Fan Rambler

No plan survives contact with...

2006-11-30T14:09:20Z

The good thing about December? I really am planning to do something different. Tonight, I'll learn more about what I can put on MyS. And if that won't work, I'll just look elsewhere.

The bad thing about this weekend? I'm not only sure what I want to do, but whether I'll be able to get outside in bad weather.

This will be my last post for at least a while.

The problem of form

2006-11-29T14:07:54Z

Has anyone else attempted "blog in the form of a game" before? I have no idea. But here's two ways to approach this idea:

1. Small (think Wario Ware) style games every week or two, to pass as content.

2. A game that slowly grows over time.

The good news is that I've got one working piece of my December project. So before Friday I'll see if my MyS account is still active. Then on Friday I'll try to upload it.

December whispers and TRAGICAL

2006-11-28T14:03:31Z

I have been thinking about what to do to make December different. And I think I have an answer: don't just confine the development of my homebrew gift!game to a few hours here and there. Instead, focus on it. Write about my ideas online. Or make blogs in the forms of brief demos.

Is there a downside to this? Yeah... I might end up talking my game to death. On the other hand, it's better than complaining.

I've got all kinds of time

2006-11-27T14:11:31Z

Of course I'm not putting together my gift game at the last second. Any rumors that I'm doing so are of course wrong. So when I, um, get back to it, I'll definitely consider writing about it online.

And any online shopping will wait until December 1st. Credit card issues and all.

Gettin' all retro again

2006-11-24T14:04:25Z

And now a post about a not-so-great game from eight years ago.

I gave Suikoden 2 a third chance yesterday. My first attempt to get into the game lasted maybe seven or eight hours. My second attempt was about one hour. So after all this time, I'm finally at the eleven hour mark... and the continuous destruction/running away theme might *just now* be ending. Maybe.

A lot of people know how angsterrific FF8 was, but not so many people know that this game compares. Massacres, tearful reunions, silent suffering, betrayals... It's all here. And it's overwhelming.

The most obvious thing about Suikoden 2 is that it's almost a copy of the first game. Sort of a rehash/remake/reunion tour... especially because many characters from game #1 show up, unchanged.

So is the game starting to improve? Well, it's still linear, but at least at the 11 hour mark there is a castle, and that means custom parties are possible. Time to improve mediocre characters, should they end up being important.

Definitely not walking in Memphis

2006-11-24T13:53:28Z

What happened to my Wednesday update? It got shuffled off in the middle of my attempts to learn about elusive merchandising. And I was really lazy on Thursday.

Well. Being in central/near south/near west Austin is a lot like Oak Park combined with Chicago's own Clark and Belmont. The upper class artists, the aging hippies, the punks... it's pretty similar.

I can be really superficial. It's easy for me to think "get a life, geek" to someone I don't know. But I know that straw man arguments haven't done me any good. So I try to be equal: when I got tired of the liberal nerds around Austin, I tried to remind myself of the conservative nerds near home.

So that being said, my next question is "How will I use time this weekend so that it doesn't seem like the same old semi-interesting drudgery?" Following that question is "Isn't it time to make some plans for December?" The answers to both are pretty vague right now. So I will do my best to set aside time for thinking. That way, I won't waste time or rush into anything foolish.

Keep Austin "...Whatever"

2006-11-21T14:02:56Z

I didn't accomplish everything I'd hoped to accomplish last night. There's always Wedn.

That said... There aren't a lot of really interesting places or attractions in Austin. So what does it offer?

1. The state capital, which I looked at briefly
2. A huge university just north of that, which I walked around briefly
3. A huge football stadium on said university, which brings in absurd numbers of visitors, and that's why I went on an off-week
4. Lots of bars/dance clubs/theaters (didn't go into even one)
5. A wildflower center, which was out of season and probably at least a mile from any bus (didn't go)
6. A small and totally undistinguished hockey arena north of town, in totally undistinguished suburbia, probably not anywhere near any bus (I went... though I'm not sure it was worth it)
7. A variety of really good restaurants within city limits (I went to many of them)

Tomorrow: "Teenage politics, so confusing."

Where do we go from here

2006-11-20T13:59:07Z

Why yes, my vacation ended almost a week ago. Am I ready for real life? Well...

