James

[color=#808080]I have no idea when this game releases in PAL territories (it may already be available in Australia; I haven't looked for a while). But nonetheless, this is a game I've had my eye on for quite some time. I think this will definitely be my next PS2 purchase. After reading several reviews, I'm very impressed with the apparent improvements that have been made this time around. So it's nice to hear that OB members are endorsing it too. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I'd put this device in the same league as the high end MP3 players and such. I do not believe that Sony could compete with Nintendo on its own level - an economical, 2D-focused handheld machine. Nintendo owns the market and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. What Sony's doing is different. Sony's product is significantly more advanced and is definitely going to be a lot more expensive. I'm not trying to say that it'll be any better or worse; the games will be the deciding factor on that point. However, what I am saying is that this machine is most likely not designed to compete with the GBA. Sony could quite comfortably slot this thing in above the GBA and the two could get along just fine in slightly seperate markets. Of course, anything Sony or Microsoft do will be seen as a direct strike against Nintendo and vice versa. But in this case in particular, I think that the differences between the two products (technology, market, price) are quite significant. There isn't a huge amount of market overlap, I'd imagine.[/color]

[color=#808080]It's quite a basic banner, but you've definitely got some talent in you. ~_^ For example, your text is reasonably good quality - it's not too jagged, nor is it blurry. And the character is cut out quite well, too. The background is nice, but I think you need a bit more going on (not with the background, but with the foreground). Maybe a closeup of the guy's face and some more stylish text? Stylish both in terms of font and in terms of what you do with it. Sometimes it's good to have two lines of text just sitting like that. But sometimes you can play around with it and try out new positions/angles/etc... Anyway, it's a good start. Keep practicing and you'll be a great banner maker in no time. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]Well, I guess I can only repeat here what I've said in quite a few instances. It's really important to read all of our Announcements. Announcements are threads which appear at the top of every forum. They're impossible to miss; they even have their own icon. Our latest Announcement states that you can have your name changed if you PM Charles about it. He's doing name changes for the next couple of weeks or so. So yeah, it's important to read all Announcements, so that you don't miss out! ^_^[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B] As for James post... That budget last night basically makes parts of your post a bit silly. Mainly in the respect of Healthcare and Education, I'm not going to rant on about "The 30% increase is bad for the poor people!" because I think that anyone who is smart enough will realise that no university in their right minds would up their prices 30%. But they will rise them sum what. This is bad for people who aren?t as well off. I'm rather annoyed at that because affording uni atm will be very hard let alone any increase... (Sorry about above, I just wanted to rant about that because I'm really pissed at the situation.) Eps ? Grr? [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]No, the 2003-4 budget does not make [i]any[/i] of my post "a bit silly". My post was referring to the fact that Australia (per capita, based on worldwide standards) invests more money into areas such as health, education and welfare services than most (if not all) other developed nations. Firstly, I'm talking about this on a per capita basis and secondly, I'm comparing Australia to the rest of the world on that very basis. Any increase or reduction in University fees is essentially irrelevant and bears no real relationship with what I was talking about. I could of course get into more specifics here; like the increased funding for public hospitals in this budget as well as the incentives for the states regarding both healthcare and education (Federal grants based on state investments). But I won't bother. I'm a bit worried that you might make more inaccurate links between my post and the budget. ~_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I agree. I'd also say that there's probably very little understanding of what socialism and fascism represent. In any case, I'm not sure whether or not this thread will actually create any kind of legitimate discussion. Blackroseoni, you certainly didn't post well with your opening comments. Rather than bring up a question and discuss your views, you basically took a simple swipe at President Bush and did absolutely nothing to support your views. At the very least, it would have been appropriate to provide more detail in your post about why you hold a particular viewpoint. Anyway, I'll respond relatively briefly here. If you think Canada is a socialist country, you don't know what socialism means. Canada is a capitalistic society in the same vein as the United States, UK, Japan, Australia and many others. The only difference is that Canada is more welfare-oriented than the United States. It's said that the United States has the worst welfare system in the developed world. I can't comment on that, because I don't live there. I live in a country that is considered to take a highly robust approach to welfare. Having said that, socialism (and communism, which tends to invariably tie in, whether deliberate or not) wouldn't be able to provide such a system. In Australian society (and in society in Canada, the USA, UK, etc etc), the high income earners tend to pay the vast majority of the nation's tax. And how do the rich become that way? Via strong education and via a system that doesn't restrict one's personal ownership and entrepreneurial spirit. Obviously, that's more of an extreme socialist society (like the former USSR). But generally speaking, there are few "truly" socialist societies that function well. Socialism tends to breed more control with the Government...and therefore, less personal freedoms for individuals. I think that a balance must be sought. On the one hand, you can allow people to have aspirations and to gain personal wealth. On the other, these people [i]should[/i] pay higher tax (as they can obviously afford it) and that should be used to "pull up" those members of society who are struggling. So it's all about priorities. In Australia, we have a very significant welfare system. You could almost call that "socialist", in a sense. However, we are also a capitalist economy. And we are a nation with great personal freedom (though not [i]so[/i] much freedom that we can carry guns in our backpacks, etc). I think we have struck a good balance, as evidenced by the extremely high living standard, education standard and economic conditions. Of course, I could go on and on about that. But I just wanted to summarise my views I guess. Basically though, I find that a LOT of kids go around talking about socialism, communism, etc etc...as if it's "cool". But in reality, they have no idea what they're talking about. These very people would be the first to complain if they truly lived in a fascist society, for example. It's very easy to say stuff that sounds cool from the relative comfort of a nation where you have free speech (and I think most OB members live in nations with free speech). But if that very speech were quelled - and if personal liberties began to erode, the story would be very different. Anyway, I'm rambling. My post doesn't specifically cover your original post, simply because I'm not going to get into any kind of silly name calling of world leaders. It's immature and it doesn't help one's argument. And certainly, it's worth putting more thought behind your submissions in future.[/color]

