/img] [img]http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/9104/barondance3li.gif[/img] [right][size=1][i]Smilies courtesy of [url=http://www.sweethypocrisies.com/groupsounds/]Group Sounds[/url].[/i][/size][/right] [color=#4B0082]Edit: Bwa, ha. ImageShack comes to the rescue.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]The next time I update the avatar library (whenever that happens to be) I'll most likely be making some Chobits avatars and adding them. But until then, yeah, make sure the images are a max of 150x80 pixels and 58.6 KB when you try to use them as a custom avatar.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Yeah, I do pretty much the same thing as Dagger. I try to keep track of name changes around the site and, if I know someone's had theirs changed recently, I'm not going to change it again right away. Not that it's come up yet. Myself, I think one change every three or four months would be plenty if a system for letting members change their own names is implemented. A username -- the main thing that identifies you on the forum -- should be a more permanent than a signature. Which they wouldn't be if people were able to change them once a month.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]It's not really that this is a bad idea, it's just that it's one more thing to do. And, as mentioned, a new page would have to be made for the list. Here's a tip for recognizing people that have had their name changed recently, though, in case the profile or signature note doesn't catch your attention: If you see a new name but they already have the "Member" title, instead of "New Member," there's a decent chance that they've had their name changed. And from there, you can check their profile to see who they were.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]We already have a thread about this game. Please check the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46746][u]Play It Thread Directory[/u][/url] to find a link to it. Thanks. Thread Closed[/color]

Samus grimaced as the bulldozer crashed into the wall, which crumpled inward and then inexplicably reformed as a considerably more spiky wall. Another hazard was all they needed -- especially one that had just caught the attention of every lemming in the dungeon. "Keep them away from that wall!" Samus shouted to the others. "I'll take care of the spikes!" Turning to the wall as the others fought back the rushing wave of lemmings, she switched to the plasma beam. Her arm cannon glowed a fiery red as she charged the beam, then a stream of fire spewed forth as she activated the flame thrower missile combo. Bathing the spikes in flames hotter than the nearby lava pits, they glowed white and then began to melt, dripping down the wall. "Yo, Samus!" CJ called as he fended off lemmings. "A flamin' wall ain't no better 'an dem spikes!" Catching sight of the red hot metal, the lemmings became even more incensed and began to break through the makeshift barracade formed by the other players. "Not done yet," Samus answered. She changed beams again, this time to the ice beam, and a blast of frigid air shot out to freeze over the wall. "There!" The horde of lemmings broke through and rushed at the wall, taking a collective leap. Ducking to avoid being bowled over, Samus watched in triumph as they slid harmlessly back down the wall. Well, most of them. Some of the ice hadn't come out so smooth. [color=red][b][/b][/color] Samus grunted as the wave of lemmings washed past her legs, bracing herself to remain upright. Two were within the limits of acceptable losses, considering the amount saved. "Look out!" Xiaoyu shrieked. Half the lemmings were now sliding back in the opposite direction, straight towards a bottomless pit. "I got 'em!" Dante called back, whipping out Rebellion and swatting the lemmings away from the edge with the flat of the blade. Unfortunately, a few got the bright idea of leaping onto its edge. Six neatly cut lemming halves fell into the pit, a strangely blissful look on their faces. "Make that almost all." [color=red][b][/b][/color] Sighing, Samus yanked a few more away from the pit with her grappling beam as the pack scattered again. There had to be a better way to go about this. If only they had some way to confine them. An idea dawned on Samus then. Putting her plan into action, she powered up her missile launcher and leapt into the air before letting fly with a super missile -- straight down into the ground. Landing on the far side of the smoking crater made by the blast, she turned around and looked at the hole with satisfaction. It would do. The others stumbled as the ground shook from Samus' super missile, each throwing a questioning look towards Samus. In explanation, she grabbed another lemming with her grappling beam and threw it into the hole where it futilely attempted to scramble back up the steep incline. CJ grabbed hold of a lemming, catching on to the plan. "I got it. In ya go, punk ass little busta!" He spiked the lemming down into the hole, the small creature landing face down with a thump. [color=red][b][/b][/color] "Aw shit," CJ said as the counter dropped one. "My bad." Samus dropped a couple more into the hole. "Maybe a bit gentler next time, hmm?"

