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I'm best known for my extensive work in the fields of this and that. I tend to be better at that, though I have more fun with this. |
Title: The usual end-of-year list
Posted: November 14, 2009 (08:11 AM)
Posted: November 14, 2009 (08:11 AM)
Getting to be that time of the year when I'm far too busy to play games and am thus missing some interesting titles I'll have to list out here so I don't ignore them after the crazed finals rush.
The list is shorter this year than in previous years. I no longer have the money, time, or willpower to pick up and try every game that looked interesting. Many was the game I had mild interest in that hasn't made this list (Brutal Legends being a perfect example).
Dragon Age Origins
Braid (finally out on PS3)
Modern Warfare 2 is a tentative entry. I'm not in much of a shooter mood right now but by all accounts it's a game that shouldn't be missed.
Demon Souls I'm afraid to pick up. I think to really enjoy it I'd have to have a hell of a lot more time in my day to devote to it.
They've also finally set a release date for FFXIII, so it looks like I'll have to have my HDTV by March.
I'm thinking of selling my DS and all the games for it. Granted, there are some good games in my collection (a couple Castlevania games) but the collection is mostly remakes of final fantasy games. And sadly I'm discovering that the SNES era and before, while great in my memory, kind've doesn't hold up when revisited today with a few minor exceptions (Startropics and the original Mario games come to mind).
Actually, the main reason I haven't sold the DS yet is because it's ability to play Advance games gives me access to a rather tremendous backlog that even my previous statement has difficulty dampening. And it doesn't take up much space, either.
Then again, that's what I thought about the Wii... sigh...
The list is shorter this year than in previous years. I no longer have the money, time, or willpower to pick up and try every game that looked interesting. Many was the game I had mild interest in that hasn't made this list (Brutal Legends being a perfect example).
Dragon Age Origins
Braid (finally out on PS3)
Modern Warfare 2 is a tentative entry. I'm not in much of a shooter mood right now but by all accounts it's a game that shouldn't be missed.
Demon Souls I'm afraid to pick up. I think to really enjoy it I'd have to have a hell of a lot more time in my day to devote to it.
They've also finally set a release date for FFXIII, so it looks like I'll have to have my HDTV by March.
I'm thinking of selling my DS and all the games for it. Granted, there are some good games in my collection (a couple Castlevania games) but the collection is mostly remakes of final fantasy games. And sadly I'm discovering that the SNES era and before, while great in my memory, kind've doesn't hold up when revisited today with a few minor exceptions (Startropics and the original Mario games come to mind).
Actually, the main reason I haven't sold the DS yet is because it's ability to play Advance games gives me access to a rather tremendous backlog that even my previous statement has difficulty dampening. And it doesn't take up much space, either.
Then again, that's what I thought about the Wii... sigh...
[reply][view replies (1)]
Title: Farewell for a time
Posted: November 10, 2009 (11:57 PM)
Posted: November 10, 2009 (11:57 PM)
This week's ROTW will be the last time you guys will hear from me for about three or four weeks. In light of my ever increasingly-insane workload I will be needing to take a break from anything not film or school related until the end of the term.
My PS3 has been turned off, my TV has been put into storage, and my PSP will be getting sent off to Sony for warranty replacement. For the next couple of weeks, I am gameless. I think it's the only way I'll finish my thesis.
I'll see you all on the other side. Wish me luck.
My PS3 has been turned off, my TV has been put into storage, and my PSP will be getting sent off to Sony for warranty replacement. For the next couple of weeks, I am gameless. I think it's the only way I'll finish my thesis.
I'll see you all on the other side. Wish me luck.
[reply][view replies (4)]
Title: You never know when it's going to hit you
Posted: November 03, 2009 (11:58 PM)
Posted: November 03, 2009 (11:58 PM)
I was flirting with this girl at a party a couple weeks ago and we kind've hit it off. No sex, no make outs, no exchange of phone numbers, just a very pleasant evening of flirting until she had to leave to not be hung over for work in the morning. More on that in a minute. A little aside first.
There was also a transvestite at the party and we flirted something major, too. Cause, you know... I'm bi... and I like to flirt. Anyways, we're really hitting it off when one of our friends comes up, slaps this trannie on the back and exclaims, "So, Alan. You've met Jonathan. This guy (pointing to me) is the one who sucked you off at last year's party."
Alan looked at me... "that was you?"
I looked at him... "that... oh that was you."
Then we didn't speak for the rest of the night.
Anyways, it was a pretty hilarious incident and one which I'll probably always get a laugh from. I didn't really think much more about the beautiful girl I'd flirted with. After all, nothing had come of it.
Then tonight I found out that, Sunday, she had been run over by a car and killed.
Now I'm not one to get affected by death, at least not in the past. I've had friends who have killed themselves, relatives die... it's just never affected me heavily. I see it as the natural end of life. Until tonight.
Somehow, this girl who had come into my life for a couple hours and had been little more than a friendly smile during drunken attempts at conversation (hard to talk over blaring metal)... somehow her death had broken my heart and crushed my soul.
You never know when death is going to affect you. That, and some wrongful accusations made by a classmate that I'm a hateful racist, have had me silently crying all night.
All I can think of is her face. The tears are not coming out, but I wish they would.
I'm not looking for pity or anything. It's just a moment I thought had to be recorded.
There was also a transvestite at the party and we flirted something major, too. Cause, you know... I'm bi... and I like to flirt. Anyways, we're really hitting it off when one of our friends comes up, slaps this trannie on the back and exclaims, "So, Alan. You've met Jonathan. This guy (pointing to me) is the one who sucked you off at last year's party."
Alan looked at me... "that was you?"
I looked at him... "that... oh that was you."
Then we didn't speak for the rest of the night.
Anyways, it was a pretty hilarious incident and one which I'll probably always get a laugh from. I didn't really think much more about the beautiful girl I'd flirted with. After all, nothing had come of it.
Then tonight I found out that, Sunday, she had been run over by a car and killed.
Now I'm not one to get affected by death, at least not in the past. I've had friends who have killed themselves, relatives die... it's just never affected me heavily. I see it as the natural end of life. Until tonight.
Somehow, this girl who had come into my life for a couple hours and had been little more than a friendly smile during drunken attempts at conversation (hard to talk over blaring metal)... somehow her death had broken my heart and crushed my soul.
You never know when death is going to affect you. That, and some wrongful accusations made by a classmate that I'm a hateful racist, have had me silently crying all night.
All I can think of is her face. The tears are not coming out, but I wish they would.
I'm not looking for pity or anything. It's just a moment I thought had to be recorded.
[reply][view replies (8)]
Title: ... seriously?
Posted: November 02, 2009 (10:24 PM)
Posted: November 02, 2009 (10:24 PM)
Myst doesn't have a positive review to its name on this site? That's... not right. Myst is one of the most original games of all time. Aside from shaping the adventure genre for years to come, it also was the first major game to feature mostly ambient music integrated with the natural sounds of the environment, a style that would pave the way for adventure gaming soundtracks. Not to mention the fact that it told a story that you come into the middle of and never really find out the whole of... again, a heavy influence on later adventure works.
And you know what... it may look a little dated today... but it still works. I'm gonna write a review. I'm gonna do it.
And you know what... it may look a little dated today... but it still works. I'm gonna write a review. I'm gonna do it.
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Title: For EmP... happy halloween
Posted: October 30, 2009 (07:30 PM)
Posted: October 30, 2009 (07:30 PM)
Chrono Cross
Together with Xenosaga, this is Square Enix's most convoluted plot line... which puts it high in the running for most convoluted plot of all time. Despite EmP's suspicions, I didn't actually like Chrono Cross. I have to admit to getting choked up quite often during it, but that was an effect of the beautiful music, not because anything interesting was actually happening on screen.
