James

[QUOTE=Mimmi] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=Navy]I never said it was [I]confusing[/I]. Because the logo moves so fast and the video moves [a lot] slower, it doesn't feel like it has a ... It doesn't fuse as well as your Elle banner did, I guess. In my eyes, heh. But you're right about it demanding the attention of whoever scrolls down the page. And that [I]is [/I] a good thing.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote] [color=#707875]Well, you said it was "too busy" and "your eye doesn't know where to go". So...I relate that to the image being confusing, not to put too fine a point on it. But yeah, it's all good. I tend to prefer my Elle banner, if only because I think I like the colours a little more. But I don't view this one as being any more confusing or anything, I mean, the black on the right actually creates some negative space, which places emphasis on the left part. With the Elle banner, you've got the bright red and the yellow tinge of the left competing for attention. So one could argue that the Elle banner was more visually confusing. However, the animation on the right of it is more consistent (it: it repeats and doesn't have all of the little circles bouncing around). I really like that chaos though. I think it works.[/color] [quote=Mimmi] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=Navy]What I meant with that was simply that I suggested you'd do him next and then I could find some sympathy for him [looking good] in your banner, seeing as I can't find it in the movie. And you know I'm soft for your skills. Ehum.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Oh yeah, I know what you meant. I mean, I know you don't find sympathy with the character, I was just saying that he's designed to look somewhat pathetic and that, at least for a moment, the audience can feel sympathy for him. As to how I could translate that into an image...I don't know. Hehe In fact, that raises another point. He doesn't have any fight scenes or anything. So making an animated banner of him might be a little more difficult than usual. Nonetheless, it'll be a fun challenge. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]Geeze, some of you guys are shooting this thing down based on so little information. If anything, your low expectations may at least make the game more enjoyable for you in the end. lol Whether it's Final Fantasy VII or whether it's Wind Waker, I absolutely refuse to dismiss something before I play it for myself. It seems to me that Square-Enix is attempting to actually answer the calls of their fans. I mean, fans of the company have been wanting a Final Fantasy VII-based game in some form, for a while now. Although this may not be a traditional RPG, it may still prove to be a game that pleases FFVII fans (and perhaps action game fans alike). I do agree that this game isn't intrinsically tied to Advent Children. An action video game is going to be held to totally different standards than a short feature film. In regard to the overall "expanding FFVII" concept, I can only say that if Square-Enix has some of the original people involved (ie: people who actually wrote the story and so on), it's a worthwhile attempt. Final Fantasy VII has such a rich storyline; it's more than reasonable for Square-Enix to want to explore that in more specific detail, in some areas. I mean, Final Fantasy X's story was much thinner than FFVII's and yet, it received a direct sequel. So in that context, these new products shouldn't be a huge surprise. Of course, I hope that Dirge of Cerberus is a fun game. My hope is that it doesn't come off as being as unpolished as Kingdom Hearts, which was average at best. But at this point there are still so many question marks about the title. We don't really know how the battle system will work, what the pacing will be like, or how story-heavy the game will be. There are just so many unknowns. It's far, far too early to pass judgements just yet.[/color]

[color=#707875]Isn't up to scratch? Yeah, that does sound a bit harsh. ~_^ But yeah, I can see what you're pointing out. If you look at my Elle banner, you'll find that it has animation on both sides, in the same way as this one. The key difference is that this banner has more variety in the animation, though it does have a similar speed (in fact, the frame display time is identical, at 6/100ths of a second per frame). At the end of the day, I really had to decide whether I was going to slow down the video (and make it effectively slow motion), to keep the animation at a reasonable speed...or speed up the logo animation slightly and give the video a reasonable speed. This compromise normally wouldn't be necessary, but I had created each frame without putting many buffer frames between, which is what results in higher speed. But having said that, I'm reasonably okay with the speed. It could be adjusted, but I'll do that with my next theme, I think. I'm pretty happy with the current one, at least in that sense. In terms of being confusing, well...it doesn't hurt my eyes or anything. And I'm incredibly anal about that type of thing. I can see how it would be confusing for various people though. But that's okay; I kind of like having an image that you can look at again and again without getting bored, or ignoring it. It kind of begs your eye to move around and explore, which isn't such a bad trait. As far as Budd goes...I never said he was appealing, hehe. But the audience is meant to have some sympathy for him initially, for sure. I'm happy to discuss that anytime though -- and in actual fact, I haven't yet done a Budd theme for my OB stuff. I've done Elle and Vernita themes and that's all. I'll still do the rest at some stage. So maybe you'll see Budd in there. ~_^ Thanks for the critiques, everyone.[/color]

