Do you think it would sell as well if it was an African, Indian or other ethnic character? We all know Barret was the first African to star in a Final Fantasy game, but his ebonics detracted from the game in my opinion.
I think that after FF12 Square will really have to change something drastically or become stale and predictable. I'm also getting tired of the Spikey Haired boy falls in love with Beautiful Girl Mage who is destined to die tragically, because it's her "fate".
I mean it's still enjoyable and I love the series (and always have) but it needs a serious kick in the pants, something a bit more edgy and less melodramatic?
I'm not complaining about Japan per se, I'm just as sick of seeing the typical "Conan" type in American games as well, I just want to see game designers challenged to avoid cookie cutter heroes. And they are slowly coming to this point.
I consider myself pretty well versed in Japanese culture. I live in Vancouver which has a huge number of Japanese people, I watch lots of Anime and Japanese movies, play imports, etc so I realize that they like pretty men. On a side note I watched the Friends last night which had Joey in a Japanese commercial wearing lipstick for men.. damn hilarious!
I want to see a fat, middle aged, balding car salesman as the star of a game - sweat stains and all. Or a pregnant housewife. Or an Indian protaganist. Even a homosexual male. I don't care as long as the designers get a kick in the shorts and try not to fall into the generic trap.
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the Final Fantasy heroes to be made from a generic template? While I do appreciate the costume design creativity, the actual characters themselves seem to fit in the "so cute I just want to punch them" mold. And yes, the males are so de-sexed there's not much difference from the female counter-parts. Take for instance Square's upcoming FFVII CGI - Sephiroth wasn't supposed to look like a deranged female supermodel. I realize that we are a deeply vain culture and if something looks prettier we're more inclined to lay down our cash, so from a marketing perspective it does make sense to have uber-hot people as the protaganists.
I'm not the biggest Final Fantasy fan although I loved VII to death I've become less and less excited about the series, I seriously just looked at those pictures and went "meh".
Cool Game Character Design 101:
1. White Hair is all the rage these days.
2. Definitive scar over the eye.
3. Big Hair is Better.
4. Women's cleavage makes sense no matter what situation.
5. Only those with ~6% body fat need apply.
6. Sketch a woman, remove the breasts and makeup = instant male hero.
I have gone back and completed this game several times, it is truly one of the best DC games I have experienced. Hard, yes.. but an action packed and warped Anime journey..
1) Cannot function properly and suffer withdrawal symptoms when not using product/substance.
2) Lying and stealing, being in a constant state of denial.
3) Friend and family noticing and mentioning behavioral changes and patterns.
4) Calling in sick frequently at work, getting warned and written up.
5) Becoming angry when confronted by someone else about your problem.
From my views if you have an addictive personality you have to work harder to battle any addiction, whether it's related to food, media, drugs, alcohol, car tuning, you name it. Addiction is a bed-fellow with obsessive compulsive disorders, and yes it can be classified as a medical condition.
For me personally, a good portion of my life revolves around the gaming industry. Every day I scour the net for the latest gaming news piece, subscribe to multiple gaming mags, frequent trips to EB and Pawn Shops for used gems, and of course actual gaming. I also realize other things that are even more important and can put my overly-enthusiastic hobby on the back burner to enjoy time with my girlfriend, friends, trips, etc. Would I change my #1 hobby that's been a part of my lifestyle for so many years? Not bloody likely. No matter how many snide comments I get about "Oh you play VIDEO games?" I carry on with my passionate viewpoint.
One thing that disturbs me is the public viewpoint on what is "ok" to be addicted to. Take professional sports, the kid who has a basketball in his hand everywhere he goes, has all his sports heroes on the wall, literally eats, breathes and sleeps basketball - is this child addicted? No, because it's SPORTS. How can this double standard exist? No parent will yell at their child if they spend all day and night at the basketball court - because hey, they're getting fresh air aren't they?:)
Anyway, these are my rants - and it always comes back to the old viewpoint on how everything is ok as long as it's not in complete excess.
