Today... was a good day. For one thing, I received some very nifty letters, including a very thoughtful one from Desmond Gaban that almost prompted me to create an Editorials section at GIA, just to house it. It's a goodie. Honest. For another, my personal life took a dramatic upswing for the better, and I received an early Christmas gift that's perhaps the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. But enough chit-chat. This is a letters column, not a diary, so let's get to some letters! Hoo-ah! Semper Fi! | Fiery Emblems and closed Vaults | To the celestial, and the idol of my soul, the most beautified GIA Agent...(o, soft you now, you are the most beautified second to Fire Emblem.) Anyways, I see that game requesting for the Vault section is... forbidden.Why is it so? I mean, I can imagine lots of people asking myriads of myriadsold titles, but what about the godly classics that some GIA staff possiblydon't know? Fire Emblem is one of the possibly-be-missing-for-eternities,methinks, but it's such a great game! It is THE first S-RPG too. Its sequelsare even better. My favorite is Fire Emblem 3 (basically, a remake plus muchmore of the first FE), but I shouldn't go ranting about it too much thistime. So... what do you think about Fire Emblem? Please note thegoodlationafifacation of the game and all the FE fan's deseperation! -Kei aka Keiiii aka Kei-chan aka Min aka Beeho aka Pikhal (^^) |
Now, as for covering Fire Emblem, we're caught in sort of a bind. We're a North American gaming site, covering games released in North America, and thus covering Fire Emblem (which stayed in Japan, sadly) is sort of out of our jurisdiction. On the other hand, it's an indisputed classic, and an influential one too, which slots it firmly into our ideals for Vault games. The main problem with taking requests for Vault games is that there's a *lot* of choices out there, and everyone and their kid sister has a game they absolutely HAVE to see covered there. And we just can't cover all the bases, or even half of them. Within the GIA staff, we cover a pretty broad range of gaming experience, so what we games we Vaulterize can and will run the gamut between the bizarre and obscure and the classic and cool. From Parasol Stars to Dragon Warrior II, Lolo to Maniac Mansion, we're got a legion of games to pick from. Too many, in fact, and rather than be swamped with requests and suggestions, we ask all of you to just trust in our judgment. We know our stuff. You'll see. | Nethack addicts unite! | Hey, Allan, nice to see you back in the seat as Double Agent. (Isthere really a seat for that? Hrms. Must investigate that.)I write not to question, but to answer. First off, on Big Lick's lastcolumn, someone began to muse about an RPG that starred little smileysand whatnot. I don't think there's ever been one made, but there isone that is close. This game is: Nethack! No, it's not abouthacking, it's about dungeon exploration. Think of it as an earlyDiablo, better in someways, worse in others. You control an allmighty "at" symbol as you wander with your little dog or cat throughcountless randomly generated dungeons, picking up items, weapons andarmor, also all randomly generated from a seemingly unending cache. The game is just so much fun to play, it never seems to get old. While there is a way to get some half-way decent VGA graphics to it,who'd want to? You just can't deny the sheer coolness of an @ as ahero. Best of all, it's totally free! Yah! As for CyberThor's letter, I must somewhat agree. But I must alsomention that sometimes a good storyline can pull out an unfun game,just as a fun game can can make us forget about a bad story. Take theaforementioned Nethack. Not a lot of story, but who cares? Any gamethat you can kill and eat Bilbo Baggins is alright in my book. (Andyes, you can do that! Don't forget to take Sting from his corpsebefore you can him!) A definate balance needs to be met. Or maybegame designers could make fun games with good storys! Ooooh...betthey've never thought of that one. PS-In response to what you asked...the GIA needs fanfics! Yeah,fanfics are good. -Aaron Littleton |
Ah, Nethack. For anyone that hasn't played it, do a web search - it's not hard to find it, or any of the roguelike games of its ilk for any operating system you can imagine. I'm not a big fan of dungeon exploration games generally, but yes, there's something glorious about good old Nethack, where you can do just about anything. It just makes playing games like Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon really annoying, which take many of the same ideas and stylings from the roguelike genre, but doesn't keep the freedom of play options, so you're left with a really tedious, unrelenting experience. As for fanfics... hm. As I said, no promises, but I never did find a home for that 7th Saga fanfic I wrote... but that's a tale for another day. | Nintendo doing badly or not? | ARGH! That 3% Nintendo sales figure has been spread all over the web, but itis not at all accurate and comes from a huge goof-up by IGN. Thatfigure was released for *one week* of sales, during which there were*zero* N64 games released, hence to tiny share. The user bases areapproximately 12 million PSXs and a bit under 4 million N64s. Andwhile the PSX is certainly thwomping the N64 left and right, the N64has at least been doing much better than the Saturn for months now. -Ed McGlothlin |
