James

[color=#507AAC]I don't think most people take notice of your status. The status titles are just there for fun -- and to represent how long you've been on the boards or how active you've been. But they don't have any real meaning. I know of quite a few "newbies" who are some of the nicest, most intelligent people on here. We were all newbies once, even me. So believe me...anyone who judges you based on a silly Internet status is behaving more like a newbie themselves. ^_^[/color]

[color=#507AAC]You've been around on these boards for a while now, Lalaith. As mentioned by others, it's great to see that you feel comfortable enough to tell us what's on your mind. I am personally very proud of you for making such a decision. And I wish you the best of luck with your parents and friends. ^_^[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Enjoy your stay and read the rules. Thanks for joining. ^_^[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Sure, I will handle it immediately. Thank you for reminding me.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Yes, as Semjaza said...The Ring is the American remake that you may have seen trailers of. I'm talking about Ring and Ring 2, which are both Japanese versions. Also, Ring 0...I'm not sure if that's a prequel. I think it's more of a side story, based on what I've read. There is also another Ring movie, but I forget the title. Anyway, for Anna...yes, you should definitely see these movies. I recommend that everyone see them if you like horror films. Especially if you saw the American remake. These films are quite artistic in my opinion...and Ring 2 was especially good. It was actually a [i]lot[/i] better than I expected. In fact, I'd say that it's even better than Ring. So yeah, someone here should go and rent 'em...and tell us what you think. I'm usually not a fan of horror movies, because I rarely find them to be scary or disturbing. But Ring/Ring 2 are truly good films -- the stories alone are worth the price of admission.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Well, since The Ring was only recently out at the movies...many retailers/rent places (such as Blockbuster) have got the Japanese versions in stock. I recommend trying different rental outlets. And I recommend seeing the Japanese versions first because, even though they are disturbing, they are less scary than the American movie (in my opinion). And so, if you get scared of the Japanese versions...don't see the American one. lol I don't get scared of scary movies at all...but Ring/The Ring is the [i]only[/i] movie to have truly terrified me.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]I have indeed made a thread about these movies on here before...but I made that thread before seeing any of these movies. And to the best of my knowledge, nobody has specifically discussed the Japanese movies (which are essentially totally different from the American version). I'd like to know if anyone here has seen Ring and/or Ring 2? I had heard that Ring 2 was a really shoddy movie...but I don't agree. I watched Ring a couple of weeks ago and I quite enjoyed it...but didn't find it really as scary as the American version. However, after seeing Ring 2...the entire story is more fleshed out. Ring 2 is a deeper movie than Ring and, in my opinion, delivers both a more interesting ending...as well as much better character development. The Ring (American version) seems to borrow elements from Ring 2. In the American movie, we see the niece's friend in the mental institution (the girl who walks past the TV with the partition...so that she can't see the monitor). This scene is from Ring 2. However, Ring 2 takes it a lot further. Potential spoiler below:[spoiler] For example, in Ring 2...the girl stops halfway through the room where all the other patients are. The nurse asks if she is okay...and she begins to walk away from the partition and toward the television set. As she stares at it, it begins to flicker and she holds her head in her hands...and very quickly, the image of the well from the tape comes up on screen. At that moment, all the patients begin going crazy...and the girl reaches out for help. She reaches out to a woman who was formerly a student of the journalist's ex-husband (I can't remember the names at the moment). The journalist grabs her hand and sees her memories...specifically, she sees something that we never see in the American movie; she sees what happened when the girl found her dead friend in the house. When she found the dead friend, she essentially caught Sadako in the act of killing her (or just after the act). Sadako momentarily acknowledges her and continues moving back toward the TV from whence she came. This encounter, whilst not actually [i]killing[/i] the friend, essentially implants her with a neverending nightmare. Whenever she gets near a TV or certain objects...she transfers part of Sadako's power to them. Thus, when she is near a TV...it flickers and shows images from the tape.