RPGuru Our Favorite Characters   In the PSX   Nuttin' Honey   Write Darn It!   Amuse Me; Amaze Me; Adulate Me Joshua Reid The results from the "Who's Your Favorite Character?" contest are in! It was a close race, with votes varying from Umaro (!) to Zeromus, but Cid emerged the victor! Not all that fair, since he's in so many games. Here's the first four: 1st- Cid (eight votes) 2nd- Crono (six votes) 3rd- Tifa (five votes) 4th - Taloon (five votes) From 52 submissions I have posted 30 for your reading enjoyment. My comments are in bold so as to limit confusion. Enjoy! My Favorite Character Is . . . 1. Cecil from FFIV because of his spiritual catharsis. -Colin Catharsis--good word! 2.. Kefka because his character as a villain was very different, being somewhat like a clown. -MrBNtrl 3. Barret, because he has gigantic breasts! -Minion Uh . . . ok. 4. Red XIII because unlike some other RPG heroes, he's quite shy; an introvert. (I wonder how many other Nanakifans there are out there?) ~Ndoto~ You've got one right here! Red XIII was my favorite FFVII character! 5. Edgar Roni Figaro Because, like me, he thinks he is a god to women and yet finds that he is sadly mistaken. -Andrew Lequyer Hey, cheer up. Even Edgar has some admirers. Wait, here's one . . . 6. Edgar, because he is intelligent, handsome, sexy, witty, charming, powerful, and I'm virtually uncontested for his eternal love and worship. -B What about Terra, Celes, and the rest of the female cast of FFVI? He even hits on Relm, if I remember correctly--and that's just plain wrong. 7. Vincent Valentine, because he so perfectly fits the role of the stoic, tortured, bishonen hero that I so adore. -Erin Cochran 8. Cid from FFVII because he swears, smokes, and has a nasty temper, but is really a great guy deep down. -Randar Giramoni So was Zeromus if you think about it. Golbez had defected to the good side and the whole game would have ended most unspectacularly if good old Zero hadn't taken the role of Ultimate Evil. You have him to thank for a climactic FFIV finale. He may say some bologna like, "my hatred will last until I destroy all," or I... will... not... perish... as... long... as... there... is...evil... in... the... hearts... of... people...," but he just wants you to have a good gaming experience. 9. Rydia from FFIV because she has something that everyone looks for in an RPG character, development, she starts as a timid little girl who has lost her mother, and becomes a strong woman who can fend for herself, hmm, this is a pretty big run-on sentence. The Grammatically Challenged -Faz That's okay Faz, even the best of us have to write an inordinately long sentence that inevitably turns into a run-on because we have so much to pack into one phrase and those stupid grammar people don't understand that and they invented grammar just to torture young high school kids and turn them off from becoming English majors so they can make bombs instead. 10. Tifa, because she was always there for her loved one. -? I'm sorry but I lost the sender. :( I also respected this side of Tifa. 11. Tifa. She totally rocked because she used her martial arts skills to whoop up on the baddies yet definitely had a softer side to her. -Ryan Heck yeah she had a softer side! Oh--waitaminute--you're talking about her PERSONALITY aren't you. Yeah, that too. 12. Aeris because she's cool and Cloud is pretty much a loser, but he's ok, but Aeris is the one who really saves the planet.  --fellow RPGamer a.k.a. Clouded Not bad for a flower girl, eh? 13. Elly (Xenogears), because she is a goddess.   -Droobie She also has a big Mech. Definite plus. 14. Red Wizard from Final Fantasy 1, because I've never seen such a well-rounded character built to be that way (overpowering yourself in Final Fantasy 6 and 7 doesn't count) and he proves that old, gray men can still swing the sword and flame enemies just as good as the young knights and ninjas. -Rich Green It's amazing what a rat's tail can do for one's growth. 15. Alhazad from Wild Arms because he has a cool laugh, is really evil and sadistic, and is the best villain in the history of video games. - Fritz Fraundorf 16. Zio, because he has the most amazingly greasy-looking hair. -Steve Tramer And you like him because . . . 