Double Agent
Sit down, you're rocking the boat - April 20th, 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. A few days ago my truck mileage hit 052250, but I missed it. Don't say we didn't warn you.


Between an argument I was having with my co-workers the other day, and reading a review for the import N64 Pikachu virtual pet game, I had a startling realization: cartoons are way, way better than I was a kid. I'll admit there's a certain nostalgia for GI Joe and Transformers, but another recent debate reminded me how truly horrible He-Man was. (I don't know if it's just me, or if everybody past 22 or so turns into a Friends episode where they just sit around and talk about retro stuff.) I won't even mention the evil that was the Smurfs, or Gummi Bears.

Whereas today, I'm not ashamed to admit I think Batman Beyond is a quite watchable show - I'm sure I would have been totally floored by it as a kid. Starship Troopers and Men in Black are also not bad. And even if you hate and despise Pokemon, you've got to admit that the designs are pretty good (at least in being appealingly cute to little kids), and the plots are somewhat varied. Compared to Transformers, where every episode broke down to "Megatron comes up with sneaky new way to steal energy/destroy the Autobots but is foiled by his own greed and stupidity", Pokemon is freakin' Shakespeare.

No point to any of this, I'm just filling space. Which I've done, so onward!

Who would want to watch TV instead of the PS2?
Chris,

You have the wit and writing ability of Allan and the style of Thor. Keep up the good work and let's hope you stay for a bit longer than they did.

You're full of crap, but I appreciate the compliment.

Anywho, I do not believe that a tv-using console system will replace the PC. While these new ubersystems may completely eat up the PC's game market, the fact that a PC can constantly improve (not just processor speed, but maybe new peripherals like the printer and scanner were, or crazy new software) will allow it to always offer just a little bit more. Also, what if someone else in your family wants to use the tv? I really wouldn't feel like lugging the PS2 around to another one. Finally, I think typing out a term paper on a low res tv (compared to a monitor) with a keyboard on my lap or something to that extent would be just completely uncomfortable.

Peace out,
Darian Knight

P.S. I know this is a loaded question, but it might be a good column topic. Which PSX Final Fantasy game did you enjoy more, 7 or 8? Notice I did not ask which is the best, which is completely subjective. Because although I realized that 8 was technically a better game, the story did not pull me in like 7's, and I ultimately stopped playing it.

While it's true a PC is more upgradeable than a PC, it's also much more expensive. I'll admit it, I'm a console gamer because I'd rather spend $300 on a system instead of $3000, as much as anything. As for multiple people, these days a PS2 plus a decent (not great) TV to hook it to still costs less than a computer. Or just have them watch on the second TV. You have a point that a TV might not be ideal for writing a term paper, tho.

I enjoyed the heck out of both FF7 and 8. Really, they both met every expectation I had for a Final Fantasy, although I will admit I'd rather play lots of Triple Triad than race chocobos ad nauseaum. Beyond that, it's a little hard for me to compare the two, because they had different aims as games - FF7 was a prototype RPG on the Playstation, where Square got a feel for what it could do, and FF8 was an experimental piece, where Square got a feel for what it could change. If the PSX FFs follow the same pattern as the SNES FFs (prototype, experiment, masterpiece) FF9 could be very, very good.

Yes, I know we always talk about Final Fantasy, but too much is never enough.

Antici..................pation
Metal Gear Solid 2 at E3... Argh! Will May 12th EVER COME!?! Why can't I go to E3? Oh, the torture of it all...

-CTZanderman, entering his stasis pod only to emerge on May 12th

I sympathize, but at this point we don't even know what system it'll come out on - it could be Game Boy Advance, which would be interesting but not all that earthshaking. And even if it did come out on PS2...

*Chris imagines MGS2 on PS2 and experiences deadlock, as all available computational cycles are used to imagine Solid Snake breaking necks in a photorealistic world*

*kill proc*

Er, yes, as I was saying, even if it did come out on PS2...

*Chris returns to deadlock*

*kill and block proc*

even if it did come out on... that system... it'd still be months before we could play it. So you're better off keeping it out of your head, believe me.

I don't buy my worms in cans. Freeze-dried only.
Hmmm, what a can of worms to open. I'm pretty heavily into both console games and PC games, but I have to say, I prefer console games for various reasons. Some I overcome for the odd game of StarCraft, but others can just be too much for me to enjoy even the best PC games.

