Clubbed to death -
December 8, 2000 - Chris Jones
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. The Presidential elections now in what... quintuple
overtime? Times ten?
Don't say we didn't warn you.
Bah! I was so close to lucking out today - many of you who sent
letters in probably got delivery notices back saying that your mail
hadn't yet been accepted by the GIA server, but that your mail
host would keep trying. As a result, until about two today, I had
zero emails. And then our tech guys got it fixed with their usual
diligence, and now I've got plenty of email... but I wouldn't have
minded a night off to play FF9.
I also had a great substitute column set up - I was going to post my
term paper for my computer networking class in lieu of a real column, on
the grounds that I've spent way too damn much time on it for it to be
read by just my professor. I realize you're probably not that interested in
a comparison between the defunct IRIDIUM and forthcoming Teledesic LEO
satellite constellations, but I figured you could get your kicks by
finding tiny grammatical mistakes that would cost me an A in the class.
Ah, well.
Onward.
| We all have our asses,
er, I mean, crosses, to bear |
| Hello,
I saw OpultaM's letter yesterday about Mr. Burns in Persona, and it
reminded me of something disturbing in Metal Gear Solid. I was playing it in
front of a non-gaming friend and she said "Why is he running like Mr.
Burns?" I looked closely, he was a little hunched over with his hands laying
flacid and slightly downwards, while his head hung with a certain silent mix
of arrogance and weakness. Obviously visually that's the most effective way
to show exactly what he's doing, but whenever you get a side view of him you
start to worry that his feeble body can't take bullet, vest or no, as his
chest would shatter or he'd get launched into a wall. I guess that every
good hero has to have drawbacks, both physical and personal, and this is the
companion piece to Ashley Riots bare ass.
Gilbert
|
The basic difference here is that C. Montgomery Burns' stature is
set up as such to make him look frail, feeble, and somewhat
vulture-like, whereas Snake is simply a fairly big guy attempting to
move stealthily, kinda like a football player trying to tiptoe.
At least, that was my answer until I read your last sentence, and
realized that you were absolutely right: it's just another example of the
Conservation of Coolness principle, which states that no badass, in any
media, can be vastly superior to any other badass. Even the mighty Hiro
Protagonist from Snow Crash must be humbled by a bizarre subplot
involving ancient Sumerians.
| Black magic woman |
|
You asked why all the females in RPGs seem to be magic users, so here's my stab
at it.
Now, I'm no expert on Japanese culture, but I seem to recall a
traditional stereotype mentioned in a few "history of anime" books; namely,
women are seen as more 'spiritual' and thus more likely to have supernatural
powers. Men may also have such powers, but even then they tend to be a little
less 'spiritual'. This might explain why RPGs that come from Japan tend to make
all the women magic-users, or at least more paranormal than the men. It's not done
on purpose - it's just like how most Western folks if told to think of a nurse, they
will think of a woman. To the creators of these RPGs, women and magic just go
together like peanut butter and chocolate.
Does this seem crazy, or no?
Damien Wellman |
I don't want to get into another "the Japanese are like
such-and-such" debate, so I'll just point out that this particular
"stereotype", if that's what it is, is not limited to the Japanese and
that it's somewhat logical, to boot.
Many cultures portray women as nurturing
healers, so it's not a big jump to make them into white mages.
And just think about it for a second: men, on average, are bigger and
stronger than women, and nearly universally they've been the soldiers, knights,
etc. So in a fantasy world, what does that leave women but magic,
if you're going to have them come along at all? I don't think there's
anything culturally specific here, it's just the way things have
developed in the genre... and now, maybe it's time for things to develop
further.
| Sakaguchi unchained |
| Oh All-Knowing and Holy One,
Sure, if the FF Movie explodes into the massive success that it needs to be,
a by-product of that will be a few more FF games coming of the shelves and into
people's PS2. But I doubt that's Square's sole motavation to take such a huge
risk. Sakaguchi's said it before, if he had the resorces to make his vision into a full
cinamatic movie going experience he would have long ago. With every progression
the series makes, it's closer to what he originally intended, not just to meet mainstream
popularity. If Chocobo's, Airship's, and Cid's playing a smaller role and an almost
non-existent role in the movie are why you think Square's selling out, well...
That's one of the most biased and narrow minded things I've ever heard. The man
in charge is getting to produce his vision with no limitations and is spending oodles
of money to do so. Truth be told, Square didn't need to make this movie to stay financially
secure. If they wanted to do that, the would have just kept making games.