[color=#707875]To answer your question, Tori, I will leave Sweetreyes' post out entirely. If she's able to return on a more regular basis in future, she's very welcome to come back. And in the future, there will be plenty of opportunity for her to join in with various things...so her place in the story is safe. Sorry to push things up so soon, Tony. I normally try to be in sequence, but sometimes these events occur. In any case, I'm really looking forward to your post. I'm very pleased that I've taken the opportunity to provide you with more involvement in Volume 2; it's definitely paying off, in terms of making the story that much more enjoyable to read.[/color]

[color=#707875]It sounds to me like it's [b]8 Man After[/b]. I remember watching that anime ages ago (I think at one point he's outside a shop or something and he tears the bad guys' arms off or something...I only have vague memories). But he definitely had the big 8 there, yep.[/color]

[color=#707875]I would have to agree about Kingdom Hearts. I played the game, to see what all the fuss was about...and I'd say that it's probably average at best. The visuals are reasonably nice and the FMV is very pretty. But seriously, what does Kingdom Hearts really bring to the table? Fundamentally -- and as a spoiled Nintendo fan -- one of the things that I strongly disliked about it was the absolutely awful play control. The platforming elements were somewhat frustrating for me, simply because of the clunkiness and vagueness of the controls at times. If you play Kingdom Hearts and then you switch on Super Mario Sunshine, you'll find it's like night and day. Kingdom Hearts feels like it's twenty years older, in terms of play control. Ouch. Other than that, I think that the actual aesthetics were nice enough, but the level designs were incredibly boring and uninteresting. Having said that, I think there's one reason why this game is seen to be overrated: a lot of younger players like it. I'll stick my neck out and propose that [i]most[/i] of the buyers were probably under 15. Many younger gamers are in that position where they're buying games like Kingdom Hearts and they haven't yet really discovered some of the games that have far less exposure (which are often the superior games, ironically). In regard to Final Fantasy VII, I'd relate this back to what I said previously about objective and subjective. If you are a regular RPG player, or an RPG conoisseur, I think it's fair to say that Final Fantasy VII may not have been as impressive, if only based on your experience with a multitude of other RPGs. But I think it's impossible to deny two things: Final Fantasy VII was a stunning game in and of itself and it was also a game that set significant benchmarks in the industry overall. Although I do feel that much of its success was based on its flashy visuals at the time, that isn't entirely a bad thing. I mean, Final Fantasy VII introduced cinematics in a way that no other game had really done to that degree. I think it came off for the better, if only because it created a more cohesive experience for many players. As for me, I'm not particularly an RPG expert, but Final Fantasy VII was by no means my first experience with the genre. Moreover, I was actually a bit skeptical about it before I chose to buy it. But as it turns out, it's one of my all-time favourite games to this day. For me, that's mostly because I loved the story, characters and above all, the atmosphere. It just has an incredible aesthetic appeal for me (not just visually, but also aurally). Having said that, I think that at this site, we tend to get a lot of Square-Enix fanboys and girls. And perhaps that tends to make the franchise appear more overrated than it really is. Sure, it's a big success in the market, but the Final Fantasy series is usually received positively by the critics (who also have their share of beefs with the series, like the constant quest to end randomly generated battles).[/color]

[color=#707875]Okay, well, I've now changed my theme again. This time, my avatar/signature is about Vernita Green (AKA Copperhead). The memory used is slightly lower than in the Elle Driver banner, despite the fact that I've used almost 100 frames. Basically, I don't know if I'm entirely happy with the speed of it...I had thought of making it "slow motion", so that the animation on the right lasts a bit longer. It looks fine slow-mo, but it was tempting to speed it up a little. ~_^ So yeah, what do you think? I got a little bit more elaborate with the logo animation this time. I'm just wondering what character I should use for my next theme, too. Maybe you can make a suggestion.[/color]

[QUOTE=Shinmaru]And it's not as if OoT's boss fights aren't still fun, it's just that they aren't as tough as I'd like them to have been. Same goes for Wind Waker, too. [/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Actually, this is one area where I felt that Wind Waker was really a step backwards from Majora's Mask. It was a [i]lot[/i] easier, despite being directed by the same guy. I found that a little mystifying, myself. I agree that Z-Targeting makes a significant difference. It's interesting, because such a system would never really be required in a 2D game. It's the nature of 3D, that such a system needs to be implemented. But having said that, it's a lot easier to block or dodge attacks in a 2D game. In a 3D game, you're having things attacking from many more angles and movement itself is more complex. So that's another interesting aspect that differentiates 2D from 3D. Although, having said that, it's also probably true that Mario Sunshine has more rapid movement than Wind Waker. So, 3D doesn't necessarily mean that you can't have the kind of "twitch" controls that you see in 2D games. But making movement identical between LttP and Wind Waker just wouldn't work, for obvious reasons. So yeah...it definitely depends on the game.[/color]