[/spoiler] If you've not yet seen the Japanese movies, but you HAVE seen the American ones...I [i]really[/i] recommend seeing the originals. I do not know if they will make a sequel to the American version, but Ring 2 is exciting because it kind of delves deeper into the history of Sadako and her capabilities. There are also a number of sequences that provide more insight into the original movie. So, if you haven't seen the Japanese versions...go and rent 'em and then come back here and tell me what you think. Remember; I recommend renting both the original [i]and[/i] Ring 2. I feel that they need to be seen one after the other to get a full experience. Oh and, if you haven't seen the American version...still see the Japanese editions. They are worth seeing first, I think. Aaand...if you're young and get easily scared, please don't watch these movies. They are genuinely disturbing...and I don't want to encourage the younger members to view them.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Agh! I did that once in highschool. It was a cirriculum day...and nobody was there. I must have missed the message. lol I walked to school and it was almost deserted. I had no idea what was going on. So I walked to the Administration building...and the secretary giggled and told me that nobody was there on the day. It felt weird, but I was happy about it. I got my mum to pick me up and take me home...it's one of the most pleasant surprises I've ever had. lol[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Well, really...there is are no excuses for these glitches. And both Sony and Rockstar are to blame. The PS2's laser is extremely low quality. This is why people often have trouble playing DVD movies after a while. It's also why some games start to freeze or take longer to be recognized by the PS2. It's also an issue of Rockstar North rushing this game and not doing enough testing. Falling through the road and such are not the fault of the PS2 -- they are game-specific glitches. They are merely the result of shoddy programming and a lack of thorough software testing. And this is the core of the problem; you never know if it's your PS2 or your game. I sense that some are getting new PS2s (or even buying entirely new ones) even when it's actually the game's fault. So, yeah. Let's hope Rockstar North puts a bit more effort into GTA 4. Oh and...use cheats with great caution. Cheats are even [i]less[/i] software tested. And thus, they will often screw up the game in certain circumstances.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]I really don't think that this particular member has read or understood our rules at all. All of his/her posts have been spam so far. [/color]

[color=#507AAC]Hm, this thing is sounding impressive so far. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with. ^_^[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Yep and recently, GBA built up something like a 33% share of the home console business. So that's a third of the industry...and then you add GameCube. I think Nintendo controls a total of about 46% or something. Anyway, yeah...remember also that when Pokemon came out on GBA the unit sold over 1 million units in ten days. This is [i]a year[/i] after release. So yeah, GBA is alive and kicking. ~_^[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Okay guys, please keep on topic here. Anyway, I can tell you that we [i]do[/i] plan to start Otaku Awards soon. But not yet. There are a few things that need to be finalized beforehand.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]I agree with Tony. Backmasking is almost like an old wives' tale, generally. Notice that the backwards message is [i]always[/i] related to Satan? Gee, I wonder why people claim that. It wouldn't be to scapegoat music for society's ills, would it? :rolleyes:[/color]

[color=#507AAC]As you know Flash, we generally don't add a section on OB simply because a section exists on theOtaku.com. We don't have a Princess Mononoke section, for example. We'll generally add sections if the demand exists. And currently, the demand for an EVA section just doesn't exist. In fact, when v7 rolls around...OB will probably be pulled back a bit. Some forums will be merged with others (sub forums in Anime Lounge might simply be merged with Anime Lounge in the future). The reason is simply because these forums are not performing well on their own. There is no real reason why a series even needs its own forum unless it's insanely popular here -- it's perfectly fine to discuss a series in a more general forum. It doesn't change the discussion itself in any qualitative way at all. It's just an issue of location. But yeah, v7 will probably be a smaller site overall, to ensure that more attention is given to fewer forums. It doesn't mean we'll have [i]no[/i] new forums...but we will definitely have less in total.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Immediately after breakfast, Hikaru ran from the kitchen and into his bedroom at the end of the hall. He closed the door carefully and changed into his favourite blue tunic. [i]"Now, what to take with me..."