Charles

I'm not really a poet,(haven't written a poem in like five years) so you'll have to excuse me if this isn't the greatest. It doesn't really have a rhyme scheme or anything. Also, I hope it doesn't creep anyone out as it's very melancholy. Life was cruel to you and I know When we were young, we vowed to be friends forever Someday you and I would build a rocket ship together And free of sorrow, circumstance and the problems of tomorrow Dance among the heavens and build a home among the Milky Way Standing here among the others I do not know how to feel Among a sea of black veils and slippery cheeks I feel as if I am a phantom Oh look at how your mother weeps in desperation Your papa's lips form empty words, as he clasps her hands with trepidation I hope that you have finally found our magic kingdom I regret that I could never figure you out You were a Pandora's box of dreams, desires and secret hiding places Now those precious treasures lie locked within you forever And still I stand among a sea of solemn faces I fight to stand strong on trembling knees, yet I know I have lost a part of myself Optima dies Prima Fugit, eh old friend? Do you remember the Desiderata? "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and stars. You have a right to be here." If those words are true, then why are we standing here mourning you? I know the pain you must have felt when they took your very being away Standing here, nothing more than an anomaly, unique in my own way I raise my fist to the heaven's and cuss with venomous rage I asked God to protect you, what good did it do to pray? As the last bit of dark soil covers you, the crowd begins to disperse Carrying away with them dew drops from moist blades of grass Yet I still stand here alone, wondering at the feeling in the back of my mind Twittering birds all sing the same song Life goes on, it's survival for the strong When you passed my world fell apart Everything we did; we did together You were so familiar yet such a stranger Clutching at thin rays of dancing sunlight I finally see The person that was just buried was....me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ notes: Optima Dies Prima Fugit: Latin phrase meaning, "In the lives of mortals the best days are the first to flee. Desiderata: Old poem

I finally got around to picking it up yesterday. There's no doubt about it; it's one bad(bad as in good) 2D platformer. I really got a kick out of the new voices, especially Luigi's! I'll never get tired of hearing him say, "Just what I needed!" I'm a real mark for Mario music too for some reason. I can actually hum the tunes from the first ones; they're just so darn lovable and catchy. Anyway, I like being able to play as Luigi with separate abilities than Mario too; it really adds a new dimension to the game. Other small changes like not turning small upon getting hit when having the cape power up help polish up the overall package too.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Zero-Sama [/i] [B][COLOR=blue]Has anyone ever played The game on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System?This game was made by both Square and Nintendo and this game looks like something you would find on the Sony Playstation or The Playstation Two.I mean,The game is one of the Longest,it has a Secret boss from Final Fantasy II. This game was realeased in 1990,Or around there.It looks better than some games i see on my Playstation Two!I personaly think that if they are going to bring back Older Super Nintendo Entertainment System games like Chrono Trigger,Final Fantasy Games,Super Mario World and Super Mario 2 to systems like the Sony Playstation and Gameboy Advanced,I think they should bring it back to the Nintendo Gamecube Or to the Nintendo Gamecube. Incunclusion,I just want to know who has played it and who thinks this game has a good quality.[/COLOR] [/B][/QUOTE]. I have to admit that it was a fine rpg with a refined combat system, excellent graphics and appealing humor. I really liked turning into 2D Mario and actually fighting as Bowser alongside Mario for once. As much as I liked it though, I don't think it even holds a candle to most decent Playstation 2 games. That's not what's really important though, now is it?;) Overall, I'd have to agree that it's still a better game than a lot of PSX and PS2 games. One could only hope that it releases on GameBoy Advance. Seeing as how Square was behind it, I'd say that it's a wait and see situation.

The Playstation 3 wait might not be as long as you think. Last I heard, it could be out as early as 2005. Their main reason for bumping the release dat forward is because of the Xbox's built in hard drive and internet capabilities. I guess the wait depends on how successful Microsoft's system is. Whether the game comes to PS3 or PS2, we'll have a couple year wait anyway. But wouldn't it be cool if it launched with PS3? It's be reminiscent of the FF7 launch on the PSX so long ago.