5/10
Together with Xenosaga, this is Square Enix's most convoluted plot line... which puts it high in the running for most convoluted plot of all time. Despite EmP's suspicions, I didn't actually like Chrono Cross. I have to admit to getting choked up quite often during it, but that was an effect of the beautiful music, not because anything interesting was actually happening on screen.
5/10
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Title: Some more three sentence reviews
Posted: October 29, 2009 (12:25 PM)
Posted: October 29, 2009 (12:25 PM)
I'm almost done with my Chinatown Wars review, but I needed a quick break. So more quickies!
Deus Ex
Wearing a trench coat and sunglasses, you fight the confusing plot lines of the Illuminati. It's nice to play as a character who can fit a rocket launcher under that coat. Better yet, they explain WHY he can fit a rocket launcher under his coat.
8/10
Deus Ex Invisible War
The reason this game got bad press: less trench coat. Less rocket launcher. Less explanation.
7/10
FFXII
Programming at its best. If using C++ involved the slaying of monsters for exp and loot, then I'd probably be a programmer today. I certainly spent enough time at the game to build one myself.
9/10
God of War II
There's, like, two locations in this entire game. Just goes to show that no matter how violent and cool your main character is, dungeon crawls are boring. Kratos' prize for traversing the dungeon is a huge fat woman.
6/10
Deus Ex
Wearing a trench coat and sunglasses, you fight the confusing plot lines of the Illuminati. It's nice to play as a character who can fit a rocket launcher under that coat. Better yet, they explain WHY he can fit a rocket launcher under his coat.
8/10
Deus Ex Invisible War
The reason this game got bad press: less trench coat. Less rocket launcher. Less explanation.
7/10
FFXII
Programming at its best. If using C++ involved the slaying of monsters for exp and loot, then I'd probably be a programmer today. I certainly spent enough time at the game to build one myself.
9/10
God of War II
There's, like, two locations in this entire game. Just goes to show that no matter how violent and cool your main character is, dungeon crawls are boring. Kratos' prize for traversing the dungeon is a huge fat woman.
6/10
[reply][view replies (11)]
Title: Casting Call for Population 2
Posted: October 27, 2009 (04:55 PM)
Posted: October 27, 2009 (04:55 PM)
Don't know if anyone knows anyone living in Portland, OR, but if you do... my next movie is going to start filming soon.
CASTING CALL
Moon Tribe Studios presents another casting call for a short film shooting late February 19th – 28th, 2010 entitled, “Population 2,” a futuristic dark drama about loss and the inability to move on.
Hired actors will receive credit and experience on a serious production set and on a film that is going to be making the festival rounds as well as seeing limited theatre release.
Moontribe Studios is highly supportive of the independent film making scene in Portland and there is a large chance that more acting work may follow.
Please read closely:
WHERE: TBD (You will be contacted if chosen with the location)
DATE/TIME: Monday November 9, 1pm to 6pm and Tuesday
November 10th, 1pm to 5pm. The slots are at 15 minute intervals starting at the time mentioned. Email your prefered time slot when you apply.
There will be CALLBACKS in January.
CASTING:
We are casting for two roles. Male and Female who look 25-35. Must be 18 or over. Actor must be able to commit to the entire week of production although the shooting may not require the entire week. These roles are very emotionally demanding however previous acting experience is not required. If you think you have the ability to pull off such a role, we encourage you to audition.
ROLE 1
Name: Citizen 1
Gender: male OR female
Character: A former disgruntled corporate employee of a manufacturer for survival housing, equipment and war material. Once married to Citizen 2. Now surviving alone in a post-apocalyptic environment. Citizen 1 struggles with obsessive compulsiveness and control issues. He/she is an emotional wreck but is good at hiding this fact from him/herself.
ROLE 2
Name: Citizen 2
Gender: male OR female (opposite of ROLE 1)
Character: Once married to Citizen 1. Also an employee of the corporation. Citizen 2 has dealt with Citizen 1’s issues to the point that they have taken on a somewhat abused persona. He/she is not used to asserting him/herself, though the circumstances will soon force a confrontation.
THE STORY:
When apocalypse looms, a couple is forced to examine their relationship. Should they continue to live on against the odds or should they go the way of humanity and fade into oblivion. What happens if they don’t agree on their course of action? The film is a dramatic study of both the preamble and the results of such a confrontation set against a Steam Punk background.
THE PRODUCTION
Moon Tribe Studios has been producing films since 2005, although the experience of the producers goes back as far as 20 years. With the success of our production “The Bobbsey Twins Go to Hell” in 2006, we’re planning a repeat performance with our new production, “Population 2”.
For more information about Moon Tribe Studios and our other work, go to:
www.moontribestudios.com
www.youtube.com/user/moontribestudios
HOW TO APPLY:
Please send your headshot and resume to:
moontribestudios@gmail.com
Write “Pop2 Auditions” in the subject line. Don’t forget to include your 15 minute time slot.
CASTING CALL
Moon Tribe Studios presents another casting call for a short film shooting late February 19th – 28th, 2010 entitled, “Population 2,” a futuristic dark drama about loss and the inability to move on.
Hired actors will receive credit and experience on a serious production set and on a film that is going to be making the festival rounds as well as seeing limited theatre release.
Moontribe Studios is highly supportive of the independent film making scene in Portland and there is a large chance that more acting work may follow.
Please read closely:
WHERE: TBD (You will be contacted if chosen with the location)
DATE/TIME: Monday November 9, 1pm to 6pm and Tuesday
November 10th, 1pm to 5pm. The slots are at 15 minute intervals starting at the time mentioned. Email your prefered time slot when you apply.
There will be CALLBACKS in January.
CASTING:
We are casting for two roles. Male and Female who look 25-35. Must be 18 or over. Actor must be able to commit to the entire week of production although the shooting may not require the entire week. These roles are very emotionally demanding however previous acting experience is not required. If you think you have the ability to pull off such a role, we encourage you to audition.
ROLE 1
Name: Citizen 1
Gender: male OR female
Character: A former disgruntled corporate employee of a manufacturer for survival housing, equipment and war material. Once married to Citizen 2. Now surviving alone in a post-apocalyptic environment. Citizen 1 struggles with obsessive compulsiveness and control issues. He/she is an emotional wreck but is good at hiding this fact from him/herself.
ROLE 2
Name: Citizen 2
Gender: male OR female (opposite of ROLE 1)
Character: Once married to Citizen 1. Also an employee of the corporation. Citizen 2 has dealt with Citizen 1’s issues to the point that they have taken on a somewhat abused persona. He/she is not used to asserting him/herself, though the circumstances will soon force a confrontation.
THE STORY:
When apocalypse looms, a couple is forced to examine their relationship. Should they continue to live on against the odds or should they go the way of humanity and fade into oblivion. What happens if they don’t agree on their course of action? The film is a dramatic study of both the preamble and the results of such a confrontation set against a Steam Punk background.
THE PRODUCTION
Moon Tribe Studios has been producing films since 2005, although the experience of the producers goes back as far as 20 years. With the success of our production “The Bobbsey Twins Go to Hell” in 2006, we’re planning a repeat performance with our new production, “Population 2”.
For more information about Moon Tribe Studios and our other work, go to:
www.moontribestudios.com
www.youtube.com/user/moontribestudios
HOW TO APPLY:
Please send your headshot and resume to:
moontribestudios@gmail.com
Write “Pop2 Auditions” in the subject line. Don’t forget to include your 15 minute time slot.
[reply][view replies (0)]
Title: Die in Obscurity
Posted: October 27, 2009 (12:12 PM)
Posted: October 27, 2009 (12:12 PM)
My latest review is one I hope Overdrive will read because it's for the same game... different system.