Apologies for proliferating an untrue statistic. I'd still appreciate if anyone could point me to current, or at least semi-current figures on relative market share in the gaming industry. This is getting humiliating. ;) Still, the N64 is getting thwomped pretty thoroughly in Japan, and Gameboy is indeed outselling it by a fair margin (aside from Zelda, natch). The sheer staying power of the Gameboy never ceases to amaze me. It may well end up being the longest-lived game platform of all time, if things continue at this rate. Nifty, eh? | Xenogears Ending (SPOILERS) | After the credit has scrolled by at the end of Xenogears, it says "Xenogears Episode 5". Do you know if this is any indication that they will make a sequel (prequel) to this game?! If not, what does it all mean??? Maybe I would've preferred the old starfield simulation. But I loved the game!!! I hope Square makes more games like that with deep and twisted plotline and spiffy game engine! Oh and also, I thought the number of enemies were just right. I would have crushed the game to itsy bitsy pieces if it had been like this one game I played (Beyond the Beyond) that made me fight every second. Long live Xenogears! Just sharing my tuppence. -Karen |
The "Episode V" bit leads me to assume that Xenogears will indeed be made part of an ongoing cash cow- er, series of games. What the previous four chapters, and six onwards might entail, is anybody's guess. The story of how and why Deus was sent off in the first place? An Episode devoted to each incarnation of Elly and her lover (Fei/Lacan/Kim/etc)? We just don't know. But there'll be prequels made, I assure you - Xenogears sold pretty well, and received very good press. It's just a matter of waiting, I guess. Pretty simple challenge time: name two other RPG or strategy series where the chapters have not come out in chronological order. | A different kind of monk | Hey Double Agent-type guy, Allan, I'd sent this question to RPGamer, but the answer wasn't quite what Iwas looking for. So now I'll send to you, and hope that you post it. Ofcourse I don't doubt you will, being the great columnist guy you are.Anyway, here's my question: In Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy Tactics (maybe even 2 and 3, sinceI haven't played them yet), and also Daggerfall, there's a job classcalled "Monk." As you probably know, Monks are masters of a karate-likestlye of fighting, using their bare hands as lethal weapons. There's nodoubt that the Monk is an awesome class, but why are they named Monks?As far as my knowledge reaches, monks are men wearing robes who pullweeds and write books in a monastery all day long, not bare-handedfighters with fists of fury. What's the deal with this? Did Square justrun out of names. -Randar Giramoni |
Okay, this is an case of a cultural gap causing confusion. In western culture, monks are guys in robes who devote their lives to the worship of God and read books and pray and so forth. Monks in the East are also those who have devoted their lives to spiritual matters and contemplation. The difference is that in the East, especially in China, monks sometimes utilized different methods to achieve detachment from the material world, and spiritually purify themselves. One such way was by practicing the martial arts, to teach discipline, in some cases to nearly superhuman levels. A good example are the Shaolin monks, who do utterly amazing things with their bodies. To make a long story short, RPG Monks are sort of an extension of the Eastern monk clichÚ, the spiritual type who have purified themselves by becoming world-class martial artists, who not only use their powers for personal enlightenment, but also to open cans 'o whup-ass on the bad guys. Hey, this IS a game, after all. :) | Do as the Romans do | Er... "ludus" also means "school". You might want to consider"venatus", which strictly means "game". Just a suggestion. When I was on your site, I thought I read "dulcedo"instead of "delectatis"... so my mind registered the translation as "Outof school, sweetness"... I was like HUH??? Just thought you'd like to know =P --Emelia |