There's no doubt that Sony's Playstation 2 enjoyed a successful holiday season, courtesy of games such as Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy X. However, sometimes I find myself becoming tired of brilliant cinematics and longing for the good ole' gameplay of the 16 bit era. I haven't had the chance to pick the game up yet, but this next generation Ghouls n' Ghosts is heavily hyped as a game that evokes gameplay nostaligia while implementing the top notch graphics that the gaming public has grown accustomed to. Having read reviews(internet, publication and reader) I find opinions to be quite mixed. I'm wondering if anyone here feels that the classic hack n' slash gameplay still has a place amongst the cinematic masterpieces that dominate the market.

I believe that the main reason the Virtua Boy failed(besides the sickness inducing display) was the fact that it wasn't really portable. The GameBoy took off because it offered quality games that people could take almost anywhere. Dragging the Virtua Boy around would be awkward. The only games that really got my attention were Mario Tennis and the Wario game. I was a bit disappointed with the boxing game. It was no Punch Out to say the least.

Nerdsy basically covered it, but I'll elaborate further. In addition to everything he said, make sure that you have powerful spells like Waterga. Cura will come in handy as well, as you'll be able to heal your party if he delivers any significant damage. If you have Yuna's overdrive, Healer, her Grand Summon will be available in no time. Don't summon a guardian unless it's overdrive is up or you're wasting it. Defender X'll knock the guardian out in like one hit. Lastly, cast a darkness spell on it; it can't give you massive damage if it can't touch you.

Ugh, indefinite hold? I guess it's better than nothing. Hopefully they'll make Yuffie and Vincent real characters so that they'll appear in the CG movies.

I'd have to say that my recent favorite duo is Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in the Rush Hour movies. Although, the "Odd Couple" pairing has been done to death, those two guys manage to keep it fresh and entertaining.

Oh man, if you've got the airship it's an entirely different story. I've noticed that she appears in a number of different places. You'll either find her near the Al Bhed training post, Yellow feather at the entrance to the place, or near the exit of the Calm Lands(the path you took to fight the boss that one time).

Well, it's really tough to say which one is the worst in the series, but I'll have to say that it's the first one. This is an opinion based more on gameplay preference than anything else. I believe that the developers spent a lot of time perfecting the engine for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and trying to find a perfect groove for the series. When they made the game, they were trying to see "what works" and "what doesn't." Of course they wanted to maintain the realism of professional skateboarding, but they also wanted to capture a fantasy aspect to expand on the overall enjoyment of the game. By tweaking the engine for the sequal, they only managed to perfect the game for PSX. As Rico stated, it was the birth of the manual in the series, which allowed awesome possibilities for combos and high scores. I also liked the addition of "perfect" and "sloppy" landings-they really motivated me to abandon reckless styles. Gaps were also pure genious; I loved the Bull Ring level just because of that one gap. The overall physics of the game seemed to flow more smoothly as well. For some reason, Hawk 2 was just easier to play. It seemed as if your Skater stayed in the air longer. This is once again, gameplay preference. Hardcore gamers seeking nothing but challenge would probably adore the first one's less forgiving gameplay. The bells and whistles were a lot better too. The Park Editor and simple, yet nice, Create a Skater were huge improvements(park editor in particular) that can only be expanded on in forth coming installments. When it comes to Hawk 3, I agree with Neo Cactuar. Heck, I skipped Hawk 2X for the Xbox simply because this sequal destroys it. By populating levels with life and furthering the creativity of level objectives, Hawk 3 managed to unsurp Hawk 2 as the king of skateboarding games. Online mode did wonder for Hawk 3 as well.... The main problem with the PSX Hawk 3 is that, it doesn't really improve upon the second game's formula. The developers tried to duplicate the impressive level designs of the PS2 counterpart which turned out to be a big "no-no." Choppy gameplay and crappy draw distance set the thrid one back if anything.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by James [/i] [B] I don't agree with the idea that if there were no lower class, there'd be no middle class. That just doesn't make sense. [/B][/QUOTE] Now how's the best way to explain this? Well, I guess the best example is a visual example. Hold up your thumb, index finger, and middle finger. The thumb will represent the lower class. The index finger represents the middle class and the middle finger represents the upper class. Now, if you eliminate the lower class by putting your thumb down, there is no longer a middle ground. In the end, you need at least three classes to have a middle class. Based on what I was taught and in what I believe, I feel that if you eliminate the lower class, what you're basically left with is an upper and lower class; the elite and the norm. If there were only two classes it would remind me of the days of English lords and surfs. I know it wouldn't be quite as archaic in practice, but I have a feeling that social mobility might be damaged with only two classes. After all, it didn't work back then... I feel that this ties in with goverment neglecting the needs of the poor. Basically, a lot of homelessness is the result of white flight and the disintigration of industry in urban areas. As long as people suffer from the four basic theories, (split labor, unified of ethnic relations, middle Man Minorities, and the split class, the lower class will never be appeased. It all comes down to human ignorance, which I don't see going away.....

