Charles

I was thinking...cancer treatments and funeral costs are expensive even with insurance. If Desbreko's Mom (or even Laura on her behalf) want to set up a gofundme page I'm sure that we could all pull together and help a bit. I know that there aren't a lot of us left around here and the total raised won't be a huge amount, but if we can help the family of a young man that meant so much to this community, then I say that we show why we are a special place and pull together!

Rob (Vampire Ed) texted me and I learned about this during my day teaching so I couldn't respond sooner. The news breaks my heart. I was not particularly close to Desbreko on a personal level, but I used to spend a lot of time on this site and in the silly AIM chats that were a daily offshoot of the boards themselves. Therefore, I was able to see many of you as real people. I remember telling Desbreko how he loved The Legend of Zelda so much that he actually looked like Link. I believe I actually posted a photoshopped image of him as Link a long time ago and he loved it. I'm only just now remembering that. I remember reading somewhere that Desbreko had cancer because he mentioned it during the OtakuBoards Day pitch. However, the idea that he wouldn't survive never connected with me. In fact, he actually apologized for not posting on OB day with what he was going through, as if he even owed an apology. It makes me sad that such a thoughtful, intelligent, and funny young man has lost his life at such a young age. I could say that I remember that kid whom I role played with, talked video games with, or joked with, but sadly, and more importantly, someone's family is really hurting because they lost a tremendous person to an awful illness. I cannot believe that I am even typing this post right now. Life isn't fair, but I'm glad that we have people like Desbreko, if even for a fleeting moment in the span of history, to make it worthwhile.

Some great replies in here. The point about more games being made to fit a broader audience rings true. Some developers really hit the nail on the head with DLC. As Allamorph thoughtfully pointed out, Borderlands 2 offers excellent add on content without making the primary offering seem incomplete. I love polished, complete experiences which developers choose to expand upon. Driveclub is another fine example; there's a perfect blend of free and paid content on offer. Storm Island in Forza Horizon 2 was also well worth the money. Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros Wii U are excellent DLC models too. However, it seems like every game has to have a season pass-often ambiguous offerings that may or may not offer worthwhile support. I do worry most about the tone of mobile games though. It makes sense for phone games to be simplistic, shallow, and easy to pick up and put down. I am very concerned that such games will completely engulf smaller projects, though. For example, I loved Shadow Complex but we never got a sequel because Epic saw more profitability in Infinity Blade. I am particularly interested in seeing how Nintendo adapts to the mobile landscape. I don't play a lot on the go anymore, but I have fond memories of rich, portable games and I would hate to see that disappear.

Goodness, I was a high school senior when I first joined and now I'm 34. A huge benefit from posting and chatting online is that I was able to improve my writing, reading, and communication skills. Laura made some great points about the social aspects and learning things from others-and that rings true. I learned a lot about diversity, tolerance, and even how to carry out a debate respectfully. I've also learned that I should treat people better and have more patience based on some of the immature arguments I found myself in.

I have just marathoned One Punch Man and Food Wars. I highly recommend both. OPM is essentially a parody of DBZ and the like, featuring an overpowered protagonist mixed with copious action and humor. Food Wars is about a talented kid from a diner whose father sends him to culinary school. Students "battle" one another in highly detailed and entertaining cook offs; there are also parodies of how sexuality is featured in anime.

Thanks for making this thread! It's already been great coming back. Hopefully Final Quest for Glory 3 will get some love!

Great work, Shy! Final Quest for Glory 2 was special because it really skewed the direction of the super serious RPG format of the time and allowed an RPG that enveloped the entire forum. The downside is that it bothered some people, lol. Perhaps we could collaborate carefully, We could all discuss ways in which we can capture the lighthearted tone of the original, the non-linearity, but at the same time, contribute to the board instead of spamming it. Josh gives me too much credit because his creativity easily lead to a majority of positive points in the game so I'd like everyone to take part in the direction here. Perhaps we could keep teams and Josh and I could come up with challenges for one another's "team" that would be cool and interesting instead of aimless and spammy? At any rate, my character will continue to be evil and will be based off of my own house cat pictured in my avatar. PLAYER NAME: Mrs. Nesbit FAVORITE OB RPG CHARACTER NAME: Grape Ape. CHARACTER'S AGE: 8 in human years.CHARACTER'S ELEMENT OF POWER:He mostly relaxes and scratches. PLAYER'S OB FORUM OF POWER: Noospphere. He wants to rename it "Nesbit Sphere." Some people have a problem with that. He doesn't care because he's a cat. PLAYER MONTH AND DAY OF BIRTH: 09/23CHARACTER'S IDOL:He's a cat so he doesn't have one; he only cares about himself. WHAT IS THE WORST DECISION YOUR CHARACTER EVER MADE?He's done plenty of awful things, but being a cat means no regrets. He did eat a hot pepper that fell to the floor once and has since decided that he doesn't like them.