[color=#808080]I'll post game stuff here now. I just deleted my old post. The new Zelda games look [i]awesome[/i]. Have you seen them in motion? Do you know how they work? I think they're going to be a lot of fun! I think people get way too hyped up about these conferences. There was a significant amount of [i]good[/i] games to be shown; we're not always going to get a big Zelda/Mario-style announcement. I feel that these games are going to be a lot more anticipated as more is reported on them. Anyway, I'll put some stuff on my own site and link to it from here. I'll cover as much as I can given the limited time frame.[/color] [b]Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles | Square Enix | GCN[/b] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/finalfantasyccbox.gif[/img] [b]Game Summary[/b] In a world ravaged by plague, the people depend on a blessed crystal. In order for this crystal to maintain its sparkle and power, Mirula Droplets are constantly needed. These crystallized drops can only be found in the deepest, darkest caverns of a far-off dungeon. Every year, the Crystal Caravan must collect the precious Mirula Droplets, burdened with the fate of the villagers. This year, however, players and up to three friends must take the caravan that makes the vital excursion to save the villagers lives. As a long and perilous trek is taken through a wilderness overrun by monsters, players will fight through this epic role-playing game with the story and graphic quality fans have come to expect from the Final Fantasy series. [b]Features[/b] Discover multiplayer connectivity! Up to four players can play simultaneously, working cooperatively to solve puzzles and defeat enemies on their quest, using their Game Boy Advance systems to control their character data and view character information. Some clues may only be available to certain players, and they?ll have to communicate and cooperate to share the information they receive on their personal game screens! [list] [*]Line up four players side-by-side to communicate with one another as you move through dungeons and defeat enemies together. [*]Developed by The Game Designers Studio/Square Enix Co., Ltd. [/list] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffcc1.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffcc2.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffcc3.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffcc4.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffcc5.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffcc6.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffccart1.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffccart2.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffccart3.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.shineget.com/E3/ffccart4.jpg[/img] [color=#808080]Phew. This is taking me a while. lol Hm...*rubs chin*...what if I just posted [i]art[/i] and not screenshots? If you guys need shots, you can just visit [url]www.planetgamecube.com[/url] or [url]www.n-sider.com[/url] You will get watermarks, but at least you'll see the images. I'll just post art up here, because many sites only use the art in their imagery and don't post raw art for users. And I think, rather than posting [i]all[/i] art up here, I'll just ask you guys what you want. If there's a game you want some art from (Mario Kart, Tetra's Trackers, Pokemon Channel, Star Fox 2, etc etc) just post here and I'll do my best to provide it.[/color]

