James

[color=#808080]Sasha re-entered the Safehouse around two hours after he'd left. Upon entering, he immediately moved into the construct. Sasha noticed Neil and Loren heading toward the weight section. Neil paused as Sasha passed. "What happened with Ryan back there?" Sasha turned around and smiled. "I think Ryan was just doing his job; being responsible for his teammates. But all I was doing as having a little dinner in New York; Ryan was out at a Linkin Park concert..." At this, Sasha rolled his eyes. Going to a Linkin Park concert whilst Agents were searching them out seemed to be a little...indiscreet? Neil merely nodded. He had an understanding of the team. "Yeah, I know what ya mean...but don't be too hard on the guy -- afterall, it's not easy for us to find time for ourselves under these circumstances. I think it's pretty fair for him to let his hair down, even if it's a security risk." Sasha's attention immediately turned to Neil's slightly bloodied face. He also noticed Loren's plentiful bruising. "Had a nice spar, did we?" he chuckled. Loren glared at Sasha briefly before passing by him. Neil grinned and nodded to Sasha once again, as he turned and headed out. Sasha loaded the Agent Simulator and carefully drew his sword...[/color]

[color=#808080]I tend to dislike animes that really pile on the nudity for no reason. But sometimes nudity can be used to a story's benefit; to show vulnerability or to express humanity. Sometimes nudity can be done in a clever and tasteful way. And really, that's how it should be. [/color]

[color=#808080]I don't see how Aonuma isn't getting the credit. I think he's getting credit where credit is due. Miyamoto was principally responsible for the direction that The Wind Waker took, in terms of the complete change of focus to a more "expressive" game. This was directly the result of Shigeru Miyamoto's involvement. But, as he says himself, he only built the table -- the objects on the table were placed there by designers within the team, including Aonuma. And those objects include specifics like cel-shading and Link's eyes. However, I'll tell you two people who doesn't get [i]nearly[/i] enough credit within Nintendo; Takashi Tezuka and Yoshiaki Koizumi. Koizumi was primarily responsible for just about every major element in Super Mario Sunshine -- including the whole FLUDD thing. A lot of people credited Miyamoto with that, which is understandable but inaccurate.[/color]

[color=#808080]Ginny brings up an excellent and important point; characterization. This is something that Shigeru Miyamoto really wanted to focus on. And it's so true when you see Wind Waker. I'm playing through Majora's Mask right now...and I can already tell that TWW has SO much more character than MM. The comparison is just so stark. TWW makes you feel like you're in a living world with characters that have thoughts and feelings. MM really doesn't have that -- it relies on exaggerated body animations almost entirely to get the point across. And that's okay -- it does give the game personality. But the subtle facial changes in TWW are really gorgeous and often very accurate. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I love the little [i]someone[/i] comment, D_A. ~_^ Actually, no changes have been made to our attachment system. It should work for everyone.[/color]

[color=#808080]Wow, an OtakuBoards AIM Expression. I never thought OtakuBoards would have its own skin for something. ~_^ Very flattering. Hehe Nice work![/color]

[color=#808080]I don't know if this will be the best Zelda ever. But, really...when people talk about this being a totally new graphic style, I kind of disagree. I really see this game as a kind of "Link to the Past in 3D". Yes, the actual style is different. But the cel-shaded nature gives it that lighthearted cartoony look that LttP had. It's very emotive and expressive. I also have to agree that I'm very glad about Aonuma's involvement with this series. Aonuma has been overlooked in the past; his involvement with Nintendo has been there for years. He also played a role in Ocarina of Time, as well as being the primary creative brain behind Majora's Mask (which is one of my all-time favourite video games). Miyamoto is still an important creative force though; he is primarily responsible for The Wind Waker's visual style. This is something that he really wanted to focus on. But Aonuma has made that style work. And he's built a very solid game. I think that the one thing that disappoints me with new Zelda games is the length. A Link to the Past has SO many dungeons. Three pendant dungeons and [i]seven[/i] crystal dungeons. That's just insane and it doesn't even take into account the many sidequests. Ocarina of Time, to me, felt much much smaller than LttP. And Majora's Mask was smaller again than OoT in terms of dungeons (though sidequests made up for lack of dungeons, but I'm not a huge sidequest fan generally). The knowledge that The Wind Waker is "missing" a couple of dungeons worries me. And it's disappointing. I'm sure I'll really enjoy the game though and I'm very much looking forward to playing it some more -- especially on my new sound system. *drool*[/color]

