A slow mosey through letters - August 29th, 1999 - Andrew Kaufmann
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.
Hi everybody! Aren't you glad that Drew did letters yesterday, so you only have to
put up with me for one day? What a deal! "If only I were this lucky every weekend!"
you are no doubt thinking to yourself. Just be sure to keep thinking it, and not
saying it, because that might hurt my feelings.
| Mini discs, mini problems? |
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Ya know, the only disadvantage to handheld gaming is that there are often
large memory constraints due to the cartridge medium. Nintendo is coming
out with a 32-bit handheld now. A handhled system with the power of the
PSX and the Saturn. Interesting...oh damn, it uses cartridges. What I
wanna know, is if it would be possible to use mini-discs in a handheld
console. Cd's are much to large and would cause major problems(you would
need to add ESP to the gameboy), but if I am correct mini-discs are the
size of 3.5 floppies, don't have any skipping problems, and can hold 500
megs of info. I mean imagine the world of possibilities that this could
open to us. Portable gaming systems with anime intros, and, and even a
portable version of a Lunar game or something! I have never bought a
portable gaming system myself, but if somebody made one that used a medium
like mini-discs I would be one of the first people in line.
Robindra N. Deb
rndeb@uncg.edu
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Interesting idea, yes it is. Of course, problem #1 is going to be cost. Mini
disc players run for what, $200? Add to that the price of the gaming system and
screen, and I think we'd be looking at $300 at the very least. That's getting
pricey. And do mini-discs not skip? I thought they were read with a laser like CDs,
which would mean they would be prone to skipping. I'm no big hardware whiz, though,
so don't take my word for anything.
| Stop the presses! A good idea! |
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Howdy.
About the whole thing about portable systems having small screens, I
realise that we're never going to see 21" displays on our Gameboys, but
would it really be so hard to include audio and video out jacks? Then it
would be a system that you can play at home on your nice, big screen TV,
then quickly unplug and take on the road. Actually, an audio out jack
wouldn't even be necessary, they could just sell an adapter that runs off
of the headphone jack. It would also allow you to play Gameboy games on a
TV without forcing you to own a SNES, unlike the Super Gameboy. Most people
probably couldn't care less, but Nintendo has lost out on at least a
hundred dollars of my money because I can't attach a Gameboy to my TV.
-Arpad Korossy
Only 11 days until Final Fantasy VIII!
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Howdy Arpad (current holder of the coolest-name award). Like the previous letter,
you have a good idea. I like it. I like it a lot. I'd like to see companies
implement this.
| He called me the "Other Agent". Grr. |
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Dear Other Agent,
Man, its a good thing you came back. I was starting to have Kaufmann
withdrawals..not pretty.
Anyway, I just have a few questions.
1. What are *your* opinions on the state of handheld gaming? Fun
diversion, or plot to take over our minds?
2. This might have already been answered, but why doesn't the GIA cover
PC games? There are quite a few "smart" games on PC, so it seems like
it'd be an obvious choice to me..
3. Do you ever wonder if your actions in an RPG have consequences
elsewhere in the universe? For example, every time you hit the 'attack'
command, it could cause a revolution halfway across the galaxy..
4. Do you ever feel intimidated working with Drew? I mean, he is the
master of biting sarcasm and all that.
5. Uhhhh...make your own question up here.
Thank You Drive Thru,
Tedman
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Kaufmann withdrawal symptoms... what exactly do those consist of? A
scratchy left arm? The desire to nap?
1) I think handheld gaming kind of sucks. Technology-wise, it's behind
full consoles. Not only that, I have trouble finding a good time to use them.
Long car rides would be ideal, but I can't concentrate on the little screen
in a moving car, especially if I'm driving. When I'm lounging at home, I'm
more likely to use a full sized console. Thus, my Gameboy is collecting dust
on the shelf, right next to my Complete Works of Shakespeare.
2) We COULD cover PC games, if we were so inclined. There are so many that
could fit into our realm of coverage, however, we'd wind up spreading ourselves
far too thin. Which would be bad.
3) No. Lay off the drugs, Tedman.
4) Nah, not at all. He should feel intimidated. After all, I've got seniority at
the GIA and was RPGamer's first letters guy, right after it changed from SquareNet.
I HAVE POWER!! FEAR ME!!!! Or something.
5) No thanks. That'd be too much trouble.
| Goofing off |
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Damnit, AK!!!! What's with this "serious column" BS!?!? ive seen them slippin away little by little! do you think i came here for REAL RPG TALK??!?! WHAT A LAUGH!!! i am here for the dirty images of rpg girls, and the retarted letters you get. Not this, Ok, first of, you missed a few Shining Force games blah blah blah i suck blah blah blah!!!!
i hope you get the point AK. if you dont, the consquenses will be dire...
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I'm in a serious mood tonight, man. Don't make me try to be funny. It won't work.
I'll try, and it'll sound pathetic, and no one will laugh.
| Suikoden 2 |
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What is up with the release date for Suikoden 2? I have geard Sept 7, Sept 8, Sept 21, Sept 22, and Sept 29. Which is the right one?
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The magic 8-ball tells me September 22. OK, I lied, it's not an 8-ball. It's
Fritz. They're similar though.
| *cough cough* |
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Hey Andrew, did you know the name "Kaufmann" is derived from an old
germanic word meaning "cough man"? Its isn't, but if you vehemently proclaim
without laughing, people will believe you.
Anyway, as I sit here type, my soul is filled with dread at the coming of
Dreamcast. On Sept. 9, when humanity is enslaved by the omniscient and
omnipotent Dreamcast, all users of competing systems will flee for their
lives, leading a "Road Warrior" type existence in the barren wastes of
Australia. With theire rogue consoles under their arms, they'll constantly
be on the run, searching for power outlets in order to play their forbidden
games while constantly dreading the approach of helicopters bearing the
Little Orange Spiral of Doom. If you thought that was a long sentence, gird
yourself for the arrival of Dreamcast, when all information will be
transmited via direct neuarl link with absolutely no punctuation or spaces,
kindoflikethisonlymuchlonger.
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I've heard a lot of jokes about my last name in my day, but that was the worst.
Congratulations! I wouldn't worry too much about the Dreamcast taking over your mind
and stuff. Remember, it's only a machine.
Closing Comments
Welp, there goes the weekend. Drew will be back tomorrow, as usual, so
send him some mail. What about, you ask? Well, talking about handheld systems
reminded me of this guy in my Calculus class who would sit and play games on his
cell-phone all through class. Boy, was it ever a sight when he got caught. Tell
Drew about your handheld gaming experiences in public places where you shouldn't
have been playing them, and tell about your punishments. It'll be fun. I think.
Until next time,
-Andrew Kaufmann
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