Final Fantasy VII encompasses a whopping three cds.

I can't wait to see that film. The only problem is that they skipped, "The Vampire Lestat." It seems as if they're going to combine both "The Queen of the Damned," and the aformentioned book into one movie. Pffft, good luck.

*Shudders upon getting a close look at Raiha's corns* Rising to his feet, jumping up and down, White Boy yells, "Stop, Stop, stop! I'm supposed to be winning! I'm the man here, not you two!" *Pulling at his hair angrily, White Boy devises a plan.* "Okay," he says, "I'll be the bigger man and leave. Is that the exit over there?" *As Raiha and SSJ Chic turn around, White Boy bangs there noggins together, and slaps Raiha's bottom as if celebrating a touchdown.* "Who's the best now," he shouts running in circles shouting, "Me, me, me, me...."

I find the X series to be quite dated. Capcom seems to be rushing each release. The color pallete has always looked so...16 bitish. Also, the characters are a little small for my liking. These may seem like minor gripes, but on a much more serious level, I enjoyed the level design of the first two games of the series on the Super Nintendo much more. Capcom really needs to either kill this series(just the X series, not the whole Megaman franchise) or completely overhaul it.

Crazy White Boy's face turns red with embarrassent and anger:mad:as the two women kick back and relax at his expense. Rolling free, he pouts, "Who do you two think you are? How dare you treat the legendary White Warrior with such disrespect!" Pumping his fists into the air, he only becomes more angry at their laughter. *Kicks SSJ Chic in the knee and sticks his tongue out at both girls* "I order you both out of my fight club this instance for insubordination," he yells.

Sheesh, I'm just trying to be intimidating. This [I]is[/I] fight club you know. I'm supposed to be mean and intimidating ...grrrrrrrrrrrrr. I never really thought of a sexist pig as a male prostitute though; rather I'd imagine one to be some thirty year old, balding guy with a beer in one hand and a crumpled dollar bill in another at a go go bar.

*Punches SSJ Chic in the jaw and tosses her aside* Well, if you want in, prepare to deal with sexist pigs like myself. I'll be sure to destroy you.....and your little Raiha too!

Having studied Urban issues for quite a bit now, I feel compelled to put my two cents in on this. First of all, the Welfare system is more harmful to low income families than it is helpful. The amount that the government gives out is hardly enough to support the average low income family. Furthermore, the family is restricted in the work force. If they make a certain amount of money, their assistance will be taken away. This doesn't even have to be a large income. Usually, people in this situation become dependent on Welfare and just give up on supporting themselves. It's hard for them to get a decent line of work anyway, because they usually have children to support and can only work very limited hours. There will always be homeless people in the world. If there was no lower class, then there wouldn't be a middle class. American government actually wants homeless people in America, as there is always the need for a lower class. Further crippling the homeless are tenement housing. The government actually funds landlords to run barely livible buildings with hardly a window or plumbing, tax free. It's all social isolation; sectioning off the less desirables. How do you think these buildings get passed for inspection? Someon's pockets are getting lined. Companies will also purchase run down houses just waiting for the right organization to purchase the land. This leaves people homeless, with nowhere to go. It's sad really. A group of citizens once defied the government, fixed the houses, and moved people in, only to watch government board them up again. Heck, they just did the blood thirsty corporate sharks a favor by fixing them up.

Funny you should bring up Mario Tennis for the Virtual Game Boy, Kuja. I almost bought one of those contraptions just for that ingenious game! When I started getting dizzy from it, I changed my mind though. Anyway, I could be mistaken, as I haven't played Mario Golf in a while, but I belive that the same folks behind Hot Shots Golf made it. Camelot was it? I had to try it just for that. No one can design a golf course like those guys. Mario Golf is one of those games that I cursed at, threw the controller down in disgust, swore I'd never play again because it was a piece of garbage, and was already missing it again five minutes later. Ah, that's when you can tell when you've got a winning formula. In a way, it's Nintendo's own way of making you purchase new controllers!