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Title: Epic Fail
Posted: October 26, 2009 (11:29 PM)
Posted: October 26, 2009 (11:29 PM)
[reply][view replies (1)]
Title: Games I've been meaning to review summed up in three sentences
Posted: October 26, 2009 (09:56 PM)
Posted: October 26, 2009 (09:56 PM)
Because two isn't challenging enough.
Heavenly Sword
I don't trust American Voice Acting, which is okay because Heavenly Sword lets you play it in French. It also features the best crowd scenes of any game. Shame it features some of the worst boss fights.
8/10
FF Dissidia
The story plays like a collection of “what is this Final Fantasy character going to whine about?” For some of the characters this works fine, namely Tidus and Squall. Then you get to kill them.
9/10
The Darkness
I really enjoyed watching To Kill a Mockingbird. Definitely one of the finest films to have ever been made. Then I remembered I had a terrible game to beat.
3/10
Uncharted 2
By far the best acting I've ever seen in a video game. The gunplay isn't quite as good as it could be. At times I think I would actually like the game better if it were just a movie with multi-player attached as a side option.
9/10
Uncharted 1
Not as good as Uncharted 2. In fact, the only reason I really want to go back and play it again is because I'm playing through Uncharted 2 and I miss Sully. Sully is awesome.
7/10
Persona 4
Persona games would be a hell of a lot better if they didn't force you to run through mindless dungeons power grinding. And the power grinding would be a lot better if it wasn't set to Japanese Pop. So you'd basically be left with a dating sim where you play as a creepy kid who has seizures.
7/10
Persona 3
A choose your own adventure where every choice leads to the same damn page. This format is combined with a dating sim where you are rewarded for wooing a girl with getting to see her room (and nothing else) and a big ol' dungeon that has 100 floors of exactly the same room over and over. It's no wonder it took me a year and a half to beat the thing.
6/10
Batman Arkham Asylum
For being a game centered around some of the best villains to grace the pages of comic books, the boss fights sure do suck in Batman Arkham Asylum. Also, once you get the three-at-once batarangs, the game becomes completely unfair. Then again, it wouldn't feel like Batman if he wasn't invincible.
7/10
Crisis Core
It's a game based around a character who gets mentioned twice in the entire course of FF7. A large part of the plot revolves around an advertisement for a play that you see out of the corner of your eye in one scene in FF7. The combat revolves around hitting the same button a thousand times and maybe leveling if you're lucky enough to win a lottery.
5/10
Fallout 3
One day people will realize how boring this game is. Fallout 3 is a lot like going to the same movie over and over again. It's not a very good movie, but it's got Liam Neeson in it.
6/10
Heavenly Sword
I don't trust American Voice Acting, which is okay because Heavenly Sword lets you play it in French. It also features the best crowd scenes of any game. Shame it features some of the worst boss fights.
8/10
FF Dissidia
The story plays like a collection of “what is this Final Fantasy character going to whine about?” For some of the characters this works fine, namely Tidus and Squall. Then you get to kill them.
9/10
The Darkness
I really enjoyed watching To Kill a Mockingbird. Definitely one of the finest films to have ever been made. Then I remembered I had a terrible game to beat.
3/10
Uncharted 2
By far the best acting I've ever seen in a video game. The gunplay isn't quite as good as it could be. At times I think I would actually like the game better if it were just a movie with multi-player attached as a side option.
9/10
Uncharted 1
Not as good as Uncharted 2. In fact, the only reason I really want to go back and play it again is because I'm playing through Uncharted 2 and I miss Sully. Sully is awesome.
7/10
Persona 4
Persona games would be a hell of a lot better if they didn't force you to run through mindless dungeons power grinding. And the power grinding would be a lot better if it wasn't set to Japanese Pop. So you'd basically be left with a dating sim where you play as a creepy kid who has seizures.
7/10
Persona 3
A choose your own adventure where every choice leads to the same damn page. This format is combined with a dating sim where you are rewarded for wooing a girl with getting to see her room (and nothing else) and a big ol' dungeon that has 100 floors of exactly the same room over and over. It's no wonder it took me a year and a half to beat the thing.
6/10
Batman Arkham Asylum
For being a game centered around some of the best villains to grace the pages of comic books, the boss fights sure do suck in Batman Arkham Asylum. Also, once you get the three-at-once batarangs, the game becomes completely unfair. Then again, it wouldn't feel like Batman if he wasn't invincible.
7/10
Crisis Core
It's a game based around a character who gets mentioned twice in the entire course of FF7. A large part of the plot revolves around an advertisement for a play that you see out of the corner of your eye in one scene in FF7. The combat revolves around hitting the same button a thousand times and maybe leveling if you're lucky enough to win a lottery.
5/10
Fallout 3
One day people will realize how boring this game is. Fallout 3 is a lot like going to the same movie over and over again. It's not a very good movie, but it's got Liam Neeson in it.
6/10
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Title: Obscure II: The Aftermath
Posted: October 24, 2009 (10:57 PM)
Posted: October 24, 2009 (10:57 PM)
If any staff are around and have the time, this one's been sitting in the production room all last night and all today. I don't want to come off as pushy, because that's not my intent. I'm just trying to get reviews turned around as quick as possible to best benefit the site.
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Title: FF7 is popular
Posted: October 23, 2009 (11:28 AM)
Posted: October 23, 2009 (11:28 AM)
I just wanted to point out that the FF7 review has gained 168 views in a day, passing some reviews that have been up for months.
I'm telling you... it's a good one to have on your resume.
I'm telling you... it's a good one to have on your resume.
[reply][view replies (10)]
Title: The day that Nintendo releases the Earthbound trilogy...
Posted: October 17, 2009 (11:39 AM)
Posted: October 17, 2009 (11:39 AM)
... is the day I start playing Nintendo games again. Hell, I'd probably REBUY a Wii exclusively for the purpose of playing such a release, though it would rip out a large chunk of my...
... soul.
... soul.
[reply][view replies (3)]
Title: Another list that doesn't suck
Posted: October 15, 2009 (11:02 PM)
Posted: October 15, 2009 (11:02 PM)
It feels somewhat hypocritical to post with jubilation a top 100 list I enjoyed right after I denounced personal lists in a previous blog post.
HOWEVER. This list rocks.
I desire to briefly explain myself. First of all, it's a list of NES games. That makes it so irrelevant that I can enjoy it without having a personal investment beyond the occasional "yeah... that was a good game."
Secondly, it acknowledges its biases right from the start. It's not trying to be the definitive list of 100 best NES games. It's just a list that these guys made out of the love of their nostalgia. There's a whole section on what their biases are. The personal nature of the list makes it engaging. This isn't IGN talking like God. It's a couple of gamers talking like kids about games they loved. This is the kind of conversation I've always wanted to have with someone on their porch while nursing a beer.
Finally, it's pretty funny, if only to see the differing personalities of the judges.
Anyways, I recommend it. It makes a nice nostalgic entertaining read.
HOWEVER. This list rocks.
I desire to briefly explain myself. First of all, it's a list of NES games. That makes it so irrelevant that I can enjoy it without having a personal investment beyond the occasional "yeah... that was a good game."
Secondly, it acknowledges its biases right from the start. It's not trying to be the definitive list of 100 best NES games. It's just a list that these guys made out of the love of their nostalgia. There's a whole section on what their biases are. The personal nature of the list makes it engaging. This isn't IGN talking like God. It's a couple of gamers talking like kids about games they loved. This is the kind of conversation I've always wanted to have with someone on their porch while nursing a beer.
Finally, it's pretty funny, if only to see the differing personalities of the judges.
Anyways, I recommend it. It makes a nice nostalgic entertaining read.
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Title: Uncharted 2
Posted: October 14, 2009 (01:50 PM)
Posted: October 14, 2009 (01:50 PM)
Really fucking good. I already knew multiplayer rocked, but the single player is amazing. I've never seen video game characters ACT. Not just voice acting, I mean full body reactions. This is pretty stellar.
