@Jon B: The P4 line is almost 10 years old. You can't expect them to meet minimum requirements anymore.
I think these are pretty average system requirements. A little higher for the gpu than the first game, but I guess that's to be expected. ... view replies
I can't see it fitting into the current SM64. It wouldn't really change anything. I wonder how different the game was when they were planning co-op. ... view replies
Fucking loved Far Cry 2. Favorite non-handheld game this generation. I have a strong suspicion that those who hated it didn't play it on Infamous difficulty, which completely changed the game for me. What they need to do with the next one is add the ability to fire while driving, give you more buddies and allies that actually fight with you, more bus stations (just a few more, not like 20), and make shadows not look like shit on anything less than high quality. And airplanes or helicopters. That would be completely awesome. ... view replies
Wow, I can't believe there are enough to do a vote like this. I liked Paper Mario 64, but I haven't played enough to vote here. I like Mario games because they aren't RPGs most of the time.
And I am so happy SMB3 didn't win. I have no idea what the fuck Sunshine is doing below Galaxy, but I guess I can't complain.
Also, Yoshi's Island should have scored higher. ... view replies
"I was the guy who spent an unholy amount of time just flying peacefully through the sky in Super Mario 64. Who knows what will happen to my social life when Just Cause 2 hits."
I'm so glad you can see the connection between those two games. I recently started playing SM64 again, and it's making me look forward to Just Cause 2 even more.
1. Super Mario 64
2. Super Smash Bros Melee
3. Majora's Mask
4. Ocarina of Time
5. Mario Kart DS
6. Morrowind
7. GTA San Andreas
8. MGS3 Subsistance
9. Bangai-O Spirits
10. Soul Calibur 2 or Yoshi's Island ... view replies
"this coming from the jackass that forced nearly everything on the N64 to be 3D, just because he could- seems a bit hypocritical.
The fanboy love for Miyamato is ridiculous."
Are you retarded? What the hell was he supposed to do? The N64 was a system that was built from the ground up as a 3D system. It was new technology at that point, and of course people were excited to experiment with it. I'm glad they pushed 2D aside for that period. 3D needed to be explored. And if you actually look at the games he directed on the N64, you'll find that there are only 2, SM64 and OoT. A lot of games he was the producer for were 3D, yes, but they were also games that really made the most sense in 3D. And he also produced Super Smash Bros and Yoshi Story, 2 great games on the N64, both in 2D. So basically he had a part in a ton of great games that shaped 3D gaming for years to come, and yet he also managed to spend some of the N64's short lifecycle working on some 2D games. Yeah, I can really see how he's overrated. ... view replies
@kefkaesque:
Sorry for being late, but I really don't understand the point you are trying to make. If OoT had been made now, then yes, it wouldn't be innovative. But it wasn't. It was made 11 years ago. And pong still is as innovative as it once was. The fact that better games that use similar mechanics have come out between then and now doesn't go back in time and erase what used to be. ... view replies
@kefkaesque:
How does the fact that OoTs gameplay innovations have been overused make them any less innovative? If OoT came out now, then sure, they would be less innovative, but it came out when none of that stuff had been done before. ... view replies
That worries me a little. TP was not better. Pretty much everyone will agree with that. I would really like to hear his reasoning behind this statement. Saying the graphics aren't as good as the newer ones isn't really a valid argument. Nobody was complaining when it came out, because everyone thought it looked great then. And how does it move slow? Wind Waker is the game to accuse of that. I thought OoT moved at a very nice pace. And I'm being serious when I say the Navi people need to shut the fuck up. How much time did that really take up? Several minutes at most? The owl was annoying, but Jesus fucking Christ, he doesn't show up that often. If your going to bitch about something, at least make it a valid complaint, like maybe about how you couldn't press A to make speech text go faster.
I'm honestly a little surprised that this is the kind of stuff that Aonuma is worrying about. How about fixing the problem of using the same items in every game? Or making it so that you don't use an item in one dungeon and then stash it away forever? Or actually make it remotely possible to die again. Seriously, OoT is not the game to look down on in the Zelda franchise. The only real problem with it is Nintendo has been a little reluctant to move away from the formula it created. ... view replies
Wow lol that was sooo funny. I really can't stop laughing. I too find hilarity in things making references to other things. You know what movie you'd probably like Jim? Meet the Spartans. It's like my favorite movie! So many references.
