James

[QUOTE=Epitome][size=1][color=SeaGreen] But I dont understand what you mean by DDR Style of gameplay... Do you mean you can dance in the game?[/size][/color][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Precisely. [spoiler]And your car can dance too. ~_^[/spoiler] Very worth picking up, for sure. For those who have never played GTA or never liked it (or had issues with certain things in the last two games), San Andreas may be for you. However, you [i]will[/i] miss certain little things, particularly in-jokes. However, I don't think that will really sour the experience, since the story is pretty self-contained (and the characterization is a whole lot better than the previous two games, by a long shot).[/color]

[color=#707875]I think that the guns issue is the most important thing in terms of physical issues. But I think the bigger problem is the absolutely [i]insane[/i] scapegoating of media and the often-ridiculous education system. The sooner kids can take responsibility and not be handled with kid gloves -- at least on a mental level -- the better. I really feel that the problem lies more with parents and families than within the realm of geopolitics. America is not necessarily involved in more wars, either; there are many wars that you (meaning, those of you who are American), simply don't hear about. I'm willing to bet that none (or practically none) of you heard about the East Timor atrocities during 1999, for example. America's wars are simply more visible, which is reasonable enough, given that America is the sole superpower on Earth and therefore, is often drawn into such matters (out of its own interest, but primarily out of geopolitical interest).[/color]

[color=#707875]When I named that category "Tokyo 3", I was obviously thinking of the city in Evangelion. So, yes...if Tokyo 3 were a physical location, that is how it would look. At least, that's my own line of thinking as the person who named it. But I think multiple interpretations are fine. ^_^ Also, I am not sure if you ever saw CrH's series of OB-based stories on myOtaku, but...he does some cool things (like using Quote Tags as ammunition). I think it would be fun to get really creative and think of how elements of the site would be represented in real life.[/color]

[color=#707875]8. Banned people. [/color]

[color=#707875]Yeah, I bought this two days ago and I've been playing it quite a bit. As someone who liked the last two games, but was somewhat critical of them, I can safely say that San Andreas addresses those concerns. Not only does it fix a [i]lot[/i] of the gameplay issues in previous games (gunplay is now significantly better, stealth missions are a great deal of fun and even the DDR-style gameplay is handled well). In addition to that, you have all the other stuff. It's quite intimidating to try and write about it because there's just [i]so much[/i]; and even that is an understatement. The fact that this is even possible on PS2 really boggles the mind, considering that there's also a reasonable upgrade in visual quality. Where Vice City felt like an expansion pack of GTAIII, San Andreas really feels like "GTAIV". It's a substantial next level for the series, in my opinion. And it's one game that will push GTA ahead of those who are trying to copy the formula; copying San Andreas is going to be very difficult, not least because DMA (Rockstar North) has been doing this type of thing for a long time...and San Andreas is really the pinnacle of this style of game.[/color]

[color=#707875]You asked me about how the staff forum should be portrayed...well, I've had a think about it. Basically I think it should be a secret building and nobody knows where it is. On OB, the forum is invisible to all members. So, I imagine that the building should be small on the outside...and hidden. It should look very ordinary from the street, but be very large and grand inside. At least, that's my thinking on it. It's up to you how you choose to implement that. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]Shin is correct. [b]Mario Bros.[/b] is the arcade original, which first introduced Mario in his own game (outside Donkey Kong). After that, you had [b]Super Mario Bros.[/b] on NES as a full-on sidescroller. After that, [b]Mario Bros.[/b] was often used as a bonus feature. It was used in Super Mario Bros. 3 and it was also used in various other games (most noteably, the GBA remakes).[/color]

[color=#707875]Actually, I think that MJ has made the video far more famous because of his response. Had he not responded at all, I'd probably never have noticed this video. lol I'm also kind of surprised that anyone pays attention to these things in a serious way. If you look at popular music over the last decade, there are so many songs that refer to Oprah Winfrey's weight struggles for example. She could take that very personally, but she simply rises above it. As a result, I don't think anyone pays much attention to it, even though Oprah is often the running joke when it comes to talking about weight issues. Actually, I tend to view Eminem's video with some sadness. I mean...the poor guy is really flailing around like a fish out of water. His pool is drying up, I think. To me, this represents one of his last dying breaths -- he just has almost no impact these days. I think he'll be remembered like Vanilla Ice or something...here one moment and at the top of the world, then gone the next day and forgotten years into the future. *shrug*[/color]