[QUOTE=Wingnut Ninja] OoT, with its amazingly realistic 3D graphics and engine, managed to keep its mechanism completely on level to that of LttP. Even with the assorted three dimensional pad of the N64, it remained relatively easy to play with. [/QUOTE] [color=#707875]The thing is though, with LttP, you have a very limited set of moves. Variety is added by allowing you to use a variety of different weapons and items. The great thing about Ocarina of Time is that by moving the control stick whilst moving your sword, you can actually create different kinds of strikes. The ability to jump from side to side and to leap backwards also make swordfighting incredibly fun, while also adding some variety. In that sense, OoT is far, far more complex than LttP. But it feels just as fun, because it's very intuitive (due to Z-Targeting and the rhythm of swing/block in combat). In regard to bosses...I think that's largely just a personal thing. I don't think that Nintendo deliberately dumbed them down or anything. To give you an example, I found some of the bosses in Majora's Mask to be as difficult as anything I'd faced in the 2D games. By the same token, though, I also found those bosses to be slightly tougher than most of the bosses in Ocarina of Time. Not to say that OoT didn't have its tough boss fights, but bear in mind that the game was introducing players to a 3D Zelda for the very first time. Again, not to say that Nintendo necessarily dumbed bosses down (in fact, I think that their routines in OoT are more complex than their routines in LttP), but in my experience, LttP had one major thing with bosses than OoT didn't: speed. Sometimes boss fights in LttP had an insanely frantic/quick pace to them. So I'd attribute that to the perceived higher level of difficulty, in my own experience with the series. By the same token, I felt that Majora's Mask's boss fights seemed a little faster and more frantic than the fights in OoT. So I'd say that speed is a major factor when it comes to difficulty.[/color]

[color=#707875]As per the rules of this forum, [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=29895&highlight=Final+Fantasy+Tactics+Advance"]please use this thread[/url] to request help. We only want one thread per game.[/color]

[color=#707875]I would have to agree and say that I believe the most rude thing is to leave without giving any warning or notification. Leaving itself isn't a [i]huge[/i] deal at all, because the creator can either omit your character or select someone else. Arena Underground allows you to make these adjustments mid-RPG, should you choose to. And remember that sign-up threads don't have to die -- you can re-open them if you like, at any time. So, I think it just comes down to being courteous. We all have reasons for needing to quit sometimes, and that's okay. They're only RPGs on a forum; not a huge deal overall. As long as people are courteous to each other, it should be okay. Unfortunately, people pulling out (and any number of other concerns), are always going to plague RPGs. It's just the reality. In that environment, we simply have to make sure that we create something interesting and fresh enough to attract an audience. Half the challenge -- maybe more like 90% of it -- is to keep the RPG fresh and interesting over a period of time. If you can do that, I think you have a better chance of survival in Adventure Arena.[/color]

[QUOTE=Siren] Uh...well, basically, it's neat how Super Mario Bros translated so well into 3D, but a game like Contra failed miserably. Metroid Prime was amazing, as was Zelda's 3D foray. Why is that?[/QUOTE] [color=#707875]I haven't played a 3D Contra, so I can only talk in reference to Nintendo's 3D offerings really. But I think there are a variety of factors. I've been playing Zelda since the late 80's, like many gamers. And so, I think that as the years went by, I developed a strong sense about what Zelda was. I remember that when I first saw Ocarina of Time in video form, I was amazed by it. Obviously the visuals were stunning at the time - there was really nothing like it. But also, just watching the footage, you could still somehow get the sense that this was still Zelda, regardless of the new environment. I think that a lot of that feeling comes from aesthetic design, which may include art and music. Although Ocarina of Time was 3D, it still had a "Zelda feel". But at the same time, it definitely had its own unique feel. When I first played OoT, I had a sense of wonder about it, not just because it was so new...but because it was also incredibly nostalgic at the same time. It did feel like a true evolution of the franchise. Fundamentally though, I think it comes down to implementation. When talking about Ocarina of Time, it's tempting to talk about the fantastic dungeon designs or the cool enemies and things like that. But fundamentally, what makes Ocarina of Time work, are its mechanics. Same goes for Super Mario 64. Ocarina of Time is fun because it's easy to play. I mean, it's easy to jump in and move your character around in a seamless and direct way. Swordfighting is fun because it's intuitive and fluid; it doesn't feel unintuitive or repetitive, even though it has plenty of repetitive elements to it. I think that Super Mario 64 has similar qualities. Regardless of visuals, there was one factor that made that game work: mechanics. When you move Mario around for the very first time, with the control stick, you're really experiencing a degree of freedom that has never previously existed. Before Super Mario 64, I'd never played a "true 3D" game. So it took me about fifteen minutes or so to actually adjust to this completely new type of interaction. But once I did, a critical threshold had been reached. Not only did I have freedom that I'd never had before, but it was [i]easy and intuitive[/i] to move Mario around and to make him do what I wanted. If you fast forward to Super Mario Sunshine, you notice another qualitative leap forward. If you go and play Super Mario 64 for ten minutes, then you play Super Mario Sunshine directly afterwards, I guarantee, you'll feel as though you've stepped another ten years ahead. And it isn't because of graphics. It's because Super Mario Sunshine's controls are even more sublime than its predecessor. By comparison, controlling Mario in Super Mario 64 feels clunky and stiff. Part of the fun of Super Mario Sunshine is simply moving Mario around and [i]feeling[/i] the very precise and direct interaction between yourself and Mario. Shigeru Miyamoto has talked about that multiple times and it relates somewhat to the philosophy behind Nintendo DS. The idea is that incredible game mechanics -- mechanics that are fun in and of themselves -- can be used to introduce a game to a 3D world, or to create something entirely different that is still a lot of fun. So, apart from the great level designs and so on, I think that Mario, Zelda and Metroid have translated well to 3D because the mechanics are spot on. Metroid Prime maintains elements from the older Metroid games that made them fun. But it takes some intelligent steps forward, in terms of extending the mechanics into a 3D environment and making them fun. Ultimately there's so much more to it than that. But if these games didn't have flawless (or near flawless) mechanics, they just wouldn't work. And therefore, no matter how great the level designs are and everything else, something still wouldn't feel right.[/color]