Seriously though, what the fuck. The only funny thing about this game is the super giant sword, and ironically that's like the only thing that isn't a reference to Zelda. ... view replies
That's not really an exaggeration. With iPhone games, the price drop always leads to huge sales. They almost always make more selling a game for $3 or even $1 than they do for $10. The reason is simple. People will by almost anything for $3, but are a lot more jewy with their money when it's $10. ... view replies
@Zeta Crossfire: That sounds great, but it's the players, not the developer standing in the way of something like that happening. I guess it sort of happened in EVE, but I can't see it happening with CoD. ... view replies
@ThaJinx:
God, thank you! That comment was so true! I think that throughout that whole game, I only got 2 stars in ways that they didn't intend me to. ... view replies
Fuck, why did I end up having so much work tonight.
Anyway, my favorite is Super Mario 64. It's my favorite game ever in fact. There are really so many reasons, and I'm too worn out to go into in in detail like I was hoping. It changed my view on gaming forever, and it's what really got me into gaming (along with Prince of Persia). I may actually do a blog post about this later on, but for now, I'll just say that it's in a league of its own and could only be created by the best team on the planet, and only with a shitload of luck. I honestly can't even see how a better single player game would be possible, unless it just improved on all the elements of SM64.
Now, on to the least favorite. It's honestly probably SMB2, but I'm going to say it's SMB3. In fact, if I can sacrifice my vote for SM64 for favorite in order to vote SMB3 down twice, I would like to do so. SMB3 is the most overrated game I can think of. That includes all the Final Fantasies, and I am not a Final Fantasy fan. It's not even that it's a bad game. I mean, it can't be, considering that I've played through it like 20 times. It's just that I can't stand it when people call it the best. Compared to SMW and Yoshi's Island, it's just not that amazing. I really think that the reason it's so well liked is a mixture of nostalgic value and the fact that it came after SMB2 and re-invigorated the franchise. And Galaxy is the same way (except that I actually consider it to be worse than Sunshine). They both had tons of new suits for Mario to wear, they both came after a generally less liked Mario game, and they were both relatively linear. SMB3 can be excused a little bit there, but Galaxy doesn't really have an excuse with SM64 and Sunshine being before it. And I don't really even dislike linear, but if you're going to do a linear Mario game, at least make it as hard as SMB. I felt like I was just walking through SMB3 and Galaxy, just going through the Mario motions. Anyway, what I'm really trying to say, in a nutshell, is fuck SMB3. I will be a happy man if it doesn't win this. I don't even care who does. It could be fucking SMB2 and I would be happy.
BQ1. Do you like Mario or Luigi better? Why? (Thanks, EnigmaticHarle!)
Mario. He's just a badass. Luigi is OK too, but Mario is just awesome. I also like the Mario's fast running playstyle over Luigi's floaty jumper one.
BQ2. What is your favorite method of flying in the series? Raccoon suit, cape, winged hat, F.L.U.D.D. water jet backpack, etc. Why? (Thanks, donkeykong!)
Winged hat! How can anyone vote even different? Fuck the raccoon suit! It wasn't even better than the cape! It was slow, and you could only fly for a little bit. At least with cape you could fly indefinitely and pull off some crazy stunts. And winged hat gave you complete freedom! It was flying through a 3D environment. Just soaring through the air, then swooping down and back up. I nearly crapped my pants when I first saw that, and it's still a ton of fun now.
BQ3. What is your favorite item, suit, power-up, etc in the series? Why?
Winged cap. See above. Favorite item ever, not just in Mario.
BQ4. What is your least favorite item, suit, power-up, etc in the series? Why?
Probably frog suit. It kind of sucked. I mean, I would rather have fire flower in the water anyway.
BQ5. Have you grown to like, dislike, or hate that damn Princess Peach who keeps getting captured? Why or why not?
I never really cared about Peach. I'm neutral there.
BQ6. What are a few of your favorite levels in the series? Why?
Bomb-omb Battlefield and Rainbow Ride immediately come to mind. Fucking perfect beginning and end to a game. Battlefield was a great introduction. You couldn't fall off anywhere, it was a big level, and it had tons of shit to do. They also added the flying cap there, and any level with the flying cap is awesome. It had a turtle shell as well, which is another bonus. And it had that 1-up that you could get to chase you. I had so much fun goofing around in that level. Rainbow Ride was a lot like that, except it had way more places to do crazy tricks. Try getting onto the ship without using a flying carpet. Or get the tricky triangles star without flipping the triangles. That was the level that really introduced me to the idea that you didn't have to play SM64 the way the developers intended.
BQ7: What are a few of your least favorite levels in the series? Why?
I've never really liked underwater levels. Mario is best when he's running and jumping. Underwater slows things down. I've never played a terrible Mario level though.