You see, this is the danger of trying to show off how clever you are: there's always someone more clever. *sigh* "We'll have a Latin motto for GIA!", AV said. "It'll be great!" Yeah. Wunderbar. | The danger of spoilers | So this new FF8 trailer comes in, and it's the one to download. I'm thinking 'I should download that.' Then I think again. I think I've reached the point where I will not look at any more FF8 stuff. Why? Well, when screens and movies first flooded in, I downloaded each and every one of them. But now, even though I haven't played the demo, I know almost exactly what happens. The reality is, the first sixty minutes of FF8 are ruined completely for me. My advice to everyone awaiting FF8: do yourself a favour and keep away from the FF8 media; it will make the experience so much better when you actually play it if you haven't seen it before. I am in no way condemning GIA for posting FF8 media, but I just wondered: how can all of you spoil something that could, and probably will be so great? Imagine starting your first FF7 game having already seen Aeris' death, the FMV of the diamond weapon, the Wall Market scene and a bunch of the coolest summon spells. That's what happened to me. Anyway . . . 1) How accurate is Parasite Eve concerning the appearance? Are the places you go to in the game identical to their real counterparts in New York (barring the Chrysler Building)? 2) Translators usually have to cut some text to fit it into the dialogue boxes. Why can't they re-program the game to add more boxes? 3) Prediction for all future FFs: a major character will be killed off unexpectedly in each game. With Aeris' death in FF7, Square is going to feel the need to out-shock us. What do you think? -CS- |
Ah, the spoiler vs. no spoiler debate. I'm a hypocrite when it comes to this subject. On the one hand, I try and avoid spoilers about games I haven't played and completed, and get mad at anyone that spoils it for me. On the other hand, I have a copy of the FF8 trailer on my computer, and drool over every incoming picture I can get my paws on. I suppose, when it comes down to it, I sort of rank spoilers. To me, any information I'd read in the manual is basic stuff, and I don't sweat that sort of thing: names of major characters, what they look like, and so on. I don't mind seeing designs of places. What gets my goat is plot spoilers. I'm fine with seeing bits and pieces and set up material, but part of the magic of storytelling in any form is seeing how the basic elements are put together. I found out about the Aeris death before I played FF7, and I really regret it, in hindsight. It took away the shock, the surprise, and the magic of the moment when I actually got there myself. Since I work at a news website, I'm in a tougher situation than most. It's my *job* to be up on all the latest news, spoilerific or not. Still, most good websites mark their spoilers pretty clearly, so if you feel as CS and I do, I suggest you join us in our efforts to keep the suspense and magic. It's tough sometimes, and standards of what a "spoiler" really is varies from person to person, but I think it's more rewarding in the end. 1. Parasite Eve was extensively researched. Most of the sewer areas are made up, of course, but most New Yorkers I've talked to didn't notice any major discrepencies between PE and the real NYC. 2. In the days of cartridges, memory limits was a major problem. In some cases, timing text to fit with the music of the scene is a consideration. But generally, I think it boils down to a programming difficulty in trying to just add in an extra dialogue box, something that sounds easy but really isn't. 3. Eh. I hope not. That'd get really tedious, really fast. | Gameplay uber alles | Being one of those people who were RPG fans 10 years ago, I figured I should give my opinion on the subject. Back in the old days, RPGs didn't have fancy graphics and weren't all that text-intensive (although the storyline always got more complex as RPGs evolved from their primitive roots). I played these games to get immersed in the storyline, to take control of my character or party, never did I think RPGs would end up as interactive games that you just sit back and watch, and fight pointless battles now and then, but that is how the genre has become thanks to certain big name console RPG companies. As RPGs have evolved, so has their ability to tell a great story, but the purpose of the role-playing game is not to entertain the user as a viewer of a great interactive epic, but to allow the player to heed control of his characters and command the story from his/her POV. Why do you think RPGs have random battles and dungeon exploring in the first place? Not to serve as filler for the next cut-scene, but to allow the player to do as he would with his party. Of course these elements have their roots in D&D, explaining why almost all RPGs are set in a medievel fantasy world with swords and magic. Computer RPGs aren't having another Ultima and Might & Magic era like they did in the late 80s and early 90s, but they certainly have not strayed from this path. Look at Fallout 2, Return to Krondor, or any other computer