Charles

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']So wait... you honestly think this man should be given the death penalty because of killing people while driving drunk?[/size][/quote] What is so difficult to understand about that, even if she was implying that (which she wasn't)? If someone consciously makes the decision to become intoxicated they should not keep their car keys. When someone gets behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol they are risking harm to themselves and putting innocent people in danger. That is not fair. It's not by "crappy chance" that a drunk driver kills someone; it's not just coincidence. A drunk driver has acted irresponsibly and selfishly by impairing their senses and [I]still [/I] driving a vehicle. So, a driver goes out, acts with reckless abandon and makes other people suffer because of their idiocy. When a drunk driver kills someone it should be no different than committing murder; everyone knows the risks of driving drunk. I'm just going to come out and say it: if people disregard the dangers associated with driving drunk and they rob an innocent bystander of their life, they should be given the death penalty. People that stupid and irresponsible do not deserve to live.

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue']That?s like the ultimate teaser James. I don?t suppose you have more information on that? I feel like drooling here, I haven?t even got my hands on the newest Zelda and they are already working on another one! I may not get the Wii immediately, but once that comes out I definitely will be getting the Wii system. ;)[/COLOR][/quote] Of course they haven't released much information; the project has only been hinted at. If they started releasing tangible details, they would be overshadowing Twilight Princess. However, based on interviews, it seems as if some sort of cel shaded style is not out of the question, thank goodness. I do not know if Nintendo will be using cel shading for sure on the next Zelda, but it is obvious that they are not done with the technique (which is even more obvious thanks to the DS Zelda). By tye way, at least when you do a stabbing motion in Twilight Princess with the Wii controller, the onscreen action will reflect it. That's a nice break from the canned swinging, at least.

Yeah, that's pretty old news and most people here are Nintendo fanboys but I like having these threads kept as comprehensive as possible, so it is still a helpful post. By the way, you Europeans should not be complaining. The Playstation 3 probably isn't launching until 2008 for me.

One question: Haven't you ever been to a mall? I see booths with knock-off video game systems all the time.

[quote name='vegeta rocker']I just didnt understand how a show about a comical and ugly woman has an article flanked by a nude photograph of the actress looking beautiful. i just felt it undermined the point it the show making it pointless.[/quote] I probably shouldn't have called you prudish; I already know from your posts that you're not. I think you pretty much answered your own question here though. How many people in the *general public* are going to be interested in a show about an ugly woman, regardless of how well it is written or how funny it is? A nude photograph of an attractive, *recognizable* pop culture icon will automatically gain their attention at the very least and garner interest. Even if the photograph causes them to just look further into the show then it has succeeded. So, you have to ask yourself: is it really pointless? Ironic, maybe. Shameless? Perhaps. Pointless? Not so much.

My only advice is that you should never visit a museum, vegeta rocker. Nudity has been a key part of art and entertainment forever now. The Greeks celebrated the beauty of the human figure and it was prominent in Renaissance art. Nudity is very rarely pointless; if you look at magazine ads you can often see similarities and connections between ads featuring "nudity" and artistic archetypes, such as Eve and the Madonna. Don't be so prudish. If anything, you should take offense to military propaganda--which is a lot more harmful, I think.