BQ8. What do you want to see the series do next? Why?
Back to the SM64/Sunshine formula of non-linearity. Just make the worlds, put the stars in there, and let us get them how we want to. Sure, make an "official" way to get each star, but don't purposely remove all alternative routes. And just let us goof off more in the levels. Galaxy lacked that for the most part, and it really hurt it.
BQ9: This bonus question is in another castle.
Good. That means the game goes on. ... view replies
I don't think I'm getting any games for the rest of the year. I have too many old games I want to play. I suppose I'll be borrowing games. ... view replies
Link shouldn't talk because it's a fucking stupid idea, but I don't mind him saying stuff like Mario does. Mario never really "talks", but he does say some phrases. In fact, I think Link actually does speak a word or 2 of English in Wind Waker. ... view replies
For it to be an arms race, both sides technically have to care. I think IW has made it abundantly clear already that they just don't give a shit about the PC. ... view replies
So would it have been better if the game allowed you to kill the terrorists and then find it showed a cutscene of everything being fine? That sounds sort of pointless. And the alternative of actually crafting an alternate storyline where you do kill the terrorists would be insanely difficult, and would delay the shit out of the game. I don't think most people would want that. And would you want that? A 10 hour game with 2 scenarios where one is just 5 hours of peace? Sounds boring. I guess I just don't get what the fuck you're complaining about. That IW didn't give you as much choice as the scenario they set up led you to believe? Well, tough shit. And I know that sounds stupid, but seriously, tough shit. That's like 99.9% of all games. I can't count the number of times that that has happened to me. It's just something that isn't worth complaining about anymore. I recognize that the developer wasn't trying to allow me to make a decision every time I wanted to, but rather to tell the story with some interactive elements. I didn't want to play along with Far Cry 2's story at all times either, but I didn't let it get to me because Ubisoft never set out to design that kind of game. Ok, I guess I can relate a little. The way you have to kill your best buddies at the end of the game after spending so much time keeping them alive really pissed me off. But I remember that I am not the person in Far Cry 2. I control some of his actions, and some of his decisions, but for other parts of the game, I'm just along for the ride. And I really don't buy it when you say you aren't squeamish. If you were in the same position, except fighting against soldiers (good ones who you would like to side with, mind you) would you have felt the same way? By the way you described your feelings near the end of the video, I don't think that would be the case. ... view replies
Nice job man. I love Majora's Mask for a lot of the same reasons. It's without a doubt the best in the series, and I've been waiting for Aonuma to top it ever since it came out. I have more respect for this game than any other.
Hey, you know what rules? Doing the Anju/Kafei quest last thing in the game, then rushing off to take down Majora. Best feeling in the world. ... view replies
Holy shit! I just noticed the next debate topic. Fronz, you are going to fucking kill me. I guess I'd better clear my schedule for Tuesday night. ... view replies
@Vice:
Yeah, but you could actually murder that thief (his name was Sakon). That made me feel better.
Also, I've noticed something from reading all of these comments. No, not that it's now 2 AM and I haven't gotten any work done, but rather that people who like Wind Waker or Majora's Mask tend to like them for the same reasons. OoT has always ranked right behind MM for me (in both Zelda ranking and general ranking at #4 and #3), and I've always considered WW to be below that level, but I really think I should pay it another visit. The pictograph quest really detracted from the fun, and the fact that I got the warping song later than I could have made things a little more tedious. But I bet that if I go through it again, not doing the pictograph quest, I would appreciate it a lot more. Maybe it would even crack my top 10. Just remembering that perfect finale makes me want to play. Too bad I don't have a Gamecube or a TV right now. ... view replies
Oops, I skipped BQ2. I love the hookshot. Just like batman. I hated the clawshot though. It was like a shittier hookshot that could only stick to very specific stuff. The hookshot couldn't stick to everything of course, but it was a lot more versatile than the clawshot. ... view replies
Majora's Mask. I ranted about this for like 1500 words in the Zelda vs FF debate, and I can't do it again. It's the only game in the world I consider to be perfect. Like Fronz said, it was completely unique. It really turned the Zelda cliche on it's head, even more so than OoT did, and that hasn't been done since. It's graphics were amazing, it tightened the already awesome gameplay of OoT, and it created the most intricate world and the best characters in any Zelda game. Frankly, I have no idea why they abandoned MM's formula of lots of character driven sidequests and pre-dungeon sequences. That's what made MM great.
BQ1. What is your least favorite game in the series? Why?
