Doublehex

This was a great movie. The previous movies were all about the 40's pulp adventure movies that Lucas and Speilberg grew up as a kid. This was all campy, B style Sci-Fi movie. And it was great! I mean, come on. A temple [spoiler]that is built around a space ship[/spoiler]. That just screams kick ***.

It seems like this has become a general "Final Fantasy Gameplay Discussion" thread. Perhaps a thread title change is in order? Maybe I should start a Planescape: Torment thread as well...

I don't hate Final Fantasy, Boo. I just hate FF7. It is just such a horribly crafted storyline. If you want to get in a debate with me on the issue, I will be more than happy too. Just get ready for a wall of text. ;) And it's a shame you couldn't stay interested in PS:T. It really is one of the better storylines you will ever encounter, and I'm not limiting that to just videogames. If it was a book, it surely would of have won some type of award. It just deals with so many issues, all of its characters are intriguing, it takes advantage of and warps so many cliches...it is just a marvel of storytelling. The Transcended One is still one of the best villains you will ever find. :)

Hey, FF8 was actually [I]good[/I]. I always divided stories into two types - plot driven stories, where the events of the world carried the weight of the tale (LOTR), and character driven stories. FF8 is definitely a character driven tale. I don't truly feel that Squall is emo. After all, when he was a child, his only source of comfort suddenly vanished. If I recall, she didn't say goodbye to Squall. This obviously caused him to not seek any more relationships when he started to attend Balamb. People think Squall was a coward because of this. And they are absolutely right! Squall was a coward - he didn't seek any relationship only for his self benefit, or so he thought. He kept himself...to himself. He didn't care about others. He only sought to protect himself. Since Squall did not have any "distractions" to deviate him from his studies, he obviously excelled. After all, if he wasn't distracted, how could he fail? What else did he have to spend his time on? Naturally, this would cause some attention. This is probably where Seifer came in. By not seeking to create relationships, Squall did exactly that - even if it is rivalry, it is still a relationship, a connection to an other person. Kinda ironic. :P Moving on, when he was paired with Zell and Selphie, how could he not form a relationship. Selphie is just the most friendly person you would ever meet, and Zell is just full of energy. Even if he had never met Rinoa, Squall would have to form a connection with these two at one point or another. And once he met Rinoa, well, his plan to not have any connections with anyone was doomed. Fate had a way of things, I suppose. But what is even more interesting is that he is willing to be the leader, despite the fact he does not want to be the leader, and does not want to have a relationship with anyone else but himself. After all, a good leader knows and understands his soldiers. FF8 deserves more credit than people give it for. It's leagues better than FF7, which remains only cliched ridden. Don't even get me started on Sephiropth. [quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]FFVII was one of the major titles responsible for popularizing RPGs in the US. For a lot of people who started playing video games during the N64/PS1 generation, and even some who started earlier such as myself, it was their first RPG. So I think a lot of people look back on it nolstalgically and don't quite compare it objectively with other games. Personally, even though FFVII was my first RPG, I find FFIV's battle system to be far superior and its characters much more interesting than FFVII's. (Not to mention Chrono Trigger and other games outside the FF series.) I still like FFVII well enough but I also have a hard time seeing why so many people think it's the best game ever.[/color][/QUOTE] I think that is inaccurate. RPG stands for [B]R[/B]ole [B]P[/B]laying [B]G[/B]ame. The Final Fantasy series has the last acronym correct, but I have to ask, where is the Role Playing in Final Fantasy? You are very strictly told what to do in terms of character development and narrative choices. You are not playing a role - you are not an actor. You are more like a puppet. Thus, FF is not a RPG, just because it does not follow the definitions of 2/3 of the genre. We really need to differentiate games like FF from RPGs - Linear Narratives are accurate, but they feel too robotic. Moving on, no, FF7 was not an introduction to RPGs. It was an introduction to a 'somewhat' interactive story telling format. I could give you a list of true RPGs - RPGs that have you deciding on a role, characterizing your character as you see fit, exploring a massive world. These games fit the description. Oh, and all of them have better developed characters, much more intriguing worlds, and more intricate plots than FF7 can even dream of. :)

One thing I am curious about, is why so many people love FF7. I just can't seem to understand why so many people think it is such a great story. Really, how does Planescape Torment, one of the deepest RPGs to ever be produced, get pushed to the shelves while FF7 becomes a videogame legend?

