We're different tonight - July 21, 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. Gibson or Fender? Don't say we didn't warn you.
Prepared statement! This one from Andrea Hartmann. Pretty keen stuff.
First of all, let me start out by saying quite plainly that I love the midi format. I have a 64 bit sound card, and so often midis of game music end up sounding smoother and more pleasant than the versions on the OSTs, if in fact there is any noticeable difference at all. At the moment, I have no money to buy actual OSTs, but thanks to my wonderful sound card, the midi format, and all the talented sequencers out there, I have the entire OSTs of FFIV, FFVI, and FFVII on my hard drive, legally and taking up far less space than pirated MP3s. In fact, I have hundreds of songs that are practically indistinguishable from the MP3s, plus creative remixes and enhanced versions, and alltogether they only take up around nine megs! Hooray for the midi format!
However, having said that, let me now say this: Embedded midis on web pages are... tolerable, except for those with older browsers. Embedded midis with autostart enabled are evil. Embedded, hidden midis with autostart are on a level with Indelacio (limiter off), or Barney the Purple Dinosaur. I don't know how many web pages I've tried to go to, because they seemed to have excellent content, only to hit the Back button in horror when some lame Backstreet Boys midi came blaring out over my Sonic Youth CD. And not just because it was the Backstreet Boys -- it's just very irritating to be listening to your own music, then have something else abruptly start playing over the top of it. Even if the midi was somehow a perfect sequencing of One-Winged Angel, complete with vocals, I would not be sufficiently impressed to remain on that page, especially if I did not have the option to turn it off.
Page designers, please take note. Unless your page is specifically about music or involves music in a special way (hampsterdance.com, anyone?), people have not come to listen to your music. If you're going to promote a favorite song, please, please, please allow your visitors to choose for themselves whether they want to listen or not. Many visitors will, and those visitors will click the link or the play button. Those who don't want to deal with it will be grateful that you did not automatically blast their eardrums.
| Understanding 3-d |
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This is how I see it, NES --> SNES = 2d gameplay --> refined 2d gameplay.
N64 --> Dolphin/ Star Cube = 3d gameplay --> refined 3d gameplay.
A lot of people I know (including myself) say that the SNES is the best console ever, saying N64 games just weren't as fun as Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, or Legend of Zelda: A link to the past, and the NES games just don't compare to the SNES's library. Well... could we be seeing techniques that enhanced 2D games implemented in 3D games? With Dolphin/ Star Cube around the corner, I would like to think so, or is it going to take several platforms until Nintendo can start understanding 3D gameplay? Just my thoughts...
-David Anton
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Each system, because of its internal technical specifications, is unique, and gaming companies
do need to adjust to each, both technically and creatively. But over the lifespan of a system,
I don't think it plays that big a role. Designers are smart folks, and I don't think they'd have
much trouble adjusting to an improved system. Some systems do lend themselves to certain types of
games, for better or for worse, and that may play a role in your overall opinion of a system and
its library of games.
It is, however, an interesting theory, and a valid one. I just don't know whether or not its true.
| DQ7 popularity again |
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I can tell you exactly why Dragon Quest 7 dropped to the Number Two spot in Japan's most wanted games list. Your "correspondant" isn't telling the whole story.
It is not because Final Fantasy is more popular in Japan. Final Fantasy, quite franly, isn't more popular than Dragon Quest. (I'd go so far as saying that Dragon Quest, with all the delays of DQ7, is still more popular than Final Fantasy in Japan.) It's not because Dragon Quest isn't popular in Japan anymore. If he's trying to say that then he's obviously not very well informed.
The reason -- the only reason -- Final Fantasy 9 hit the number 1 spot in Japan is because Final Fantasy 9 was DEFINATELY going to be relased on it's release date. Dragon Quest 7 on the other hand has been delayed for over a year since it's first release date. After a year of waiting, Japanese gamers are getting cynical to any "official" release dates from Enix. (But given the mass amount of commercial air time that Enix bought recently, it's a safe bet to say that Dragon Quest 7 is going to be released "on time" for it's August 2000 release date.)
Another thing that good ol "jt" didn't mention is that Final Fantasy 9 has been delayed several times to avoid Dragon Quest 7's release date -- in fact, they moved it's release date up in order to beat out Dragon Quest 7's release in August.
Final Fantasy 9 was bounced around, not because Squaresoft needed to fix a bug, not cause they needed to burn more CDs, but only because Dragon Quest 7 was coming out at the same time.
How's that for popularity?
Squaresoft is not dumb. They know that if they release a Final Fantasy game at the same time as a Dragon Quest game there's NO WAY Final Fantasy would outsell it. That's why they were going to delay FF9 until after DQ7, that's why they sped up the release of FF9 to beat DQ7 to market (when DQ7 was delayed AGAIN).
Also, it bears mentioning that DQ7, a game that's been delayed for more than a year, is still #1 on the most wanted charts. If people are willing to wait for a full year of delays for a game, then you KNOW they want it. If they still want it so badly that it stays at the #1 spot after said year of delays, then you know they want it BADLY.
Dragon Quest 7 will shatter sales records in Japan. Of that there is no doubt. It will go to #1 and stay there for many many months. In America, we will have to wait and see.
Mark Cantrell
The Knight in Tarnished Armor
(Who noticed that a sealed copy of Dragon Warrior 4 went for over $300 on Ebay...)