[/i], he thought to himself. Hikaru walked over to his wooden dresser. The carved wooden doors opened slowly to reveal shelving with various items scattered on them. To the right of the shelves was a larger space with a small leather satchel. Hikaru took the satchel and lay it open on his bed. He then began sifting through the various items on the shelves. He lay each item on the bed, one by one. [list] [*]A bottle of blue potion...check (this might come in handy!). [*]A bug catching net...check (you never know when you'll need it). [*]Grappling Hook...check (very useful). [*]A big leaf, all rolled up...check (great for gliding). [/list] Hikaru looked over the items on his bed. He nodded and carefully packed them into the little satchel one by one. He made sure that the little piece of rope which was wrapped around the leaf was secure. He didn't want the leaf opening up inside the satchel and breaking. Finally, Hikaru scrambled under his bed and produced a small broad-bladed sword and a precious wooden boomerang. Both of these items were important to him; they were both gifts from friends. He decided he'd need them on his journey. Obviously he didn't know where he'd end up, but his mother had warned him about the world outside the village being dangerous. Especially now that Agahnim had taken over. Hikaru decided against opening his bedroom door. Instead, he carefully pushed his window open and climbed out onto the small yard behind the house. He didn't want his mother to worry. The small elven boy walked away from his house, toward the west of the village. The air was cool this morning and the grass around him had a fresh scent. Everything had come alive from the spring rain of the day before. Hikaru made his way onto the village's main dirt road and continued walking west, past the little houses. Finally, he saw it; the beetle. Not just one, but three. The three little beetles were fluttering their way across someone's yard, which appeared to be full of small green shrubs. Hikaru approached the yard and watched the beetles. They fluttered in perfect formation and for a moment, they didn't seem to be moving in one direction in particular. They zig-zagged over the yard absently. But finally, they came to a stop...and in the blink of an eye, the little beetles dove downwards and disappeared underneath one of the shrubs. Hikaru scratched his head. He had no idea what was going on. But moments later he heard the sound of cackling laughter to his left -- and old man was sitting on the porch of the adjoining house. He was sitting in an old rocking chair and waving a wooden cane at the yard. "Bahah! Silly beetles...always going for that same shrub!", he cackled. After several moments of being totally wrapped up in his own little world, the old man turned his attention to Hikaru. "Hey there, youngin'! Did you see those beetles? Marvellous, aren't they?". Hikaru nodded and opened the small white gate near the yard. He entered the yard and looked at the shrub where the beetles had hidden. "Why do they do that?", he inquired to the old man. "Hmm...well er, why don't you pick up the shrub and take a look for yerself?", the old man replied. Pick up the shrub? Hikaru wondered what this old man was going on about. But he gave way to doubt and clutched the shrub in his little hands. "Ugh!", he snorted as he pulled at the plant with all his might. [/color] [color=red][b][i]POP![/I][/B][/color][color=#507AAC] Hikaru tumbled backwards with the shrub in hand. As he sat up, he brushed the dirt off his face. He noticed the old man grinning from the porch. "So there ya go, youngin'. Take a looksee!" Hikaru stood up and walked over to the hole in the ground. Nothing could prepare him for what he saw -- a pair of ears were sticking out of the ground! They looked just like wolf's ears, but he couldn't be sure. "B-but...where are the beetles?", asked Hikaru. He looked up at the old man who was no longer grinning. "Well, those beetles aren't ordinary beetles. You see, I use 'em for trainin' youngsters like yerself. Kinda hard to explain, see. But basically, they burrow underground and enchant the roots of special shrubs. Don't know how they find special shrubs exactly...", the old man paused for a moment and adjusted his position in the chair. "Ahh yes, much better. Now, where was I? Oh yeah! Them beetles...they're good for trainin'. Pull up them ears there and I'll show yeh what I mean!" The old man looked earnest. Hikaru shrugged and grabbed the ears firmly. Once again, he tugged on them hard. But this time, he didn't pull up a shrub. He pulled up a wolfos! The white wolf shook the dirt from its fur and growled. It glared at Hikaru and began approaching slowly. Hikaru backed away and looked up at the old man. "What do I do?!", he yelled over the wolfos' growling. "Heheh, just target that wolfos! Target him!", yelled the old man.[/i] [i]"Target him? What is he talking about?!"[/i], thought Hikaru. Hikaru unsheathed his sword and faced the creature. Immediately, he saw a coloured diamond appear over the creature's head. Hikaru suddenly felt more focused, as though he was ignoring the outside world. Though he could hear the old man cackling in the background. He was saying something like "Yeah! That's it! Slash it!". The wolfos lunged at Hikaru suddenly. He dodged to the right quickly, which prompted the wolfos to land face-first in the dirt. Hikaru sidestepped behind the creature and jumped forward with this sword, jamming it into the creature's back. And suddenly, the creature's body disappeared; it erupted into brilliant plumes of purple and black smoke. Hikaru took a deep breath and sheathed his sword. He turned to the old man who was clapping gleefully. "What was that all about?", asked Hikaru. "Ahh, my boy...that was your very first fight! Didn't it feel good? If you ever need more trainin', come back 'ere and I'll help yeh", the old man stood up slowly and hobbled along for a moment. then he stopped and turned back to Hikaru. "Oh, by the way...I got a present for yeh for beatin' that wolfos", he walked through the nearest doorway into his little house and came out moments later with a wooden shield. The old man smiled and tossed the shield to Hikaru, who caught it in both hands. "Wow, thank you sir!", exclaimed Hikaru. He strapped the shield to his back. The old man simply nodded and waved as Hikaru exited the yard.