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Darklink42

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    Awful parts of awesome games *POTENTIAL SPOILERS*

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I agree.

    FF12 (if you pretend Ashe is the main character) has a really well presented story. Also incredible translation - best of the series.

    Wind Waker sailing makes me happytime.

    Bad stuffs:

    FFX: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....

    FFX: Blitzball; mind numbingly boring and you have to do so much of it for Wakka's limits.

    Assassin's Creed: The horse speed limit enforcement officers.

    Pokemon: Caves = Zubat/Woobat emporiums.

    I forgot all about the AC traffic cops. That horse so much as trots faster than 2 mph, you're a dead man.

    Another one that I remembered is the music puzzle in Myst. I'm sure to most who are more musically inclined, it was a cinch. But I waited almost 10 years to get past it because I couldn't match all the sounds right when I was a kid.

    Awful parts of awesome games *POTENTIAL SPOILERS*

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    The Occurian are the gods, not aliens.

    The Occuria (オキューリア Okyūria?) are a small group of immortal beings, often called (by both themselves and others) the Undying (不滅なる神 Fumetsunaru Kami?). Referred to as gods by some, but unknown to the major religions in Ivalice, the Occuria race played a vital role in the history of Ivalice such as the creation of the Espers and granting power to King Raithwall to conquer the countries of Ivalice with the Dawn, Dusk, and Midlight shards of nethicite.[78]

    They were always the ones to write history and gave the power of the Sun Cryst (Source of Magic) to those who they thought would most likely carry out their ideals. King Wraithwall in the past and Lady Ashe in the present.

    But there's the problem right there. Up until the point in which Cid's madness is revealed to be the rogue Occuria, everything was the ambitions, politics, and mistakes of people in power both in the present and in the past. Sure they had the help of magic stones and powerful creatures(later understood to have been created by the Occuria) that rebelled against the "gods" but still at the whim of human behaviors, for better or worse. History is made by people, in short. Then all the sudden, right at the height of tensions within the game, the player is suddenly treated to this "Small group of immortal beings" (who are also invisible, powerful psychics, and capable of instantaneous teleportation) who take all of that history and lineage and simplify it into what basically comes out as "Eh, we did it because we wanted to and you didn't know about it. Deal with it, yo."

    It's weird and jarring, coming in so late in the game and with no other hints up until that point. And although the story then does it's best to deal with the plot twist and tries to stay true to the characters, everything that was intriguing and powerful about what the characters had done up until that point feels cheapened. And worse, it robs the rich and in depth history explored throughout the game of any real bite, because in the background, there were always these invisible ghosts that did what they wanted all along. No one is responsible for their actions any more, because they had no real control over where their life was going to end up or what was going to happen. Mistakes are no longer mistakes, and redemption is no longer redemption, for all has been within the plans of these creatures from beyond our understanding who are not gods, just immortal and powerful enough to pull the strings. And who conveniently provide an enemy which everyone can band together against and defeat in triumph.

    Awful parts of awesome games *POTENTIAL SPOILERS*

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I have to disagree with you Kuolema on the point of the characterization, but I will agree that the fetch quest/grind these baddies nature of the game did bring it down a little for me.

    Vaan and Penelo in that game are, I won't argue, the least interesting characters if only because they are completely overshadowed by the bigger players in the larger story arc. I think like Tidus in X and Lightening in XII (Don't know about the second one though), they are sort of the lynch-pin connectors that keep a reason for the telling of the story present even if they only have a cursory investment in it themselves. I mean, sure they're orphans from a big city thrust into a continent dividing power struggle which will change the face of all they have ever known. But there's no development there, just "Hey, I still just want to be a sky pirate guys. I kind of miss my brother who ties me into this but about whom you'll hear almost nothing."

    That being said, everyone else in that game was really well developed as a complex character. As Thin Crust already pointed out, most of them have very interesting ties to the national politics and are forced to make meaningful choices and to live with the consequences of past mistakes. I liked that Balthier was more than a show boat pirate in it for the money and fame. I liked that Basch bore the shame of what his brother had done first by hiding away, but later confronts and bests his regrets and his shame by fighting to protect the son of an emperor that cost him everything. Ashe bears the scars of losing not only her love but also her country, and even though she's imbued with a power that no one had wielded since the great kings of old, she's still uncertain and wary of the consequences of it.

