As many of you know by now, Andrew Kaufmann isn't back to host the Q&AK today, since after restoring the power supply to his poor, victimized computer...his ethernet card was found to be nice and melted. Worry not, though, he'll be back as soon as possible.

   Who am I, though? Why, I'm Brian Glick! I'm the temporary host of this zany section, and I might ask that you email questions directly to me for the remainder of my stay. And be sure to keep all arms and small children inside the car.

Q: AHHHHHHH! No Lufia III? I hope somebody out there picks up this great title for development.
   And I think you should defect from RPGamer and start your own page that revolves around you answering RPG questions.
   -John

BG: I hear ya, man. I'm extremely distraught over the decision as well. The Lufia series for Super Nintendo was my favorite series, after Final Fantasy. I was greatly looking forward to this next one, even if it wasn't by Taito.
   Why should I start a new page that does that when I can do that right here? =)

Q: Lets see Saga won't get a sequel, we know that mana already has 3... can we say chrono2? =]

BG: It really depends on what you mean by "sequel". Sequel can be taken to mean an addition to something, and not necessarily just a second. Which means that Square could add another game to a lot of existing series. It's really difficult to speculate (although fun).

Q: I think this is a very good question. Why won't Square just drop those stupid Chocobos and try putting horses in their Final Fantasy games instead? Please tell me you think Chocobos are stupid.
   -Xhead

BG: I'm going to put my hands over my ears, force my eyes close, and hum some Chumbawamba as loud as I can while I pretend not to have heard that.
   Chocobos are a mainstay of the Final Fantasy series. Just like moogles, guys named Cid, the rising and falling prelude theme, and a spell called "Bolt", chocobos are an element which adds life to the games. They're cute, they go "Wark!" a lot, some of them can fly...certainly sounds a lot more interesting than a plain 'ol horse, doesn't it?
   And since when did the designers at Squaresoft pretend to have any semblance of a hold on reality? *ducks*

Q: Hey Brian! How're you doing? Lately I've been plagued by dreams of playing endless hours of RPGs, doing nothing but wondering around aimlessly, where people talks to you so politely that it make you feel like that you're a king. No one ever talks about controversial subject and that people hate sex so much that they evolved to produce childs asexually.... you get the picture. The point I'm trying to make here is that lately in your editorial page, more and more articles on the subject of maturity and linearity in RPGs and video games in general have been posted. This makes me wondering what's YOUR opinion about all this? I've been really troubled by some of the more extreme editorials, so it will really help me out if I can know what the Almighty Big Lick thought! (I know you probably won't post this message since it's so pointlessly long and...pointless, but I think a lot of people will want to know what you think too!)

BG: A lot of people want to know what I think? So that's why people visit this section...I thought they came here just to find out which game is sitting in the 'ol game system.
   I agree, there have been some "extreme" editorials, but doesn't that depend on your perspective? Editorials back up their statements with reasoning and (most of the time) logic. If you don't agree with something, you can figure exactly out where your beliefs differ from the author's, and realize that every one has different opinions.
   My personal opinion is that there is a big difference between maturity and immaturity. FF7, for example, had many mature aspects, but several of them were handled in a decidedly immature way. There's nothing wrong with sexual themes as long as it's not handled the way Wall Market in Sector 6 was.
   As for linearity, I think a little bit is enough. I'm not terribly fond of games that are overly open, like SaGa Frontier, but too much linearity isn't a good thing either. Final Fantasy IV was just right, in my opinion.

Q: I have a bet with a friend as to which character is on the Final Fantasy IV logo. I say it's Rydia, but he says it's Cecil. Are either of us correct?

BG: Unfortunately, no, you both lose this bet. It's actually Kain. It's a little difficult to tell from the logo above, but in the full picture you receive with the box, it's clearly visible that the character is carrying a spear pointed on both ends, and that the armor more closely resembles Kain's.

Q: What is up with people complaining about my man Nobuo Uematsu's music in Final Fantasy 7? Saying that it wasn't his best work. That it sucked, to be blunt. It was the best of all time in my opinion. It actually made you feel for the characters (i.e. Aerith's two themes, Cid when his trip to space was cancelled, Red XIII finding the truth about his father, and many others). That is an RPG first in the games that I have played, and the way he brought the music together from the previous games and mixed them into the credits. That was superb. I loved that. So if I find anyone complaining about my man Nobuo's work again (not that anyone from this site did; just ignorant people I meet on the net whom I can not convince otherwise), they are going to have hell to pay, and to everyone working for RPGamer: Y'all are da manz, keep up the excellent work.....Ultimate End.....Give my real name to everyone on the net? You gots to be crazy.

BG: Hey, no need to hurt other people just because they don't agree with you. We're all happy here. Nice, kind, and friendly. At RPGamer, no one harbors ill feelings for others, and we all live in a happy bubble where no one ever gets hurt. (And if you believe that, I have some prime real estate in Florida I'm willing to sell you.)
   Anyway, I agree with you. I think Uematsu's work in Final Fantasy 7 fit the storyline and the gameplay perfectly. The ending theme, both before and after the credits is one of my favorite tunes from any game. The songs in the game may not stand well alone on a soundtrack, but almost all of them fit the scenes they are in perfectly.

Q: Put this picture on RPGamer or I'll bake you into a quiche.
   I'm thirsty.
   -MagitekChoc

BG: MagitekChoc, have I ever told you you have way too much time on your hands? Although, Bone is one cool comic. I miss reading it.
   (Oh, and "Kupan" is an Internet nickname I sometimes go by.)