My problem with PC games is a lot of the newer ones seem to be either a really complicated engine wrapped around a little game to sell it, or a lot of time spent on intricate but aimless level design that shows off the engine's different aspects, and flashy graphics to make a company's $$60,000,000,000 licensing fee for said engine seem worthwhile. As a result, single-player games tend to suffer, and while I play the hell out of the first Quake, StarCraft, and Unreal Tournament, it's never in single-player mode. This is a gross overgeneralization, which I'm aware of, but the fact is a great deal of the top sellers in the PC market are not primarily meant to be played in single-player mode. I enjoy kicking my brother's ass 60 to 7 in Quakeworld, but sometimes I want to see a decent story. I've played the PC games people tend to cite as breaking this trend, but honestly haven't been impressed on the level that, say, Metal Gear Solid's plot affected me. It's not just a plot thing, either -- StarCraft just isn't as fun to play single-player as, say, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I'm really not sure why. And as for multiplayer? I like online play, but sometimes it's just more fun to play Power Stone in a room full of real -live- idiots, rather than those who spout "bAnAnAmAn: hehe eat it" from Ohio.

Two last minor things: I know I'm not the only one who has a hard time sitting down where I work to kick back and relax. Keyboards were -not- meant for gaming, and the best game pad I've ever used on the PC was a NES controller, soldered to a joystick adapter. And when it comes down to it, those game design differences can be a bit much; when I want to play my favorite genres on the PC, namely fighters, Mega Man-style side-scrollers, and 1942-style shooters, my best bet tends to be snes9x.

I could draw this to a coherent close, but I've drawn this out far enough as it is, so... Zoi.

--
Andrew Procter

I agree with you about the PC not being as satisfying as a console, but I'm still not sure why. From what I've seen of Starcraft, the FMV is at least as good as FF8, if told from a somewhat different perspective. ("Kill it!" Heh.) Perhaps it's just that I'm more used to seeing dramatics on my television from programs and movies, and I tend to go into the same receptive mindset when I'm playing a PS game. The same might not be true of the PC.

Online play isn't nearly as fun as a 4 player game on a console, either, even on a LAN with microphone support. Though this might have something to do with the fact that PC games tend to take advantage that things can be hidden on different screens, which tends to lend a more strategic aspect to games, whereas everything's out in the open on a TV.

I have PC playing friends who would fight you over that keyboard comment, but since you like side scrollers and fighters as opposed to shooters and RTS games, maybe you're just a console guy at heart.

Do you print empty e-mails with only really really long boring subjects that say dumb things like "Microsoft Rules! Long live the X-Box!" and "Consoles suck, PCs rock!"

Apparently I do. Who knew?

And you forgot a question mark at the end, genius.

's wonderful, 's marvelous, 's Krusty
Hi. You've probably got tons of other stuff to read and sift through, so I'm going to be nice and make it short and sweet. In an old issue of Nintendo Power (I think Feb '97), I remember reading that there was this Super Famicom RPG coming out in Japan called Marvelous: Another Island Adventure. It looked interesting and very similar to EarthBound with its modern-day setting and characters. After that six page preview, I never heard anything else. I've tired looking for a ROM, but no one knows what I'm talking about. Do you know anything about this game? Was it canceled or something? Did its title get changed?

Thanks for your time,

~ Stefanie ~

I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it, but Marvelous: Mouhitotsu no Takarajima was a Super Famicom only release in '96. The game looks a little more action/adventure than RPG though. Surprisingly enough, Gamefaqs has no information other than publication data. All I could find was a review of the game here. If you really want to play it, importing the actual cart may be your best bet.

round and round and round
I don't have a lot of video game soundtracks, but I do have a number of albums based on video game soundtracks.

The problem with a lot of these albums is the conversion of a repeating jingle into a proper musical piece with beginning, middle, and ending.

My favorites are Creid(which I like better than Xenogears, the game it's based on), Final Fantasy Pray, and Secret of Mana+. I found Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec to be dissapointing - the best tracks are the ones taken straight from the game(i.e. Liberi Fatali and the Ending), and the orchestral versions of game music didn't sound as good as the originals.