This will be an abbreviated week, but I'm gonna create four posts. And in the time I have tonight, I'm going to be thinking about things such as 1) Photobucket for con/vacation photos, 2) what I want to do besides work on this small Livejournal blog, and 3) other important things.

First thoughts about Austin:

1. Bus service in downtown is free and efficient.
2. Bus service in general is cheap.
3. Bus service one block outside of downtown is really slow. 30, 40, 50 minute waits? Yeah.
4. And don't get me started on the locations of bus stops. Many of them make sense. But there are others right next to trailer parks, abandoned storefronts, and (worst of all) half-destroyed motels that look like abandoned horror movie sets.
5. Not all bus stops have benches.
6. In fact, the three benches near Whole Foods are misleading. The actual bus stop is one block north, and lacks any bench.
7. Buses go a lot of locations, but not some of the places just outside of the city limits.
8. In short, I was semi-impressed. And I wished I had a car for at least one day.

Tomorrow: other thoughts.

Internet deprivation... good?

2006-11-08T13:30:51Z

I really have enjoyed previous internet-free vacations. Of course, there's always the matter of catching up...

This evening's challenge: pack before I get so tired that I collapse.

Five years later, I can say "I don't have to hope it's good any longer"

2006-11-07T13:48:14Z

First, good news: I now know that there is a relatively convenient bus from my hotel to downtown Austin.

And now back to semi-nostalgic trivia. It was about five years ago when I walked from college to Target, purchased Dragon Warrior 7, and walked back, hoping to enjoy the game. My expectations then were pretty high. I kept hoping that DW7 would be really good. Fortunately, my expectations have changed. I no longer have to keep putting hoping in the game. Instead, I can see the game as it is: thoroughly flawed, yet not totally lacking good ideas.

Since I hadn't seen the first few hours of the game in so long, I had forgotten a few things. Starting with the first appearances of translation errors. Just fifteen minutes in, there's the first instance of a question that was apparently reworded incorrectly, because it appears as a statement. The first three hours have a few instances of bad dialogue (overuse of "tome" and "fane"), but it doesn't get surreal until the party arrives near Rexwood. Meribel has a line about slimes that's way too bizarre. Over-written dialogue keeps appearing here and there, mostly during significant events - such as the remark about how Matilda seems heartless. See http://zanyvgquotes.com for examples.

Next: The Day Before The Night Before.

Days of infamy... or maybe apathy

2006-11-06T13:52:50Z

It was a lazy weekend. My post about it will go online tomorrow.

At most, three days left to figure out all my remaining vacation-related questions. There is hope - I think I've found some bus routes from my hotel to downtown Austin. Will call about this later...

Goodbye stranger, it's been nice, sort of

2006-11-03T13:52:51Z

I don't go to the Anime on DVD forums much anymore. For a few years, the constant nitpicking and ranting didn't bother me too much. But I'm just about done with it. So it was a coincidence that I found this fun thread: http://forums.animeondvd.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1369107&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=all&vc=1

I was awfully lazy last night. Wasting time online wasn't a good decision. So no matter what I decide to do this evening, it won't involve Teh Intarweb.

As for Blogger... I might give it a try. But not until Saturday.

I fall on the thorns of LJ! I bleed!

2006-11-02T13:57:36Z

Just one week left before my vacation begins. Am I prepared? Mostly. I just need to answer a few more questions.

More thoughts later.

FigureOutWhatsNextMo

2006-11-01T13:42:32Z

It took until November, but at last there is solid Virtual Console news: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3154811

On to other things, like my November objective: create a website that...

1) will have graphics besides terrible clipart, even though I have no ability to create images.

2) will have a lot of my own content. It shouldn't be compromised by ads that aren't relevant, or that go on strange tangents.

3) will encourage me to at least look at other people's feedback, rather than causing me to wonder "What will people think? Will they be severely critical?" (I -know- that sort of thinking is irrational, but my inner critic constantly tries to convince me that it can and will happen.)

In order to see if I can find anything that meets these objectives, I will start by looking at Blogger. After that, who knows.

Suikoden 5 (again): Even the losers...

2006-10-30T13:51:09Z

Stupid analogy: Suikoden 5 is like a struggling baseball team that gets all the way to the World Series. Does it win despite being at a huge disadvantage, or does it lose embarrassingly? I don't know that part yet.

The good news: the game is now going along at an even pace. The slow first eight hours are now long over.