Well, because I do not want to get "smurfed up" I feel that it's time to update this thread. Instead of discussing Perfect Dark, I'll talk about my recent experiences with a game that beats the hell out of it: the original DOOM. Two weeks ago Papa Smurf and I played split screen co-op on the Xbox Doom disc that came with Doom 3 and although we had fun, the small screen size definitely took away from the experience a little. Deathmatch was good fun but from what I noticed, it went on forever and didn't really keep track of the frags--which made the mode sort of pointless. Ironically, earlier this week DOOM appeared on the Xbox Live marketplace with enhancements like four player online co-op, deathmatch and slightly smoother-looking textures (although the game is still pixelated when things get up close, everything looks very crisp and clear). I have played a lot of different versions of DOOM; I have played it on the PC, 32X, SNES, N64, Playstation, Xbox, and GBA. Yet, when DOOM appeared on the Marketplace, I did not even have to think about buying it. My first co-op experience was pretty bad. I played with some random people; they were all shooting at one another and one of them killed me. I promptly exited. Later that night though I played through the entire first episode with Tony aka Generic NPC#3 and I had a blast. We were a little disappointed that no achievements were distributed for the co-op campaign, but what I did take away from our sessions is just how enduring DOOM is. The level design is perfect and remains fun to this day, easily surpassing most current shooters. The placement of secrets, enemies, and weapons is balanced just right. In a way, DOOM reminds me of the Street Fighter series; it is extremely simplistic compared to modern games in its genre, but the formula just "works." Sure, you can't jump or even aim your gun up and down but mowing down the hordes of hell just never really gets old. The online co-op really breathed new life into the experience too and I think it was cool playing with someone I've met on here, and so easily. The deathmatch mode is okay. Players are actually able to set a frag limit and the game visibly keeps track of frags. However, there are obvious omissions that really are not acceptable by today's standards (i.e, there is no message that indicates who has killed who). Regardless, the ingenius level design, timeless weapon design, and simplicity of the experience grants the game a high fun factor. If there are any other Xbox 360 owners on here, definitely download DOOM and post your gamer tags.

A month is not that long of a wait when the alternative is dropping 250 bones on a new system with nothing else worth playing on it at launch.

If you're just getting into this genre, the best place to start on Playstation 2 is Silent Hill 2 (if you have not played the first it does not matter) or the Fatal Frame (especially the second one) games. Rule of the Rose looks interesting and I've been keeping my eye on it but the general consensus is that it's pretty boring. Back when I first bought the Playstation 2, I had a game called Shadow of Destiny, in which you would constantly witness the main character die and then find a way to change his fate. I don't know how it would hold up now, since it's been years since I've played it, but it was really awesome and the fact that I still remember it is meaningful. If you could dig that one up for a low price then I recommend it. At this point it's probably $10 or less.

I would definitely have to point to my Donkey Konga bongo drums for this one. Combine that with playing them to "Bingo" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and you have a very geeky purchase.

[QUOTE=Dagger]x Stix o Styx ~Dagger~[/QUOTE] Oh crapola on a styk. Thanks, Dagger. Chalk that up to me typing this thing up at 8am, during class, and not knowing how to spell very well. :catgirl:

