Mag envy -
February 13, 2001 - 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.
For some reason, I like warmed over pizza better.
Don't say we didn't warn you.
Looks like the GBA will be showing up a bit sooner than expected. Don't
have much more to say about it, except that since I'll likely be going to
E3 this year, I'll get to see it before 99.9% of the rest of you peons.
Weep in envy.
Onward.
| I love it when a team
comes together |
| Dear Chris,
This is just a quick note on PSO... I'm not the wordy type so this is gonna
be short, but I really wanted to let you know how I feel about it.
Sometimes it seems that every idiotic, immature, 'kewl d00d' has made it a point
to log on at the same time as me, but just tonight I grouped with 3 other fantastic
players, and the fun had was immeasurable. Comaraderie, teamwork, the whole
experience is there. It may not be as timeless as some of the greats, but as
a guy who's main genre is traditional RPGs, I'm loving the action that this game
provides. The somewhat repetitive gameplay and limited amount of dungeons
have somehow managed to not matter in the 50 hrs. I've played my character.
Think 3D, 4 player, online Secret of Mana for some idea of what it's like.
I give it a 4 on the GIA scale.
- Vidar, lvl.35 FOnewm |
Sounds good. Not earthshaking, but fairly engaging and fun to play. I
can dig it. Moving on...
| Hobson's Choice |
| Does Broadband matter for PSO?
I don't know about you guys south of the border, but up here, Cable and DSL
modems are almost the entire market. The choices are:
a. Obtain a second internet connect just for PSO (yeah, right)
b. Find a contact in the states to buy a Broadband adapter, and then buy the
other stuff needed to get it working with PSO.
c. Go buy products for other systems without said limitations.
Yay.
KZ
|
Given the limited amount of data that probably needs to be moved in
a game of PSO (think about how much you could get around by just
telling the computer "Bob gets hit for 10 points") I can't much see how
broadband would make a huge difference, so I think you're safe not
going with it - although if someone wants to tell me different, I'm
all ears. As for you, KZ, you're Canadian. Deal with it.
| Venting is good,
venting is healthy |
| I know this isn't the designated topic but I have
to get this out of my system or I'll jump out my window. Okay, here
are ten things I think should be forever abolished (or at least improved
upon) from all of gamedom:
5. Teenagers saving the world. I'm seventeen myself, but c'mon. Can you name
a single teenager in this country that could really do this? For me to really
start identifying with game protagonists, this has to change. Look at the Teen
People "Teens who will change the world" issue. Mandy Moore? Vitamin C? Heaven
help us all.
4. Shallow love triangles. Grandia II was silly, but Final Fantasy VIII was
the worst offender. I'm very sick of seeing surly seventeen year olds bemoan
the world around them for ten hours then suddenly and without rhyme or reason
have a change of heart and become the next incarnation of Romeo.
3. Cheesy 'love' songs that accompany these so-called 'romances'. "All Eyes
on Me"? My ears certainly weren't involved.
2. Boss fights that have you spending more time lifting status effects and using
healing items then actually fighting the boss. The final boss in Breath of
Fire III took me an hour to beat, becase every single turn I had to lift the
status effects, revive fallen party members, and occasionally get an attack
in. The reason people are getting sick of random battles is because no battle
engines are interesting anymore. No one said anything bad about battles in
earlier Final Fantasy's because the ideas used in them were still original.
Now, it's pretty much the same thing every game. And the ones that do stick
out a limb and try to innovate don't go far enough with it to really make it compelling.
1. And finally, instant death spells. This is the single most cheap and frustrating
spell that is featured in every single RPG and is used far too often. I had
to fight Edea three times in FFVIII because the first two she just cast her
instant death spell three times in a row, killing my whole party before I even
had a chance. There's no strategy involved and all it does is take the fight right
out of your hands, a big no-no.
In conclusion, if these game developers would please stop these silly and trite
gameplay items or at least improve upon them, my stress levels would decrease,
my hair will stay on my head longer, and my overall gaming enjoyment would
increase. I would then willingly spend my money on their product rather than begrudgingly so. |
I must have underestimated the number of people who have PSO, or
everybody's too involved with it to write, or something, because I've had to
dip in to off-topic email to print stuff like this. On the other hand,
I'm always up for a little point/counterpoint.