And yet the game isn't out of tricks yet. The main character's allegiances have shifted again, so he's no longer in a comfortable setting. I like the idea, even if it's strangely linear. (This should've been a legit choice, rather than "if you don't stand up for your beliefs, it's a Bad End.")

At last, the party is finally finding ways to address the problems that were clearly detailed in the opening scenes. It's a "Huck Finn" sort of plan that involves recruiting the beaver tribe and excavating a ruin, all in order to destroy the Hatred Fortress... eventually. (Or, as I like to call it, the "Hate Sin Blood Death Plague Fortress, which is not overcompensating.") About as elaborate as that Godwin plot earlier in the game.

By the way, there's some other big-name PS2 RPG that will be available tomorrow. I forget its name though. However, I have noted that it's getting an awful lot of good reviews. Could this be another example of a manufactured hit: a game so high-budget that it can't possibly fail? After all, that trend has existed for years...

Favorite spell: Summon beer

2006-10-26T12:54:36Z

I reminded myself to ask about site development, then forgot again. Well, now I've written down my main questions so I can ask them this afternoon.

Well. The first Summon Night game on GBA had a simple premise: explore this maze, win that tournament. It had a nice short intro, and it didn't aspire to be the next Xeno-whatever. On the other hand, it confined the player to lots of interior environments and a seriously grungy city.

So one of the good/bad things about Summon Night 2 is that it tries for a slightly more complicated story. It isn't anything unusual either, since there's a lot of stuff involving sealing up the giant evil thing that was almost released (it's all been done before). The hero almost gets blamed for this, but then the game wisely sidesteps the old "OH NOEZ" angst.

The gameplay is much the same, but I was so glad to see that a lot of it happens outside. There was a time when I was okay with games about trudging through devastated landscapes and then ruins and then... Now I'm ecstatic to have the virtual version of "get out of the house."

Always something there to remind me

2006-10-25T13:03:28Z

Yesterday I said that I'd do research and ask for help on how to develop a really good page. So now I'm reminding myself again. If I don't do that soon, it won't get done.

I used much of the morning playing Summon Night 2 (GBA). It's better than #1 in some ways, but in other ways... well. I'll talk about it tomorrow.

Talkin' bout Twilight... if only in a tangent

2006-10-24T12:57:01Z

Why did it take until Tuesday to post this? I was nervous most of Monday - waiting for announcements about what will happen tomorrow. Felt vaguely sick probably because of that. At least by 5 PM I knew what would happen.

Well. Last week, I talked about how to avoid wasting time. So what did I do this weekend -in between- checking off things on my "to do" list? A couple hours of waste-of-time web surfing, and then watching new AMVs (the best of which was Hello Fairy). I'm learning... slowly.

I'm taking a four week class on "Where do I go from here?" One of the recommended books was The Artist's Way. So I borrowed The Artist's Way at Work (since that one was at the library). Remarkable, really. A rare book that really talks about the inner conversations people have. And a book that may help me address problems such as "Why am I so scared to respond to LJ comments?"

Now that tonight's plans have been reduced to mundane errands, what else will I do this evening? I think this is a good evening for asking that long-delayed question: what tools should I use to create a content-filled yet attractive site?

There's about a week until November, and that should be an interesting month. I have one last thing to do before I can know that my mid-month vacation will work out. Once that's done, I can worry about lesser things. Such as the - um, "twilight" game for a certain system. It's been in the works for at least two years. Those expectation levels are sky high. Not quite "Phantom Menace" high, but this might be the setup for another major letdown. Or a spinoff: Zelda podracing.

As if I were opening up a panel at ACEN or Gencon...

2006-10-20T12:55:49Z

Welcome to "Stop the Infighting." I'll start off with a brief speech, then open up the room for discussion. Just make sure you don't shout over each other, or try to interrupt too much... it would make this panel kind of ironic.

On an average weekday, I spend fifteen or thirty minutes checking on my favorite fan sites and forums. As any other internet follower knows, that isn't very much time. Yet even in that small amount of time, I constantly run into fan infighting. Newbie bashing. Elitists using their knowledge and authority to dominate and put down others. Requests for help that get ignored or mocked. Claims such as "My hobby is superior to yours" as well as "Your genre doesn't compare to mine." Seeing this day after day is not fun at all. That's why I wrote this, and that's why I decided to create this panel. Because even if other people don't especially care about how fans treat each other, I know I do.