Whether you like action movies, shooters, heist stories, or intense multiplayer action, Uncharted 2 is the game for you. It is the quintesential action game that will set the tone for every third person shooter to follow it. It is one that belongs in everyone’s collection.
Whether you like action movies, shooters, heist stories, or intense multiplayer action, Uncharted 2 is the game for you. It is the quintesential action game that will set the tone for every third person shooter to follow it. It is one that belongs in everyone’s collection.
[reply][view replies (7)]
Title: Short review of Paranormal Activity
Posted: October 11, 2009 (11:40 PM)
Posted: October 11, 2009 (11:40 PM)
Really very creepy. Definitely the best horror film I've seen in a long time. Maybe since, like, the Exorcist.
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Title: IGN's Top 100 Games (2007)
Posted: October 11, 2009 (12:26 AM)
Posted: October 11, 2009 (12:26 AM)
I think this was the last time IGN did a top 100 game list, though I could be wrong. I somehow missed this first time around, 2 years ago, and just found it today.
I always find these lists interesting. I have to say that this is not a bad one. In fact, I would go so far as to say it's the best 100 list I've seen. Very unbiased and there's few games on here that didn't shape my gaming history of that of someone I know. People can argue about the order all they want, of course, though I don't think anyone can argue with the top 2 choices. They really deserve it.
link
EDIT: Just found out they did one in 2008 and it sucked. Of course it did. You can't do one of these more than once a decade. That's just stupid.
I always find these lists interesting. I have to say that this is not a bad one. In fact, I would go so far as to say it's the best 100 list I've seen. Very unbiased and there's few games on here that didn't shape my gaming history of that of someone I know. People can argue about the order all they want, of course, though I don't think anyone can argue with the top 2 choices. They really deserve it.
link
EDIT: Just found out they did one in 2008 and it sucked. Of course it did. You can't do one of these more than once a decade. That's just stupid.
[reply][view replies (15)]
Title: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 sitting in the inbox
Posted: October 10, 2009 (08:33 PM)
Posted: October 10, 2009 (08:33 PM)
For those of you with access to the production room, if a staff member wants to give the final once-over to Ultimate Alliance 2, I can get it posted.
I've been paying attention all Summer to all the feedback I got on my reviews and I think this is possibly the first time it's all come together in a neat little package.
Hopefully I'm not kidding myself, but I think it's a fine review.
I've been paying attention all Summer to all the feedback I got on my reviews and I think this is possibly the first time it's all come together in a neat little package.
Hopefully I'm not kidding myself, but I think it's a fine review.
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Title: Terrible ad
Posted: October 08, 2009 (11:51 AM)
Posted: October 08, 2009 (11:51 AM)
I've seen a lot of bad internet ads but this one just fills me with disgust. Is this what happened to Carrot Top?
[reply][view replies (3)]
Title: Huge thank you to Honest Gamers
Posted: October 04, 2009 (04:15 PM)
Posted: October 04, 2009 (04:15 PM)
I just wanted to say my thanks to everyone here who writes, comments, or is in other ways involved on a regular basis with the site, in particular Jason for beginning the whole mess.
I gained the courage to go to Graduate School through my writing on this site. I feel I've grown so much here, being surrounded by such excellent writers and such diverse writers. Posting nearly 60 reviews in the last fourteen months or so has been no menial feat and it makes the two or three papers I have to do at Grad school seem like nothing.
It's also taught me that, even when critically assessing something, we have to keep our audience in mind. After all, how many of us can relate to the experience of being handed an essay by a professor and groaning our way through its tedious word choices and over-the-top analyzations?
The skills of the reviewer are being put to good use. I promise you, no matter how technical a topic I have to cover, I will never contribute another groan to the academic world. That's my payment back to all of you have helped me grow so much in my writing and my life.
Thank you!
I gained the courage to go to Graduate School through my writing on this site. I feel I've grown so much here, being surrounded by such excellent writers and such diverse writers. Posting nearly 60 reviews in the last fourteen months or so has been no menial feat and it makes the two or three papers I have to do at Grad school seem like nothing.
It's also taught me that, even when critically assessing something, we have to keep our audience in mind. After all, how many of us can relate to the experience of being handed an essay by a professor and groaning our way through its tedious word choices and over-the-top analyzations?
The skills of the reviewer are being put to good use. I promise you, no matter how technical a topic I have to cover, I will never contribute another groan to the academic world. That's my payment back to all of you have helped me grow so much in my writing and my life.
Thank you!
[reply][view replies (1)]
Title: Message for Zigfried and anyone else who uses fancy html
Posted: October 02, 2009 (01:33 PM)
Posted: October 02, 2009 (01:33 PM)
How do you align an image, like in your most recent review? Also, what's the html for captions?
I'm trying to make better use of our online medium in my reviews.
I'm trying to make better use of our online medium in my reviews.
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Title: My decision to buy Dissidia
Posted: September 27, 2009 (02:00 AM)
Posted: September 27, 2009 (02:00 AM)
For a long time now I've chronicled the connections between the various FF worlds, beyond the normal "Cid" "Chocobo" "Moogle" stuff. Why? I think it because the human mind thrives on connection. We live in a world where everything is inextricably but subtly connected and there is some joy for us that can only be achieved by discovering those connections and marking them. Thus, with a series which ostensibly has no connection between the games, what little information I can find to prove otherwise fascinates me.
My main focus was on connecting settings. I started long ago by collecting all the FF maps I could get my hands on and running comparisons. This was really little more than a child's way of going about making the connection. After all, one of the earliest things we learn to rely on is our eyesight, and so it was only to be expected that in my search I would first turn to the visual plane. Of course, there's actually very little to be told from the maps, except for some striking similarities between some of the game's continental layouts and the fact that most of the games use very similar landmasses. Also, most of the games feature three major continents with two or three smaller continents and then a number of islands. Inevitably one of the continents is noticeably larger than the others and generally is the one on which the players start the game (see FF7, FF1, FF4, FF6, etc.)
My next method, when I was a little older, was to check out all the in-game crossovers. There are a lot. Aside from the afore mentioned species and name similarities, there are plenty of re-used items and weapons, mini games, in-jokes (you spoony bard!) even humorous character references (like Zidane commenting on Cloud's sword in FF9 or there being a "Cloud's shop" in FF8) and character re-occurences (Biggs and Wedge). But there are also some very concrete and subtle references that seem to be showing a definite connection between all the games.
How does one decide the difference between an easter egg and a cannonical tie-in? Mostly it's in terms of style and presentation. A single shop named after Cloud in FF8 does not prove that THAT Cloud is running the shop or that FF7's world eventually becomes FF8's world. For one thing, it's too brief a reference. For another, too many things don't make sense if it's taken as cannon. FF8's world is given a long and well documented history. If Cloud is still alive and running a shop in this world, it doesn't make sense with that history (he'd have to be at least 300 years old for this to work) and anyway at the end of FF7 it shows a pretty clear indication that the world looks pretty much the same 100 or 200 years after Meteor Fall (not mentioned in FF8). Now, one could speculate on all sorts of things, here. Maybe Cloud's abilities and exposure to Jenova cells kept him alive for long enough to exist in Squall's time. Maybe Meteor Fall IS referenced in FF8 as the Lunar Cry! OMG! Maybe the sorceror's power, only passed down through women, is actually JENOVA'S POWER!
Yeah, see, fans could jump on this kind of stuff all day and while fun and satisfying to the aforementioned connection part of our brain, these speculations are just that... speculations. At the end of them we've left the original evidence so far behind that our new theory holds no water. And all sparked by a single line of text . These are not the kind of things I'm after. Therefore, I label these kind of things "Easter Eggs."
