Maruku

I have to agree completely with this. I think it is the biggest fault of this game and the biggest reason so many people stop playing it. Narratives are character-driven and all of the characters just seem too bland. We have all these events going on but the character interaction/involvement just doesn't feel right. The characters' personalities and motives are always changing for weird and strange reasons. Like that part where Light randomly has a revelation about the Fal'Cie in the sewer system. It made no sense to me and it did nothing to really captivate me as an audience. She tries explaining it with some monologue but it still does very little to add to her or the story, in my opinion. This game's major fault is just bad storytelling. Everything else in the game is pretty solid. Unfortunately, a huge part of RPG's (and games that go beyond 10 hours of gameplay) is storyline and the ability to keep the gamer interested.

I got the game on PS3 for $30 from a K-Mart sale. After playing it for roughly 22 hours, I think I'm just going to stop. Initially, I was captivated by the pretty CGI, the new battle system, and the excellent voice acting (on some of the characters) and now I'm just bored. The storyline had me captivated until I fought the Sanctum guy (Dysley or something?) on that gigantic ship and the game just bored me after that. I just feel like the game is dragging on and on with not enough of an interesting story to want to keep playing. It seems like they've introduced me to all of the gameplay mechanics and I'm stuck spending another 20 hours with them and then a couple of more plot twists, etc. It's not that I don't enjoy linear action games (RPG in this case), but I really just don't feel the desire to keep playing at this point. I blame this primarily on the storyline. There was nothing gripping me after the fight against Dysley even though that's supposed to be a turning point in the game's storyline. For a game that has so many cinematic sequences, I think they should have focused more on the "Screenplay", cinematography and storyline. The majority of cut scenes move way too quickly and it's hard to even tell what's going on (kind of like District 9 and all the other steadicam movies out there). I dunno, the game has just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm kind of pissed that I spent 20 hours on it at this point. Then again, I haven't enjoyed a Final Fantasy game since 10.

I would check out the Canon cameras. They have the HV series for relatively cheap and you can get some aweeeesome footage from it. It shoots full 1080p and can even shoot 24 fps if you want that nice film look. Here's a quickly done student short my buddy and I did with a Canon HV30. It's got pretty beast quality considering it's only, like $500 now. Youtube puts it in 1080p so the camera shoots high quality video. Granted, this is a miniDV camera, but I know they make a HDD equivalent, I just can't remember which series it is.

as a kid, I found the quick pace of old games to be more fitting of my childish attention span. Also, I prefer the unrealistic looks of everything back then. It really put me into this fantasy world where I could imagine so many things. I would always think "man, what's beyond that ocean" in Zelda or "man I bet there's an extra, hidden, world in Mario 3" just because you could imagine these crazy scenarios. That really kept me playing the game. From there, it was mostly memorization. By the time I had beaten Ninja Gaiden, I had every single level memorized down to exactly when I would jump and slash. I could beat the game in 20-30 minutes without a continue and that was almost all memorization. Personally, games nowadays don't hold my attention, part of that is 'cause of my busy schedule, but it's just not as fun to me because everything resembles reality now. Physics and stuff are cool in a game, but I just can't find myself getting immersed in the world anymore. Games like Shadow of the Colossus are the exception though; definitely sweet. Plus, like one previous poster mentioned, there were no sweet gadgets back then and no internet. Once the sun went down and you couldn't go skateboard, ride your bike, and cause mischief, you were like "aww man... time to play some Solar Jetman" (which if anybody has been there, knows that is like punching yourself in the face with difficulty). I miss the good ol' days haha.

