I hope Santa doesn't get mad - June 24, 2000 -
Andrew Kaufmann
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. 7-Up or Sprite? Don't say we didn't warn you.
I must say that I am rather disappointed that Chris mispelled the Smashing Pumpkins' lead
singer's name. He turned Mr. Billy Corgan into Billy Corrigan. An honest mistake, though.
I'm glad there are other RPG fanatics / Smashing Pumpkins fans, like John Brandon. Hooray.
Also, the thought of Nobuo Uematsu and Billy Corgan combining their talents gives me the
tingles. That is such a cool thought. I can picture some amazing battle themes. Mmm...
| Vagrant Story details *spoilers* |
|
Hey, AK,
I realize that Chris is off duty today, seeing as how it's the weekend and
all, but I thought I should give an alternative to the explanation of the VS
battle system that he gave.
Basically what Chris said is correct, but there is a much easier way of
dealing with the battle system and it's timing quirks (well, if you have
good reflexes and are used to dancing games). As you swing your chosen
weapon, simply wait for the big red exclamation point that pops over
Ashley's head and hit the designated button for the chain skill you wish to
use. As your Risk builds, however, it becomes increasingly harder to put the
button presses in sync with the exclamation point as it pops up quicker and
quicker as you try to chain more moves. Trust me, it's a whole lot easier
than just trying to fight by watching how the weapon connects. I think you
have to switch on the "Battle Indicator" in the options section of the menu,
though.
Something odd I noticed about the second time you play through Vagrant Story
(which is still technically the first time, since it's the exact same story
and all the chests have the same weapons and items as before):
at certain points, when Ashley tries to enter rooms he couldn't in the first
time through, it says, and I quote, "The Blood-Sin on Ashley's back burns!".
Now, if this is still technically the first time you played through the
game, then why does Ashley already have a Blood-Sin on his back? As some
other people have mentioned, at one point in the game Guildenstern mentions
that the Blood-Sin was originally used as a sign that branded people as
criminals and vagrants and Ashley could very well be someone branded with
that symbol since he killed his own family (supposedly). Damnit, this is
starting to make my head hurt.
BTW, the dancer in the opening video is indeed Mullenkamp. You get an
accessory called the Beaded Anklet. The explanation given to the Beaded
Anklet is that it was "worn by Mullenkamp, a dancer, and head priestess of
ancient Kiltia". Also, during the credits it lists a young woman as doing
the motion capturing for Mullenkamp. Personally, I'd love to see the sequel
set in Mullenkamp's time, where you are a citizen of ancient Kiltia. I can
imagine fighting badass disciples of Mullenkamp, similar to Sydney, and then
even taking on the high priestess herself. Or maybe continuing where the
first left off in Callos' shoes, hunting down Ashley. Even a Vagrant Story
Gaiden where take control of Tieger and try to find your way out of the
destroyed Lea Monde would be pretty cool. After escaping, you could team-up
with Neesa and attempt to find Callos and Ashley (co-op play sounds damn
fun). The way Square left the ending so really opens up the possibilities
for a more varied sequel.
~ MF
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I'm no Vagrant Story whiz; in fact, I have yet to even come close to finishing it. I think
I'm at 32% of the map, or something about that. So I'll just let your letter stand on its
own. I will say, though, that I find the timing of attacks easy; it's the darn affinities
I have trouble with.
| Two's a company, 3000's a crowd |
|
Hey Andrew,
I was reading over at videogames.com that Final Fantasy XI is going to be pretty massively mutliplayer. They said that the game is going to support up to 3000 participants. Am I the only who`s worried that even Square might not be able to pull this one off? Call me short-sighted, but I don`t think that there`s any way that they`re going to be able to create an engaging story that will persist in the presence of 3000 gamers. I understand that Square is calling it Final Fantasy to cash in on name-recognition, but this might be one case where it`s really not justified at all. At least all the other FFs had the commonality of being story-intensive.
As far as gaming blunders go, I played through the whole of Metal Gear Solid without realising that you could use the boxes to warp around the place. You should have heard me cursing when I realised that I had to go back to a previous building.
Alex
P.S. Did you see Bad Religion on the Late Late Show last night? Those guys rock!
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3000 players per server is definitely very multiplayer. How exactly Square plans to work this out
without becoming an Everquest clone is anybody's guess, but I'm going to have to admit to holding out
faith in Square. They've done too many great things with the Final Fantasy series to make a huge
blunder. I have a feeling FFXI will be either massively popular, or a dismal failure, and nothing
inbetween. I hope for the former, because that's a likely indication of a solid game.
