James

[color=#606060]Have you read the latest IGN preview? Looks absolutely amazing. There are a couple more details revealed (like the role of the Observatory and stuff). Everything sounds fantastic. I always try not to get expectations too high, but I must say, I'm expecting stellar reviews of this game. I think it will be [i]the[/i] game for this year's holiday season.[/color]

[color=#606060]I want to know where it says masturbation is a sin. It wouldn't surprise me if there was some text about that, considering that just about everything is listed as a sin (which many conveniently forget). My attitude is simple: if you're getting worked up over this issue, just go and masturbate. It'll calm you down and cure what ails ya.[/color]

[color=#606060]Cool. Well, if the story seems interesting to me I'd definitely look at signing up. I've missed a few great RPGs lately and I don't want to keep missing them.[/color]

[color=#606060]I'm glad to hear that this RPG will have a story. Otherwise you risk having lots of unrelated posts and nothing to hold them together. I guess my only question is, will this play out like an actual "game" (with turn-based battles or something) or will it be more like a straightforward RPG (i.e. your abilities are written into the story rather than literally having structured battles)? Just curious about that aspect.[/color]

[color=#606060]I'm right-brained...kind of glad it was confirmed, because there's no way I could be a left-brained person, lol. I'm just too terrible with math and things like that to have any skill with the left brain. :catgirl:[/color]

[color=#606060]I'm only up to the second dungeon [spoiler](Isle of Gusts)[/spoiler] but I've played enough to form an early opinion. At this stage I'm finding PH really refreshing. For me, even as a Zelda fan, the franchise was starting to feel tired. Twilight Princess was amazing - definitely better than OoT - but I've really started to have enough of the formula. Perhaps that's why MM is still my favourite 3D Zelda. Anyway, Phantom Hourglass really shakes things up. Even though you're still progressing from temple to temple, the entire format of the game is quite different. Somehow Phantom Hourglass feels a whole lot more modern than even Wind Waker; from the puzzles to the navigation on the ocean...everything has a feeling of freshness to it. The new controls are largely to thank for this. Drawing on your map to solve puzzles is a brilliant concept that is actually fundamental to gameplay. Surprisingly it adds quite a lot to the game. The overall pace of this Zelda is quite a lot faster and tighter than Twilight Princess. I haven't really felt like I've experienced moments where I've been wandering around in search of random items or anything - the overall experience just feels a lot leaner and more varied. Some may complain that the game ultimately seems shorter or less complex - certainly the story has been, so far, nothing terribly interesting. Having said that, I think the gameplay benefits. Phantom Hourglass is an innovator in many respects and I think it sets several new standards in the Zelda universe. After playing this, it would be disappointing to play a new Wii Zelda that doesn't make the same kind of clever use of the controller. Phantom Hourglass just shows how elegantly a simplified control system can actually work. I was skeptical about using the touch screen exclusively but in all honesty, it felt good right from the start. I haven't once found myself wishing to use buttons...I simply haven't needed them. Also...I haven't noticed any issues with accuracy really. Movement is just as easy with the touch screen as with an analog stick or a d-pad. I haven't experienced any accidental deaths as a result of the touch interface. So yeah, the new control system breathes much life into an ageing franchise. Combined with much tighter game design and much more focused general progression (as well as some ridiculously cool puzzles and a [i]much[/i] improved sailing system), PH is definitely setting a new standard for Zelda. I just hope that this is the start of a series of DS-centric Zelda games that continue to push the bold innovations present in Phantom Hourglass.[/color]

[color=#606060]Heheh, RPGs are always changing...and even the average ones today are pretty amazing compared to what we used to see. The only problem now is probably that there are more RPGs than dedicated RPG players. Still, it's really good to see a mix of members RPing - I like seeing the older ones create stuff with the newer members. It's great stuff. Even if I don't post in RPGs much, I do still read them occasionally. It's good to know that if the site is a bit slow, there's always plenty to read. :catgirl: [/color]

