James

[color=royalblue]gokents, what's your point? I could easily provide a similar point for Republicans. Why do people always pretend that their own party is somehow always right and the other isn't? Down here in Australia I tend to vote for the Liberal/National Coalition (Conservatives)...because they tend to run the nation better. But I'm not going to pretend that they don't engage in underhandedness. lol[/color]

[color=royalblue]It would go in the PC forum, wrist cutter. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]I don't think that this confirms anything. He has said nothing different to what Miyamoto said when asked if there would be a new Kid Icarus game. He pretty much said "some people would like to see a new one, but I'd rather do something new". I strongly doubt that a sequel to FFVII will appear, given that this article doesn't seem to provide any indication that it will. But you never know; stranger things have happened. ;)[/color]

[color=royalblue]I'm surprised, to say the least. If a Moderator edits a post, it is mandatory that they do so with a different coloured font -- to make it clear that they are editing a post for a certain specific reason. If any Moderator, Super Moderator or Administrator edits a post, our software will automatically list the name of the person who made the edit. So, there is no reason why the post would not list the name of the editor. If any Moderator has been editing posts inappropriately, they will be immediately dismissed (kuja was an example). Other than that, I don't know what the situation is. I can't imagine any other explanation.[/color]

[B]Name: [/B] James [B]Age: [/B] 19 [B]DOB: [/B] April 30, 1983 [B]Location: [/B] Melbourne, Australia [B]One Word: [/B] Silly [B]No, seriously. Describe yourself in one word: [/B] Er...Silly. o_O;; [B]Occupation: [/B] Freelance Journalist [B]Color: [/B] Anything bright. [B]Food: [/B] Pizza or Hungry Jack's. ^_^ [B]Beverage: [/B] Vodka [B]Alter Ego: [/B] Erotic Mr. X [B]Dream Job: [/B] Project Manager, Nintendo [B]Self-Proclaimed: [/B] Mario-lover [B]Ethnicity: [/B] British, German, Japanese [B]Extracurricular: [/B] Love making. [B]Hobby: [/B] Music, movies, video games, car magazines...and see above. ^_^;; [B]Dessert: [/B] Anything chocolate. [B]Musician: [/B] Paul van Dyk [B]Group: [/B] Too many to mention. [B]Mac or PC?[/B] Both. [B]Nics: [/B] Jeh, Ben (ask Weh), Jamesy, Jamie, Kittycat. [B]Blog: [/B] Nein. [B]Home Page: [/B] You're at my homepage. ^_^ [B]Religion: [/B] Above religion. [B]Book: [/B] Telling Lies for God, Ian Plimer [B]Collections: [/B] Several-year-old bottle of Coke, anything related to Nintendo, sexy underwear. [B]Sport: [/B] Soccer or hockey. [B]Won't Eat: [/B] Raw fish. [B]TV Show: [/B] Early 90's stuff...and lots of Simpsons, Seinfeld, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc [B]Words to live by:[/B] All men are born athiest - Anon [B]Addicted to: [/B] My partner (read: sexy people) [B]Comic: [/B] Don't really read comics...but if I did, it'd have to be Dilbert. [B]Movie: [/B] The Matrix, Dark City, Artificial Intelligence...the list goes on.

[color=royalblue]If anything, we have too few mods right now. With over 3000 members, I really doubt that we need to worry about "everyone becoming a Moderator" ;)[/color]

[color=royalblue]I'm kind of like CWB, in the sense that I rarely ever visit online forums. But OtakuBoards has a magic about it that few other places on the 'net posess, which gives it that hardcore audience. It's true though, OtakuBoards is nothing without its people. And that's the key. :) I really think OB is probably the single best anime community out there (I'm sure Adam would agree lol), in terms of the hardcore following and the general devotion by staff and members. Even when things get rocky, the boards somehow survive and continue to grow. It's great. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]Yeah...guh! I'm amazed! Reading about the lighting...even seeing bones in Samus' hand...the water condensation...UGH! It just sounds so amazing. The attention to detail seems incredible, even though this review has barely scratched the surface. I definitely think two words come to mind here: Instant Classic. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]Rico, I really can't recommend gaming journalism enough. The video game industry is just so creative and dynamic; it's great to be a part of, on any level. And when you meet Mario (CM) and others...you just can't help but be awestruck by the creativity in the industry as a whole. It's certainly a great way of developing your writing as well :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]I think some are too hard on Europe, in some circumstances. Europe isn't a single nation, as was just mentioned...so it's not quite as simple as having a unified national policy. Europe is still massively inefficient in terms of the EU political structure...but that will change over time. Who knows, in our lifetimes, maybe "Europe" will become a nation with each country becoming a state. It has been talked about before...and some Euro-zone countries are eager to have it happen. If Europe were to unify as one nation with many states...it would effectively become the world's second superpower. It would possibly even be larger than the United States in terms of economy and such. I think the world needs such balance...but yeah, that's getting a bit off topic. I don't think a dictatorship will arise in Europe for numerous reasons -- the political structure as it currently stands...and the fact that any sign of unilateralism is disregarded by Europeans generally, as they are so used to seeing dictatorships in their own history. I think it's extremely unlikely that another would rise anywhere in Europe.[/color]