~Dr. Uzuki |
I've been getting a lot of "those dumb old schooler" letters lately,
but this is one of the few that doesn't seem to rehash the same old
arguments. It's an important distinction that while game players may see a
game in terms of their end attributes - 2D vs. 3D, FMV vs. no FMV, levelling
or not - game designers simply see things in terms of trying to get the
stories and worlds they envision into the games. Design choices are simply
the tradeoffs they make depending on which aspect of their vision they
deem more important: Sakaguchi might go for FMV because of how real it
makes key plot points look, whereas Horii might go for really, really long
games because he values interactivity more than anything else. No matter
what we may or may not want, I don't think any RPG designer gets up in the
morning and says, "Man, I've got to build a game with 2D tile-based
graphics, menu-driven turn-based combat, and some fancy CG to sell the
game to dumbass Americans." Had Horii written DQ I for the Dreamcast
instead of the NES, I doubt the series would look much like it does
today... but people on both sides would likely be talking about whatever
percieved "traditional" traits it had.
| An FF needs a man like
a fish needs a bicycle |
|
Chris! Wait!
I was thinking about the whole topic of last night,
and began to realize that others don't realize that
most Final Fantasy games -- barring 4 and lower --
could basically revolve around the female characters,
with little outside male intervention.
FFVI: Celes and Terra. Whereas Terra represents the
World of Balance, Celes is the World of Ruin. It is
evident in the fact that the first half of the game
involves Terra, and the second half involves Celes,
both to enhanced levels. The main theme of the World
of Balance overworld map is Toki no Hourousha, or,
Wanderer of Time. Terra's theme. Celes' theme does not
play during the second half to a great extent, but she
does start that part, she does take a great role in
it, and she is the cause of many events. Locke only
served to rescue Celes, Shadow was the obligatory
Ninja, Sabin and Edgar were the royalty, etc.
FFVII: Tifa and Aeri(s)(th): Tifa because she was the
backing for AVALANCHE, and Aerith because she was the
one who held the way to save the world. Cloud only
served as a puppet, merely setting of Sephiroth, and
then falling into his trap. He lead to Aerith's Death,
and he also lead to Tifa's alienation through his
flirtations. The whole "night on the hill" was
Sympathy sex. Cloud is a puppet. If he was out of the
picture, Sephiroth wouldn't have gone crazy, Tifa's
family would be alive, and so would Aerith.
FFVIII: I'll admit, the males had a larger role than
before, but it can be said that Rinoa could have done
a great deal on her own after the initial
intervention. Selphie was a great help as well.
So there you have it.
-Aquila |
Very interesting perspective. Not much more to say... except FFV, as
well, is arguably about Leena and the other women much more than Butz or Galuf.
| WARNING: Square
overload approaching |
|
Hey Chris!
Hmm, about your comment on FFX's release date yesterday : I've been
thinking about it, and Square might run into a few problems. See, given the
average localization time for a FF game, let's say five to six months, it
would indeed be released at the end of summer. But since FFXI has a
worldwide simultaneous release planned somewhere around then as well.... You
don't think Square would be stupid enough to release those two games that
close after another, do you?
BTW, you know that there's no less than two new PSX RPGs out this week,
don't you? How are you gonna keep up, I wonder....
Sir Farren, professional bastard |
I'm very, very hesitant to say when FFX will be released, since
there's been tons of rumors about Square having problems integrating
the game with online services, but few hard announcements at this
point. There does seem to be a near overlap with FF XI, but I'm gonna
go ahead and guess that the first will be moved up, and the second
moved back. Most software companies I've worked for have been able to
translate their stuff in a matter of weeks, not months, (and that
includes a LOT of documentation) so there's no
reason game companies shouldn't be able to do the same - perhaps the
FFX US release will be much closer to the Japanese than we realize.
But that's as far as I'll speculate on the matter.
| This would never have
happened if he was named "Bob" |
|
Agento,
On the topic of names in video games, I just thought I would make a lame
counter argument to the anger felt abuut weird game names. You see, I played
Grandia. The heroes name is, of course, Justin. I had a friend in high
school named Justin who, although a very nice person, partied a little too
hard, a little too often. and every time Grandia Justin did something
exceptionally heroic, I kept thinking of Stoner Justin in the same situation,
staring blankly. So, in closing, naming the protagonist after a weather
phenomenon stops you from thinking of them as burnt out hippies.
Garvo- was going to say meteorological phenomenon, but realized I couldn't
spell "meteorological" |
On the other hand, I thought Justin was a great name, and fit the
character well: an average kid, full of grand schemes, who just happens
to live on a world where he gets to put them into action.
Still, this is yet another argument against drug abuse: Don't get
high, because your addiction may interfere with someone else's game
playing.
Hey, it beats the crap out of "Just say no!"
| Remember: trust no one |
|
Trust me on this one, Chris.
Final Fantasy will not meet expectations in the box office. At best,
probably an average hit like "X-Men". At worst... Battlefield Earth.
