They're my friends. I make them. - March 30th, 2000 -
Chris Jones
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of
the participants and the moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIA. There
is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. Marcel Marceau called while
you were out, but he didn't leave a message. Don't say we didn't warn you.
I feel left out. Final Fantasy IX isn't coming out in the States until October at the
earliest, but dammit, we deserve a CG coke commercial of our own starring something other
than those damn polar bears. The Japanese game market maybe equal or bigger than the US
market, but I'm pretty sure we drink more Coke than they do, so why isn't someone trying
to target that all-important RPG-playing otaku nerd demographic? Corporate America needs
to seriously reexamine its assumptions if it thinks attractive dancing couples are going
to make me want to buy carbonated beverages. Oh well, at least another piece of the FF9
puzzle has been revealed.
| Back for a little softball |
| Yo Chris, I have a burning question that I hope you can answer: How
long is the cord to the PS2's Dual Shock controller? I hope it's longer than the PS one,
because it always seems to be too short for me.
Also, since I know that you're a Xenogears fan, I was wondering what you thought of
FFVIII overall. I thought that the story was really weak, there were too few characters
involved, the ones in it were given all the same backstory (ugh), the last two discs were
anticlimactic, and the music was weak, overall. I've found that most people who highly
regard Xenogears aren't big fans of FFVIII, although there are plenty of exceptions to
that as well.
My ears are burning,
--The Steve |
I thought I remembered reading that the DS2 did have a longer cord, but can't confirm
at the moment. However, queries are pending.
And out of the frying pan, into the fire: I thought FF8 was great. Looking back, maybe
the plot dragged a bit toward the middle but I thought the ending was very satisfying. The
music isn't as good as some of my current favorite soundtracks (Chrono Cross and FFT) but
it had it's moments. Fewer characters worked better, and while the story wasn't as
grandiose as previous FFs, I thought it was better executed. FF8 met my standards for a
Final Fantasy title, and that's what I'm looking for.
| Remember kids, buying useless junk strengthens
the economy! |
| At this point, is it worth my money to buy a PlayStation? I have the
money, but don't want to waste it. I have the time, but don't want to waste it. And I've
come to the realization that Diablo II is in fact a clever Blizzard publicity stunt and
will never actually be released, so I need some games. Which the PlayStation has. -That
guy who knocked you over in the airport with his ski bag |
At this point it probably boils down to if you have the money for a PS2 or not. If you
do, I'd say you're better off waiting and then using the PS2's backward compatibility to
play older titles in between good PS2 releases. If not, ~$100 is quite reasonable for
access to the existing PS library. And I remember you knocking me over, but don't worry,
in my pain I was befriended by some kindly Hare Krishnas, and now I seek only to chant at
you the next time you're waiting 2 hours in line at O'Hare.
| She of the Shivering Brigade |
| Well, since sending incoherent letters that have little to do with gaming
are still allowed (I'm assuming), thought I'd ask: So, do you like the Hyperion tetralogy?
I have always thought "Boy, I'd love to see a game made out of it", but it
probably would not be an RPG, and it probably would totally get butchered and otherwise
messed up. Oh, by the way, I think you're doing a great job so far, but that you're
being too nice. Sending Fluffy after someone really does not cut it (then again, I haven't
seen his/her teeth)
Princess Jemmy =) |
I think the first two books in the series are very strong, although the ending gets a
little too happy in Fall of Hyperion. The latter two are complete betrayals of everything
the first books stand for, and I don't care for them at all. On the plus side, I think a
lot of Xenogears fans would like them, no sarcasm intended. Ok, sarcasm intended. There
are elements that would translate well to a game, but lots of other stuff that wouldn't,
like The Scholar's Tale. Perhaps it's just as well as it stands.
And sadly, I must announce that Fluffy will no longer be appearing in this column. She
broke my heart and ran off with some guy with a faster car and more money. To this
indignity, I can only make one comment: THAT BITCH!
| A big letter. You knew it was coming. |
| Hey, Chris, Welcome to the job! Well, a while back I sent a letter
about this to Drew, but he, being a horrid XG hater, did not post it. Worth another try,
although of course you don't have to post this if you don't like it.