[quote name='^.^][Color=DarkBlue']Where'd Dante, Misturugi, and Samus go? :P[/color][/quote][color=#4B0082]Samus has a trig test tomorrow and has been doing homework/studying in preparation. :animesigh Don't worry, though, I'm still here. After I catch up with the current goings on, I'll be writing a post.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]I changed the title to "Favorite Final Fantasy Summon," since they're only called Aeons in FFX and FFX-2. Summoned monsters in general, however, date back all the way to either FFII or FFIII (I forget which). Personally, I've always liked Bahamut ZERO from FFVII. First, it harkens back to FFIV where Bahamut lived on the moon, which I think is cool because FFIV in my favorite in the series. Second ... it's a nuke from orbit. That's hard to argue with. Sure, its damage is capped at 9999 and Knights of the Round completely overshadows that, but Bahamut ZERO still looks damn awesome. And, unlike KotR, you can mime ZERO all to hell while fighting Ruby WEAPON without it countering with Ultima every single time.[/color]

[quote name='Who?']Desbreko, you might make your burglar holding a bag of money or something, or maybe make his mask only cover his eyes. I also thought it looked like an executioner, heh.[/quote][color=#4B0082]Yeah, the original idea called for a bag with a dollar sign on it but that turned out to be more trouble than I was willing to go when I originally made it. I spent maybe five minutes on it late one night, staving off the boredom. So here's the new and improved version: [img]http://img500.imageshack.us/img500/4109/smileyburglar0mb.gif[/img][/color]

