James

[color=#707875]The reason that members can't change their thread title is simply because the vB software does not allow it. The only way to allow it would be for us to actually change the code. I don't know how complex it is to allow something like this though. In any case, it's not going to happen at the moment. At least, not while we're working on the new version of the boards. I don't have enough programming resources at my disposal to do anything other than v7 (and even v7 itself is quite a chore).[/color]

[color=#707875]This is really more of a statement than a discussion. Heartless Me, I'm not sure if you have a myOtaku.com account, but that's probably the best place for this kind of thing.[/color]

[color=#707875]I strongly recommend The Animatrix soundtrack, if you're looking for something out of the norm. And if you're at all interested in electronic music (even weird electronica/jazz combinations), The Animatrix soundtrack is for you. Other than that...there aren't too many soundtracks that [i]really[/i] interest me in a big way.[/color]

[color=#707875]I don't think that schools should put restrictions on holding hands. What's next? Creating "Burp Zones" and charging a fine if someone commits the illegal act outside the designated area? Give me a break. I mean, sure...there should be limits. Telling people not to have sex on campus being one of those limits. ~_^ But as far as kissing/holding hands, I think that's fine. I personally don't see it as something that the school should place a restriction on. But that's just me; I'm sure various parents have a different viewpoint.[/color]

[color=#707875]Well, I guess I'm in a somewhat unique situation. I took two years off after high school, in order to work in industry. What I really wanted to do was to become more involved in the video game industry. And for me, the most natural way of doing it was through journalism. And in that sense, I've had my share of successes. My work has been published on the web, for a variety of sites. And my work has also been published in magazines. So although I find it very hard to judge my own work in any particular way, it was obviously considered to be palatable enough for editors to be interested in it. Having said that, I do not consider myself to be a professional journalist by any measure. My experience is different from someone who is actually studying journalism as a profession. It's kind of like learning to drive a car entirely through practice and without necessarily knowing all the road rules. My ability to string two words together is really all I have ever relied on -- but it has taken time and experience to understand [i]how[/i] journalism works and what it's all about. It's something I never studied as part of a school career. In terms of my ultimate career goals...I don't have a specific goal. There's nothing specific that I want to be or do. I want to continue to work in the video game industry, but not as part of the media. I'd like to work from the publishing end in particular and possibly the development side. So that leaves a whole variety of things open to me. I'm very interested in marketing, public relations and human resources, for example. Those are all possible avenues. But I'm also interested in graphic design, animation and project management. These areas are a bit less defined in terms of video games/electronic media. But they are areas that I'm studying right now, nonetheless. On the whole point of writing...I could only tell you what I know from experience in industry itself. I can possibly sit there and say "i'm g0ing 2 typ3 leik diz" -- and that might be my interpretation of language and it might be a creative or unique way to write. But it isn't [i]good[/i] writing. The very best writers in existence tend to have been individuals who are able to actually write in English (ie: without making up a grammar set that is known exclusively to themselves), but who are able to use the basic tools of language to construct something extremely vivid and beautiful. It's definitely not easy -- for me to write a single article (especially in a magazine), I have to absolutely sit there and focus my energy on it. It's very exhausting for me, because I don't feel that my writing flows. My writing -- in terms of publishing -- is a very careful, calculated thing. In many ways it's a question of marketing; a question of being able to take a message and transmit that to an audience. You want to get your point across in an entertaining or interesting way, but you also don't want to provide the answer to a question that nobody asked. You know? So it's a tricky line to walk. It takes practice and education. Professors are not always right -- but their advice should definitely be listened to. Once you leave school, you really don't have the chance to call upon that knowledge and experience again. It's very useful, no matter what particular field you are studying.[/color]

[color=#707875]I've been playing this game for a couple of days now...I'm [spoiler]up to the Beanbean Castle[/spoiler] right now. I must say, despite all the great comments I've read...I am enjoying this game more than I first expected. The comedy is really fantastic. It just works so well. It's cute and fuzzy, but it occasionally has a dark side to it. It's really Nintendo-ish, if that makes sense (and to anyone who's played it, it will). I love the nostalgic references...and I love the little touches. [spoiler]Like when the prince flicks his golden locks and the entire screen focuses on him when he does it.[/spoiler] I just find that really fantastic. lol The game is also really visually impressive -- again, moreso than I expected. I'd like to play it on the big screen. The animation quality is really pretty outstanding in some areas. And everything is filled with colour and detail. So far I'm also really enjoying the battle system -- moreso than the system in Paper Mario. And although I can see some problems with the perspective...it's not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. I have never had any problems judging a jump or hitting a box, due to perspective. It seems fine to me. Fantastic effort from Alpha Dream. What a cool little developer they are. ~_^[/color]