[color=royalblue]Oh boy...I wasn't expecting such awesome responses to this game! Read for yourself...[/color] [quote][i]Fran Mirabella, IGNcube:[/i] When we got a hold of Metroid Prime, I polled around the office to see who might be interested in checking it out with me. Unexpectedly, David Smith who isn't exactly your largest GameCube supporter was all too willing to join in the hunt for evil, and likewise I remembered that former IGNPS2 editor, also Smith's roommate and a good friend of mine, Dave Z. is a huge Metroid fanatic. So, we all decided we would engage in the Retro Studios developed goodness together. A part of me also wanted to do this because I'm a little out of control when it comes to the franchise. That is to say, I've got the collectibles, I know Samus Aran is 6'3" and 198 lbs., and my favorite game of all-time, when I'm forced to choose, is Super Metroid. In a way, having Smith and Zdyrko around was a good way to keep me in check, because on the one hand I was likely to be overcritical, but also I might get a little too excited about the smallest accomplishments. With this system of checks and balances in order, we got to work. The game kicks off very much like the store demos that are available now. Above Tallon IV, Samus Aran explores a devastated Space Station and finds that the Space Pirates have been up to no good again. Sure enough, Samus ends up parking her ship under the cover of rain on the uncharted Tallon IV. What Metroid fans will be happy to hear is that Aran begins with absolutely nothing. We won't spoil the details, but by the time you arrive on Tallon IV the only thing you have is your blaster. You cannot roll into a ball, charge your blast, shoot missiles, or anything of the sort. For me, this put an indescribably huge smile on my face. It was the first big sign that Retro Studios and Nintendo had not forgotten what the series was about -- exploration and the thrill of being rewarded for it. It didn't take long before I got the feeling of Super Metroid all over again. As we tried to navigate the 3D worlds we found there was access to much more than you might expect. We managed to push our way into Magmoor Caverns -- a very hot place -- and without the Varia Suit our energy began to deplete. This was all at the beginning of the game, and it felt just like old times to have to hightail it back to a cooler area and make the mental note that we could return at a later time. There were many corners of the huge world that desired to be explored, and as we did just that we found that the to-do list became exceedingly large; ice patches blocked access to energy tanks, platforms were too high to reach, and ball passages were littered everywhere. Example: I'm in the Phendrana Drifts, the ice area, and I see a sheet of ice blocking a hole that leads downward. After scanning it, I realized it must be melted. It was a very long time before I returned to explore that pathway. This is one example of at least 100. You see so much -- grappling hooks, magnetic ball tracks, ice beam doors, etc. -- that you realize you must return to later. Indeed, this is no shallow and flawed attempt to create the Metroid universe. In my mind, it is more perfect and faithful to the original 2D games than I could have possibly every imagined. Furthermore, in terms of pure gameplay design I found myself in awe at how much attention to detail there was. The gameplay is incredibly varied -- more than any Metroid before it. Retro Studios throws a massive amount of cleverly designed platforming stages at you in addition to puzzles and action sequences. If there's one thing that is consistent and extremely well done throughout the entire game it is the pacing. You are rewarded at every corner. It may be something as simple as completing a 2D-esque ball puzzle carved into a wall or using one of the visors to reveal something you never thought was there, but there is always something. I can't stress how rewarding Metroid Prime is to play. It offers up an incredibly detailed and cleverly conceived gameplay experience that radiates with the kind of polish that Nintendo coats its Legend of Zelda series with. Even the much-debated controls work wonderfully. Many don't know how to label Prime: first-person shooter or first-person adventure. I've come to accept that you can call it whatever you want, but this is Metroid brought into 3D. If you want to call it a first-person shooter, though, don't go trying to pick apart the controls. There is no dual analog movement for very good reasons. Platforming, for starters, would be extremely complicated trying to use dual analog. With the installed control system, platforming is easily the best it has ever been in first-person perspective. Somehow there is an incredible amount of platforming required, and it never falters. On the technical side of things, too, there is a lot to fall in love with. Metroid Prime's engine is perhaps the most stunning I've seen on GameCube. Like the gameplay design, the foundation that supports it is very, very polished. Load times are nearly non-existent as you travel from world to world. It's just like the previous Metroids. Loading is hidden behind the opening of doors and traveling down elevators (a short process). Furthermore, the art direction is stunning, jaw-dropping, fantastic, extravagant, lavish, and every other positive adjective you can think of. The worlds look organic with totally unique architecture that will absolutely blow your mind. It's a completely believable sci-fi environment, and the art direction plays a huge part in that. It's the same for the sound design, featured in Dolby Pro Logic II. The music, composed by Kenji Yamamoto who did the Super Metroid soundtrack, is once again pure genius. The atmosphere fits in almost every instance and there are an innumerable amount of audio cues that affect you. Naturally the sound effects got the same treamtment, many of which can be attributed to a fellow who actually works at Dolby. It's top-notch work all around, and you're not going to believe it even after you've seen and heard it. We'll have the full review for you soon, but feel free to do yourself a favor and pre-order this game immediately. It is that good and offers up around 30 hours of true, unrepeated gameplay time from start to finish. That doesn't even include all the extras and secrets you can find. Let me leave you with the most uttered word whilst playing Metroid Prime: "Wow!" [/quote] [color=royalblue]Okay...that's only one of many. Visit the below URL to read the full set of impressions! It's not Insider only, I think.[/color] [URL=http://cube.ign.com/articles/376/376769p1.html]IGN Impressions[/url]

