James

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SSJ5 Vegeta [/i] [B]I don't care what any of you all say there is a divine force up there that cares very much about all of us. This is a true story: Last night I was feeling really down because me and my girl broke up. And I was like : "If god loved me he would've done something to help me." So I went and got my dads semi-auto .45 caliber pistol. Loaded a six round clip in it and cocked it. It had a fresh shell in it and everything. I cocked the trigger back. Then I said if God really loved me he would have helped me. Then placing the gun barrel to my temple I pulled the trigger. The gun didn't go off. I took out the clip. And ejected the shell. The shell didn't even have a mark on the bottom like the hammer had even hit it. Call it a mechanical failure but if it would have been there would have been a mark on the bottom of the shell like a small indentation. I used to not believe in god. Well I do now. At least I believe there is a higher power at work. [/B][/QUOTE] Uh, no. This is what I call dumb luck (or not knowing how to properly use a gun). And shame on you for doing something that stupid over a girl...c'mon, we've all broken up with someone at some time in our lives...but it's a small part of life overall.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Anna [/i] [B] But who is to say that the only written records pertaining to God are only found and will ever be found in the bible? For such a significant aspect in history (Christ for example), as well as many other things, it's almost ludicrous to say that this is limited to only one book. And keep in mind that the bible, along with it's many versions, has been traslated, re-worded, etc. over the past hundreds of years, by monks and other such peoples who thought they had the authority to do so. Some people know only of what's in the bible because that's the only thing that they've been shown. Now, don't get what I'm saying here wrong; I do believe that the bible has many truths and for the most part is true. I say most part because it isn't perfect, in its full state of doctrine. ..... just wanted to bring that up..... [/B][/QUOTE] You make some good points. The bible was edited many times throughout history because its views and ideas did not "suit" those who chose to edit it. So what we have now is essentially a watered down version of the original book. Having said this, the bible's teachings are designed to provide moral lessons in life. I don't think that bible stories should be taken as fact, and in many cases, I think that they are even designed to be factual. They are there merely to teach life lessons. To take the bible as fact is absolutely ludicrous. It is absolutely riddled with inaccuracies and contradicting paragraphs. I suggest that you read a book titled "Telling Lies for God" by Ian Plimer. It's a fantastic book. It takes an open view of Creationism (which even most christian organizations admit is false) and provides specific examples of the bible's many inaccuracies and false statements. A very good read for anyone, non religious or otherwise.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by firemac [/i] [B]Well, I really suck at drawing, but I drew a pick of Firemac, the person I made up and the name I go by on the internet, which I ended up using in bunch of other things, here he is, but the pic is not good, it's normal kid drawing I guess, but tkae a look anyways [/B][/QUOTE] Nice picture, Firemac. Keep practicing and draw as much as you can...and you'll find that becoming as good as Sephiroth will only be a matter of time. :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Final_Flash [/i] [B] No, you gotta sign up, then you control your character... Uhh, no, you're wrong. So either get it right, or get out of my RPG. And don't go around telling people the wrong info, it'll stuff up my RPG. [/B][/QUOTE] Umm...I thought that we were writing a static story rather than being in an RPG. I'd much prefer to write a paragraph each...and see where it goes. Ah well :(