Sweet, this is awesome. I use the Release Candidate for my job (IT stuff) and so far it's the best Windows I've used to date. I liked Vista but it had that huge rocky period before SP 1 came out. I have had absolutely no issues whatsoever with the system yet. It runs games fine, it runs, 3D modeling software from years back. It runs every extremely well and actually more efficiently than previous versions. I can't wait to get the retail version for my home computer . As for the audio options somebody asked about; unfortunately they're just about the same as they are in Vista Sorry.

hmm... my buddy had the first one and I couldn't stand playing the drums because of how awkward it felt compared to my normal set... I think that the upgraded set with the crashes on it will do a lot of justice. Those pads look very bouncy and quiet and it looks like it will feel much more like a normal kit. The backwards compatibility is an awesome idea. Gotta love this company for really listening to everyone's feedback... that's a great quality in an industry that, IMO, is losing it's touch. Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, and Dream Theater? I just might have to hop on this. Also rumored that Hyper Music by Muse is gonna be on there. This is shaping up to be a seriously beastly game.

Wow... devastating. You've got a lot to live for, man, you gotta put whatever strength you've got into your recovery. Like DJP, I don't pray, but I can encourage a good recovery and a positive outcome. Hope you come out of this so you can continue to grace everyone here with your presence and your art. Best of luck to you, Jordan, hope you get better.

hmm, they could also be winning because they are absolutely amazing... good music gets good credit... the fact that they do constantly win because of their fanbase is a testament to that. Yes it is partially a popularity contest, but in this day and age, popularity has become a part of music. Grats to Zircon and SGX though... absolutely love your guys' work. Looking forward to your next songs.

I know the God mode code for Turok 2 was "bewareoblivionisathand" which is actually "Beware Oblivion is at hand". I don't remember the original Turok one though =(

I agree with everything he said except the Rage Against the Machine part. Putting my musical preference aside, I think he was spot on. I have played games since I was 3 years old and I got my SNES with Mariokart and 2 controllers when I was 5 for Christmas. I grew up playing NES, SNES, and Genesis and even Playstation, Saturn, and N64. I have yet to see a game within the last 5 years provide me with as much fun as I had when playing a game like Zombies Ate my Neighbors. The closest thing I got was Resident Evil 4. Anymore , it is sickening to see the amount of corporate bullshit that goes into games nowadays. Just like the movie or the music industry anymore, if it can't sell to a specific audience, the distributor wants nothing to do with it. Creative games are almost non-existent. I hardly even play video games anymore but if I do, they are online games like Gunbound or Ragnarok Online or Team Fortress 2. It makes me sad too because games were such a big part of my life growing up and now it just pains me to even walk into a game store that isn't BRE Software.

I will definitely buy this, I can't wait. Every piece of work you create is amazing and I have no doubt that this will not fail to impress me. I will try and give you as much money as I can to see that you get the reward that you deserve for all of your great music. I sure hope you can land a good recording or distribution deal in your future because you definitely deserve it for having such a unique, electronic, creative, and emotional sound. I am gonna start downloading this ASAP, Keep up the good work, SGX. I hope this album is a great success.

I am a fan of Flyleaf, more mainstream, I know, but it's still pretty sick. More of a...I dunno how to describe it, it has some screaming but I dunno if that's your thing. She isn't exactly the best vocalist, she sounds cracked out half the time, but the music is pretty much in your face, and I dig that.

I got TF2 the day it came out and I have been playing it nonstop with my friends. The game is downright amazing. The ONLY flaw right now is the respawn timer. The game is still very fast paced and is full of devastation, a respawn timer does not work at all for the game and I really hope they will get rid of it in the final version. The only classes I can really complain about being overpowered are scouts and spies but they still have their flaws that make them a little balanced. Regardless, the game is amazing and once you play long enough, Scouts and Spies really aren't a huge problem for you. TFC was the first online game I ever played and I have been waiting for this sequel for years. Naturally, the game did not disappoint, it is a complete breath of fresh air from the graphics right down to the game mechanics and the class based system. I have never played a FPS game with a dedicated healing class that actually gets amazing benefits from healing. The game is really team based now so it makes it very fun. Anyways, back to playing TF2, peace it.

