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Brian Rogovitz - December 12th '01- 2:00 Eastern Standard Time
Sometimes you have a really good idea for an intro, and then other times
you just can't put anything at all.
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Muahaha...for once my stint will not be filled with Xenogears questions!
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Hey LordBrian, some quick things about
Xenogears:
1. Does it look like the team had to hurry up or got
the funding pulled somewhere near the disc
change?
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LordBrian:
I guess either of those scenarios are possible. Another way of thinking of it is that if, instead of having
everything narrated you actually got to play, the game would be about 250 hours long and exceedingly
boring. It would just be dungeon after dungeon, with some bits of storyline thrown in every so often. The pattern
is really unnecessary, so rather than waste everyone's time they just condensed it all into one long chair session.
Which is the lesser of the two evils?
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2. About the Soylent Green thing, it seems like
whoever translated added in as many things as he could
about pop culture (or maybe not so popular). I
cant remember any off the top of my head, but I know
that there were a lot.
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LordBrian:
That's the process lovingly called "localization," though it wouldn't surprise me to find out that the Soylent system
was in the Japanese version as well. The "twist" would work much better over there, I'd expect.
If you want pop culture references, though, look for games by Working Designs. You'll be hard pressed to find a storyline
hidden among all the references.
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3. Honestly, am I the only one who thought that the
descriptions used in the game to explain things were
hilariously outrageous. Again, nothing
specifically pops into my head, but I do remember
laughing non stop near the end of the game. Play
it again to see what I mean. ;)
Thanks, Jacotus
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LordBrian:
I keep trying to replay it, really! I just never seem to get around to it. And I have no idea what you're talking about, sorry.
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Someone remembers me ^_^
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Hey Brian.
Just a note before we start. I remember you hosting before. Not sure why no one else does, when you did it was for a bunch of spots more or less in a row. anyway...
Everyone keep on saying "I'm going to get FFX on the 18th" as if they will be able to. First off, you probably won't get it unless you preordered it. Don't try to find an extra copy or anything. Although the date is pushed up some places are reporting that it is still just a limited shipment, with the full shipment in Jan. Although if they are doing a full shipment, again, how many people will be able to get the game? Final Fantasy is a huge name. I'm surprised I haven't seen a commercial yet with Square's marketing lately. You have the older fans of RPGs who have been playing the games for years who might want it. Then you have people who just got into Final Fnatasy with 7 or 8 who will want it since by now they are into RPGs. Then you have people who will buy it because they've heard of Final Fantasy before and now want it. Then you have the people who just walk in and will see it and buy it right off because it says Final Fantasy (this actually does happen with other things). Then this whole thing is limited by how many people have a PlayStation 2. I really want one myself, but I don't own one yet, and probably won't for a little bit. People who want a PSX2 for Christmas might be in luck, but I almost rather have a GameCube. You can get the system and somewhere in the range of two games for the price of a PSX2, which should've had a price drop by now to compete.
Anyway, if you can actually answer the question of whether or not the early shipment will be a full shipment then do say something. I live in a fairly large city and I know for sure that after all the reserved games get taken up there will probably be only a few left over for anyone else to get.
And since you've played the demo, what was wrong with the voice acting? I've heard the clips on Square's site, and although they weren't bad, they weren't excellent or anything. I still think subtitles wouldn't have been that bad. What better way to add to the "Okinawa-type setting" reported a while back than the characters speaking in an Asian language?
Tristan Adnade
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LordBrian:
The early shipment of Final Fantasy X will still be the limited release, so don't expect the full shipment until early next year.
However, if I may wax cynical for a minute, I can prove that there will be more than enough copies to go around.
First, as you pointed out, the number of copies bought is (more than likely) limited to people who have a PS2, or are
buying a PS2 at the same time. This cuts out a large chunk of the world's population. Then, there are all the old-school
gamers who think that Final Fantasy sucks now because it's all about the graphics. Then you have all the people who
aren't going to buy the game because it has voice acting, and voice acting is the tool of the devil. Then there's
everyone who doesn't want to be labeled a "Square whore," so will refrain from buying it. Then there's everyone who
doesn't have enough money or interest to buy it. So by my estimates, about 6 people will be buying it when it comes out early.
I also don't think that the PS2 needs to drop its price to compete at all. Unlike last year, there is a lot of great
stuff for the system that would warrant its purchase, with or without competitive pricing. After the holidays is another
matter entirely, though, so that's probably when you should start looking for a price drop.
The "problem" with the voice acting is that it's not up to the level of, say, Metal Gear Solid. The real problem
is that people are very resistant to the idea of voice acting in Final Fantasy. In reality, it's not the greatest voice acting in
the world, but we'll live with it. I too would have preferred subtitles, but the problem with leaving the voices
in Japanese is that then you'll have the group of people who look down upon foreign-made media. I'm sure you know people
who will think that a movie is no good no matter what just because it's not in English. Square just had to pick a group
of people to pacify, and chose to go with keeping the voices understandable to most people.