[color=#707875]You'll see. ~_^ But yeah, I liked the post a lot. Arianna is an interesting character. In some ways, I think she's a really tragic character too. She had a difficult upbringing and an abusive relationship as a young woman. Things seemed to go from bad to worse for her. And when she finally finds someone she cares about and who cares for her (Adam), it's in a setting of violence and murder. It seems as though her end is almost inevitable, even though she is a willing participant. So I think that your latest post just serves to solidify that idea even further. Arianna is one of the most well-defined characters in the RPG, I think. You can draw a line right through her history. I'd have posted sooner, but I've been almost completely unavailable this week. No matter though, I'll be putting my post up during the weekend. ^_^ EDIT: Okay, I've posted. Sweetreyes, it's now your turn. Basically I've done a couple of things here. One, I've set up a really basic framework that tells you who is located where (who is with Jamie/Joshua and who isn't). Also, I've provided a basic introduction to the proceedings -- you now have an idea of how the actual fight is going to occur. My intention is to have Jamie, Joshua and the Angels enter the wedding hall as guests. Arianna will then reveal herself when Naganori goes to kiss his bride. ~_^ Now, this can be handled in any way that you like. Two people are left to post, so there's still a lot of ground to cover. As you can see in my post, I've jumped back and forth, chronologically speaking. Not by a huge amount though; my entire post takes place before the massacre, but it jumps back and forth between specific times (within maybe an hour or two). You guys can handle this in any way that you like. If you don't want to write a fight scene, you don't have to -- you can be as creative as you like. I've even included a little narration in one part of my post and one section includes only dialogue when the lights are out...with dialogue and narrative occurring when the lights come on again. So you can do whatever you like. Again, I encourage you to have fun with it. You can dip into the past, into specific events, or only show dialogue. It's entirely up to you. ^_^ [b]Update:[/b] Sweetreyes is temporarily out of action, so I'm going to cancel her place in the current chapter. Tony's next. ^_^;[/color]