[color=#707875]I only have one thing to say, and it relates to the so-called "traditional" meaning of marriage. I watched a documentary a while ago, which discussed the "history of the wife". It was very interesting and in particular, it discussed marriage. [i]Originally[/i] -- before it was hijacked by religion -- marriage was a purely contractual agreement. In fact, it involved the union of two familes more than just two partners; fundamentally, it involved the [i]sale[/i] of a woman to a man (and his family). Wives were at that time considered to be the man's property. So, the traditional argument is thrown right out the window. In my opinion, it is simply an attempt to stifle civil liberties (the word "traditional" has been used throughout history for that purpose, afterall). The thing is, I think people worry too much about it. It's honestly no big deal at all. If a gay couple get married tomorrow, [i]how[/i] will that affect you personally? Are they coming into your house and having the ceremony? No. If you want, you can have nothing to do with it. That's fine. What I object to, however, is people using their [i]personal[/i] religious beliefs to actively stifle other people's civil freedoms. Afterall, if I were Muslim and I believed in wearing a head scarf (and I'm aware that Muslims practice this in different ways), it would be wrong of me to say "You MUST wear one because it's traditional and based on an article of faith". I mean, in a modern society, personal religious beliefs and articles of faith can't be used as part of government policy. It's as simple as that. In practice, I think it works better than most people think. The only real reason to be opposed to it is simply if you're intolerant, or you want to impose your personal views on others. I don't view gay marriage as an imposition on anyone; like heterosexual marriage, it's an arrangement and a decision that involves two people and their families. If two people next door to me get married -- gay or straight -- that doesn't impact my personal life. I can disagree, I may not like it, but why should I have the ability to block their equal rights? What gives me that power? My own personal religious view? Rubbish. If that principle were applied evenly, we'd have a far more restricted and non-pluralistic society. So that's my two cents basically. The only reason that this topic irks me is simply because we see it over and over and over again. Give it a break already. I have to admit though, I'm becoming increasingly indifferent to the discussions. I mean, my feelings about the issue are very justified, but at the same time, I view this debate in the same way that I view the civil rights debate of the 1960's. My feeling is that regardless what I say, society will progress as it always has. So...in that sense, I tend not to worry too much about the opposing viewpoint. lol But I [i]do[/i] tend to find these debates redundant, at least in the context of a message board. The actual public debate and the debate amongst public officials is the one that I would tend to focus on more heavily.[/color]

[color=#667F84]To briefly follow on from what Justin said, I think that you will find the general 7.1 upgrade to be rather cool anyway. This suggestion will be taken on board longterm though, so that one day, if we can do it, we will. [/color]

