sephfire

Vote tallies updated.

Ah, I see. Unfortunaly, I can't count most of your votes toward the total as they don't really follow the voting rules. Each vote must include a couple sentences explaining why a game is or is not a must-have. What about the game makes it great? What parts were poorly executed? It's about examining the game's qualities. Fanboyism and unrelated personal experiences aren't relevant. Read some other people's votes to get an idea of what we're going for. I do appreciate the time posting your votes just the same. We can always use more people in here.

Do you post that badly on purpose?

I replayed FF8 recently to get a fresh opinion of it, and it was better than my first impression had been. It really is a pretty good game. I consider it just shy of "must-have-dom." I don't feel the story or characters are as strong as other Final Fantasy games have been, but many people still got attatched to them. The art was great. The soundtrack wasn't Uematsu's finest overall, but some tracks in this game were the best he ever did (Liberi Fatali is still amazing and one of his best works). The battle system was decent enough, but the Drawing system really broke it. No matter how many cool things you could do by Junctioning the magic you gathered, you still had to sit there in battle drawing from enemies over and over and over throughout the game, which just isn't fun. People might have been more lenient in judging FF8 if it weren't a Final Fantasy, but with so many great FF games to live up to, FF8 just falls a bit short. It's good that Square experiments with the RPG formula so much. They're just about the only developer who can afford to do it so frequently. It just didn't work out this time around.

Months. This is partially due to a lack of available time and also the same periodical inspirational shortages shadowolf referred to. I despise those long gaps inbetween, but I've found no way to overcome them so far. Oh well.

I almost feel as if this episode is aimed squarely at me.

THIS IS IT. What happens now, you ask? We have one week left for people to slip in last-minute votes. By the end of the week, this thread will be complete. ***** Final Round: ***** Army Men: Air Combat Console: N64 Publisher: 3DO Developer: 3DO Release: July 2000 Super Smash Bros. Console: N64 Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Labs Release: Apr 1999 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Console: Playstation Publisher: SCEA Developer: Naughty Dog Release: Oct 1997 Gradius Gaiden * Console: Playstation Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Release: Aug 1997 (JP) Mega Man 8 Anniversary Collector’s Edition Console: Playstation Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Release: Feb 1997 RayCrisis: Series Termination Console: Playstation Publisher: Working Designs Developer: Taito Corp. Release: Oct 2000 Xenogears Console: Playstation Publisher: Square EA Developer: SquareSoft Release: Oct 1998 Street Fighter Alpha 3 Console: Playstation Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Release: Apr 1999 The Orange Box Console: PC Publisher: EA Games Developer: Valve Software Release: Oct 2007 World of Warcraft Console: PC Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Release: Nov 2004 Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Console: GBA Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Game Freak Release: Mar 2003 Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 Console: GBA Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Release: Oct 2003 Mega Man & Bass Console: GBA Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Release: Mar 2003 Riviera: The Promised Land Console: GBA Publisher: Atlus Co. Developer: Sting Release: July 2007 Street Fighter Alpha 3 Console: GBA Publisher: Capcom Developer: Crawfish Int. Release: Dec 2002 Sonic Advance 3 Console: GBA Publisher: THQ Developer: Dimps Corporation Release: June 2004 *************** My votes: Super Smash Bros -- YES The one that started it all. It came totally out of nowhere and absolutely rocked. Who'd have thought a Nintendo cross-franchise brawler would be so fun? Xenogears -- YES Not a favorite of mine, but it's a solid RPG with great music and some interesting story themes. I think the only reason I can't enjoy it more is the number of people I've met who take it's story a bit too seriously. The Orange Box -- YES It doesn't matter how new this is. YOU MUST HAVE THIS. Every individual game it contains is a must have by my standards, and to get all five for the price of one? Delicious. World of Warcraft -- YES Like it or not, this is THE MMORPG right now. And it deserves that spot. WoW is one of the most accessible, well-designed MMORPG games ever created. Perfect? No. Fun and addicting? Yes. If you're in the mood for MMORPG, World of Warcraft will probably have everything you need.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass It's new and it's funny. Yay!

