BardicKnowledge

Hahaha yes! Can't watch it from the office but will check when I get home for sure.

^Yeah it's a shame, as I think he's probably the smartest player on the circuit.

My problem with Other M isn't the story they were telling, but the way they went about it. Overall, the _idea_ of the plot is good: Samus finds her old commander and agrees to follow some orders for the safety of the other soldiers, the MB bait and switch is good, even the Ridley thing is good. However, they are so campy in the way they go about it that it all falls flat. I don't think Bleck is arguing that the _ideas_ are bad, as evidenced by his statement that you could do an effective Ridley child-flashback on the SNES. But it could have been accomplished in a believable way instead of how awkward some of it came across. Similarly, the only weapons that should have been restricted are Screw Attack and Power Bombs (as these two legitimately endanger allies closeby). None of the movement stuff. Gamers are used to not having Space Jump, Speed Booster, and Grapple Beam at the start of the games...it doesn't have to be rationalized for us. Those two being authorized? Sure. Don't tell me I can't run fast or grapple because some dude says so though -- just have us find those upgrades like we're used to.

Bumping this thread to talk about the epic GSL series last night, TLO vs. Hyberdub. If you missed it, take the time to at least watch game 1 of this series, which is the best game of the entire tourney to date by miles. It's a very long game for pro play, and we get to see parts of the tech tree that usually don't exist. Go check it out! As for defeating a proxy rush, you've got to 1) wall up or 2) make your barracks a little earlier than usual. Scout successfully and you'll know what's up (see game 3 of this series for a good example of why scouting is so important).

I'll second KB's bump -- this game is incredible, especially at the $5 price point.

Quick aside to this: FF12 has the best gameplay near ever -- all tedium is just washed away. It's a shame that the plot is absolutely terrible

Agreed, that's super hot. Can't wait for it to release!

Really nice video on a point I hadn't even thought of.

^That is awesome -- I was really torn between the two of them. Glad to see that you guys were also, AND that you decided not to decide!

Hadn't even thought about that. A google search for bardicknowledge gives the D&D skill the name comes from, and then my twitter page. Oh, and now I know why I had to be Bardic_Knowledge (with underscore) on photobucket lol. Should have claimed it there earlier, I guess.

Assuming that you're going to put art-related work on a resume to apply for art related jobs eventually, you should be just fine. Most artistic fields are now used to the idea of people publishing material to the internet/blogosphere/whatever under psuedonyms. If you're applying for a non-arts job, then I would consider the value in listing that you've done album art / deviantart projects at all, other than collaborative projects you've been a part of. Instead list things that prove you know how to work in whatever field/job you want to apply for. Edit: This of course implies that your psuedonym isn't setting off red flags everywhere (you are just fine). If your handle was "SerialRapist", for instance, then yeah there'd be problems.

I didn't actually, haha.

The short sarcastic response to this is "Have you ever fought Crocomire with the plasma beam?" Seriously though, sequence breaking is fun for all kinds of reasons. One is that I really enjoy speedrunning this game (and Castlevania SOTN) -- breaking allows you to beat the game quickly if you're into that sort of thing. Secondly, if you're so good at the base game that you can beat it in your sleep, sequence breaking adds some challenge and diversity to the route. In Zelda 3, for instance, I nearly always get the Fire Rod before going to the Tower of Hera. Similarly, I always get the Magic Cape before finishing Dark World 4. If there was a clean way to finish the 2nd (dark) dungeon level without the Moon Pearl, I would love to beat the whole thing without it sometime. In Super Metroid, I almost always get my first set of super missiles from Brinstar's first room (with the reserve tank in the back) before I get Speed Booster. It's just convenient to be able to open those doors early, as opposed to having to trek back much later in the game. Sequence breaking eliminates back-tracking here, which can be a good thing (especially if you want 100% collection or speed). FYI, playing without getting all the upgrades in Metroid in order is NOT equivalent to a swordless run in Zelda. The equivalent glitch is climbing down Death Mountain without the Moon Pearl to access the Dark World early. Want to know what the difference is? Swordless you don't always have the tools you need to advance. In Metroid, once you get bombs you can access 70% of the game with no other powerups, and if you pick up the charge beam (Metroid's "sword", if you will) then you always have something at hand that will score a killing blow. The other comparison you make, a party of four White Mages in FF1, is more valid. Both cases require creative play to advance, and knowledge / study is required to make it work. That's the type of game I like to play, not something I can barrel through at lightspeed. When I want to steamroll through a game I play Donkey Kong Country instead. Yeah, I'm not stepping foot inside that half of this argument

