So much for that theory- June 25, 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. My shoes are muddy. Don't say we didn't warn you.
To recap what happened in the previous exciting installment of Double Agent, I hypothesized that
players that had been playing RPGs since the days of Dragon Warrior I and Final Final Fantasy would
be more excited by Final Fantasy IX than those that had jumped into the series around FFVII or VIII.
My theory has proven to be correct! In some cases. And incorrect in others. Which I guess makes it
incorrect overall. Darn! So close. Back to trying to come up with an explanation for N Sync's popularity...
| Not that excited |
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I've been a fan of Final Fantasy since Christmas of 1990, but I can't say
that a return to old for FF particularly excites me. Let's be honest, here.
Final Fantasy plots were pretty infantile and sappy until FF VII came around
("All these complete strangers who banded together happened to be the
legendary Heroes of Light? *GASP*"). Furthermore, Amano's art is not only
hideous (his finished products look like runny grade school watercolors), but
redundant as well (Garnet isn't Celes? Really?). Granted, in both these
areas, FF VIII was no work of art either, but FF VII was such a masterpiece
that I'd much rather return to that.
SonicPanda, who'll probably leave FF altogether when Nobuo leaves
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Well, I have to admit that the stories weren't the most original ones to come
down the pike, but they were well presented and gave the player surprises. Games
were in a different area, and though those plots were, compared to modern plots,
childish, they're certainly a lot more advanced than "plumber saves the princess."
I'm an Amano fan. His artwork is... strange, to say the least, but I do like his
character designs. You might get some repetition, but I overall, I think he's
creative.
More telling than when you started playing RPGs is the fact that FFVII seems to be your favorite
FF, whereas it's my least favorite. I never felt like I was a part of FFVII's world, or a part
of the characters' lives. I felt like I was being shown a dark, depressing, and often boring
movie in which I ocassionally participated.
| Another person disproving my theory |
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*big foolish grin* Hi! First time writer, long time reader. (cheesy...) I
just wanna comment. Well, anyways, in the last column AK said he thought
that older gamers that started with good ole FF1 and Dragon Warrior and
whatnot are looking forward to FFIX more than the newer gamers, who got
introduced to FF with VII and VIII. Anyways, I'm one of those people (I
started with VIII, fell in love with Squall, went to VII, fell in love with
Vincent, now I'm just after the world unzipping in VI and head over heels
with Locke and Gau) and I am absolutely jumping with the thought of IX. I
mean, Zidane has a TAIL. And he's damn fine too... *blinks*
Oh yes, and as a die-hard Pumpkins fan, I give an ultra swanky thumbs up to
the thought of Uematsu and Corgan working together on a score for an RPG. XD
Back on topic, I also know plenty of people who started with the later FFs,
and even have their favourite characters picked out. (Me, I wuv wuv
Zidane...mmmmph) So yeah. That's all. :P
~nezu, the chick with the golden gun
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A chick that's turned on by guys with tails... interesting. Very intersting. Props to
being a Pumpkins fan.
| Further disagreement |
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Your hypothesis about FFIX is a total piece of bullcrap! At least for me it
is. My first Final Fantasy was FFVII. I went back and played the older
ones and loved them! I can't wait for FFIX! It looks incredible! I want
it so bad, every time I see VIVI, I have an orgasm! Is THAT good enough for
ya!?!!!
-Dr. A. Slump
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Chalk up another one against AK. Did you really enjoy that video of Vivi in the rain?
| And another |
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Dear Chris, (or whoever)
I have to say I disagree with AK's view over the excitment levels for FF9.
He said something along the lines of old schoolers loving FF9 and newbies
being turned off by it. I have to say that's wrong because...well for one
i've been playing RPG's since the Nintendo days. I still own the first Final
Fantasy game (and it still works...I think). But I am very uninterested in
Final Fantasy 9. I don't even bother to look at the screenshots, news, or
movies (well, I downloaded one video).
The things I hear most about the game are that it's, "old school" or "going
back to it's roots." How do you figure that? The game is not even close to
old school. Sure they brought back Wiz...errr, Vivi (I think that's his
name) but that's it. I may be mistaken but this game is 3-d, right? So, it's
going all the way back to 1997? FF9 is about as old school as Final Fantasy
7. Just with more of a medival theme. If Square was really going oldschool
then FF9 would be a spirte based game like the classic FFs. Am I right?
ps: I know that sounded a little mean but it isn't meant to be. I've been
reading this section for a long time...I'm lying. I've been reading it for
less then a week (but I've been coming to the site since it started).
Anyway, when I heard that I just had to respond.
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Well, when I think "old school", I don't think in terms of graphics. I don't
want FFs of the future to look like FFs of the past; I want them to feel like
them. The medieval theme is what makes it feel like an older FF to me. I'm glad
you're reading the column these days, and hope you keep reading it!
| After all of those letters disagreeing, I deserve an ego boost |
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Just wanted to tell you to keep up the fantastic job your doing over at
thegia you are on the same level of coolness as the now missing Jay
Boor.Well I'm not here to suck up so I'll get to my questions.