    All of this stuff was damn compelling to me, because they were all tied together in complex ways up until the writers apparently realized that there was no clean way to resolve all these issues in a happy ending. So then aliens are brought in to explain the mess, take the power out of the hands of everyone, and to transform Eddie Veder into a weird, evil machine man because there needed to be a final boss big enough to take up the screen.

    Awful parts of awesome games *POTENTIAL SPOILERS*

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    You know, I may catch some flak for this, but I kind of liked the silent realm parts. They reminded me a lot of the Dark World from "Link to the Past" a lot more than the geometric, abstract weirdness that was the Twilight Realm in "Twilight Princess". The whole thing had a cool, surreal tone to it that made it feel fairly distinct and I liked that it challenged you to explore in new ways rather than steam roll through with your items. The stealth part was stupid in the volcano though, I'll give you that. It just made no sense that they had no interest at any time in killing you, after trying desperately to do just that for the entire rest of the game. Silly tropes...

    Other memorable moments:

    Mirror's Edge: Hey, you don't have to shoot anyone in this game, but we're going to put you on a rooftop with a bunch of snipers and guys with vehicle grade machine guns. Enjoy.

    Kingdom Hearts 2: Two words: Sing Along

    Crysis: (Admittedly a stretch, because it was only okay instead of awesome) Forced vehicle section at the end of the game, because the vehicles controlled like a bar of soap sliding down a ramp and you didn't use them ever before that point.

    FF12: Hey, you guys remember all that really interesting political intrigue and the undertones of exploring the consequences of unquestioning nationalism? And remember that we had a cool cast of characters haunted by a variety of personal demons from their past? Screw that, it was all alien gods.

    The World Ends With You - Sequel Teased in Solo Remix?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I really liked this game, and with it's inclusion in the new kingdom hearts game, I'm hoping that means they recognize it's got a big enough fan base that a well thought out (one can hope) sequel would be enjoyed. I'd be fairly disappointed myself if this is just a port to single screen devices. Too much hype for something so trivial.

    Is there any way to get the day two song (and potentially the day one song if it's different?) I'm kind of interested in the progression they've been doing with each day's background music.

    OCR Mascot Bios - 20 more up for grabs!

    in Projects

    Posted

    As a side note, for the existing mascot pages, one solution might be employing fan art. We wouldn't reinstate the fan art in the upper right hand corner, but it could liven up the pages themselves. We need to work on a basic boilerplate licensing agreement that we can use for fan art - I think we need to start exploring more synergy between the VG fan arrangement & VG fan art communities in general, and this is a good catalyst.

    I actually had the same thought, just wasn't sure about the logistics of implementation. I'm also sorry to hear that we had to pull so many images, but I'm glad that they let the bios remain. There's a lot of good writing there, and after helping with the editing, it would be a shame to see them go. That being said, I'll be glad to help with writing new bios for mascots, and/or editing.

    Thanks for being up front about it in so far as you could be DJP, and for doing your best to salvage/explain the situation with SE and with us.

    Steam Summer Sale 2012

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    while we're giving crap away, does anyone want a Disciples III: Resurrection key (or steam gift or whate'er)

    I got it during the coal thing during christmas and have no interest in it whatsoever

    I'm interested if you've still got it. Don't have much to trade though, unless there's something from one of the many humble bundles you didn't get at some point.

    Steam Summer Sale 2012

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    So, as a post sale check-up, how are you guys enjoying all the games you bought during the sale? Who hasn't actually played any of them, and who's been playing so many games they've gone near comatose with visual input?

    Me, I've been enjoying the hell out of Grimrock, Ys: Origins, and Portal 2. Haven't gotten around to playing much of Back to the Future though, but from what I did play, I enjoyed it. My wallet, however, has been in the ICU for the past two weeks, and while they say it might one day recover, the doctor's aren't too optimistic about it ever being the same as it was before the sale started.

    New Final Fantasy VII PC Port is happening

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    So... FFVII leaked onto Square's store and was pulled... from what people have seen so far:

    Ogg files present in the game are recorded MIDIs off probably a sound card or synth, instead of the original PSX sound track. This includes OWA which is completely missing its lyrics.

    Videos are upscaled versions of the original with lossy compression added to make them look worse

    Also contains SecuROM DRM.