[color=#707875]Microsoft did approach Nintendo directly about a purchase. But Nintendo's former president (Hiroshi Yamauchi) rejected Microsoft's offer. He was fiercly defensive of Nintendo's independence. Nintendo itself is a very large company. Nintendo Co., Ltd. actually owns 50 other businesses in Japan and around the world. So it's still one of the largest companies in the video game industry -- far, far larger than Square-Enix or Rare. Of course, Microsoft has enough money that they were able to comfortably make the offer. I'm glad that Nintendo rejected it, primarily because I don't think Nintendo would fare better as a third party developer. Nintendo is [i]good[/i] at developing hardware -- that's a large portion of its business. And Nintendo always designs its hardware for its own games. I think that's important. As both a Nintendo and a general video game fan...it makes sense. And in general, I think it's good to have more competition. I wouldn't want a Nintendo/Microsoft alliance going up against Sony. I think the industry is big enough for three big players.[/color]

[color=#707875]I think the biggest problem is simply that Governments are not recognizing video games as viable entertainment, to be compared with music or movies. When you consider that the video game industry generates more revenue than the movie industry today...you realize how absolutely backward this viewpoint is. It simply ignores reality. In Australia, OFLC ratings are not decided by an OFCL board as such. Video game distributors have their own internal analysts who are usually registered members of the OFLC. And so, distributors themselves actually play a role in determining the appropriate rating for a particular game. So, I personally wouldn't blame the actual analysts who suggest a rating. The problem lies with the rating system itself. If there is no allowance for an R18+ rating, then games that would logically fit into that rating can't achieve it. So even the distributors have no choice but to apply an "RC" rating (Refused Classification).[/color]

[color=#707875]My New Year's Resolution is to get over the break up that I only [i]just[/i] went through yesterday -- after four years of being in a relationship, it's very difficult... It will take me a long time to get over that. In the meantime...I think that I have to spend the new year working on creative things. That always helps me to overcome problems and at the very least, it diverts my attention. So, I want to get OB rolled out as complete as possible. [/color]

[color=#707875]Well, I have three younger siblings. So, I've seen everything. lol I think that basically, there's always some kind of conflict between siblings. That's pretty inevitable. But when you grow older together and you mature...hopefully you also become good friends. For example, my sister is 15. She's the oldest of the other three. When we were both younger, we used to argue about everything. Five years difference can be quite a lot at certain ages. And now...we are the best of friends. We really adore each other. My brother (13), is a double-edged sword. On one hand, he's growing up...and he and I have more in common and more to talk about. On the other hand, he's also at an age where he's challenging everyone's authority. He tries to dominate everyone and he speaks a lot more disrespectfully to my parents if he gets in trouble, or doesn't get his own way. In the same way, he challenges me a lot more than he used to. So that can be a source of aggrivation...and since I tend not to lose my temper easily at all, he can usually get away with saying a lot of things to me, without much of a response. lol But I know that this is part of growing up. He will grow and mature and gain control of his emotions. My other sister, who is 10, is just starting to mature and become more teenager-minded. So there are problems related to that...but on the whole, she's always been pretty easy to get along with. So yeah...what you mention is nothing unsual. Annoying, yeah. But unfortunately, I think any of us who have siblings must go through that kind of thing. It happens in one way or another. My only good news for you is that it [i]will[/i] end. One day, you'll be looking back on these things and you'll realize how much things have changed.[/color]

[color=#707875]Oh, it's fine. That's what this forum is for afterall; for people to express ideas and such. Actually, I would probably be inclined to add a Kenshin forum [i]if[/i] it weren't for v7. I can't add any forums right now, because v7 is completely different to what we have now. So those forums would be there, but they'd only exist for a month or something. In that regard, it's kind of pointless. But I definitely welcome your suggestion. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]If you tell me her username, I can activate her account manually (ie: bypass the email approval system). So you can type it here, or send a PM my way. [/color]

[color=#707875]Well, it's not as though you can't discuss that series on OtakuBoards. That's what Anime Lounge is for. We'll be relying on Anime Lounge a lot more in the future, too.[/color]

[color=#707875]Just a note; I've merged the two threads. So you guys can keep the discussion here.[/color]

[color=#707875]Shroom, I'm [i]amazed[/i] at the amount of money that was spent on you. When I see people's Christmas lists, I'm often surprised. I mean, some kids are getting over $1,000 worth of stuff. I find that really incredible. lol Anyway, I did pretty darn well. I hadn't asked for anything, nor even given a hint that I wanted anything. Really, there wasn't anything I wanted that I wouldn't have eventually bought for myself anyway. But my parents bought me a Flame GBA SP with Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. So that was really an awesome gift. I felt a little embarassed that they'd spent so much money on me though. So that was nice. And lunch today was very nice also. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]Yeah, that's pretty much the size of it. Nintendo and Rare have a contract that comes up for review periodically. On this occasion, Nintendo decided not to confirm the contract. So that automatically put Rare on the market. I kind of feel sorry for Microsoft though. They're spending a fortunre on Xbox...and they'll no doubt spend a fortune on the slow-as-ever Rare. As for Square-Enix...Sony does have a minority stake, but I'd say it's probably enough to prevent S-E from working on Xbox anytime soon. It makes me wonder if Sony will ever decide to increase their ownership of the company, especially when you consider the important role of Square-Enix in relation to the PS2.[/color]

