te72

I pledged for the second run of Retro, mainly to support a gaming mag in the US. Delivery dates have been extremely sporadic, at best. Really is unfortunate, what seemed like a good product, let down by a lack of customer focus. To be fair, I doubt self-publishing a small magazine is an easy thing to do, but still...

So, you're saying it wasn't exactly a story about how your life got flip-turned upside down? In seriousness, did you check through Game Players? Sounds like something they might have done, the quirky folks that they were... As for finding those tapes, I think you might be a bit generous with your odds, but who knows? Occasionally I still find a cassette here and there, mostly in used cars.

I'm in a similar boat. At some point, I want to make some glass display cases for the arcade basement. Put in all the right lighting and make sure it's sealed (if only because I really don't care for dusting, being a necessary evil and whatnot), and have all sorts of neat consoles on display. Not that I'd really ever play any of them, nor would I even need them to be operational. Just a neat art project in my mind. As for my list: NES SNES N64 Gamecube Wii Gameboy (and probably a few variants) Virtual Boy GBA NDS 3DS Genesis Game Gear 32X Sega CD Saturn Dreamcast PS1 PS2 PS3 PSP Xbox 360 XB1 All sorts of PC's and Apples over the years All sorts of arcade hardware, obviously As for now though? Pretty much just sticking to the PS3, occasionally plug in the PS2 (which would be redundant, if not for Sony shooting themselves in the foot on backwards compatibility), and every once in a while the modded emulator system since all the old games and systems are with my sister now.

Hmm, interesting topic. Quick top of the head answer? My last attempt to play FF7. It's not that I don't enjoy the game, I've beaten it probably 4 or 5 other times through with varying approaches. Just for whatever reason, gaming in general wasn't really appealing to me at the time, this being around 2010 or so. Less obvious answer? Pretty much any Gran Turismo game. I don't know that I've beaten a single one of them, save perhaps GT3. Those last few races, such as the F1 and Group C type races are a bit beyond my skill as a driver, even with a nice wheel setup. Then by GT5, you had Nascar and some ridiculously long endurance races. Much as I enjoy the games, I have a hard time with the strategy of Nascar, and I just don't have the patience to race for 12-24 hours in one sitting... Overall though, I'm pretty damned stubborn when it comes to commitment to a game. Perhaps that's why I'm a bit anxious to try new ones sometimes... Combine that with a slight perfectionist / completionist streak, and well, you can see why I'm picky about what I dive into.

This is not a thread I had clicked on expecting a hearty laugh, thanks guys! For what it's worth, I'd be more worried about magazine paper warping, shrinking and more or less melting before I'd worry about it catching fire.

Here's the problem I see with that: The best thing to come out of Nirvana, was the Foo Fighters. Now while I'm a big fan of both bands, and have been for 20 years or so, I think that what made FF great was merely the maturation of some of the ideas that came from Nirvana. So... moot point, perhaps. Maybe Nirvana would have went on to create the type of music that FF made. What a mind, to create an entire universe like that, one so fleshed out and as real as fiction gets. Good pick... I like this idea myself. I find myself regretting the things I didn't do, far more than the things I did do growing up. Then again, I had something of a certain shelf life in my own mind back then... As for my dinner, I would probably pick Ron Paul. For a politician to be so transparent, so predictable, so true to what this country was founded on... I find that rather amazing. For a politician to believe that the government has no business in my bedroom or in the affairs of other countries... when is the last time you saw THAT combination? I could go on about the guy, but it's also a moot point I fear.