Place #1 where we really all need to stop the infighting: Young fans, experienced fans, and everyone in between. Where do I begin? Well, here's one place to start:

1a) As far as I'm concerned, it should be the duty of older, experienced fans to educate younger, less experienced fans. This is not to say that older fans have to do this as some sort of solemn task 24/7 in efforts to reach everyone. They should be allowed to get tired. They shouldn't have to worry that a few people are slipping out of their reach. Why do I add this disclaimer? Well...

1b) Experienced fans need rest in order to remain friendly. If they feel that they're constantly struggling against a tide of ignorance, or if they feel tired from constantly doling out nuggets of wisdom to newbies, then their words will start to sound bitter. Think "Comic Book Guy." I've witnessed individuals on websites and forums who talk as if they had the same sort of detached, ironic superiority... likely brought on by feeling weary. In short, experienced fans should do their best to avoid coming across as unsympathetic judges or as prophets of doom.

I once ran across a site on which a respected, well-educated fan criticized not only the English dub of a famous 100+ episode anime series, but also the young, inexperienced fans of that series. Did I take offense at the person's comments on the dub? No. After all, I was something of an elitist when it came to that series. I'd read a good amount of the translated manga, and I'd seen some fansubs of early episodes. (Of course, I wouldn't be able to compare if confronted with the more fanatical sort of fan who had watched/read the series without any translation...) But what bothered me was the way this experienced fan seemed to look down on, and possibly even mock younger, less knowedgable fans. The person seemed to be taking cheap shots at other people for not knowing enough about the series, or not having done enough research. Did the rant writer tell young fans how they could learn more? Or where to find the best resources and learn more? Or why they should routinely do research? Unless it was hidden somewhere, I don't think any of those issues were addressed.

1c) And as for young and new fans, I want to commend you! You are our future. Right now, you may still be naive. Don't feel ashamed.

Perhaps you have a lot to learn, and you know it. Perhaps you have a lot to learn... though you are unaware of this. So go forth and educate yourselves! Consider the words of people who came before you. Check your sources. Avoid hearsay and rants until you can verify whether the person's statements have any basis in reality. Do the same "reality check" with your own feelings and prejudices.

I long to reach out to inexperienced fans who have many questions. I try to help other people learn more, and try to encourage them to educate themselves. But I'm not perfect. I can't reach everyone. My messages get garbled. So that is why I hope that young and less experienced fans will learn how to find reliable sources and do research, rather than give up when confronted with questions. And I certainly hope they won't give up when some proud elitist chooses to act condescending.

One more note to young fans: if you choose to argue with others, do so carefully. If at all possible, write out what you want to say before you post it. Find other people's statements in order to back yours up. Then cite your sources.

1d) For those who do not feel as if they are experienced, but at the same time do not feel like newbies any longer... take heart. You may not be able to recite well-researched statements, but you have learned a lot about your favorite series. Do not look down on those who don't know very much. You probably remember when you were naive or confused. Sympathize with them. Help them out.

Place #2 where we really all need to stop the infighting: genre bashing. You know how ridiculous it sounds when people say things like "Superman would totally beat Batman in a fair fight" or "Star Trek is way better than Star Wars"? Yeah. You get the picture.

I've seen genre bashing in two forms. First is the so-called newbie-ish variety: statements such as "I refuse to believe that genre exists" or "what would sane people find appealing in it" or "everything has to be as awful as [insert name of subpar example here]." Second is the so-called snobbish variety: statements such as "Your genre is superficial" or "Mine is much more intelligent."

I acknowledge that it's easy for me to take that second approach. I say this because I like trying to be intelligent, and I don't want to be seen as a shallow fanboy. It's true for me even though I like genres which are obscure, and genres which only a few people respect. Others think they are TEH SUXORZ because they don't know what could possibly be good about them, and because the best examples are either really obscure or not translated at all. So at least for me, letting people know that my supposedly shallow favorites are not all that bad is a sort of mission for me.

Let me address a few specifics. First, it's easy for me to dismiss modern shonen series as "the dramatized version of kids fighting on the playground." And yet I like shonen. I can and will talk about the good aspects of series, even ones that other people dislike. So learn from my example: don't write it all off.