[color=royalblue]That's true. If the rumors and discussion about the new special effects are true...and if they make the same leap that the first ones did...that makes me want to see this movie even more! I can't wait. ^_^;;[/color]

[color=royalblue]Interesting question. :) Some people here know that I write for a website called N-Sider. N-Sider is perhaps the most in-depth Nintendo-based site in the world. Even though it's not a Sony site, there isn't much difference in terms of general content and such. On the whole though, I've been involved in the gaming media for about two and a half years now. I've written and contributed to quite a few sites in that time and I will be contributing to a magazine called Nintendo Gamer (Aussie mag) in the near future. So, I guess I'm primarily a freelance writer. I am the Australian Content Editor over at N-Sider, but occasionally I freelance and contribute columns to other sites (such as GCAdvanced, CloudChaser Nintendo [now XenGamers.com], Gamer's Pulse and many more). Apart from receiving games from publishers (which is always great, but is a double edged sword if you have to review something like Turok -_-), there are some really cool perks to working in the industry. One of them is the ability to meet the people you admire and to work with some of the world's most famous companies. For example, I recently wrote a feature about Charles Martinet (the voice of Mario, Donkey Kong, Luigi and many others). I was lucky enough to meet him in his hotel room when he came down here to Australia to promote Super Mario Sunshine. And on that day, N-Sider was given special access by Nintendo for our coverage. So that was great; we had greater access than PlanetGameCube or any other media source at the time. I even had Dan Hsu (Editor in Chief of EGM) email N-Sider and provide comments on one of my articles. That was a high point, considering that the comments were really positive. :) I have never been to E3 or TGS, however. Though the main reason for that is simply that I've either not had the time or I've not been able to come up with the plane ticket costs quickly enough. However, I do have full time access to Nintendo's media-only resources and I am usually able to watch a live (or pre-recorded) broadcast of the various events at E3. Hopefully I'll be able to go next year, with any luck! :) As far as being considered journalists...I guess that depends who you talk to. I see some really bad fansites/gaming sites out there and some of the writers would not be journalists, in my opinion. Journalists are usually bound by journalistic ethics and such...and quite a few writers don't follow those principles. I actually wrote an editorial for N-Sider recently (it's still on the main page) called Fostering Fanboyism. That kind of covers what I'm referring to. :) But generally, game companies consider myself and my colleagues journalists. I mean, we do get certain access and have certain relations that the general public don't have. And of course, our work is published. But many in the gaming media (even those who write for major magazines) have not had formal training -- many are simply people who have built their careers based on experience and a love for the industry. So, yeah...that's a kind of long winded response. And it's not PS2 specific...but I hope it's of some interest to you. :)[/color]

