Sometimes you just go with the flow - October 14, 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. Computer organization isn't hard... you
put the CPU on the motherboard, and the motherboard in the case... Don't say we didn't warn you.
I'm on fall break, so I figured I'd take 3 minutes of my life to see how the letters column
is at another RPG site, one that I was a founder of, actually.
Wow.
Their letters columnists are the perfect example of why you should not hand control of a forum
to an idiot. I read a couple of weekday columns, including one where the letter columnist brings
as a guest host HIMSELF. I mean, I have a massive ego, but at least I don't invite myself as a
guest host to my own column.
Now, no, this didn't do anything to me, so if you feel my attacking their letters column is
out of line, then that's fine. It probably is out of line, and if you think so, I apologize.
But MAN those writers have an incredible opportunity, being given control of a large forum
for no reason other than being in the right place at the right time, and they use it as their
personal space to whine and moan about not getting the kind of letters they want. Cry me a river.
It looks to me like they think they're doing the world a favor by answering letters, and if people
don't do it to their exact specifications, then they just don't want to play that game anymore.
I used to think I was "above" trash talking and name calling, but sometimes you want to take a load
off, you know? I'm far from perfect, so feel free to retaliate, sirs at other site. And by the way,
what's up with those really irritating graphic signatures? Does anybody think those are cool? I
don't get it. And the design is befuddling too. What's up with the massive white space between
their intro and the letters? It's like, hey, one day we might have something to say in an intro
(not that I ever do), so we'd better leave a HUGE amount of space for it!
Wow. I intended to end this rant about 3 paragraphs ago, but it's so much fun I just can't stop.
I'll try to control myself though, since it's very unprofessional and probably downright rude.
Maybe I feel like I have the right to be critical, since it was my idea for that site to have
a letters column in the first place. Maybe that's what makes me all the more bitter.
The more I think about it, the more I think how unprofessional this is. But, remember the
disclaimer! We all see it so often that we overlook it, but there it is at the top of this
page. Everything here is my thoughts, not the GIA's. So, like, if you think I'm being
a stupid jerk, hey, let me know. I might even print your letter. I don't mind criticism.
| It's Greek to me |
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Aaaahhhh!!!!
This is driving me nuts!
Does anybody know if Fithos, Lusec, Wecos, Vinosec has a translation? And if it does, what is it? I checked Italian, French, Spanish, and even German (on the off chance). I haven't been able to try Latin, which is pretty likely, or Japanese, which is quite possible but doesn't seem right.
Help!
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The words aren't in any language, but that doesn't mean they're not meaningful. Rearrange the letters,
and you spell "SUCCESSION OF WITCHES". But that leaves four letters... L O V E. Pretty neat, eh?
| Two part letters confuse me |
|
Hey AK! Can you please tell me what the whole deal with that Rinoa picture
on the main page was? I didn't have access to my computer for a week and
when I came back, I saw a letter in Double Agent about how people were
emailing the staff like crazy about it... what was it?
Anyway thanks if you answer that... and if you don't, well, at least maybe
you will print this next part in the Saturday column.
------------------------------------
Could Nintendo possibly be up to something new and exciting with Gamecube? A
while back I heard Yamauchi-san talking about how developers that make
sequels have no ideas and no innovation... many would completely write this
off as one of the most hypocritical statements ever, but could it be a clue
as to what's to come from Nintendo in the future?
The Gamecube demos looked very impressive, but they were just demos. When
interviewed, Miyamoto-san says that Mario and Zelda are not confirmed as
in-development for Gamecube... he said that those were just demos put
together specifically as demos, not footage of games in development. About
the only truly confirmed titles for Gamecube are two original games:
Thornado and Too Human.
Yamauchi criticizes developers that rely on franchises and sequels...
Miyamoto won't confirm Mario or Zelda, even though demo footage was shown.
Could Nintendo possibly have plans to re-invent themselves as a totally new,
original company?