Second, it's equally easy for me to dismiss modern shojo series as the professional equivalent of "a new, mysterious girl falls in love! But there are dramatic complications!" (If you follow fan fiction, you will have seen this plot many times.) I may not adore shojo, but I respect it a lot. I look at series, try to find what's good about them, and try to think about why other people might like them. So learn from my example: try to figure out other individuals' points of view.

Place #3 where we really all need to stop the infighting: series bashing. Don't like a writer or a director? Don't like specific games, movies or series? Don't like a sequel, or perhaps a spinoff? For all of these, it's easy to find people who will agree with you. But always keep in mind that there will be people who will disagree with you. People will like your least favorite writer/director/whatever, even if you're absolutely convinced that person is hopelessly pretentious or shallow. People will like your least favorite game, movie, or series, even if you're absolutely convinced that it's the worst one in its category. Finally, people will like things such as sequels and spinoffs, even if you're absolutely convinced that they ruined the original work.

Place #4 where we really all need to stop the infighting: gamers versus anime fans, and so on. I have this feeling that a lot of serious gamers think that anime fans are total perverts who wouldn't know the value of a good game engine if it hit them in the face. Likewise, I have this feeling that a lot of serious anime fans think that gamers are superficial people who can't tell the difference between a good story and a bad one. The fact that adaptations tend to be really awful doesn't help. After all, when it comes to modern, mainstream games that get turned into anime or manga, there are few I would recommend. And when it comes to anime and manga that get turned into games, few of them are commendable.

So how can this conflict be resolved? I think that a good place to start might be to take the time to do research and find good examples of things you don't understand. Especially if you have always believed that the people who like "that other thing" are deluded, foolish, and so on. And when you do your research and find a good example, take time before you condemn it. Try to find something worthwhile about it.

This also applies to people who like the dreaded C-word: cartoons. And people who like so-called imitation anime and manga. And gamers who like games which clearly have no connection to Japanese culture. And people who like all sort of comic books. And so on. You may have already made up your mind about these people. Maybe you think they are immature. Or maybe you fall into one of those categories, and you look down on people who don't like your favorites. No matter what, please try to sympathize with other people. Give them a chance, or two, or three. Stop insisting that you are right, and they will begin to respect you. Then you might start to really talk to each other, and maybe even agree.

Again, this is a rough draft, and I haven't addressed some topics...

FF Fever: coming soon, three in a week

2006-10-19T12:52:46Z

This post isn't exactly finished, but it should be enough for now.

"You darn kids are so spoiled," says my inner old-school RPG fan, "back in my day we waited at least two years for the next FF game!" I could go on and on like that, but you've heard it all before. Besides, that side of me is hypocritical. It conveniently forgets the late 1991 blitz of FF4, Seiken Densetsu, and Saga 2 (though all were under Witness Protection aliases).

Somewhere between Oct 31 and Nov 5, there will be the following releases:

-FF12 (and a SPESHUL edition)
-FF5 on GBA
-FF3 on DS

It's easiest - for me, at least - to make fun of FF12. It will be the last one in the PS2 era... an era which I've found unappealing. It combines aspects of FF Tactics (didn't get into it at all) and FF11 (ditto). It's a high budget game, and even if looks less spiffy than today's latest and greatest games, it still looks like style over substance.

Things which could possibly go right in FF12:
-Good AI, so that the party makes decent use of its abilities
-Not every monster will attack the party

Things which could go wrong:
-If the AI is more like FF Legend 3 or DQ4 (which frequently wasted valuable items and MP)
-If the AI is more like Breath of Fire (never heals, just fights)

The systems were barely supported, and the games, well...

2006-10-18T12:47:48Z

It's a good day to cut down on ellipses.

Today's topic: neglected consoles and their good games.

Game Gear, PSP... there are key differences between the two. But it really does seem like they're awfully similar: systems with TEH TECH EDGE and some good software, but never quite enough good software.

I mention this because Ax Battler was one of the six or seven GG games that I had. There were of course "cool" GG games, but those were the ones I ignored. Instead, I paid attention to Defenders of Oasis and Shining Force Sword of Hadja. Those two games certainly made FF Legend 2 look like TEH UNKEWL 1, and their gameplay certainly was competitive. But they didn't reach the heights of Zelda Awakening.

So what about the GG's hardware counterpart, the Sega Master System? Well, there weren't a lot of memorable games on it. Like Dragon Quest 1 and Final Fantasy 1, that first Phantasy Star game was interesting, but in the light of later games, it looks more like a rough draft. A very difficult rough draft. Did you think DQ1 was a tedious, trying experience? Did you think FF1 demanded a lot of patience? If so, then Phantasy Star 1 will drive you crazy.