[color=#667f84]*rolls up sleeves* First and foremost, I think it's important to look at both franchises individually. We also have to bear in mind that Mario (both the character and the Mario Bros. franchise) is significantly older than Sonic and his related franchises. [b]Mario[/b] (First game appeared in 1985) I won't bother talking about Mario's history prior to Super Mario Bros. (ie: his presence in the Donkey Kong games), instead I will focus specifically on his first game. Super Mario Bros. was really the first "side scrolling action game" to exist. Previously, there had been platform action games and there had been games that utilized scrolling. However, none had combined them. Super Mario Bros. was the first. If you think about it, the simple idea that Super Mario Bros. introduced is something that influenced [b]all[/b] gaming for years to come. The simple concept of actually having a world [i]larger than the screen itself[/i] is pretty remarkable, especially considering that it hadn't really existed before then (in the context of platform action games). The Mario series has constantly been the source for platform action innovation. The "Mario Blueprint", or DNA, can still be seen in modern platform action games (including stuff like Jak & Daxter or Ratchet & Clank). In addition -- and most importantly -- Sonic may never have existed without Mario. Sonic the Hedgehog was heavily based on the "Mario DNA", as were just about all platform action games of the 1980's and 1990's. Some of Super Mario Bros. landmarks are as follows: [list] [*]Established and perfected the basic rules of platform action games [*]Most widely-imitated game in history [*]Made Mario a first-class mascot and the star of a top-selling series (during the series' peak, Mario was more recognized amongst children than Mickey Mouse) [*]Became cornerstone of Nintendo's software empire and heralded the industry's shift in focus from arcade to home [/list] The final point is one of the most important (and one of the most overlooked), in my opinion. Prior to Super Mario Bros. and the NES, the video game industry had been arcade-centric. This became even more apparent during the Atari collapse. Further back in history, Atari had been at the forefront of a home video game revolution. But when the home console market collapsed, the arcade market was really the savior of the industry. It was Nintendo who single-handedly ressurrected the home game market. They did it with NES (which was a revolutionary machine during its time), but primarily, it was done with Mario. Without Mario, one could argue that NES would have had a much tougher time making it into homes. Mario himself, therefore, is one of the primary reasons for the entire home video game market's revival. As a footenote, bear in mind that I'm primarily talking about Super Mario Bros. here. Super Mario 64 was also just as revolutionary; it established the fundamentals for [i]all[/i] third person, 3D games. Even non-platform games still contain some of Super Mario 64's DNA. So, the impact of this series has arguably been the most profound in the history of the industry. [b]Sonic[/b] (First game appeared in 1991) Sonic's genesis can be found during the early 1990's, when Nintendo was soundly thrashing Sega in every single territory other than Europe. Nintendo had just released Super Mario Bros. 3 during that time, which had garned them some $500 million in America alone. At that time, Nintendo had replaced Toyota as Japan's most successful business. Sega desperately needed something to compete with Nintendo's success (and, in particular, Nintendo's number one franchise). The answer was Sonic. Then-Sega president, Hayao Nakayama, wanted to develop a mascot character that would perform incredibly well and become highly recognizable. He issued that very challenge to the entire company. Sega's AM8 division (which later became Sonic Team), came to Nakayama with the solution, after several months of toying with various designs (one of them was a bulldog, another a squirrel). The character needed to be fast (to demonstrate the power of Sega's new game console), and he needed to be simple. Originally, the character was going to need to pick up objects and throw them. However, this proved to be too complicated. As a result, the character simply needed to roll into a ball to hit enemies. Various designs were toyed with, but it was decided that the character required spikes to be more appropriate (since a rolling ball was probably not threatening enough). The character was codenamed "Mr. Needlemouse". Sega was very lucky, because the founding members of Sonic Team drew together to create Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic's landmarks are as follows: [list] [*]Helped Sega claim victory in the 16-bit console war (at least, for a time, I think) [*]Demonstrated the power of strong marketing [*]Inspired a whole generation of furry mascots [*]Established true speed in games [*]"Sega!" [/list] (In other words, Sonic had less relevance to games themselves, as opposed to being relevant in other ways -- as a marketing symbol, as a mascot, as one of the elements that raised the notoriety of the industry in the broader community). Naoto Oshima actually designed the character (even though Yuji Naka is generally erroneously labeled as Sonic's creator). Oshima also created the character designs in NiGHTS into Dreams, for the Saturn. He also directed Sonic CD (my all-time favourite Sonic game; thank you Mr. Oshima!) And he created a seperate development studio known as Artoon (which made Blinx for Xbox). The second man