I'm looking at buying a used SCPH-390001 this weekend. Is there a comparison about which models are more problematic, do you think it's a big enough problem to just wait to pick up a new model? (I know the new models have the quieter fan and better DVD player, but I already have an Xbox and won't use the DVD function)
I completely agree, I'm pissed as hell that Final Fantasy 10, Fatal Frame 2, Silent Hill 3 and numerous others aren't for the Xbox, my solution? I've decided to buy a PS2 after a few years of holding it off. Am I mad, not really - I've accepted the nature of the game, and instead of bitching and whining about it and not playing the games I want, I purchase the hardware for a small fee. Voila. Instant fun! And seriously, a $~200 console is not much compared to the fuckload of money I just spent upgrading my PC to run games "decently".
The innovation and quality titles out there don't make me wish for better things, yet. I think another 1-2 years and I'll be begging for new hardware but I'm loving every second of the current gen gaming.
Keep looking to the future and you'll never enjoy the present
Given the apparent immense popularity of this game, why hasn't it received more publicity? It's amazing that with all the time and effort I've put into years of following the gaming industry that I haven't heard more of this phenomenon (other than casually noticing them as a regular staple in the bars)
Every pub here practically has Golden Tee as well as Area 51 (yes that is odd) - after reading this article I had no idea it was so damn popular, I thought that it was just a cheap ass game cabinet that no one played much:) I think I might have played once - is Golden Tee really that good of a Sim, comparable to Tiger Woods and Links?
The game runs like like magic on my 2500+ ti4200 - to all those who complain about performance turn off some of the specular or don't bitch. Go back to number crunching stats on your water cooled system trying to tweak a higher 3dMark score instead of playing any damn games in general.
That's cool I guess, I'm pissed that Silent Hill 3 and Fatal Frame 2 haven't been announced for the Xbox yet.. must.. resist.. PS2.. long as possible..:)
Bought Halo for the Xbox when it launched and bought the PC version the day it came out. In my opinion Halo sums up the following: Good Single Player game, GREAT Multiplayer experience.
And to all those bitching about performance, turn off specular effects - I guarantee in the heat of battle that last thing you'll be thinking about is looking at the floor and wondering how they got it so shiny. I guess because I'm used to the Xbox version I found the specular effects too annoying and fake shiny - Blood Gultch should not be pretty!
How is this different from the times when they used to burn books, and didn't allow women to read because they might start getting "ideas". Let's just shut down the Internet altogether as well! Absolutely scandalous.
It's kind of like how tons of people drive a Ford, it's not because of the quality per se but because the public (ie. non-hardcore-gamer) can tend to make uneducated decisions based on what the neighbor has.
You do have a point that due to sheer numbers the PS2 has more hits, but think about all those shitty games the general public are buying! Makes me sick thinking about games like Simpsons Road Rage and how it's probably sold about 1000x that of underrated gems.
There is shit on all systems, Sony just has the biggest pile.
but there are so many weak points that are made in your rant, to be honest it just seems like you've been burned (kind of like a guy who just got dumped by a hot girl).
Not a flame by any means, I used to be a die hard PC freak like yourself - I spent a few thousand a year to play the latest and best games, a completely vicious hardware cycle. It became way to expensive, simply put. I was ignorant of consoles at the time and I missed out on a lot of great games because I was a PC snob.
I have a pretty nice PC gaming setup now, I play the occasional FPS online - but the amount of creativity that goes into some console games is awesome, and if you have friends come over, a MP console game can't be beat.
I love both platforms for their own reasons, but unfortunately one of them is a spoiled rich bitch who is high maintenance and rarely puts out;)
Well I for one love PC gaming as well as my Xbox so I'm biased towards both equally, and yes there are some awesome FPS on the PC (can't get enough of ET) but Halo has a perfect balance and blends all the best elements and level designs to create a wicked mulitplayer game. It's not the best FPS to ever come out and quite frankly I get sick about hearing about it SO damn much, but it does deserve that recognition because it's a testament of excellence in game design.
Slashdot Mirror
Do you think it would sell as well if it was an African, Indian or other ethnic character? We all know Barret was the first African to star in a Final Fantasy game, but his ebonics detracted from the game in my opinion.
I think that after FF12 Square will really have to change something drastically or become stale and predictable. I'm also getting tired of the Spikey Haired boy falls in love with Beautiful Girl Mage who is destined to die tragically, because it's her "fate".
I mean it's still enjoyable and I love the series (and always have) but it needs a serious kick in the pants, something a bit more edgy and less melodramatic?