[color=#808080]That's a good idea, Mnemolth. We might increase the number of PMs that a user can store in total. In terms of a reminder notice...that's something I have no idea about. Maybe one of the Tech Staff know about it.[/color]

[color=#808080]The ideal thing to do is to PM a Moderator or Category Moderator with your complaint and a link to the thread. That is the fastest, most effective way to achieve a solution. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I think Kenji retired. And, recently Adam has been in Spain for two weeks. So maybe certain things are taking some time to get back on their feet. We're actually planning on a major reworking of the site, so I don't know if that will play a role in terms of updates or not. The best thing to do would be to email Adam directly.[/color]

[color=#808080]Horns? o_O She's wearing braids or whatever they're called...it's just her normal hair. o_O I really think that this thread is spam. There isn't much point to it -- you could easily have sent a PM my way. Please try not to clog up the boards with inane conversation in the future.[/color]

[color=#808080]The fact remains, Chris, that you're still basically implying that the gassing of the Kurds is irrelevant. And I'm telling you that it's not. Time isn't the issue here; actions are the issue. If the murder of thousands of innocent Kurds isn't as much of an issue now, then the current war won't be an issue in five or ten years. That doesn't make sense. It's like asking how long a piece of string is -- it has no real point. I understand what you're saying. And I know that you don't justify the killing of innocents. But what [i]I'm[/i] saying is that your arguments effectively present reasons for Saddam's actions -- with an implication that on some tiny level, they're a bit more justified than the actions of others. Maybe it's the comparison issue, I don't know. But I don't think I misunderstood what you said. I made it pretty clear in my post that I'm aware that nobody is actually supporting Saddam or anything; I made that quite clear.[/color]

[color=#808080]While Neil and Loren continued to train, Sasha remained seated. Outwardly, he did not seem terribly interested in the goings on nearby. Rather, he was in his own little world. Sasha was a thoughtful individual who carefully considered every action taken. This, he thought, was perhaps in greater contrast to the likes of Neil and Ken, who seemed to be slightly more aggressive in approach -- but no less responsible in the end. Sasha stood up and walked toward the Safehouse exit. He was stopped by Ryan, who blocked the entrance swiftly. "Where are you going?" inquired Ryan, looking directly at Sasha. Sasha paused and moved his focus past Ryan's face. "I'm going out. You don't need me here, do you?" "I don't know. Neil is training right now, but we might be leaving here at any moment." Sasha grinned and shook his head slowly. He arched his back and refocused on Ryan. His eyes were a vivid blue -- they had a penetrating effect on their subject. "I'm sure that Neil will contact me if I'm needed. But until then, I'm not going to wait around here. I'm going to get some lunch; it's not often that we get to eat succlent steak..." At this, Ryan nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I know...", he seemed to be in a slight trance at the thought of fresh steak. Perhaps he'd forgotten about the danger that the agents posed within The Matrix, at least for the time being. Sasha gently pushed past Ryan and exited the Safehouse. His destination was a little bistro in New York City...[/color]

[color=#808080]I agree. I played TWW more today and I must admit that now I'm really liking Link's face. Seeing it respond to actual stimuli in the environment as you play is really remarkable. That level of expression was never close to being realized in OoT (not that it should have been, necessarily). Would this kind of expression be possible with photorealistic images? I don't think so. Just look at how you can see the wind and everything...it's somewhat exaggerrated to emphasize expression. I think Miyamoto and Aonuma really hit the spot with that.[/color]