Very impressive blunder. I feel your frustration. And no, I didn't catch them... I usually
steer my TV toward Conan O'Brien, when I can (I don't have cable right now, reception is
spotty). What of tunes do those cats play?
| As long as we're on the band subject... |
|
AK
We all know that you're a man who loves his music so might I suggest a band
for you. Neutral Milk Hotel. Never heard of it? Don't feel bad I don't
think anyone has. I'm listening to their second cd "In the Aeroplane over
the Sea" and I love it beyond words. They sound like a dark They Might Be
Giants. Trust me pick up the cd but be for warned the cd only has the band
name on the side and no where on the case does it say "In the Aeroplane Over
the Sea" nor does it have any info just a picture, trippy ain't it.
-Figure Four
PS: this isn't that stupid but when I was playing Final Fantasy 3 (my first
FF) it took me about five hours to realize that you could save on the world
map. Whoops.
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You caught me red-handed, I'm not familiar with Neutral Milk Hotel. But I'm having
trouble coming up with a mental image of a dark They Might Be Giants. That's like a
happy go lucky Nine Inch Nails. Next time I meander into the local CD store, though,
I'll pop one of those CDs into their player and see if it strikes my fancy.
| Sometimes life isn't fair |
|
I've never tried to have my say in the DA column before, but today I *finally* bought Vagrant Story. I was impressed by the introduction, pleased with my first taste of the gameplay, and hooked by the time I learned my first chain attack.
A few minutes ago, my Playstation died.
--Very depressed.
|
I think you have the right to be depressed. Maybe your Playstation is tired. Let it rest,
then try again. If that doesn't work, I suggest finding a large weapon to attack it with.
| Wow |
|
Dear Agent man:
After digging though my gaming history, I came apon my Biggest gaming mistake....even bigger then my SMB stupidity. I was shocked, and horrified when I remembered this. Prepare yourselves.
I bought a Virtual boy....when it was still $179!!!!!!
Hows that for stupid?
-Antimatter
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Wow. I think you just might deserve the dumbest gamer award, but it's such a low honor that it's
too much effort to make an actual little graphic for. So let's make a little ASCII one instead!
+------------------+
| World's dumbest |
| :( gamer :( |
+------------------+
| One oops per Double Agent |
|
AK, I thought better of you! You don't fight Milon in the Tower of Bab-il, you fight him in the Giant of Bab-il. Shame on you.
And who is this Billy Corrigan CJ speaks of? Did he replace Billy Corgan as the lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins or something? I must have missed that one.
~thendcomes
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Doh. I goofed. I got my Bab-ils confused. It was an honest mistake! If yall forgive me for that
boo-boo, I'll forgive CJ for biffing on Billy Corgan's name.
| Chris is a wily one |
|
GaaAhhh!!!! Chris outsmarted me??? How is that possible??? (checks submission) Oh, yeah. I wrote that around 10 AM...heh heh... that's something that'll never ever happen again... Nope, couldn't possibly be the result of subliminal messages......huh...what the hell was I saying again???
Just read the latest about FFIX. Weirdly enough, I'm nowhere near being excited about FFIX yet. Wonder if it is the lack of advertising so far, or whether it's that Chrono Cross is just around the corner, and there's at least 6 other titles I'd love to have enough time to play??? Square, why did you have to go and cause the market for RPGs to be that flush???
Princess Jemmy, really needs to take a nap now...
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10:00? AM? That's practically the middle of the night! What in the world were you doing up so early?
But, Chris did outsmart you... so I might have to cash in my "One Free Blonde Joke" coupon. Just kidding.
I don't know if you're a blonde or not! OK, that was mean to all you blondes. I apologize.
I think different groups are showing different levels of excitement for FFIX. Gamers that started playing
RPGs around the time of Dragon Warrior and the first FF seem to be, for the most part, shaking with
excitement about FFIX (including myself). Newer gamers, such as ones that started with Final Fantasy VII
or VIII, seem to be a bit less excited. I have very little proof of this, but it's my hypothesis. Feel
free to prove me wrong (or right).
| The easiest question I've ever been asked, though many have asked it |
|
Hello AK,
This is my first time writing to a letter columnist, so forgive me if I'm
doing something wrong here.
First of all, what are the guidelines for sending in a letter? Perhaps
I'm just ignorant and lazy, and not looking very well, but I'm just
wondering. I don't want to make any mistakes I'm making right now again.
Secondly, what aspects of an RPG do you tend to focus on primarily? I
find that many people seem to put gameplay first, but maybe I'm just not
asking the right people. Does my mom count?