This is a tough one. I want to say Minish Cap, but I feel more anger toward Twilight Princess. MC was the worse game, but I could tell that they never set out to make the best Zelda ever with it. With TP, they did absolutely try, and they failed horribly. It was the epitome of everything that I dislike about Zelda, and it felt incredibly stale. After playing it, I played Phantom Hourglass, which was not the greatest game or anything, but I appreciated it so much more because it felt fresh. Also, my Wiimote spazzed out at one point when I was almost at the sky dungeon, and it erased my game. You should not be able to do that in 2 clicks anyway, even if you disregard shitty motion control.
BQ2. What is your favorite item in the series? Why?
BQ3. What is your least favorite item in the series? Why?
Gale Boomerang. I don't remember using it outside of the first dungeon. It was really just a shallow gimmick, and it's what I immediately think of when I think of TP.
BQ4. Who is your favorite side character in the series? Why?
Tatl. I know people hate the fairies, but I liked them. Sure, the "Hey, listen!" got annoying, but it was fun having a companion throughout the entire game that gave you info about all the enemies. That's another thing that the later games got rid of for no discernible reason. I also love Shiro the invisible soldier from MM. Just the concept cracks me up.
BQ5. Who is your least favorite side character in the series? Why?
Pictograph guy from Windwaker. Fuck that motherfucker to hell. Takes a fucking day to create a figurine. I swear, that figurine quest drove me insane.
BQ6. What is your favorite level in the series? Why?
Fire Temple from Master quest! I loved that level. Like the original, it was so huge, but it also had tons of tricky puzzles and hidden stuff the second time around. After that is Water Temple from OoT, then Stone Tower from MM, and then MM's Water Temple, who's name I forgot.
BQ7: What is your least favorite level in the series? Why?
Jabu Jabu's belly from Master Quest. Jesus, it was like a shitty mod. Cows in the walls. I can't believe they managed to make Jabu Jabu's belly even worse. And they fucked up Water Temple too. Master Quest wasn't very successful with the water portions of the game.
BQ7. What is your favorite ocarina song?! Why?
Song of Healing. It was a creepy tune. I know it isn't the most elaborate, but I like it a lot. Saria's song is another good one, and so is the song of storms. ... view replies
Holy shit! Australia has elections for this office? I thought this guy was king for life or something. But yeah, down with him and such. ... view replies
UT3 mods on PS3 doesn't prove shit, as some non-moron above said. But I still do think the main obstacle here is Microsoft. Even if Valve allowed for free DLC that they created from user mods, MS wouldn't. ... view replies
"it runs a lITTLE better but the PS3 version looks better, it has been getting higher reviews than the 360 version and reviewers are saying if you have a choice between consoles the PS3 is the way to go."
How is saying that being a fanboy? ... view replies
I feel like I abandoned the Wii a little too soon. Then again, this could just be another SMB3. Yes, behold, the one living Mario fan (or person for that matter) who doesn't think SMB3 is the greatest fucking thing ever. ... view replies
I am so fucking sick of fake British accents. It's not even British anymore. Hollywood has created a new accent. It's the "I'm some kind of brown or from a country that doesn't exist anymore but clearly isn't America" accent. And I know the prince had the same accent in the game, but I forgave it because not every fantasy/adventure game is like that. Pretty much every movie is. Go see The Beast of War. Best fucking movie ever made. ... view replies
@testmunky:
Yeah, and it wouldn't even matter anyway considering Fallout 3 was a game where the Sniper Rifle was your least accurate weapon if you weren't in VATS. ... view replies
Also, yay for cotton. I love it when the add is 100 decibels louder than the video. Really makes me want to run out to the store and buy... cotton. ... view replies
@taiki:
"Besides, why have Alyx when you could have Raiden? If I'm going to fap it to a man faced video game character they might as well have the decency to own a dick."
Never before have I wished so hard for the ability to reach through my monitor and choke someone to death. ... view replies
3: I would say Episode 1. I really like going through it with an NPC partner. Valve managed to make that not only bearable, but fun. I still don't know how they did it.
4: What happened to Eli.
5: I don't know. I and my brother had a discussion about this, but we couldn't decide. I still haven't made a decision. ... view replies
Nice match up. I like Half Life, but Metal Gear wins by a mile.
BQ1. What are you hoping to see in the future from the series you voted for? Feel free to get very detailed and long-winded!