(shudders) While we'd watch it in a heartbeat, what about the millions who
never heard of the Final Fantasy series?
Benchmarks in computer animation are NOTHING related to box-office success.
Tron was a benchmark for creating its fully-digitized world in the MCP in
the early 80s. Dragonheart was a benchmark for creating "the first fully
computer-animated speaking character in a live-action movie". (Internet
Movie Database - imdb.com) Neither came close to the gross or
popularity/accolades by the general moviegoers or critics as the top
box-office grosses or the Oscar winners. With the exception of Toy Story and
the Star Wars series, no "technological benchmark" movie I can think of has
ever relished in great box-office success. In fact, Toy Story took the
credit for being the first fully computer-generated full-length feature
film. The Final Fantasy movie just does the same damn thing with more CPU
power and human models. While this sounds contradictory, the Final Fantasy
producers are pushing it as the "next big thing" when it really isn't. And
if it is, would anyone else really care? Caring about it as much as
"benchmarks" like Tron or Dragonheart?
No talk about a script, which, based on the Final Fantasy website, reminds
me of everyday post-apocalyptic movies like "The Omega Man" and "Terminator
2: Judgment Day". While those movies were actually pretty good, and the
Final Fantasy story isn't that bad compared to the other sci-fi films out
there, it's safe to say we'll meet nothing new.
And the movie release time. Casting delays aside, this movie is going to be
released in the same month (July 13) as "Jurassic Park III" (July 18) and
the remake of "Planet of the Apes" (July 27). (Source: Internet Movie
Database) The latter two has already seen successes in previous years,
having sequels that were successful. Assuming that Joe (or Jane) Average
knew only a little about each of the films, which of the three would he/she
watch?
In addition, the thought that this is in the REAL world (Final Fantasy...
what a goddamn misnomer!) might offend some FF fans who want their Cids and
Chocobos and magic and Moogles...
Fred Delles (panting after writing 497 words...) |
You went ahead and trusted him, didn't you? After I specifically
told him not to, after he lied and said he wrote 497 words when he
really wrote 501, and after he harshed on Starship Troopers, which I
enjoyed in a "way, way over the top" manner.
You're dead right when you say that being first isn't going to excite
the public, nor anyone else except for total geeks. Which explains why I'm
hyped up about it, but not why it should be at all interesting to anyone
else.
And the answer to that little conundrum lies in your casual
dismissal of "human models". There is, in fact, a world of difference
between Toy Story and the FF movie, and those models are it. Don't get me wrong, I think TS 1 and 2
are among the best films of the 1990's, but Buzz and Woody are ultimately
seen by the audience as no different from any other cartoon character.
Keep in mind that cartoon characters have never been accorded the
recognition they deserve, and are just as capable of pulling of powerful
dramatic moments as anyone else (I'll take Jessie's flashback over the
Titanic sinking any day)... but they're still not real people to
the audience. Not Woody, not Sean Connery's dragon, and definitely not
Jar Jar Binks.
Final Fantasy at least has the potential to do more than that,
with characters who, on average, don't look any less human than the
aliens on Star Trek. I admit that everything will depend on the script,
and I worry when titles like "The Spirits Within" get thrown around,
since they feel much more fantastic and much less real then they should.
But if they can pull this off, it really will change things far more than
Toy Story could ever hope to, since we wouldn't just be looking at CG
replacing Mickey Mouse, we'd be looking at CG replacing Tom Hanks.
And yes, I'm aware of the irony of that statement.
| Seamless CG |
|
Chis,
The Final Fantasy movie is a step in the right direction for CG artists. CG
dosen't look natural, and it shows when put on the same screen as real people
or objects. Even the most finely detailed CG seems to generate this unatural aura,
perhaps because in CG, imperfections dont exist, unlike the real world where all t
hings have millions of minute imperfections that the human eye picks up on without
our realizing it. Final Fantasy only looks so good because theirs nothing real on
screen with it to act as a contrast.
On a side note, even less than "photo realistic" CG movies would be interesting
and fun to watch, much like animation, unfortunately film makers seem to feel
the need to render everything but the actors themselves, which dosen't look
all that great. If you dont believe me, take a look at the Dungeons and Dragons movie.
The CG looks nice, but the live actors really dont look like they are natural parts of the
environment. This really hurts the "reality" of the movie. D&D would have benefited
from CG characters and might have pulled off something pretty cool looking.