Lastly, I'm probably way behind with this....but I was thinking of stupid
things I've done in RPGs, and came up with something. In Final Fantasy
Tactics, you know how you have to press R1 and L1 to access the other units
in the battle setup screen? Well, the copy I rented back then didn't have a
manual, so I didn't know you had to do that. Needless to say, the first
chapter was quite a doozy with only 3 members. You should have seen me. I
was throwing stones all the time.
~BG
P.S.: Congratulations on getting that FFXIV review thingy. Hey, Chris told
me to say it. *shrug*
|
First things first, kick off your shoes and relax. I run a loose ship around here, just
trying to have a good time. I don't have any guidelines for getting a letter printed. I just
more or less go with the flow. Sometimes, a really well written letter will get overlooked
because it's boring and uninteresting while a really stupid letter gets printed because I think
it'd be worth a chuckle. If your letter isn't printed, it's never anything personal, or that I
think your letter is worthless and dumb. It's just that it didn't fit into what I was going for
that particular evening. Try again next time. Also, it never hurts to stroke my ego. I am very
self-centered, and enjoy being complimented. Keep this in mind.
This is for weekends. Weekdays, Chris does his own thing, and I'll let him speak for himself
as for what he likes in a letter. But me, just whatever. It's all about entertainment.
For me, the most important aspect of an RPG is the plot. A game with a great battle system
but an insipid plot will bore me pretty quickly. On the other hand, if a game has a great plot,
I'll put up with a lot of annoying battles to get to the next plot point. I also just adore a
great soundtrack. An average scene can be turned into an epic and memorable one if the music
is just right. To me, soundtrack quality isn't all about the particular flavor of the compositions,
but how the music fits the scene it's attached to.
Sticks and stones may break enemies' bones? Oh yeah, thanks for the congrats! Expect a great
review a few years from now.
| I worry, too |
|
Chris is turned on by Martha Stewart. I think we should find him a twelve
step program or something. The man needs serious help.
Jon
|
Dude, I'm totally with you. And he said yesterday that he wonders if I'm totally here... wow.
Talk about the kettle calling the pot black, or however that useless saying goes. I must admit,
though, that she does have some amazing interior design tips... and her cooking tips are great...
mmm... good food... hmm... maybe she's not so bad... after... all...
| Another letter from Jon |
|
One more letter from me...Looking at one of the new FF IX screenshots, I
noticed one that looked as if the observer was looking through a periscope.
Now, my question is this: Is that ship a submarine or an airship? I'm leaning
towards it being an airship, but if it's a submarine, what the hell are those
chocobos doing underwater?
Jon
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First off, as a reference point, Jon is talking about http://www.thegia.com/psx/ff9/media13/ff9_14.jpg.
I am confident in saying that's an airship. There appear to be hazy clouds slightly obscuring the features
of the ground, which seem to include a river, a forest, and some mountains.
| Give the man props for recognizing quality |
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Please tell me why the The Gia consistently has the best letters column?
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Dude, the same reason I feel The GIA is the #1 Internet gaming site: because we just care. I want
to do a good job with letters, as does Chris, and everyone else on the site does their thing to make
us shine. We all have egos, but we keep them in check (myself excluded), and work together to try
to bring you guys, the gorgeous readers, the best game coverage we can. From letters to news to reviews,
we try to be the best.
| Reason #4124 some people need a hobby |
|
Guess what AK
Chris had the colum up at 11:47 last night
I dare you to do better.
If you win I'll send you a beer
If i win I get to pay a guy to kick you in the balls
Ps what is your address. Either way, i need to know
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Hmm... it's 4:08. I guess I lose. Send the prize to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC. When security
asks who you want to see, just say "Bill."
| ... a few hours later ... |
|
Guess what AK.
YOU LOST. By the time you wake up in the afternoon you will find your self
with a few damaged goods and most of your valuables (I.E. games) stolen.
sleep with one eye open tonight
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I'm not worried. Security is tight around here. I have a hellicopter hovering the building, and snipers
on the roof next door. Oh yeah, my address is actually 1 North Pole Ave, North Pole. Ask for Santa.
| ... and a bit later ... |
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I'm just a big barrel of impatience, aren't I ak
I have nothing to do but watch Comidy Central (Scifi nolonger plays anime)
and wait for you to put up the new colum.
Comidy central is starting to suck so I'm going to bead
Donald, writer of all of those other letters you got tonight
Ps written time=2:51
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Aww, now I'm feeling guilty. I'm sorry that I'm depriving you of your entertainment. I still suggest
finding a hobby, though. Have you tried collecting stamps? What about nuclear physics?
Closing Comments:
Keep sending letters!
-Andrew Kaufmann |
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