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by RicoTranzrig [/i] [B]I try to find comfort in God...but it's difficult cause I have so many problems in life now. I pray whenever I can and I attend church...but when I see others going against their own doctrines and moral values they promise to uphold...I feel discouraged. [/B][/QUOTE] Don't feel discouraged. I don't believe in God, however, I seriously value my morals. Infact, I'm sure that I have a greater sense of morality than [i]many[/i] religious people. So don't let what others do phase you...it's not worth it. If you can't find comfort in God, then find comfort in your family and your friends.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Desert Shadow [/i] [B] [b]I was the one who mentioned that. I have a relationship with God. I talk to Him. I feel Him. I know Him. Prayers come true. This is why i know He is real. The same reasons i know my best friend is real. I talk to him. I've known him all my life. Jes' because i can't see him right now, doesn't mean he doesn't exist. He lives in a different state, but i know he's still real. The same reasons i know God is real. Sure i have doubts, but that comes from my own faults and sin, as i learn later on. There is no church that leads to God. Church is jes' a place of fellowship for the ones that already know God, and so the can worship and learn. The real church is the people. Wherever they go. It's not the brick and mortar building. It's not the pastor. It's all of the people that God has called to Him. God is always with them, not only in the church.[/b] [/B][/QUOTE] Interesting. A lot of this notion, however is based on speculation and not fact. Like [i]"Jes' because i can't see him right now, doesn't mean he doesn't exist"[/i] Ah yes, but just because you "feel" him doesn't mean that he [b]does[/b] exist. You see, it works both ways. As mentioned earlier, a belief is a belief and that's fine with me. It's not that I don't believe in anything, it's just that I prefer to look at what we know about life and what are know as fact. It's all very well to stand back and say "have faith" and believe in something that isn't proven (and constantly unproven by way of fact), but I'm afraid that frankly, I'm not that gullible. I'm sorry if that statement offends anyone, but it's how I feel. Of course, having said all of this, I must tell Desert Shadow that I mean no disrespect to him. As he gets older and learns more (and as society changes at large) he might very well find himself changing his opinions on issues of religion. But once again, this is not a personal attack against him, it's merely my knowledge of truth and my experience of religion throughout my life. It's interesting though, to see that seemingly the majority of people here are actually not religious. The rest of the world usually tends to view America as a highly religious and conservative country. So I guess I expected everyone to be defensive of religion. But here we are... It's more of a generational thing. I think that many of us in this generation of people are more intelligent...we know more about life and the universe...and we don't subscribe to the old-fashioned and highly outdated beliefs of our parents and ancestors. I think that this will continue to happen, as society moves forward. As you can see, I think about this issue a lot lol. But I guess the bottom line is, truth is truth, religion is religion. Belief, by the very nature of the world, isn't fact. But fact isn't always truth. If that makes sense. Some of us find our own truths in things...and quite often, that truth is in belief. It doesn't mean that God exists...or is some kind of entity...because there are so many revisions of the bible itself, so many religions in the world...and so much evidence which suggests that he doesn't exist. But still, many of us will find our own personal truth with God, even if we know that at least factually, God's existence is about as likely as seeing fairies at the bottom of our garden. As long as you are happy with your truth...with your belief and your life, I think that's all we can expect and be happy with.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by AJ2K1 4 Life [/i] [B][b]Hell, your porbly older than me, so no,...you're no brat...It forgotten,...and btw,...you [i]are[/i] entitled to your own opinion,...hell, if you're wrong, then you'll go to hell, no-one else ain't goin for ya,..you are responsible for yourself and nobody else...[/b] [b]One of the personal reasons I believe in God, is that I feel comfortable believing that there's someone watching over me...[/b] [/B][/QUOTE] My point exactly. The [i]belief[/i] in God is very comforting for a lot of people, especially people who don't have as much independance or self direction as others. This is an aspect of the belief that I understand, but once again, I don't think that it should be taken as fact.

You know, cel-shaded visuals...like Jet Grind Radio and Zelda for GameCube. I have long thought that cel-shaded graphics would perfectly suit a 3D Pokemon game... there are so many possibilities...Nintendo could REALLY make a huge blockbuster with a game such as that.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Warlock [/i] [B] I would? Ok, fine, I will, but only to get the ball rolling. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [I]Raynor tossed and turned, not getting a good sleep at all. Maybe his bad sleeping was been caused by what was just starting to happen. His radio started making wailing sounds, sending Raynor out of dreamland immediatly. He looked at his watch: 3:23am. He got out of bed and flicked the light switch, nothing happened. He went over to the phone so he could call the motel's owners, and see if the blackout was just his room or not. He picked up the phone, it was dead. Then right on cue, Raynor starts to hear strange noises outside.[/I] Raynor: "I don't like the sound of this one bit..." [/B][/QUOTE] Umm...sorry to disrupt the flow of the story but...are people supposed to just randomly add to what you've written so far?

