Matt Demers - 21:35 EST

YEP, the exam is due in a matter of hours now, so a few questions is all I've got time for today. Yeah, I feel like a bad host and such, but... priorities, priorities. I'd rather throw together something and not fail my last grad-level math course, of course.

So, what are we waiting for? Time to dive in!

Well the question posed is what goes on my Christmas list. For starters I want a few more games for my Wii, namely Red Steel and Trauma Center. Possibly Elebits. Then if we move on I'd like to get Rogue Galaxy.

Of course that's just the video games. I want a ton of stuff for my other habit, miniature war gaming. Privateer Press(http://www.privateerpress.com) just makes some awesomely artistic sculpts for their fantasy game. I want there to be a video game(an RPG not an RTS) based in their created world. If that would happen I would need nothing else for Christmas.

Regarding the discussion of PSP vs. DS I can't really comment on the PSP, but I love my DS. I've bought three of them. The first broke due to me being stupid so I replaced it. Then I upgrade to a DS Lite and handed my "replacement" one down to my girlfriend. Being able to play GBA games is a plus, I wish they had made it fully backwards compatible with all Gameboys though. I find that my fingerprints end up all over the touch screen though. But since putting on a screen protector I haven't scratched either screen at all.

So I should ask a question. Seeing as I brought up my other hobby I'll ask, "What hobbies/activities do you do other than play videogames?"

Ken

Wow. Well, I don't get a huge amount of time to practice any of my other hobbies terribly frequently, but I love to exercise/work out/go to the gym, and I try to go every day. To offset the potential benefits of hobby #1, I also have more than a bit of a passion for food, and I love to experiment in the kitchen whenever I get the chance to. Finally, my real biggest hobby is designing RPGs of my own, and in fact, I've created my own pencil-and-paper series ("The Lost Legend," I called them, I through VI) in years past, with linear storylines, complete monster art, and lots more; my brother played through each one. If only I had more free time to play with...

Thanks for writing in. I hope you get everything you desire this holiday!

Hi Matt,

First, good luck with your exam. I'm also going through hard ones these days and I understand how bad things can get.

I won't be very original, but I have a question regarding Final Fantasy XII. I still haven't played any of it because I decided to ask it as a Christmas gift to save a bit of money. I wanted to know your opinion: Do you consider it better than FFX? I really enjoyed this one (even though I couldn't stand Tidus and Yuna's voice acting) for both the story and the gameplay.

I also wanted to ask you if you had the chance to play Tales of the Abyss. I think that since Tales of Phantasia the series has been getting worse and worse; thus I was wondering if ToA would be worth my money. To me, Tales of Phantasia was a unique experience; I loved the characters, the story, and the battle system was simply amazing for its time (if you can forgive a high frequency of encounters). It seems however that the series has become more light hearted in the recent titles. I don't mind a fair bit of humor in RPGs, but when it's taken to ridiculous levels such as in Tales of Legendia (remember those teddy bears going against the villain at some point?), I simply cannot enjoy the game.

Anyway, thank you for your time and good day!
Simon

I have to say, Simon, that I haven't heard much in the way of negative sentiment at all when it comes to Tales of the Abyss, and absolutely everybody that I've heard from is certain that it's a big improvement over Legendia. I suspect that you'll be pleased if you do decide to give it a spin in the end. Let me know what your own feelings are, if you do!

Thanks for your letter!

Uh... Hello!

This is my first time writing in. I've been coming to RPGamer for a couple of years. Though I admit I've only been reading the non-review thingies for about 2 or 3 months. I'm writing today to uh share my two cents, or maybe four~

The last few months for me have been great for my gaming life. It's probably the first time I've been able to get so many RPGs on their release day! FF12, Magical Starsign, FF3, Tales of The Abyss, Xenosaga 3, Valkyrie Profile 2, Pokemon Dungeon, FF5V, Summon Night 2, er and a couple of others~ Though there is a draw back.! I don't get x-mas presents this year cause I've got nothing on my list, and with so many games I've not been able to beat any of them except FF12!