[color=#4B0082]If you could show me where in the rules it says people aren't allowed to post their opinions unless asked for, then I'd consider this. But, you know, that isn't in the rules, so you're out of luck. And if you ask for it to be put in, I shall laugh and tell you to go start your own forum where people have that ability, then come back and tell me how it worked out. I think you'd end up with a whole lot of threads with nothing but agreeing opinions in them. Come off your ego trip, realize that you are [i]not[/i] infallible, and learn to deal. Oh, and have a nice day. :)[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Let me just say this to start: I love this game. I've been a big fan of the Mario Kart series since its beginning (as I've mentioned a few times, Super Mario Kart was [i]the[/i] game that got me into videogames) and MKDS is probably the best addition to the series since the original. I've only had it for a few days but I've already had tons of fun with it. I'll give a short run down of the game's modes. Or at least the ones I've played/know something about. I've yet to do anything with a local connection, so the specifics of that side of multiplayer is still a mystery to me. I'll also give some information on the various ways you can get online. Also, before I get into things, my friend code is [b]167563 257141[/b]. PM me if you add me to your friends list so I can add you too. [center]- - - - - - - - - - - - -[/center] [b]Grand Prix[/b] This one shouldn't really need an explanation. You and seven other CPU controller karts race through a set of four tracks. So far there are 32 tracks available to me, which I think is all of them, so 8 different cups. 16 of those tracks are retro tracks that were brought back from the other four games in the series, and each of the retro cups has one track from each game. As before, there's 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and I hear 150cc Mirror engine classes. (I've only beaten the cups on 50cc and 100cc so far.) You also get ranked on how well you do in the cup, like you did in Super Circuit. The ratings, I think, are E through 3 Stars. I've only gotten A, 1 Star, and 2 Stars so far though. 3 Star rankings seem like they're going to be really hard to get on 150cc. [b]Time Trials[/b] Again, a series standard. I haven't tried this mode out yet, but I hear that if you do well enough you can unlock staff ghosts to race against. I also know that you can transfer ghosts (not sure how many) to friends over a local connection for them to race against. I don't think you can transfer ghosts over the WFC (Wi-Fi Connection), but I'm not sure, seeing as I have no ghosts to send. [b]Versus[/b] This mode lets you play a single race against eight CPU opponents. It's basically the same thing as Grand Prix except you can pick and choose single races. You can select engine class, CPU difficulty level (Easy, Normal, Hard), whether you want to race free-for-all or in two teams of four, etc. It's good for practicing the tracks that give you trouble in Grand Prix. [b]Battle Mode[/b] One of my favorite parts of the Mario Kart series got a couple big improvements in MKDS. First, battle mode matches can be played against CPU karts and there are Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty levels for them. Second, battle mode matches consist of eight karts now instead of four, making for much livelier matches. Also, you have the ability to split into two teams of four for team matches, though I prefer the massive free-for-alls. There are two modes of battle; the classic Ballon Battle and Shine Runners. Balloon Battle is exactly as it has been throughout the series except for two small tweak: First, you have a total of five balloons, but you only start with one inflated. You have you blow into the microphone to inflate up to three at a time. Second, you can now get triple red shells. They're extremely rare (think about your odds of getting Lightning while in third place of a Grand Prix race -- it's about like that), but they are in there. As for Shine Runners, I haven't played it yet, but it sounds similar to the Shine Thief mode from MKDD. Unfortunately you can't play battle mode over the WFC. If you want to play against other people it can only be over a local connection. [b]Missions[/b] Another mode I've barely played (I'm busy with Grand Prix at the moment), the single player missions have various objectives that you have to complete. The one that I've done had me doing four mini-turbos in a single lap around Mario Circuit 1. Pretty simple, but I hear they get pretty hard later on. You're given a ranking for each mission as well, just like in Grand Prix. [b]Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection[/b] The biggest addition to the series is its online play. There are four options that you've given for choosing WFC matches: Friends, Rivals, Regional, and Worldwide. Friends will search for people on your friends list, Rivals will search for players of near equal skill level, Regional searches for anyone in your region (for me that's North America), and Worldwide is anyone and everyone. All of the matches are sets of four races with a maximum of four players and only 20 (I think it's 20) of the total 32 tracks are available. As well, you can't hold items behind you during WFC matches. Despite the limitations on WFC matches, I've still had a lot of fun playing online. There's really just no substitute for human opponents. [center]- - - - - - - - - - - - -[/center] [b]Connecting to the Nintendo WFC[/b] Okay, now that we've got the basics out of the way, some of you are probably wondering about Wi-Fi setup to play online. Assuming you can connect at all, it's pretty easy. The main thing you need is a broadband internet connection. That can be DSL, cable, whatever -- pretty much anything faster than 56k I think. If you've got that, you'll almost definitely be able to play online. The only question is, "how?" Probably the easiest and most foolproof way to get online with your DS is by getting a [url=http://store.nintendo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&langId=-1¤cy=USD&ignoreCrumbs=N&crumb1=&crumb1Ignore=&crumb2=%253CA%2BHREF%253D%2522javascript%253APassOn%2528%2527X%2527%252C%2B%2527ChooseView%2527%252C%2527%2527%252C%2B%2527%2527%2529%253B%2522%253ENintendo%2BDS%253C%252FA%253E&crumb2Ignore=&crumb3=%253CA%2BHREF%253D%2522javascript%253APassOn%2528%2527C%2527%252C%2B%2527CategoryDisplay%2527%252C%252758694%2527%252C%2B%2527N%2527%2529%253B%2522%253EParts%2B%2526%2BAccessories%253C%252FA%253E&crumb3Ignore=&translateFrom=%C8%C9%C7&translateTo=EEC&usrSearchText=&searchText=&selSrchType=&page=&view=&productId=95704&categoryId=58694&lastAction=ProductDisplay&orderTotal=null][u]Wi-Fi USB Connector[/u][/url] from Nintendo's online store. Once you've got that set up, there's a preset connection setting you can select in the game and it'll do everything for you. If you've already got a wireless router (like me), however, you probably won't need a USB Wi-Fi dongle. Some routers aren't compatible and some require more setup than others, though. You can check the [url=http://www.nintendowifi.com/customersupport/supportedRouters.do][u]Router Compatibility Ratings[/u][/url] list on NintendoWiFi.com to see compatibility ratings for the ones Nintendo has tested. When connecting through a wireless router, you'll need to set up connection settings for it. You can save three presets, so if there's multiple places you'll be going online with your DS, you can just select the preset for it once you've got it configured. Assuming you've got anything close to a secure wireless network, you'll need to input your router's SSID and WEP key. (Note that the DS doesn't support WPA encryption, so that has to be off in order for it to work.) There are also settings for inputing a static IP address and/or DNS server to use, or you can have it auto-obtain them if they aren't static. If things still don't work after getting those configured, you may need to tweak some settings on your router. We had to change its Basic Rate to get the DS to recognize it, for example. Now, if you didn't understand that last paragraph. ... Go find someone who does. With the variety of wireless routers out there, there's no way I can explain how to get your SSID, WEP key, etc. for each of them. Whoever set your router up in the first place should know how to get them and how to set up your DS connection. Finally, if you lack a broadband connection, there's still hope of getting online -- just not from home. Nintendo is working to install wireless hotspots that don't require any set up in order to play over the WFC, and you should also be able to use other wireless hotspots after the necessary set up. (Some places may require a WEP key, for example.) Check the [url=http://www.nintendowifi.com/hotspots/searchHotSpot.do][u]Find Hotspots[/u][/url] page on NintendoWiFi.com to see if there are any near you.[/color]