I really hope FF7 is not remade. FF7 is one of the worst titles in the FF line, IMHO. Gameplay wise, it is an excellent game, but when you come to the heart of any self respecting RPG - the storyline - it fails. I could give quite a description on why I don't like the FF7 storyline, if you guys would want to hear it.

I should file for a lawsuit. :p No, joking aside. It's nice to see someone who like to see another perspective on things. I know I'm very late with the next chapter. I just need to get my butt in gear. Matthew Fox's Racer X would be incredibly awesome, just so you know.

Naw, I recognized Fowl and The Golden Compass, but I have not read either. Thus why I only mentioned HP and Neverending Story.

[quote name='Sandy']Except, and this is the FF-fanatic inside me talking, Tidus wasn't from Earth, but from a dreamworld. ;P[/QUOTE] Bah, you and your hubbubalu! [quote name='Sandy']If you want examples of that plot device, I can list numerous fantasy books where it happens: K.A. Applegates' [I]Everworld[/I], [I]Artemis Fowl[/I], [I]The Neverending Story[/I], Guy Gavriel Kay's [I]Fionavar[/I], Philip Pullman's [I]His Dark Materials[/I]-trilogy... oh, and of course [I]Harry Potter[/I].[/QUOTE] Of those you listed, I can only recognize The Neverending Story and Harry Potter. But where was that present in HP? I read all of the books, and as far as I can fathom, I don't recall Harry been transported to another realm. Well, I suppose him first entering that magic alley place (Diagon Alley? The name escapes me) could draw comparisons to the more standard form of the plot device.

Well, I would of have preferred if you gave us more than just a few paragraphs to delve into the normal life of John, so it was a tinsy bit rushed. But you know what? It really wasn't as bad as it could of been. Sure, the "Earth Person transported to another World" is an overused plot device, but if Final Fantasy X could salvage it (for the most part :animesigh), then I am more than certain that you will be able to as well. Now, if Shadow will be able to find this shrine, it depends. Is the shrine's location public knowledge? If so, I can only assume that it would not take long for Shadow to find this Shrine. But, if the Shrine's location is a well kept secret, then I will have to say no, the probability of Shadow finding the shrine would have to be pretty low.

Well, I just bought [B]Final Fantasy IX[/B], so I have been playing alot of that lately. I have just reached Gizmalauke's Grotto, and my characters are maxed out at the moment. Zidane and Freya are at Level 16, Quina is at 14, and poor Vivi is only at level 11. Right now, I am enjoying it immensely. The story is entertaining and humorous, and the gameplay is loads of fun. Of course, when I was grinding Zidane before the Festival of Beasts, the number of times I was forced to restart thanks to those monsters that would cast sleep on me was more than frustrating.

Adding on why you shouldn't use separation from church and state as an excuse for anything: that phrase was never once used in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, or any other country founding document for that matter. It was first used by Thomas Jefferson in a personal letter to a church, assuring them that the government will in no way interfere with the religious matters of the church (as in, say what can or can't be worshiped).

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Wizard's First Rule, bucko: people are stupid. [/FONT][/QUOTE] The complete version: "People are stupid. People will believe a lie either because they want to believe it's true or because they are afraid it might be true." Back on topic, it really is inevitable that gay marriage will be made legal. I give it 15 or 20 years, but it really is inevitable. The state's might as well just make it legal now, and save the supreme court the trouble.