So many things. I would love to see the current storyline die. I fucking hate Raiden. Everyone fucking hates Raiden. He was a mistake, and everyone knows it. MGS2 fucked up the storyline so bad that now, whenever a movie in a series fucks up the storyline, I call it the MGS2 of the series, even if it isn't terrible on its own (Alien 3 is the MGS2 of Alien). Luckily, there's a shit ton of stuff to work with. I would buy a PS3 on the spot if they said they were making a WWII MGS with The Boss as the main character.
BQ2. Name one thing you like better about the series you didn't pick.
The controls are a lot better. MGS has bad to average controls.
BQ3. What was your favorite game/episode in each series? Why?
Metal Gear. As bad as MGS2 was compared to the other games, it was still fun. Metal Gear was just mediocre. Sure, it started the series off, but I still didn't like it that much.
BQ4. What was the moment(s) in each series that emotionally affected you the most?
The Boss fight in MGS3. Everything was perfect in that fight. The music, the impending nuclear doom, the way the flower petals changed color... It was fucking amazing. And then they pulled it off again at the end of MGS4, although that wasn't quite as good.
BQ5. What is your favorite level or environment in each series? Why?
I didn't like MGS4 anywhere close to as much as I liked 3, but it did have the best environment. The 4th and 5th areas were perfect, and if the rest of the game had the same emphasis on stealth as they did, MGS4 might have been my favorite.
BQ6. Pretend you were the creator of each series. What are some things you would have done differently?
For Metal Gear, I don't think I even have to say it. For Half Life, I don't know. Maybe not introduce the idea of Half Life 3 being episodic, because a game ever 2 or 3 years isn't episodic.
And I'm really excited about the next debate. I was actually going to submit that question this time.
@D Sane:
Like half the stuff you said was great about MGS can be applied to Half-Life, so I have no idea what you're talking about. ... view replies
I wouldn't call MW2 causing Frankenstein to defeat vampires a bad thing. I would buy it if it guaranteed vampires would be wiped from existence. ... view replies
Nice suggestions, but I would go for a full size tower. I have an antec 900, and it was a bitch to fit everything in. I don't even have that much shit in it either. Or one that has a place where you can tie unused cables. That works well too. ... view replies
Won't affect my decision to buy. Just add an analog nub and I'll be happy. Also, free 3G isn't a thing. Maybe in Japan or something, but not here. ... view replies
@The Silent Protagonist:
Who said Nintendo was bad for doing this? Everyone loved the DS lite, people either cared about the DSi or didn't care at all, and I think everyone is excited about the new hardware, except for apparantly bobyoko, who, for some inexplicable reason, doesn't believe that it will have software. ... view replies
@mrandydixon:
Yes they can. Much larger numbers of people have been wrong. You think there can't be 10 million idiots? Do you know how much money Transformers 2 made? ... view replies
Get it. It's one of my favorite games of this generation. Charging $20 for it and not providing source code or a level editor is a fucking stupid move on the developers part though. $5 is better. ... view replies
Better online support? Yeah, ask the Borderlands players if that's true. Don't ask the ones who pirated it though, because online does actually work for them. ... view replies
Yeah... they really need to get online working on the PC version first though. Only got 1 game to work. But other than that, after I fixed vsync, the game runs great. ... view replies
Wow, even 12 GB is a lot. Fuck that. Not that I'm getting it anymore, but still, that's way too much. Also, they aren't lowballing it Locke. An 8800 GT would be way more than enough. These are minimum requirements. ... view replies
Wait, win7 has multitouch? Is it only on tablets, or all multitouch devices? My laptop trackpad has multitouch functionality, but thanks to Apple's patents, it doens't work on Vista. ... view replies
Here is what I heard in class today. It applies perfectly to this. "Simple things should be easy, complicated things should be possible". We were talking about GUIs, and a game is basically a really complicated and dynamic GUI. Your solution removes the possibility of complex interaction. What was wrong with the NES controller? Well, nothing, in it's time. But even the addition of a 3d dimension makes the NES controller pretty much obsolete. There's only so much you can do with a Dpad and 4 buttons. Even in a 2d environment, things can get a little tricky. I'll use Bangai-O spirits as an example, because I think it has some of the best controls on the DS, and they are pretty complicated. It uses all the buttons (although you really only need 3 of the face buttons), you double tap the attack buttons to hover while attacking, move and attack to fix your attack in the direction you moved, hit the attack button again to unfix, and you hit both the shoulders to toggle between mixed and individual EX attack, and then hit the shoulders individually to perform the EX attack, which differs based on whether you mixed it or not. Sound confusing? Well, it was. And it did take a little time to get used to it. About a day to really have everything come instinctively in my case, which is more time than for most console games. But they weren't bad controls. In fact, they were great. Once mastered, I could do anything I wanted with them, and I realized that the setup was ideal for the DS button layout. This would not have been possible with an NES controller. I guess technically it would, but you would need to utilize the select button and maybe a menu. Or you could deal with a few more buttons. And if you really think taking a day to learn the controls you'll be using for (hopefully) a few months is too much, then why do you even play modern games? There's a giant library of NES classics that you probably haven seen all of. ... view replies