was Hirokazu Yasuhara, who was responsible for designing the environments and the gameplay itself. He worked on many subsequent Sonic games, and he was later hired by Naughty Dog to work on Jak & Daxter. The third (and most famous) is Yuji Naka, who almost single-handedly programmed the entire game. He has since become the "Sonic man" -- the man credited with being Sonic's father, despite the somewhat erroneous nature of that label. Sonic was a pretty big success, though never as successful as Mario. Sonic's success, apart from being a great game, was largely attributed to the fact that Sega of America's marketing was so aggressive. Sega directly compared Sonic to Mario (labeling Mario as being slow and chubby, verus Sonic being sleek and fast). This marketing technique had been unheard of in Japan and was somewhat surprising to people like Yuji Naka. Sonic was ultimately a game that demonstrated the power of the Genesis console. While it was not as influential as Mario had been, it was nonetheless the game that gave Sega a powerful new edge in Japan and elsewhere. [b]Sonic verus Mario: My Thoughts[/b] I am pretty unbiased here, though I must admit that Mario is like my second father. When my own father wasn't around, Mario was always there. I love Mario and I will always have a very strong place for that character, I think. Having said that, I have been playing Sonic since the beginning. So, I also feel very strongly connected to that character. I absolutely adore Sonic games and I love the characters. My favourite Sonic game was Sonic CD, which was simply a work of art in every respect. Beautiful gameplay, beautiful visuals, beautiful music. I will forever curse myself for trading in my Mega CD. V_V So how would I go about comparing them? Well, let's start by getting the obvious out of the way: Sonic is a product of Mario, not the other way around. Sonic is a response to Mario, but Sonic is also born of the Mario DNA. So Mario is really Sonic's father, if you see what I mean. In terms of the actual games, Sonic and Mario are both different as well as being similar. Sonic is a far more simplistic game, no question about it; the 2D Sonic games are about speed and obstacle avoidance. They are also about utilizing course elements to your advantage (like using slides, or skimming quickly across water as in Sonic 3). Sonic doesn't employ a great deal of strategy, other than in some specific circumstances (like jumping up at bubbles in order to breathe, in Sonic 2). Mario, while not as fast as Sonic, is nonetheless a pretty damn fast paced game. Try running through levels in Super Mario Bros.; that experience is definitely fast. This is also possible in the later Mario games, although as time goes on and you get to newer and newer games, Mario becomes less about hitting platforms and more about fully utilizing the environment. When I look at the 3D incarnations, I notice a further divergence. Sonic Adventure is best when you play as Sonic or Tails. These levels are the epitome of what Sonic is about; speed, linearity, thrills, ease of control. The other levels suck. They are pale, pale imitations of what Mario does best. What does Mario do best? Well, in the 3D context, Mario is all about exploration and manipulation. In Super Mario 64, your aim isn't to run through the world as fast as you can, to get to the nearest star. Your aim is to [i]play[/i]; to explore the world and to find hidden secrets. Mario, unlike Sonic, closely emphasizes one of Shigeru Miyamoto's philosophies. In Mario, it's always about what is behind that hill, or what will you find behind that locked door, or what can be found inside that sunken ship. All in all, I think that Mario has had a more successful transition to 3D. Mario has remained true to himself, whilst exploring the possibilities that 3D brings to his core design philosophies. Sonic, on the other hand, has floundered with Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2. The "Sonic-style" levels in these games are wonderful -- they are what Sonic is and should be. The others are junk and don't belong. I haven't played Sonic Heroes, but I'm told that it significantly corrects this problem, by being more Sonic-esque than the Sonic Adventure games. That's good news. And here's hoping that Sonic Adventure 3 (or Sonic Heroes 2 or whatever) will be even more Sonic-like and less I-want-to-be-like-Mario-but-not-as-good. How to compare them overall? Well, in terms of raw stats, Mario is the winner. He is more popular, has a track record of constant innovation and revolution and he's made a hell of a lot more money. In terms of the actual games? That comes down to personal preference. I absolutely adore both, but I do tend to look forward to new Mario games somewhat more, because Mario has never disappointed me. Ever. In terms of the characters? Again, personal preference. Mario's wonderful -- he's a good guy, he's honest, he's hard working and he loves all his fans. He's also great at telling jokes (I can personally vouch for this). And he can be fast when he wants to be. And he [i]is[/i] a plumber (he carried out plumbing missions in various games -- so saying that he hasn't done plumbing is wrong ~_^). Sonic, well...I just love Sonic. He's a hero, he's defiant and he isn't comfortable with that status quo. He has a no-nonsense attitude, but he's not too brash; he loves those around him and he always wants to do the right thing, no matter what. Sonic plushies are also way too cute, especially with that funny little smirk he has. So, you decide. I personally couldn't live without them both. ^_^[/color]