[color=#808080]You talk about the citizens of Basra not uprising because they are scared -- large numbers haven't for this reason, yes. But earlier you were implying very directly that they don't [i]want[/i] to be liberated. So what were the mass uprisings in 1990/1991? A block of flats? This is what I'm talking about. I don't know where you're getting your research, but much of it is problematic. You might want to either consider your sources or review your interpretation of those sources. There is no attempt to produce historical perspective in your posts. And while you do make some accurate factual points, you're not putting those in perspective. It comes off as some silly tyrade without much substance. I urge you to slowly and fully read my two posts up there. I hope you will understand what I'm getting across. EDIT: I'm going to close this now. I'm sure Juu will be happy, lol. If anyone wants to discuss the war [i]after[/i] the war, please feel free to start a thread. I think we've exhausted ourselves with this one (and the many others before it).[/color]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Cloricus:[/i][b] The people in Iraq were expected by the American's to "want" to be "liberated". It is evident that this is not the case, whether it is coursed by Saddam propaganda or they just don't like America. This was the first mistake and over judgement. [/b][/quote] [color=#808080]No, you're not correct. And this is yet another example of the whole "secure bubble" thing. In at least one southern city, troops were greated with hugs and hand shakes. One civilian started going on and on about how horrible Saddam was; he felt safe doing so at this point. In Basra, the people have started to rise up but the Baath party is attempting to quash that. An Iraqi exile, who left only recently mind you, said that the people of Baghdad will [i]not[/i] rise up based on their experience in Gulf War I. Remember; at that time the ENTIRE country rose up against Saddam (forgot about that, did we?). Yet, because America and the allies abandoned them, their uprising was quashed. And so this time, they're obviously not going to rise up unless and until allied forces are safely within Baghdad. I'm sorry Cloricus, but this discussion can't work unless you can be accurate. And you're not being accurate. Don't you see why this is a circular discussion? It won't go anywhere because no matter what kind of evidence confronts you, you'll move onto some other thinly veiled defence. It doesn't work. And it grates on my nerves to see such a lack of research in an argument. I'm sorry if my post seems to be too passionate, but I'm really getting tired of these sorts of posts. They are misinformed and add nothing to the discussion. I'm starting to even wonder why Juu started this thread in the first place, when she knew that we had had another Iraq discussion only recently. What I'd rather do is close this discussion and then have another one when the war is over. Then, we can review the situation. I'd like that; maybe you will have a more informed perspective at that time. I certainly can't wait until the forces enter cities like Basra and are welcomed (which obviously can't happen now, due to the Iraqi forces). It will be another example of misinformation being flattened by overwhelming fact. Note: I apologize for the double post, but it was necessary due to OB character limits. And no, it's not against the rules if you reach the character limit -- as I've given permission for people to double post [i]only[/i] under these circumstances in the past. [/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Cloricus:[/i] [b]I can agree with that.[/b][/quote] [color=#808080]My post itself or the idea that the thread should be closed? I hope you mean my post. I don't want to come off as nasty or snappy or whatever. But I'm trying so hard to bring some reason into this discussion. It's so vitally important. I would definitely like to have a thread about the war maybe after it's over, as I said earlier. Then we can analyze the situation post-war. For now, whatever our feelings are...let's just use this thread as a reference for those opinions. Let's not continue the circular debate. The truth is, none of us are really informed enough about what goes on in Iraq. Only Iraqis can understand. And considering that the overwhelming majority of them have demonstrated (both through interviews outside the country and throughout history -- on two seperate occasions during the Gulf War I), that they want to be liberated. You can take that as you will. And we can quabble over the specifics. We can talk numbers and strategy all day. We can sit here and talk about whether or not America is wrong/right/contradictory or whatever. But in the end none of it matters. The results of this war will speak for themselves; no matter what they are.[/color]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Transtic Nerve:[/i] [b]I know about the Kurds and their past. Why they are so looked downed upon by the middle eastern community and that Saddam isn't the only one doing horrible things to them. I also know that their numbers pose a threat to Middle Eastern life. They must pose some threat, or Saddam wouldn't have attacked them in the way he did, neither would the other several middle eastern countries who have attacked them. Surely you must agree. Iraq and Iran have almost never got along, yet they could bother agree to take offensive actions on the Kurds... for no reason? There's a reason.... and I think that it is the threat they pose to Iraq, and surrounding countries.[/b][/quote] [color=#808080]I can't believe what you're saying here. I'm sorry, but to me the arguments against the current action in Iraq are dwindling. Now we're actually trying to justify the gassing of the Kurds? That's absolutely ridiculous! Let's make no mistake about this; Saddam Hussein gassed the Kurds because they opposed his rule. I have seen pictures of women laying in the street, still clutching their dead children to their breast. These people were innocent civilians who were attacked with poison gas. In one case, a gas pellet was fired into the home of a family...and when they came out, they were shot at. In another, a family was told that they wouldn't be harmed if they gave themselves up. When they exited their house, they were fired on. And we're talking children as young as two or three years of age here. I am simply astounded that [i]anyone[/i] would even [i]attempt[/i] to suggest that Saddam had a valid reason for murdering thousands of Kurds. Being against war is one thing -- but this? What next? Are we going to say it's fine for Kim Jong Il to stave millions of his people because they oppose his leadership? If this wasn't a serious debate, then the concept of trying to justify Saddam's mass murder would be utterly laughable. [/color] [i]Originally posted by Transtic Nerve:[/i] [quote][b]I don't know what Saddam DID to the Kurds. All I know is that he killed alot... how? It really doesn't seem to matter in the long run... innocent or not. Even if they weren't innocent people, we'd probably still look at Saddam the same way right now.[/b][/quote] [color=#808080]This seems to be a contradiction in terms, Chris. You are behaving in such a flippant way about the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of people who were doing [i]nothing wrong[/i], except for rejecting their own national leadership. And yet, you are prepared to oppose a war that would not only liberate millions of oppressed people, but would result in absolutely minute casualties when compared to Saddam's own actions. There isn't a high level of consistency here. On the one hand, you're wholly concerned about the couple of dozen people killed in this war so far -- many of them by their own Government (Iraqis, obviously). Yet on the other, you couldn't be any more dismissive of the [i]hundreds of thousands[/i] killed previously. That doesn't make sense to me. There is no attempt to provide any perspective here; and that disturbs me.