Semjaza

I'm not sure if I would like to change the "title screen" page. It's just like it is in the game and I think I want to keep it that way. For the few that are interested, I finished doing the little images for people to link back to the fanlisting. They're listed under "codes" on the site. I made something like 110 of them lol.

Dark grey was no go... but black works well enough. I'm even thinking just making the links white, but leaving the underline on them at all times. Wouldn't be that bad. I still have to work on all the little images for people to link with. I can never seem to find good Zelda images when I want them heh. Thanks to Syk for recoloring that Link and Zelda triforce GIF for me too. Image Ready is such a pain.

I don't really see the problem. Any multiplayer thus far in Zelda games has been entirely optional. All that has been releases so far was A Link to the Past with the extra multiplayer mode, which I think was a nice addition to what otherwise would have been a standard SNES port. The Minish Cap is all about the single player. Surely there will be more Four Swords additions, but no one is forcing you to play them at all. What does it really matter? lol I love how the game looks, it's certainly several steps above the technical and artistic aspects of LttP as far as I'm concerned. That's just my opinion though. So the only truly multiplayer minded Zelda game will be the upcoming Four Swords Adventures on the GameCube. Again, no one forces you to play this game with others. The GBA connectivity isn't required for a single player version of the game, which supposedly is just as long and involving as a standard Zelda game. So considering that and the fact that you seem entirely uninterested in a multiplayer Zelda, how does this affect you? lol Just play single player and be happy, I guess heh. It's gotten nothing but good impressions thus far. Besides, it's not as though Nintendo is claiming this is a normal entry in the series... it's kind of like a spin-off, like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is to the standard FF series. I don't think it's a bad decision and I'm personally looking forward to Four Swords Adventures more than I ever was looking forward to Wind Waker. Traditional Zelda gameplay with amazingly good 2D graphics? That's plenty for me heh. I can see why others would not be interested, but yeah.

Yeah, I'm thinking the link color idea is a good one. I'm still debating the void colors. I could easily change them in the blink of an eye. It's just one little hex code. I uploaded an image that should give you an idea as to why the colors I chose were chosen lol.

[url]http://www.slownerveaction.org/fanlistings/zelda/[/url] Check it out. This is yet another fanlisting, this time based on the NES version of Legend of Zelda. I was surprised to see it wasn't taken. I spent about two or three hours on this from conception to its current almost finished form. It's certainly not a marvel of coding (I cheated and used tables yet again), but I like how it turned out. I edited quite a bit of the sprites. I'm sure anyone pretty familiar with the game will realize that quickly. I made the text area blue simply because that's the color of the voids in that particular dungeon in the games. I think it works okay, mostly because people will not be reading this site for extended periods. I'd pick something less blinding in other circumstances. My main issue right now is the link color... It's a baby blue right now and while I can see it, I forsee it being a problem. Any ideas on what to do with that? I still need to edit the Link and Zelda triforce animation to match the background too...

I really don't understand how you don't seem to think putting these games on a handheld device that requires new forms in interaction will not be a signifcant change from what is currently out there. That's the impression I'm getting, unless I'm reading you wrong. Sure, Metroid Prime: Hunters in its current form is really just like MP2's deathmatch mode. Except of course that you have to tap the screen where you want to shoot. That alone changes quite a bit of the game and is a pretty unique idea in my opinion. Plus you can play against others wirelessly. Then you have Pacpix. You draw little Pac-Men on the screen and have them eat the pellets. IT's a weird sort of puzzle game and hard to explain adequately, but it wouldn't even be possible without something like the DS. Sure, it uses a very well known character, but it's obviously doing new things with it. Even Pac and Roll was a rather unique take on standard Pac-Man maze games. Wario Ware even seemed somewhat original. There's already been two versions of the game so far and I figured this would be more of the same. And in a way it is, but the touch screen allows for new styles of gameplay that really just would have not even been possible on a normal GBA. So I don't know. If you've not had the chance, I suggest finding some videos of people actually playing the unit. I wasn't convinced that it was anything special until I read all the impressions of the smaller games and watched videos of people using the thing. Very much worth the time. You have to keep in mind that thse are just demos. Some might become full games, some might not. The main idea was simply to show what the DS could do. When these things are applied to full games people will pay for, I'm sure many new gameplay ideas will be forumlated.