RPG. However console RPGs have quickly strayed to the path of the interactive movie quite fast. And it doesn't take long to figure out why. Graphics sell, as did Final Fantasy 7, a game that was just an average RPG, but sold millions and redefined the way people look at RPGs (but did not do damage to it's definition). Xenogears, Parasite Eve, and Final Fantasy VIII are further proof of the direction Square is taking the RPG genre, and I can only hope that Enix has enough power to combat this wave of 'interactive movie games' with it's very hardcore Dragon Quest VII (the Dragon Quest series, by the way, is the most popular RPG series of all time, and Dragon Quest has always emphasized great RPG gameplay, not good RPG cut-scenes). Where do I want to see RPGs? Well, I don't know, I don't play traditional RPGs as much as I used to (I only prefer to play the few good ones that do come out), but I do wish that RPGs would become more true to their name. An RPG that kept the random battling (in a style that isin't redundant, and is quite fun) but has a blend of nonlinearity and linearity, in that there is a storyline that unfolds, but instead of resorting to forking branches, you are given the freedom to explore the world as you wish, and the storyline will be affected according to what paths you take, what sub-quests you delve into. A game world that flows in realtime (like in Zelda 64, Ogre Battle, or even Quest 64) would do greatness to this sort of game. And perhaps this game could span generations, allowing you to start out with a young boy, and control him as he grows to a mature adult (over the course of a storyline of course - wouldn't want to upset the people who think they are playing a "pointless" game). I think eventually some one out there (probably Nintendo or Origin) will create a game like this, and I will enjoy it, but until then, we have to settle for the interactive movies of today's RPGs. -Desmond Gaban |
You know, I'm really starting to wonder if getting an Editorials section up, like, yesterday if not sooner would be a good idea. Great letter, and I'll do what I can do respond... It's an indisputable fact that graphics can and do sell games. It's a sad truth, but every time I drool over a screenshot from FF8, my hardcore gamer instincts are raging inside me, reminding me that if all I want is graphics, I should buy a slideshow, not a game. Gameplay is and should remain a crucial part of game design, regardless of genre. On the other hand, I also support the idea of experimentation within the genre. Final Fantasy has almost become a sort of grand opera these days - big, bold, melodramatic, and colourful. Cloud Strife has more in common with Siegfried of the Ring Saga than Bilbo Baggins, to my mind. Part of opera is spectacle, the moments where all the energy of the performers is poured into sweeping the audience off their feet. Everyone loves the opera scene in FF6, and I think this is why: it's literally operatic in scope and drama, but still with the interactive element that lets you be a part of it. FF7 stepped away from this ideal, to my mind, putting the audience further away from the action, but I don't believe this striving for spectacle is an intrinsically bad thing. The tricky part is keeping the player involved. Dragon Quest doesn't rely on cutscenes, by comparison. It has its own hangup, however. The Dragon Quest series if about tradition and pageantry, not about innovation. Since its gameplay was solid to start with, this isn't so bad, but it also promotes stagnancy. Enix, especially with DQV, seemed almost afraid to break the mold they'd set, and that is as dangerous a path as Square's tendency to push the audience too far out of the action. In a series where plot takes a backseat to gameplay, keeping the gameplay innovative is crucial, and that's something DQ has traditionally shied away from. Although Dragon Quest VII, I will say, sounds more innovative than the past two put together. As for you idea of an "ideal" RPG, I must say that sounds extremely interesting. I'd buy it. :) The difficulty lies in the basic fact that not everyone looks for the same things in a game, especially RPGs. Some go for the characters, some for the spectacle and drama, some for innovation in gameplay, and some for just plain nice graphics. Finding games that satisfy all of these ideals is impossible, so we have to exercise our rights as customers to buy, and thereby support, the games that float our boats. I'm afraid that's all we can do, in the end. Promote your cause, through word and almighty dollar, and maybe the trends you want will be set. It's worth a shot. Still no Rayearth, but hopefully tomorrow. As an aside, I finally got around to registering an account at workingdesigns.com's message board, so I might see some of you around there. But for now, I'll just bop off and get some sleep. Ole! - Allan Milligan, glowing | | | |