[/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Transtic Nerve:[/i] [b] still want to refer back to the fact the Kurds neither consider themselves iraqi people and nor does Saddam consider them Iraqi people. Sure, Saddam could have and did kill millions of people, but they weren't his own. It seems to sound much worse when you refer to them as Iraqi people, insinuating they are under the rule of Saddam, which they aren't. Yes he killed millions of people, no not all those people were Iraqi people. [/b][/quote] [color=#808080]The Kurds are most definitely Iraqis. It's just that they are not in the majority ethnic group of the country. Whether they [i]are[/i] Iraqi citizens or whether they [i]consider[/i] themselves to be such is [b]totally irrlevant[/b]. These people were (at the time of their deaths) under the rule of the Iraqi Government. They aren't now, but only because they have been able to liberate themselves; unfortunately the majority of those living in Iraqi territory are not able to do the same. I still can't believe how flippantly and dismissively you refer to Saddam's criminal behavior. "Oh yes, he killed millions, but they weren't his own people...so who cares?" That's how it sounds to me. What we're doing here is clutching at straws. The underlying facts remain the same; you simply cannot try to justify Saddam's actions at all. Nor can we somehow pretend that those actions are less important or somehow non-urgent. The vale of time and the fact that you yourself are nowhere near the situation might have something to do with it. But make no mistake; if you were living in Iraq and facing such oppression...if you'd seen the video of the gassed Kurds (and I'm sure many have), I don't know [i]how[/i] you could speak in such a cold and dismissive manner. It just cuts against the grain with me. It doesn't seem that there's a valuation of humanity here -- it just seems that this is like "I'm not seeing or hearing it, so it's not my problem". [/color][quote][i]Originally posted by Transtic Nerve:[/i][b] I also do think Saddam poses some threat, I just don't think it's a) an immediate threat, b) that big a threat, and c) that war is not the way to deal with this. But that is a little late now, at least opinion C is. With as much as I disagree with it, there's nothing I can do but wait till it's over, and then probbaly years after that, to see what really is the case here. [/quote][/b] [color=#808080]I don't think Saddam is an immediate threat at all. And I don't think that case has been made. However, I'd like to point out a few things to you. Firstly, you're able to talk like this because you live in a safe, comfy environment. You know those human shields that travelled over to Iraq? Many of them returned. One of them was an Australian, who spoke about her experience. She actually said something akin to "I can't believe I was so naive; I should never have gone to Iraq". She commented that when she entered a cab, the cabbie asked her "How much is Saddam paying you to do this?". The cabbie could not believe, in his right mind, that [i]anyone[/i] would sacrifice their lives for Saddam's regime. This woman realized that as an Australian, she has never known the fear that the Iraqis experience on a daily basis. She's never known what it's like to have her freedom quashed by her own Government. She's never known what it's like to have a relative tortured or raped because he/she made some comment against the Government. Even though I sympathize with these people and even though I very much desire a liberation for them, I could [i]never[/i] hope to understand what they go through on a daily basis. Just look at the people in Basra, the second largest city. They rose up only a few days ago, when it was evident that British forces were nearby. And what happened? The Iraqi soldiers within the city turned their guns 180 degrees and fired on the civilians who were rising up. When faced with the overwhelming evidence of Saddam's aggression towards his neighbouring nations and his own people [i]how[/i] can we, deep in our hearts, provide anything that could even be vaguely considered a justification for Saddam? I would also remind you of something else. This war will end; it's finite. It's not a neverending struggle. Why do I say that? For one simple reason: This war will [i]prevent[/i] deaths. Every year, it's estimated that somewhere in the region of 10,000 to 30,000 people are thrown in prison by Saddam. Most of those people are tortured and eventually killed. Let's say that this war ends up killing 100 civilians within the month it takes to topple the regime. Let's just say that this is the case. Do you even comprehend how many people would be spared with the regime gone? And do you realize how many Iraqi people would be PREPARED to suffer the burden of short-term bombing in order to secure longterm liberty and peace? Have you even SEEN the testamonies and interviews from Iraqi nationals who were fortunate enough to leave Iraq? As a human being, my natural instinct is to protect those people. Can you suggest any other way of removing Saddam's regime? Thirteen years of international legal inforcement, sanctions, weapons interceptions...none of it has worked! For me, this isn't about weapons of mass destruction, either. This is about Iraqi people. They [i]don't deserve[/i] to live under constant terror -- they deserve International assistance. When this whole deal started, I was occasionally skeptical of certain things. But the more information I read about Iraq; the more I hear from those who have REALLY seen absolute hell on Earth...the more I am convinced that we were [i]right[/i] to circumvent the utterly gutless United Nations for the sake of these people. This isn't a war of devistation that will murder thousands of Iraqis; this is a war to PREVENT such murders from Saddam. Would you forego the possibility of a minimal number of Iraqis dying so that we can continue the diplomatic process for another thirteen years, whilst Saddam continues to imprison thousands and wreak his terrible vengeance on them? Would that satisfy you and Cloricus? It sure as hell wouldn't satisfy me. In fact, it would be downright inhumane for me to even follow that line of logic. As a human being with thoughts and feelings, my conscience demands that my attention be drawn to these plights in the world. To ignore them is to be complacent about humanity at large -- to be selfish and to only care about the small sphere of my own day-to-day life. Sure, Saddam is no threat to me. Or my family. But does that mean that I should have the luxury of avoiding the issue? Sure, I have that luxury. And we all often have the luxury of putting our heads in the sand when danger faces us. But what does it say about us, if we are prepared to allow a venomous criminal to remain in control of thirty million innocent victims for even a moment longer?