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Ask Andrew |
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Otaku Ninja and some Rabbit Creature |
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Andrew - January '17- 12:00 Central Standard Time
Massive letter column today. I’ve got class in a few hours, so I’ll let my guest host Teioh, winner of the Signature picture contest, do the talking.
Teioh-
Formalities aside, not that I had any to begin with but. I, Teioh Folles,
will be the guest host today. May the gods have mercy on your poor souls.
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Purchasing a GBA right after GBA-SP was announced. Oy.
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'Sup Andy?
Decided to get a GBA. All I can say is...wow. Nintendo has really oudone themselves with this little toy. But you gotta wonder when a disc-medium will make its way to handheld gaming (or is that just me? *drool*)
Anyway... I saw ya the other day commenting on how Earthbound would make a good port to the GBA. Me being greedy like I am, I've been waiting for a Chrono Trigger or sequel announcement ever since the system came out. Is this just me wishing, or are there other freaks out there just like me?
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Andrew:
1. For a rant on why I think Nintendo is a marketing genius devil spawn, go here.
2. I think the majority of the gaming community would love to see ports of all the great classics onto GBA. However, I want to see some serious extras if they do port over the games, none of this make a quick buck bull. *coughBreathofFirecough*
For Chrono Trigger, I want a lot more follow up to how it leads to the events in Chrono Cross, and I’d like a side-quest where I could get Magus and still release Frog from his curse. Also, the option to take off Lucca’s helmet. Mmm, purple hair.
Teioh:
2 bucks says your GBA is Made in China.
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Invader Vasquez.
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Dear rabbit thing
Arguably the best tent belongs to Terra ... really cant say much more about that.
Mahou Tsukai Tai(I can use magic.. not sure on translation there,) is an anime series about several characters who are witches/wizards in training. Its got a highschool comedy element to it and crazy broomstick riding action. Ive only seen 6 episodes on crappy vhs copies , but I enjoyed it alot andwould reccomend tracking it down for your perusal.
On the topic of invader zim , how much of it have you seen ? Did Jhonen Vasquez stop making episodes or did nickelodeon keep churning them out or what .. i heard something a while back about cancellation etc..
But you mayhaps be one of the thousands downloading Divx episodes and etc...in which case you know not and care not or whatnot.
so yeah
Misc Regards
-Exo
P.S The discovery of the honeybee inn truly opend my eyes to what it meant to be a hardcore gamer .. but still everyone who played through FF7 got swayed somewhat by the Weightlifting guys and wearing a dress for however little they had to.
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Andrew:
1. Anime club has started again at NIU, so I’m looking forward to all sorts of new anime. Assuming the download for Mahou Tsukai Tai ever finishes, I’ll be sure to watch it.
2. Invader Zim has been canceled, but that doesn’t mean all the episodes aren’t alive and well on file sharing programs and fan pages. It’s a fantastic show, and I really don’t know what Nickelodeon was thinking when they pulled the plug. I’ve got a friend who’s a huge fan of all of Vasquez’s work, and after watching Invader Zim, I know exactly why she loves his work. Now...to find me some Johnny the Homicidal maniac...
3. It’s obvious that Square thinks all cross dressers are hookers. Bless them.
Teioh:
I, on the other hand, recommend Naruto (the anime), as it is an anime series about several characters who are NINJAS in training :]
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Stupid. Capital Pid.
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Is the term Role-Playing Game outdated, or even wrong? I walk down the aisles at my local video game stores and read previews for new games, and it seems that the CD inside just about every game box nowadays has "RPG elements" somewhere in the game. Is it the spread of the term that's ridiculous, or the term itself?
Basically, there's two ways to interpret RPG. The "weak" definition means "a game where you play a role." While it's conceivable that you could be playing the role of the block-arranging guy in Tetris, that's really stretching it. It would not, however, be stretching it to say Mario is a role-playing game. You "play the role" of a part-time-plumbing superhero as he treks across the world to save Princess Toadstool. When 80% of games are RPGs, I'd say the distinction has lost its importance.