I'm not all that embarrassed to say that I like some Back Street Boys songs. I mean, it's certainly out of my character, but some of them are just well done. Same with Justin Timberlake and Nick Carter's solo works. In terms of stuff I wish I never owned... I think there's just one. Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill. I got that back when she was new just for the one hit single. I forget the name. I don't even have the CD anymore honestly. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought that. I still can't figure out how I thought it was even worth purchasing and I have no clue how she has managed to stay remotely relevent. The music isn't that hot and the many of the lyrics are next to meaningless considering she grew up as some rich girl in Canada. It makes half the stuff she says in her songs seem fabricated. Eh.

I fixed it for you. The problem was that you were just putting the actual image link in your signature and doing nothing with it. You just need to add IMG tags to the URL.

Not using sequels and franchise characters to push this system would be a huge mistake in my opinion. To expect a company like Nintendo, with tons of characters under its belt, to basically make nothing but totally unique games for a new system is a bit much. The DS is something new for a lot of people. It requires a new style of gameplay from those who purchase it. To have something unique like this and not back it with franchise games would make absolutely no sense from a marketing perspective. Games like Pac-man, Mario and Metroid being on this system at least guarantee a level of interest from consumers that simply would not exist if the only games for it featured unknowns. Besides, no game can truly be simply ported to the DS as it is. Everything that was shown was substantially different from any game it might have been based on, even if that just meant using the touch screen in some odd way. Games have to be altered just to take advantage of the system's abilities. As for comparisons to the PSP... I don't know. They're in competition and they're not. Obviously Sony wants to affect the pretty much rock-solid Game Boy brand name. However, doing so by charging $300 for the system, $50 for games and having a super low battery life sure brings that probability of that down a lot. The GBA is an every day person's device... the PSP seems like its marketed to the same people who will blow $500 on a MP3 player when there's one that's just as good for $250. Personally I have very little interest in playing a bunch of games I could play on my PS2 on the road. That's me though.

Snuff isn't really just taping people being killed... It's basically killing them with the sole intention of taping and distributing copies of those tapes for entertainment purposes alone.. Obviously tapes of people being murdered or killed exist and I'm sure some of the people here have seen some one way or another... but that's not what snuff is. People like to spread around rumors that such things exist; vast underground networks of people who get off by seeing people murdered. Supposedly people get kidnapped simply for the purpose of being killed in these films, sexually or otherwise. If you bother to look into the subject, you'll find that snuff films don't really exist by that definition. Any time one is thought to exist, it is proven to be fake. Even thinking very pessimisticly, I don't personally snuff itself really exists, at least not in any remotely substantial amount. As for 8mm, I thought it was an okay film. Nothing really all that special in any way, although I think the use of Aphex Twin music fit it well.

[QUOTE=Adam]Fair enough, are the new colors all right? I wanted to give the main site some personality, black and white and gray just kept getting to me. -Adam[/QUOTE] I'm totally cool with the colors. I think they complement eachother very well heh.

These lame smilies in the myOtaku backroom really have to go. I cannot stand the things in general and it really brings down the rest of the design. I feel like a twelve year old girl took over my site.

[quote name='Luminaire][color=crimson][spoiler]When the carriage catches on fire, that didn't make any sense to me, unless I completely missed some huge fireball hitting it. Almost every explosion filled the entire screen. Most of the time, there was nothing that could combust like that.[/spoiler'] I know movies don't have to be logical, but this one was so illogical it had me laughing and crying at the stupidity of it. As everyone else said, the accents were terrible.[/color][/quote] I've seen a lot of people complain about this and I don't know how people aren't catching it. I thought it was really obvious. [spoiler]There's oil lanterns on front of the carriage. The werewolf knocked into one and it crashed over the top of it. There's even the sound of glass shattering as he does it and the lantern is no longer on the carriage afterwards lol.[/spoiler]

It should also be noted that Star Fox Adventures sold pretty damn well. That's really all that matters when a continuation of a franchise is considered. In any case, this game is more of a return to form for the series in most ways. I'm far more interested in this than I would be in another SFA style game, even if one somehow turned out great.