I mean, christ... FF9 even references Resident Evil 2. And, on that note, Parasite Eve includes Chocobo's in the Museum and Gunblades in the second game. So, like I said... those SE guys love easter eggs.
A now-famous scene in which a character named Shinra in FFX-2 discusses plans to utilize the planet's lifestream in creating a city worthy of his name... now that, on the other hand... now that I call evidence.
Using such evidence (which I shall shortly lay out), I have deduced that only the following Final Fantasy worlds are connected:
FF7, FFX
(Also note that Ivalice is the only common setting that is specifically named as such for any FF games (specifically any game in the Tactics series and FFXII). It is the setting for Vagrant Story as well.)
Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy X's connections have already been noted. The Shinra conversation, as well as an interview with the series director, confirmed that the worlds are meant to be one in the same. Final Fantasy 7 presumably takes place generations after FFX, as Shinra says the process would take that long to refine.
This is certainly plausible. Final Fantasy 7's pre-history comes in three parts. The first is ancient history, which involves the Cetra's discovering the planet and cultivating it. 2000 years before the game, Jenova lands, ending this history. The next bit of history begins 30 years before the game and involves the finding of Jenova by Gast and Hojo, the birth of Aerith and most of the FF cast, the fall of Vincent, and the birth of Sephiroth. This period ends 5 years before the game, with the events of Crisis Core forming the final foundation for what happens in FF7.
Now, FFX's history is a 1000 years long, so it could easily take place sometime after Jenova is defeated and before she is discovered by the elite and wealthy running the planet under the guise of the Shinra electrical company.
Despite those being the only two cannonical setting connections thus far, there are a couple characters that cannonically cross worlds.
Cloud is the first. In FF7 he falls into the Lifestream and his soul and mind essentially leave his body, seperating from one another... this is the fate of all who fall into the lifestream or become oversaturated with mako energy in some other way. Since mako is essentially concentrated soul stuff, the person's soul becomes entrapped with it, while the mind, usually bound by the soul, is freed from its bounds and wanders.
(This even happens to Sephiroth. He needs the Black Materia to give him enough power to reawaken his body. His mind is connected to Jenova which is connected to all the clones, so rather than losing his mind, Sephiroth is able to jump between the minds of Hojo's experimental soldiers, even being able to alter their genetic appearance to match his and then transmute their bodies cells into re-incarnations of Jenova, which the party fights.)
Cloud's mind goes to Ivalice. This is documented in the events of FF Tactics, where the power of the Zodiac stones pulls his free conciousness to Ramza's time. Cloud mentions Sephiroth and having fallen into the lifestream as the last thing he remembers. It is assumed that when the Zodiac stones are destroyed at the end of the game, Cloud's mind is freed again. Either that or it is called back to his soul with Tifa's summon.
Cloud's soul becomes stuck in the lifestream, until Tifa reconnects it with the mind by working through Cloud's past and thus freeing him from the lifestream.
The other character who travels cannonically between games is Gilgamesh. At the end of FF5, Gilgamesh is trapped inside the X-zone, a zone that is breached at least three more times by other characters in FF history. First it is opened again by the Ra Devil in the not-very-well-known FFLOTC (legends of the crystal) anime OAV. It is also breached in FF6 by the spell banish, which opens up a gate to the x-zone (very recognizable) and takes creatures inside (it was a popular spell back in the day due to a glitch with the spell vanish, which makes ALL magic always work.... even on bosses... making X-zone an instant kill for nearly every boss in the game... Kefka not included).
Most importantly, however, the rift is opened by Seifer in FF8, when he kills the Odin Summon. As he does so, Gilgamesh appears and claims Odin's sword. He is confused at first, going so far as to start to ask for Bartz in the Japanese version. He then promptly murders Seifer and becomes a summon for the rest of the game, coming in an out of the rift as he pleases.
He retains this ability after the game, appearing in FF9 (with a changed appearance to disguise who he is), and in FFXII (as one of the coolest battles of the game, replete with his "battle on the bridge" music).
In this respect, Gilgamesh has most likely gained the same sort of demi god powers as the summons and beings such as Chaos, in that he is able to consciously travel between worlds.
There are also some connections I'd love to be able to make but can't while sticking to my strict requirements.
The FF1-FF9 connection is pretty strong. It's got the crystals, it's got the fiends, and Garland makes an appearance in the game as a very important, though short lived, character. His history, which was never quite fully understood in FF1, is also finally fleshed out. We realize that he was more than a Knight who happened on power, but already a powerful mage-knight by the time of FF1 and comes from a different world, that of Terra. He arrives in FF1's world (simply called Gaia) and tries to destroy it to make way for the Terrans, but he is defeated by the light warriors (note: this is specifically referenced in FF9). Having failed to destroy the world himself, he plans to have the residents of Gaia do it for him... thus the events of FF9.
Now, since Dissidia, I have heard this connection has been retconned out of existence, as Garland is given a full history relating to FF1 in that game. So it joins the list.
Someone makes a remarkably strong case for FF8 being connected to FF3 (a connection I had considered because of the Hyne reference) but as the entire theory originates from the single mention of a familiar name, I can't consider it cannon. FF8 will forever be the game fans try to place in the continuum.
Another is FF2 and FF4, which was only created recently in the remakes of those games. FF4 for the DS adds an extensive amount of history to the characters, with an emphasis on Kain, Cecil, and Golbez. Kain's father's name is given in the game as Richard who was a character in the remade version of FF2, who gives his son's name as Kain. Both Kains have blond hair and remark that they will follow in their father's footsteps. Both are also adopted. It's obviously just some sort of elaborate easter egg as the geographies and character histories wouldn't work together, but it's the first time I've seen a dual-crossover in the series that was so blatant.
Any game with the Crystals in it perks my interest, as they are such a strong theme and image, but not one used in all the games (therefore not to be discredited like Chocobos or Moogles or Behemoths). They usually play the same role and two games in particular, FF1 and FF3, beg to be connected by the Crystals, as FF3 even references warriors of light who free the Crystals. Still, FF3 has a history involving a floating island and a mage who summons the Cloud of Darkness while FF1 has a history involving Chaos and Garland's attempt to become him. Again, plenty here for fan theories, not enough for a true mark of cannon.
I'd also love to connect FF7 with FF1, seeing as Dirge of Cerberus is directly connected to Chaos, but then that would be like connecting all the FF worlds because of Ifrit. Chaos is a godlike being, I have no doubt he can appear in many places throughout time if he wants to.
For the longest time I also wanted to connect FF6 and FF4 for the "Ancient Castle" which bears much in common with Castle Baron... also the name "Baron Falls" though I believe this was a mis-translation from "Baren Falls." In any case, just a child's fancy to tie together his favourite two RPGs from his childhood.
I'd also like to point out that Cecil is the only Final Fantasy character to actually have lines in another video game, having a scene devoted to him in Secret of Evermore. However, as Evermore is a dream world, we can assume he isn't actually there.
In conclusion, I'll be buying Dissidia over Blazblu.
(The best FF site out there for information on games released prior to 2009 is Final Fantasy Compendium)
My main focus was on connecting settings. I started long ago by collecting all the FF maps I could get my hands on and running comparisons. This was really little more than a child's way of going about making the connection. After all, one of the earliest things we learn to rely on is our eyesight, and so it was only to be expected that in my search I would first turn to the visual plane. Of course, there's actually very little to be told from the maps, except for some striking similarities between some of the game's continental layouts and the fact that most of the games use very similar landmasses. Also, most of the games feature three major continents with two or three smaller continents and then a number of islands. Inevitably one of the continents is noticeably larger than the others and generally is the one on which the players start the game (see FF7, FF1, FF4, FF6, etc.)
