Yo AK,

I was looking through the stuff about FFIX on your site, starting back with your total scoop of the story a year and a half before the game was released in Japan. Looking at the pics, it's obvious that it's FFIX, with the CG airship render and Vivi in them. However, there were other pictures, the blond haired boy with the sword (definately not Zidane) and the dark skinned girl. Do you or Vestal, or anyone there that's played the game know what happened to these characters and the other stuff? Were they in the game or just very early renditions of other characters?

--The Steve

I was reading one of the stories on the GIA website, and I found a little tidbit that has been gnawing away at me ever since. The line was in the story about the game that would be Rhapsody 3. It reads:

"Unfortunately, after the sales debacle Atlus experienced in localizing the first game, don't hold your breath to see the third in the series hit American shoes."

Sales debacle? Rhapsody didn't sell well? What gives? People keep whining about games like Legend of Dragoon not having innovation, but when a game comes out that actually ATTEMPTS to add something, even if it's just a gimmick, to the genre, this is the response it gets. Thousand Arms, Rhapsody, any Artdink title... these games can only aspire to become sleeper hits, IF they're lucky. But games like Spec Ops (the cheap-o title), Frogger (the Hasbro game), and anything Squaresoft sell like crack.

Kyo's letter yesterday about conformity finally prompted me to get vocal. People claim they want new stuff, they complain about unoriginal concepts, and they gripe about how the new stuff lacks that "something". It seems that's just lip service. If folks really wanted new and improved, they'd spend their money that way. It seems that for conformity's sake, old and inferior will do nicely.

-Some Random Jerk

Ok so far I love the game, hands down it is a phenominal title. The thing that is bugging me horribly as that occasionally my save games will go bad, and not becase of a memory card either. I'll start up my game and i'll load up a save either from mem card one or two (both are known to e reiliable) and it'll tell me that my save is unusable. This is really frustrating because I lost four hours of game play time and it's the second time this has happened, i'm incredibly frustrated do you have any idea what's going on?

--
Jon

"Could Square's "Fresh and Masterful" translation be turning off more people than attracting them to the game?"

Today's letter from Duncan Burris caught my eye, because I've been pondering about the accents quite a bit. I mean, they're all so very colourful, and apparently done by an accent generator for the most part (look in the back of the booklet. Some guy did the localization fluff and it also has 'English accent generator' before his name as well)... personally, I love the accents, from Harle's French stereotype to Doc's surfer dude thing.

And 'Oi!' is very fun to say out loud. *blinks*

But I digress, anyways, I think that overall, the game is just too good to worry about accents. I think I've lost sleep over it.

I wonder about the Japanese version, were there accents there? *tilt*

~nezu, and it's misspell.

AK,

I'm an African American male who when reading Duncan's letter about Chrono Cross, was reminded of the controversy over Barret's slang in FF7. Next Generation claimed that they had considered giving the game one star to penalize it for its 'horrible offense'. I'm an African American male who wonders then and wonders now what the excitement is about. Barrett and Kid are both great characters who have streaks of nobility that more than offset their use of slang. Of course, accents are rarely, if ever going to be perfect reflections of the real thing (partly because the 'real' thing is everchanging). And of course, accents might be overdone in order to enhance the comic or dramatic potential of a situation. So what? Unless one wants Square to restrict itself to worlds where all of the characters are Caucasians who speak flawless English, I suggest that people learn not to view less than accurate (or even less than flattering) portayals as malicious attacks. I personally am hoping that there will come a time when rpgs feature black villians as well as black heros (yes, there was Raijin in FF8 but he was more of a loyal friend of evil than a man dedicated to it), because I think villians are often some of the coolest characters.

- Mark

P.S. - To all the non-Chrono Cross owners reading this letter - BUY IT! Its more beautiful than Final Fantasy 8, has a translation as good as Vagrant Story's, a battle system more dynamic that Grandia's, music superior to that of the original Suikoden, a more complex story than Xenogears, and wilder and more inventive characters than anything out there.

Dear Double Agen dude,

Okay, lemme just say that I'm 14, and every time I walk into Babbages without my dad the people there get really rude. But nonetheless I bought a copy of Chrono Cross there. It keeps freezing my PS, and if I can accually make it past the intro without anything screwing up and start a new game... the stipid game starts to malfunction again. I don't want to return the damn thing, because the dudes at babbages always get snooty. Is there a chance that the problem could be my PS or is it CC??

~Heather, who really wants to play Chrono Cross....

Hey there AK,

I have always heard bout chrono cross, the older final fantasy games for the nes/snes etc, but to be honest i have NEVER played any of them, mainly cause in this backward little country of mine nobody ever eard of video games in those days unless you loadsa cash to import the bloody stuff.

Well FINALLY, about a week or so ago i had the opportunity to play Final Fantasy 3 ( the one where four kids fall down a hole, beat a monster and some crystal gives them super powers etc etc ), i'm not sure if it is 3 or whatever one it is, correct me plz. For some reason this game really pulled me in and litterally i couldn't put it down, i've scoped all the towns now, but there is this damn rock blocking the way to the southern part of the continent, help?.

Another gr8er surprise was that on saturday, i obtained my own copy of Chrono Cross, now that is one hell of a game!! i luv everythingb out it, the battle system, graphics, characters, music EVERYTHING. i know now i really missed out on a lot in those days but at least i have the joy of playing them now. I just saved princess nadia and i'm now escaping from the prison part. wish me luck, i luv these 2 games *g* :))))

cya, wouldn't wanna be ya
|SaVaGe|