[QUOTE=Semjaza Azazel]I don't know your current status, but I don't think Atlus has a PAL release studio at all... I could be wrong, but I have not heard of one. Are you able to play imported NTSC games? [/QUOTE] [color=#667F84]I don't think that Atlus have their own distributor here, but there are a few companies that don't. What you'll find, usually, is that one of the big local distributors will pick up those games. For example, THQ Australia distributes a large amount of games that THQ itself doesn't distribute elsewhere. Also, SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment Australia) is in a similar position. I haven't read about this game locally, but I must admit that I haven't been following the local scene much at all during 2004. There are a ton of games now available here that I never even knew about. I'm going into Video Games Heaven on the weekend (if it's not at VGH, then nobody has it), so I'll ask about it then. ^_^[/color]

[color=#667F84]Wow, there's a lot of reading here. I'm pretty pleased with everything I've read so far though. I'm a little worried, in that my PS2 has been behaving weirdly with some games lately (it renders Star Ocean unplayable, for example). Unfortunately, despite paying good money for that game, I've not yet played enough to really decide how I feel about it. That sucks. In any case, I'm planning to buy a PSTwo fairly soon, and this game will definitely be on my list. The problem with game reviews (at least, most of the ones I've read) is that they are simply too short. From the sounds of it, this is a game that requires more analysis than a simple one or two page review can provide. So, I'll probably pick it up when I can. Thanks to Tony for his lengthy impressions; that stuff is always great to see on here.[/color]

[color=#707875]I agree that a reliance on traditional names isn't necessarily a great thing, however, most companies do it. When Nintendo does it I generally don't mind, because they can usually apply an existing set of characters and environments to something that plays in a new way (ie: Luigi's Mansion or something along those lines). I think it's probably true that Square Enix can comfortably focus on the old and the new at the same time. These new games, despite being based on Final Fantasy VII, may still end up feeling quite fresh in their own ways. But who knows; as I mentioned in my last post, I'd rather see a single and comprehensive direct sequel than all of this milking of the name. Although VII had a pretty definable ending, there's an enormous demand out there to revisit its magical world once more. This has happened with plenty of other games, so it's a little disappointing that Square Enix is kind of going overboard with this particular game. My main worry with these games it is that we might be getting quantity, but not quality. That's why a single sequel would be wonderful; a game that their creative minds can focus on completely. Still, we'll see how it goes. With any luck, I will be pleasantly surprised by these games (or at least by one of them).[/color]

[color=#667F84]This is a new, PSP-exclusive game, being produced by the original FFVII director. The art will also be done by Tetsuya Nomura. So yeah, this is absolutely a new game. It's an action RPG, last I heard. As far as I'm concerned, the more FFVII properties we receive, the better. VII is an incredibly important game in the series and it is a massively successful game in its own right. My only hope is that these games actually turn out well. Dirge of Cerberus has potential, as does this game. But I'll be ignoring the cell phone game, I imagine. And I'm disappointed that Advent Children is a movie and [i]not[/i] a game. I would really like a fully-fledged RPG sequel to Final Fantasy VII, rather than all of these spin-offs. But yeah, hopefully they will turn out well enough. This latest game also has plenty of potential; I'm going to be interested to see how it works on PSP. Here is a link to the IGN report: [url]http://psp.ign.com/articles/560/560944p1.html[/url][/color]

[color=#667F84]Midnight Rush, Siren asked for assistance/critique on his thesis statement. I don't think it's terribly wrong of him to try and explain why he has chosen to write it as it is. Afterall, I imagine the wording is incredibly important with this type of thing. I think that his last quote was a little rude, but nonetheless, let's not turn this into a petty argument. If you are going to critique someone's work, you really do have to be prepared for the fact that they might not accept your comments.[/color]

[color=#667F84]Kissing is a natural talent, I think. The main thing is, try not to eat her face off the first time you kiss her. Be reserved, gentle and respectful. And then let things go from there. You'll be fine, don't worry. I had no advice on kissing and when I first did it, it came completely naturally; it wasn't even a thought in my mind. It just [i]happened[/i]. If you put too much thought into it, you are going to be too unfocused, I think. I think the best advice would be "just do it". All the other stuff just comes down to personal taste (except for having bad breath, but bad breath is always a huge no-no, whether you are kissing or sitting next to someone on the train).[/color]