It really has been a year since I said to myself, "Now that I have a used, working Sega Saturn, why don't I give a few of its exclusive games a chance?" And so, while on my Montreal trip, I managed to find a dealer who had Shining Wisdom and Rayearth. The former was the sort of game that didn't look so good even compared to Suikoden 1 and Persona. It had running controls that were apparently designed by a sadist. The former was a forgettable licensed game, which, due to odd circumstances, was the last Saturn game this side of Japan. It was cinema and storytelling occasionally interrupted by some average action RPG gameplay. (Then again, I'm not the sort of gamer who looks down on long story sequences.)

How long have I had Vay for Sega CD? I don't even remember. I think it should be added to my "games worth at least a try, even all these years later" list.

Any non-Sega systems that were neglected, and yet I gave them a chance... Well, I could never keep my TG16s and my (Turbo)Duos straight, so I all but ignored that lineup. So when I finally tried Neutopia many years later, I said "average knockoff." But average is better than terrible.

...time is ticking away, yo...

2006-10-17T12:45:46Z

Dear Myself in the Future:

1. Needless worrying about the past/future is useless. Right now I'm all concerned with meetings days from now, as well as errors I made in the not-so-distant past. The old me wants to believe that worry will make me stronger, but I know it's wrong. The present me wants to make a decision, but it is confused. The future me will know that all this fretting will lead nowhere fast.

2. Life is too short to be wasted on trivia. Especially the sort of trivia that is mediocre or been-there-done-that or something similar. Examples:

-reading the same books, magazines, and so on again and again
-replaying games, especially when there's almost nothing left to discover
-talking about good/bad aspects of games that are now irrelevant (such as Zelda 2)
-watching ~~Dirty Dancing~~ AMV Hell 3 for the twentieth time
-purchasing indie/arthouse stuff and never really using it
-and then talking about how good my tastes are
-badfic, especially when it's boring
-bashing fanbrats
-walking around in bad shoes
-committees where I can barely contribute
-overcommitment
-my tendency to have a "woe is me" attitude
-unjustified fear and pride

In short, I just wanna know if I'm accomplishing something significant.

...counting out (almost ten hours of) time...

2006-10-16T12:36:10Z

Overall, I thought The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was a letdown. There were some rather accessible songs, but a lot of them droned on. More like an experiment than an album. Soon, I'll give it one more chance.

Fortunately, Suikoden 5 isn't much like it. But almost ten hours into the game, it has the following problems:

1) Most of the first eight hours was talk, talk, talk. Over two hours passed between the prologue and the sewer sequence. The main characters didn't see the world outside a town until almost the end of the Sacred Games. After that, there was a lengthy section in which the party saw three nearby towns: slightly more action, but still quite slow. Only after the engagement party does something significant happen. I was so surprised that the pace finally picked up.

Getting through Suikoden 1 in 25 hours is realistic. In fact, there's plenty of combat within the first fifteen minutes. Major plot twists happen in the first two hours. I think And yet it doesn't seem like a short game.

How long were games 2 and 3? I tried #2, but it was so morose... And Suikoden 3 didn't leave much of an impression. It was like a high budget version of Atelier Iris 2 in the sense that it had really good towns and mazes, but a really cheap world map. Anyway...

2) From the trip to Stormfist up through the engagement ceremony, there's all these weird things going on. They add up to clues that one of the noble families is planning to win the Games and thus marry the princess. But the plot they use to do this is odd. It doesn't make sense. Part of it apparently involves a false accusation of a gladiator through hiring two spies, and then having another gladiator hear about their alleged plans, then there's the part about investigating false walls... Basically, that guy was used like a pawn.

Stranger still is the way the next-to-last opponent is eliminated. First it seems that thugs want him to give up or die. Then the same thugs kidnap the girl who likes him, so it no longer seems they're just random people. The third part of the plan was giving the girl an item that would make the gladiator drowsy, so that he wouldn't win and marry someone else. (This is the only part of the plan which is 100% confirmed.) She was motivated to do this, so she was used as a willing pawn.