I already preorder Chrono Cross and have money saved up for Persona2:Eternal
Punishment, do you know of any other GOOD rpgs coming out this year?
Also what type of music do you listen to? Any favorite bands you want to
mention (besides REM).I say that little rock band called Slipknot is the
coolest thing since Rage.
ps:how many psx games do you own (I own only 16)and do you like Metal Gear
Solid.
Thanks for your time.
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Wow, that's a very, very high compliment. I much appreciate it, as I am
still a fan of Mr. Boor's. He's an editor at Gamefan these days. Haven't talked
to him in a while... hope he's doing OK.
Other good RPGs... lesse. Final Fantasy IX is set to come out this year, that's
one I'd call good. Also, assuming you're a fan of Brave Fencer Musashi type games,
Threads of Fate is coming. And if you have a Dreamcast, Skies of Arcadia. Those are
three I'm most looking forward to, not including Chrono Cross... I'm sure others have
varying opinions (that they might want to tell Chris?).
On the mainstream circuit, I adore the Smashing Pumpkins and am also listening to a lot Fastball,
Foo Fighters, Goo Goo Dolls, and Three Doors Down. If you want to venture a bit off the beaten path,
I'm liking some songs by The Get Up Kids, Jump Little Children. And if you want to travel
back in time a bit, I love the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and the Archies. There's just a few names
to look into next time you're wandering the isles of your favorite CD store.
I own about a dozen or so games. I usually sell mine when I buy new ones, simply because
I'm very low on the flow. I wish I could keep them all, though! Metal Gear Solid is very
cool, but unfortunately I haven't had much of a chance to play it. I bought it used pretty
recently, but have been way too busy to give it a try. As a whole, though, the GIA loves
the game.
| Square, are you listening? |
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AK,
Man, I've always loved Final Fantasy. Even the first one - I'd go over to my friend's house and pop it in when I got tired of FF3.
So when I hear that FFXI might be a MMORPG (massively-multi-online-role-playing game, for those of you scoring at home), I'm a bit taken back.
Why? Because I've been playing Everquest since January and am now starting to see it for its problems.
1) Customer service is almost nonexistant. Since there have been so many people who have exploited "the gods" (GMs and guides, who help you when you find a bug) for their own personal benefits, getting help from said gods is a time-consuming process. Even if you are in the right, if you do not have proof, do not expect help. It's also very hard to obtain proof with the limited tools given, so it's sort of a catch-22.
2) Nerfing is how Verant Interactive, the company that owns and runs Everquest, changes the game to fit its Vision. The Vision is how VI wants the game to turn out, and a lot of times, nerfing affects the player base in a very negative way. So, that nifty sword you got last night might not be usable by you tomorrow morning, or it might not even be there at all (which has happened, by the way).
3) Don't get me wrong on this, as there are good people playing Everquest, but there are a ton of lying, cheating, whining gamers who basically get their desires over those of us who are (somewhat) honest and fair gamers. A lot of good time gets wasted because some inconsiderate dolt comes by and steals your kill, and there is not much you can do about it.
4) Overcrowding is a big issue. The server I play on, Prexus, is one of the more crowded ones. At peak time on the weekends, I've seen over 2300 people online. This is for a game that was designed for 1500 people on each server. Of course, due to this, one gets disconnected pretty frequently, which leads to a boatload of problems.
Anyway, there are more problems with EQ, but those are the major ones, and I feel like I've been ranting too much.
If indeed FFXI turns out to be a MMORPG, I sure hope they test it thoroughly and take a lesson from Verant on what customer service is not. I'm a bit jaded in the fact that EQ is so bug-ridden, but given Square's capital and past successes, I'm thinking this next game is gonna rock no matter what.
Iskandar
P.S. - Can you imagine a fight scene in FFXI done to "Zero" with some touches of Uematsu? Man, that would own.
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Very good points you bring up about the flaws of big ole multiplayer systems. Hopefully, Square is
smart enough to study the flaws (and the upsides) of the current systems, so that they don't repeat
the same mistakes. I doubt FFXI will be perfect, but I trust that Square will make it fun. Let's
just hope they learn from others' mistakes.
Mmm... I hope the battle isn't real time, because I'd probably get up and start gettin' my
groove thing on. Or something along those lines. Man, I'm liking this Corgan/Uematsu hookup
more and more every minute. Too bad it's more likely that Uematsu and Al Gore team up to
wrestle Mr. T than Uematsu and Billy Corgan team up to write music. Ah, well.
| Vagrant Story clarifications or muddlings *spoilers* |
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Sup DA people.
"The Blood-Sin on Ashley's back burns!". just means that the Blood Sin you got in the ending of your first game is activated, so it opens doors locked with the "Rood Inverse" lock. It's like a Sigil, only permanent.