I'm hoping Borderlands will be my next big game, the one I play for a few months. I'm glad it's selling well, and that Gearbox seems to be on top of things. ... view replies
I'm in the middle of 358/2, and I'm having a blast. If I still have access to a PSP when this game comes out, I'll definitely play it. ... view replies
Zelda all the mother fucking way. I cannot give a stronger answer. It is Zelda in every way, shape and form. Zelda is better. Period. Zelda games are almost always good. In fact, I can't think of a single one I didn't like. And at it's peak, Zelda represents perfection. The only game, and I mean only game, I think of as being perfect, meaning that there would be absolutely nothing that I would change about it, and that it was fun as hell all the way through, is Majora's Mask. It's not my favorite game, but it's very fucking close to it. Ocarina is near that level as well. I cannot possibly praise those 2 games enough. Polished experience, incredible graphics, good (or in MM's case, fantastic) story, revolutionary game mechanics, non-repetitive gameplay, big open world, cool secrets, and just the right amount of awesome glitches. Fucking perfect. Aonuma was at his prime when he made those 2 games.
And then there's Final Fantasy. I sort of liked 4, I guess. It was my first one, and by the end, I wasn't really enjoying it much. So how does it compare to Zelda? Well, other than the graphics and the polish, it's pretty much the polar opposite. I can't really think of more repetitive gameplay. And I fucking loathe the stories. I can't stand any of the characters (except Cecil, but they turned him into what looked like a tranny hooker halfway through the game), and the same anime themes seem to be repeated over and over again. 12 had a different story, but it was boring in its own way.
Speaking of 12, I think it optimizes what I think is wrong with FF (although it's actually one of the ones I played the most). There are certain pots, that if open, you cannot get one of the ultimate weapons. They aren't special pots or anything (some might be chests), they just set a flag that prevents you from getting the Zodiac Spear (think that's its name). And the only way to know which ones they are is to get a guide. What. The. Fuck. That is the biggest fucking load of bullshit I have ever seen. Why would anyone put that in a game? What does it accomplish? What does it provide the player? I think there is another way to get the spear, but from what my friend told me, it's insanely difficult as well.
And then there's the 5 hour fight against that big mark. Again, what the fuck? I watched my friend play this fight, or at least I watched his PS2 be on while we watched TV. A video game that plays itself while you watch TV. That is the fucking epitome of botched game design.
So there's my rant. I'm assuming traditional trolling rules don't apply in this article. That will probably piss people off, but it's what I believe. I can't stand when Final Fantasy, which I consider to be a giant guide on how not to make a good game, is compared to Zelda, a series that has some of the best games ever made. It really pisses me off. I'm am literally boiling with nerd rage right now. So anyway, BQs.
BQ1. What are you hoping to see in the future from the series you voted for? Feel free to get very detailed and long-winded!
Basically a mixture of MM and WW. Actually, it's easier to say what I don't want. I don't want another TP. TP just felt a little stale, especially in the early parts. It is my least favorite Zelda. It looked a little generic, items were not as well thought out, and a lot of them were basically used in one temple and then left to gather dust, and the characters weren't as interesting. I love WW setting on the high seas, and I love MM engaging characters and sidequests, as well as its diversity of gameplay.
BQ2. Who was your favorite character(s) in each series? Why?
Shit, this is a tough one. I'm not even going to bother with FF. Probably one of the 13 characters. In Zelda, it's either Link, Shiro, or Ganandorf from WW. I liked Ganandorf for what are probably the same reasons as DanGale. He had unique and subtle dialogue, and you actually end up a little sympathetic toward him in the end. I never thought I'd get that from a Nintendo villain. Link is Link. Shiro needs some explaining. Most people probably don't know him. He was an injured soldier in MM that could only be seen with the lens of truth, because he was so ordinary that he would blend into the surroundings like a rock. I thought that was fucking hilarious, and I will never forget that guy.
BQ3. Who was your least favorite character(s) in each series. Why?