[color=#707875]I'm sorry about your uncle, Serraph-Angel. Losing a family member is never an easy thing, but it's made even worse under these circumstances. I hope that your family is doing okay. In some ways, when I look back at September 11, I think that it shook off a lot of the naive points of view amongst young people. Most people my age won't really remember the Cold War; perhaps those in their late 20's and early 30's will have vague memories of it. But even they wouldn't have really been old enough to understand the situation at the time. The first war that I really remember vividly is Gulf War I. I say this because I think that we (people around my age) have been very lucky to grow up during the 80's and 90's. Those two decades were, by and large, incredibly peaceful (especially compared to the first half of the century). Thankfully most of us never knew what it was like to live with the constant threat of annihilation, or with the idea that a psychopathic dictator might actually take over the world. September 11 really woke a lot of people up. I will never forget the night that I saw it (it was during the evening here in Australia). I remember turning the news on randomly and seeing that the first tower had been hit. But at that point, everyone just assumed that it was an accident. I called my mum, to show her. And as we were watching the news, eveything unfolded; the second plane hit before our very eyes and the two towers crumbled while we were watching. I have never experienced anything like that. Sure, it was on television...but at that moment, I felt an incredible sense of grief. I was in tears as I watched it. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. In retrospect, it was an experience that really reinforced the idea that freedom is an incredibly valuable thing. And sometimes that freedom does come under threat. As much as we'd like to believe that we live in a civilized world, where we can debate and discuss all of our problems...sometimes there are people who can't be talked to. People who believe that they are being guided by God and are doing his bidding. I think that in this situation, it's a question of us or them, in all honesty. Do we roll over and put our heads in the sand, or do we eliminate that threat? Surely that shouldn't even be a question. It reminds me of World War II, to some degree. I was going back and reading TIME magazine archives (specifically, their "Man of the Year" articles). If you go back and read the Man of the Year, 1938 (Adolf Hitler), you'll get an amazing sense of history. But you'll also see what preceeded the actual war. Prime Minister Chamberlain continually visited with Hitler, in an attempt to talk him into submission (or at least, to negotiate a peace). As we know, Hitler wasn't a rational human being. He was a bloodthirsty psychopath and the [i]only[/i] way to stop him was to deal him a swift and fatal blow. Unfortunately that blow came too late and [i]almost[/i] resulted in Hitler winning the war (and to think that it could have been more catastrophic; some 46 million people died in that war -- [b]46 million[/b] -- we can't possibly imagine what that's like in today's world). It may sound that what I'm saying is highly political. But I don't think it is. For me, this is a highly personal philosophy. September 11 reminded me not only how much I value the society that I live in, but it also reminded me that I can't be so naive as to think that there aren't threats out there. There [i]are[/i] forces who would like very much to destroy everything that my culture and society represents. As awful as that seems, it's a realization that I think everyone needs to have. Also, the Internet is an interesting part of this terrible experience. I'd never really considered the people that I talk to on the Internet in the same way that I would with "real life" friends. But on that day, one of my first thoughts was that I was worried for those who live in NYC; particularly those who I know. I do have one very good friend there and on September 11, I felt a little frantic...I wanted to make sure that he was okay. I can't imagine how it would have been if I'd had family in that city (or in Washington D.C.) And apart from all of that, I think that September 11 was made additionally painful simply because Australia has a pretty close relationship with America. Although that kind of link may not be felt by many people, I definitely feel it. I guess it's a kind of solidarity, with a country that is so similar to my own and that shares the same core beliefs. It's true to say that America being hit felt like a hit against the entire democratic world. It's hard to explain...it's an intangible thing. But it's there. It's also interesting, if you go back and look at the topics in Otaku Lounge, you can actually find the threads that popped up as soon as this event took place. That's quite a piece of history there. As terrible as that day was, I find it quite incredible to actually find that piece of history marked in such a vivid way on our little site here. Somehow the fact that our community was so touched by the event also served to reinforce its value, if you know what I mean. I'm not sure how well I'm explaining that. But I think that the shared experience on OtakuBoards was something that made me realize that our community, for all its flaws, is still to be valued. September 11 also reinforced, for me, the idea that tolerance is so critical in today's world. It is critical not simply because it makes people feel better or something, but because it's part of survival. It's a component to a civilzed world. I've always thought that if you are living in a civilized society, you practice tolerance. Terrorism, particularly religious fundamentalist terrorism, is maybe the most potent example of the extreme end of interolance. My view is that, especially when we're living in a time where there are people who want to kill us and destroy our societies, the [i]last[/i] thing we should be doing is creating divisions amongst ourselves. The atmosphere after September 11 was so comforting, because for a while, people disregarded their differences and focused on the elements that we all share. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. Now you have people like Jerry Falwell blaming gays for September 11, among other things. Although I'm not particularly religious, I somehow feel that God would be very disappointed at how quickly the goodwill has faded. I wish that people would remember the post-September 11 period a little more often, so that they may think twice before making a divisive comment or doing something hurtful to someone else.[/color]

[color=#707875]We've already seen this thread closed, as a result of poor quality posts. I have a strong feeling that an [i]identical[/i] thread is only going to attract the same kind of unwanted attention. Misenki, you're really pushing your luck here. I strongly advise you to consider posting something different, rather than simply replicating a closed thread. The bottom line is that quality is really important and I'm not seeing it here, which is very disappointing.[/color]