[color=#606060]Yeah I would agree, just from my own observations I'd say that the Utah Crew are leading the pack with OB RPGs at the moment. They're reminding us all how it's done. :catgirl: I think it's great that no matter how general activity goes up and down, there's always at least one or two great RPGs running. I really think we must have set an RPG record at some point in time, lol.[/color]

[color=#606060]Yeah, I love some of the old RPGs. Although I also like the new stuff, I do miss some of the RPG groups we used to have. Out of anything that's probably what I miss most.[/color]

[color=#606060]Discussions are all fine and good, but I pretty much agree with Sandy...it's the creative work on OB that makes the site historically worthwhile on the internet. The thought of all of those stories and RPGs disappearing is very sad and I hope it never happens; they are worth preserving. Some of the RPGs on OB are far more entertaining to read than even some of the best fan fictions I've seen on the web.[/color]

[color=#606060]I don't have much to add to this thread, except to say that I'm often on the look out for new RPGs. I love Sci-Fi RPGs and they are definitely rarer than one might think, although unfortunately I missed out on Silver One and Project Starship. My new RPG is pretty much ready to go, but I haven't really had the chance to sit down and post everything - I'm still a bit unsure about one aspect of it. In any case, there's plenty of good stuff out there right now; I just have a bad habit of missing the boat![/color]

[color=#606060]We haven't yet made a decision about a new Event Master. Maybe we should hold applications for that (as opposed to an actual competition).[/color]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Compared to previous incarnations of C&C, I'm just going to have to disagree with you there Jeh. Sure Tiberium Wars was a decent enough RTS, with some pretty graphics, but in reality it introduced absolutely nothing new to a series which pretty much defined the genre of RTS in terms of innovation and quality. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] [color=#606060]I think the reviews would tend to disagree with that. C&C 3 was pretty much critically acclaimed everywhere for being the absolute pinnacle of the series. I think it's an example that the core developers are still very much in control of the franchise. It's largely the same team and the emphasis is still on quality. The last C&C game was Generals...and C&C 3 really blows Generals out of the water in terms of the various improvements. That's a pretty good thing, considering that Generals itself really made up for the disaster that was Tiberium Sun (and considering that Generals pretty much defined 3D RTS games when it launched). So if anything I think C&C 3 really brings the franchise back on track even further, especially with the introduction of the Scrin. It's not as innovative as Generals was, but then again, it's more of an evolution of the Generals design than a revolution (Generals really had to be more revolutionary by virtue of its design, I think). The overall point is that many quality games are still being produced under EA. One look at Spore will probably bear that out as well, when it arrives. As I said though, I'd be more concerned about one company owning many studios in general - the drying up of competition is always an issue no matter what the industry.[/color]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]That's what I'm hoping, but I won't be optimistic about it for a long while. Friggin' sports games. I'd rather play sports. Like Frisbee. (Or baseball.)[/FONT][/QUOTE] [color=#606060]It could go either way, but EA has some inherent benefits (as in the case of Valve). In any case, I still think that EA's ownership of so many studios is an overall negative thing for the industry. [/color]

[color=#606060]Oh yeah, OB focuses on a wide range of subjects, not just anime. I'm far from an anime expert, so no need to worry! Both casual and hardcore fans alike are welcome. :catgirl:[/color]

[color=#606060]This is definitely an overreaction, at least in part. While many of the negative stories about EA are true, it's not all bad news. I think you will find that EA probably won't dip into these smaller developers too much. They may exercise certain controls, but usually EA's size allows smaller developers to gain access to resources that would otherwise be unavailable. So it's a double-edged sword really. As far as Westwood Studios goes...I didn't particularly support their amalgamation into EA LA, but having said that, Command & Conquer 3 is a pure gem.[/color]

[color=#606060]There are only a few sites that I visit regularly. OB is one, obviously. Also, I regularly visit GamesIndustry.biz and Engadget. Other than that, I only visit some other sites now and then. Mostly I don't have a whole lot of time to spend on the web, so I try to spend most of my time here or reading various news sites. [/color]