[color=#707875]OtakuBoards is really just an entertainment site. But what wrist cutter said is right on the money; here, you need to be able to read/write in order to participate on every level. And we encourage good use of English; the most popular members are usually the ones who write the most high quality posts. So I think that's a tremendous positive. Not to mention that we keep the site relatively friendly for all kinds of people -- and people are encouraged to share and discuss their creative works here. So I think that for kids especially, OtakuBoards is offering a lot more than parents might expect. If there are any parents with concerns about our site, I'd be happy to send them an email about the boards, to ease those concerns.[/color]

[color=#707875]I'm a Seinfeld addict. I have watched rerun after rerun of that show...to the point where it's insane. o_O; I'd have to say that my favourite character is Elaine. She reminds me of my sister, due to her insanity. For some reason, one of my favourite episodes in Seinfeld is that one where Elaine and George's father get into a fight. "You wanna piece of me?!" That scene almost had me in tears, I think. EDIT: Actually, the outtakes of that episode were even funnier. Great stuff. There are just far too many episodes for me to really list. I'd say that there were ones I liked more than others (the handicap space, the drake, etc). But generally I don't think I ever saw a bad episode. ~_^[/color]

[color=#707875]I pretty much agree with everyone here. It doesn't surprise me that someone in the media is trying to expose "American Spin Doctors", either. To me, it comes across as yet another unfounded rumor that people will probably immediately take to heart and use as further ammunition against America in these kinds of debates. In addition, this newspaper should not be so quick to cite Iraqi intelligence officials. Several of them have already lied about various things (including locations of individuals as well as certain events). So some of them are already proven to be highly untrustworthy. In any case, I'd really rather not bring up yet [i]another[/i] Saddam thread. It's going to get filled with even more conspiracy theories and we'll get back to some silly discussion like "Is Saddam a coward?" That's not particularly your fault, TO, it's just that these threads tend to get hijacked by the usual suspects.[/color]

[color=#707875]That's fine. It's an old announcement and I've subsequently been sending people to Charles when they want to have their name changed. In fact, I think I may have even posted an announcement about that, except that it's expired (but that's a result of me forgetting to use my custom end-date). But yeah, in general I tend to have to jump in and clear things up in these threads, because newer members are often getting slightly inaccurate answers. It's no big deal, it's just a reality.[/color]

[color=#707875]This is why you have to be careful when members answer questions like this. ~_^ We don't have "name change sessions". If you want to get your name changed, you simply have to PM Charles with the name you would like to have. You can do this at any time and if Charles himself has the time, he'll change it for you. If not, you'll have to wait. That's about it. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]I don't think that everyone is greedy. Some are greedy, some aren't. But giving and receiving gifts doesn't make you greedy. I [i]like[/i] giving gifts to people, because it's a token of my appreciation for them themselves. And basically, it's nice to do things that make others happy. I think it's pretty harmless; it only becomes crazy when people really [i]do[/i] start to become entirely materialistic over it. For me, Christmas is a family time. It's a time that I enjoy for that reason; my family comes together, in a way that they generally don't during the rest of the year. So it's a convenient time to have that experience and to appreciate family. Christmas itself has different meanings to different people. I mean, of course it is based upon a religious observance. And that itself is based upon some sort of pagan-based ritual/ceremony even earlier, although I haven't done enough research myself to know everything about it. In my case, Christmas is more a cultural than a religious thing. My family never celebrated it in a religious context, but always as part of my own country's national culture. In that sense, it's evolved and become something far more inclusive. So, I don't see that as right or wrong. That's just how things are here in my own country. And that's fine; it's nice to have a cultural tradition to take part in. I don't tend to get bogged down in technicalities -- I respect people's decision to celebrate whatever holiday for whatever reason. Some take Christmas as a very serious religious holiday, while others enjoy it in different ways. Basically, I'm not too worried about what other people choose to do.[/color]

[color=#707875]This is, of course, not to mention that Square Enix is partly owned by Sony. So the chance of them being purchased by Microsoft is pretty minimal -- especially when you consider how important Square Enix has been for Sony in terms of marketing the PlayStation brand.[/color]

[color=#707875]I think we've definitely established that this kind of stuff exists...but...I kind of don't see the point in these threads frequently being brought up. I mean, it seems as though we keep talking about some kind of extreme site and saying how much it sucks. I don't know what the point is, really. If you want to campaign against these sites, you should start your own. Otherwise, we kind of get locked into these repetitive discussions at OtakuBoards.[/color]

[color=#707875]There's no need to be rude; dark_dragongurl's comments are legitimate. I can understand her complaint. Basically, dark_dragongurl, we tend not to delete all closed threads because the person who closes them often provides a reason for their closure. This way, anyone can see [i]why[/i] the thread was closed, so that the same mistake isn't repeated. Having said that, some threads are deleted right away. It really comes down to what the Moderator in question decides to do. So, my advice would be to take a look at the icon next to the forum link, to see if it's closed or open. That's really the best way to avoid wasting any time in the forums. At the moment, it's really the best we can offer.[/color]