My next method, when I was a little older, was to check out all the in-game crossovers. There are a lot. Aside from the afore mentioned species and name similarities, there are plenty of re-used items and weapons, mini games, in-jokes (you spoony bard!) even humorous character references (like Zidane commenting on Cloud's sword in FF9 or there being a "Cloud's shop" in FF8) and character re-occurences (Biggs and Wedge). But there are also some very concrete and subtle references that seem to be showing a definite connection between all the games.
How does one decide the difference between an easter egg and a cannonical tie-in? Mostly it's in terms of style and presentation. A single shop named after Cloud in FF8 does not prove that THAT Cloud is running the shop or that FF7's world eventually becomes FF8's world. For one thing, it's too brief a reference. For another, too many things don't make sense if it's taken as cannon. FF8's world is given a long and well documented history. If Cloud is still alive and running a shop in this world, it doesn't make sense with that history (he'd have to be at least 300 years old for this to work) and anyway at the end of FF7 it shows a pretty clear indication that the world looks pretty much the same 100 or 200 years after Meteor Fall (not mentioned in FF8). Now, one could speculate on all sorts of things, here. Maybe Cloud's abilities and exposure to Jenova cells kept him alive for long enough to exist in Squall's time. Maybe Meteor Fall IS referenced in FF8 as the Lunar Cry! OMG! Maybe the sorceror's power, only passed down through women, is actually JENOVA'S POWER!
Yeah, see, fans could jump on this kind of stuff all day and while fun and satisfying to the aforementioned connection part of our brain, these speculations are just that... speculations. At the end of them we've left the original evidence so far behind that our new theory holds no water. And all sparked by a single line of text . These are not the kind of things I'm after. Therefore, I label these kind of things "Easter Eggs."
I mean, christ... FF9 even references Resident Evil 2. And, on that note, Parasite Eve includes Chocobo's in the Museum and Gunblades in the second game. So, like I said... those SE guys love easter eggs.
A now-famous scene in which a character named Shinra in FFX-2 discusses plans to utilize the planet's lifestream in creating a city worthy of his name... now that, on the other hand... now that I call evidence.
Using such evidence (which I shall shortly lay out), I have deduced that only the following Final Fantasy worlds are connected:
FF7, FFX
(Also note that Ivalice is the only common setting that is specifically named as such for any FF games (specifically any game in the Tactics series and FFXII). It is the setting for Vagrant Story as well.)
Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy X's connections have already been noted. The Shinra conversation, as well as an interview with the series director, confirmed that the worlds are meant to be one in the same. Final Fantasy 7 presumably takes place generations after FFX, as Shinra says the process would take that long to refine.
This is certainly plausible. Final Fantasy 7's pre-history comes in three parts. The first is ancient history, which involves the Cetra's discovering the planet and cultivating it. 2000 years before the game, Jenova lands, ending this history. The next bit of history begins 30 years before the game and involves the finding of Jenova by Gast and Hojo, the birth of Aerith and most of the FF cast, the fall of Vincent, and the birth of Sephiroth. This period ends 5 years before the game, with the events of Crisis Core forming the final foundation for what happens in FF7.
Now, FFX's history is a 1000 years long, so it could easily take place sometime after Jenova is defeated and before she is discovered by the elite and wealthy running the planet under the guise of the Shinra electrical company.
Despite those being the only two cannonical setting connections thus far, there are a couple characters that cannonically cross worlds.
Cloud is the first. In FF7 he falls into the Lifestream and his soul and mind essentially leave his body, seperating from one another... this is the fate of all who fall into the lifestream or become oversaturated with mako energy in some other way. Since mako is essentially concentrated soul stuff, the person's soul becomes entrapped with it, while the mind, usually bound by the soul, is freed from its bounds and wanders.
(This even happens to Sephiroth. He needs the Black Materia to give him enough power to reawaken his body. His mind is connected to Jenova which is connected to all the clones, so rather than losing his mind, Sephiroth is able to jump between the minds of Hojo's experimental soldiers, even being able to alter their genetic appearance to match his and then transmute their bodies cells into re-incarnations of Jenova, which the party fights.)
Cloud's mind goes to Ivalice. This is documented in the events of FF Tactics, where the power of the Zodiac stones pulls his free conciousness to Ramza's time. Cloud mentions Sephiroth and having fallen into the lifestream as the last thing he remembers. It is assumed that when the Zodiac stones are destroyed at the end of the game, Cloud's mind is freed again. Either that or it is called back to his soul with Tifa's summon.
Cloud's soul becomes stuck in the lifestream, until Tifa reconnects it with the mind by working through Cloud's past and thus freeing him from the lifestream.
The other character who travels cannonically between games is Gilgamesh. At the end of FF5, Gilgamesh is trapped inside the X-zone, a zone that is breached at least three more times by other characters in FF history. First it is opened again by the Ra Devil in the not-very-well-known FFLOTC (legends of the crystal) anime OAV. It is also breached in FF6 by the spell banish, which opens up a gate to the x-zone (very recognizable) and takes creatures inside (it was a popular spell back in the day due to a glitch with the spell vanish, which makes ALL magic always work.... even on bosses... making X-zone an instant kill for nearly every boss in the game... Kefka not included).
Most importantly, however, the rift is opened by Seifer in FF8, when he kills the Odin Summon. As he does so, Gilgamesh appears and claims Odin's sword. He is confused at first, going so far as to start to ask for Bartz in the Japanese version. He then promptly murders Seifer and becomes a summon for the rest of the game, coming in an out of the rift as he pleases.
He retains this ability after the game, appearing in FF9 (with a changed appearance to disguise who he is), and in FFXII (as one of the coolest battles of the game, replete with his "battle on the bridge" music).
In this respect, Gilgamesh has most likely gained the same sort of demi god powers as the summons and beings such as Chaos, in that he is able to consciously travel between worlds.
There are also some connections I'd love to be able to make but can't while sticking to my strict requirements.
The FF1-FF9 connection is pretty strong. It's got the crystals, it's got the fiends, and Garland makes an appearance in the game as a very important, though short lived, character. His history, which was never quite fully understood in FF1, is also finally fleshed out. We realize that he was more than a Knight who happened on power, but already a powerful mage-knight by the time of FF1 and comes from a different world, that of Terra. He arrives in FF1's world (simply called Gaia) and tries to destroy it to make way for the Terrans, but he is defeated by the light warriors (note: this is specifically referenced in FF9). Having failed to destroy the world himself, he plans to have the residents of Gaia do it for him... thus the events of FF9.
Now, since Dissidia, I have heard this connection has been retconned out of existence, as Garland is given a full history relating to FF1 in that game. So it joins the list.
Someone makes a remarkably strong case for FF8 being connected to FF3 (a connection I had considered because of the Hyne reference) but as the entire theory originates from the single mention of a familiar name, I can't consider it cannon. FF8 will forever be the game fans try to place in the continuum.
Another is FF2 and FF4, which was only created recently in the remakes of those games. FF4 for the DS adds an extensive amount of history to the characters, with an emphasis on Kain, Cecil, and Golbez. Kain's father's name is given in the game as Richard who was a character in the remade version of FF2, who gives his son's name as Kain. Both Kains have blond hair and remark that they will follow in their father's footsteps. Both are also adopted. It's obviously just some sort of elaborate easter egg as the geographies and character histories wouldn't work together, but it's the first time I've seen a dual-crossover in the series that was so blatant.
Any game with the Crystals in it perks my interest, as they are such a strong theme and image, but not one used in all the games (therefore not to be discredited like Chocobos or Moogles or Behemoths). They usually play the same role and two games in particular, FF1 and FF3, beg to be connected by the Crystals, as FF3 even references warriors of light who free the Crystals. Still, FF3 has a history involving a floating island and a mage who summons the Cloud of Darkness while FF1 has a history involving Chaos and Garland's attempt to become him. Again, plenty here for fan theories, not enough for a true mark of cannon.