[color=#707875]Wanda & Colossus has been in the rumor pages for quite a while now. Originally, the nickname was "NICO" and originally, there was a thought that this game would be a direct sequel to ICO. Despite IGNPS2's totally disingenuous headline (because it's [i]not[/i] ICO II or a sequel in any sense), this game should catch the interest of anyone who was a fan of ICO or indeed, anyone who is a fan of adventure games in general. If you own a PS2 and you haven't played ICO, you're really missing out. Its cool premise, absolutely amazing dream-like atmosphere and brilliant production quality all came together to create a subtle masterpiece. It was subtle for many reasons (the general absence of music, and the fact that even small sounds were treated with utmost care by the developers). But by the same token, it featured some of the best examples of architectural design in a game ever. I think it is difficult to overstate ICO as a piece of art -- it's one game that really blurs the line between pure art and a video game, in my view. Wanda to Kyozou (roughly translated to Wanda & Colossus) is the next game by the ICO team, though it isn't at all a sequel. Fumito Ueda and Kenji Kaido (designer/art director and producer respectively) are in charge of this game. They are essentially taking the same role in Wanda & Colossus that they had in ICO. So even on that basis, I think we know we're in for something special. [img]http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/546/546753/wanda-and-colossus-20040910052641531.jpg[/img] The game essentially revolves around a boy who is apparently trying to revive a girl who has lost her soul. He takes her to a shrine, where he lays her down. He then hears a voice from the sky, which basically tells him that the only way to revive her, is to defeat the giant beasts that populate the ancient land. Of course, it's a very simple concept -- as ICO's was. But it's the execution that is going to make this a really interesting game. Basically, you have to go around the landscape on horseback and confront various giant creatures. The creatures come to life once you touch them. And then, at that point, the battle begins. There are several interesting aspects to this. And in my view, this is a really cool idea. The aim is to essentially climb up the creature itself and to locate its weak spot. In essence, the Colossus becomes a kind of "level". As you make your way up its body, you're basically dealing with an obstacle course, which you need to get through in order to hit your target. The IGNPS2 article suggests that elements of the creature's body will change, to try and block your access. Actually attaching yourself to the creature is half the puzzle. In one example, the Colossus strikes its sword into the ground. At this point, you can actually cling to the sword and climb up it. In another example, the Colossus runs through a field and you must chase it on horseback. I've only included the one shot here, because it's the most recent and the sharpest. The other shots are from an early video, and are pretty low quality (but you can find them at ps2.ign.com). So, I'm interested to know what your thoughts are about this new title. I am personally very excited about it. I think it holds a great deal of promise, not just because of its unique concept, but also because the team behind it are really perfectionists. Considering that ICO was their first project (and considering that it was so wonderful), I think we can expect good things from Wanda & Colossus.[/color]

[quote name='Wingnut Ninja']Hm, I agree with your views (particularly your comments regarding SM64 and Crash Bandicoot), but when I said "3D", I actually meant 3D as in FSA undertaking the third-person perspective like in OoT and TWW. I thought I made that clear by my statement about the "split-screens", but obviously not. Sorry for the confusion, heh.[/quote] [color=#707875]Third person perspective just means that you're viewing the action from a seperate camera, outside the character's own point of view. So FSA is already in that perspective (so what I meant was, 3D graphics alone wouldn't make the difference). However, if you actually had camera angles like Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time, that definitely changes the dynamic significantly. I suspect that a FSA-style game could still be done in that way, but the gameplay would probably need to change to some degree, which would potentially change the experience itself (for good or bad).[/color]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=darkviolet] Unemployment is almost as high as it was during the depression era and we're back to another deficite instead of a surplus. Yes, I will admit that Bush has created something like 144,000 or so new jobs, but that's not enough to keep up with this countries population growth. When is he going to do much better? [/color][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Again, like we've mentioned before, the president can't just "create jobs". More jobs become available for a variety of reasons. Fundamentally, a company is going to hire more people if it is experiencing success in the market. If a company's sales rise and if its profits go up, it is then in a position to hire more people because a) it physically needs more staff to support a growing business and b) it needs new staff to provide support for new products and services that are made available. A good example of these dynamics would be the Japanese video game industry. That industry has been in a slump for the last year or two, which has resulted in job losses. Are you going to blame the Japanese Prime Minister for those job losses? No. Jobs are lost because consumers are not purchasing new video game products in high enough numbers. Companies have no choice but to cut costs (read: staff) during these periods. The only thing that a national leader can really do is raise the minimum wage or something like that, to give people more money to spend. But that alone isn't going to represent a broad solution. I'm so tired of hearing that "so and so created this many jobs and this guy lost them". The president, or any national leader, is not directly responsible for job growth or decline. There are many factors that come into play -- most of them are outside the control of the Government itself. The Government can only provide a framework within which companies can operate. The Bush administration has provided a slightly more favorable environment for business, but obviously that's had a minimal impact. That isn't Bush's fault though. It's a result of everything from development costs to outsourcing to consumer spending. Also...I'm surprised that you just [i]totally dropped[/i] our conversation about foreign policy. You've totally changed course and ignored my last response. Are you conceding to my point of view, or do you still disagree? It'd be nice to know what happened to that line of discussion.[/color]