Materializing inside their suite in Liberty Tower, Samus immediately set about scanning her new surroundings. There were bedrooms, a dining room and kitchen, lounge area -- all furnished quite handsomely. She could see herself being comfortable here. "For being a game of survivor," Samus observed, "we seem to have a rather luxurious 'camp.'" Dante was already lounging on a couch in front of the TV. "Hey, I'm not complaining," he said while channel surfing. "We should not become overly comfortable," Mitsurugi spoke up. "The next challenge begins soon; we must prepare ourselves." "Yea man," CJ agreed. "Next round, we gonna kick some blue-feathered ass!" "Whatever," Dante said as he continued flipping channels. Samus rolled her eyes at the man's cocky attitude. [i]Just so long as he can back it up,[/i] she thought to herself before speaking. "Well, I for one am going to go choose my living quarters." Leaving the rest of the team to decide their own course of action, she walked down the hallway adjoining the lounge. It was lined with doorways on both sides, each leading to a bedroom. Arbitrarily picking the third door on the left, she opened it and stepped inside. The room was furnished no less nicely than the rest of the apartment, featuring a king sized bed, across from which was situated a smaller TV set on a table, a desk back in the corner, complete with a desktop PC, a walk in closet, and even a personal bathroom. [i]Nice,[/i] she thought, [i]but a bit excessive.[/i] She doubted she'd be spending all that much time in the room, and she certainly wouldn't have any use for the king size bed. The men in the group would have another thing coming if they thought otherwise. Personal Computer Central Processing Unit: 4 GHz Random Access Memory: 1024 MB Hard Disk: 200 GB (197 GB free)Scanning the PC in the corner out of curiosity, she sighed. It was horribly slow and obsolete, as she had suspected, and she didn't even want to know what kind of shoddy and outdated operating system it used. Turning away, she shrugged. Her power suit's computer system would suffice. Stepping into the closet, she glanced about at the empty shelves and clothes hangers. For a moment she considered removing her power suit for the day or two they'd have before the next challenge, but then decided otherwise. Mitsurugi's comment about becoming overly comfortable returned to her mind and she agreed with it. This was a competition, after all, not a vacation. Samus left the room nearly untouched -- she didn't exactly carry any baggage with her -- closing the door behind her and returning to the lounge to see what the rest of her team was doing.