[color=#606060]I didn't think anyone was taking it seriously. Now we just need a discussion about how seriously we take things seriously and we'll be set! :catgirl:[/color]

[quote]I can masturbate 6 times a day at max, why do you think my username is Revolver?[/quote] [color=#606060]LOL, that's where you got your name from? I just hope nobody gets their username from extraordinary bowel functions or something. >_>'[/color]

[color=#606060]I think that Gavin's "Interesting, most interesting" was responsible for driving away a lot of members. Now that it's gone we might see a new golden age. :catgirl:[/color]

[color=#606060]A wall penis? lol Well, Australia is pretty reserved by comparison. The only place in the country that you can buy either fireworks or highly-explicit movies is ACT (Australian Capital Territory - think District of Columbia as a comparison). Trust the politicians to keep the best to themselves![/color]

[color=#606060]Captain Olimar would be great, I didn't think of that at all. I can imagine a pretty cool Pikmin-related special move there. And Big the Cat? From Sonic Adventure? Er...someone actually liked him? Haha. :catgirl: I think NiGHTS would be fun, in the sense that the character would never actually stand on a surface...he/she/it would hover just above the ground the whole time. Could see some interesting moves there too.[/color]

[color=#606060]Yeah, the vending machines are interesting. I suppose they make sense. After all, maybe it's too embarassing to buy used underwear from a store? If you can run down to a vending machine and choose the pink florals without witnesses, maybe it's better. What makes this all the more weird is that Japan seems to be the only country on Earth to have so many bizarre options for sex-related products. The rest of the planet doesn't seem to be losing sleep over the fact that they can't conveniently purchase used ladies underthings.[/color]

[color=#606060]Oi, Alex, chill. Seriously - you're going to give yourself a heart attack. We're talking about games here, not politics or religion, lol. Part of the problem with jumping in like a raving lunatic is that you read things incorrectly. My comments about Nintendo not becoming more like Microsoft have nothing to do with players suggesting characters or whatever. The two comments are entirely unrelated. What I meant is that I agree that the nuttier fans out there shouldn't be (and aren't, thank god) in control of what these companies do. That's the way it is and that's the way it should be, without doubt. In terms of the specific concept of adding these characters...I can't say that I really see the issue. Nintendo isn't adding random characters simply for the sake of it; they're adding characters that they feel will add some value to the game. Do you really think Nintendo, of all companies, would just throw characters into a game if it broke the game? Of course not. That doesn't bear out at all. What you will no doubt find is that these characters will blend seamlessly into the experience as they should. You can bet that Nintendo is working very hard to balance the characters out to get the game's feel just right. Letting fans vote about characters and letting them "design the game" are two very different things. That much should be obvious. Nintendo are obviously not doing the latter, lol. So yeah, I think it's worthwhile to just be careful that you're attacking an argument I'm actually making (rather than one you've invented on my behalf). Also as I said, [i]chill[/i]. We're talking about games here, mate. No need for the constant painful-to-read ranting.[/color]

[color=#606060]I've been revisiting some classics recently. Specifically, some Kubrick movies. I recently bought A Clockwork Orange and I also rented Eyes Wide Shut. A Clockwork Orange wasn't really what I expected, if only because I'd been told that it was so horrific I wouldn't be able to watch it - obviously time (and effects) have changed that somewhat. Still, the concepts in the film are pretty horrific. I do think that the central question about Alex's nature is pretty interesting. It does make you ask that question: if you could force everyone to behave by a particular moral code, would that satisfy? I mean, because you're forcing people to do something that isn't in their nature, perhaps you're actually immorally restricting them. It's an interesting question. Eyes Wide Shut was also not what I expected, mostly because I had originally dismissed the film as being soft-core porn with a light thriller element. It's actually quite focused on the thriller aspect, much to its credit. The only thing I disliked was that the ending - which did offer a reasonable conclusion - still failed to shed any light on the secret society (which the movie kept sort of flirting with). That was a bit frustrating for me, because it felt like the movie had ended a bit too suddenly. Not the deepest movie by any measure, but certainly worth watching.[/color]