I don't think you could consider it as being again your "first time" trough the game when you play again - since there are no replay value story-wise - none of the re-explored places add anything to the story. The second, third or ninety ninth time you play, thus, is purely for gameplay, and the story shouldn't be considered.
However, if we do want to consider the Blood Sin on Ashley's back, it'd be interesting to think why doesn't Ashley just trick everyone in the game using Sidney's mind control thing. He could just get past those zombies in no time. Not to mention tricking Sidney or Guilderstern himself.
Also, Ashley didn't kill his own family. In fact, you don't really know if he killed anyone at all. Or if Tia was even his wife. Or whatever. There is no definitive "truth" on that. Everything you see, it could be either Sidney's or Rosencrantz's tricks, or it could be simply Ashley's mind trips (he DID lose his memory).
Uhh..I think that's all for today.
-gab
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Again, I wish I were more knowledgable about Vagrant Story, so that I could comment with something
more than "ok." But I can't. So, here goes: ok. Thanks for the letter!
| 40 year old punk rockers? |
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AK,
Bad Religion plays punk rock. The scary thing? All the members of the group
have ages around forty. Forty year old punk rockers! Hey, more power to them.
Also, why would you need cable to watch Conan O'Brien? NBC is a public
channel...least from what I've seen it is. Then again, I had the idea that it
might have been a submarine, so what do I know?
Jon
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40 year old punk rockers... now there's a sight I wish I had seen. Do they have tattoos and
crazy piercings and everything? That'd be awesome. Anyway, I get absolutely zero reception
here, quite possibly because I don't own an antenna. TVs don't come with them anymore, and
I've always lived with cable... so I'm just confused. I don't think I'd know what to do
with an antenna even if I had one.
| 24 just isn't enough |
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AK
Is it just me, or is there less and less time in the day to play videogames?
-Agent X "time flys when your playing games!"
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I hear that. Hear that loud and clear, man. I have next to no time to play games... and a lot of
times when I do get to play one, it's one I'm reviewing and not playing because I think it sounds
like a swell game. Ah, well. The price you have to pay to get paid to play games.
| Legend of Dragoon defender |
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How could you possibly give Legend of Dragoon a 1!?!??!?! Are you on crack?
I found nothing wrong with the graphics, the gameplay was the best out of any
RPG I've played, the plot wasn't the best, but it was still good! What's
wrong with you?
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Well, first things first, the review was written by Nich Maragos (GIA reviews are signed, so you can
give the author feedback), not myself. I haven't played Legend of Dragoon, but I doubt there's anything
wrong with Nich. In fact, I bet he hasn't done any crack in weeks. As a reviewer, we play the game
and review it based on several factors. Nich clearly explained why he felt the game was poor; whether
or not you agree is your business. I don't expect anyone to always agree with any one reviewer or
media outlet, but reviews are just that: a review. What the writer felt about the subject. Sometimes
we disagree. It happens. It's all good! If you enjoy Legend of Dragoon, more power to you.
| Famitsu scores |
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Over the past few days, the site has posted a bunch of
Weekly Famitsu game ratings. This is good, but I have
a problem- I have no idea what the scale they use is
like. Is a seven a good rating? A fair rating? How
about those silver and gold award things? If you could
explain this, it would be great. Thanks.
-Sideshow Jeff
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Famitsu grades a game from 1 to 10, with 4 different reviewers giving their score. A 7 is above average,
but nothing to be really excited about. Awards are given to games when they break a certain point
threshold for the total points given over the 4 categories. Silver games need 32 points, gold games
35 points, and platinum games 38 points.
| My single favorite album? |
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AK,
Did you know that 17 kids are killed every day? Stop the violence,
Andrew. Start with yourself. Only you can prevent forest fires.
Okay, one question; I am probably the most musically inept person you
will ever encounter, and I need your help. I've had the oddest urge to go
buy a new cd lately, but have no idea what to get. So, Andrew, I ask you,
what is your single favorite cd? You are one of very few other people I know
of who feels at all strongly about the music in games, so I'm trusting you
here. What should I buy?
Well, I'm gonna get back to FF7 now. I hate it, but I once commented
that I thought I could beat it in a day, and now I get a Lain soundtrack if I
do. Whee. Oh, and here's validating your theory, I'm very much looking
forward to FF9.
-Preparing to kick Cloud's scrawny ass, just because I can, The Neocount
of Merentha.
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Hey, there's no such thing as being musically inept! Whatever sounds good to your ear sounds good.
Some people are less familiar with various forms of music than others, but that doesn't constitute
ineptitude. It's hard to pick a single favorite album, but since you're asking me to, I'll have
to say it's R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People. But different moods call for different music.
For instance, when I want some loud rock and roll, I'd turn to Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream
or Machina/The Machines of God. Overall, though, Automatic for the People is my favorite.
Closing Comments:
Four different people said that they too had just now been informed about the Metal Gear Solid
warp thing. So don't feel alone, guys! Anyway, have a good week, take care!
-Andrew Kaufmann |
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