I really need to get back into playing the game. Somebody hit me up on IRC sometime next week

Too bad the engine isn't coded to allow "beats fireballs but loses to sweeps" at the same time. IMO that'd be the ideal place for the move. Edit: Actually, it has to allow for this, considering Fei Long's EX Chicken Wing. I'm stupid.

Largely true without sequence breaking. Torizo --> Spore Spawn --> Kraid --> Crocomire --> Phantoon --> Maridia worm thing --> Draygon --> Golden Torizo --> Ridley --> Mother Brain is the standard progression, I believe. However, skipping Spore Spawn and Crocomire are both fairly simple, as is skipping Maridia entirely (just don't go there!). Skipping Kraid requires some real skill as the Norfair run is not easy the first few times you try it. Skipping the Golden Torizo is possible but not practical for anyone -- same story for glitching through the Zebetites at the very end to allow for a 14% run. The only _required_ bosses if you want to access the vast majority of the game are the Torizo (for bombs) and Phantoon (for gravity suit, to allow Maridia). Everyone else becomes optional (or in Ridley / MB's case, endgame) once you learn all of the tricks to get around quickly.

Apparently you can skip the Hazard Suit in prime 3. In any case, I'm sure that some sequence breaks will be discovered for other M, but it's likely going to be along the lines of metroid fusion's early expansions, not Super Metroid's crazy awesome stuff (imo the most useful of these being mockball to bypass various speed gates). Along this line of thought, everyone needs to stop saying "Other M isn't Super Metroid in 3d like I wanted." Of course it isn't -- that game is Metroid Prime. Other M is analogous to Metroid Fusion in 3d instead. You know, the game with a plot, no (well, very little) sequence breaks, and a main area where you take elevators to different sectors? Note that I'm not arguing that Prime is inferior in any way -- I much prefer both Super Metroid and Metroid Prime to Fusion and Other M. But let's use the correct 2d reference game when we talk about the new game.

You can block it normally -- it will just beat moves that absorb one hit (Balrog's EX rushes, etc) I'm all for giving Makoto (and only Makoto) the ability to parry fireballs actually. IMO she'll be decent with the new changes but still not good enough. Does EX rush punch go through them currently? That could be a decent alternative.

All of the updated information can be cross checked in this Shoryuken thread. Keits is also updating the SRK frontpage to try and keep up with stuff, check it now and then. Some highlights for Darkesword: Makoto's EX Hayate now an armor/focus breaker. More invulnerability on Oroshi, damage boost on Fukiage. Edit: There is no official changelog yet, and it's just a location test. Everything is in flux atm and there likely will not be official confirmation on any of this until a final patch is released.

Yeah, the Ridley scene is one of the few cutscenes that really worked for me -- the flashback of her standing there as the frightened child is the best piece of storytelling in the game. Agreed with binjovi 100% that it was about time we thought of Ridley as this scary boss for a change.

If I've beaten the game on normal mode 100%, have I unlocked everything, or does more gallery / theater stuff unlock if you finish it on hard mode? Spoilers below -- if you use the dark skin, beware!! I realize that it's pretty awesome nostalgia / fan service, but could someone explain to me why Phantoon is in the game at all? Is he supposed to be the ultimate bio weapon or something? It just didn't make sense. Thanks.

Happy birthday!

Viewtiful Joe riding Amaterasu is amazing, haha.

Seriously, that game was amazing. I spent the entire allotted time debating about the Lizard trial.

Most epic new post of all time, haha. You can pull off so many different costumes -- I wish I looked close enough to just like one person