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Matt.D [/i] [B][color=rainbow] I don't like topics like this, cuz on another board, the topic turned into a flame war about who's right, and a bunch of ppl got banned...I was one of them...:( [/color] [/B][/QUOTE] While there is little doubt these days that religion can't be taken as fact, I think that anyone with relevant and insightful comments is welcome to say their piece. As long as people don't become aggressive or post unreasonable posts, then there is no problem with an entirely open discussion.

Religion is such a weird thing. There are so many elements of truth that religion relies upon...elements which have been disproven time and time again throughout history. I think that many people who follow a religion don't necessarily even believe in God as such. But I think that religion offers comfort to people...because it somehow removes responsibility fromm them..."It's all God's plan" and such. It's all very well to say [i]"at least ONE religion must be right"[/i] but frankly, IF one is right, nobody really knows. If Christianity didn't exist, and you tried to introduce it in modern times, people would laugh at you for making up such ridiculous stories. I think that many people follow it because it has been put upon them by family upbringing. Having said that, I feel that religion is fine in terms of religious lifestyle...if you feel that you are more comfortable in that lifestyle. But I think that taking religion as fact can be a little dangerous, because to take many of those elements as fact is to essentially deny what we already know about the world. Sure, we don't have all the answers...but that doesn't mean we need to "fill the gaps" with myth in order to make sense of the world. I am fully prepared to say "I don't know everything about the world, but I want to continue studying it and one day I might learn more". Having said all of the above, I still love fantasy and magic...and I think that these things have a place in our cultures and lives. But I think that as time goes by and people become more educated, religion of all kinds will slowly die off, simply because of its continual failure to provide factual evidence. I am happier without religion, I have an open mind...and a broad perspective on the world. Religion closes so many doors to the mind...and ultimately restricts one's ability to understand others and have a balance with the rest of the world. If you choose religion, then great...as long as you don't accept it as fact without evidence. Even if you do, I don't care. Just as long as you are happy with your life and have a sense of morality...I think that those things are what really matter in life.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by zanza [/i] [B] Believe me, I'm pissing my pants... not about the site or anything though. Anyway, there are better ways to katakana-ize that word.... I would have used GE - I - MA - (vowel lengthener) personally. But I guess the meaning is still obvious, despite whichever you use... [/B][/QUOTE] Yes, as Transtic said, most people here speak English. The site itself won't be a Japanese language site, the Japanese is more related to the style of the site more than anything. Still, you bring up a good point, I might get Transtic to help me change the wording a little to make it slightly better in future. But this is only the second teaser. There will be more info to come :)

Not really. Most people know what kind of site we are working on, so the Katakana doesn't particularly change that. But the question is particularly important, as it relates to the focus of the site. I'll explain more as we get closer to launch :)

As you all know, I posted a teaser image for Otaku Media's new website a few weeks ago. And here I am again, with a second teaser image. A lot of people have been asking me about the site, and I must say that we are taking a slightly different direction from before. Having said that, we are still committed to working on this new project and making sure that it is not only unique, but offers a higher level of entertainment than our competitors. I'll be posting a few teasers until the launch of the site, teasers which will become progressively more revealing ;) So watch out for them.

I bought GT3 about a week ago... It's an awesome game. But it's quite lengthy and tough at the beginning. You have to be patient if you want to really get the most out of the Gran Turismo mode. But the Arcade Mode is great for beginners...it's a good way to get a feel for the game. Plus it's a lot of fun :)

I think that your doctor might just be incompetant. If this was some new, undiscovered virus, wouldn't we have heard about it on the news?