17. Terra, because she can outwit anybody in FF6 in strength and magic. - MagicHammer  Give her the Atma weapon, morph her, and watch her go! 18. Locke, because he threatened to rip someone's lungs out. Also you should add in a, my least favorite character is ____ because ______, category. My vote would be for Chu-chu. I hate those little puffy things you always see in Anime they just piss me off, and thanks to your column I now have a new name for the evil things. -Jonathan, He who dwells in the land of the Yokel Jonathan, would you be interested in joining the Coalition Against Crabbits (CAC)? You will find CAC and excellent medium to express this rage against the demons in pink. Also, be sure to check out the article I am writing--ferreting out their subterranean plan for world domination so all the world may know. More in the "Scattered Thoughts" section. 19. Tellah, because he's quite tasty! -Brud Hehehe . . . Poor Tellah. No respect for the dead. 20. Umaro from FF3, because being at the same vocabulary level with the misunderstood Yeti, I can see the sadness and the beauty shining through his gruff exterior. -John I'm amazed with your empathy. Only the most perceptive people can see any sadness or beauty in "Graaoooowwww." 21. Cid, because, out of all the superhuman characters and mythical battles that populate FFVII, out of all the amazing monsters and stunning affects, his story was the one that seemed most real, the one that encompassed a typical human spirit who had been thrust into an odd world of magic and mayhem; in essence, a story that could be believed; the story of a man who pressed on despite watching his only dream crumbling before his eyes. -Zaphod42 My God, I'm wading in B.S.! 22. Crono, because it is a bold new leap for having hair-style challenged mute people as main characters in video games, which will hopefully give rise to entirely mute games in which there are no dialogue. -Endymion Yee-haw. 23. Milich Oppenheimer, because he killed Gremio, and he is the only character who can get away with looking like a girl when he is a man. -Wandering Prophet And that's a good thing? I think Milich was jealous of Gremio, because Gremio was also straddling the gender line. 24. Crono, because I'm reminded of him every day when I see that McCain's superfries commercial, where the announcer regards the kid as 'the strong silent type.' -Rob Emes Funny, whenever I see Crono I'm reminded of Buckwheat. I'm not sure why. 25. Final Fantasy I Black Mage, because of that really cool hat! -Mr. Saturn 26. The Princess from Dragon Warrior I! Why? Because those little letters she wrote were hilarious. Tedman P.S. Do you think BFM would sell better if it were called Breast Fencer Musashi? Hahaha, maybe. 27. Taloon from Dragon Warrior IV, because not only was he did all sorts of crazy things when you put him in your party, like singing lullabies to put enemies to sleep and other completely weird things. --G. Falconar 28. Zeromus, because he is such a well developed villain. -Gordon Little One word--sarcasm. Lots of it. 29. Crono, because he is a man of few (no) words. Kennedy And in the oftentimes mangled translations of Squaresoft, that is usually a good thing. 30. Taloon from DWIV/DQIV, because when you plays as him in chapter 2 you can be a merchant, but the best part about Taloon was during chapter 5 when you had no control over him and he would: trip and get a critical hit, fling sand in the enemies eyes, sing a lullaby and put the enemies to sleep, or steal items from the enemies, Taloon gave the game an element of surprise that I have never seen before or since. -Evan That's pretty specific. Joshua: Whoa! Ok, there you go. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. :) On with the letters! A Last Word on Language I will try to avoid being mean, but learning Japanese is HARD. I will probably end up doing translation work for a company in Japan, and I have been studying the language for six years. There is nothing that makes the language easier to learn, and although I agreed with the person that said schooling is a good way to pick up the language, it will only give you the basics. If you want anything more than that, you need to go to Japan or be able to talk with an exchange student in the US quite extensively. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I currently own a large portion of import games, and the stuff they teach in school is not going to help (I am Junior in college and know from experience). The alphabet helps, but the understanding goes far beyond that. Try practicing the 13 different forms of politeness with only two hours of practice a week. I wish good luck to anyone out there trying to learn, but you must realistically tell yourself that you have a lot of studying to do before you will be able to understand the likes of Final Fantasy or any other game. -Kevin (Anxiously awaiting Final Fantasy VIII - the import) Joshua: Kevin, you have single-handedly destroyed my ultimate plan--shutting myself in a room with just a T.V., surround sound, VCR, and the entire Ranma 1/2 series, which I would watch for 120 hours straight (hoping to finish the series at least once) so I will emerge a master of Japanese, and a Hydrochondriac. Thanks for ruining a dream. Sheri, If You're Reading This Hey Rpguru, My Girlfriend Sheri is awesome. Last week she bought me Xenogears when I was broke, isn't that the bomb, and she doesn't even like RPGs, and I was wondering if you could post this letter, of me asking her to marry me. Sheri will you marry me? Steven Joshua: This is so wonderful. *wiping tears away* You better make me your best man. Where Is It? Okay, here's a question for you. Here's the setup. A couple of small advertisements ran in a gaming magazine for a game called "Star Odyssey". Further research uncovers that an earlier title was "Blue's Almanac." Sage's Creation was supposed to be releasing it, and as far as I know, they cut the game before release! -Troyan Grey, Dwarven Warrior! Joshua: Can anyone help this man out? PC RPGs Ultima. Anyone remember it? Oh, of course you do. What with the recent Ultima Online craze, all you RPG fans out there must know about it. Do you know that it's one of the most classic RPG series ever created? That one classic game spawned eight, yes, eight more. That doesn't even include the additional add-on packs for the most recent Ultimas. PC RPGs, it's where it's at. The Might and Magic series, the infamous Hero's Quest/Quest for Glory series, Land of Devastation, Spelljammer, Dungeon Hack, and the AD&D series--all of those games previously mentioned scream one thing in common: Quality. RPGamer lacks the coverage of the PC RPG genre, why, oh why? You're leaving us true fans out in the dark, here. PC RPGs, it's where it's at. Oh, and don't get me wrong, I love console RPGs as well, but I'm not biased towards particular RPGs like most of us are. Thomas Matthews Joshua:I suppose this site is more focused towards console games because they are considered more mainstream. This is a shame, because there are so many unique computer games that deserve credit---Fallout, Daggerfall, Might and Magic, Ultima, and more. Personally, I'm surprised these games don't do as well as their console counterparts, because they originate in English, so most of us don't have to suffer the wait and result of translations. If any of you have questions or comments about computer games, I'd love to entertain them. Also, be sure to check out EverQuest at www.everquest.com. The Wasteland Y'know, I don't get this. I thought RPGs were actually becoming mainstream and well known. In my town, I seem to be the only one who even knows what one is! I'm not obsessed with RPG's--I'd rather be out playing sports--but it would still be nice to have someone to be able to talk to about them. The only people around here who have actually heard of the term "RPG" all think that Tomb Raider and Resident Evil are RPGs (I'm not kidding or exaggerating at all). Do I live in a clueless town or am I actually the only one who likes RPGs, and this whole site is a figment of my imagination?? --Moogle Charm Joshua: No RPGs?! You live in hell--a depraved pit of waste exceeding even Dante's and T.S. Eliot's imaginations. Sodom and Gommorah is like Sesame Street compared to your home down. Run. Your sports comment spurrs me to believe you are already infected. Run, and don't look back--the fire and brimstone is coming. And don't forget to check into this site often, where this RPGfriendly community will create a safety egg to keep you safe from the gales of conformity as they assail you. Scattered Thoughts: Joel mentioned the Commodore 64 in his letters. Anybody remember Radar Rat Race? Oh my, the memories. Arelas found similarities between Xenogears and Crono Trigger: Shevat and Zeal both had queens, both fly in the sky and both have three guru's named Gasper, Melchior, and Balthazar. And the music is done by the same guy. Pretty neat huh? Ken Chia points out that Andrew Vestal has published a History of Final Fantasies on Videogames.com. I am also working on a piece of scholarship. "Crabbits: The Evil Among Us" will make its spectacular debut linked to this site! Stay tuned! Would anyone be interested in me posting a companion page that has resources for aspiring RPG developers? Have a nice day! - Joshua Reid "Mother, should I trust the government?"