DOUBLE AGENT GOES CRAZY!!! -
May 11, 2001 - Alex Annis
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.
I LIEK MILK!
Don't say we didn't warn you.
Hey everybody. Today's column is pretty long. So long, in fact, that I decided to break it up in to two pages. After the
extreme stress I put you all through after having you go outside, it was really the least I could do. This way you can read half,
take a little breather, and then finish off the rest when you're ready.
| Super Awesome Mega Hyper Deluxe Game Boy Advance Xtreme |
| Hey Alex,
I loved the title you gave my letter ;) That's the first of mine that's ever been printed... thanks!
Anyways, I just wanted to follow-up on your reply and agree that the start and select buttons could have used a little more
space up. I don't mind that they are small (when I first saw pics of it, I thought they might be even smaller than they ended up,
so I was actually surprised I could differentiate between them by touch when I actually got ahold of it), but yes, they could be
bigger. I hadn't even considered Nintendo putting an X and Y button on the layout until now, though I think that would have
been on the level of 'too cool' which would prevent them from making any further marketable modifications to any next
generation systems (Gameboy Advance Xtreme! With built-in stereo speakers and an analog d-pad! 8 buttons! 20 playable
hours on a single AAA battery!). Hey, it can happen...
Nightfox
|
After reading this, it hit me that Nintendo's next handheld will include the X and Y buttons. Think about it, Nintendo has
basically survived off its portable game sales these past few years. The N64 has done well, but it was the Game Boy that really
raked in the cash. When the Game Boy Pocket came out, every bought it. When the Game Boy Color came out, everyone
rushed to the stores. The same will undoubtedly happen when the Game Boy Advance hits stores in June. But what can
Nintendo do increase sales when they start to slack? It's already small and has a nice color screen. Let's just add some
buttons and get people back in those stores. Simply brilliant.
| I knew this was going to happen |
| ...which should make it more comfortable in a pocket since it won't bulge out quite so much.
Hey, Alex, is that a GBA in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
Legolas
|
It's a GBA, I swear.
| He's really, really excited |
| Okay, I finally got around to trying one of the GBA displays, and let me say, I don't see where all this criticism on it's design
comes from. In my opinion, it was absolutely perfect. And considering I've absolutely hated horizontal-shaped systems up to
this point, I think that's quite a feat. First off, it was as compact as possible without becoming uncomfortably small. This thing
actually seems smaller to me than the Gameboy pocket, and yet the buttons still seem well-sized and naturally placed. After a
short moment of discomfort, controlling Mario (In Mario Advance) seemed natural, holding the B button to run while jumping
around, just like the original.While I have no problems with the L&R buttons, I can understand where the feeling of akwardness
surrounding them comes from. I think people just aren't used to L&R buttons on handhelds, and I think it's the same
getting-used-to-it akwardness as when they were originally introduced on the SNES controller. And over time, I think it will
start to come naturally. The D-Pad didn't bother me one bit, and I actually think the Start/Select buttons seem BIGGER than
the original GB's- they're just not as wide. I do think the volume and On/Off switch are akwardly placed, but it doesn't seemto
effect gameplay much.
As for the games, I was initially unimpressed with the graphics of Mario Advance, but after playing through the game, I slowly
came to realize that the game actually looks BETTER than it's counterpart in Super Mario All-Stars. And though I was
skeptical of the little changes they've made (Big monsters and veggies, extra animations, etc), they actually add more variety to
the game, rather than detract from it. And the addition of a point system was a GREAT idea (And those that don't like it can
ignore it for all I care).
Though I came away from Mario Advance satisfied, F-Zero advance blew me away. Though I never liked the F-Zero series
(Save the N64 incarnation), this still gave me a good idea what to expect from Mario Kart Advance- Extremely smooth Mode
7-esque effects at terrificly fast speeds, and with amazing framerates. Playing F-Zero got me to slowly realize what my one
problem with the GBA is- the sound. Although Mario Advance sounded almost exactly like Mario All-Stars/World (A
wonderful accomplishment), F-Zero's sound effects and music reminded me of the Game Gear's (Which I believe had the
worst quality sound of just about ANY system- Moreso than the Gameboy and NES). The whole thing had terrible bleeps and
fake explosion-esque noises. I only hope this game is going to be the exception rather than the rule in terms of sound. That
quirk aside, though, it FELT like playing an SNES, the games LOOKED as good as (if not better than) SNES games, and the
whole GBA lineup looks to mix the classics of that era with the spirit innovation that the SNES enjoyed as well. I've said it
before, and I'll say it again (And no, not that phrase, though I know it's over-used), the GBA shows every sign of repeating the
rennaisance of the 16-bit era, and that can only mean goodthings. VERY good things.