I love SSX...can't deny how great that game is. But right now I'm really into GT3. It's a really deep game...very cool :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by MysticGohan [/i] [B] Yup.. it's nuts.. "tight" is getting stupid.. and i believe that the internet lingo is starting to get quite queer as well.. I never use "u" or "ne" when I am talking to someone on the net. It's horrible.. Eh, I think I broke my toe yesterday.. it hurts!! I dove over this kid and he like pulled my foot backwards causing me to do some weird **** to it. [/B][/QUOTE] I agree with all that's been said. Personally, I never use "u" or "ur" or anything like that when I chat or post messages... I mean, I guess I think it's just a little slack. And when people are talking about something serious and typing in that way, I think it kind of takes the seriousness away from what they're saying...if that makes any sense. Sure, a little slang is fine. But I'm so sick of hearing "tight" lol. Where the hell did this word come from?? Nowdays everything is "tight" lol. Geez. heh :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Smoky Joe [/i] [B]I think that Miyamoto is thinking of everyone, including us who don't like the new design. I have a feeling that he will do something like making 2 versions, each with a diferent game style. I mean, it's over a year away, and NGC is very easy to program. I'll just cross my fingers. [/B][/QUOTE] I seriously doubt that EAD is developing two versions of Zelda, just to please those who don't like the new visual style. I think that the new visual style will set in -- if you don't like it now, by the time you play the game, I think you'll like it. Change of any kind always takes a little time to set in, people need to get used to it. However, I doubt that all new Zelda games will look like this. I think that Zelda will continue to change and evolve over the next few years. But I personally can't wait for this game. It looks like a lot of fun. :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by leo_swinkels [/i] [B]There are a lot of good games that nintendo owns. Metal gear first was for the nintendo NES but apearently Playstation was able to buy the game. and now ist the most highly anticipated game of this year for playstation. But who started it? Nintendo:) :) :) [/B][/QUOTE] Umm...I think you're a little mistaken. Metal Gear was never [i]owned[/i] by Nintendo. Metal Gear has always been owned by its original developer, Konami. Konami presumably chose PlayStation over N64 because of cheaper development cost and higher memory capacity.

Please, no commercial advertising/promotion on our boards.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by MysticGohan [/i] [B] "pimpin" girls requires being nice and sweet my friend. You must not know what you're talking about.. hahaha.. it's too funny.. I got some friends over right now.. they are makin fun of you man!! Oh well, it's all good.... Football game is tomorrow!! WOO HOOO!!! [/B][/QUOTE] Ugh, American slang is often disgusting at the best of times lol I think that you have to understand that this term must be relatively new...I've never heard it used before besides on this topic. I think it's really a gross term for something that could actually be nice. Ugh, I just don't know why people talk like that. It's really low brow.

I agree with most of what's been said here. For those of us who weren't in diapers when the first Zelda was launched, we can all remember the original style. It was all about a young elfin boy who was exploring huge, scary forests and giant gloomy castles. This new Zelda game really captures the essence of what that's all about... Personally, I admit, I was quite shocked when I first saw this game. However, I am starting to understand it. I applaud Miyamoto for having the balls to actually go and change something, and take the series in a fresh new direction. Regardless of how this game looks, I [i]know[/i] that it'll play wonderfully. Has Miyamoto ever let us down? No. Simple as that :)

Oh, I thought I'd add another footnote, as to what Tendobox have said (they were at the show floor and saw Zelda live). Apparently, Shigeru Miyamoto didn't want anyone to take pictures of the game because he felt that they would be misunderstood. He said that the only way to truly convey the style of the game is to see it moving. Those who saw it moving said that yes, the visual style is quite shocking at first, but at the end, everyone cheered and clapped. The game literally looked like a cartoon...with the most flawless levels of animation ever seen in a video game. After reading more reports of people who actually saw the game in action...and considering that Zelda got a standing applause...I think it's safe to say that a few screenshots don't do justice to it :) You all gotta go to [URL=http://www.tendobox.com]Tendobox[/URL] to read the impressions. Trust me, don't worry about this game...I know that you'll love it when you see it moving and when you actually play it ;)

by the way, reports from people who actually saw The Legend of Zelda at Space World say that the game features "stunningly realistic animation" and "blows the rest of the GAMECUBE games out of the water visually". Interesting. The early shots have shocked everyone...but I can't wait to see how it looks when moving...