[color=#4B0082]Okay, this is why I hate time based challenges: I never even got a chance to try my hand at it. I saw the post when I got up this morning, sure, but there was no way in heck I would've had time to descramble something [i]and[/i] write a post before leaving for class. And after getting home from class, I had yet more school work. I usually can't sign on to OB until evening, but by now all three have already been solved. I don't especially care this time around, since no one's getting booted, but please, please tell me there won't be any more challenges like this. All they do is screw the people who don't have as much time to spend on OB, regardless of writing quality or devotion. Not to say the people who managed to descramble the locations have too much time on their hands or anything, but some people just have less than others, and these sorts of challenges can be flat out impossible in that case. That small rant aside, however, I'm interested in seeing what Liberty Tower is like. And I've also got a hunch that the world of Skies of Arcadia might just be part of our tour. Arcadian Airship and Solitary Island? Not sure where Liberty Tower fits in, but those other two names fit the bill.[/color]

[QUOTE=Drizzt Do'urden]It's not that FFXI was a step back as much as it shouldn't have been included in the FF series. Just like tactics and the crystal chronicles it should have been in it's own special category. I bought it but haven't played it b/c of the internet connection. I think the online game play with final fantasy's name was a good idea. But they should've thought it through a little more. They coulda made a lot more than they did off it.... FFXI creator: "Why make billions when you can make...millions"[/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]I've heard this argument a lot, but still no real, logical reasoning behind it. Really, what would've changed about the game if they had called it "Final Fantasy: Online" instead of "Final Fantasy XI: Online"? Nothing -- absolutely nothing. It would still be the same game and it would still have the Final Fantasy name on it. So why are those roman numerals so important? And if anything, I'd think putting it in the main series would only increase its success. I mean, you said you bought it even though you can't play it. Would you still have bought it if it were a spin-off like FF Tactics? If the answer is no, then Square Enix made some money off you just by putting that "XI" in there.[/color]

A new blip appearing on her radar informed Samus that a another guest had arrived. Watching it make its way to Mog, she then saw it move towards where she, Ada, and Xiaoyu were making small talk. "It looks like another one with a sword," Samus commented. "Where?!" Xiaoyu asked, more than a little excited. Ada glanced past Samus at the tall samurai approaching their group. "That's interesting," she said. "How did you know?" Samus just tapped the side of her helmet with a finger before turning around to greet the man. "Hello." "Greetings," he said in return. "It appears we share something in common." "Yes, the swords," Samus said. "We think the different items denote which team each player will be on, though we can't be sure yet." "I see. If we are to be teammates, then a proper introduction is in order. I am Mitsurugi." "Samus Aran," the bounty hunter replied as she finished scanning and entering Mitsurugi into her log book. Shortly after arriving, Samus had decided it would be prudent to keep a record of each player. [i]Know yourself, know your enemies, but most of all, know your friends,[/i] she thought to herself. "I'm Ada Wong, nice to--" Ada was cut off by Xiaoyu's hyperactive greeting. "And I'm Ling Xiaoyu!" the girl in pink all but shouted. "And this is. . . ." She trailed off, realizing she hadn't caught the name of the man in the hoodie. "Yo, what up homie? Carl Johnson here," he said, supplying his own name. Mitsurugi seemed a bit taken aback by Carl's manner of speech but he kept his cool nonetheless. "I am pleased to meet you all," he said with a nod. Samus returned the nod. "Likewise," she said. "But, if we are going to be in a team together, there'll be plenty of time to talk later. I'd like to get to know some of the other players before we start." She motioned in the direction of the other two groups. "For now, I'll take my leave." Leaving the other sword bearers for the moment, Samus strolled over to the small gathering of players holding blue feathers.