I am not going to get into a relativism debate. However, I do want to make the point
that there are different types of great art. Example: one of my favorite works of art in
the world is Thomas Mann's novella "Death in Venice." This story has a great
meaning which really resonates with my life and is beautifully explored with lovely
symbolism and near-perfect writing. On the other hand... the plot sucks. It's basically
about an old writer who wants to take a vacation, goes to Venice, falls madly in love with
a young boy, and dies of a disease sweeping through Venice. The characters suck. Their
only purpose in the story is to get the theme across; they don't have inner motivations
aside from the imperatives of this theme. Do people (aside from me) think this story is
great art? Oh, yes, definitely. Do I think this story is great art? Oh, yes, definitely.
It's fantastic. Does that mean that great art is automatically defined as being in a good
form (in this case, written well), having a deep meaning, and using symbolism well? I
don't think that follows.
Another of my favorite works of art in the world is Dave Duncan's "A Man of His
Word" quartet. The writing sucks. Insofar as I can tell, the only theme is that power
corrupts - very profound (not). But the plot is beautiful. (At least some of) the
characters are beautiful. And the storytelling itself is beautiful. I guess a lot of
people would not consider this as great art. Judging from your comments, you certainly
wouldn't. But I don't understand why different aspects of art can't be appreciated.
Maybe there are a few works out there that manage to get all of the aspects right.
Quite frankly, I have never encountered one myself, (and, yes, I've seen Citizen Kane),
but that doesn't mean they don't exist. But I think that we can acclaim works for what
they do achieve. I personally disagree with people who say that Xenogears has a deep
meaning. Obviously, it uses symbolism, but I don't think that it uses symbolism
particularly originally or well. And as much as I enjoyed the plot, it wasn't particularly
special. But for me, the characters of Xenogears are some of the most engaging I've
encountered. Not so much the "good guys," but I found the "villains"
of the piece to be truly affecting. The philosophies and psychologies that guided their
lives were, to be frank, beautiful to me. I find Miang's personality to be just as
immediately affecting to me as the theme of "Death in Venice." And quite
frankly, this achievement should not be denied its quality as art merely because Xenogears
failed in other regards. Nothing's perfect, and I think that, in general, it's about time
that critics of aesthetics stopped picking only some aspects of art as being worthwhile
criteria for judgement.
Umm... sorry about that. But this is an issue I really care about (in particular as a
humanities-oriented person who is a sf/fantasy fan and wishes that academia weren't so
against the works that she considers great art).
---Vierran of House Guaranty |
Generally speaking, I tend to agree with (and post) most of the really long
well-written letters I get. This one's no exception. No question, just about all art hits
some notes, but misses on others. I refuse to discuss Kane anymore, but basically I agree
with your statement above.
However, I stand by my argument that for games to be pointed to as art, we need
something that is, if not technically perfect, damn close. We need something that we can
shove in the faces of people who look down on games and say, "Yo, moron, check this
out!" Duke Ellington did something similar for Jazz in the 30's, and some argue that
Neil Gaiman or Art Spiegelman's Maus has done the same thing for comics. But Xenogears is
not that title. Neither is Zelda 64, Metal Gear Solid, or Final Fantasy 8, despite the
strengths of all of those works. I want a game I can get my Dad or my sister to play that
will enrapture them, that will let them see past sci-fi or fantasy trappings to the story
and art that lie beneath. And I don't have that yet.
I don't know, maybe this need for affirmation as "art" is pointless. I enjoy
Xenogears, and most of you have made it quite clear that you enjoy Xenogears, some of you
to an unhealthy extreme. Rock music seems to have gotten by quite well without being
called art, for the most part. I read quite a lot of books, or did before I took this job
over, (now I just read your emails, be happy about it) and it's always been clear to me
that games were capable as being at least as good as most of what I read, even if they
weren't there yet. But insisting that games are deserving of the same recognition as books, that that even matters, may be an elitist and insufficiently post-modern point
of view. So I put it to you, the readers - do you actually give a flying leap if what you
love counts as "art"?
| Can't Hardly Wait (please don't kill me for
using that title) |
| 1 CanT wA1t f0r pS0 -Ko0l d00d |
And we can't wait to interact with you, Ko0l d00d! Dammit, I want to be in this man's
party right now!
| Why brush your teeth? They'll just get dirty
again... |
| Why does everyone try to figure out what is the Citizen Kane of gaming?