I teach 12th grade Language Arts so learning styles are of constant interest to me. I enjoy implementing "game-based" learning because one is able to easily touch upon multiple learning styles at once. I also like to set up different stations that require students to do different things--because it's important to leave your comfort zone and sample other styles. I learn best by watching and trying. I hate reading instructions and working independently. I'm very visual--so I often need to remind myself not to tailor my lessons to tilt too heavily on that side of things.

Currently I'm hooked on Star Wars: Battlefront; opinions of the game is polarizing to say the least, but I love it because it reminds me of classic shooters like Goldeneye. It's simple, elegant, looks fantastic, and doesn't allow your own teammates to kill you for your stuff. I also adore the map design and character balancing. My favorite mode is "Heroes vs. Villains." The best way to play is selflessly--being willing to heal your teammates as Leia and The Sith Lord--and throwing yourself at overpowered heroes when it's your turn to play as the grunt. I'm not into the whole Call of Duty craze and Halo is ultra competitive. Star Wars is easy to pick up for a little bit and I hope that future installments are as deep as the old versions of the game. I'm a bit turned off by the high price of the season pass, so I'll have to see if future DLC is worth it.

Or is it a byproduct of the current state of gaming? To clarify: When I look at the microtransactions literally drenching gaming, I think of the "freemium" aspect that props up the mobile gaming industry. Although some games, like The Wither 3, offer valuable DLC and other games offer superfluous stuff that isn't really necessary, I feel that "Season Passes" and pay-to-play for full-priced content is becoming increasingly annoying. Mobile phone gaming has sort of hurt traditional handheld gaming as well--although I don't really know that can be helped. However, I sort of wonder if in the future we'll cease to see fully-developed games on the go. So, what do you think? Has mobile gaming hurt video games in general or is it a byproduct of something that was already being corrupted? .....or do you believe that DLC is actually being handled well for the most part and improving the industry?

Ironically, Tony also got me interested in David Bowie as well with his fervent admiration of him. At least I'm not the only one Shinje! Wonderful artist who will truly be missed. He had just released an album too. I was so surprised when I read the news. I didn't even know he was sick. I hate cancer.

It's beautiful! I love the logo. I'll sign up. I hope that everyone is able to participate in OB Day and has a good time!

I'll update the list shortly. The big day is coming up pretty quickly now!

Seeing all of these faces from the past returning is fantastic. I'll be sure to update the original post.

Great original post! There's really nothing like Nintendo's penchant for infusing charm into their interfaces. I remember how special Mario Paint was. There weren't a ton of features, but the little details...the sounds, the animations, everything just oozed polish. Mario Maker is like that. There is still room for a ton of content to be added, but the way the player interacts with what's there is incredible. I figure we can share some of our favorite levels here too. Light and Shadowby Robin64Tue 15th Sep 2015 C82E-0000-0038-7E5F

Hey, it's no problem! Anyone can contribute. Even a new member can have fun on Otakuboards day just by making a thread or contributing to a discussion (I know you're not new). Also, no need to thank me, Annie. I appreciate anyone taking their time to reconnect and give this board the tribute it deserves. I stay away from social media because of my profession, but....speaking of this chat....does anyone remain in contact with Babygirl or Raiha? I'd love to see them come back.

Sorry about the nudes. I will update the OP again. I mark out each time someone returns here. Also, no prob Allamorph. I hope things work out!

Wow, it's so awesome to see wonderful participation we're getting. My best friend in the whole wide world, Rob. The Hyde to my Jekyll in Brasil. People whom I haven't seen in forever, like Deathknight, Heaven's Cloud, the venerable Shy, Queen Asuka...JC, Gavin, Dragon Warrior, Annie.....thank you all for spreading the word. This'll be fun....especially without the fedoras. Thanks for nipping that in the bud, Deathknight. Perhaps Mitch will pop in? I want to track down Raiha too. I'm going to update the original post with our RSVP information. If anyone has any suggestions or issues with the date, we can discuss it in here. For now, I'll assume that we are sticking with Jan 17. Put it on your calendars, folks. :D

Good work, Laura! I can probably bug Vampire Ed and Poison Tongue. Also, if people want to hang around after the reunion, weellllll no obligation but nothing against it either.