Thanks, vegeta rocker. I especially appreciate the last part of your comment since it brings up a good point. This is really more of an epic than an OB fan fic since it could actually be performed. John also mentioned how this pays homage to history, which Shakespeare also did--so I'm glad to see that that was picked up on. Oh, and Lady A--I appreciate your correction. I knew there was a mistake in there. It's always good to know that I can rely on you to find mistakes that need to be resolved--as long as I'm not asking you about commas! Anyway, on with the next scene! This one is pretty long, so I hope you don't mind! Act II Scene II [The Otaku Lounge Saloon] [Enter Chorus from the left. Enter Chibihorsewoman, Adahn, and Retribution from the right] Chorus: Terror is now upon us. When the mods created Alex they gave him the gift of intelligence. The glorious sun mod made his mind bright. The great mod of wit gave him insight. They great mods, they made the beauty of all his words exceptional surpassing most others. Or so he?d say. For arrogance brought on his great decay. The Internet can be more serious than the logical-minded would ever believe. But the anonymity it grants can transform the most amiable person into a monster. Show me a world separated from consequence! This is that world. A world where we create our own identities, detached from any inhibition. Such freedom has removed young Alex from the human condition. He has become an abomination. a beast that takes license in devouring others for his own twisted pleasure. The world wide web was once a safe place in which we could meet and talk. But now across the kingdom of OtakuBoards does this dangerous predator stalk. All threads on OtakuBoards proceed warily for fear that he?ll violate them unwanted and devour their participants in his slobbering jaws. [Exit Chorus to the left] Adahn: Food and drink has made my belly full and this fire warms my spirits. Its dancing flame, hungry for words, laps at the discussion- starved air. I am here to satisfy its hunger with words full of enough substance to keep us warm for many days to come. Retribution: What thoughts have you for us tonight? Adahn: My friends, methinks thou will be impressed. I will pluck the strings of thy deepest thoughts and produce a music that appeals to thine finest senses. I recognize myself as a philosopher with much authority. Soon thou will too. Chibihorsewoman: Are we to talk about socks? Strange things are the harpsichord of my soul. Will thou pluck my strings? Adahn: What? Art thou mad? We are not to discuss socks. We are to discuss God! Chibihorsewoman: We have done so before. What makes this time any different? Instead I offer to bare my breasts and provide the Lounge with nutrition. Men like to think they have answers to all of life?s riddles. Thinking beyond one?s place in the order of celestial things only makes one uneasy. As a mother I instead will coddle members with simpler issues. Adahn: Put away thy meddlesome breast for I, glorious Adahn have the answers man and child alike desire. What makes people sure of an afterlife? Obviously we cannot experience it. Those who have, have not been considerate enough to return with a description of their accounts. Maybe because there's just life. There is no after, no before, just different stages. ChibiHorsewoman: Then what happens to us when we expire in our old ages Mr. Adahn? Adahn: Well, what happened to thou the last time thou died? ChibiHorsewoman: I have never died! [Enter Alex, unnoticed from the right, who lurks in the shadows.] Adahn: How can thou be so sure? Can thou gaze into the past beyond thy conception? Would thou have any way of knowing? Alex: [aside] Soon your pathetic gospel will cease flowing. ChibiHorsewoman: Adahn, like a preacher you wish to seduce me by means of fine rhetoric. But you are not as artful as you pretend. Life that has beginning, too must have end. Alex: [aside] With this stupidity my patience cannot contend. Adahn: I am well versed in the mysteries of life. I have traveled countless web pages and assumed much about the world?s religions to find answers that have eluded man until now, until me. [Enter Fasteriskhead from the right] Retribution: Oh, what a gentleman! Wait, what intrepid figure comes this way? Fasteriskhead: Blast this confounded weather! Blast it all! Ah, my friends! At last I have arrived in defiance of the tumultuous storm raging on outside! By the by, I am lucky to have survived! Hold on, allow me to wring out my poor coat. The fire, she will dry it nicely. Retribution: Take your time. Pull yourself together, man. Fasteriskhead: Oh, my my. That will do quite nicely. What a horror waits outside those doors. Never, have I seen such an odious downpoor. Howling winds weather earth's clay. The sky is emblazoned crimson red; it is nigh impossible to distinguish between night and day. Walls of rain have left me both disheveled and annoyed. It's as if Poseidon himself has Mother Nature employed. Chibihorsewoman: I notice thou art wearing thy favorite pair of socks! Alex: [aside] My patience wears thin because of these-- Fasteriskhead: Stupid cocks--to make matters worse, kept me up for a fortnight, crowing as if they too were confused by these blood-red nights. In these trying times, I often wonder if the Apocalypse draws near. Nevermind that. Now I am in the company of friends. Adahn: A bit of philosophy will ease our troubles. Fasteriskhead: My dear Adahn, pick my brain, sir. Adahn: Last week, a dear fellow, a nobleman, no less, named Anti, was visiting my home. We often revel in our genius together. Yes, I was reminded by your admonishment of the weather. There was a particularly fierce storm on that night. So, he stayed in my guest chambers. The next morning he returned to his home. Lo and behold, a bolt of lightning, by Zeus's hand had split a venerable old oak tree on his land. Chibihorsewoman: How terrible! Adahn: Yes indeed but in its demise the tree did bear fruit. Chibihorsewoman: I love fruit. Let us discuss our favorite kinds of fruits. Adahn: No. Not that kind of fruit. It bore the fruit of thought! Now, no one was present to hear the poor tree's untimely end. So did it make a sound when its splinters burst and it fell upon the earth? Retribution: Surely we could ponder this for weeks. Chibihorsewoman: I would like to taste this fruit of thought; it sounds exotic and I have never tasted it before. Alex: [aside] I wonder if I will make a sound when I empty the sparse contents of their skulls on this floor. Fasteriskhead: This is a deep question thou has posed. We need to consider if sound might be something other than the apprehension of an objective sensory experience by a subject. If I am not around to hear a tree fall, how do I know what the tree is going to sound like at all? I cannot, not directly; I'm making a reasonable induction based on other past experiences I've had. But I wonder: is it possible that this tree in particular may make a totally different kind of sound than normal? Or even no sound at all? Alex: Enough! I can take it no more! You're asinine and annoying too. Your irrelevant, philosophical, long-winded posturing means absolutely nothing. Adahn: Tis Alex! Look how frightful he appears! His skin has turned veiny and blue. A, white tangled beard, as unkempt has his personality twists past his jawline and breaches his chest! Fasteriskhead: Watch thy tongue, devil. In this saloon we respect one another. Alex: You're making a simple question complicated for the sake of making it complicated. Don't be so useless. Fasteriskhead: [draws sword] We were enjoying a private discussion. Sir, you were not invited. Leave, or face the repercussion. [Charles enters from the right with three Imperial soldiers.] Charles: What's this? Breaking our peace initiative? Fasteriskhead: No! It is not what it appears, Charles. This villain disturbed our once peaceful talk with unwarranted insults. Charles: But you are the one with sword drawn. Men take him away. Take Fosterkid to the gallows at once! Power has been returned to my hands. An example needs to be made. Tomorrow we will hold a public execution in the town square. Thy head upon a pike will serve as ample warning to hostile brutes. Although thou suffers a damned demise, tomorrow morn thy lifeless gaze shall discourage busy hands that act by scorn. Adahn: No, this is not fair! This is not right! Sir! Charles: As for this saloon, I am closing it for the night. Now, all of you leave at once. Men, do not let the boy struggle. Subdue him. Chibihorsewoman: Thou are hideous as much as he. [Points towards Alex.] Charles: Tis not a good idea to put your head in the mouth of the lion. Men take her as well. We shall need two pikes to support the weight of her head. Now, will you two leave or will you join your friends, swimming laps in the River Styx? Now, what say ye? [Exuent Retribution and Adahn to the left. Exuent troops with Fasteriskhead, and Chibihorsewoman chained in front of them.]