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Strong words there, Mark! We can't know for sure whether or not Square played FF9's release date to
avoid to DQ7's, and I personally don't think they did. My prediction is that FF9 will outsell DQ7, though only
marginally. Of course, I could be totally wrong. What do I know? I'm a silly American.
| Erdrick got lost |
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There is a tribute or something to DQ in the first Final Fantasy. They have
Erdrick's gravestone in Molmond(?) You know, the town with the cave and the
Vampire. I swear its Molmond...anyways, I'm not sure if this was a tribute or
a jab at DQ since Erdrick IS dead. Anyways, the funny thing is I had no idea
who Erdrick was, so I was confounded by this mysterious tomb. I wonder if the
years on it mean anything?
Oh, and I'm sure you got lots of this, but you are getting a little sloppy my
friend. Grab some gatorade from some observer, splash it on your face, and
get back in gear!!!
Adam
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I do remember seeing that, and thinking to myself, "Huh." I think it was more
of a tribute than a jab, myself. But it could go either way.
Gatorade? Splashed on face? Wouldn't that be sticky? I prefer to drink my
Gatorade.
| Dancing bears |
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You know, i think i'd actually prefer an FMV of yodeling polar bears dancing
atop a table in a 7-11, myself.
~Mark
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The more I think about it, the more I like that image. If I ever come across several billion
dollars, I'll hire someone to make that for me.
| Maybe everything is a patchwork |
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In response to Phil's criticism of how FF8 was written, and how he praised
ff7 as "Solid" from start to end, he might be disheartened to know that ff7
was written in a very similar fashion. The following excerpt is taken from
Koa Magura's ff7 changes faq which is available at gamefaqs.com:
"The following has been taken from a book published by Aspect called 'Final
Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho', and here, the character designer and the story
writer of FFVII, Nomura Tetsuya quotes:
'Actually, we only had Aerith at the beginning, and Tifa did not exist. But
on a Sunday evening, I phoned the director Mr. Kitase and suggested 'Let's
kill Aerith and put in Tifa' (laughs). So now we have two heroines, and we
never had an event where one of them dies."
So, originally there was no Tifa who was (eventually) the female lead of the
game (Kind of like Rinoa, eh Phil?). Also without Aeris's death a big factor
of the last stretch of the plot was obviously not originally there (the
thing about her prayer reaching the planet and all that).
Writing a game is no different from writing for any other medium in that it
is an organic process. Things change and grow, what seemed like a good idea
one day may seem dumb the next. An idea that you've been waiting to use for
years may suddenly be perfect for the project you're working on now. So I
guess what I'm trying to say is: the writing process had nothing to do with
why Phil didn't like the game. The game is why Phil didn't like the game.
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Maybe that's why I like both FF7 and FF8 less than other games in the series? Who knows.
But, like you say, who are we to judge what works and what doesn't in terms of creativity?
Not only that, but for all we know, FF4 might have been written backwards, with Zeromus
being the first character they thought of and Cecil the last. You're right,
though. It's the finished product, not the stages inbetwee, that make a game what it is.
| Can't argue with this logic |
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Has anyone ever made an RPG that was a parody of RPGs? You know,
something like this...
"Hey, I just sold you something! Where'd it go?"
"Where'd what go?"
or...
"What are you doing in my house? Get out!"
Lunar was funny, but it wasn't a parody. Any parodies?
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In some ways, Earthbound was a bit of an RPG parody... but not a true one,
like what you describe. Something like that would be funny, I think, but
would quickly wear out its welcome, I think. It'd make a fun minigame,
or something, but a full length game? I'd tire of that, unless it were
incredibly well done.
| How to make a quick buck (or 59 cents) |
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I went to Target to buy Perfect Dark. The total came to $63.59...to make a
long story short i didn't have the 59 cents and they wouldn't give me a
break. there were 5 people standing around and non of them would give me the
money either. They could have given me 12 cents each and i would have been
able to give them change! damn tax!
BlazeFirestormer
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If I would have been in line, I'd have spotted you the 59 cents, buddy! You should have
gone out into the parking lot and just panhandled for a few minutes. Or maybe gone checking
pay phones for extra quarters left behind. You can find a lot at busy places!
| Troublemaker |
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Cowabunga AK,
I want to ask you something. What (besides internet, school, work, and
eating) are your biggest distractions from playing games?
-Scott
P.S. I think this would make a neato topic. But hey, just my own damned
opinion, Although Drew or Chris may have done this one long ago...
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Hooray! Someone that's asking me questions about myself! I just love talking about myself,
it strokes the ego. My biggest distraction these days is making music. I spend most of my free
time sitting down with a guitar, trying to write songs. I do that a lot more than play
video games, actually. I've just formed a band, and we're in
the very formative stages still (we don't even have a name yet), and I'm putting a lot of my
energy there. Scary thing is that, for lack of anyone more suitable, I'm lead singer. What's
scary about that is that I'm a terrible singer. So if any you are, or know of, a lead-singer
type of person living in Dallas, drop me a line!
Outside of music, I spend some time doing freelance writing for gaming magazines, doing laundry,
and trying to sort out girl problems while trying graduate early from college. And every now
and then, I even find a little time to sleep!
| I've been mean |
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AK
Do you hate me?
-Agent X "*crying*"
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For those of you wondering why Agent X is getting all emotional on us, it's because I haven't
printed any letters of his lately. Sorry Agent X, it's nothing personal, I just... didn't, for
some reason. I have very little rhyme or reason to what letters I post. I'm sorry you were
sad. I hope this cheers you up!
Closing Comments:
Tomorrow, being Saturday, is my normal day for letters... man! I've almost made it to the finish
line! Keep on writing letters!
-Andrew Kaufmann
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