Kandrin, who still wonders whos idea it was to cast Jimmy from Lois and Clark as
the main lead and fighter no less. |
Here's yet another point in FF's favor. Consider that every once in
a while, in Toy Story 2, you'd see something that was this close
to being real. I'm not one of those people who thought it distracted
from the movie; on the contrary, I thought it was part of the fun and
the "wow" factor. But the FF movie has a chance to make everything have
a uniform level of realism, which means that you'd either buy all of
it, or none of it, if the directors have done their jobs. Dirt,
scratches, dings, and all the other little imperfections that make
something look really real will be along soon enough, thanks to
Moore's Law, but somebody has to make the first step in playing CG
entirely straight. And that somebody is Square.
| And as the voice of
Zidane: Stephen Hawking! |
|
Chris,
Reading the Ebert column, I noticed that both he and the creators of the movie
had casually dismissed the possibility of CG voices. Why? I think that's the
next logical step for the industry. It's really not that different from
animation; I might even call it easier.
It's a few basic qualities: pitch, tone, timbre, stress, accent, emphasis. The
basics have already been accomplished by CG instruments -- why not next, the
human voice? I don't think a digital artist can call his creation "pure" when
he still has to borrow the voice of a meat puppet to give it speech.
Ian |
The difference between a human voice and an instrument is that the
individual notes of an instrument, at least to most people, sound the
same, no matter how they're arranged. (Arguably they sound the same no
matter who's listening to them, but people who know music (not me) can
get a lot out of how tiny variations across an entire piece are
arranged.)
In contrast, everyone recognizes that words don't sound the same:
there's a thousand different ways someone can say even a simple word
like "the". I'll bet that when photo-realistic CG is really and truly
done, virtual voice acting will be the next big thing, but for now, it's
easier to concentrate on visuals and let the sound get done the old
fashioned way.
| Bravely embracing the
majority opinion |
|
Chris,
I've been reading your column for a while now, but this is my first time
writing in. Anyway, I have noticed that most people seem to think that
you're either a lover of old school or new school RPGs... in other words,
you're loyal to Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy (or some other variant of
the new school) and there's no sitting on the fence, as it were.
Well, I'd just like to say that I am probably one of the few people who can
honestly say that I absolutely love the Dragon Warrior series (I cut my RPG
teeth on the first Dragon Warrior), but I also love the Final Fantasy
series (including FFVIII, which is obviously a far cry from anything Dragon
Warrior claims to be). In fact, my top ten list of RPGs includes such
disparate titles as FFIV, FFVIII, DWIV, Secret of Mana, and Phantasy Star
2... and FFIX probably, but I'll reserve judgement until I actually finish
the game.
So... I guess my point is -- why does someone have to be one way or the
other? Can't I like the old school games like DWIV and ground-breaking
games like FFVIII without breaking some unspoken rule?
On another note -- I have a solution to all the problems with FFXI --
instead of making it one of the numbered FFs, why not just make it "Final
Fantasy Online" a la "Phantasy Star Online" and develop FFXI at a later
date?
Normand |
I applaud your attempt to bring reason to the table, Normand, but
it's already here - it just doesn't say much. There are a lot of
people who like all sorts of games, and don't fit in to easy
categorization, but they just aren't that vocal about it. In
comparison, many (but of course not all) old schoolers tend to be very
vocal, and new schoolers tend to be equally vocal in shouting them down.
And why the hell not? RPGs aren't life and death, they're all about
entertainment, and for a lot of people, getting into pointless arguments is highly
entertaining.
Not that all of this hasn't been said before, but I sometimes forget
that new people are coming in to the genre (and the site) all the time,
and need an introductory course in this stuff. So listen up: everything
you've said so far has been said dozens of times. Including your FF 11
idea, which was stated almost as soon as the game was announced. So
welcome to the club, and start working on something to say that
hasn't been said a million times before.
| The true meaning of
Christmas, sponsored by Glasstron™ |
|
Chris:
Christmas came early, and I got what I wanted. I now have a television for
my face. I can run chocobos around on the ceiling. Tomorrow I hope to make
myself physically ill playing Rogue Squadron. Never before have I gotten (or
wanted) something so overpriced and underfunctional. This, truly, must be
the meaning of Christmas.
--DarkLao, "What does one buy for the agent who has everything?"
|
Ah, the Sony Glasstron, or something similar. Much
more so than a little portable LCD screen, that's the kind of thing
I'd have liked to see Sony push along with the PSOne... heck, that and
a good pair of headphones are
probably the only way you're ever gonna get a home theater gaming
experience on the road. Sooner or later, somebody's gotta try a
portable system that's truly immersive (and doesn't cause migraines,
like the Virtual Boy)... I just hope it gets done before Nintendo gets
around to replacing the GBA.
Closing Comments:
Re: tomorrow's topic for Drew: Konami's recent announcements
concerning Zone of Enders, Metal Gear Solid 2, Silent Hill 2, etc. Or,
to be more specific, is Konami gonna single-handedly make everyone in
the world buy a PS2, or what? See you Monday.
-Chris Jones, thinks the GB3
needs to tie in to the Teledesic network |
|
|
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