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Creation theories
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Hi, Lord Brian-sama,
1) Someone wrote in last week about whether to buy Star Ocean 2 or Lunar:
SSSC (FYI, I have *not* played Lunar: SSSC yet). I bought Star Ocean 2 at a
Sam Goody store for $9.99 and I have to disagree with Googleshng about the
game: I absolutely loved it. The gameplay was a refreshing change from FF,
even though there are a few issues with the battle engine that need to be
worked out for Star Ocean 3. The synth quality is the best on the PSX next
to CC, bringing Motoi Sakuraba's great soundtrack (that I recently bought),
which in some ways surpasses some of Nobuo Uematsu's recent work, to life.
"Field of Expel" is the most powerful overworld theme I've ever heard,
period. I would highly recommend Star Ocean 2 to everyone. I can't wait for
Star Ocean 3!
2) Have you played Golden Sun yet? Best handheld RPG ever, IMO.
*Possible spoilers ahead!*
Look at this map of Golden Sun's world on Camelot's site
(http://www.camelot.co.jp/taiyo/taiyo0107_b.html). Is it just me, or are
those the Earth's continents on that map? Furthermore, some locations in the
game seem to be closely related to what would be their Earth counterparts.
The Suhalla Desert on the Gondowan continent in the game is right where the
Sahara Desert is in Africa. And Xian and Fuchin Temple are where China would
be in Asia. Might Camelot end the series in a way similar to how Illusion of
Gaia ended, with its world transforming into our world?
*End Spoilers*
3) And last of all, the GameCube ROCKS!!! I've been playing Super Smash
Bros. Melee nonstop since I got it last week. Sending Pikachu flying off the
stage with Ness's bat is *so* satisfying .
Domo arigato!
~Matt, who really doesn't like that annoying little yellow rat, Pikachu
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LordBrian:
I liked Star Ocean 2 too, so it's not surprising I like Tales of Destiny 2. The best part of SO2 is easily the music,
and coicidentally enough, Sakuraba also does the music for Golden Sun (which also has an excellent overworld theme).
I have played the game, and it's simply the best RPG I've ever seen on a handheld, and one of the best handheld
games period. That Golden Sun map does have a striking Pangaea-like look to it. As a little-known side note, following the
Suhalla/Sahara name similarities, another name for Pangaea is Gondwanaland. Weird.
Oh, and yes, the GameCube does indeed rock.
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Fine, just add another quiz to my pile
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Greetings LordBrian,
1. In FF7, it is not possible (within the story) to revive Aeris. True or false?
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LordBrian:
True.
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2. It is possible to get Aeris back using a gameshark but that doesn't count because it's just a hack and is NOT part of the story. True or False?
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LordBrian:
True.
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3. There are "soldier statues" or something like that in FF7. At least, that's what I was told (haven't played any sidequests in FF7). My friends keeps telling me that you can revive Aeris, without gameshark, in some sideqiest involving "toy soldiers". Do you know why she might think this, what she is mistaken for, and/or what the sidequest actually is?
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LordBrian:
False. There are a number of soldier statues in the game to collect, but if they have a purpose besides selling them for
a little bit of gil, I don't know what it is. It's certainly not to revive Aeris, though. The closest you can get is after
getting the key to Midgar, go into the church where she grew flowers and you'll see her ghost.
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4. A lot of the time when I talk with fellow gamers, particularly while at University, I find a lot of people who are full of it. Or, I talk to ppl who are "absolutely positive" about something in game that they probably only heard as a rumor and have never even actually seen. This sort of thing ever happen to you?
--Maikeru
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LordBrian:
True. People come up with stupid things like this all the time, sometimes because they honestly believe it's true or
because someone's screwing around with their head. Why, back when I was a kid (cue the groans), I remember playing TMNT2
on the NES with a friend and my brother. We reached the level where it's snowing and there are manholes all over the place,
and me and my friend had convinced my brother that one of those manholes was a warpzone to Shredder. It wasn't very
productive, but seeing him jump into every single hole in the level was hilarious.
...
...
By your silence I take it you had to be there. Well, so be it.
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I wish I could make all my teachers melt
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That hidden text was a line from the song Komm Susser Todd, or Come
Sweet Death. It's from the End of Evangelion, which I enjoyed very
much, both the movie and the song. I guess I should ask a question
shouldn't I.
Don't you hate pants?
-NeoLeviathan X
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LordBrian:
Congratulations to everyone who guessed the quote correctly. I'm actually surprised how many people got this one. However,
nobody got the title or the other quote at the bottom. The second quote I can understand, but the title? It's a shame, really.
As for pants, I have no great love for them, but if you need to wear pants, then for crying out loud, put some pants on!
You know who you are. I'm not the kind of person who would worship a King of no Pants, if you know what I mean.
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SMEAT
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Greetings (Mr. T pities) Lord Brian foo'
I wonder if you knew that in Xenogears the mystery food was possibly the
secret ingredient in real-life for some mystery meat like SPAM. I'm also
rather upset that I got a clone of myself now. What I wanted was instead to
have fangirls after me, not neurotic clones.
Imperial Mog
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LordBrian:
It wouldn't surprise me to find that Spam was filled with...er...soylent. That's why it's so yummy!
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