There isn't an ultimate game or even an ultimate movie. It just isn't worth arguing over
and it isn't worth thinking about. Everyone has their own opinion on basically everthing
and that's how it's gonna be forever. Don't bother arguing because there isn't an answer
to the question. ~Elizabeth~ |
I've been asked by many readers to be more confrontational; apparently many people read
this column for the same reason others watch Jerry Springer, to see the blood fly. And
this letter begs, BEGS, to be made an example of. So I squared my shoulders, sat down at
the keyboard, and prepared to let her have it...
...only to discover I couldn't do it. It'd just be too cruel, like drop kicking a
puppy. ($10 will get you $20 that at least four people ask to see me drop kick a puppy
tomorrow.) But that ain't me, I'd rather let her figure out on her own that bitching and
whining and insisting that you and only you are right is the whole point of DA, regardless
of if you change anyone's mind or not. So run away, little one, and be thankful that you
were spared my terrible wrath. This time.
| When Harry Divorced Sally |
| Dear Sir Chris of the GIA, Oh your lordship, if I may borrow your ears
for a short amount of time. I am in need of information for an incredibly long-winded, and
hopefully earth shaking letter I'm sending to Nintendo. Your Greatness, what was the date
that Square and Nintendo went their seperate ways? Thank you ever so much, and if I may, I
hope that Nintendo comes to their senses and creates a Metroid game for the N64, thank
you, and good-day to you sire.
Your Humble Servent,
Brian W. |
I'm feeling more egalitarian today, so no more lordship stuff! And don't think calling
me that is a clever way to get yourself printed, because all it'll earn you is a knife in
the back. As for Square and Nintendo breaking up, I don't know the exact details, but the
release of Super Mario RPG, Square's last game for the SNES, seems as good a milestone as
any. And that date was (drumroll please...) May, 1996! Thank you, thank you very much!
| Why you won't have any troubles with PSO... |
| I'd just like to let you know that the way PSO would work has been sort
of explained. You simply find 3 other players to play the game with and that's it, there
won't be anyone else in the game. If you don't find anyone you can play alone and the
computer will control the other ones. I suppose that when you arrive in a town you can go
where you want to and buy stuff. I doubt there will be any text since it has an icon
system. Whatever the case, there won't be any "D00d U sX0r" stuff, and only 4
players at the same time. -Phil |
Gosh, you mean that hypothesis I pulled out nowhere after two minutes of consideration
was wrong? What were the chances?
| ...and why you will |
| Hmm. So PSO is really just a console RPG that lets three other people
play what were traditionally 'your' characters to command. You really don't actually get
to talk to each other(in a way to affect the story-line) as well? Gee...that
sounds...uh...fun.
What I'm getting at here, is where is this whole big excitement about it? If the above
description is true, what makes this PSO so different than your average console game?
Either way, I'm really not into playing MY RPGs with other people. And sure, maybe PSO
won't let the "d00dz" screw up the plot, but can you imagine what else they
could do? Let's say your in a important battle with three strangers helping you. You scan
the boss for a weakness, you tell them it's ice. The wizard of the party decides he hates
everyone and casts fire on the boss, healing it. You start yelling at him, then he casts
fire on YOU. Now, you're dead. The thing is, nobody wants to revive you because you didn't
want to 'chat' with them earlier. So, they leave you dead, kill the boss, and move on.
You, on the other hand, have to start over from scratch, jaded, and decide to be just mean
to everyone else. It creates an endless amount of 'player killers' which plague most of
the online RPGs anyway.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
-Red Raven, who dislikes Sega anyway |
Raven here reminds us of Murphy's Law as it applies to games - never underestimate the
stupidity of your fellow participants. I'm sure there'll be any number of ways complete
morons will be able to screw with your enjoyment, should they choose to. My faith in
humanity is restored, hurrah!
Closing Comments:
Housekeeping: many of you asked if me saying I was bigger than Elvis meant I was fat.
(Clever! Sarcasm!) I am 6 foot 2, but not particularly obese, so I don't know... how big
was Elvis, at the end? Feel free to send me email on that art thing, or anything else on
your mind, I'm thinking we may be more topic intensive next week. Be excellent unto each
other, and later.
-Chris Jones, feeling really mediocre at the moment |
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