Kizyr

Without getting into a long discussion on how women tend to be portrayed in video games (and media in general), I'll just stick to my top few picks. Rosella (King's Quest 4+): Her debut was in a classic Sierra adventure game, with a save-the-person-in-distress kind of plot, only for once it was the prince in distress and, the princess trying to save him. She wasn't made to be overtly feminine/princess-like, not sexualized (though it probably would've been pretty difficult considering early VGA graphics), and, well, just plainly established as female without any implications to it. Mia Fey (Phoenix Wright): Ok, yeah, sure she's kind of well-endowed. But she (and Maya Fey at that) is still made out to be a strong female character who's well-known for her intellect and advocacy, rather than her looks. Christie Monteiro (Tekken): Hey, I'm not perfect. It's a trap! No problem can be solved by La Blue Girl! KF

Hey, Daylight Saving Time is on March 14th, so... if this is going to be on the 20th, then that's 7PM EDT, which is GMT-4 (instead of GMT-5). Maybe y'all should clarify the time in both EDT and GMT? Is it going to be 7PM Eastern (US) and 11PM GMT? KF

The main reason that folks tend to dislike gyms isn't that association, so much as the fact that there are other people there, and many folks feel as if they're being watched/judged while they're at the gym. (The former is what contributes most to my own discomfort with gyms; it feels like working out in a public restroom for me.) It's not so much the connection with a bodybuilding regime (that is something that I think contributes to many folks' aversion to weightlifting specifically, though). Anyway, thanks for your other advice. I figured it may be useful to hear other reasons beyond what you've mentioned for folks' dislike regarding gyms. KF

I believe zircon mentioned it and floated the theory that you're GrayLightning on one of the last VGDJ episodes. Though it was probably just to distract from Brushfire's discovery that zircon is Sixto Sounds. KF

Jenny Stigile was brought on for the opening song (same person who did many of the vocal tracks for WD's localizations of EB, SSS, and EBC). There were some issues with rights over the lyrics that didn't apply to the script itself, so I'm not sure they could've used the original lyrics/tracks even if they wanted to. KF

Happy birthday to the both of you! KF

The new voice cast has been getting mixed reviews, but if you ask me it sounds all right. I already played through the Japanese version when it was released last year (they actually got the same voice cast, so it was like a reunion, but that was rather impossible for the English release). I really like it; the music sounds even better, the sprite animations are nice, and the dungeon/forest/misc backgrounds look better than the SSS version. There were also some added backstory elements regarding the Four Heroes, and some extra character background details (nothing most people would notice; for some folks like me who archive everything about the series, though, it's a nice touch). Admittedly, I still prefer TSS (Sega CD) overall. But for like $30 this is a pretty good deal. EDIT: Lunar-NET (some self-promotion, I know, but it's relevant!) has more info on it, by the way. Link's in my sig. KF

Personally I was taking it as a "remixes I'd love to make" sort of thread. Actually, for the ones that I mentioned, I'd rather no one else made them so that I could be the first to make an attempt {^^}. Not sure if others are interpreting the title the same way though. KF

Drats, you caught onto my subtle hint! But no, seriously, I actually was under the impression you grew that specifically for Beardfest '10 at MAGFest. Didn't know you were in it for the long term. How 'bout lunch tomorrow or sometime next week? KF

Two songs from Lunar: Eternal Blue. The Boss Battle theme as a fusion of rock and Mongolian folk music (inspired by Altan Urag), and the Frozen Continent theme as a Qawwali song. The vocals on both would be the toughest part; I think I could even find a few people from whom to borrow the instruments for the latter, too, but voice isn't something you can borrow {..}. KF

Word-by-word reaction: "What kinda sucks" ??? "is that they are remaking Lufia II" =) "an excellent game with great music" =D "but that they are remaking it into a 3D action game" =O I still don't get all the fixation on 3D and pseudo-3D (isometric views, etc.). Sometimes a classic 2D RPG, designed with a classic 2D interface, works best with the 2D interface. It's like trying to take an old black-and-white movie, colorize it, and make it 3D. KF

In response to the original question, I think we're seeing a bit of a resurgence in turn-based RPGs, but mostly on handheld systems. There're a few I'm looking forward to, or already picked up, for both DS and PSP. Such as... This. Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is being released for the PSP. Especially if you've never played the PS1 remakes, then I'd highly recommend it. ...I may be slightly biased, as my sig/avatar indicate, but, yeah, it's pretty good. I've played the Japanese version already, and the English one is going to be released on March 3rd (with some nice pre-order bonuses--use the OCR Amazon Store and search for "Silver Star Harmony Limited Edition" if you want that). There's a demo on PSN if you want to check it out for yourself. KF