[color=#808080]Okay. I think what I might do is just host all of these images myself. But that means that there'll be a delay in showing them to you. V_V Oh well. I'll work something out when I get home. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]Actually, cel-shading is incredibly complex. Moreso than what you've seen in Ocarina of Time, as far as texturing goes. Not only is it complex to pull off, but when done properly, it can be amazingly effective. TWW is gorgeous and is probably the most expressive game I have ever seen -- thanks in large part to cel-shading.[/color]

[color=#808080]I think the reason people object when it's "under 20" is because a) it's illegal and b) when you go through your teenage years, you develop very rapidly. A 14 year old isn't nearly as emotionally developed as a 20 year old. So there is a lot of opportunity for one to take advantage of the other. Doesn't mean it'll happen, but it's still a legitimate concern for people.[/color]

[color=#808080]Maybe you could explain what this thread is about a little more clearly...[/color]

[color=#808080]We delete inactive usernames every few months. This helps to avoid a situation where new members can't get the name they want. But generally, having inactive users doesn't matter -- it's no waste of our space or anything like that. And in addition, some members will register and not post for a few months...and then begin posting. I'm reluctant to simply remove members on a frequent basis. So I hope that answers your question. We've had threads about this subject before, too. So you might want to refer to those if you have anything further to ask (or you can simply PM me).[/color]

[color=#808080]This is a very interesting question. I think that sometimes, we always compromise our true selves for a particular reason. It might be to please someone close to us (family/friends), to avoid confrontation or something else. There are so many reasons and not all of them are negative ones. Over the last few years, I think I've learned to "be myself" a lot more. I've realized that even if I try very hard, I'm not going to please everyone. And for a while, I was unsatisfied if I left something lacking (or left someone else dissatisfied with me). But now, I realize that I just have to be my own person and do the best I can. That's all I can ask of myself. I don't know if I've explained that very well, but it's what I thought about when looking at your question.[/color]

[color=#808080]Wow, that's gorgeous Sara. ^_^ I love it. Your pictures are always so expressive and emotive. It can be very difficult to strike that in hand-drawn works. This girl looks either like she's cold...or worried...or maybe she's just a quiet wallflower. ~_^ I won't give it a numerical rating, because I'm really starting to dislike 'em. They're too aribitrary. X_X[/color]

[color=#808080]I am using Liquid, and I still receive pop-ups.[/color]

[color=#808080]Yep, what Sara said. ;)[/color]

[color=#808080]Once again, our rules explain what RPGs are. RPG stands for Role Playing Game. It's like an interactive story. Read the threads that exist in that forum so that you get a better feel for what it's all about.[/color]

[color=#808080]A few issues here, Vicky. Firstly, the forum description is about as thorough as you can get. This forum is for players to recruit other players for their RPG. It's a pretty simple explanation. Second, all you have to do is read the other threads here. They will give you clear examples of how the forum works. Third, this thread does not belong here. It belongs in the Suggestions/Feedback forum. I'm going to say this one last time; [b][i]Please read the rules[/i][/b]. That way you will avoid getting banned. I'll just move this to its appropriate forum now.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by clowmet [/i] [B][url]http://www.nintendo.com/games/gamepage/gamepage_main.jsp?gameId=796[/url] Please, kill me now. What was Shigeru thinking, this instead of SMB3? Oh.......it's games like this that make up Nintendo's kiddy strerotype. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]What makes you think that Shigeru Miyamoto sanctioned Yoshi's Story's release? I'm really sick of people blaming [i]everything[/i] Nintendo does on Shigeru Miyamoto. Let's not forget the hundreds of other employees while we're at it. lol Anyway, I can't say I'm too excited about this game. Yoshi's Story wasn't a [b]bad[/b] game, it was just too short and too easy. But the actual design was certainly adequate. And the visuals were pretty nice back in the day (although obviously visuals don't equate to a great game). Having said that, a [i]lot[/i] of people misunderstand Yoshi's Story. This wasn't a game designed for Zelda/Mario players. It was designed to be a game that first time game players would enjoy (ie: young kids and totally inexperienced games). So I think it was a carefully targeted game. I'm actually happy that Nintendo had the balls to release this game, knowing that people would scream "Nintendo is kiddie!" from the rooftops. But the kiddie thing is another issue. I'm tempted to actually say "who cares about Nintendo's image; just play the games you enjoy", but we've been there and done that.[/color]