[/i] [i]"Now what?"[/i], Hikaru thought, as he looked out over his home village.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Well, for anyone who has watched up to about episode 12-14 on .hack//SIGN...you'll know what I'm talking about here. Toward the middle of the series, we start getting a LOT of "flashbacks" to the real world. These are usually very freaky -- imagine The Ring's video tape. It's [i]just[/i] like that. The screen is sort of fuzzy...and everything goes dead silent. And it's all black and white. When people talk, the screen goes black and you see bright red and blue text appear. It reminds me of The Ring a great deal (which is why it's so weird, because the rest of the anime is generally pretty bright and harmless...so when you get about halfway in, be prepared for a shock lol). Anyway, on the last episode I watched, it had about four flashbacks in one ep. And it played this incredibly weird music...all sung in English. I have no idea what it was called, but it was really creepy. o_O[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Yep...feel free to discuss Beyblade in Anime Lounge.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sniglefager [/i] [B]Well, actually, Square, Square did make a bad game. Ever hear of Samp of Dragoon? (I believe that was the title). I'm not saying FFXII is gonna be bad, since FFVII was my favorite FF, and that was ultra futuristic. I'd actually kind of like a more technology based FF game, but in some ways I don't. Either way, I'm still gonna buy this game, so I suppose it really doesn't matter [/B][/QUOTE] ' [color=#507AAC]Well, Square makes a lot of crappy games. The Bouncer and Driving Emotion Type-S were both major shockers. Square is, in my opinion, the single most overrated company in the video game industry. Square is [i]far[/i] from companies like Enix or Nintendo in terms of quality. But having said that, Square does make a lot of good games too. Chrono Cross and FFVII are two of my favourite RPGs. And Final Fantasy changes directors/artists so often...it's always bound to look different. But generally the gameplay seems to improve. And let's face it, it doesn't matter how the game looks or even how good the story is. If the game is really good fun to play, you're going to play regardless of story. FFIX's nice battle system is what kept me playing. I didn't play for the story as such. I think if the story is great though, it can justify the visual style. Know what I mean? If everything is in context and tied together...and has a reason...then that's what justifies the style. And the style soon becomes a key part of what you love about the game.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Mnemolth is right; do you realize that you are reading ALL day long when you visit OB? Interesting. ~_^ Red XIII is right though. There are few things in this world better than a truly great book. Even though I adore games like FFVII, which are like an interactive novel...I also love imagining the scenery by myself...and getting wrapped up in the characters and the setting. I used to read a lot but I haven't read a novel recently. The main reason is that I simply don't know what to read! lol Either that, or I end up spending my money on something other than books. But, yeah...this thread reminds me. There are a few books I want to try out. I think Tom Clancy's latest book looks interesting...[/color]

[color=#507AAC]I really wish people would quit bitching about the more modern visuals in some of the more recent Final Fantasy games. Bear in mind that FFXI tends to go back to the medieval style, despite being the newest FF game so far. In addition, I have the sneaking feeling that FFX sold in excess of FFVII. I could be wrong about that, but didn't FFX sell something like 4 million units in Japan alone? I think it sold over 7 million units worldwide. Anyway, that's beside the point. I think this poster looks gorgeous. You'll notice that Yoshitaka Amano and the FFVIII/FFX/FFXI artist, Tetsuya Nomura aren't mentioned in the preliminary "staff list" for the game. It seems that this latest game is having its art directed by someone different. But Mr. Nomura may direct the overall game and not the art as such. In addition, I don't think we can call this game futuristic as such. Just [i]look[/i] at the poster. The image of the city above looks somewhat futuristic, but look at the lower half of the poster. In my opinion, this game looks to be closer to FFIX than FFX. It seems to be a slight combination. Overall though, I think we need to get away from