[/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Cloricus:[/i] [b]There are not the angels that the tv is trying to portray them as, they are a burden to the Eastern world. From what I knew if you had them in your country you wouldn't won?t them. [/b][/quote] [color=#808080]This, too, is an example of what one can say when one is living in a safe environment; when one is not faced with daily persecution. Do we now accept (or have some level of comfort with) the fact that these people were murdered because they were simply a "pest"? Oh, they were a pest...they were a burden. Okay. No problem. We can just tick that off the list and forget about it. Once again, my human conscience could never let me follow that line of thinking. I can never see a human being as a burden, where any type of violent murder has some level of justification. I know that you're not saying that it was okay to kill these people -- but you're not far off. By making these kinds of comments, you can have some level of comfort with this...these facts can settle somewhere within you and you can accept them. I can't. Just as I could never hope to find a level of comfort with the holocaust -- I also cannot find any way of settling this element of history within my gut. It makes me sick.[/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Cloricus:[/i][b] GREAT IDEA!!! Why not give them a part of your country? Give them the millions that it would take to set up out of your own pocket. Kick the people off there land and give it to the Kurds for free. [/b][/quote] [color=#808080]The Kurds have lived in Iraq for god knows how long. It's their home -- they are Iraqi people. I'm not going to get into the whole question of whether or not there should be a Kurdistan or something. But what I will say is that these people had the opportunity to free themselves from a violent criminal. If you had that opportunity, you'd take it too -- to avoid such an opportunity would be outright suicide. And if the people of Baghdad had such an opportunity, they too would take it. To speak as though these people are some sort of bi-product or human waste is both degrading and inaccurate. Whether they are pests or not (and I'd dispute that -- just as I would dispute that with the Israelis or Palestineans), they don't ever deserve to be treated with violence; especially from their own Government.[/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Cloricus:[/i][b] Gokents what I said had nothing to do with Saddam and his chemical attacks. I in NO WAY AT ALL HAVE EVER supported the actions Saddam and his Government took. [/b][/quote] [color=#808080]But don't you see? The comments that you and Transtic Nerve have made are basically alluding to the idea that "they deserved it". Therefore, in doing so, you are underrating the significance of their suffering. You're degrading their diginity as human beings -- human beings with as much value as you or I. I don't think people are outraged enough about Saddam; and they should be. It saddens me that we can become complacent due to our own personal safety nets. --- As far as I can tell, these are totally circular debates. At first, we were talking about the whole blood for oil issue. When I underlined [i]why[/i] this notion is utterly ridiculous, our discussion moved on. And it's moving on and on all the time for various reasons. But this constant clutching at straws is only a self defeating process. You can be anti-war...but for god's sake, have your facts straight! I'm so sick and tired of all these anti-war protestors now...I've not yet seen ONE who has any idea what they're talking about. They quote resolutions and "facts"...but none of them have even read the resolutions, nor do they have any clue about Saddam's own history. When one is knowledgable about the history of Iraq and when one sees the unspeakably violent and disgusting nature of its regime, I don't know how anyone can not support a liberation effort. I just don't know how it can happen. This isn't about being pro-war or being warmonger. I'm neither of these things. And I do want peace -- I certainly don't want war. But come on...facts speak so much volume about Saddam Hussein. If you go out there and speak to an Iraqi exile...or if you read/watch interviews with them, I don't think you can help but desire a liberation for these people. The same is true if you see the videos of the gassed Kurds. I am starting to see the degeneration of this debate. Can't everyone see why it's so cirular? It doesn't matter what the facts are on the ground. It doesn't matter how guilty Saddam is. It doesn't matter what Saddam does; there will [i]always[/i] be people who are anti-war no matter WHAT the truth is. There are people who objected to the first Gulf War, despite Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. I mean...it just frustrates me. I'm a humanitarian person; and there are wars that I object to. But there is NO logic in any of the anti-war arguments on this page. All I'm seeing is the same rhetoric, repackaged as some other subject. But there is a fundamental ignorance of the suffering involved here. And it doesn't matter how many quotes or statistics you can put on a page -- they have NO meaning unless you SEE the dead babies laying by the road with their mothers. Words have utterly no meaning unless you hear about the way that Iraqi soldiers are being forced to fight -- lest their own wives and children be raped and murdered if they refuse. There can be no comprehension of the pure maliscious nature of Saddam's regime unless you can visually see what's going on and unless you can hear the absolute horror in an Iraqi's voice, when he recalls the sight of his wife being brutally raped infront of him whilst he's being forced to watch; or the tale of a wife who's husband was returned to her...sliced into pieces after she pleaded for him to be brought home from prison. It doesn't matter what I say. It doesn't matter what the United Nations says. None of the text on the page matters; because you still won't understand. And nor will I, for that matter. None of us will understand what it's like. And so we can sit here and have this circular debate while people on the other side of the world are going through utter HELL on a daily basis. Even "hell" is probably too light a word for it. We can sit here and debate, while women, children and even [i]men[/i] are brutally raped or having their limbs burnt off or their head dipped in a bath of boiling hot water. And maybe we will never know how thankful the Iraqis are when they are liberated from such things. At least let's realize that even though there are short-term costs involved, these people aren't going to be liberated in any other way. Resolutions won't do it, inspections won't do it and they can't do it themselves. Only we can do it. But for god's sake, let's not start trying to make any comfort or justification about what goes on over there. It's an insult to the Iraqi people that we even try to draw any level of comparison or understanding about these things. Let's just accept that this war has started and hope that it goes well. Let's just keep our thoughts and prayers with the Iraqi people and hope that they are freed from the personification of Satan who lives amongst them. I'm sorry for such a long post...but I'm just so sick and tired of the crap. I'm so, so sick of it. And I'm so worn out and tired when it comes to these circular discussions. It's so pointless and it can be so devisive. You can respond to me however you like...you can call me whatever you want...I don't care. I'm going to close this very soon. It's not achieving anything. My words speak for themselves...and anyone can read this and hopefully understand my thought process. And hopefully they can understand that my feelings are not based on some petty warmongering desire to kill Saddam; my feelings are based on a desire...a [i]need[/i]...to do the most basic of justice in this world. Whether I'm right or wrong is not something that a few people on a little message board can conclude; it's something that we will know during the course of history.[/color]