In Zelda, I don't really dislike anybody. In FF, it would be a chore to narrow it down. No, nevermind, it's Vaan. He pulled off the difficult combination of pissing me off and not having any personality. I don't know how he did it really. Cloud pissed me off, and he had an annoying personality, but at least there was something to him. Vaan was like a more irritating Keanu Reeves. I can't think of a single memorable thing he did or said, but I know I hated him.
BQ4. What was your favorite item(s) in each series? Why?
I don't know/care in FF. In Zelda, it's another hard one. Hookshot is always good. If you count the masks in MM, then either Zora or Goron mask. If not, Hookshot. Zora and Goron were just fun to move around in, and Hookshot made me feel like Batman.
BQ5. What was your least favorite item(s) in each series? Why?
Again, don't care about FF. In Zelda, it was the Gale Boomerang. It's what I was talking about before, with how you only really used items once in that game. Gale Boomerang seemed like something they made for the E3 presentation, and then never integrated into the game. That gear thing you rode was a little like that too, except it was awesome when you did actually get to use it.
BQ6. What was the moment(s) in each series that emotionally affected you the most?
FF had none. Zelda had so many, mostly in WW and MM. I think I have to give it to either the spectacular ending of WW, or the part in MM where the Deku butler is seen crying over his dead son. That was so shocking to see, especially with what role the son played in the game. I couldn't believe it, but I don't want to spoil it. The rest of the ending was so cheerful, but just like with the main game, you couldn't ever totally escape that feeling of dread and sadness. The moon sequence in MM was also really great.
BQ7. Which series had better music? Which songs stand out the most to you?
Shit, this is actually a tough one. FF has great music. I can't fault it there. I'd still have to give it to Zelda, mostly due to Wind Waker's beautiful and adventurous score.
BQ8. What is your favorite level or environment in each series? Why?
I actually like the environments in FF12, but it's been a while, and I can't remember them. In Zelda, it's either the Fire temple from Master Quest, because it was so well designed and a blast to play through, Clock Town in MM because it felt so alive, and you got to really see how the characters lived, the open ocean of WW because I loved feeling like a pirate, Romani Ranch beca... actually, I'll never be able to narrow this down. There are so many I like. If I had a gun to my head, on instinct, I would say open ocean, but I'm already having second thoughts.
BQ9. Pretend you were the creator of each series. What are some things you would have done differently?
Not listened to the fans after WW (that includes my old self), and finished off the Ocarina trilogy. MM ended with Link's quest unresolved, and I would have loved to see another game with that same Link. I also would have increased the number of sidequests in most of the games and focused more on pacing and story. Basically, I would have done what MM did. Or at least I would have tried. And I'm glad Aonuma is still determined to top himself. PH showed a lot of promise. If it had been a big project on the Wii, I think it might have given OoT a run for its money.
I guess that's the last one. Holy shit, it's 1:50, and that's 1400 words. The paper I just finished for tomorrow is shorter. I guess the lesson learned here is don't ask me to debate if Zelda or FF is better. I've spent tons of time studying Zelda to try to define what makes it such an awesome series, and as a result, I have tons to say about it.
Holy shit, I just saw what the next debate. That would probably be around 800 words. Fuck that, I can't keep doing this kind of thing. Half Life, preemptively. ... view replies
I can't say I'm disseminated. I don't plan on getting another console any time soon, and a powerhouse from Nintendo really wouldn't change that. ... view replies
Well, my next game device may be a PSP, so they're at least doing something right. And by that I mean that I finally have a big surplus and literally nothing else to spend it on. Of course the leaked news about the DS2 possibly launching in 2010 is enough to make me hold off on the purchase. ... view replies
@Midir: But 1 week is nothing. Nobody is going to care (well, you do a little). It's not going to curb piracy or increase console sales and they know that. ... view replies
I always fight in a video game because fighting is fun. That's usually why I buy the game, because I want to fight. I don't need a freaking reason, I already have one. But what you said about spending a few hours of the game not fighting is a brilliant idea. It would take some serious skill to pull it off, and I don't think anyone has that kind of skill, but it would be awesome to see. It would be very hard to make it feel like you aren't going through the motions just to eventually get to the fighting though. I feel like it would turn into a lengthened scenario of what HiddenAHB described, and frankly, that sounds like a fate worse than death.
Interestingly enough, I've actually been toying around with an idea for a game that fits this description (not the HiddenAHB one). It's a game that has a fair amount of action, but for the first 5 or so hours, you really wouldn't be getting into any fights. I didn't make it like that by design, it just happened to work out like that. I think it would work because the first part of the game still has the adventurous and dangerous feel of the rest of the game, just without anyone getting cut or shot. And then even after the action starts, there is another point where it increases even more, to the point where it is more action than adventure, and there is actually a real reason to fight that most people would be sympathetic with. Too bad I don't plan to be a game designer John, as you would probably like this game. ... view replies
"Bethesda has sued Interplay over breach of contract since they claim Interplay failed to produce a Fallout MMO within the set amount of time that they agreed to."
