Lightning Flik

Anya, Andrew was talking about Japan and not the game.

Apparently you people don't fucking read properly. Please head back to elementry school and work on your reading skills.

Woman's hockey IS better than men's. Has been that way since Salt Lake City at least.

^ that's true. Considering Tales of Symphonia is this generation's Chrono Trigger and the characters did fall into the steretypes that are widely known in RPG land. Still was a damn fine game.

On the contrary, its easy to come up with unique plots and characters. Problem is letting them fall into twist back into the general plots and characters everyone has done.

As I had stated before, it isn't the quality of RPGs, or rather games, that is being lowered, but we are oversaturated right now with games. As I said before, you can now find 5 RPGs a month, whereas in the old days it was 5 RPGs a year. And the small groups still exist that create the games. But are licensed to work for the game by the big groups and their names only get attatched to the credits because they were hired by the big groups to forge this game for them. They are also hard to keep going because of the amount of coding and stuff that needs to be done due to expectations on graphics and sound (notice I don't say gameplay or story). As I said its like 300000 lines of code for a menu (and even then, I might be on the short side) and it takes the average person a year to make up that many lines of code. Hence a game could literially be millions of code which could take up like 2-3 years to make sure is all right, not to mention they have to code up the graphics and stuff and I don't know how much that takes. It could literially mean a single person might take up to 5-10 years to push out a single game that's 5 to 10 years outdated. Hell, in 5 years time a new system might come out and make the game that's being worked on obsolete.

Crono, could I ask what the hell is with this? Video and pen and paper games? That makes no sense. Ok, yes this was the "Golden Age". Yet why? Most likely because there wasn't as many RPGs as there was before. Back then we were lucky to get 5 RPGs a year. Now, there's not a month that goes by that we don't have 5 dropping on our doorstep. And many of them not the quality ones from Japan that are still there like the Atelier Series (yeah, we got one coming over, that's pure luck). Mini-games are ok as long as they do it right. I mean wasn't everyone saying how awesome blitzball would be a real game? I mean, if I'm not mistaken there was a whole thread on the discussion about it. The problem with the mini-games is they are either horridly planned or have no point. Cloud on a bike fighting was cool too at the time. So was Cloud on a snowboard. Mini-games were fine when used just as mini-games. However, the problem is many companies turned from making mini-games to be mini-games and made them problematic little actual games within games. Those games within games never work unless that's the entire gimmick of the game (WarioWare). T&A not apart of RPGs. Oh I'm sorry. All the good looking women from RPGs called. They'd like you to recant that. Seriously though, T&A just never got flashed (bad pun, I know) at us because the graphics weren't like they are now where you can nearly make a realistic model of a person for a video game. And I highly doubt anyone really was that terribly upset over the flaunting of T&A in new generation video games. I mean, the heroine always did look like a goddess, didn't she? Doesn't the hero always look valiant? Seriously, when has the hero ever looked like a scrub, or the heroine look plain? Face facts, they don't sell that and nor is it what we as RPGers envision as the stars of the story. You do realize that Final Fantasy X-2 was in production before Charlie's Angel: Full Throttle? Hell, I'll take FFX-2 over CA:FT any day in terms of storyline. Also it was banking off the push of "grrl powah" that runs rampant every so often. Why give the gals new outfits? To make sure the guys play this one as well as the girl audience they were aiming for. However, even I'll admit the game actually was playable and I won't bash it nearly as much as I will another game that shitted on its legacy that its series made. MMORPGs allowed RPGers back to their roots? How exactly? You aren't THE hero or part of the PARTY of heroes who's out to save the world, but rather one person living out his life in a gaming certain fantasy setting and doing a few quests here and there to keep the populace of NPCs happy. Damn Crono. I'll let Morrowind slide, but STAR OCEAN: TILL THE END OF TIME?! You call that piece of shit a bright spot? You call a game that was built on two previous games of the same series that basically had written up a setting and universe of this game; that turns around and by the end makes both previous games POINTLESS a bright spot?! What about Tales of Symphonia, Shadow Hearts 1 &/or 2, Disgaea, KOTOR, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter... I'd list those guys before either Morrowind or especially SO3. Dead? No. Oversaturated, yes. If you want one of those, go play a hentai game. I'll point you towards "Let's Meow Meow" and let you go from there. No offense Anyanka, I don't think VII or IX will be remembered too foundly by many. The others, I can see, but those two probably not. Reason why FFXI flack is because its a) not Final Fantasy Online, but rather Final Fantasy XI, b) most people don't like the aspect of everything being set up and would like fresh worlds, and c) most people thought this was a cash grab at an attempt to get money off of a hot thing, which it probably was but as you say we can't speculate it.

Clearing up a misconception. This is not a straight swap for draft picks, but included should someone wish to offer me a really good player. Then send me a trade you think is fair for the one you want. I'm willing to listen to anything.

On The Block: Aaron Boone Juan Uribe Willing To Move: Scott Podsednik Juan Rincon Scot Shields Swapping a 6th or 7th rounder for next draft with a 8th or 9th Wanting: Closer SP Power Hitter

OH MY GOD~! THEY LIVE! THEY LIVE!!! Thanks Patty O'Green. No idea if you are someone new or someone old, but thanks! *cackles madly*

Does anyone have Viktor "The Slacker" Chavayada's stats? I don't have them anymore from the last time my harddrive crashed. I have no idea how I still have Chiyoko's (Choko). Don't really want to have to think it up again. ...just cause I'm really lazy, can't think of half the shit that I wrote for it, and cause I'd like to make a return sometime in the not-so-far-off future. Be most appreciated. Domo arigato gozaimasu.