I didn't cry when Aeris died, but I was pretty young when I beat FF7 so maybe I was just stupid or something. The only games I have cried at are Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, and MGS3. Chrono Trigger made me cry because I didn't want the game to be over and the ending song is pure genius and hits you hard. MGS3 makes me cry every time I finish it. I can't help myself no matter how many times I have seen it, I still cry.

Paul Oakenfold - Ready Steady Go

God you are so lucky. I wanted to go so bad. Oh well, I can only assume that they are going to put out a DVD of this show, if not their entire Black Holes and Revolutions tour. They did it for their Absolution tour and the highlight was the Glatsonbury festival. I have watched some interviews with the band concerning this show and it sounds like they spent a lot of time planning their routine and what was gonna go down. From what you say, it sounds like it was an amazing show, as they always are =P.

Considering that the original Reanimation was actually a bunch of songs that fans remixed and Shinoda got a hold of, then I say you should remix some of them, SGX. Your work is amazing and if they wanted to make a Reanimation that had a more electronic sound to it, then you could probably make a pretty sick track =P. Anyways, several listens later, I am still not convinced. The songs just don't get me at all. ProjektZero raises a good point though; at least they can step outside of their boundaries and experiment. Now that they have had this experience then maybe their next album will be something different but still amazing. I, personally, didn't think there was really any track on this album that was extremely unique or immediately caught my attention. I still have hope for them because HT, Reanimation, and Meteora were so good. I just hope their next effort blows me away.

what baffles me is how Shinoda put out Fort Minor's Rising Tied album about a year before this. Rising Tied is an amazing album in every way possible. Every song on that album is sick and I am not even a huge rap fan. He makes rap with meaningful lyrics and very different beats and sounds. With that being said, considering that Shinoda helped to produce Minutes to Midnight, what the hell happened? I am just surprised that he would actually stand for an album that makes little use of his rapping abilities. I can only hope that they make Reanimation 2 and they don't screw it up.

I am a long time Linkin Park fan. Hybrid Theory is one of the best albums I have ever heard and I still listen to it frequently 7 years after it's release. All of their albums have been amazing but this album has put me in the middle of whether I like them or not. I think it is great that they tried to stray away from Nu Metal and attempt a different genre, but they just did not do it right. There are only 3 tracks on the album that I like; Wake, What I've Done, and The Little Things Give You Away. The rest of the album is just not working out for them. I feel like they tried to experiment too much and they got lost along the way. The worst part is that they said they spent the most time on this album and they said it was their best album yet. For some reason, when I first heard the album, I immediately thought Radiohead. Radiohead managed to pull off the calm, electronic sound really well though. I am just reminded of how Radiohead's "The Bends" album was and then how "Kid A" was, almost completely different. The lyrical content is basically the same as the last two albums except with some political spin (Which I don't like). The lack of Shinoda rapping is probably what did this album in. The reason Linkin Park was unique in the first place was because of the perfect balance of Chester and Mike Shinoda and some of the shit Mr. Hahn does. I would say to not buy the album, but "The Little Things Give You Away" is basically worth the money. The song is very different from the entire album itself, which was different from their roots to begin with. The song is more prog rockish and has some very odd chord changes. Very hooky. I dunno, between Tool's newest album and this album, I am beginning to lose faith in the few good bands that are left.