[color=#808080]I think that if you play OoT right after playing TWW, you'd probably find that you want to play TWW more. So it's probably the better game in terms of being "evolutionary". But at the same time, it depends exactly what you mean. If you're talking about the impact that these games have when you first play them...maybe OoT had the bigger impact. I'll never forget my first couple of hours with OoT -- I don't think I blinked once. It was like a dream come true. ^_^ Oh and, I'd also remind some of you...you're making some really big references here that need spoilers tags. Talk of the Deku Tree dungeon and stuff -- those who don't yet own the game (myself and just about any non-American on the boards) want to be able to read this thread without seeing such spoilers. So please be [i]very[/i] careful about that. I did manage to play TWW yesterday for a few minutes though; and whilst I've only seen a very small amount, I'm definitely impressed. You see what's happening now? Everyone [i]gets it[/i]. Do you notice how all the bashing over the visual style has basically disappeared now? To me, that's like the ultimate vindication of Miyamoto -- who was labeled as "senile" by some so-called Zelda-purists when this game was first revealed. I'm not saying that Miyamoto can do no wrong (because his track record isn't entirely spotless), but by the same token, I think that the release of this game REALLY underlines the whole "don't bash it until you play it" line. Remember the discussions I was having a long time ago with someone in the Nintendo forum? I think it was Jabroni or someone...who was going on about how simple the style was and how childish it was. Well, I think now people can see why the style was chosen and why it works so well in motion. I'm happy about that. TWW has taken some risks...some major risks. It's nice to see risk-taking games be rewarded in the marketplace. I think it shows that gaming is still as innovative as ever, even if it is occasionally unpopular to be a fresh thinker.[/color]