[url]http://cube.ign.com/articles/515/515922p1.html[/url] This is a good article to check out. It's about the two and a half minute Zelda video that Nintendo apparently decided to pull at the last minute. Instead we got stuck with the shorter one minute version. I can't wait till we get more information on this game, particularly on the story side of it. Edit: Nintendo apparently showed some of these scenes during their actual press conference. I have some screen shots of it that I've attached if people want to see. They're on the small side though. I'm currently downloading the Nintendo press conference so I can cut the Zelda footage out and make a small video of it so people can see... will be awhile though, since it's 500 MBs.

[url]http://www.capcom.co.jp/devil3/[/url] The official site is opened now. There's a trailer there that's worth checking out.

Hands on impressions here: [url]http://www.gcadvanced.com/article.php?artid=1974[/url] Eyes only impressions here: [url]http://cube.ign.com/articles/513/513329p1.html[/url] They're both worth reading as they compliment eachother well. IGN's preview goes into a bit more information that the GCA writer isn't sure of when he first plays. The light/dark idea is awesome, I think. The GCA link has a bit in the way of spoilers, so read that at your own risk.

[QUOTE=quietstranger16][SIZE=2][SIZE=1]hey all, i'm a noob to the cure and and have been interested in the band for awhile, but have never really listened to any of their music (besides the the one blink-182 song w/ robert smith, but that doesn't really count). I guess i'm just asking for some direction here...any reccomendations on what i should download/buy?[/SIZE][/SIZE][/QUOTE] Well, you could start with Disintigration. I think that's your best bet. Most Cure CDs can be found at used shops for pretty good prices , since they've been around for decades now. Three Imaginary Boys, Boys Don't Cry and The Head on the Door are probably the other best Cure CDs out there. I'd recommend Bloodflowers as well, which is their most recent material preceding the upcoming CD.

Personally, I think Jet is one of the most derivitive rock bands around right now. That's just my opinion and I doubt most people agree with me considering Jet's success. In terms of Australian artists, I'd rather listen to the infinitely more talented/important Nick Cave or You Am I. They've been around a decent amount of time by comparison, though.

[quote name='Charles']According to Game Informer, only the Playstation 2 version is planned to have online play. :([/quote] Sigh. I hope that changes. I can't stand the PS2 controller for FPS games.

I've been wanting to post about this game for days, but lack of good screens has stopped me. Finally some decent ones are out. [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/6def91ce-910d-4d4d-950e-8e3e006c5f09.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/0d6049e6-91a1-4c74-ab33-e159322e72a2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/21e921d9-7c17-4132-a4b9-aeb88cf82912.jpg[/IMG] Odama is more or less a pinball game. However, it is being developed by Vivarium who were responsible for Seaman, so it's definitely not what one would expect. You obviously control the flippers. However, your goal is destroy approaching enemies, free your allies and so forth. [quote]In Odama, players fire a giant pinball known as -- conveniently enough -- the Odama around a real-time strategy-like environment set to the backdrop of ancient Japan. Giant-sized flippers help direct the ball through the environment as it crashes over enemy battalions and into troop barracks. But Odama-ists will have to be careful not to crush their own troops underneath the giant weight of the rolling pinball. Gamers will be challenged to collect prisoners of war, who will -- once captured -- become allies. Allied troops will, according to the press sheet on the game, do their best to dam rivers, liberate extra flippers and clear the way to the enemy's gate.[/quote] I think it sounds pretty interesting.

Here's some images from the game from IGN. I figured posting them directly in the thread could liven it up a bit heh. Lots of text in here lol. [IMG]http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/514/514246/tekken-5-20040512034928173.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/514/514246/tekken-5-20040512034926767.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/514/514246/tekken-5-20040512034927345.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/514/514246/tekken-5-20040512034926110.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/514/514246/tekken-5-20040512034925282.jpg[/IMG]