Probably not... but it's an interesting theory. Think about it. Perhaps
Nintendo realizes that they will always be #2 unless they try to
revolutionize themselves.
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That Rinoa is a Cosplay girl, I believe. You can find the picture here. Now, my understanding
of Cosplay girls is that, like clowns and strippers in America, are paid to show
up at parties. Sounds sketchy to me.
As for the other part of your letter, I think creative success comes from both
pleasing audiences with good sequels and even better originals. No one says that
sequels have to be braindead attempts at economic success (even though Pokemon
games tend to be that, if you ask me), but they can be good ways to get people to
a new system. People aren't going to buy a new system to try out an unknown title,
but if they got the system for the latest Mario game, then they're likely to try
another title since they have the system.
When the SNES came out, Final Fantasy II, Super Mario World came out, and A Link to
the Past came out soon after, which got people onto the system. Once they were there,
Nintendo was able to convince people to get other good, though unknown, games such as
F Zero. I'd predict the same thing happening on the Gamecube.
| His backside |
|
Oh suuuuuure, Chris'll answer questions about Sydney's lack of nipples in
Vagrant Story, but he won't TOUCH the fact that Ashley's bare ass can be seen
THE ENTIRE GAME. I ask you, WHY IS his ass hanging out?
I see how it works 'round here...
-Dibo (not sure if he's distrubed more by the fact that there's constant
ass-age in Vagrant Story, or the fact that he's hung up on it)
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I was rather bothered by his tooshie showing up as often as it did myself. I tried
to convince myself that it was just flesh colored pants, but it didn't work. It's
his rear. I can't figure out why Square decided to feature it so. Maybe it has something
to do with his name being Ashley. I know there are a lot of male Ashleys out there, but
I insist that it's a girl's name.
| Sci-fi? Fantasy? Again? |
|
There was an article in your column that stated "Persona 2" would probably
be a sleeper hit in a niche market. Let me say something straight off the
bat.
Even die-hard US fans of the original are going to be totally confused by
Eternal Punishment's plot, which is the successor to "Persona 2: Innocent
Sin."
The game is rife with references to the original, with subtleties like:
"You've got to forget about what happened *back then*..." or "It's because
of what happened *on the other side* that these problems have arisen once
again."
At one point, the player is given the option to mention an event that
happened at the end of Innocent Sin, while the US player won't have a clue
what the game is referring to... "What do they mean, 'back at the train
station'?"
I feel that the confusion that Atlus is causing by not releasing Innocent
Sin, paired with the fact that they are releasing it at such an
inappropriate time-frame, could turn Persona from being a "sleeper hit" into
an absolute failure...
And this is coming from an avid Atlus follower, here.
I know that Atlus claims that if EP sells well enough, they'll release
Innocent Sin, but given the competition during the period of the game's
release, the confusing nature of the game, and
the "step backwards" from EP to IS, Innocent Sin's grave is already dug out
and the tombstone has been etched.
It's a sad, sad time from Megami Tensei fans in the US.
-Tom
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The strategy, as you describe it, is backwards. I won't be losing any sleep over it,
as I didn't find the original Persona: Revelations to be particularly enjoyable, but
I know a lot of people that love it. Square was able to get away with not releasing
their games in order because the games are unrelated. But skipping a step in a storyline
doesn't make much sense. They may be shooting themselves in the foot on this one.
| Square teams |
|
Yo AK,
As each new Square game comes out, everyone holds it up to their favorite
game, and there is invariably some aspect that isn't as good as a previous
game. I got to thinking and realized that Square games all depend on the
team.
First there's the Chrono/Xeno team. Each of their games seems to feature a
story that is full of ideas and confusing info. Also, the PSX games they've
made have each been called incomplete, with accusations that the second disc
was rushed. They usually have very good music and good graphics, usually on
the cutting edge. The battle system is usually not immensely complex and
stresses fun over tons of level building.