[color=#808080]Yeah, that's another negative of the Industrial skin; it wasn't really designed with the other skins in mind. o_O[/color]

[color=#808080]Let's remember to keep things under the spoiler tag in here too, if we start discussing things in a deeper fashion. Anyway, Vorvodoss...I know what you mean about the whole Eva thing. The guy who did character designs in Eva was one of the key designers in .hack//SIGN. In my opinion, character design in this series is just astounding. By the way, are you still interested in writing for our .hack//SIGN site? I'd love to get some .hack//INFECTION stuff up there too -- once again, if anyone feels they can help out, please email me. I'd greatly appreciate it.[/color]

[color=#808080]The dark, almost gothic room was littered with art deco furniture, reminiscent of the 1930's. It was all dark oak and deep red leather. At one end of the room, various members of the team were huddled over a computer screen; no doubt mulling over the progress of the mission so far. And, by a boarded-up window, on an expansive couch, sat Sasha. His body had sunk into the couch slightly and a white boot was propped on a nearby chair. The other boot was planted firmly on the floor in front. Sasha was fondling a piece of string between his fingers, making web-like patterns. As Neil passed, Sasha glanced up over the rim of his sunglasses. "A little late, aren't we?" he murmured sarcastically. Neil paused and looked around at Sasha. Neil didn't ever seem to be too confrontational with his own comrades, but he always responded when addressed by a teammate. "Under the circumstances, it's understandable," he replied. Sasha merely nodded and waved his hand dismissively, perhaps to emphasize that his comment need not have been taken at all seriously in the first place. He turned his attention back to the interlacing string between his fingers. At this point, the conversation in the room almost died entirely. Although the team were experienced and knew what they were doing, it was highly obvious -- as today's expedition underlined -- that The Matrix was a dangerous and often volatile place. It was like the middle of a battlefield, in the truest sense. On this occasion, the entire team was not active. This was a more common occurrance in recent missions. If the entire team were active and the team itself was destroyed, there would be nobody left. In many cases, the decision as to who was involved was usually pretty calculated. But on this occasion, there was a definite sense that something hadn't been planned correctly. All avenues had not been considered; thus the quiet mulling over computer screens filled with millions of lines of code. Blaze sat down next to Sasha and looked around the room. "Nice place here, eh?" he said. "It's okay," said Sasha absently, not removing his attention from the web of string. "What do you think we'll be doing next?" asked Blaze. Sasha continued to play with the string and maintained his fixed gaze. "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's not going to be pretty", he replied.[/color]