Very interesting points Mike. The way I see it, is that people seem to fall into one of two camps. Either they played RPGs, and often FF games BEFORE FF7, or FF7 was their first RPG. The only other guy I've talked to much about 7 that shared your dissent of it was a long time FF fan, dating back to the NES era. He shared a lot of the criticisms you have. Personally, I played FF Mystic Quest, Secret of Mana, FF Adventure (on the Gameboy), Suikoden, and finally, Wild Arms, before FF7 came out. Mystic Quest was a joke, albeit a decent "starter" rpg for the time. Secret of Mana, really don't need to say much about that one, it's a classic that holds up quite well today, apart from some of the grindy bits... FF Adventure was basically a Zelda game. Suikoden is also a classic, perhaps the pinnacle of 2d rpg gaming as far as I'm concerned. Wild Arms was an interesting sort of game, with 2d maps and 3d battles, I still intend to play through it again at some point. However, for me... FF7 was unlike anything I had played up to that point. Remember, MGS hasn't come out. Most of the major, large scope games of that era hadn't come out yet. Sure, SNES and Genesis had a FEW long games, but nothing quite like the scale of your first play through of FF7. So unless you were into PC gaming, it was unlikely you had played such a game with such grand designs for your entire winter... and spring... and possibly the following summer. I will concede that I was also a bit 'meh' about the ending myself. While it was good to be done with it, it wasn't really as satisfying as many of the other moments in the game. Midgar as a whole, battling the weapons, getting the airship, breeding your own chocobos, toying with the battle system and its endless possibilities... Although I will say that the final dungeon is still a great one, full of intrigue and mystery. However, as often happens with a story so long, it can be easy to get a bit lost in it, or forget details here and there. This is another reason I recommended that LP from that Elentor guy. I tried replaying the game back in 2010 on the PSP I had bought, and I might have made it a solid third of the way through the game before realizing I just wasn't enjoying it that much. However, I still enjoy new ways of seeing games I liked, and Elentor's LP is something you should look into. I'll even link it below for you. Give it ten chapters, with some fresh eyes, and enjoy it all over again, perhaps even more so than when you were actually playing it... http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3415223 If the link takes you to a forum registration page, they should be adding it to the archive, and I can update with another post then, but I was able to read the whole thread over the years as a lurker. As with most games that are popular enough, you're gonna get your screaming idiots, they're an awfully vocal bunch. However, I can often appreciate most games for some, often many things. This doesn't make me blind to criticism though, so I can relate to your points here. FF7 had its flaws, but for the time, it was an amazing game, provided you went in blindly. Most good things are best experienced before, or even better, without any hype. In a weird way, the advertising campaign might have had a downside... Speaking of which, the ads I mentioned with gameplay showed brief bits of the battle system. There had to have been at least 10 or 12 different ads for that game though. Another thought... what was your alternative, if you wanted a console RPG in 1997? Oh... yeah... remember Quest 64? If you do, I'm sorry for bringing it up. As for FF7 being unlike any FF before, you're right. I loved the cyberpunk atmosphere though, what with Doom on the PC, and Wipeout, getting into Star Wars, some techno and industrial music forming my impressionable teenage mind... I think that's part of what made FF9 so lovable, was this contrast. It was new, it was unfamiliar, but like you said, it was still an FF game. You mentioned the Gameboy FF titles, and at this point, I feel I should point out that they were all early titles in the Saga series (FF Legend), and the Seiken Densetsu series (FF Adventure), which is better known as Secret of Mana to us westerners. So if it feels like the GB games were a bit of a different horse, well... there ya go.

Finished up the Tales of Monkey Island series. I enjoyed it, particularly the last chapter. Moving on to Fez tonight.

It was quite well marketed, I do recall that much. Ahh, I stand corrected. Would definitely need a component cable to get a higher resolution than 480 though. I do believe you might have allowed the internet to corrupt your opinion over the years. I'll admit that the EU was largely pointless, and more detrimental than helpful. I can only really make any sound arguments on three of your points: -The music was every bit as lovely as anything in a Square game before it. It particularly set the tone of the scene presented. I find it be one of the high points. -The smaller party size may have been a consequence of moving to 3d. I appreciate that it made you focus on what you did have in your party, and this is coming from a diehard Suikoden fan. -About it being the best FF game... perhaps not. I loved 6 and 9 quite a lot. But I don't think I've ever went back to play them again... I've played through 7 and 8 quite a few times. It is however, one of the best games I've ever played. We might not have a PS4 by now if this game had been on the N64 like it was originally planned to be... that has to count for something. True, a million screaming idiots are still idiots, but eventually you have to wonder why they're all screaming. As for the marketing, they showed FF7 gameplay. Perhaps it was overshadowed by the FMV, but what game that had it wasn't putting its best foot forward back in the mid 90's?

I rather enjoy the PSP for what it is. Set of headphones makes all the difference though. I can't imagine most games on it are gonna look good if you blow them up to modern tv sizes... also, quick note, I believe that cable was actually a component, rather than a composite / RCA. I would love for FF6 to get a bit more attention, perhaps just an up-rendering, sharpen up the pixel art a bit, so long as it still looks natural. As for FF7, Mike, it really is what you make of it bud. I would absolutely, HIGHLY recommend you read Elentor's LP of it on somethingawful. It just recently finished, and should hopefully be added to the archives soon... As for me, I played it a lot like a classic rpg. I had my fighter, my monk, my healer, my tank, my blue mage, my dragoon, my ninja, my long range gunner, and a weird cat on a moogle for some reason. Again, all in how you as the player, decide to treat the game. The versatility is probably a good reason we even got successive FF games, as it allowed them to sell it to a LOT of people. It's kinda like how Ford sells a bunch of trucks that I couldn't care less about. They make a good amount of money on selling thousands and thousands of the things, and then take that money and develop a car like the Ford GT, an awesome mid-engine supercar. FF7 allowed Square to fund future games, such as the fun-at-the-time Ehrgeiz. As for FF9, it's getting a Steam release, that's the extent I know about it. Apparently it was the only of the PS1 era FF games not put on PC...

Welcome to the forum stryphos. As for FF6, definitely a great game, but I"m not entirely certain that a remake or updating is really anything it needs. Maybe the graphics could be a bit crisper, but it certainly doesn't look bad, and the sound... sound is still fantastic. I played the SNES version myself, about 12 years ago. Were you aware of the GBA re-release? I believe there are some extras that were new to that version...