People should know by now that I'm not a big FF fan, but I am really looking forward to XII. New previews on the game have really solidified that for me. I can't wait for this game. [url]http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/finalfantasy12/preview_6097934.html[/url] [quote] Final Fantasy XII Hands-On Certainly one of the most highly anticipated games on the E3 show floor is Final Fantasy XII, the forthcoming chapter in Square Enix's beloved role-playing franchise. We recently posted new details on the game's plot, but now, we've finally played it ourselves and are here with a full report. Like most every new Final Fantasy installment, this one introduces an entirely new cast of characters and takes place in a unique setting--though, incidentally, this game does share its setting with the recently released Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as well as the original Final Fantasy Tactics. Longtime fans of Square (before it became Square Enix) will recognize the distinctive art style in the game as resembling that of Square's unusual action adventure game, Vagrant Story--which is entirely a good thing, because that game's visuals were exceptionally good for its time. And, indeed, if only from looks alone, Final Fantasy XII is also very impressive. However, what surprised us wasn't the look, but the gameplay. This does not play like any previous Final Fantasy games. In fact, you could easily mistake it for an action adventure game rather than a standard console RPG, but don't take that remark the wrong way. All it means is that Final Fantasy XII does away with the awkward, yet ancient, role-playing conventions of random battles and jarring transitions between exploration and combat. Instead, in Final Fantasy XII, you'll never get taken out of the core gameplay experience, except when the game shows you a cinematic cutscene or when you access your status menus. That means combat occurs seamlessly within the game's fully 3D environments--no screen-shattering, no your-guys-on-one-side-bad-guys-on-the-other-side battle screen, no signature Final Fantasy victory music as you collect you gil and cure potions after you win, none of that. And you know what? We got the distinct impression that this is the best thing to happen to the series in a while. By extension, it may well be representative of a refreshing, new direction for the console role-playing genre to head towards. Admittedly, that last statement may be a bit over-the-top. The truth is, Square's Vagrant Story actually played similarly, only it featured a weird location-based, rhythm-based combat system, whereas Final Fantasy XII is more by-the-book and lets you command up to three characters at a time instead of just one (and you see all three characters running around in the environment). Basically, the action occurs in real time, but you can always pause to issue new orders. The simplest order is to make all your characters attack a given foe, in which case they'll stand there and dish out the pain as often as they're able to attack, which is fundamentally similar to combat in previous Final Fantasies. However, you can get pretty tactical with this system, and use the physical location to your advantage. You can have your ranged attackers hang back and fire away while your melee fighters suffer the pain on the front lines, for example. The signature spells of Final Fantasy all seem to be here, though we didn't get to try out any summoning spells or anything too spectacular. Still, we felt good about the combat, which comes across as more dynamic and somehow more plausible than in previous games. [/quote] Awesome. It sounds like it will be taking out the kinks of the Vagrant Story system. The menus in that game were extremely difficult to work through at times. I'm confident that Square will polish up whatever they wind up doing in FFXII though... it's their main series heh. [quote]It wouldn't be a Final Fantasy without some strange gameplay "system", and this next chapter will be no exception. This time you can assign "gambits" to your characters, which work like tactical orders. The basic gambit determines whether or not members of your party will follow the main character's lead, but other gambits may allow characters to deploy different strategies in battle by default. Such systems tend to be pretty deep, and frankly, we didn't get to explore this aspect of the game in too much detail during our relatively brief time spent with the game.[/quote] Go read the entire thing. It's worth the time. What I love about everything I've heard so far is that it seems like Final Fantasy is finally attemping to embrace the more "hardcore" ideas of RPGs from other developers (hell, even their own if you count Vagrant Story), rather than just pushing them away. It really sounds like this game will do a lot with the gameplay for once. Whole bunch of videos: [url]http://www.squarenet.info/main.php?site=sn-news[/url]