Then there's the FF:Tactics team. Their games feature very intricate and
interesting stories, usually involving religion. The system they use is very
different each time and takes a long time to understand. Once understood,
however, they game is usually very rewarding.
Finally, there's the Final Fantasy team. They feature leading graphics and a
system that is usually easy to get into, but can lead into deep
customization. As of late, the music hasn't progressed as far as the
graphics, possibly to change on the PS2. They are the most mainstream game
in that they cater to popular topics and don't reach as deep or symbolically
as other games.
There are of course other teams, for games like Legend of Mana and Dewprism,
but I don't have as much experience with them. Now if only these teams would
unite to create a super game...
--The Steve
|
It would be nice, wouldn't it? But I think the Final Fantasy team is a bit of
a "dream team"... and I love the stuff they put out. I may be critical of the
newer Final Fantasies, but they're still extremely high quality. And I still think
Nobuo Uematsu is the best in the business, even though VII and VIII didn't impress me
that much.
I'm not sure exactly how much teams shuffle, but maybe a bit of shuffling would be
helpful. Hard to say without knowing exactly how the internals of the company work.
But all that having been said, I'd put my money on any of those teams making a rockin'
game.
| This could get ugly |
|
AK
Drew was wrong. It was me that disputed his claim that the FF movie would
get a new name, not Chris. Of course, there's no way in hell I can just
leave it at that, now can I? I originally said that I didn't think Square
would ever take the "Final Fantasy" out of the title. And now? Final
Fantasy still remains in the title. You can't get me that easy Cosner!
Back in your cage!
Justin Freeman
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Uh-oh... I see some dispute. I don't remember who said it first, all I know
is that I'm far too lazy to look into the archives for the truth. Let's call
it a draw, howsabouts?
| An amazing discovery |
|
Do you know what I just realised? You guys don't cover PC games. If
you did I could probably cut my daily internet time by a fourth. Could you
at least put up a section about TRIBES 2. It's probably going to come out
for the 'Box any way.
On a totaly unrelated note, I can't wait for my servebot toy to come.
When I got my pocketstation (still dont know why) the best thing about it
were the pictures in the japanish instruction manual.
DCB- I cant belive I never noticed that before.
Ps. How do you spell the word for things that come from Japan? Japanese? I
still dont know.
|
Nope, we don't. In the beginning, we decided to focus on a small niche that doesn't
include PC games. Sorry about that, bud. Maybe one day we'll expand, but don't
count on it... and yeah, it's spelled Japanese.
| The same guy, new letter |
|
HA, I'm going to stay up untill you post the new colum. And all it will take
will be another hour and a half on Launch.com
DCB, angry because someone already has Captain Suicide as a user name.
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I'm really only posting this because I feel kind of sorry for you. You've taken on
a challenge that's harder to do than you expected...
| An hour later... |
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Yyou shall win not the battle, or the war that follows, for I shall stay
awake untill far after you post the new colum. IF only I could play tribes
right now, loss would not be an issue. Stupid network proxy server.
DCB, not in the least bit *yawn* tired.
|
He grows tired, I can feel it. Notice the typos. Victory is almost mine!
| And the winner is... |
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Next time, Gadget, next time
DCB, retreating to the sancticty of his bed, at 5:06
|
A fine effort, DCB! I applaud you. But don't keep my sleeping habits. They're weird.
You should go to bed when you grow tired. You'll be a happier man. Believe me on
this one.
Closing Comments:
I feel kinda bad about my opening rant, because I don't think it's really my style
to be so rude and biting. But, you know what? It felt really good. So for tomorrow,
I invite you to rant about anything that's been bugging you. Ticked off about how much
room Suburbans take up in a parking lot? Write to me about it. Mad that your neighbor
mows the lawn at 6:00 AM when you're trying to sleep? Get it off your chest. Email me.
-Andrew Kaufmann
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