I'm not complaining about Japan per se, I'm just as sick of seeing the typical "Conan" type in American games as well, I just want to see game designers challenged to avoid cookie cutter heroes. And they are slowly coming to this point.
I consider myself pretty well versed in Japanese culture. I live in Vancouver which has a huge number of Japanese people, I watch lots of Anime and Japanese movies, play imports, etc so I realize that they like pretty men. On a side note I watched the Friends last night which had Joey in a Japanese commercial wearing lipstick for men.. damn hilarious!
I want to see a fat, middle aged, balding car salesman as the star of a game - sweat stains and all. Or a pregnant housewife. Or an Indian protaganist. Even a homosexual male. I don't care as long as the designers get a kick in the shorts and try not to fall into the generic trap.
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the Final Fantasy heroes to be made from a generic template? While I do appreciate the costume design creativity, the actual characters themselves seem to fit in the "so cute I just want to punch them" mold. And yes, the males are so de-sexed there's not much difference from the female counter-parts. Take for instance Square's upcoming FFVII CGI - Sephiroth wasn't supposed to look like a deranged female supermodel. I realize that we are a deeply vain culture and if something looks prettier we're more inclined to lay down our cash, so from a marketing perspective it does make sense to have uber-hot people as the protaganists.
:)
I'm not the biggest Final Fantasy fan although I loved VII to death I've become less and less excited about the series, I seriously just looked at those pictures and went "meh".
Cool Game Character Design 101:
1. White Hair is all the rage these days.
2. Definitive scar over the eye.
3. Big Hair is Better.
4. Women's cleavage makes sense no matter what situation.
5. Only those with ~6% body fat need apply.
6. Sketch a woman, remove the breasts and makeup = instant male hero.
Anyone care to add to the list?
I have gone back and completed this game several times, it is truly one of the best DC games I have experienced. Hard, yes.. but an action packed and warped Anime journey..
I think that addiction defines the following:
:)
1) Cannot function properly and suffer withdrawal symptoms when not using product/substance.
2) Lying and stealing, being in a constant state of denial.
3) Friend and family noticing and mentioning behavioral changes and patterns.
4) Calling in sick frequently at work, getting warned and written up.
5) Becoming angry when confronted by someone else about your problem.
From my views if you have an addictive personality you have to work harder to battle any addiction, whether it's related to food, media, drugs, alcohol, car tuning, you name it. Addiction is a bed-fellow with obsessive compulsive disorders, and yes it can be classified as a medical condition.
For me personally, a good portion of my life revolves around the gaming industry. Every day I scour the net for the latest gaming news piece, subscribe to multiple gaming mags, frequent trips to EB and Pawn Shops for used gems, and of course actual gaming. I also realize other things that are even more important and can put my overly-enthusiastic hobby on the back burner to enjoy time with my girlfriend, friends, trips, etc. Would I change my #1 hobby that's been a part of my lifestyle for so many years? Not bloody likely. No matter how many snide comments I get about "Oh you play VIDEO games?" I carry on with my passionate viewpoint.
One thing that disturbs me is the public viewpoint on what is "ok" to be addicted to. Take professional sports, the kid who has a basketball in his hand everywhere he goes, has all his sports heroes on the wall, literally eats, breathes and sleeps basketball - is this child addicted? No, because it's SPORTS. How can this double standard exist? No parent will yell at their child if they spend all day and night at the basketball court - because hey, they're getting fresh air aren't they?
Anyway, these are my rants - and it always comes back to the old viewpoint on how everything is ok as long as it's not in complete excess.
I'm looking at buying a used SCPH-390001 this weekend. Is there a comparison about which models are more problematic, do you think it's a big enough problem to just wait to pick up a new model? (I know the new models have the quieter fan and better DVD player, but I already have an Xbox and won't use the DVD function)
Opinions?
I completely agree, I'm pissed as hell that Final Fantasy 10, Fatal Frame 2, Silent Hill 3 and numerous others aren't for the Xbox, my solution? I've decided to buy a PS2 after a few years of holding it off. Am I mad, not really - I've accepted the nature of the game, and instead of bitching and whining about it and not playing the games I want, I purchase the hardware for a small fee. Voila. Instant fun! And seriously, a $~200 console is not much compared to the fuckload of money I just spent upgrading my PC to run games "decently".