[quote name='RiflesAtRecess][font=arial][size=1]I alos agree that the stylus would've been a better choice, however I can surely understand that the graphics were made for the PS2's capabilities and would not translate well elsewhere.[/size'][/font][/quote] Have you ever played Viewtiful Joe for the DS? While Okami would not translate [I]perfectly[/I] onto the DS, I am confident that the game would look fantastic on the handheld. I picked this game up last Saturday and I'm about eight hours in. Thus far I'm impressed by the silky smooth animation but I'm not a fan of the art style. The visuals look too dithered and dull for my tastes. Certain scenes, however, like when a guardian sapling is revived and nature explodes back into a cursed zone, look fantastic. From what I've played the game is enjoyable, and the brush adds a unique element to solving puzzles and defeating enemies, but the simplicity of the brush mechanics sort of dampens the fun a little. Okami shows a lot of potential so far: it looks pretty good, introduces some cool concepts, and the writing is great. However, I've yet to reach a point in the game where I've been really "wowed." Hopefully things pick up a little soon.

[quote name='Delta][COLOR=#038000]I like where this is going, Charles. Will we see an adaptation of [i]Canterbury Tales[/i'] in the future?[/COLOR][/quote] Haha, I'd love to at some point but hopefully I can keep this timely instead of taking months to update it again. Keep in mind though that the second act is actually going to be significantly longer than the first. This was only the first scene, whereas the first post contained several scenes.