[color=#4B0082]Yeah, I just took an hour or so yesterday and whipped up an OB Survivor themed set for Samus. It was a pain in the butt, finding the art of her that I used in the banner. Great pic, but rare. And from what we know so far, the swords/feathers/gems seems to be a logical indication of who's going to be on what team. I also have a feeling they'll be used in the first challenge. ... But, I wouldn't put it past Sandy to mix things up just to throw us off. :p[/color]

[color=#4B0082]There's been a bit of information revealed about Diamond and Pearl, but there hasn't been much new info in quite a while. At least not to my knowledge. We already have a thread for the games, however, which you can find a link to in the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46746][u]Play It Thread Directory[/u][/url]. Please use that thread if you'd like to talk about them. Thread Closed[/color]

Out past the astroid belt, a space pirate frigate was fleeing for its life. Behind it, Samus' hunter-class gunship was in pursuit. The pirates were fast, but Samus' small ship was faster. She smiled coldly; they wouldn't be escaping this time. A light began blinking on her ship's control panel. An incoming transmission? Taking one eye off her prey, she tapped a few buttons and displayed the message in a corner of her ship's HUD. Samus let out a low, disgruntled growl as she read its contents. [i]Perfect timing,[/i] she thought wryly as she turned the ship around and headed for the nearest Federation Freight Station. The space pirates would have to wait for another day. [center]- - - - - - - - - - - - -[/center] With a flash, Samus appeared in the CPU -- ship and all. The yellow gunship, its shape reminiscient of her power suit's helmet, hovered above the blue landscape. The guests who had already arrived were a bit taken aback by this and several already had weapons drawn. Not that it took much to make some brandish their arms. The top hatch of the gunship opened and Samus rose up through it to stand on top of her ship. She ran through one last checklist to test the functionality of her power suit, then leapt off with a spinning somersault. Landing in a crouch at the outskirts of the small gathering, head up, arm cannon at the ready, and a [color=red]red sword[/color] held to the side in her left hand, she slowly stood up and looked around. "Sorry I'm late," Samus said to Mog as she walked past the other contestants, appearing to ignore them. She could see the position of each on her combat visor's radar and none were posing a threat just yet. "I had some work related entanglements that kept me." "Kupo!" Mog exclaimed, glad to see the bounty hunter had joined. "You're not late at all! And I see you've brought your item. That's kuporiffic." Samus shrugged. "Yes, though I'm not especially fond of swords. You can guess why," she said, hefting her arm cannon. "So many people with guns," Mog muttered under his breath. Samus smiled behind her visor, playing dumb. "What was that?" "Nothing, kupo!" Mog gave a small cough, then changed the subject. "We're just waiting for a kupo more contestants. Why don't you get to know the others here?" "I'll do that," Samus said before turning and surveying the small crowd, her ship still hovering above them. Tapping a button at the base of her arm cannon, it flew off and disappeared in the same manner in which it had entered. Samus didn't foresee a need for it in the game but, as always, she maintained the link with her ship. With the departure of the gunship, some of the guests seemed to relax. A few others sported swords like the one in Samus' hand; she decided it might be wise to make a good impression if this was going to be her team. Flipping her sword around to an underhanded grip so it would be pointed behind her as she let her arm hang at her side, Samus strode over to the gathering. "Hello," Samus said to the two women and the man who still seemed to be eyeing the black hedgehog with the blue feather. "Samus Aran, pleased to meet you."

[color=#4B0082]You know, thinking about the FFIII remake on the DS makes me wonder if they are actually going to remake FFVII some time. From the few screen shots I've seen of FFIII (they're going for a full 3D remake), it looks really great. The style reminded me a lot of Crystal Chronicles. Maybe they'll continue with a remake of FFVII on the DS after they get FFIV, FFV, and FFVI done on the GBA? Of course, most people would probably scream because it wouldn't look as pretty as it could on a console, but I think a portable version of FFVII would be cool.[/color]