[font=Georgia][font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=4]NEW MANAGEMENT[/size][/font] [/font][font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'Chardonnay is my favourite,' said the Frenchman, as he swirled the glass of white in front of his face. 'I find it amazing that such simple creatures were reponsible for such fine pleasures.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The restaurant was busier than usual that day. Waiters and waitresses ferried past constantly, their arms laden with exotic and colourful dishes.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'Of course,' the Frenchman continued, 'the benefit of living here is that I can simply write whatever I desire. I can drink as much wine as I like, without ever getting my feet wet.' The Frenchman chuckled to himself, as he eyed the woman sitting across from him. His attention was entirely focused on this woman, despite the presence of his wife at the table. She wasn't jealous. Afterall, she had long since forgotten what love felt like.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]Although there were many men surrounding the dinner table that evening, the Frenchman and his guest were in their own little world. This woman was like none that he had encountered. Her long, golden hair was tied back neatly behind her head; her cool grey eyes were focused squarely on his and her deep crimson crocodile-skin overcoat immediately set her apart from everyone else in the restaurant, who were all clad in shades of grey and white.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]She sipped her own glass of white slowly. Her gaze shifted from the Frenchman to his wife, momentarily. 'Not bad,' she said.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The Frenchman laughed haughtily, looking over at his comrades, who echoed his sentiments. 'My dear, I take it that you are not much of a connoisseur?'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'Connoisseur of what?' replied the woman flatly, 'mediocre products of a mediocre species?'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]Her accent was unique. It was an odd combination of toffee English and metropolitan Australian. The Frenchman had heard nothing like it before, but noticed that it sounded particularly desirable, as spoken in his guest's slightly dry tone.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'You have a point,' said the Frenchman as he eyed his wine glass thoughtfully, 'but of course, we must make the best of what we have. And this is all that we have.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]For the first time in the evening, the corners of his guest's mouth sharpened into a slight grin. Although the table was covered with bright yellow candles, her face was somehow obscured by darkness and shadow. The Frenchman had spent a great deal of time wondering exactly how this was possible, but eventually it didn't matter, such was her charm.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'You could have more, if you wanted,' she said.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The Frenchman held his glass up to a passing waiter, who promptly refilled it. 'I am a trafficker of information,' said the Frenchman as he quietly sipped from the glass, 'all I need is information. The more information I have, the more comfortable my life becomes.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The woman shook her head slowly. 'Information is only valuable when you put it to use. Apparently you are more interested in replicating culinary delicacies than cementing whatever power you think you may have.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]A look of indignation flashed across the Frenchman's face. 'Whatever power I [i]think [/i]I may have?' he said sharply, 'my dear, this isn't a matter of thinking or guessing, it's a matter of [i]knowing[/i]. I [i]know[/i] and that is precisely why I am here. You and your contemporaries are only interested in what I can provide. Beyond that, the true art of acquiring information is lost on you.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The Frenchman's wife smiled and shook her head slightly. She had heard her husband's diatribe before.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'Now that the war is over, you must feel unchallenged. I imagine it must bore you,' said the woman.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'I admit,' said the Frenchman slowly, 'I was enjoying the challenge, if you could call it that. All too often, I felt like a pawn in their game. But at least I survived. And that's the important thing. They always sent him to me, each time. But I never made it easy.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The woman leant forward in her seat. 