The "strict" interpretation of RPG is to say "a game where you navigate a character through a story." I'm going to leave it at that because a lot of other staples of RPGs, like turn-based battles,
multi-member troupes, etc, are just common elements, and not necessarily defining ones.
The problem with the "strict" interpretation is that it already exists practically: Adventure games. If you want to split hairs, you can say that Adventure games conventionally emphasize puzzle
elements, while RPGs cover the battle portion, but neither of these is involved in the definition "navigate a character through a story."
Ask yourself: what does Final Fantasy do that makes it NOT an adventure game? Other RPGs?
- Andrew Bartkus
PS: I don't really expect anyone to change what they call the games they play. Just as with "centrifugal force," everyone will know what you're talking about, and a couple elitists will go "tsk tsk" and feel superior.
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Andrew:
Eh. Based on years of game playing, I have concluded that an RPG is, “ a game where you have to number juggle in order to make your characters more powerful.”
It’s pretty scary that you’re so concerned over the definitions of your games. Shouldn’t you be buying games because they have cool concepts and sound interesting, as opposed to picking a game because it’s an RPGs? Besides, I don’t think anyone cried when Mario was crushed by Goombas, or really felt how Sonic does when he speeds through a level. RPG’s generally PUT YOU IN THE ROLE. You ARE Cecil, or Hugo, or whoever. That’s why RPG’s tend to be so emotional. I doubt Aeris’s demise would have been nearly as tragic in another genre.
Teioh:
Tsk Tsk! :D I had a person who kept bugging me once, insisting
that Turok was an RPG, insisting how it also had a "story" and a "role". I
asked him if he played the game because he was honestly interested in the
affairs of the main character, or if he just played to shoot the living crap
out of everything that moved. Needless to say, that arguement came to a
quick end.
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Mix and Match.
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Genre-bending: the most difficult of the game-design skills. For every successful crossover, there's a half-dozen failed experiments. Let's take a look at RPGs in all of this.
RPG + Fighter = Legend of Legaia. The idea is interesting, but the magic is a PAIN. Overpriced, but still powerful. The only real complaint I can log against this one is in actually gathering Magic, in this case using the "You must kill the specified monster with a normal attack, and then you only have a small percentage chance of learning the Magic" system. I should finish this game, but it'll probably be sometime this summer. Too busy at the moment.
RPG + Platformer = Brave Fencer Musashiden. Not only do I like the "Use it to make it better" method of gaining experience, but the plot is interesting enough. The main strike against this game is the clunky controls and terrible voice-acting.
RPG + Horror = Parasite Eve. It's a fun idea with great execution. Remaking the original with updated graphics and, perhaps, some more events (and big guns) would probably be warmly received by fans.
RPG + MegaMan = MegaMan Battle Network. For the love of Precis, it's just a MegaMan game trying to be like Pokemon. "Get these chip-things, trade them, work the well-worn formula." There's just one catch: These games are excellent. I loved the first and am currently loving the second, while waiting anxiously for the third. The chip system accurately captures the feel of the MegaMan canon, while allowing Capcom to cash in on Nintendo's thunder. Eh, never mind that.
Long story short: HeatMan used to be a Zippo lighter with arms and legs. HeatMan.EXE is a Zippo lighter FROM HELL.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a place for these 4 Chobits clocks, 9 Chobits plushies, and other fun anime swag. (Who else can say they cleaned a con out of all of its Star Ocean EX stuff?)
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Andrew:
1. I HATED Legaia. What idiot thought that players wanted every random battle, and damn, are there are a lot of them, to take two minutes a piece? I’ll admit, the idea for combos was cool, but should not have been attempted in a turn-based combat system. Something like the battle system of Star Ocean 2 would have worked much better.
2. I’d say a better example of a platformer/rpg mix would be Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Now that was a great game.
3. I’ll agree that Parasite Eve was pretty cool, though only worth a rental. Its sequel was complete crap, however.
4. I’ve been trying to avoid the whole series to be honest, since I really don’t like the idea behind it. However, with classes becoming increasingly boring, and considering I’ve beaten all my GBA games...hmm.
5. Sadly, I’ve never been to a con, and if I did attend one, I’d probably spend so much money that I’d most likely not have enough for next year’s tuition.