Boo floated along, suitcase in hand. Today was the first day of his new career and he was excited. He puffed his chest out proudly, as he floated along the cobblestone streets of the Mushroom Kingdom. His daydreaming soon ended, though, as he heard a faint cry for help coming from somewhere above. Boo looked around, but couldn't see anything unusual. It was far too early for most Shroomfolk to be awake. The only people that Boo could see stirring were the post office and bakery employees. Boo also saw a young Shroom walking his pet caterpillar nearby. The caterpillar was vivid orange, with a large red nose and a little daisy sitting atop his bulbous head. "[color=hotpink]I say, Boo![/color]" The voice sounded familiar. And finally, there he saw it; a whisp of pink, somewhere among the clouds. Boo squinted; he could only make out some details. The pink blob appeared to be flailing its feet around wildly, as several sweatdrops blinked just near his eyes (which were scrunched up into thin little lines). "[color=teal]I'm coming, Kirby![/color]" said Boo, as he floated up toward the sky, briefcase in hand. As Boo approached, he could see Kirby far more clearly. Kirby looked incredibly distressed. "[color=teal]Mr. Kirby, whatever is the matter?[/color]" asked Boo, as he floated alongside the struggling Kirby. "[color=hotpink]I accidentally swallowed a gust of wind, ol' fellow...and I am floating away! I'm not going to be able to make it to work on time![/color]" squealed Kirby. "[color=teal]Oh well...you're used to floating, right? I'm sure you can figure this one out yourself[/color]," said Boo, as he shrugged and began to float away. Kirby's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it; [i]the nerve![/i] He was about to open his mouth and unleash a torrent of verbal abuse, when Boo turned around and grinned. "[color=teal]Just kidding, ol' chap[/color]," said Boo, giggling to himself. "[color=hotpink]Phew[/color]," sighed Kirby, "[color=hotpink]for a moment, I thought you were serious[/color]." Boo shook his head. "[color=teal]'course not[/color]," he replied confidently, "[color=teal]I'd never abandon a friend and colleague[/color]." Kirby looked around nervously. "[color=hotpink]How can we fix this?[/color]" Boo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he held up his briefcase with one wing and popped the clasps on it with the other. "[color=hotpink]What's in there?[/color]" asked Kirby, with a look of concern on his flustered pink face. "[color=teal]Don't worry, Kirbster...I think I may have a tool that can help you[/color]," said Boo, as he rummaged through the case. Finally, he produced a large red plunger. "[color=hotpink]W-what are you going to do with that?[/color]" asked Kirby. "[color=teal]Just you watch![/color]" replied Boo, with a smile. Boo closed the briefcase and held it between his teeth. He then gripped the plunger with both wings and stuck it directly on Kirby's face. Kirby's eyes widened and he flapped his arms and feet excitedly. "[color=hotpink]Mmmhppff!![/color]" "[color=teal]It's okay[/color]," said Boo reassuringly, "[color=teal]all I want you to do is try and push in the opposite direction. I think we can suck that gust of air right out of your belly[/color]." And so, it began. Boo gripped the briefcase tightly between his teeth, as he frantically pulled the plunger in one direction, whilst Kirby desperately pulled in the other direction. After several moments, it seemed hopeless, [i]until...[/i] [size=6][i]*pop!*[/i][/size] Boo was sent tumbling backwards, as a great gust of air hit him. Kirby, meanwhile, began to drop toward the ground like a stone. For a moment, Kirby had almost forgotten how to float. But finally, it dawned on him, as he began taking deep breaths. Kirby's body inflated and deflated rapdily, as he slowly floated toward the earth. A few moments later, Boo rejoined him. "[color=hotpink]Oh dear...are you okay?[/color]" asked Kirby, patting Boo's forehead. Boo nodded. "[color=teal]Yes, thank you. I'm just a little short of breath. We'd better get going, or we'll be late on our very first day[/color]." Kirby smiled and nodded in agreement. As Kirby began walking down the street, Boo floated next to him and the pair began to laugh and joke about what would no doubt become a memorable story in the future. Zidargh, you really have to make more interesting chapters in future. ~_^;;

[QUOTE=Wingnut Ninja] For example, take a look at FSA. A 3D version of FSA would look pretty and all, but there is no way on earth that the multiplayer would be as polished as it would be in the 2D version. Split-screens won't cut it for a game of that principal, as there is a lot more to FSA's teamwork aesthetics than combat, like having to push obstructive large rocks, or solving puzzles... both of which are attributes that promote how fun the game is. [/QUOTE] [color=#707875]I think that the GTA example is better than this one. There's nothing inherent in FSA's 2D graphics that formulate a particular gameplay style that you couldn't achieve in 3D. Fundamentally, FSA's biggest attribute is probably the overhead perspective, in terms of how viewpoint/graphics has a relationship with gameplay. You could do the game in 3D and maintain the overhead perspective, while also maintaining identical gameplay. A 3D makeover would make no difference, unless you actually create puzzles and camera angles that are specifically related to a 3D environment. What makes the 3D GTA games different is that they take advantage of the third dimension. You could redo an old GTA game in 3D graphics, without changing the gameplay at all. 3D [i]alone[/i] is only going to make an aesthetic difference. The question is whether or not you actually utilize the properties of a 3D world. There are some games that you just can't do in a particular format. For example, Super Mario 64. That game utilized the core properties of a 3D universe, which is what made it fundamentally "new". Unlike other 3D games at the time, Mario 64 was the first [i]true[/i] 3D game. What I mean is, you can take something like the first Crash Bandicoot and you can make 3D visuals. But that game wasn't [i]true[/i] 3D. It utilized a digital controller, with eight-way directional movement. Fundamentally, there was very little about it that actually changed the nature of the gameplay (other than aesthetic differences). Super Mario 64 introduced a very precise 360 degree control system, which, for the very first time, allowed the player to move in [i]true 3D[/i]. So, 3D graphics did exist before Super Mario 64...but that game was really the first completely 3D game. Much of it does come down to aesthetics, admittedly. However, there are some games that simply work better in a 3D environment, because they actually take advantage of those three dimensions as part of their core gameplay. But for me personally, I don't really have a preference. I still love 2D games and some games are clearly better suited to that style (both as a matter of function and as a matter of aesthetic direction). But 3D has become the staple for several reasons and I think that even now, we're still seeing only a few games that actually truly utilize the 3D environment to its fullest extent.[/color]