this whole "futuristic isn't fantasy" rubbish. Sometimes I feel like people are being nostaligic as some kind of superiority complex or something. Let's face it, FFVII was futuristic. And it was [i]still[/i] very much a fantasy game. What matters fundamentally are the gameplay, story and characters. I mean, FFVIII had the same style as FFX, but most people agree that FFX had much better characters and story. And then look at FFIX. It had the ultimate medieval style (which was gorgeous)...but the story was horrible and many of the characters were as interesting as a cardboard box. Let's not judge a book by its cover here; let's wait until we see shots and videos of this game...and until we actually [i]play[/i] it and experience the story and the gameplay. For all we know, this could end up being the most fun FF game ever. I'm [i]glad[/i] that Square has the balls to make artistic changes to its games. They are under so much pressure to just "stay the same" constantly. I feel that the very same people who ask for this are the people who would complain about lack of innovation or change if Square DID always stay the same. We should encourage Square to be bold and to try new things. Just because FFX had a realistic style doesn't mean that other games will -- and I wouldn't exactly say that FFXII looks "realistic" as such. It's still a fantasy/otherworldly setting. Besides, how do we know that FFXIII isn't going to have a very cartoony/unrealistic style? The fact is, the style is always changing. Let's just go along for the ride and appreciate the beauty in what is being presented, rather than always saying "Oh I wish the characters had disproportionate heads and wore capes and pointy hats". Just enjoy it. ^_^[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Sara and BabyGirl are both right on this one. Generally speaking, there is some stigma attached to newbies. People somehow get the impression that they are always shunned. And I can tell you that it's not the case here. I am always hearing of people who mention that they are will liked and well received here. If anything, I find that regular members tend to snap at newbies much more than staff. We have to remember that a minor violation of the rules can be corrected. Newbies will learn in time -- and some newbies end up becoming really productive members of our community. Basically, I think most people treat newbies well. You will occasionally get someone who rudely "plays mod" or something -- but that isn't as common as you might think.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]That's all well and good, but it totally ignores our capabilities. It also ignores our current workload. The programmer still has to work with what's possible. And it takes longer to produce a hack from scratch than if the hack already exists. So it's not [i]just[/i] a programming issue; it's also a question of using time efficiently. And right now we are working on a lot of things that are far more important than hacks. It doesn't mean that these hacks won't come -- they probably will. But they won't come right [i]now[/i].[/color]

[color=#507AAC]This is essentially an intro topic and so, it should be closed. Nonetheless, it was nice to hear about your interests BC_money. I hope you remember to read the rules and have fun at OtakuBoards in the future. ^_^[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Thanks for the kind words everyone. It's really nice to know that everyone still enjoys OB after all this time. I'm not much of a forums person myself. I visit very few forums. The only other forums I visit are N-Sider forums and Gaming-Age. But I visit both of those maybe once every week or so. So I wouldn't say that I frequent them. I think that if we had no rules or enforcement, we'd be a lot larger. Maybe two or three times larger. But you'll often find that very large boards have more difficulty when it comes to keeping tabs on everyone's behavior. The more members you have, the more Mods you need...and eventually it gets too overcrowded. Think IGNboards and you will see what I mean. Even though this site isn't perfect (and let's face it, none are), I think we've somehow struck the right formula over time. A combination of rules and "culture" work really well together. I've always known people here to be friendly and accepting -- especially of new members. And that's a really strong asset. I also notice that many members here become friends over time, which is also a really nice thing. Also, OtakuBoards must do something right; there are numerous forums/boards out there who replicate everything from our rules to forum structure. I don't see this as a bad thing at all -- as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. To that end, I think OtakuBoards has kind of established a benchmark in its "genre" (by that I mean, anime forums specifically). Still, at the end of the day it comes down to the people. The staff who make the site run smoothly and the members who contribute to the positive atmosphere. Afterall, a forum is worthless without the right people participating. Anyway, at the very least...I'm really glad that the work I do (and the work of the other staff) is appreciated. I'm sure it makes what we do a whole lot more worthwhile.[/color]