[url]http://cube.ign.com/articles/514/514271p1.html?fromint=1[/url] [quote] We weren't prepared for this, we really weren't. When Nintendo on Tuesday unveiled Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the second GameCube title to make use of the company's DK Bongo controller set, we figured it for a gimmick. After all, we've been playing the Japanese import of Donkey Konga for months and it's just a simple rhythm game, drums or no drums. But we couldn't be happier to report that not only is the DKJB not gimmicky -- it's downright amazing. Which is why it's already topping our list for one of Nintendo's best GameCube titles of the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2004. On paper DK Jungle Beat reads like a bad idea gone haywire. The premise is all too simple. You control Donkey Kong through a series of tropical and prehistoric themed environments. You must make the big ape run left and right, jump over barrels and up walls, swing on trees, collect bananas, square off in ferocious up-close boxing matches with other beasts, and even ride atop animals and vehicles. The catch, of course, is that you don't use a GameCube controller to do all of this. You bang on some Bongos. We know -- it can never work. There are too many control mechanics to consider. And yet, it does work; in fact, the end play experience is nothing short of outstanding. The DK Bongos do it all. You move Donkey Kong to the left and right by hammering on the left and right drums respectively. The faster you tap them, the faster the beast runs. Hit both drums at once and Kong will jump directly up and into the air. Clap your hands or tap the side of the Bongos and the ape will punch. Combinations also work. Tap-tap-tap the right drum and Kong runs to the right; when he's in motion you can bang the left drum once to make him jump into the air without losing momentum. It takes about a minute to get used to and then you're flying. Five minutes in, you'll be able to do spectacular things with your ape (and we mean that in a completely non-sexual way, of course). New hurdles are born and so must new methods of play be executed. When Kong comes speeding to a wall, he can be made to jump to it with the tap of the Bongos and then he can hurl himself up between two structures, jumping to the left and to the right and going higher all the while, with careful timing of the left and right drums. Control works perfectly and feats such as these are very satisfying to dominate. Kong is a mean simian and he's not afraid of a good fight. His muscled arms can be called upon to punch out at items, smash enemies, break through barriers and more by a simple clap. As we played the game, some of the other editors would stand behind us and clap at the appropriate times, which of course send Kong's arms out and punching. This play dynamic opens DK Jungle Beat up to a wide list of possible multiplayer scenarios. Kong also gets into fights with boss characters. Here, the Bongos again do different things. In one of the there E3 2004 levels previewed, Kong squares off against another ape, the two of them going toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow. The camera pans in here to show off the extremely detailed character models, which are outfitted with crisp textures, realistic fur and fluid cartoony animation. The left and right drums cause DK to punch throw left-handed and right-handed punches at his foe. Meanwhile, tapping both drums together makes Kong dodge attacks from the enemy; the action slows and the view changes to reveal a bullet-time-like angle. Fights are all about timing and you have a number of options at your disposal. You can tap the drums as quickly as possible to throw out as many punches as possible, but this alone won't defeat the boss. You have to play smarter. You can counter punches by punching back at exactly the same time. If you correctly counter a couple of punches in a row you'll stun the ape enemy and then you can deliver a ferocious combo of left and right-handed jabs to him. Or, you can play defensively and wait for the enemy to throw a jab, dodge it by clapping and then go in for a brutal attack. The experience is surprisingly deep and refreshingly original. Combos are the name of the game. As Kong travels through a level, you can link moves together for massive points. All sorts of maneuvers qualify for combos. Jump into the air, punch down some bananas, land against a wall and ricochet up it, grab onto a tree branch and spin upward, fly outward and onto a vine, and then come down on some enemies and punch them out -- it can all be one enormous, satisfying combo if you do it just right. In another level, Kong rides atop a wildebeest as it races down an icy mountainside. An avalanche follows. The goal is to outrace the avalanche by tapping the right drum as quickly as possible. Your arm will feel the strain after the challenge is completed, but it's fun while it lasts. But the level is from over. A giant creature pops up and chases the ape some more. He has to sprint down the rest of the mountainside, jumping off ice ramps, crashing through bananas and ice obstacles, and more. At the end of the level, Kong must get as much speed as possible to launch himself off a huge ice ramp for a calculated soar distance score. We managed a number in the 250s and Nintendo's "F-Zero Master" Chris Campbell laughed at our short-lived success story; he said that earlier he had caused Kong to fly twice that distance. If you've read this much, you must then know that Donkey Konga and DK Jungle Beat are two completely different games. So please note this too: as far as gameplay is concerned they may as well be from two different universes. The one predictable outcome that surrounded everybody who played DKJB is that they didn't want to stop playing it. Indeed, we have already gone back to the game numerous times to sample it again. And every so often an editor walks into our E3 writing room and says, "Hey, did anybody check out Donkey Kong Jungle Beat? I just played it and it's awesome!" All of a sudden we cannot wait for the DK Bongos to arrive in the US. The wait for Jungle Beat, though, is going to seem like an eternity. According to Nintendo, the two-player-ready Bongo game is not set for release in the US until early 2005.[/quote] Sounds absolutely awesome. I've always planned on getting Donkey Konga (hell, the drums are included for a normal $50 game price) and I'm really glad another game is taking advantage of this. Seems really unique.

The song is "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs off of Fever to Tell. Good album.