Metroid is coming... hear it on the wind...

Metroid 64's imminent launch was reported and confirmed by IGN64 yesterday, to the delight of many GIA staffers. It was a bit contentious, though, in that we weren't sure if we were going to cover it. I figured I could at least mention it here, even if we don't formally cover it. Personally, I think it's one of those games that, even if it falls outside the strict jurisdictions of our focus, we should cover here at GIA. We'll have a final decision on the matter before too long, though.

That aside, it was just a regular day. Working, writing and sending my resume, writing, send submissions, researching, and so on. Ba dum bum. So boring, in fact, that I guess it's time for me to be controversial... hee...

The last time I had a long, drawn-out debate over the merits of cinematic RPGs becoming more common in this column, someone pointed something out: the wave of cinematic, gameplay-less games that many bitch and moan about really doesn't exist. Honestly. Name them: FF7, Parasite Eve, FF8, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and...? Think of RPGs that have been released on PSX: Wild Arms, Suikoden, FF Tactics, SaGa Frontier, Tactics Ogre, Lunar: Complete, Legend of Legaia, Tales of Destiny... these are traditionally-styled games, many with actively inferior graphics to Dragon Quest VII, some lacking FMV at all. So what, might I ask, is the big deal? One company tries moving in a new direction, and everyone's heads explode. Looking at the balance, cinematic RPGs aren't a overwhelming, unstoppable trend of Doom. They're a relative minority of games put out by one, albeit very successful company.

I've been lectured that any game with FMV is cinematic, and therefore shit, and I say that's a load of bull. That condemns everything from Tengai Makyo to Lunar to Ys to FF to Grandia, and I daresay that at least one of those series is good. I'm going out on a limb here, I know.

If Final Fantasy backs off from the cinematic style, it reduces the diversity of the RPG market. It hurts it. Nobody else is willing to risk experimenting, trying something new. And that's a damned shame. DQ7 isn't the last of a dying breed. It's just part of the majority. If Square backtracks now, we don't get a more wide open genre. Nobody's following them to begin with. Cinematic RPGs aren't a trend, they're a style, and one that won't develop if the FF series goes retro, thus miring the RPG genre in same old, same old. You'll pardon me if I don't jump for joy.

The SD series are indeed like the FF series, in that they share many similar plot elements, but are very clearly different worlds. The world maps of SD1, SD2, and SD3 look nothing like one another. There are similar elements, and a few winks and nods about possible "real" links between the games, but nothing concrete.

I thought it was pretty clear that Mana and magic left the world at the end of Secret of Mana. Granted, I haven't finished it for a while, but that's what I remember... maybe you just missed it.

Hmm. Point taken. Let's compare.

Nice features of carts: instant saving, instant loading, can be thrown against walls.

Nice features of CDs: lots of space, please lots of developers, cost a lot less to produce, can be used as coasters, can allow addition of FMV and Redbook audio to games.

Carts can be handy, but most of their advantages will disappear as the hardware gets better, for minimal or no cost. For carts to do what CDs and DVDs do, they get really expensive really fast (helloooo Neo-Geo!). I'll take DVDs for five hundred dollars, Alex.

No, it's just an odd use for a demo. It's being used as a reward for confirmed buyers rather than a marketing tool. It makes perfect sense with Lunar, throwing a bone to the rabid fans. Plus, the save games you make in Lunar can be used with the final version, so you can pick up where you left off, something I think is very cool. It's a gift to the fans, basically, not a marketing tool.

All right. For the last time, the FF Collection spiel: there are three FMV sequences in the PSX version of FF6. The standalone and collection versions are identical, ergo there is no version with FMV throughout. The three FMV sequences are an introduction, played before the game begins, and the ending, played somewhere at the end. Neither of these displace any part of the original game. The third FMV sequence is available in the Omake mode once you complete the game once. Now everyone, remember this. As it stands, the standalone and Collection versions are identical, which means that there's three FMV sequences in both. All right? Do we all understand this? Can I stop getting sixteen letters a day about it?

Me? Testy? Never. No offense intended to MistaSopz specifically. I just get a bit tired of getting the same question ten times a day for three weeks running. You understand. :)

Putting an MP3 decoder into a piece of commercial electronics is a Bad Idea. Sony tried releasing an MP3 player, and they got stomped but good for it. It may be handy technology, but it's so heavily associated with music piracy that supporting it is a surefire way to get yourself sued.

See, I disagree, in part at least. I agree that the practical extent of non-linear gameplay is what you describe - a preset end goal with a variety of tasks and events you can perform to reach that end goal.

However, maybe it's my pen and paper RPG background showing through, but my definition of true non-linear play is to not have the preset end goal at all. To have an end points for the game that are neither Victory nor Death. To have then freedom to screw up the overarching plot beyond any recognition, and keep rolling along. To have it really simulate life. That's what true non-linear gameplay is to me. I'm a fan of the impossible dream.

Well, I'm going out on a limb here, since I've never played any of the above... argh... oh, I can't resist it. Plug time. Lunar. I don't know where you heard about frame rate problems, since it's a 2D game with relatively minimal animation. It may not be the prettiest RPG on the market, but if it's even half the game the Sega CD versions were, it'll be worth every second you spend on it. Great game, absolutely enchanting, and fantastic characters. Love it.

Of the above, the other one I'm most pumped about is Jade Cocoon. I haven't played it, so I won't recommend it as wholeheartedly as Lunar, but it looks very fine, and I've been told promising things about it.

Both, I guess. All the characters in SD4 are, pretty obviously, sprite-based. However, the intent of the statement in question is to reiterate that there are both male and female members of the sprite species in the game.

Closing comments

The Cabbit asked for help in finding upgrades for his PC (don't know, can't help you, sorry), whether I'm friends with James Bond (he's the spy who loved me), and whether GIA will cover PC RPGs like Baldur's Gate, Fallout 2, Anachronox, etc. The answer is no. Many of us play and otherwise keep up with them, and we'll periodically discuss them in Double Agent, but no formal coverage. Why? Because it'd be really, really hard to cover them properly. We know consoles, we're established as a console site, and it'd take a huge amount of time and effort to expand into PC RPGs, which is a whole new arena, and a crowded one to boot. We'll stick with what we do now. What we do best. So no PC coverage.

- The Double Agent