Arkham Asylum was among my favorites on PS3, so I'm looking forward to City. No PS4 just yet, have upwards of 200 some games on the PS3 that I'm still getting around to, so no real need of a 4 for now.

SirJell, welcome to the forum. I miss playing so many rpgs like in years long since past, but adult responsibilities, a lack of summer vacations, access to the internet, and other interests (primarily our cars and driving them) conspires to keep me from taking on any more of the longer games... That said, Super Mario World is kinda like Jurassic Park for me. If it happens to be on when I walk by, I know what I'm gonna be doing for a few hours. My mom was the same way with Dr Mario, now that I think about it. Anyway, I finally came up with a list of ten games I want to play next. In no particular order: -Batman Arkham City -Earthbound -Alundra -Breath of Fire 3 -Darksiders -Gran Turismo 6 -Fez -Burnout Paradise -Deus Ex Human Revolution -Suikoden 4 Probably gonna take me a while on that list... but it's on paper now. Runners up include Last of Us and Legacy of Kain Blood Omen.

Funny that everyone I know who has smoked for any length of time eventually starts to resemble a camel, as far as skin condition goes... yuck. How in this day and age people ever start that nonsense is beyond me. For the record, only thing I've ever smoked is the tires on a handful of my cars over the years. I probably have an addictive personality, so it's for the best I never tried cigs.

Howard, SF5 still offers local vs, surely? I think a story mode in a game like this is best just focusing on characters with a history. They two on one battles in the Alpha series were some of my very favorite, as were the battles between your character and their nemesis or rival. Hopefully V retains things like this? As for Shining Wisdom, can't say I played it. Loved the Shining Force games though, early predecessors to the tactical rpg genre.

You gotta admit, there would be a comical sense of irony to the whole thing if it did... As for the cereal, doesn't sound all that bad.

Honestly, haven't been to Florida, so I may be speaking inappropriately, but it seems every story I hear from folks who have lived there, the place is full of nutters.

THIS. This is how DLC should be handled. WAY TO GO CAPCOM.

I'll have to check to see if we got any pitch black recently, I love that stuff. I do remember the Gold Yoda cans, although I can't say I ever got one myself. I don't recall the fridge pack style packaging being quite that old, but it has been a few years... As for your particular situation, you must live in Florida... sounds like some real classy folks you were dealing with.

Sprite Remix? Of course I remember that stuff. Pretty sure it's about all that hydrated me through 2003 haha. They even had a Sprite Remix concert tour that I got free tickets for when I worked at Blockbuster. Good times, but like many things, we can't have it because someone's kid went and did something stupid with it. Pro-tip: mixing Sprite with cough syrup is a great way to cause death, not make grape drank. Dummies... Also, how recent have you found Pitch Black? Last couple times we were able to find it, I stocked up on that stuff. I don't drink dew quite as often as I used to, but you might be considered an addict when you have a dozen 12 packs in your pantry. As for collecting cans, the only ones I ever collected were the Star Wars Ep 1 cans, back in 1999. One day, went out to the garage to find that at least one of them had leaked. I thought that whatever was in that soda ate through the can (yikes!), but upon further thought, I think it's far more likely that it just froze and expanded enough to pop the can a bit.

Haha, same here man. Big fish in a little pond doesn't usually translate to big fish in the ocean. I think I learned this best when I watched a guy at the local arcade perform an infinite loop juggle combo with Cinder on the first Killer Instinct. Quite impressive, to see a 99-hit combo, although I suspect it just caps the count.

Good point on the first bit. However, that's an image I could live without haha... Note to self: NEVER buy a used laptop. Fair enough. Always fun to be involved in something you're passionate about.

I was more referring to how you can get games on sale, at least digitally, fairly often. Back in the day, getting a game for $10 or even $20 was a score! Now though? That's a weekly thing it seems. However, you've pointed out the elephant in the room, with DLC. It is part of why I rarely buy a game at launch anymore. Finish the darn thing, THEN I might want to buy it. Seriously, my last launch title purchase was Gran Turismo 6. That came out in December 2013...

Welcome to the forum Howard. I think most folks around here are MK fans in one sense or another. I loved the series, but was probably better at SF2, as far as skill goes. There was a time in my life, you'd have been hard pressed to find someone who could keep up with me in a fighting game I put myself into... ...however that time is LONG since passed.

Wow, i hadn't realized they were upwards of $3k back in the day... then again, I was still pretty young, young enough to appreciate what a quarter or two got me anyway. Another thing to consider as having a massive effect on the price drops of computing in the modern age, who here has a computer of their own? Just about everybody these days, at least in first world countries. Have a smart phone? Well then you have another computer. Gaming consoles? Everything is a computer of some sort, and it amortizes the cost over a larger populace. Heck, I still remember the days when a 250gb hard drive was pretty much top of the line, and priced accordingly. Now we have flash drives that fit in your pocket that contain half that much or better...