I bet you thought I forgot. Well, here's scene 1 of the next act. I haven't been able to proof read it yet, and I know there's at least one mistake in there, that I can't find anymore so feel free to point out anything that should be cleaned up or corrected. Act 2 scene I [The OtakuBoards Imperial Throne Room] [Enter King James, Shy from the right] King James: So, they have broken the peace ordinance again. Shy: Aye, my lord, they have. Their appetite for violence seems boundless. With each stroke of their busy blades, they attempt to paint one another?s Godless demise. Their silver tongues, meanwhile fight another more painful battle, in which each verbal parry and thrust does irreparable damage to the bonds of friendship that should bind them. Each verbal volley is more barbarous than the last. Where is the humanity? King James: Gentle cousin, my heart is heavy. I know not what to do. Hatred consumes these otherwise constructive gentlemen like a plague. Mitch and Alex contribute much. They are like a limb of my very own, infected by disease. To sever them would be to cut off my very own arm. Is the end worth the means? Must we seek such a drastic cure? I value my arm but not when its sickness becomes contagious and harms those in its presence. Ay me, Shy I know not what to do. I must be sure that these men are truly infected through and through. Shy: Laws are laws, they are what make us men. Let it not rest on your conscience if their animal abandon leads them to the lion?s den. King James: More intelligent words were never spoken. I value this bit of wisdom, but here comes my very own flesh and blood. A consult with them will make clear what was once mud. Shy: Peace be with you my lord. [Exuent Shy to the left. Enter Desbreko and Dagger from the right.] King James: Arise my fair children. You need not kneel before me. Raise thine eyes, look at me in earnest. Dagger: We but pay what respect is due. At least we attempt to. For, no one has an allowance expansive enough to tender the respect thou deserve?st, my dear father. King James: Oh my precious daughter, it swells the hallowed chambers of my heart to hear you speak?st so. Although strands of silver furnish my brow and age creeps into the very marrow of my bones, my eyes still glitter like untarnished jewels because you, my children are my lasting spark of life. Although my youth has expired, the fire you fan within me is everlasting. Desbreko: Please, please, say no more, my liege. We are but shadows cast in thy presence. There thou sits clothed in the robes of the ages. Thou art brave and enduring. Thou has carried a heavy burden upon thy back. Now we, thy loyal subjects, shall pick up thy sword and plunge, without hesitation, into whatever troubles besiege thee. Thou has pulled a heavy wagon, a wagon of responsibility. Now we shall pull it with thee. King James: Your words bring me much comfort in this time of need. It seems as if Mitch and Alex are once again breaking the rules we have decreed. Desbreko: Father, all troubles seem especially dark at such a late hour. Please rest. In the morning we will contemplate recent events and they will not seem so dour. King James: You have grown so wise my valiant son. Shy, please escort me to my chambers. [Enter Shy from the right] King James: The moon seems so bright and full tonight. I have taken little notice of heaven?s beauty in my plight. Fare thee well my precious children. I shall sleep easy on this night and suffer my kingly responsibilities by the sun?s light. [Exuent King James and Shy to the left] Desbreko: It will not be long now, sister. Father is a fool, whose mind and time have expired. Soon his soul will take leave from this mortal coil and we shall consummate our incestuous love. Reveal thyself, rougue! [Enter Charles] Charles: Drake Desbreko, why chance would have it! Thou must be desperate and mad to employ my help in these royal affairs. But you have compensated me well. In a day?s time I shall render thy father dead and thus deliver his divine soul straight to hell. I am a godless, pitiful man with no conscience to haunt me after the deed is done. I am an angel of death, I cannot return the life once taken . I ask you one last time before you are God forsaken: Do you truly wish for me to let your father?s blood with my knife? Do you truly wish to make your sister both orphan and wife? Desbreko: Silence! Enough of your rambling, fool. You were nothing, a mere outcast before I brought you back from the depths of obscurity. Now you will be Thane of Hardwired if you complete the task I desire. Charles: Then it shall come to pass. Your father?s celestial soul shall soon part from his flesh. But Shy must be dealt with too, for his loyalty is pure and true. I am not sure I can best him in physical battle. But I know of a deadly snake with a poison tongue and a deadly rattle.