Teioh:
Actually, I've always thought RPG/Fighter hybrid was Tales of
Destiny, by Namco too, no less.
What? You don't have the Ultra Soft 100% Cotton Life Sized Chobits Chi
Pillow? For shame!
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Shooter of my dreams.
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Now that I think about it, the Shmup genre (you know, 2D fighter shoot-em-ups, like
Gradius & R-Type) could use a serious dose of RPGing. In them, you can usually power up
your ship to maximum power by the end of the first level, but if you die, you start back
at square one power-wise! Not fun when you're close to the final boss. If you could
gradually build up the number of powerups you start out with when you respawn, you could
combine the temporary advancement of powerups with the gradual build-up of RPGs.
Better yet, you could use regular points as XP and give the players an excuse to get a
high score. Stuff a few "metal slimes" in hard-to-reach locations and voila, instant death
trap! Or was this what you meant when you said the "shooter genre" could use an RPG touch?
-Mike Lemmer
"Move zig for great justice!"
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Andrew:
It’s a great idea, Lemmer. As much fun as shooters are, it’s never fun to make a stupid mistake halfway through a level and screw yourself over. Now all we have to do is add a couple of upgradable ships, multiple story paths, and secrets galore. Damn, I wish there was an easy shooter creation engine. HELP ME READERS, SO I CAN HELP YOU! RPG SHOOTERS FOREVER!
Teioh:
3 words. Earth Defense Force. Happy leveling up, pilot! :D
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I hate questions that ask me to forward an opinion on how much I rock.
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hey andrew
how are ya i am myself reading the books by R. A. Salvatore which are very, very, very good. I still hold love for the Dragonlance series though i think it may be on the decline. Now for my question, with pen and paper rpgs i have debated for years wether or not to play them. If i do start to play i would like to play in either the dragonlance universe or the forgotten realms universe. which in your opinion would be better or more fun to play in?
Also are the remakes of ff1 and ff2 going to be on ps2 or psx?
Thanks
Lionkiller46
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Andrew:
Hey, it doesn’t matter where you play, it matters who you play with. A great Dungeon Master, good friends, and a clever plot. Go have fun.
And Final Fantasy 1 and 2 remakes are coming to your old PS. NOT GBA, which would make SENSE.
Teioh:
PSX. *peels a potatoe*
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Best Question Ever.
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Hi. I was wondering if you could post a poem I wrote about rpgs.
RPG's
They are so addicting, these video games
Some are different, some the same
They glue your eyes to the screen
Until you start seeing spots of green
" Wait one second one last boss"
" 25 gold pieces the silver shield costs"
No shower for almost 3 days
Have to go pee? Come what may
You don't care to play in the yard
Just as long as you have your memory card
Subliminal messages control your mind,
"Keep playing video games,
until you go blind."
Well, for a question, do you think Wakka and Auron from FF X are gay buddies?
Thanks,
Vampiress Sara
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Andrew:
Great poem Sara, and judging from the amount of yaoi lemons out there, I’d say you’re in the majority in wishing they were.
Teioh:
Awesome poem. Disturbing question. I am left in a state of
confusion.
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Question the 1st!
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Andrew,
I really like Squaresoft games and I can't wait for the new games to be released. Since it seems like Square is a little low on funds, do you think that Square would start to rerelease more of their old games? I think that Square should rerelease Live A Live, Bahamut Dragoon, Rudra no Hihou, the Seiken Densetsu series, the Final Fantasy Game Boy series, and the Romancing SaGa series. Most of these games were never released in the US and I always wanted to get these games.
Thanks,
Yi Lang
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Andrew:
All those games would make great ports for GBA. However, I doubt Square would take all that effort to actually translate them. Most of the games they bring over, at least so far, are quick shove-into-the-system jobs.
AND YES, I am aware they’re bringing FF3 to Game Boy. NO, I don’t think they’ll do a good job.
Teioh:
Squaresoft, as far as I know, are out of the red already. And
besides, everyone knows FF SEQUELS will make much more money than small
unknown titles.
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Question that is 2nd!
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Andrew,
You can cut or modify my letter and there are question at the bottom.