-CaspianX (Ecstatic)
|
Caspian pretty much reinforces what was said in yesterday's column about people adapting to the design of the Game Boy
Advance. It may feel silly and awkward now, but chances are we'll all grow to love it with a little time. Also, I feel the need to
say that I'm jealous that you were able to play F-Zero. I've only been able to find Super Mario Advance, and while it is quite
impressive, I wasn't really a big fan of Super Mario Brothers 2.
| Shinji, you suck! |
| Which was more satisfying:
Neon Genesis Evangelion or Xenogears? Both stories played with similar themes and had teenagers runing amuck in giant
robots. Plus, lots of blood, mental instability, and "God" as the villain. Both had endings which would be considered...
ambiguous.
So, which was better?
--Dan
|
Having never really played Xenogears (the demo counts, doesn't it? No? Well, wait to throw the rocks 'til the end of the
column, ok?), I would have to go with Neon Genesis Evangelion. From what I've heard, it's basically the same story, but you
can easily watch all of EVA in much less time than it would take you to get through Xenogears.
| Gender issues |
| http://psx.ign.com/news/4369.html
Are you pondering what I'm pondering? Why would Square allow Namco to go unpunish for stealing what could be another
possible major fanchise for them? Oh and is it just me or is the Final Fantasy movie starting to look like a complete bust? I
mean, they've (Americans, lousy untalented Americans) made the characters look too damn real, and ugly too. Why didn't they
just use the fucking character in FF8? I'd be one to pay to see Squall and crew onscreen for 2 hours, wouldn't you? Hell, I did
for FF8 and look how well it did. Once again, this just goes to prove that Americans can't draw if their lives depended on it!
PS: Is that Laguna lookalike suppose to be a man or what?
-Weltall
|
As I said on Wednesday, I have a strong feeling that Xenosaga is part of the teaming up of Square, Namco, and Enix.
Yesterday's news article certainly doesn't hurt that theory, either. Square has a lot of series to work with, while all I can really
think of for Namco is the Tales series. Their merging for Xenosaga is a low cost way for Square to continue the story and
Nacmo to gain the attention of a larger RPG audience.
As for the ugly characters in Final Fantasy: TSW, all I have to say is this: Square tried to make the characters as real as
possible, and let's face it, not everyone looks like a super model or GQ hunk. And no, Aki is a woman. Don't tell me you
haven't seen this yet...
| It's that time of year |
| By the time you've read this I'll have gotten a 5 on my AP US history test! Ah yeah!
-Nick Herman
|
Congrats.
| I make mistakes. Lots of them. |
| Ive been waiting for free topic friday, so I have two relatively unrelated rants. They were both inspired by that Dogma
2001thing, but theyve diverged a bit.
The first rant is about the use of blood in videogames. While it can be overused to the point of indifference, some carefully
placed blood can heighten the impact of a game. Final Fantasy Tactics used blood in this way. Another good example is the
start of the MGS2 demo, where the terrorists are taking over the ship. I really felt shocked when those marines got their throats
cut, and the realistic spray of blood had a lot to do with it.
The second rant has to do with a suggestion to sony for the next incarnation of the dual shock. I just got a wheel mouse for my
PC, and they rock. In gaming, using the mouse wheel to change weapons is awesome. Why not replace the least used button
on the PS2 controler (L2) with a wheel? It would make for some great control.
P.S.: The name of the game is Soul Calibur, not Soul Caliber. The game is about swords, not guns you moron! (Hehehe.)