I don't know, at these prices it's hard to see why not :)
The innovation and quality titles out there don't make me wish for better things, yet. I think another 1-2 years and I'll be begging for new hardware but I'm loving every second of the current gen gaming.
Keep looking to the future and you'll never enjoy the present
My thoughts exactly, going to the PC version I really missed the vibration of the Assault Rifle and the "thwack" of a melee attack.
As long as they continue to make amazing games who gives a shit?
The Phantom is to Video Games as the Segway Scooter is to Personal Transportation.
Can't beat free publicity.
Given the apparent immense popularity of this game, why hasn't it received more publicity? It's amazing that with all the time and effort I've put into years of following the gaming industry that I haven't heard more of this phenomenon (other than casually noticing them as a regular staple in the bars)
:)
Is this the "Myst" of Golf Games?
Every pub here practically has Golden Tee as well as Area 51 (yes that is odd) - after reading this article I had no idea it was so damn popular, I thought that it was just a cheap ass game cabinet that no one played much :) I think I might have played once - is Golden Tee really that good of a Sim, comparable to Tiger Woods and Links?
The game runs like like magic on my 2500+ ti4200 - to all those who complain about performance turn off some of the specular or don't bitch. Go back to number crunching stats on your water cooled system trying to tweak a higher 3dMark score instead of playing any damn games in general.
That's cool I guess, I'm pissed that Silent Hill 3 and Fatal Frame 2 haven't been announced for the Xbox yet.. must.. resist.. PS2.. long as possible.. :)
On a side note Mac's look extremely sexy.
Maybe you should stick with Pong? I mean, this game most certainly can't be a huge hit because it's amazing can it?
:)
Sounds like someone is in bitterly in love with a man named Gordon
Buy a PC for Christ sake!
Bought Halo for the Xbox when it launched and bought the PC version the day it came out. In my opinion Halo sums up the following: Good Single Player game, GREAT Multiplayer experience.
And to all those bitching about performance, turn off specular effects - I guarantee in the heat of battle that last thing you'll be thinking about is looking at the floor and wondering how they got it so shiny. I guess because I'm used to the Xbox version I found the specular effects too annoying and fake shiny - Blood Gultch should not be pretty!
Yes
How is this different from the times when they used to burn books, and didn't allow women to read because they might start getting "ideas". Let's just shut down the Internet altogether as well! Absolutely scandalous.
It's kind of like how tons of people drive a Ford, it's not because of the quality per se but because the public (ie. non-hardcore-gamer) can tend to make uneducated decisions based on what the neighbor has.
You do have a point that due to sheer numbers the PS2 has more hits, but think about all those shitty games the general public are buying! Makes me sick thinking about games like Simpsons Road Rage and how it's probably sold about 1000x that of underrated gems.
There is shit on all systems, Sony just has the biggest pile.
but there are so many weak points that are made in your rant, to be honest it just seems like you've been burned (kind of like a guy who just got dumped by a hot girl).
;)
Not a flame by any means, I used to be a die hard PC freak like yourself - I spent a few thousand a year to play the latest and best games, a completely vicious hardware cycle. It became way to expensive, simply put. I was ignorant of consoles at the time and I missed out on a lot of great games because I was a PC snob.
I have a pretty nice PC gaming setup now, I play the occasional FPS online - but the amount of creativity that goes into some console games is awesome, and if you have friends come over, a MP console game can't be beat.
I love both platforms for their own reasons, but unfortunately one of them is a spoiled rich bitch who is high maintenance and rarely puts out
I just want to say LOVE YOU SAN!! billy gates why do you make this possible ? Stop making money and fix your software!!
:)
I read that this morning and smiled, at least these hidden easter egg messages have a bit of humour to them
Of course I wasn't so happy when the workload resumed and I was left with a nice deal to clean up.. but.. thanks for the couple hours of coffee break?
Well I for one love PC gaming as well as my Xbox so I'm biased towards both equally, and yes there are some awesome FPS on the PC (can't get enough of ET) but Halo has a perfect balance and blends all the best elements and level designs to create a wicked mulitplayer game. It's not the best FPS to ever come out and quite frankly I get sick about hearing about it SO damn much, but it does deserve that recognition because it's a testament of excellence in game design.