I'm a drummer myself, and I can't wait to try this out. Got it preordered already. I also play a mean fake guitar, if any OCR bands start forming.

Finally got the site to work for me and applied to the tour group. Only Slayer stands in my way of a 5-star expert career. Curse them.

In preparation for the final round wednesday, all (0-1) votes have been moved to the NO category. On wednesday, all (0-0) votes will follow. They can still be YES voted into the green, but that purple section is too cluttered. We'll have one week from tuesday to get last minute votes in. ***** Round Thirty-Five: ***** Mario Kart 64 Console: N64 Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Release: Feb 1997 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Console: Playstation Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Release: Oct 1997 Gran Turismo 2 Console: Playstation Publisher: SCEA Developer: Polyphony Digital Release: Nov 1999 Twisted Metal 2 Console: Playstation Publisher: SCEA Developer: SingleTrac Release: Oct 1996 Neverwinter Nights 2 Console: PC Publisher: Atari Developer: Obsidian Release: Oct 2006 Team Fortress 2 Console: PC Publisher: Valve Software Developer: Valve Software Release: Oct 2007 Duke Nukem 3D Console: PC Publisher: GT Interactive Developer: 3D Realms Release: Jan 1996 Crusader: No Remorse Console: PC Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Electronic Arts Release: Aug 1995 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Console: PC Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Release: Nov 2003 Mega Man Zero 4 Console: GBA Publisher: Capcom Developer: Inti Release: Oct 2005 ***** Round Thirty-Six: ***** Rayman 2: The Great Escape Console: N64 Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Release: Oct 1999 In the Hunt Console: Playstation Publisher: Kokopeli Digital Studios Developer: Tsuji Jimusho Release: Mar 1996 WipeOut 3 Console: Playstation Publisher: SCEE Developer: SCEE Release: Aug 1999 Raiden DX * Console: Playstation Publisher: Nihon System Developer: Seibu Kalhatsu Release: Apr 1997 (JP) Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee Console: Playstation Publisher: GT Interactive Developer: Oddworld Release: Aug 1997 Bushido Blade 2 Console: Playstation Publisher: Square EA Developer: Light Weight Release: Feb 1998 Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Console: PC Publisher: LucasArts Developer: Raven Software Release: Sept 2003 Quake III Arena Console: PC Publisher: Activision Developer: id Software Release: Dec 1999 Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Console: GBA Publisher: Konami Developer: KCET Release: Sept 2002 Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Console: GBA Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Capcom Release: Dec 2002 ***** Round Thirty-Seven: ***** Yoshi’s Story Console: N64 Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Release: Mar 1998 Dragon Warrior VII Console: Playstation Publisher: Enix Corporation Developer: Heart Beat Release: Oct 2001 Need for Speed: High Stakes Console: Playstation Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Electronic Arts Release: Mar 1999 Rage Racer Console: Playstation Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Release: Apr 1997 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Console: Playstation Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Release: Nov 1999 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Console: PC Publisher: Rockstar Games Developer: Rockstar North Release: June 2005 Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier Console: PC Publisher: Sierra Entertainment Developer: Sierra Entertainment Release: 1995 Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon Console: GBA Publisher: Atlus Co. Developer: Amusement Vision Release: June 2004 Final Fantasy VI Advance Console: GBA Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Square Enix Release: Feb 2007 Metroid: Zero Mission Console: GBA Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Release: 2004 ****************** My votes: Mario Kart 64 -- YES Mario Kart transitioned brilliantly into the 3D. The courses were fun and the battle mode kept my house entertained for hours. Team Fortress 2 -- YES Still fairly new, so I was a buit unsure at first, but this really is a great game. The clearly defined class roles make sure that anyone can find a job they're good at and enjoy. The maps are few, but extremely polished. The Pixar-esque visual aesthetic is also fantastic. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time -- YES The best Prince of Persia in existence. Beautiful environments, great music and solid controls. The combat was a tad shallow, but the free running and acrobatics are heavenly. Nothing like nailing a quick chain of stunts to make you feel all powerful. Yoshi's Story -- NO Find Yoshi's Island and play that instead. This isn't bad, but there's nothing great about it either. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas -- YES Bigger map than ever, great era choice, good acting as always and great sandbox fun. Basically, everything we love about GTA with slightly improved controls on top of it.