'Yes, you did survive. I think that's quite admirable, given the circumstances. You are the most wanted program in the Matrix for what you've done. But you've betrayed your own kind.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The Frenchman chortled defiantly. 'My own kind? As I mentioned to you, my dear, [i]they [/i]would never appreciate this lifestyle or this place. Their only intention is to avoid termination. What they forget is that this only occurs as a result of their actions in the first place. Why should I have [i]any [/i]sympathy for them?'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'What about those who have done nothing to bring it upon themselves? Those who are simply to be replaced, or who have malfunctioned through no fault of their own,' said the woman.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The Frenchman paused and sipped his chardonnay once more. 'They are victims of causality, I'm afraid. They can't escape it, nor can you or I.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'You have been escaping it nearly all your life,' said the woman. The Frenchman didn't respond, he simply grinned.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The woman took the white napkin from her lap and dabbed the corners of her mouth delicately. 'You have quite some karma coming to you.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]As the woman stood from her chair, the faces in the crowd behind her fell silent. Men and woman sat perfectly still, their spoons still full of soup and their forks still skewered through pieces of freshly-cooked fish.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]The Frenchman looked to his wife, who was as frozen as the others. 'Persephone!' he exclaimed, 'Persephone!'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'She can't hear you,' said the woman. 'None of them can.'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'What have you done?' cried the Frenchman. His knuckles were white, as he gripped the edge of the table.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]As he looked around the room, the restaurant became more and more alien to him. The windows rippled as though they were water. Where once he had been able to see the serene promenade beyond, he now saw nothing but brick; the windows were no longer there. The room darkened further and the candles began to melt into their holders.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'What have you done?' repeated the Frenchman as he stood up. He raised his arms in the air and screamed at the patrons, 'Wake up! Wake up, you idiots! My god, what have you done, woman?!'[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'Karma,' repeated the red-leather clad woman. She turned from the Frenchman and walked down the stairs, to the restaurant's entrance.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]Soon, very soon, she was gone. When she was out of sight, the Frenchman heard an enormous crash. The walls shook and the great chandelier fell from the ceiling and smashed into the floor, shattering into thousands of pieces. As the chandelier shattered, pieces of metal and crystal sprayed through the air in all directions. But it seemed as though time had come to a standstill; the pieces floated slowly, almost peacefully.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'My god,' whispered the Frenchman, as he approached the explosion. It was moving so slowly that he was able to walk between the debris, as it fluttered past him. Suddenly, time seemed to return to normal. The Frenchman tumbled backwards as glass and gold blanketed the restaurant.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]All he could see was the checkered ceiling. It seemed to be coming closer. The black and white squares faded into one another, as if they were performing an elaborate dance. But the black squares now seemed to be approaching more rapidly. They had become sharp and long, as they reached down toward the Frenchman.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2]'Persephone!' cried the Frenchman one last time, as the warping, dancing ceiling enveloped him.[/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Franklin Gothic Medium][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#667F84]Thanks to everyone who continues to participate in The Reanimatrix. Please remember that this thread [b]is still open[/b] and there is [b]no sign-up requirement[/b]. Anyone can post short Matrix-related stories here. So, I encourage everyone to make use of this thread if you want to -- please do not feel too intimidated to post. I welcome all entries. And as you can see from the first page, I am now compiling the index. If your story hasn't been mentioned, it's because you have not provided a title for the piece. Please provide titles for every piece if you wish to be listed in the official index.[/color][/size][/font]