[i][color=royalblue]Proteus awoke for a second time. He couldn't see anything; the room he was in was pitch black. As he looked up, he saw faint beams of light in the distance. His internal sensors indicated that the time was 6:15PM. Proteus assumed that the lights were not natural, based on the time. When he tried to move, he found that he couldn't. He was stuck to some sort of large metallic object. The satellite, he thought. Proteus did not have time to ponder the situation; he could hear those heavy footsteps approaching from his right...sure enough, each step was followed by the heavy hiss of steel hydraulics. Proteus thought that the cyborg's makeup suited their nature -- they weren't even made of titanium, which was standard for all Maverick Hunters. Instead, they appeared to be made of a combination of steel and iron. Large, heavy and power hungry. That's what the cyborgs were. As slow and inefficient as they appeared, they were still much larger than any reploid Proteus had ever seen. Larger and much, much stronger. The enormous machine passed infront of Proteus slowly. It stopped momentarily and breathed on him; the breath smelt of burning flesh. And then it continued on its slow, systematic patrol. The sheer bizarre nature of his surroundings had made Proteus forget what now seemed inevitable; his own death at the hands of the Maverick Hunters. How would they know that he had been attached to the satellite? He guessed that they knew he was missing by now, but in the back of his mind he questioned that assumption. He knew he'd been behaving differently lately and that the Hunters might simply be inclined to give him some space. Perhaps they thought he had gone training or even on a vacation? Such concepts were not out of the ordinary, given recent events at the HQ. Proteus hoped this wasn't the case, but he felt that he was hoping against hope. Hope was a very human concept and despite Proteus' best efforts to hope for his own safety, the robotic elements in his brain were too strong and forced too much doubt into his mind. Afterall, the robotic side of his brain was governed by logic and nothing else. And so, this moment felt like a single still frame that illustrated many moments in his life; moments where the overpowering logic of a situation fought against the emotional, compassionate side of Proteus' mind. These thoughts made Proteus question the situation even further. Would anyone miss him? He had no family, so why should it matter if he dies? Maverick Hunter HQ would surely only produce a replacement reploid. The HQ still had Proteus' core blueprints on file. That thought was depressing to Proteus, but he was prepared to accept it. Despite the difficult situation he found himself in, Proteus also wondered about Dr. Karman. How was she able to work within Hunter HQ for so long without being discovered? And if she did work in Hunter HQ as a counter agent for many years, what did she know about the organization? To Proteus, this line of thinking was much more discouraging. So far, Dr. Karman had not put a foot wrong. She knew how to take Proteus and she knew how to operate under the very noses of the world's most advanced military establishment. Proteus also wondered what the Doctor's motives were. And perhaps more importantly, was she running the operation or was she merely a scout for someone higher up? These were questions for which Proteus had no answer. He knew that the Hunters were not aware of the current goings on...but he suspected that they would soon discover the awful truth.[/i][/color]

[color=royalblue]Ah yes, the O3Online website hasn't been updated for quite some time. We were working on OtakuGamer, as a gaming-related sister to theOtaku.com. Ever since theOtaku.com went to v2 (and Justin Blessing retired), we've had a huge gap. All anime and no gaming. OtakuBoards is now the only element in the network that still retains an active gaming area, as you can see. So it's kinda a shame...but OG just couldn't work. We didn't have the right staff and I think the original plan was probably too ambitious for what we were doing at the time. But who knows what the future holds. :)[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by wrist cutter [/i] [B]All I know is that I am judging the entire film industry of Australia based on his acting in the Matrix. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Do I even need to point out the sarcasm there? :D [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by wrist cutter [/i] [B]I dunno, Keanu Reeves is a piss poor actor... [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]I think he is suitable for The Matrix...but he's certainly not the best actor they could have chosen. Though I don't think that necessarily reflects on our industry, because afterall, he himself is American. But yeah, the movie as a whole was brilliant. I think it's really had a very lasting effect on cinema as a whole (just look at all the Matrix-copycats out there lol).[/color]