My Best RPG Moments
1. When I bought Secret of Evermore and Light Crusader for $3 each.
2. When I beat Myria in Breath of Fire III.
3. When I beat Emperor Barbarosa's Dragon Form in Suikoden.
4. When I beat Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII.
5. When I heard that the games Final Fantasy I through Final Fantasy IX were
being released on the Playstation except for Final Fantasy III.
My Worst RPG Moments
1. When I would play an RPG on my SNES, and my file saves get erased if I
remove the game from the SNES or when someone or something hits the SNES
while I am playing.
2. When I had to fight against Myria and Barbarosa especially since they
cheat and do not die without using a strategy against them.
3. When I have to read through all the accents in Chrono Cross.
4. When I bought the Granstream Saga. It gave me headaches(literally) when
I played it. When I sold to Gamestop I only got a dollar for it and the
game was in its original package with its manual and in mint condition.
Moments in that made me go huh in a RPG
1. When Crono died in Chrono Trigger.
2. In Final Fantasy VII, when Palmer(I think that is his name) tries to
steal the Little Bronco from Cid. After you defeat him in battle, he gets
hit by a truck.
3. In Breath of Fire III, The fairies command Ryu and his gang to solve
their problem. The fairies are being bullied and they tell Ryu to help
them. Ryu, Momo, and Nina end up waiting all night for the sea creature
that is bullying the fairies. The group sees something in the water and
start to beat down on it. It turns out that Ryu and the gang just beat up a
dolphin. The dolphin starts to speak in an Australian accent and tells Ryu,
Momo, Nina, and the fairies that everything was a misunderstanding. After
the speach, everyone leaves the dolphin except for Ryu and the dolphin
starts badmouthing(is this even a word) Ryu. After this conversation the
game ask if you want the seen played back in English for those who do not
understand Australian. The dolphin used a lot of Australian slang, so
almost anyone would have answered yes.
The character that I disliked the most was Janus from Chrono Trigger. He
was so depressing for a little kid and he was kind of rude.
Now here are some question for you.
1. What was your best, worst, and weird moments in a RPG?
2. Who is your best and worst RPG character?
3. What do you think is the best and worst RPG?
4. Is Final Fantasy III going to be released in the US?
Thanks,
Yi Lang
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Andrew:
Best- Sounds like you have a lot of trouble with bosses. You need to focus on level gaining!
Worst- Come on, Granstream wasn’t THAT bad. I mean, yeah it was clunky, but it did have a hot shower scene!
0_o?- Oh man, I forgot all about when Palmer gets hit with the truck. That was horribly random, wasn’t it?
1. Best Moment- Beating Lunar 2 in 3 days. Worst- Level gaining in Final Fantasy 8, only to realize how pointless it was. Weird- Getting Rydia’s imp summon in FF4. After that, I thought all enemies had summon drops. >_<
2. Best- Cecil. Worst- Squall. Ugh.
3. Best game- Lunar: SSSC. Worst- Alundra 2. *shudder*
4. Yep. The onion kids will be coming to a GBA near you, hopefully sometime in the next decade. Hooray!
Teioh:
Best moment- FF7: Killed Midgar Serpent at the beginning of the
game.
Worst moment- Final battle in Parasite Eve, after a series of long, hard
and tedious battles with the end boss involving multiple continues, I
finally beat it and Aya and the ultimate being switched onto map screen
mode. So my friend cries out, "Go touch it! Go touch it!"
Weirdest moment- Wild Arms 2: Ashley, during the middle of a casual
conversation with the villian, screams out, "NUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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Free crap.
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Heya.
I'd love to see more fighting games incorporate RPG elements. A game in which the player customizes his character and then fights with it would be the perfect blend of action and strategy. I guess it would be like Power Quest, except fun.
According to RPGamer, the Xenosaga preorder gift is a t-shirt and a lithograph. According to EBGames' web-site, however, the preorder gift is an art book. Do you know anything about this? My only guesses are this was a mistake on RPGamer's part, Namco changed its plans at the last minute, or the t-shirt and the lithograph aren't being offered until later. I don't care about the t-shirt so much, but the lithograph would look great next to my Kirby cardboard cut-out.