[quote name='r2vq][color=#007520']Charles, is that official information or your logical conclusion?[/color][/quote] It's official. [spoiler]Earlier this year Fumito Ueda (the game's director and lead designer) specifically said in an interview that the games share the same world, and that Shadow of the Colossus takes place some time before Ico. He revealed that the main character begins the line of horned boys of which Ico's protagonist is a descendant. Additionally, the shadowy figures which appear in the Shrine of Worship are connected to the shadows which the player must fight in Ico.[/spoiler] I don't see why some of you are so skeptical to believe the connection; if you've played both games and completed Shadow of the Colossus, the connection is not exactly a subtle one. In fact, it is the reason why the ending is so significant.

[spoiler]Guys, Shadow of the Colossus is a prequel. The game explains how the cursed horn children came to be. So, Ico is a sequel.[/spoiler]

[quote name='BKstyles][font=tahoma']I wouldn't mind seeing another installment...i don't have a clue how they would go about it judging from the end of the game...but the concept is a fun one.[/font][/quote] [spoiler]Well you do know that Ico is the sequel, right?[/spoiler]

[quote name='NekoNikku']This thread is for anyone who is planning on cosplaying and wants to know what character would best suit them or is just curious[/quote] This thread looks like it belongs in the Anime Lounge. Since I don't visit there too much I do not know if the Anime Lounge moderators would find this thread acceptable. Private message them about it.

Steps to Success: 1) Stop making OtakuBoards parodies. Most OtakuBoards members aren't interesting enough to parody. Stick to inventing your own characters instead of working with pre-existing ones.

There's a new gameplay trailer up. It's not direct feed, but it shows some cool new concepts and stealth moves. Check it out: [url]http://www.gameklip.com/v/1531/[/url]

Why hey, it's one of those threads that could have just been a signature!

[quote name='White][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=DimGray]Meh. I could care less.[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] I agree: I [B]couldn't[/B] care less. The more important factor here is that the Wiimote integration is just a tacked-on gimmick for this version of Zelda. It's already been confirmed that Link's onscreen actions do not match which way you swing the Wiimote. Regardless of whether you swipe right or left, he's going to perform canned attack animations. Recent impressions of the game have stated that it's coming along really well though, and that the controls are much more manageable than they were at E3 (particularly firing arrows), so at least that's good news.

[quote name='Japan_86][COLOR=Navy']Oh yeah, I hate working the breakfast shifts. That is the most annoying of all.[/COLOR][/quote] Well, get ready to quit! McDonald's is considering serving breakfast all day. Anyway, I go to school and work at Home Depot. I also get paid for moderating here. They had me set up a Paypal account and I get paid bi-weekly. It's nothing to write home about--only a couple hundred dollars, but it's nice to have extra spending money.

[CENTER][IMG]http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/733/733666/trusty-bell-chopins-dream-20060920012105612.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [URL=http://img224.imageshack.us/my.php?image=trustybellchopinsdream20060920012101065bu0.jpg][IMG]http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/5390/trustybellchopinsdream20060920012101065bu0.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL] IGN has put up some images of this amazing-looking Xbox 360 rpg. You can find them at this link: [URL=http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/761/761569/imgs_1.html]IGN Pictures[/URL] Also, here is a streaming trailer: [url]http://www.xboxyde.com/stream_3030_en.html[/url] And the much-better looking torrent option: [url]http://www.xboxyde.com/leech_3030_en.html[/url] Next gen is here! I love how subtle the cel shading is and how beautiful the animation and music are. Even if you don't have a 360 it's worth checking out the trailer. Although the character designs are not breaking any ground in the originality department and the some of the monster designs look a little generic, the quality of the visuals comes close to matching an animated Miyazaki film. Some of the landscapes, in particular are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. This really has to be seen in motion to be appreciated. Stunning indeed.