Sadly no. I really should find a tournament one of these days though. I'll be joining the OCR group as soon as guitarhero.com starts working.

And it's still funny too. It's pretty impressive.

Never! It didn't take that long. I've been playing too much Guitar Hero ever since I discovered the first game over a year ago. I've gotten quite good.

Unless someone else can think of a good suggestion for changes, submit this sucker. I'll be pretty surprised if they don't YES this. You done good.

Man, this is fun. I'd say give the violin stab a bit higher velocity for added punch and slightly lower reverb. The snare and percussion sounds perfect. I know very little about brass, so I'll let Blake or somebody cover that. The "wind" sound around :49 is a bit odd, but the chimes sound great. Please, please keep working on this. I love both inspirational sources you're drawing from here and the combo has all sorts of potential.

Almost have all of expert 5-starred. Next task: surviving Dragonforce.

Gotta go to work now. Will edit post later with feedback. Edit: I love this. I can't think of anything else to suggest. You've got YES material here.

If it's easier, you can just email it to me. Looking forward to it. sephfire_cec@yahoo.com

Only five more days to go! ***** Round Thirty-Three: ****** WipeOut 64 Console: N64 Publisher: Midway Developer: Psygnosis Release: Nov 1998 Brave Fencer Musashi Console: Playstation Publisher: Square EA Developer: SquareSoft Release: Oct 1998 Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete Console: Playstation Publisher: Working Designs Developer: Game Arts Release: Dec 2000 Raiden Project Console: Playstation Publisher: SCEA Developer: Selbu Kalhatsu Release: Jan 1995 Soviet Strike Console: Saturn Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: EA Tiburon Release: Nov 1996 Beyond Good and Evil Console: PC Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Release: Nov 2003 Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis Console: PC Publisher: Codemasters Developer: Bohemia Int. Release: Aug 2001 The Secret of Monkey Island Console: PC Publisher: LucasArts Developer: LucasArts Release: 1990 Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi Console: PC Publisher: Origin Developer: Origin Release: 1991 Mario Golf: Advance Tour Console: GBA Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Camelot Co. Ltd. Release: June 2004 ***** Round Thirty-Four: ***** Command & Conquer Console: N64 Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Looking Glass Release: May 1999 R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Console: Playstation Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Release: May 1999 Warhawk Console: Playstation Publisher: SCEA Developer: SingleTrac Release: Nov 1995 Parasite Eve II Console: Playstation Publisher: Square EA Developer: SquareSoft Release: Jan 2000 Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 * Console: Saturn Publisher: TechnoSoft Developer: TechnoSoft Release: Dec 1996 (JP) Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords Console: PC Publisher: Stardock Developer: Stardock Release: Feb 2006 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Console: PC Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Bethesda Softworks Release: Mar 2006 Dungeon Keeper 2 Console: PC Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Bullfrog Productions Release: June 1999 Unreal Tournament 2004 Console: PC Publisher: Atari Developer: Epic Games Release: Mar 2004 Gunstar Super Heroes Console: GBA Publisher: Sega Developer: Treasure Release: Oct 2005 ********************** My votes: Beyond Good and Evil -- YES Unique, creative and just plain pretty. The soundtrack is beautiful and the whole game just feels different in a good way. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion -- YES It has some weaknesses compared to Morrowind, but some definitely strengths as well. For better of for worse, it's a game where you can just run around hunting deer all day if you want to. It's what you'd expect from an Elder Scrolls game, and that's a winning formula.

Cursed Putfile.com. I wanna hear this.

Now now. Let's not have any music snobbery.