[color=#808080]I personally would class Robin Hood as a thief and not a terrorist. And if you look at all the stories of the Sherrif and stuff...we tend to get the impression that the "powers that be" are greedy and self-absorbed. And the stories conclude that Robin is stealing from the rich and giving to the poor -- rather than stealing for his own benefit. But that's how the story portrays it. I think it's obvious that he's a criminal (thief), but I don't know if I'd put him in the same class as someone who blows up innocent people, as terrorists has a tendency to do. And Duo, why would you even [i]want[/i] to loot a CEO's house? Who says that just because he/she is rich, he/she is also elitist? I smell tall poppy syndrome here.[/color]

[color=#808080]You can still discuss Trigun in Anime Lounge. Nothing has changed in that sense; it's just a different location.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Harry [/i] [B]A fundraiser for what? The hazing has been a tradition there, they knew what would happen. Sure they were expecting to have ribs and ankles broken, but besides that I'm sure they saw it coming. I wouldn't expect anything less. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]The first comment is just ridiculous. [i]Obviously[/i] they didn't expect to come out with broken ribs and ankles. If you've watched any of the news reports at all (which have gone over the history of the "event" to an extent), you'll be aware of the situation. And when the whole thing actually began, I think it's fair to say that most of them couldn't get away even if they wanted to. They were surrounded by a frenzied crowd and were being actively chased down by those involved. And what's with the second comment? Everything Tony has said in this thread has been 100% accurate. And he's certainly not had some malicious message about this situation - I think you need to take note of some of the sarcasm. ~_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I'm also Australian. And so is another staff member; Warlock. You'll find quite a few Aussies on OtakuBoards, so you shouldn't have much trouble there. Welcome to the boards and please remember to read the rules. I must admit, I'm a bit unsure as to why this thread was closed (which is why it's important for staff to post reasoning when closing threads). But nevertheless, it's done now.[/color]

[color=#808080]Well, I felt that Teknoman had a lot of tragedy. But by having such tragedy, you can also more accurately measure the good times. For instance, [spoiler]when Blade lost his memory at the end of the series[/spoiler], there was a feeling that everything he'd worked for was useless -- he couldn't enjoy life any longer. And yet, that wasn't really true. Although it was initially sad, there was a message of hope. [spoiler]Blade's memory loss meant that he had forgotten the battles with his own family (in which his sister had died - she was particularly of note, I'd day) and he forgot his own mental and physical tragedies. So yes, it was sad...but it was also hopeful.[/spoiler] There are many other examples too, of course. Evangelion is a series with significant emotional power and tragedy...and I think it makes EVA very real and very relevant.[/color]

[color=#808080]The idea of taking a gay character and making him heterosexual shouldn't be offensive to anyone. Neither should the reverse. I think that's really a moot point. From what I understand, yaoi/yuri can be completely pornographic (hentai). But it can also be like a love story that does not include graphic depictions of sex. Yaoi/yuri is probably no different to any other kind of "love story" anime/manga in that sense. But when you're talking about homosexuality, I assume most people think of sex -- when they perhaps shouldn't be thinking of it at all. But I guess that's something for further discussion. And Millie, please do not double post. It's against the rules. If you're unsure of our rules, I recommend that you read them thoroughly.[/color]