Once again, an important argument reduced to an either/or concept. For all that people bitch about new versions of Frogger clogging sales charts and Deer Hunter outdoing every other game on the market, we need these games. If you don't have a Playstation, you can't play Centipede. If you don't have an Game Boy, there's no point in buying Pokemon. What these games do is get kids into videogames so that there's enough of a fanbase for the industry to survive at all. The thing is, nobody wants to look at the second step in this process.

So you've got people playing games. Okay. When I was six or seven and got my NES for the first time, Super Mario Bros. was The Game. It was all I played and all I wanted to play. I remember specifically, though, a time when I was visiting a friend's house and his older brother was playing Metal Gear. We asked him to turn it off so we could play still more SMB, but he took the time to show us how to play Metal Gear, which is the more interesting game now that I look back on it.

That's the second step. Simple games are good for attracting gamers. Complex games are good for veterans. But there's very little effort on the part of the industry--or gameplayers, as proven by everyone who shows a knee-jerk reaction against games like Spice Girls--into making the connection between the two, into making sure that kids who like simple games eventually look at more complex games, and until that happens we'll have either/or arguments like yours.

welcome to thegia.com. i feel so good.

-Qlon, aka Hall of Fame Announcer Harry Carey.

Drew,

I do not understand the point/art skill of SaGa Frontier 2. When someone learns an art, that art is available for the whole party to use. However, not everyone can use it. In fact, people with higher skill levels in that art often cannot use the spell, while people with lower skill levels can. I have tried switching weapons, and this does not work either!

Then, to make matters worse, in battle, WP and SP are not expended normally. For instance, if I want to use an attack and detracts 5 SP, I use it, and it takes none at all. Sometimes it takes *some*, but not always, and rather seldom at best. The same thing happens to WP. I don't understand the method of this system at all. I have read the instructions multiple times, and am getting frustrated.

While SaGa Frontier 1 had a confusing plotline, this game is simply confusing to play. Why can't Square ever get it right. I loved the Legend Series on the gameboy, can't they just go back to that simple and easy system?

Oh, and one more thing. I can't wait for Final Fantasy IX.

~Algus

Drew,

Could you kindly tell Mr. Gilbert from yesterdays column that only I am allowed to speak of sodomizing sheep?

-Justin Freeman

Hey Drew Whaaaazzzzzzuuuuppppp!

I remember when I was in elementary school my one and only source for gaming news was Nintendo Power. To me NP was God of all gaming knowledge. Then as I grew up I started to notice that they gave every freakin game an at least fair review. Tecmo Secret of the Stars didn't get a fantastic review but it didn't get blasted like it deserved! To add it all up they sat around making fun of all other gaming systems and I mean really dumb and unnecessary low blows. Like in a year ender they were doing an "In and Out" list and they put In: Link Out: FFVII, the games are nothing alike! Link doesn't need you to make low blows to other games to get ahead! Anyways in conclusion Nintendo Power should just close down and leave reviewing up to the unbiased pros.

-Figure Four

PS: Are there any other misguided souls who once trod the path of the Nintendo Power

PPS: When's Final Fantasy Gaiden coming out?

I personally would not like to see gaming become as mainstream as say, movies or sitcoms. Mainly because many movies and almost every stupid sitcom sucks. Every so often there'll be a great movie that will be incredible, but then th director will be bought by Universal and forced to make "Home Alone 4: Who Cares?" TV shows are the same way, the only thing that sells on TV now is fat steroid driven muscle men in tights pretending to hit people, or cars actually hitting people. The only way games will ever achieve mainstream popularity is if they have lots of references to lewd acts, say the word ass, and have a plot thought up by a toddler. If large gaming companies go down this long dark path, there'll be no more start-up companies which make those ground-breaking games we love. Every game that comes out will take exactly 30 minutes to complete and will take place in a thirty something's apartment where one of the guys is gay. I like the state of the gaming industry right now, its fairly popular and good games come out all the time. I see know problem with only getting 3 final fantasy games in two years.

-FLIGHT

Am I able to find a walkthrough guide for Resident Evil Code Veronica?

Thanks

-Teresa

To Drew 'Collslaw"

The mentioning of The Spice Girls game inspired me to write this. I think there should be a game for the late Big Pun. I haven't worked out the plot, but i know it's going to have tigers and Jen Lopez's ass. I'm sure most of your readers would drop 50 bucks for that alone. but as an added bonus...how great would it be waddle around in a 750 lbs. body poppin' cops? I'd buy 5 copies of the game just out of respect. BIG PUN FOREVER!

~nick

burn 'em ladies, BURN 'EM ALL!