I'd also love to connect FF7 with FF1, seeing as Dirge of Cerberus is directly connected to Chaos, but then that would be like connecting all the FF worlds because of Ifrit. Chaos is a godlike being, I have no doubt he can appear in many places throughout time if he wants to.
For the longest time I also wanted to connect FF6 and FF4 for the "Ancient Castle" which bears much in common with Castle Baron... also the name "Baron Falls" though I believe this was a mis-translation from "Baren Falls." In any case, just a child's fancy to tie together his favourite two RPGs from his childhood.
I'd also like to point out that Cecil is the only Final Fantasy character to actually have lines in another video game, having a scene devoted to him in Secret of Evermore. However, as Evermore is a dream world, we can assume he isn't actually there.
In conclusion, I'll be buying Dissidia over Blazblu.
(The best FF site out there for information on games released prior to 2009 is Final Fantasy Compendium)
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Title: Mouse Guard #3
Posted: September 25, 2009 (12:49 AM)
Posted: September 25, 2009 (12:49 AM)
It's been awhile since I wrote a synopsis. We just finished our 7th session, so I figure I'd better get writing before I start forgetting those earlier tales. On with story #3!
Spring was coming to a close. The rains had not abated and Fallan's thoughts were often drawn, against his will, to the people of Port Sumac. He wondered whether the dam he and Abram had reinforced had held. He often wondered about Patrick.
He had not seen his friend since returning to Lockhaven. Patrick had left sometime before Fallan's return and so he had not had time to deliver the news of his sister's death. In truth, Fallan was relieved.
About a week after returning to Lockhaven, Gwendolyn once again summoned Fallan. The wise leader of Lockhaven spoke calmly to Fallan, yet there was a strictness in her voice that made his hair stand on end.
"I've read your report," she said. "Something troubles me. When you knew that there were crabs invading the coast, why did you not hunt them down? Crabs are dangerous."
Fallan took a deep breath to compose himself. "We fought the war so that we could free Mousedom from the cycle of violence and death. I believe that we can peacefully maintain its borders. If we chase off the crabs often enough, they will stop coming here and there will have been no need for bloodshed."
Gwendolyn did not share his optimism. "I appreciate your ideals, but a Mouse Guard must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to defend the people."
"But is such violence necessary?" Fallan countered.
"It is if I say it is," Gwendolyn responded in a level tone. Fallan realized he'd over-stepped his boundaries. Gwendolyn continued. "Predators are predators. You, as an experienced fighter, may be able to drive them off, but what about the times you aren't there? Could some poor merchant do the same? Or a young basket weaver? What about a child? Your plan is a kind one, but to initiate it would take time and resources we don't have. And in such matters, hesitation on our part means the death of another innocent."
"As my lady commands. I shall think well over what you have said and will act accordingly in the future."
Fallan bowed, his open eyes staring at the complicated carvings in the floor of Gwendolyn's comfortable study. He was seeing other images, however. Children. Why had she mentioned children? Did she suspect? His mind wandered back to the dark days of the war. Did she know?
Gwendolyn continued. "I have another mission for your patrol. This Spring rain has washed away the scent borders, they will need replacing. Take this letter to the scientist Amos in Sprucetuck. He'll provide you with the scent mixture. Then proceed to the Eastern border and lay the scent. Be careful. With the border down, there's no telling what's gotten into the kingdom."
Fallan left the room quietly. He was only thankful Gwendolyn hadn't mentioned Patrick's sister. But then, why would she? Fallan hadn't included her in his report.
"The scent border? We have to lay down urine?" Freya didn't seem pleased at the job they'd been given.
"Someone's got to do it," Abram remarked in his quiet way. Fallan gave him the letter to Amos. Fallan was thinking about other things. Many faces kept flashing before his eyes; foremost of them all was Sera's, her fur soaked with sweat as she died in his arms. He was determined to prove he could save a life.
Gwendolyn might be sending them out to mark the border, but he would show her he was capable of so much more. He would prove to himself he had made the right decision joining the Guard. He would prove that their deaths, and hers, hadn't been his fault.
Fallan thinks he has his goal all figured out, but the other members have goals of their own. What will they think when their leader starts acting strangely? Stay tuned to find out!
Spring was coming to a close. The rains had not abated and Fallan's thoughts were often drawn, against his will, to the people of Port Sumac. He wondered whether the dam he and Abram had reinforced had held. He often wondered about Patrick.
He had not seen his friend since returning to Lockhaven. Patrick had left sometime before Fallan's return and so he had not had time to deliver the news of his sister's death. In truth, Fallan was relieved.
About a week after returning to Lockhaven, Gwendolyn once again summoned Fallan. The wise leader of Lockhaven spoke calmly to Fallan, yet there was a strictness in her voice that made his hair stand on end.
"I've read your report," she said. "Something troubles me. When you knew that there were crabs invading the coast, why did you not hunt them down? Crabs are dangerous."
Fallan took a deep breath to compose himself. "We fought the war so that we could free Mousedom from the cycle of violence and death. I believe that we can peacefully maintain its borders. If we chase off the crabs often enough, they will stop coming here and there will have been no need for bloodshed."
Gwendolyn did not share his optimism. "I appreciate your ideals, but a Mouse Guard must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to defend the people."
"But is such violence necessary?" Fallan countered.
"It is if I say it is," Gwendolyn responded in a level tone. Fallan realized he'd over-stepped his boundaries. Gwendolyn continued. "Predators are predators. You, as an experienced fighter, may be able to drive them off, but what about the times you aren't there? Could some poor merchant do the same? Or a young basket weaver? What about a child? Your plan is a kind one, but to initiate it would take time and resources we don't have. And in such matters, hesitation on our part means the death of another innocent."
"As my lady commands. I shall think well over what you have said and will act accordingly in the future."
Fallan bowed, his open eyes staring at the complicated carvings in the floor of Gwendolyn's comfortable study. He was seeing other images, however. Children. Why had she mentioned children? Did she suspect? His mind wandered back to the dark days of the war. Did she know?
Gwendolyn continued. "I have another mission for your patrol. This Spring rain has washed away the scent borders, they will need replacing. Take this letter to the scientist Amos in Sprucetuck. He'll provide you with the scent mixture. Then proceed to the Eastern border and lay the scent. Be careful. With the border down, there's no telling what's gotten into the kingdom."
Fallan left the room quietly. He was only thankful Gwendolyn hadn't mentioned Patrick's sister. But then, why would she? Fallan hadn't included her in his report.
"The scent border? We have to lay down urine?" Freya didn't seem pleased at the job they'd been given.
"Someone's got to do it," Abram remarked in his quiet way. Fallan gave him the letter to Amos. Fallan was thinking about other things. Many faces kept flashing before his eyes; foremost of them all was Sera's, her fur soaked with sweat as she died in his arms. He was determined to prove he could save a life.
Gwendolyn might be sending them out to mark the border, but he would show her he was capable of so much more. He would prove to himself he had made the right decision joining the Guard. He would prove that their deaths, and hers, hadn't been his fault.
Fallan thinks he has his goal all figured out, but the other members have goals of their own. What will they think when their leader starts acting strangely? Stay tuned to find out!
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Title: Need advice on game purchase
Posted: September 24, 2009 (03:56 PM)
Posted: September 24, 2009 (03:56 PM)
I'm really torn between Dissidia and BlazBlu.
Dissidia is an interesting take on the fighter mechanics with characters I know and love and a lot of stuff to do. It's probably lacking in the story department and I know it is lacking in the multiplayer department (no online, just adhoc).
BlazBlu is possibly one of the greatest fighters ever made with definitely the best story of any fighter ever made (and a good story for games in general). Again, tons of shit to do. However, it is also a highly technical fighter that you really have to pour your soul into if you hope to get anything out of it. Of course, the pay off is that you can then use those learned abilities to show off in what I hear is a lag-free online rumble fuck.