[color=royalblue]I can't wait for this movie. Even before the original came out, they were planning about five movies in the series, apparently. So, I don't know if they have said anything about a fourth and fifth...but I thought that was the original plan. Anyway, yeah...the story will get much more interesting now, as we learn more about the Matrix itself and the last human city, Zion. And I'm so glad that The Matrix counters Scooby Doo (which was American, but filmed in Australia). Scooby Doo could give Australia's movie industry a very bad reputation lol. But with The Matrix under its belt, I don't think it has to worry...wouldn't you say? :) Also, what is the date for Matrix: Revolution? I mean, how close does it follow Reloaded?[/color]

[color=royalblue]lol Er, okay. :D Anyway, yeah...for those wanting software features to be put in place, I think they'll be waiting a while. I'll keep trying to find someone though. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]wrist cutter, I think we're comparing apples and oranges here. Loading text is a whole lot easier than loading imagery. So that is why we have a very definite limit on images. It also helps to create a more uniform look on our boards. When the hacks were included, we had an 8 line sig restriction, I believe. And that was fine, because it actually did allow a surprising amount of room for users to put plenty of text, without getting too silly. But with our current lack of tech staff...it's going to be really difficult. We just don't have anyone who can put these hacks back there right now.[/color]

[color=royalblue]In all reality, it's highly unlikely that the boards will ALWAYS have someone online who can deal with mass spamming. It's just not realistic. Everyone has different time zones and many staff come from similar time zones (in America), which means that it's impossible to always have someone here at all times. Unfortuntely that's just a reality. The only way I could possibly counter that would be to have one person from every continent in the world modding each forum lol. I mean, there are limits on staff. And if there are ANY Super Moderators online (even if they aren't responsible for anime), you can always PM them as well, as they have the power to deal with other areas if necessary. Other than that, all you can do is be patient. We are aware of these issues and we try our best to create a secure environment that is as spam-free as possible.[/color]

[color=royalblue]Dark_Apocalyps, I don't think you've read ANYTHING here. For starters, how on Earth can you compare Newbie Lounge to the Adventure Arena? Just LOOK at both of them. Newbie Lounge is unique in terms of its spam. At the very least, the Banner/Avatar Request forum is fulfilling some kind of tangible need (mainly because our own avatar gallery is down). You yourself have been guilty of spamming in many places on these boards, including Adventure Arena. And "any boards" might have an Introduction forum -- but we aren't "any boards", are we? Something that makes OtakuBoards noteable is its post quality...which has been steadily improving over time. Anyway, I don't want to continue having this debate. Most people seem to understand the main points, but when someone comes along and rants incoherently, that's just annoying. D_A, I recommend that you actually read and interpret the comments here before you post -- all you're succeeding in doing is adding to my blood pressure. o_O I would also ask everyone to remove these silly Newbie Lounge images from their signatures, in good faith. This is turning into the single most ridiculous subject I've ever seen on this site! It's JUST a forum! Please...you all act like the rest of the boards are totally boring and Newbie Lounge is the only place you can post, when in reality, that's just not true and you know it. It does not surprise me that D_A, one of the worst offenders in NL is here defending it. People who pay more attention to post quality and who try to adhere to the rules are actually the same people who, more often than not, are going to support any decision to improve post quality. Anyway, I'm only stating the obvious. I just think that regardless of what happens, we need to take this down a notch...calm the rhetoric and remove the ridiculous banners. Let's just enjoy what we have, rather than getting in a tantrum over such a minor issue.[/color]

[color=royalblue]No need to feel guilty, Sara. :) You were always one of my favourite mods ;) (And yes, James does love all his children...ahem) Anyway, I think it's obvious that as these forums get more popular, they need more attention. People who are experiencing problems in any forum should always PM the Moderator for that forum. Alternatively, you can PM the Super Moderator for that category. These two steps should come BEFORE you PM me about it. I find it very difficult to deal with a huge myriad of complaints every day, when many of these issues could be sorted out by "local" Moderators. So, yeah...the Moderators aren't there for nothin'. They have the ability to deal with many of these situations. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]Unfortunately, as with all our other hacks, the sig line limit was not moved over in the server move (I have no idea why, though). As a result, the image limit hack and the signature limit hacks are not there right now. Having said that, Moderators still have the authority to get people to shorten their signature or change/resize their sig image. And I still expect members to abide by some common courtesy -- as was mentioned, many members use dial-up (including myself) and all these massive sigs are problematic for some.[/color]

[color=royalblue]Super Moderators are required to be online at least once every 24 hours or so. Even if you see spam, it is mostly deleted or closed within due time. However, on this occasion I agree with you. And I assure you that I'm doing all I can to find suitable staff for the area.[/color]