-Sanagi

PS Watched Gundam Wing yet? I can't believe I heard animated characters use phrases like "consciousness expansion" and "the god of death is back from hell!" on American television. Now if we could get Cartoon Network to show Lain...

You may have a point. I don't have that many arranged albums, but the regular OSTs that I really like have a lot of songs that I could potentially listen to in an endless cycle, like FFT, or have tracks that are set up more along the lines of real songs, like Chrono Cross.

I've seen a bit of Gundam Wing, and it looks about as good as can be expected for a non-NGE giant robot anime. Not a lot more to say beyond that.

Polygons could kill you and your entire family while you sleep
Yes theoretically the PS2 can launch missiles. The PS2 could also control the moon landing. The fact is the prohibiting factor against the PS2 being used as a missile guidance system are 1) No terrorists have a PS2 dev kit (at least I hope not). 2) There are much better solutions for making a missile guidance system (such as a Power Mac G4 with much more versatility and more available dev software). 3) really most PCs now can be converted into missile guidance systems, it is just that if a system can handle more that a gigaflop, it is classified as a "Super" computer. They really need to change this so that a Super computer is like 10 Gigaflops or 50 (or when they achieve it a teraflop).

--
BeerGoggles_FromMARS
Daniel Kaszor

I guess the real question is if systems should be classified as supercomputers based on their relative power, or if they should be classified based on if they can do certain tasks or not. Obviously I feel government should go with the relative standard, but not just so I can have the latest and greatest computer hardware.

As technology gets more powerful, people will inevitably gain the ability to do potentially dangerous things, but you've got to have faith that they won't. After all, you can buy a powerful explosive in any neighborhood in the country, (gasoline) but by and large people aren't blowing things up. You can make chlorine gas with nothing but water, table salt and a lot of electricity, but people generally aren't gassing each other in the streets either. Just keep that groove tech comin', and things will be OK.

Probably.

Like yin and yang
Chris

Whenever I see a debate about a PC or a console being better for games, the argument usually centers around specs and polygons, but I think both will be around for a long time because technology is not what sets them apart. The main difference is just as simple as the interface. Each can generally do different genres better than the other. There is no better way (IMO) to control a FPS than a mouse and keboard. Sure Goldeneye was great, but it was the latency free, sittin next to your buddy multi-player that made that game so great. Also Half-Life at 1024x768 is just more enjoyable than at 640x480. There is just more detail. Age of Empires would be almost tedious without a mouse. Anybody that played the palystaion version of Rainbow Six can tell you why a lot of buttons are needed for some games. HDTV will eventually help resolutions out, but until somebody creates a mouse and keyboard that feels natural when I'm sitting on a couch, I'll still want my PC for certain games.

On the other side are sports, fighting, and platform games. Go drag out your old copy of Mario 3 for your Nintendo. You might still get some enjoyment out of it. Now download the ROM and play it. Even though current emulators can almost mimmick a NES almost exactly, it's just not as fun. Same thing for SNES Mario Kart. Games like those need the more natural feeling controls of a console so you can focus more on the game than controling it. Even a PC gamepad doesn't have the same feel. It's hard to kick back and just play at a computer desk even with a cushy executive chair.

RPGs are probably the on genre that can be done on a PC or a console. There are definite style differences between console RPGs and PC RPGs though. I have yet to see a console game as open ended and non-linear as some of the D&D licsensed PC RPGs. They don't translate very well either. FFVIIPC anyone? If the interface had been completely redone with graphical menus and a point and click selection or more logical button choices (ie hit enter to select the menu choice rather than whatever button was chose to be the same thing as the PS X button,) and with better debugging, it could have been just as great of a game on the PC.

Everything I have mentioned above does have a solution, although I'm not sure what some of them are, and until somebody figures them out and starts using them, I'll just buy both my PC and my console games.

Gargen

You're dead on with your comments, and I can't think of anything to refute your arguments. So I'll leave that up to the readers tomorrow.

Closing Comments:

Well, you heard me - get to it. Figure out if there's any potential setup that could be comfortable for playing console and PC games, or give me some more X-Box goodness. Even stuff on soundtracks is cool. I'll be waiting.

-Chris Jones, only 1100 miles from the next numeric palindrome

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