Blaz is probably higher on my list, but I do question my ability to sustain myself through a technical fighter.
Dissidia is an interesting take on the fighter mechanics with characters I know and love and a lot of stuff to do. It's probably lacking in the story department and I know it is lacking in the multiplayer department (no online, just adhoc).
BlazBlu is possibly one of the greatest fighters ever made with definitely the best story of any fighter ever made (and a good story for games in general). Again, tons of shit to do. However, it is also a highly technical fighter that you really have to pour your soul into if you hope to get anything out of it. Of course, the pay off is that you can then use those learned abilities to show off in what I hear is a lag-free online rumble fuck.
Blaz is probably higher on my list, but I do question my ability to sustain myself through a technical fighter.
[reply][view replies (4)]
Title: A day in the life of Jon (musings on the real, uncredited, creator of Silent Hill)
Posted: September 23, 2009 (12:13 AM)
Posted: September 23, 2009 (12:13 AM)
Well, spent yesterday board-gaming it with a bunch of friends. We do that every monday... at around 11:00pm we started up a philosophical discussion on Batman which lasted until 2:30 in the morning.
Today saw me create a card game based on Zombie films, called City of the Damned. I'll be playtesting in the next few weeks and then printing and selling by December, with any luck. Keep an eye out for it!
Also saw 9 today. It's gotten panned by the critics, but I think it's fucking awesome. It's true, the visual effects are probably its strongest point. The dialogue is meaningless to the point of being derivative, but then I think that's how these characters are SUPPOSED to be. They are simple characters and shouldn't be engaged in deep conversation. The story, too, is a very symbolic metaphorical story and I think people just didn't catch on because they aren't well-read enough to pick up on all that.
In any case, it's a big budget indie film and I really dug it.
Came home and was excited to see that Sony released Silent Hill 1 a while back. I never played the first one, though I always wanted to. In fact, the only SH I've played was duo and I thought that was over hyped. So why did I want to play the first one? I don't know, I think it's gonna be great, though.
Funny story about Silent Hill... right before the game was announced, me and my friend Tyson Michael (a jazz drummer now in New York) came up with this idea for a new horror game. It would use RE controls except for a few sections which would be first person. It involved a man going with a friend to the vity of Ethaniel Grove. On the way, a fog rolls in and he gets in a car crash when a little girl walks in front of his vehicle. When he wakes up, his friend is missing and the town is covered in a white fog.
Walking through the town he quickly discovers that anywhere touched by the fog is bad news bears, as those areas are twisted and decaying and filled with ghosts and monsters that hunt him relentlessly and cannot be killed.
Eventually he learns the whole thing is due to the actions of a cult that used to live in the town 200 years ago. We even had a joke ending, called the "pirate ending" where if you followed the sound of a wailing jig through the fog, you'd come across a crazed pirate who claimed the whole thing was a rum-soaked dream and that they'd reach land soon.
The main thing that separated it from SH (which I remind you had not been announced or released yet!) was that you had to play the game multiple times to get the full story. The first playthrough was the longest and took you through the main character's discovery of his friend's dead body, the discovery of the cult, and the destruction of a cultish circle that allows him to leave the town.
Then there were eight subsequent and much shorter "side stories," one unlocked after completion of each story and they gave the broader picture. Somewhere I have notes on all the characters you could play, but let me see what I can remember...
Well, one playthrough was for the friend, where you find out what happens to him and how he meets his demise.
Another was for the little girl that causes your car to crash. There was another one for a school janitor, too, but I don't recall the full details of that except I think he turns into one of the boss monsters.
One of my favourites was for a man you meet throughout the first playthrough that you eventually find out is dead. This side story took him through a much younger version of the town, during the civil war and detailed the beginnings of the cult.
There was also a playthrough as two government agents (well, one specifically, but they see a lot of each other) sent into the town to investigate it that you meet in the first playthrough. If I recall, their's was the last playthrough and reveals that the government contains members of the cult who are about to start something big...
... cue sequel!
Anyways, the game was to be called Surrealistic. It was also going to incorporate a psychological/sanity aspect that I later saw used in Eternal Darkness.
Apparently I am a fucking genius. In all honesty, it was just me and a friend isolating what scared us most in games and films and saying "hey, wouldn't it be cool to see that?"
Nice of someone else to do it for us.
So anyways, I went home after the film tonight, downloaded SH1 and, instead of playing it, proceeded to watch some of the SH movie, which I own.
I really like the SH movie. But I'm in the silent minority.
Today saw me create a card game based on Zombie films, called City of the Damned. I'll be playtesting in the next few weeks and then printing and selling by December, with any luck. Keep an eye out for it!
Also saw 9 today. It's gotten panned by the critics, but I think it's fucking awesome. It's true, the visual effects are probably its strongest point. The dialogue is meaningless to the point of being derivative, but then I think that's how these characters are SUPPOSED to be. They are simple characters and shouldn't be engaged in deep conversation. The story, too, is a very symbolic metaphorical story and I think people just didn't catch on because they aren't well-read enough to pick up on all that.
In any case, it's a big budget indie film and I really dug it.
Came home and was excited to see that Sony released Silent Hill 1 a while back. I never played the first one, though I always wanted to. In fact, the only SH I've played was duo and I thought that was over hyped. So why did I want to play the first one? I don't know, I think it's gonna be great, though.
Funny story about Silent Hill... right before the game was announced, me and my friend Tyson Michael (a jazz drummer now in New York) came up with this idea for a new horror game. It would use RE controls except for a few sections which would be first person. It involved a man going with a friend to the vity of Ethaniel Grove. On the way, a fog rolls in and he gets in a car crash when a little girl walks in front of his vehicle. When he wakes up, his friend is missing and the town is covered in a white fog.
Walking through the town he quickly discovers that anywhere touched by the fog is bad news bears, as those areas are twisted and decaying and filled with ghosts and monsters that hunt him relentlessly and cannot be killed.
Eventually he learns the whole thing is due to the actions of a cult that used to live in the town 200 years ago. We even had a joke ending, called the "pirate ending" where if you followed the sound of a wailing jig through the fog, you'd come across a crazed pirate who claimed the whole thing was a rum-soaked dream and that they'd reach land soon.
The main thing that separated it from SH (which I remind you had not been announced or released yet!) was that you had to play the game multiple times to get the full story. The first playthrough was the longest and took you through the main character's discovery of his friend's dead body, the discovery of the cult, and the destruction of a cultish circle that allows him to leave the town.
Then there were eight subsequent and much shorter "side stories," one unlocked after completion of each story and they gave the broader picture. Somewhere I have notes on all the characters you could play, but let me see what I can remember...
Well, one playthrough was for the friend, where you find out what happens to him and how he meets his demise.
Another was for the little girl that causes your car to crash. There was another one for a school janitor, too, but I don't recall the full details of that except I think he turns into one of the boss monsters.
One of my favourites was for a man you meet throughout the first playthrough that you eventually find out is dead. This side story took him through a much younger version of the town, during the civil war and detailed the beginnings of the cult.
There was also a playthrough as two government agents (well, one specifically, but they see a lot of each other) sent into the town to investigate it that you meet in the first playthrough. If I recall, their's was the last playthrough and reveals that the government contains members of the cult who are about to start something big...
... cue sequel!
Anyways, the game was to be called Surrealistic. It was also going to incorporate a psychological/sanity aspect that I later saw used in Eternal Darkness.
Apparently I am a fucking genius. In all honesty, it was just me and a friend isolating what scared us most in games and films and saying "hey, wouldn't it be cool to see that?"
Nice of someone else to do it for us.
So anyways, I went home after the film tonight, downloaded SH1 and, instead of playing it, proceeded to watch some of the SH movie, which I own.
I really like the SH movie. But I'm in the silent minority.
[reply][view replies (0)]
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