I am also planning on preordering Zelda: the Wind Waker and Pokemon Sapphire. I'm pretty sure nobody is offering any preorder bonuses for Zelda besides the bonus disk, and the only preorder bonus for Pokemon I could find was the coin from EBGames. Have you heard anything about another preorder bonus for either of these two games? I realize I'm making a big deal out of almost nothing, but these exclusive offers are great for bragging. I still remember the release of Baldur's Gate 2. "Hey, are you enjoying your copy of Baldur's Gate 2 Collector's Edition? Oh wait a sec, I was the only one who was able to obtain a copy, hah hah hah! I'm sure gonna have a fun time with my stationary and collectible trading cards!" I got punched so many times, but it was worth it.
Personally, if I could psychically control Namco's promotional department, I would have them include a copy of Xenogears Perfect Works with every preorder of Xenosaga. Now THAT would be awesome, don't you think?
Ok, that's enough random babbling. Have a nice day.
BL Alien
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Andrew:
All I’ve gained from the entirety of your letter is that you’re way too obsessed with free stuff. So in keeping with your greedy nature, have a tilde, it’s on me. ~
Teioh:
It'd also be very nice if you get to see how much HP fighting
game characters have. ...no wait.
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3 random topics, 3 random answers.
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Okay, I just have a couple of questions for you, any
response would be apriciated.
1: I was having a talk with an old friend of mine
about Final Fantasy 6, and we started arguing, I
thought that Terra was the main character, while he
said there was no main character because you can be
anyone you want, I told him by that logic that there
was no main character for Final Fantasy 10 either.
What's your view on the whole subject?
2: When I was younger, and Lunar: Silver Star Story
Compleat first came out, I didn't have the means to
get it (no money) and now I can't findsequelr the
sequal ANYWHERE. Is it worth tracking down? I mean,
how good is it in your opinion?
3: Am I the only disappointed disapointed with Kingdom
Hearts? I mean...it was beginningthe begining, but it
just seems to have no depth in it.
Okay, that's all, thanks for the time and insight.
Shaun
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Andrew:
1. Final Fantasy 6 has no main character. That’s what made it so great, since the player didn’t have to focus on the angst ridden main character to enjoy the game, and, in fact, could avoid Shadow entirely if they wanted too.
2. The Lunar series are a truly awesome games. The pinnacle of the typical RPG story, if you will. I highly suggest finding a copies of them. Why just today, I knocked out a mugger with my Luna pendant.
3. It was a game that focused on Disney characters. What did you expect? Yeesh. Besides, if Donald Duck had started talking about the meaning of life and who he REALLY is, my PS2 would have been hurled out the 11th story window of my dorm.
Teioh:
1) FF3, the Mog was the main char. End disscussion 2) By the
gods, man! Have you been struck by blindness? If you haven't found it by
now, you should probably quit searching and save what youth you have left.
3) You're right, Kingdom Hearts sucks. Story sucked, characters sucked,
gameplay TOTALLY SUCKED. By the way, I'd be more than happy to relieve you
of such a sucky game :]
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I kicked my SNES and it exploded. I'm still finding pieces of EVO in my sofa.
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Do you know of any bugs in Tactics Ogre?
Here's what happened. I was preparing to fight a
battle. Right after I started the battle, I noticed
all of mu characters had less than their maximum MP(or SP). Then, I decided to reset my game and reload
the game I just saved. To my dismay, all of my
characters now had zero MP. Try as I might, I could
not rectify the situation and had to start a new game.
Thats my story, I was wondering if anyone had a
similar one.
Maybe I had better add a real question: Which GBA
game are you most looking forward to?
Thanks,
Jack
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Andrew:
I’ve never heard of anything like that happening in Tactics Ogre, so it sucks to be you.
I’m looking forward to Lunar Legend. Now, if only stores around me would restock with it...
Teioh:
Not in Tactics Ogre, but in Final Fantasy Tactics, I've managed
overheat my PS enough to have it replace the profile pic of an enemy Marboro
with one that is of Professor Daravon. (no joke!)
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