[color=#667F84]I acknowledge that this can be a problem, but I'm not quite sure what we can do about it (other than remove the offending accounts). This is really more of a technical issue, so perhaps this is something Justin can respond to.[/color]

[color=#707875]I would really love it if each member could totally customize OtakuBoards, in that sense (ie: placing forums in the order they like). However, because of the way vB3 is designed, I'm not sure if that can be done. I mean, I don't know if it's even physically possible for us to implement. But we'll see what Justin says. If it's possible, we'll definitely look at it.[/color]

[color=#667F84]I think that "hate" must have a different meaning to different people or something. I view the word as being a very strong one. Really, I would find it difficult to say that I actually hate someone, since it's such a strong emotion (I guess the inverse of love). Of course, there are different people that I might dislike for different reasons, but...to me, hatred represents a burning hostility toward someone that goes well beyond simply disliking them. I'm not sure if I've really experienced that, at least, not in a long term sense (although I've sure felt that in the heat of the moment on occasion). As for the whole murder/aggression issue...teenagers are teenagers. I remember that it wasn't long ago when my brother had great difficulty exercising self control, in regard to his temper. He would become upset and angry over things that wouldn't phase me at all (or just about any adult) and he was passionate about everything. But that's the way it is. Although I didn't reach his depths in various ways, that isn't to say that I never felt such emotions. The difference between him and me, at the same ages, was simply that I had more self control. And that self control makes the difference between me deciding to get physically violent and not, for whatever reason. So...I think that many of these things are perhaps a bit more prevalent in teens, for obvious hormonal/developmental reasons. We know that there are a lot of teenagers who simply aren't able to control a lot of their behavior. Those teenagers lack the developmental/emotional maturity to control themselves. In some cases you definitely see that as a problem in adults, however, if you're an adult and you can't control your "hatred", then you have a significant emotional problem. And that could easily land you in hot water, since you are really expected to be at least somewhat responsible for your own actions. One of the other problems is that people [i]can[/i] do things in the spur of the moment that they regret later. If you're ever in a situation where you feel you have to kill someone (and I hope and assume that this is not something that anyone here is living with on a regular basis), that act could easily destroy your life. If it doesn't, then that's possibly even worse, in terms of what it says about your mental stability. I think it's easy to be indifferent or apathetic about these things when you're distanced from them to some degree. And teenagers in general tend to behave that way, for whatever reason (personal experience, peer pressure, the "cool factor" or what not). But again, I think that it largely comes back to maturity. If you posess emotional maturity, then you're going to be able to control your anger, or more accurately, control the way you physically respond to it. We all have anger; I don't think the anger is the issue. The issue is how people handle it. If you handle it by beating some kid up or lashing out, then you simply lack maturity. In most cases I think teens tend to pick up that maturity as they develop into adults. Afterall, it's what being a teenager is about. So I don't think it's something most people should worry about as a teenager. I know that with my brother, things settled down within only a year or so. In fact, within only a few years, he has very quickly developed from being a fairly reactionary and hostile teenager to being a pretty level-headed and calm person. To speak about violent video games for a moment... Video games are an entertainment medium. I recommend reading an article that Arcadia posted on her myOtaku a while ago, by Marilyn Manson. Very good read when it comes to this subject. In the 1950's, parents were blaming their children's rebellious behavior on rock 'n' roll. And before that, I'm sure parents (and governments) were blaming all manner of things. The fact is, video game violence (and music, and movies) would have to be the biggest white elephant I've ever seen. It has "scapegoat" labeled all over it. If you are a person with a predisposition to violence, [i]you[/i] will seek out violent content to satisfy that desire. You will seek out games, or movies, or novels, or music. Those media do [i]not[/i] suddenly influence you to commit violence, nor to they increase the likelihood of breaking the law. There are [i]ample[/i] studies to support this point of view. So, let's not blame games or movies or whatever. Let's blame the individual who goes and shoots up their classmates for no good reason. That's what we should be discussing; holding the individual to account, not the media that they consume. From personal experience, I can tell you that I'm a very non-violent person. In fact, I find it difficult to even enter into a heated verbal debate. Put simply, I have a very high threshold when it comes to aggrivation. I've [i]always[/i] been like this; it's who I am (although six years of kung fu certainly helped to encourage that trait, I think). Could I kill someone? Could I severely hurt someone if I wanted to? Of course. Would I? No, probably not. I play violent games quite often (whether it's Resident Evil or GTA). And some of my favourite films are highly violent (anything by Tarantino, lol). And yet, "real life" violence is horrific to me. Seeing any kind of violence on the news is always an awful experience. So, I can tell you from my own experience two things. One, no matter how I feel about someone or something, I have the self control to avoid comitting violent acts. And two, violent games have not had any impact on my internal feelings and attitude toward violence whatsoever. The reason that I enjoy the violence in GTA isn't because I like violence. If I saw those things happening in real life, I'd be horrified. I enjoy it [i]because[/i] it's fictional; because it's fantasy. I know it's fantasy, I can see it's fantasy and that's why I am happy to have fun with it. In terms of me being frustrated or something, I can't say that playing a violent game really makes me feel better...usually I feel better if I do something constructive to vent my anger (ie: if I create something or work on something). But that's just me; I'm quite sure that others could experience relief through other means.[/color]

[color=#667F84]That's a great article, Deb. Oh, uh...I mean...[i]I deny all of these accusations![/i] Phew. :smirk: [/color]

[color=#707875]I could be wrong, but what you are feeling reminds me of something simple: nostalgia. When I play Resident Evil with my brother (the GameCube remake), I definitely come away with that feeling, despite the fact that the game is a horror game. In fact, last time we played, my mum joined in (by reading the map and helping with puzzles). So it was a really nice experience. In regard to the content itself...well, there is really nothing warm and fuzzy about the actual content of the game. But the experience of playing it with loved ones, as well as its nostalgic appeal, are things that make me come away with that feeling. I also experience this with movies to some degree, so maybe it's a similar thing.[/color]

[color=#667F84]I recommend using imageshack.us (where you can easily upload it yourself). I hope that the image in there isn't going to go in your signature. Please be aware of our rules (the link is found on the left nav menu at the top), which specify the kind of dimensions that are allowed in sigs. ^_^[/color]

[color=#667F84]Thanks for your post, Tony. I really enjoyed it. Sorry about the blocking thing; Justin went through and tried to correct what he thought were errors. But I think we've got that sorted out now. The next chapter will go up very shortly, folks. [b]Edit:[/b] Okay, the next chapter is up. I apologize if it seems a little vague; I actually wasn't quit sure how to phrase it. It should be a reasonably short chapter though. After that, I'd like to introduce The Daughter.[/color]