Little over one week left. Hang in there! ***** Round Thirty-One: ***** Beetle Adventure Racing Console: N64 Publisher: EA Sports Developer: Paradigm Entertainment Release: Feb 1999 Final Fantasy IX Console: Playstation Publisher: Square EA Developer: SquareSoft Release: Nov 2000 Resident Evil 2 Console: Playstation Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Release: Dec 1997 WipeOut XL Console: Playstation Publisher: SCEE Developer: SCEE Release: Sept 1996 Panzer Dragoon Saga Console: Saturn Publisher: Sega Developer: Team Andromeda Release: Apr 1998 Interstate ‘76 Console: PC Publisher: Activision Developer: Activision Release: Feb 1997 Sid Meier’s Pirates! Console: PC Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Full Fat Release: Jan 2007 Rise of the Triad: Dark War Console: PC Publisher: Apogee Software, Ltd. Developer: Apogee Software, Ltd. Release: Dec 1994 Space Quest V: The Next Mutation Console: PC Publisher: Sierra Entertainment Developer: Dynamix Release: 1993 Double Dragon Advance Console: GBA Publisher: Atlus Co. Developer: Million Release: Nov 2003 ***** Round Thirty-Two: ***** Tetrisphere Console: N64 Publisher: Nintendo Developer: H2O Interactive Release: Aug 1997 Mega Man Legends 2 Console: Playstation Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Release: Oct 2000 Tomba! Console: Playstation Publisher: SCEA Developer: Whoopee Camp Release: June 1998 You Don’t Know Jack Console: Playstation, PC Publisher: Bandai Developer: Jellyvision Release: Sept 2005 PowerSlave Console: Saturn Publisher: Playmates Developer: Lobotomy Software Release: Oct 1996 Age of Empires III Console: PC Publisher: Microsoft Games Studios Developer: Ensemble Studios Release: Oct 2005 Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction Console: PC Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment Developer: Blizzard North Release: June 2001 Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time Console: PC Publisher: Red Orb Entertainment Developer: Presto Studios Release: Jan 1998 Return to Castle Wolfenstein Console: PC Publisher: Activision Developer: Gray Matter Release: Nov 2001 Golden Sun: The Lost Age Console: GBA Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Camelot Co. Ltd. Release: Apr 2003 ********************** My votes: Final Fantasy XI -- YES I'll probably be in the minority when I say that FFIX is on par with FFVII and even superior in ways. I like it better every time I play it. The simplified skill system proved that "complicated" does not equal "better." The artistic aesthetic was gorgeous. The soundtrack was possibly Uematsu's greatest work. Long time Final Fantasy fans were happy to see the series acknowledge its roots. It had flaws, as all games do, but FFIX is an easy addition to a Playstation owner's must-have list. Tetrisphere -- YES Very different from the tetris we recognize, but fun. I'm kinda surprised we haven't seen more Tetrisphere games around. I had completely forgotten about this game and now I really wish I had a copy lying around. You Don't Know Jack -- YES Many fun hours were spent playing with my friends and family in this game. I said in an earlier vote how there are very, very few games out there that are truly funny? This is one.

Less than 30 seconds in and both of those synths are already annoying. You could really use some better sounds. The bass synth is too loud and gets obnoxious quickly. Really, you've got about one minute worth of material stretched out and repeating for almost four minutes. Not trying to sound mean, but if you are planning to fix this up for OCR submission, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. I recommend listening to some other people's techno remixes and trying to imitate what you hear. That will help you start figuring some of the basics out.

That's a really strong improvement. The mixing sounds much better than before and that reverb has added a lot. The dynamic range feels a bit wider now, which is good. The low energy "breaks" really help to reinforce the epic parts that follow. If anything I'd personally like to hear that piano do a bit more in the softer sections. It may or may not work for this mix (so feel free to abandon this tip) but the area around 3:15 could sound really nice with some subtle piano worked in (similar to 4:15ish). Just a thought. May not sound right. Be assured that your late night session was worth it. You may not have changed that many things, but it sounds worlds better than before. Good work.