[color=#808080]I don't even see why this card game needs its own forum. Why not just create a "Magic: The Gathering" thread in Otaku Lounge? What's the difference, really? As long as you're able to post about the subject, that should be fine. Nobody's stopping you from doing that, we're just saying that we aren't going to create a dedicated forum.[/color]

Hm, what the hey. I'll join. I will [i]try[/i] to be available often enough to post, too. If my being busy all the time kind of goes against me in this...you can boot me whenever you want. ^_^; Besides, the other RPGs that I've joined recently haven't even started. And MHP isn't moving *hint, hint*. [color=#808080] [b]Name:[/b] Sasha Klein [b]Codename:[/b] Cyan [b]Age:[/b] 22 [b]Height:[/b] 6'2" [b]Appearance:[/b] Sasha is the black sheep of the crowd, as it were. Or perhaps the [i]white[/i] sheep. In contrast to his comrades, Sasha wears a long white leather trenchcoat, with minimalist white and black combat gear underneath. Sasha wears long black and white leather boots that travel up his legs and tightly hug the space just under his knees. The entirely white boots have bold black laces that run up the front. To match his "white" ensemble, Sasha's hair is also completely white. It's very straight, features a sharp-edged cut and embraces his cheeks and neck ever so slightly. Sasha wears white-rimmed sunglasses with reflective mirror lenses. (How's that for "opposite"? lol. For the clothing, think of those weird "twins" in the Matrix sequels...though Sasha himself isn't "albino", he has slightly tanned skin and blue eyes). [b]Personality:[/b] Sasha is generally a relatively quiet crew member. His past is somewhat mysterious and he rarely talks about it. But obviously, via both his physical appearance and his superb manipulation of Matrix-physics, Sasha makes up for that quiet nature where it counts. Sasha tends not to be the "buddy buddy" type of comrade, which sometimes gives him a slightly cold appearance to others. It may even be misinterpreted as arrogance at times. But in reality, Sasha's quietness is based on elements of his past. Of course, Sasha does make friends; but he's only "truly" friendly with those whom he really trusts. Due in part to his quietness and contradictory appearance (contradictory to the almost entirely black-clothed crew), there is some level of ambiguity about Sasha's sexuality. Whilst most of the crew have their suspicions, it is never of enough importance to truly discuss. And as mentioned above, Sasha comes into his own when the need arises. Though Sasha can appear cold towards his comrades, he does have a sense of duty and responsibility that invariably leads him to a successful prosecution of his duties. (How's that for weird? Eh? Yes, I'm feeling a bit creative today. lol) [b]Preferred Gear: [list] [*]Katana:[/b] A finely crafted digital Katana, which has a number of custom-programmed uses. [*][b]Twin-Uzis:[/b] Light, accurate, deadly. Rarely used by Sasha -- but when used with Sasha's skill, these weapons can turn the tide of any battle. [/list] [/color]

[color=#808080]I must say, I don't think anyone is really bashing religion itself. Rather, what we're saying is that people are using religion to justify their scapegoating of a game or whatever. Does that make sense? That's what I was trying to express in my earlier post, so I hope that clarifies it a little better. :)[/color]

[color=#808080]I can only reiterate what's already been said. There are many reasons why we don't allow direct advertising/affiliations. You'll find that this isn't unique to OB; theOtaku.com and all of its sites have the same policy. As has been said, you can use your signature to advertise. And really, that should be more than enough; considering that your signature is seen [i]wherever[/i] you post. Plus, we've already removed banners from our site (at a financial burden to ourselves) because we want people to have a comfortable experience when posting. They shouldn't have to watch ads. Of course, I know what you're saying; it'd be a forum that people wouldn't have to visit. I can definitely see the benefits in that. But really, we choose not to have that sort of setup here. I think that it's enough to advertise in signatures for the time being.[/color]