As soon as I saw the thread title, that was my first thought. Yeah, he's that good. Mankind ill needs a savior such as you! KF

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but... What do you suggest in the way of a regular exercise routine (e.g., trying to get 20-30 minutes of elevated heart rate about three times aweek) for someone who hates going to a gym? The best suggestion I've heard so far is jogging, which is something that I think I could actually get into and enjoy enough to actually stick to it. Gyms... I've always felt uncomfortable with them, and I know I'd find every excuse not to go. Besides that, my diet is fine, and while I don't exercise regularly, I'm at least not sedentary (I have to walk an average of 1-2 miles a day, just in the course of going to work or classes). I just got kind of a wake-up call the other day that emphasized the fact that, well, I need to do a little more. KF

I don't have much comment on the song itself beyond what's already been said. But, I will add that it's always great when a remix reminds me of a song that's awesome that, until now, I totally forgot. I didn't even remember Death Egg Zone until I heard the mix; now I can pretty much picture all the weird gravity-flips and background of that stage. Great choice. Mix is awesome too, by the way. KF

Solution: more redshirts. Speaking of sigs, are you going to change yours once you shave off that beard? KF

Right so I'm finally getting around to listening to all the episodes I missed. This is all great. I don't see how y'all manage to crank one out so often. Maybe all the MAGFest recording difficulties was some way of restoring cosmic balance? KF

Well it's either your place or Brushfire's, and Brushfire's has tighter security! KF

That's kind of similar to the refinement of one of my resolutions... It was originally just to get better at the ocarina, but I think my benchmark will be if I'll get good enough to actually perform... like at JamSpace. KF

Tales of Phantasia is hands-down the best game on the SNES. Unfortunately, it's Japanese-only. The only official English translation is for the GBA, so if you'd need that then you may as well get the GBA version instead. Otherwise, well, everything else I'd have in mind has already been mentioned. But given your preferences, the SNES is the perfect system to get. (And I say this despite being a Sega fan back in the day.) KF

You read my mind! I actually made the comment to Arrow & Jay that, I'd like to do an animated GIF of that, but, "it won't be as good as what Jose could do." KF

All of it sounds like a great plan. When'd you prefer people start coming in? 2-3? KF

I'm down with that. Just let me know when/where. I'm ok with Medieval Times, but I'd prefer an alternative (it is kind of pricey, and doesn't really offer much of a venue to talk since everyone's facing the same direction). I dunno what else is around Arundel Mills besides D&B and the food court though. (And don't worry too much about my dietary restrictions; I can usually find something unless it's a BBQ shack.) KF

Man, PMD is really setting in badly. I don't feel like going back to work at all; an extra day off this week helped, but not by much. Anyway, I'm still working on editing all my photos, but for now, I present to you the shining moment when Audio Fidelity and DrumUltima discovered the glory of chicken'n'waffles: "I dunno, you think it's gonna taste all right?" AWWWWWW So yeah, highlights: 1) Favorite expected concert: The Megas. Being a big Megas fan, this was almost predetermined to be one of my highlights music-wise. 2) Favorite unexpected concert: A_Rival. I had no idea who he/PlanetSkill was before now (well, except for AE's OCR submissions). But... damn. I mean, damn... And working the Colossus Yell into his set? ...damn 3) Concert that exceeded expectations: The OneUps. I mean, I had high expectations to begin with, but even then I didn't expect them to be that good on stage. 4) Concert that I liked despite expectations: Metroid Metal. I don't even like metal, and they still rocked. 5) Sid Meier. Did anyone else expect him to be that friendly? But yeah, I even got my copy of Civ4 signed! Me: So... did you intentionally release Civ3 around the time of my midterms? Sid: Yes. We wanted you to fail. Me: Dangit! I had to uninstall that like 6 times! Sid: Thanks for your support! 6) Jon St. John. Hearing random stuff in the Duke Nukem voice alone was worth sitting in on the panel. Everything else was just bonus. 7) Late late night concerts... The Chiptunes concerts (especially the guy with the Gameboy), q-pa's set, etc. And beyond the convention... I don't know what else to say. I mean, I met so many other folks here for the first time, and many folks here that I hadn't seen since Otakon or even the last MAGFest. Then there's Brushfire who invited me over to his place, him, Stevo, and AeroZ at the Non-Denominational Holiday Party, all the folks who came out to Dave & Busters after the con... ...yeah I'm gonna cut myself off there before PMD sets in again. Once I can think more clearly I'll thank everyone I met this last time. And my KURIBO tag. (Super Mario 3 ref, not Yu-Gi-Oh, incidentally.) KF

I got the weekend free, but outside of that my schedule's kind of iffy once school starts up again... I'm gonna try to make a point to hit any major meetups between NoVA and Philly, schedule permitting, though. KF