Translation:
Bethesda has sued Interplay over breach of contract since they claim Interplay decided that testing and optimizing were necessary to produce a product that actually fucking works, thus causing them to miss Bethesda's deadline, which did not allocate time for those steps of the development cycle. ... view replies
They can say it will be hard all they want, but it will probably be easy to medium by NES standards. People have really turned into pussies. For me, a game has to crush my spirits and make me reevaluate my stance on hard games for it to really be considered hard. I don't know why I like games like that, but I do. Maybe because of the feeling you get when you finish. Come out the other end of Ninja Gaiden NES still alive and with your sanity intact and you'll get a nice self esteem boost. ... view replies
If you haven't played the PC version, only the 360 version, do not give advice. You might influence people into buying this game when they normally would not. My bro has an i7 920 and GTX 285, and a 7200 RPM HDD. He can't max it out. Even on lowest settings it lags. It literally runs worse than any game I've ever seen. It cannot render frames while reading data from the hard drive. The only way this game will run good for you is if you have at least a GTX 285 (if you want to max out graphics, but even then it's around 30 fps) and a fast SSD (or if you want to try a ramdisk or something). That said, he had a ton of fun with it, and even his friend who was playing on a 9600m GT had fun, although my bro always had to drive because his friend lagged too much while driving. If you have a 360, just spend the extra money and get it on the 360. If you don't have a 360, then I hope you don't mind constant lag and jitters and have extreme faith in your rig. ... view replies
I'm on a very skinny fence about this one. Don't know which way I'm going to fall yet. Looks like this will be one of the few games where reviews may actually sway my opinion. ... view replies
@Xzyliac:
lol yeah, it looks like it. But we used the shit out of the phrase "next-gen" this generation. I heard the 360 referred to as next gen as little as a month ago. ... view replies
Yeah... that sounds like a hot, steamy load of bullshit.
Well, anyway, one time when I was playing Metroid Prime, I got really into it and was moving my head along with the action. Something took me by surprise, I dodged to the right, and a swung my head into the sharp corner of an open cabinet door. Hurt like a motherfucker. I doubt these glasses would have helped the situation though. Maybe if they were valued at $100. ... view replies
I played the first Halo, and I liked it somewhat, but I haven't ever gone back. Back then, I was sort of like you Chad, except I had an excuse because I was 13. I hated Halo culture and the kind of people it was bringing to videogames. Nevertheless, I played through the campaign mode with some of my friends, and often played versus, and I had some fun. Some. I think it was just because Halo was one of the (the?) first good shooters of the generation, it had coop, which always increases the fun factor, and it wasn't completely terrible. I don't know how it wasn't terrible though, as contains pretty much everything I hate about FPSs: Needing to empty an entire clip to kill people, circle strafing, and radar. And there's something about its style that I completely hate. Come to think of it, I have no idea why I don't fucking loathe this game. ... view replies
@Papadukes: I hear that. I'm not a day 1 kind of guy, but I honestly can't see them failing here. DS fucking saved this entire generation for me, with a little help from PC. It's a wonderful system, and I'm sorry that I waited so long to get it. Well, actually it was until the lite came out, but I still consider that too long.
I think that it will have around PSP level graphics, hopefully an analog nub, and some kind of media card reader. I do hope, however, that the focus won't shift entirely to 3D games. And I don't even care about the touch screen. That's not what made the DS awesome to me. It was really just the great 1st and 3rd party support. It really doesn't matter what features a system has, as long as it's getting support, it will be good.
Also, Sony is fucked on both fronts unless they pull a Nintendo level comeback. I hope they weren't serious about all this 10 year life cycle bullshit. You don't implement a 10 year plan on video game hardware (or really any hardware) unless you know it will be successful and you have a backup just in case. That's basic stuff. ... view replies
So it has begun. This is very exciting, but I don't care about the 720 at all past the mild interest I have in seeing consoles leap ahead of PCs again. I'm much more interested in the DS2. Playing 358/2 right now, and I can't stop thinking about what the game would be like on a more powerful handheld. ... view replies
@Necros: It's not the most prominent among informed pirates, but it is still the most popular overall. And also, I suspect that they will be going after more than just the R4, but nobody has mentioned any of the others because they don't know about them. ... view replies
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