[quote name='Decay']When I first heard about this I wasn't too excited, thinking it wouldn't be great. After reviews of its excellence started flooding in, however, I felt the anticipation grow. Tonight I went to see it. It was geat. Unfortunately for me, my 2 year old lacks the capacity to sit through movies so at least half the time I have to leave (I'm too nice of a guy to make my wife do it, even once). So I saw the first hour, but missed the end. And that means I'm going to have to wait for it to come out on DVD. WHY!?!?!!![/QUOTE] Or you could just google "Watch Iron Man online" and find a site where its uploaded. :)

Oh come now Sandy. It's essentially the undeclared law of media that all the popular stuff is no good. To find the stuff that is actually good stuff, you have to find things that no one has ever heard of. Heck, most of the classics of American Literature were unknown for a good fifty or so years before they were discovered and were loved. When I read Harry Potter, I see kiddy stuff. I see the type of thing that kids between the ages of ten and twelve would [I]love[/I]. And when I was a kid, I absolutely [I]loved[/I] Harry Potter. But as I got older, and I began to read different books - basically any book I could find in the darkened halls of the Library - I just saw how dumb Harry Potter really is. HP doesn't challenge you, it doesn't make you think, it doesn't present new ideas. To adult readers, it is just really insulting. It holds your hand all the way through. It does not let go of your hand. Its a book for little kids, and that's all it ever will be. In ten years, twenty years, no one is going to care about those HP books.

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I'm tempted to set it aside and find something else to read.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] You'd be better off for it. HP really is a horrible read - predictable characters, stereotypical side characters (I'm looking at you, Malfoy), and a boring villain. All of it is just so mundane, you can only wonder why it is such a success. It's the type of book you would read when you want to not think for a few hours.

Yeah, but I seriously doubt they will be going away anytime soon. But as long as said story is good, I have no real complaints.

I have two words: info dump. That's all this chapter was, and I think you would of have had been much better off if you had just revealed all of this info as the story progressed. When I read your future chapters I'll just pretend the Prologue never existed, so I can enjoy it just like any other story. :)

Uh, sorry trentlondon, but you were [I]way[/I] off of the mark in regards of God being the antagonist in Evangelion. Plain and simply, all of the Christian and Judaism terms and imagery was used because the Japanese thought it would be cool. You have to take into consideration the fact that only 1% of Japan is Christian - to the other 99%, those terms are interesting, unique, and alien. So, Evangelion is not anti-God or anti-Christian. It is just what it is - a very complex, confusing, and very debatable piece of story telling. Heck, Evangelion is one of the best things to happen to Christianity, what with it actually getting people to read the Bible to back up their theories.

I think I was writing that right after I saw "IRON MAN", so that's where that awesome mistake came from. Anyways, Allamorph, are you referring to the episode of the first or second season?

Wait, if Queen Asuka is the mother, who is the father? Was he even an OB member at one period? ?.?

As the OB's resident comic book fan {Hellboy, Watchman, Ultimate Spiderma, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, The Ultimates 1 and 2, Ultimate Iron Man 1 and 2, Runaways, Witchblade, The Darkness, Miracleman, and The Sandman are all in my collection}, I have to say this is the second best comic book movie ever. The only thing better you will find is Batman Begins. There are so many high points of this movie, it will take a great effort for me to just list them all. The point of the matter is, this is one of the best comic book movies you will likely see. The only true fault is that it is too short (and yes, two and a half hours [I]is[/I] too short for a movie as amazing as this).

The next chapter - Contemplations of the Orange - is now done. It's a little shorter than I would of have preferred, though. [URL="http://dcs.ffproject.net/epic/chapters/act1/chapter%201.htm"][U]Enjoy[/U][/URL].

You know, I really don't understand how you guys could of hated this from the beginning. This was a great series, from start to finish. Sure, there was a sense of nationalism at in the first few episodes, but that minor flaw is never seen again. It is just a great movie through and through. I could just imagine the reaction of most people at the very end of the first season. Even I was screaming at my monitor, and the first episodes of R2 had already been released. :p Over all, I just hope that R2 is just as good and as enjoyable as the first season.

I presume you are getting this information from the site. It is Kratos from God of War - it [I]is[/I] his picture that is used, after all. :) Now, in terms of how Kitty was to be lynched, I will reveal that in due time. Chapter One of Act One is technically done - I want to expand it.