Okay..! So FF12 took me 52 hours and I was level 56 by the time I had finished. I find it so odd though that people think FF12 is hard. I found it so easy, much more so then other FF games.

(To tell you the truth, FF12 is the only Final Fantasy game I've been able to beat.)

Perhaps I found it so easy because it felt like an MMO? I've been playing RO (a Korean MMO) for 3 years now, so I felt right at home with the real time battle system. (Even though RO and FF12 are nothing alike?)

I've noticed that no one has really mentioned Magical Starsign; it's a really cute game. Really witty too, I find myself giggling every time I talk to a npc. The dwarfs are especially amusing. It's also really traditional, which I love.

(And who can pass up comments like "Oh.. You got yourself a little dwarf beard. Made from real beard trimmings? I suppose that means you befriended a dwarf. Or killed one. One of the two I s'pose. Anyway, come on in.")

Oh! Oh! Also I've noticed a lot of people have been saying bad things about the PSP, which makes Lilly a really sad girl. I love my PSP, even though I only have 4 games for it. I like it just for the fact that Sony is porting so many of the old RPGs I missed~ I've only been gaming for about 5 years now, so as you can imagine I've missed a lot of games. I enjoy my PSP more because its more comfortable to hold then a DS lite. If I had to choose one handheld over the other, I'd probably choose my DS lite. If only for the fact it can play GBA games. But that doesn't mean I don't <3 my PSP too.

I guess that's all I have to say. I hope you score well on your last exam.

With lots of glomps, Lilly.

...which is great, if you import your games. It's a bit sad that so many of these great old games just aren't deemed worthy enough for North American store shelves, in the eyes of Sony. I personally don't find the DS that painful to hold... except for when you tensely play Mario Kart, holding on, white knuckles and all, for three hours straight. (Yes, those nights were a bit ouchy, I'll admit.)

Thanks for your well-wishes for my final! I still have to write up half of it in good, and it's due in just... thirteen hours! Ack!

Greetings Matt!

The problem with no SOCK is that I keep telling myself I should send a letter, but then I forget and next I know it's the weekend. Makes me a lazy person, and it's a sad thing. =(

First up, it's nice to know I'm not the only person who wants to tattoo the Blood Sin from Vagrant Story on my back. It doesn't have the nicest connotations in the game, but if I ever get the money (and overcome my fear of needles and septic infections), it'll be a nice conversation piece. Though like you, it'll be impossible to show it off or have it in a professional environment, so it's all moot.

More friends are getting DSes for seemingly FF3 alone, and that makes me scared. Sure I want to play FF3 and Revenant Wings and that really long weird Nomura game, and they're raving about Crisis Core at the same time, but they've no intention to get a PSP...not until it's out, prolly. Even when I eventually pick a handheld, I'll likely get a DS because:

PSP: Lumines, Loco Roco, Crisis Core

DS: FF3, Revenant Wings, Trauma Center, Phoenix Wright, FF remakes advance (assuming the DS lite plays them), that Nomura game...something about a wonderful life.

I wouldn't say the PSP holders have gotten the short end of the stick, since obviously if you pick a handheld, you should want to have games on it. It's not like they bought a PSP because they're blind Sony fanboys who are confident that they'll have twice the amount games than the DS in a year, right?

DMJewelle

Heh heh... you sound like you're slanting your comments one way, perhaps, though to be honest, it really is a matter of personal taste. If you're fond of the same old sports games and racers, you just can't find them on the DS. Those are just not the kinds of games I like to play! Granted, there are a lot of neat games out there; I'm not really a fan of Metal Gear Solid, but there was just a new and highly-acclaimed installment released for the PSP a bit ago. Both systems truly do have their merits. Some of us can only appreciate the merits of one over the other, though. For me, too, the DS is the portable of choice.

It's good to hear from you!