Well, considering I almost was evicted today (since today is now Wednesday) along with my family, yes. Life sure loves to be painful to me often. Just really wish it would stop doing that so freaking often with the kicking me when I'm already down.

Oh I'm hoping Hoff. ...and as for coming back, I've been planning on it, but this little thing called life keeps putting kinks into my plans.

Cena is now the WWE Champion and US Champion? ...why do I get the feeling that we'll see a double falls match for the World and US title where the first fall is for the US title, and the second fall is for the World title? Only reason I could see Booker T winning a #1 contendership and ending up with the US title. Still stupid to give him the US title again. Seriously now.

Yeah, WoB. My problem was that its a cop-out, because she's just with the kids. You never see it actually happen. That's what I mean. It was like the easy write out so they didn't actually have to bother with it. I think the finding love with one person storyline fits in with her character more, and hell, Edgar was even trying to get with her at one point. He's a womanizer yet normal stuff didn't get her. That's what pissed me off, is they introduced that and immediately killed it off. Plus, even you saying the same thing as I did we were given the impression that being loved by single entity more than anything would be what she needed. Sure, the kids love her, but as a figure they can trust and respect, not in the type of love that the World of Balance was setting up. That and they killed a fucking good storyline in Edgar and Terra. Inexcusible waste of an opportunity to make something great.

I'd get the Spine-Busta t-shirt easily. No really, I'd pay real cash to own a shirt. Nice stuff KC.

Its a yellow labcoat that Cid is wearing. Yes, really really bad. Kefka though is supposed to look like he is. He's freaking insane. How can you not love a guy who takes over the whole world looking like an absolute clown? Well, before he does anyways. He looks much more of a scary god after the fact. My WoR party: Locke, Celes, Terra, Edgar

Um... You forgot that he was brainwashed by Kefka into joining the Cult. Like everyone else who was in it. Therefore, he's one of the few people that I understood in not being apart of the heroes, yet I thought it was really stupid as well. Yes, being brainwashed to be a really campy bad guy sucks, but hey, it was at least better than say... Sabin (worst one EVAH). The only people who's story's I could see being reasonable were the following: Celes - She's been in a coma for a full year. Auto-excused. Edgar - Cause he's obligated to rescue his people, and also cause Figaro will allow for travel from one contentinent to another and therefore a very important thing to recover (especially since no airship). Terra - While I was totally against how she found "love", the story line involving her protecting those people did make sense. Gau - The only person who actually went to somewhere to become stronger to contend against Kefka. Otherwise, I was pretty upset with everyone's resolve and or storyline. If you note, I found the whole way Terra found love a cop out, because the storyline in WoR sets it up as if she needs to be in love with a single person to fully explore the meaning. Just ugh...

Yeah, options are pretty bad lately. Oh and if you give me an worthy offer Marvin, I'll let you take either Valentin or Uribe if you really want either SS. Valentin is now classified as a 3B, and Uribe can jostle around from 2B, 3B to SS. So if needed can fill out some roles. ...weirdly enough almost all my infielders can easily move around the IF. Funny how that worked out.

I'm actually happy with my team's effort last week. Just half of them had to have a few days off, so I lost, but honestly, I couldn't've asked a better performance from my offense for when they did show up. My pitching on the other hand is what I'd like to see come up better.

There are minor things that do link the first three games. However, it wasn't as strong as the case with Dragon Quest's first 1-3 games.

I think the reason they wanted it as Dragon Quest is just to keep it the same name everywhere. Simplier than people going "you know, that Dragon Quest game sounds sorta familiar to this Dragon Warrior game I played". Its simplicity at its best. Same reason Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest both are just banked on the name. Its easier than coming up with a different title for each game. However, Dragon Quest at least has an excuse from games 1 to about 5 I think where Erik was somehow involved in each game and therefore at least gave a connection to each game. The games didn't start not having anything the same till about game 6 (although, I haven't played 6, so no idea), but I'll just 7 since it really departed from it. For Final Fantasy, the connection dies at 3.

Andrew, the reason why they can use Dragon Quest is because there was an ol' pen and pencil game called Dragon Quest that had the licensing for the name. Hence, its passed so now SquareEnix will be using the original name. And yes, I knew you meant it as a rhetorical question, but I decided to take it up.

The hero can always look the same because no one will like any new concept art or design of the hero because it most often gets set into everyone's mind that this is how he should look. Once that happens, its hard to shake from a character. It usually takes a total change in character for a new look to be accepted. And even then, it still can be frowned at (as well as the change in character).

Its because Blockbuster only brings out the games from the big companies. Many of the RPGs don't come from the big companies anymore, hence Blockbuster doesn't carry them. For anything older than the second gen systems, you'd need to purchase in order to find out if you like them or not, you probably won't find them for rentale. P.S. Get Dragon Quarter. You'll love it for being unique and difficult (unless you know how to cheat, well not cheat but learn how to use the system to your advantage).