P.P.S: Be scarred for life! http://typhus.aexx.net/images/stinkyolga.gif
Aaron Gover (aka VincentValintine)
http://members.fortunecity.com/everythinggoodistaken/
|
Dogma 2001 is, for all intents and purposes, a big, steaming pile of crap. Ernest Adams is basically asking that all developers
give up on what we have today and go for a uniform standard in design. I don't know about anyone else, but I like the way the
industry has developed these past few years. Specialized controllers are a nice change of pace, I enjoy FMV, and dammit,
dragons are still cool. And yes, I agree completely that blood can be used in appropriate manners. It seems to me that a lot of
developers are starting to put more care into details like that, and I think it's greatly increasing the impact games can have on
us. Had blood poured out, most people would have just shrugged it off, but the fact that it looked so realistic really just leaves
you stunned.
A wheel would be pretty interesting to use, but I think it'd be a bad idea to place it where the L2 button is. It could create a lot
of awkwardness if you tried to use it and L1 at the same time. Perhaps a... special... kind of dual shock controller in which the
right analog stick is replaced with the roller would be easier to use.
| First they want a rolling ball, now it's a reset button |
| Greetings Alex.
Since it's free topic day I'll just write about a couple of random things, Like cooperative play. You ever notice that teaming
up is all but dead? I mean, sure, deathmaches are fun in their own way, but some of my best vg memories come from games
like double dragon or secret of mana. Even legend of the mystical ninja had the great duo technique (quit laughing!).
And I'd like a reset button ON my controller!
Am I the only one tired of constantly having to get up during unsure frequent save/load moments?
I think there was talk about FMV recently, here's my equation: Normal FMV=BAD, Interactive FMV (like FF8)=GOOD
Why are prequels so popular these days?
I liked Xenogears as much as the next guy but cant they make something new?
I'd like to see a parody rpg one of those days.
It would be to serious rpgs what scary movie was to, well, scary movies.
And why is there no -Andrew Egerton Studios- booth at E3!?
THE MAN'S A GENIUS!!!
I think i've had too much, thanks.
Nick-V, sprouting nonsense.
|
1. Legend of the Mystical Ninja had a great co-op mode. I always used to play it with an old friend of mine. I agree in part
the cooperative play is dying these days. If you want to actually have friends over to play together, it seems pretty impossible
with today's games. On the other hand, titles like PSO encourage co-op play, though you don't get the same experience as you
would if your friend was sitting next to you. There are some games that I think could be really interesting with the option
added, such as Metal Gear Solid 2 or Zone of the Enders. In MGS2, players could help each other get past guards or go
explore different areas looking for card keys, while in Zone of the Enders you could just fly around and smash things. It'd be
great.
2. I'd hate to see what would happen to you if you lost your TV remote control.
3. I like normal FMV, but interactive FMV is quite nice, too.
4. I think it's rather cool that the Xenogears story will go on, despite the fact I never played it. It isn't that often that an RPG
actually gets a sequel or prequel, and I know there are a lot of people out there who would like to see their favorite games get
another installment just so they could see what else happens to the worlds and characters they've grown so found of.
5. Oddly enough, I received another e-mail today about a parody of RPG's. Personally, I don't think I would ever want to
play an RPG that was designed solely for parody. It would be amusing for the first hour or two, but after a while it would
probably get really boring.
6. I don't know, maybe he can't find his way out of the room. Ba-bump.
| It's Beerman! |
| CTZ,
Here's a free topic for you:
When do you think that a gamer just stops caring? Is it when they'd rather play an old game instead of any of the ones that
came out in the last six months or the next? Is it when they haven't bought a game within the last year, and not even for financial
reasons? Or is it when the said gamer hasn't even bothered to check who's hosting their favorite letters column until their ID
doesn't get them into the local bar?
Bitter and not drunk enough,
Mike
|
Mike, it's been ages! I don't think you can say a gamer stops caring because they play old games instead of the new stuff.
After all, they're still playing games. And sometimes nothing comes along that'll interest you. After Resident Evil 2 came out for
the PSX I went roughly 6 months without touching a new game, and when I did, it was Granstream Saga. You can imagine
how I felt :/ Anyway, I think it's just a part of growing up. Some of us still play every day, while other are moving on to
explore other possiblities in life.
|