    SecuROM DRM

    SecuROM DRM

    Well, there goes what little interest I had. I'm not touching this thing with a ten-foot pole now.

    new to Sins of a Solar Empire...what to do?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I picked up Trinity during the steam sale, and while I've only played the first one, I've found it to be fairly entertaining if a bit confusing at first. There are a lot of different things to manage, but it feels very grandiose and placed on a large scale rather than overwhelming. That being said, at least for the original, there's no story mode, just scenarios. I haven't tried the other two modes in the pack, which are Entrenchment and Trinity, nor can I speak to the multiplayer experience yet. But I like it, and even just playing on random isn't too bad.

    Kickstarter FAQ / issues / concerns

    in Site Issues & Feedback

    Posted

    In the end it's all a matter of ethics and integrity. I don't feel right having this much money raised by selling someone else's music. And having the money go to the site, which is fine if the KS was for the site, but it wasn't. As much as I try, I can't get my moral compass to point the other way. I do this for fun, and if I can get my music on a CD that's physical and nice, then fuck yes, I'll happily charge for that, but I have not and will not try to make any modest-significant profit from compositions I don't own. OCR gave me and everyone else shit when we sold CDs at $5-20 each, and now they raise $60k and defend it by saying it's site donation and whatever else... too slimy for me.

    This pretty much sums up the entire counter argument I've seen going on in about the KS. It's a big wrap-around back to "But we tried something sort of like this and we got slapped down for it. Why do you guys get to?" Everything after that has read like paranoid conspiracy theory and a lot of hurt feelings over something that's already done and over with. DJP explained himself rather succinctly when he pointed out that what he had to say about the VV album (and others like it, I'm guessing) was simply advice consistent with what he felt was his obligation to a community he is a part of and feels ought to get a straight and honest deal.

    Yes, that is a correct understanding. It's not a HUGE issue, it only explains why our advice may differ from what we ourselves do - such advice is made knowing that unless the album is official, nothing similar to our Submission Agreement has been signed. Theoretically, if whoever would have actually handled the $$$ for VV would have signed a similar agreement with all artists on the album, and made that agreement public & available, I guess THEN it might be more comparable, but there are a lot of logistics and "ifs" in that equation.

    Metaphors and jokes aside, it should be obvious that people are taking sides here based on a conjecture that isn't even true. NO ONE IS CONSPIRING. Seriously, it's just childish to keep nitpicking and trying to insist that somewhere in here is a deep, intricate plot to bilk money out of all of us unsuspecting saps. Everything on the KS page is as straightforward as an idealistic project can be. As much as the mental image amuses me, I don't believe that Shariq, DJP, Andrew, and Larry are sitting in a back room somewhere smoking Cuban cigars and thinking about what they're going to do when all that sweet cash rolls in. If anything, they're all very likely sitting at their desks at their day jobs thinking "Well shit, when did everyone get so generous? And what else can we make that will be awesome enough to match that level of generosity?" I know I would be.

    In the interest of honesty, do I figure that 50 bucks for the physical copy is a bit much? Yeah, but only because I can't afford it right now and won't be able to before the kickstarter ends. But is it going to do anyone any good to come in here and carry on about how I think there's something Fishy (har har) going on here simply because it's out of my price range? No, no it's not. Because as many people have pointed out and have been ignored by those who disagree, it's not a store purchase of a four disc set, it's a reward for a donation to the project and the site behind the project. Anyone who donated is paying for a free album they can download, first and foremost. The rewards are there only to incentivise people to give a little bit more for something they want in return. Any physical copies received by the donors are essentially promotional tools given away by OCR, with an appropriate budget for shipping tacked on. If no one had paid 50 bucks? I can only guess that the budget for the studio time would have jumped dramatically.

    we plan on printing LIMITED EDITION PHYSICAL COPIES. These copies will NOT be sold, but will be available as prizes or gifts at conventions, OCR panels, contests, and similar events. We've found that physical albums are a very important promotional tool, and often encourage donations or purchases of t-shirts, bumper stickers and other OCR merchandise. These sources of revenue are essential in keeping the site, which is run by an all-volunteer staff, up and running.

    To put it more simply, look at it like this: if no extra money had come in for this project beyond the estimated budget for recording studios, printing, shipping, and so forth, where would the money come from to support the torrent bandwidth, the separate site, and various associated maintenance costs? OCR's budget. Aside from additional bonuses the staff adds to this project with their sudden surplus of funding, where else is that money supposed to go but into the site's budget? Extra money goes into OCR's budget, extra money goes out to keep the site for the project and OCR's servers, and the torrents, and the direct downloads open and available to everyone. I see zero issue with that. Why do you?

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