5. Agreed. There is the occasional teenager who might be smart and
strong and competent enough to pull it off, but by and large, they're too
busy just trying to figure themselves out to save anyone. Heck, I wouldn't
mind a teenage hero if we got to see how many screwups he made along the
way.
4. FF8 worked for me precisely because the teenagers in question were so
true to their natures... but if you want to rant on this some more, check
out tomorrow's topic.
3. I liked the piano version in Laguna's sequence, otherwise, agreed.
2. Agreed. I've ranted way too much about this sort of stuff, so I'll
leave it at that.
1. I'd like to agree with this too, but I've generally found that if
you're getting killed outright, it's because you're missing something, not
because the game's too hard. With Edea, for example (assuming you're
talking about the fight at the end of Disc 1) I was able to manage her
pretty easy by just casting Wall on her over and over - she kept Dispelling it off,
which left me plenty of time to heal any damage and kick her ass.
Everybody has their pet peeves, but those pet peeves are different for
everybody. Whether those peeves are too irritating for you to keep playing
is a choice only you can make, but I've generally found that games improve
over time, and I'm willing to keep playing until they get all the kinks
worked out.
| Realism doesn't sell |
| On the subject of removing random encounters, etc:
Shen Mue. The game attempts to give you more realistic situations,
character interaction, more freedom yet follows a rigid storyline. It also
reduces the combat to practicing in the dojo and occasional fights with
street-thugs.
And you know what? Most the people I've spoken with about the game decided
it was dull and never finished it. That bodes poorly for the marketability
of a more realistic RPG.
On the subject of Phantasy Star Online:
I've been enjoying PSO quite a bit. The combat is standard action RPG
fare-- you can chain up to 3 attacks by well timed button presses, wander
around dungeons killing monsters, level up. I think it's a whole lot more
fun when you can do it with your friends, though.
But what's really held me captive about the game is the environments. When
I first get into a new area, I wander around looking at everything. It's
all so detailed and pretty from the giant leaves to the ripples in cave
water casting reflections on the ceilings.
Then I proceed to level up so I can beat the local boss and see what's in
the next area.
-n0sh
|
Most people I've talked to about Shen Mue love it, and can't wait
for the sequel. Who knows which group's in the minority?
Surprisingly enough, a lot of the criticism of PSO does seem to be
that it's a relatively dull game with good graphic design that's made
acceptable by the ability to move through it with friends. Not what you'd
expect from something with the name "Phantasy Star", but not bad
either.
| Pick 2 |
| Dude,
I know this is off topic but say that you met an alien that had a particular
liking for PlayStation games.
If you were to pick just two games for him/her/it to play (only PS1 games)
that would showcase the sheer brilliance of videogames in general, which two
would you choose?
I'd pick Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII.
-mista tea, wishing he had the DA fiat power that Ian P. once possessed. |
It's not that Ian P. stopped getting printed, it's that he stopped
writing. My guess he either got run over or is sitting on a beach
somewhere in Hawaii - either way, he's beyond such trivial concerns as RPGs
now.
And just for the heck of it, I'll pick Vagrant Story and Silent Hill,
because I'd want to communicate to all aliens that we humans enjoy beating
the crap out of dangerous monsters in dark, forboding environments, no
matter what our physical abilities. That'd make 'em think twice before
messing with us.
Closing Comments:
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and although I can't quite summon up
the usual amount of bile for a "holiday" that's little more than an
excuse for card companies, florists and candy makers to sell tons of
useless junk, I'd still like to have an appropriate topic. Thus:
romances in RPGs. But I don't want you to talk about the good
ones, I want you to talk about the bad ones - the ones that made
no sense, between two people who should have never gotten together,
and left you scarred for years afterwards, despite just being a
bystander. Vent your bile, and I'll see you tomorrow.
-Chris Jones, listening to
the Stones' "Dead Flowers" to get in the mood
|