I finally got to play SuperNova when I went to Washington this last weekend. The only thing I didn't like about it was the song selection interface and the backgrounds. I went to play the game expecting a bombshell of complete shit because everybody online says that it is horrible. First off, I thought a lot of the new songs were pretty interesting. Most of the songs by Terra caught my attention and the addition of some of the DrumFreaks songs (DRAGON BLADE) had my blood tingling. The stepcharts didn't let me down either, pretty fluent steps for most of the new songs. The only thing that threw me off was the backgrounds. I had never missed an arrow because of the backgrounds before, but I actually did with SuperNova and that is bad. I don't know what everyone means with the sync issue. I got under 10 greats on every song I played (7-9 step songs). The syncing was perfect, in my opinion. I have played the game for 5 years or so and have 80+ AAA's and I had no problems with the sync of the songs. Overall, SuperNova isn't horrible, but it will always be in the shadow of Extreme. Plain and simple, the songlist on Extreme is just better overall. I wish I had a SuperNova locally so I could pound those new songs until I was sick of them, but I will just wait until SuperNova 2. I would say people are just used to playing ITG and SuperNova's timing is different. All I play is DDR and I had no problems with the sync. From personal experience, I believe ITG and DDR have different sync's and when you switch in between the two you will not do as well because you have to adjust to the timing. I dunno, SuperNova isn't THAT terrible, but it isn't as good as Extreme either =P

This is my Bemani experience, for whatever it's worth. I have played DDR on and off since August of 2001. I got back into it pretty hardcore in the past few months and have gotten a significant amount of AAA's (somewhere around 70) on the extreme set list. I never pick my songs, I let Random pick them for me. The reason I don't like picking my songs is because I would probably whore out certain songs and I would lose my ability at playing the game. It then becomes a complete game of memorization (even though the game eventually becomes a balance of memory and reflexes in the long run). I was at the top of my game when ITG came out. I was on a DDR team that went around California and attended tournaments and, often, won them. It was a good time and I met a lot of cool people. Unfortunately, ITG ruined the DDR scene completely. When ITG came out, there was a split in the population. Some people wanted to play DDR, others thought ITG was the new shit. I, personally, hate ITG and would play DDR over ITG anyday. Once ITG 2 came out, I just got irritated with the scene and quit for about a year. Now I am back, of course, and enjoying myself, but I am not nearly as up to date with the scene anymore nor do I play as much as I used to. These days, a tournament can't even be held if ITG is not involved. People will not come to a DDR tournament if there is not an ITG tournament along with it. I think it is really sad that people have gained this very sinister view of DDR since ITG came out. All I hear is "DDR is too easy", "ITG has tighter songs", "ITG's songs are longer", etc. I would go into why I hate ITG, but I will spare the readers the time, seeing as I have already taken far too much of it =P. I hope that SuperNOVA 2 will bring back DDR. I am really tired of people thinking they are better than everybody just because they can beat a 12 step song. I feel that DDR is more about being precise rather then using your stamina to pass an insanely difficult song. One thing that ITG and DDR both have in common: they are a great workout =P. I didn't gain a pound for 2 years when I was huge into DDR and I ate at least 2 meals a day and snacks. Of course, when I quit for a year, I gained, like 20 pounds, but I am working it off now with DDR and drumming (drum mania and actual drums =P). Dance simulators are good, I encourage everybody to play them. Bring back the dance scene! If anybody is interested in seeing my scores, then check out this site. http://ddr.ddrecall.com/user.php?mode=viewprofile&user=4620

Just saw them in San Fran on Monday the 9th. I had been longing to see them live for a while but they don't have much of an American audience so they usually don't hit up America extensively. The show was fucking amazing, the crowd was so intense that they played a 30 minute encore with all of their in your face, moshing songs like Stockholm Syndrome, Knights of Cydonia, and the like. Love that band so much and they constantly remind me of why I pursue a career in music. They are hands down one of the best live bands ever.

aww, no triple extra large =( Guess I will go with a double x.

well if i could give him something to drink then i would have! All he was interested in was showing me his fiery balls.

i would have to say just about every boss on Ikaruga. One in specific would be the final boss and the boss of the 4th level. Another really hard boss would have to be Dracula from the original Castlevania on the NES. Man he was insane. another one was Mike Tyson on Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, tough stuff, but after memorizing the code to access his stage, then you kind of figure it all out hehe. Another one was the blob guy in the very original Mega Man on the NES. without sliding and all your fancy moves, it becomes increasingly difficult.