3) After the whirlwind of events around hour #8, two characters are definitely dead. (There's the very likely possiblity that it was a ritual suicide, but the villains are saying it was murder.) Most of the characters not in the party are accounted for, thanks to cutscenes... except for one. He ran to another part of the castle in the middle of the chaos, and it's not clear if he is dead or alive.

4) Several high ranking people seemed almost willing to fight Lym and Miakis. What was their motivation? Divided loyalties? Or did they want to avoid early death?

5) There almost was a gratuitous bath scene, but it was way off camera.

6) A recurring - distracting, really - theme of 'family.' Lyon is said to be like a sister to the hero. Later we learn that she was all but adopted by the hero's father. But do we need to meet the hero's aunt's aunt? And then have her tell us about the conflict from a generation ago? Right after that conversation, there's an option for Lym to "sleep with" her brother. OH NOEZ.

7) Worse yet, even though there was a major Moment between Lym and Miakis, apparently nothing happened.

8) So much equipment, so many ways to improve the characters. Almost none of it is relevant until hour #8.

9) Trying to remember names of people/places/things. For now, the "art town" stands out, but I might just forget it soon.

10) Minutes after giving Zegai good equipment, the character left the party.

On the other hand, there really are quite a few good aspects to this game. Starting with Sialeeds, who has lots of good lines. I think one of them was along the lines of "I can never think when I'm sober."

In conclusion, this game was so slow that I almost gave up. Even though I like this game, I have to admit that it continues to have major flaws... just like The Lamb. Or just like EVO, which was much more difficult than I remembered.

I left off right before the first army battle. Back in Suikoden 1, those were interesting diversions, though the only way to correct a mistake was to reset. So the question is... will the major battles in #5 be a headache, especially if it's necessary to sit through a lot of "stuff" before the battle?

Tomorrow: making good use of time. The post is already written.

...and none of us are getting any younger...

2006-10-13T12:46:21Z

The above quote is from "Down and Out," a song that makes noise but never seems all that interesting. There aren't any other notable lyrics.

Does that have any connection to old, neither-great-nor-bad games? Yes. For example, some Game Gear fans might recall a game called Ax Battler. It was sort of like Actraiser without the town-building (in other words, just like Actraiser 2). It was the sort of action game in which the hero moved and attacked at a deliberate pace. Too slow, in fact, to fight many enemies without getting hurt. The game was a challenge, but not exactly fun.

Weakest aspect of Ax Battler? Random encounters on the map. In Zelda 2, these could be challenging, but they were not all that annoying. In Ax Battler, there are two possible outcomes: 1) kill the enemy or 2) take one hit and go back to the map.

In other words, this game barely qualifies as nostalgia. It's old, clearly flawed, and just plain frustrating. It's a lot like "Down and Out," except it lasts much longer than five minutes (unless you have a short attention span - and then you'll give up).

...in praise of fanbrattish attitudes...

2006-10-12T12:59:24Z

You know what? Just over two weeks before November. Time to make some real plans (unless this mostly-improvised October).

Why did I write this offbeat journal entry? Because when it comes to the mostly forgotten NES action-RPG Battle of Olympus, I'm currently a fanbrat. Last night I tried it for the first time, and I was surprised to find that it was a cute side scrolling adventure... a more cohesive version of Zelda 2.

If there is anything good or lovely about a "fanbrat" state of mind... well, I don't think on those things too often. Still, it couldn't hurt.

Good thing #1: saying exactly what's on your mind. The true fanbrat (or at least the "true" one that exists in my imagination) is honest. There is no doubt in the person's heart. The disadvantage of this is generally the way the person insists on being straightforward, something like "I'm right and I know it."

Good thing #2: innocence. The fanbrat doesn't take much if any time to do research. He/she may learn a few things from peers, and a few other things from hearsay. Generally, this is a bad things. However, it also ensures that the fanbrat will be relatively naive and innocent. On good days, the person will be genuinely surprised to learn new things. Likewise, when things are going well, the fanbrat may be more open to new ideas than any grumpy veteran might be.

Good thing #3: exuberance. Fanbrats get excited to discover new series. They don't shrug off new discoveries as just one more entry in a crowded genre. Their enthusiasm is admirable.

Oh sure, there's a down side: perhaps the person foolishly assumed that the original material had never been translated (unlikely), or if it was originally in English, that the original material was dense and inaccessible (so much that it might as well be a foreign language?).

Friday's topic: who knows? I'll figure it out later. Remember, my October thus far has been weird and random.