Yay! I'm pumped that you saw, Laura! Sorry about being a recluse; I have about 100 students this year and it's a full time job keeping up. Hopefully we can get some more participants; we all deserve a good reunion. :) Also, thank you for offering to help, Allamorph.

Consider it done. I'll have to log into Facebook for once and harass Japan_86 to visit. It's time to get the band back together!

Hey all, Before this place dried up, it was the only Internet forum I frequently posted at (still don't use forums to this day). The collection of people, topics, talent, and overall vibe was fun and exciting. I loved the meaningful discussions, the RPGs, and the culture unique to this place. Sometimes we still fondly look back upon our previous days here and there, but we're rarely all here at the same time because of time zones, schedules, life. Having said that... Perhaps we could set a date aside in the upcoming months where for one day, (Call it OtakuBoards Day, Otakuboards Con, whatever) we all visit the forums like the old days and try to contribute something of value. We could celebrate this forum that we've all enjoyed so much at one time or another. I'm not saying that you have to sit at the computer and stare at the boards all day. Just check back throughout the day when time allows. Make a thread. Respond to a thread. Post some artwork. Write and share a story. We could try to be as active as our lives allow on that one day and party like it's 2001! I'll just pull a tentative date out of the air and say, January 17th (U.S). If anyone is on board (get the pun?) with the idea, we can alter that date and after we all agree, we can reflect the change either in the OP, an announcement, etc. I know it'll take a while before people see this thread--so tell your friends and direct them here. I wonder if we can spread the word and attract members who haven't posted in years. Even if you're new, it could be a good chance to have some fun. Let's set up something special! RSVP List (Jan 17th, 2016) Moi (Charles)JapanPetieBooAllamorphJCBaggeeDragon WarriorMelty CatShyGavinQueen AsukaBrasilHeaven's CloudThe Vampire: EdDeathknightAnnieBraidless BakaSaraEndymionJohn MagusSyk3ShwaSaiyaPrincessXRoxie Faye aka MistressRoxieDesbrekoJamesTheShinjeLehShinmaru

If only there was I way that I could find the perfect words necessary to respond to this topic...

I haven't posted in a while so I figured I'd pop in for a moment. I was playing a little basketball today. For the record, I purposely [i]try[/i] and succeed at looking like a dork.

Pilotwings also gives you the option to use a jet pack or a hang glider. I've actually never played any other version of Pilotwings (I know, for shame lol) so I am not sure how this version compares. Thus far I do find the game to be a bit on the derivative side though. Almost everything I've played has consisted of collecting balloons, flying through rings, or some combination of both. Once again, I haven't really played far into the game so the variation may open up. My initial impression is that--I still like Pilotwings. It's mellow and enjoyable in short plays, but it is not even close to being a "must have." I'm sort of glad I only paid about 12 dollars for it thanks to the Amazon deal. :D Ridge Racer, on the other hand, is a pleasant surprise. Initial previews had the game looking lackluster. On the actual 3DS screen, it's another story. There are all sorts of cool touches, like leaves flying at the screen, confetti, flower pedals, water splashing. A nice showcase. Also, although the game isn't 60fps like the PSP version, the colors are substantially better. On the gameplay side of things, it's all familiar. If you've played a Ridge Racer to death recently, or don't enjoy the series, this one won't change your mind. I've always been a fan, so I'm happy. And, I suppose--that's sort of the problem with the 3DS lineup so far. There's nothing really compelling out of the gate. I almost considered Super Street Fighter IV, but I own the console version already. If you're still on the fence about the system, I would recommend waiting for a hardware revision or the must-have games. As much as I enjoy the 3DS, the battery life is as brutal as you've probably heard, the stylus holder is awkwardly placed, and the power button placement is clumsy (I often finding myself trying to press "start," only to hit the power button. Sometimes, I also find it annoying trying to keep the "3D effect." If you stray too far from the optimal viewing angle, the screen sort of looks like it's blinking, which is annoying. So, the system is awesome and I am glad I bought it, but it is not without some nagging issues that should be considered before anyone dives in.