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Gohan [/i] [B]Well, I just got some of the best games. They might be old, but they are fun to play. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (rated platinum by egm) and FFVII, what i believe is the most influencail ff game. Any tips u can give me? Especailly FFVII. Thanx [/B][/QUOTE] So far, I've played every Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and I have to say that with each one, my respect for the series grows. The main thing that this series has(besides the brilliant gameplay and physics that have been copied, but never completely replicated) is truly unique and fun level design. What I've noticed is that for the first time in ages, your high score matters! I played over and over again, just to break my own records and that of my pals. You'll be playing that game for a long time to come even after you've unlocked everything. Final Fantasy VII, like NeoCactuar said, is very deep and involving. The spectrum of possiblity for giving tips is so large that you have to be specific. Chocobo breeding is something that takes hours if you want S rank. Furthermore, the Materia system has a deep quality that has often gone underappreciated by some of the rpg public. For more involving tips, I agree that you should pick up the strategy guide(or check out a faq) and only use it when needed. It should be relatively cheap by now. Either that, or check out the Final Fantasy forum. I'm pretty sure that you'll find some advice there. Once again, I must reiterate that you go through it once without relying on a book for the secrects and then go through it again and pick up everything. That's how I got the most enjoyment out of it...

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Gohan [/i] [B]Let me help... Goku is only allowed to stay for 24 hours, they hav not yet ran out. What happens is that when everyone is safe on kami's lookout, they releize they do not hav the dragon radar, which they need to find the dragonballs. Trunks goes down to capsule corp. while goku stall buu so that he doesn't blow up the world in the meantime. SSJ1, 2, and 3 is shown as goku powers all the way up. At first, goku is winning, then loosing, then his time runs out, meaning that he has to go back to heaven. He goes to the supreme kia's planet to watch gohan train until gohan has to go down. When gohan starts to lose, goku gets paniky, and an old man u will meet later gives goku his earings, letting any 2 people fuse, and his life, trading it so goku could go back down to earth and defeat buu. Vegeta dies when he makes the ultimate sacrifice to kill buu. As he too sees that the earth is in trouble, he argues with king yamma and eventually he gets to stay on earth lik goku had before, with only a limited time. After the buu saga, i believe he is thrown back in hell. He is back when gt starts though. the next 6 episodes? Fusion? *thinks* No, in the japanese episodes, 6 episodes after this they decide to fuse, but calculate when they actually start, and the extended FUNI episodes, and I would say about 10-12 episodes after the nex ones start. BTW, where are they in toonami? [/B][/QUOTE] Actually, the next two tapes were just released. Anyway, it's trivial, but Vegita doesn't really argue with Lord Enma to be brought back. Vegita was an exception in that, Enma let him keep his body, despite his past sins, because he might be of use fighting Buu. He only gets angry when Enma tells him his sacrifice was worthless. I'm pretty sure that he isn't thrown back to hell. Because of his turn to good, he is allowed to keep his life when everyone is brought back later. I might be wrong on that last part, but i'm pretty sure that's how it goes.

Since it's for the original PSX and fairly old, it should be downright affordable by now. It's pretty rare to find a Playstation game above the $39.99 range. Front Mission'll give you your meat though, as it's about 40-50 hours long. Still though, as far as strategy rpgs are concerned, the horribly translated Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite!

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Amphion [/i] [B] So gaming companies are now under the obligation to make at least one of their hero's black to make sure African Americans dont feel left out? I am not a racist and I hate people who are, but personally I think that is stupid. I am thinking of going into the gaming industry myself and I dont feel that I should have to include a balck hero in my game just please the african american crowd. When someone makes a game they write a story first. They dream up the story in their head and its want they want it to be about. they have the right to make their story however they want it to be. When I start making games I dont want my imagination to be regulated just cause someone may feel left out. I have nothing wrong with a black character, I might even have one in a story of mine. but it should be there cause thats what the writer had in mind not just because a certain minority is under represented. I dont mean what I have said in an offending way. I am just stating my opinion on the subject. [/B][/QUOTE] Your argument comes off pretty intelligently to me and shouldn't offend anyone. However, in my opinion if you look on a broader scope, black people are almost completely ignored in the genre. We're not talking about just one game. Furhermore, why can't a black person fit into the story. I'm sure that they can fill in any heroic roles that a white person has.