[color=#707875]My experience with the squad-based stuff really only extends to the Rainbox Six franchise. I've sat down and watched a friend play SOCOM, but I never played it myself. In my view, games like Medal of Honor are almost completely different in genre to games like Rainbox Six. Rainbox Six is nothing like a traditional first person shooter. The entire game is heavily focused on strategy -- it's a simulator in the sense that it attempts to simulate the planning and precision involved in, say, an anti-terrorist operation. I forget which game it was now...but there was a Rainbox Six game that I really enjoyed (the first mission involves terrorists in a museum, during an Egyptian exhibit -- does anyone remember which one that was?) Although I wasn't too interested in the planning, I liked the fact that the game was so based on intelligence and strategy. You have to be insanely careful; you're in an echoey museum. If you do one thing wrong, you can be spotted or heard. And considering that there are also hostages, you have to be extra cautious with your approach. I also loved playing that online. A game like Medal of Honor is less technical. To use a really vague and general term, it's more "arcadey". The game has no real emphasis on planning and minimal emphasis on strategy. In my experience, it's more a point A to point B affair. What makes it fun is both the scale of the world, as well as the interaction between the player and the A.I. controlled enemies. Also, the interaction with vehicles and background scenarios (fighting in the middle of a massive battle) helps to add to the sense of realism and excitement. I've read a little on Conflict Vietnam, but I haven't played it myself. My understanding is that the game has less focus on being responsible for your comrades and more focus on your own achievements. This could potentially be a good thing, if you have less interest in the staples of squad-based combat (ie: the Rainbox Sixes of the world). But yeah...it's hard to say. I am not interested enough in Rainbox Six-esque games to know a great deal about them, other than to say that the copy-cat stuff going around doesn't surprise me. Rainbox Six set a benchmark which others have apparently followed (with varying degrees of experimentation involved). But something like Medal of Honor...that's almost a totally different type of game, even though it's first person and even though it's set during a war period. So, I think there are varying degrees and nuances in this sub-genre of FPSs.[/color]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=darkviolet]Sorry 'bout that James. I've been a bit preoccupied. Pretty much aside from the whole democracy thing that he keeps trying to enforce in Iraq, which doesn't seem to be working all that well. I'm not sure how well this will come out. Bush seems to want every country to have America's way of democracy instead of an individual way of democracy. He pretty much expects Iraq and the rest of the world to become american carbon copuies. I don't think that came out very well. sorry.[/color][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]But see, I think that this is a misunderstanding of Bush's policy. It's like you're putting words in Bush's mouth, you know? How do you know that Bush wants "American style democracies"? I guarantee you, right now, that Iraq's democracy won't be like America's. There are a variety of structural and historical reasons for that. But fundamentally, it will operate differently, though it will still be a democracy. Bush only wants [i]democracy[/i], as a vehicle for opportunity and freedom. That's his point of view. It can be debated whether or not his actions can bring that about, but that, in a nutshell, is what [i]he[/i] actually thinks/wants. I don't think there's any evidence of him trying to foist American-style democracy on other countries.[/color]

[color=#707875]But you're still not getting my point. You can't say that some gay men do that and then turn around and disregard [i]all[/i] gay men. I mean, this line of thinking just makes no sense. I may not like the more violent gangsta rap, which is perhaps at the extreme end of that musical style/culture...but I don't sit there and say "I hate all rap" or, more appropriately, "I don't ever want to meet an African American". It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.[/color]

[QUOTE=Deimos][COLOR=Teal][SIZE=1] I don't know where I put that in there so I can't give you an answer for that sorry. [/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]o_O; I quoted what you said and responded to it. That's what my comments were related to. You said that on shows and stuff you sometimes see where a gay man has raped someone or something. Therefore, you don't want to ever get near a gay man. So I am saying, if you apply that logic across the board, then women should never trust any men because some men rape women. Do you see what I'm saying? If you truly follow that logic to its conclusion, you realize how silly it is.[/color]

[color=#707875]I'm partial to [spoiler]***** Wagon[/spoiler] myself. Other than that, I'd really like a keychain that features Mario's glove or something goofy like that. Goofy keychains are great, in my book. ~_^[/color]