Messages

3051

Gaming / Re: The "What are you currently playing?" Thread

« on: June 21, 2010, 06:46:42 AM »

Oh, right... Play Legends now.

Trying to. Jesus, these controls are awful.

3052

Off The Wall / Re: Latest Buys

« on: June 21, 2010, 06:46:21 AM »

That better have I Am The Walrus, PB.

It does.

3053

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: June 21, 2010, 05:44:30 AM »

Just finished my last unfinished game. What will I play now...

3054

Gaming / Re: The "What are you currently playing?" Thread

« on: June 21, 2010, 05:43:13 AM »

Just finished Red Dead Redemption. I guess everyone eventually pays their dues.

3055

Gaming / Re: The Kingdom Hearts Thread

« on: June 21, 2010, 05:42:19 AM »

Unversed, Universed, blah.

But I'd like a picture of a "grunt" so I can get a clear idea, I might have missed 'em in the trailer.. but again, what purpose do they have besides being an enemy? (I know that nobodies have no souls and heartless are clearly obvious being without hearts with a still functional soul, so yeah).

DAT GOOGLE.

3056

Gaming / Re: Legend of Zelda - The official Zelda thread

« on: June 21, 2010, 03:00:18 AM »

For good reason!

They're good natured people! Who would want to slay them? Inhuman criminals. That's who!

Like meeeeee!

3057

Entertainment / Re: Doctor Who

« on: June 21, 2010, 02:24:02 AM »

By the way, who do you think is the guy saying "Silence Will Fall"?

People say it's Davros, or Rassilon.

...I'm gonna say it's Omega.

3058

Entertainment / Re: Doctor Who

« on: June 21, 2010, 02:05:37 AM »

The Big Bang episode is this Saturday and the planet earth is left.
The Tardis Exploded 

No, no no no. Everything ended. It all faded away and the whole universe is gone.

...hell, we're not even writing this right now. We don't exist.

3059

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: June 21, 2010, 01:31:46 AM »

I had a pain in the dick once. It turns out you shouldn't let people put their feet there.

Specially when those feet go at high speeds.

3060

Gaming / Re: The Kingdom Hearts Thread

« on: June 21, 2010, 12:56:30 AM »

I think its easier to understand the plot if you just think, "If it gets in my way, it dies."

Takes the annoyance of sympathetic villains out of the picture if they're all just a target that needs to be exterminated.

"But then you don't get the enjoyment out of the plot, STM!"

Only thing enjoyable is watching Nomura pulling things out of his ass and trying to convince people there's a plot going on. He needs to stop trying to mimic Kojima, because at this point, Darkness = Nanomachines.

In short, "play every shitty story game as you would play BAD DUDES". I like you, man.

3061

Gaming / Re: Legend of Zelda - The official Zelda thread

« on: June 21, 2010, 12:55:14 AM »

You know what I'd love?

Enemy Gorons. Enemy Zoras. Enemy Gerudos. Actually people you fight and kill. Can you imagine how glorious killing Gorons must feel like? Spindashing rock dudes who you can arrow in the face or something.

3062

Entertainment / Re: Doctor Who

« on: June 21, 2010, 12:53:13 AM »

So, I just finished watching all of the DW episodes I missed.
Just finished Pandorica Opens.

(click to show/hide)

Well, so basically... everyone in the universe is dead. GREAT.

So yeah, Doctor Who ended. Thanks for watching, everybody!

3063

Gaming / Re: Legend of Zelda - The official Zelda thread

« on: June 20, 2010, 07:59:27 PM »

Oh, I've loved games that have very forgettable characters.  Perfect example of such would be the Armored Core series.  The gameplay comes first, after all.  But when your character is perpetually silent AND off-screen AND gets no character interaction save e-mail, it's exceedingly hard to give a damn.  Dragon Quest VIII runs into a similar problem, I don't buy silent protagonists in a game that is otherwise fully voiced.  It pulls you completely out of the game and just makes the hero look boring.

A silent protagonist doesn't have to be forgettable, though.  I don't consider Link all that forgettable, at least certainly not in Twilight Princess.  One can express character depth non-verbally, but most don't bother to.

Exactly, the gameplay comes before the story in most games. Games like Onimusha and Ninja Gaiden might have completely ridiculous and stupid stories, but that doesn't mean we can't care for the game itself and what it brings. Honestly, tons of people praise Gordon Freeman, even though he's completely silent, because his actions are supposed to be a definition of his personality. Same with Link, for example. Or Crono, in Chrono Trigger. Their actions justify their personality, and that's what makes them do this or that. And what's there to define them, comes from the plot, instead of a "personality" they come pre-booted with. That's very important.

It depends. But especially for a RPG-style storyline? Depending on the way a story is told, it could stand to require both.

Mass Effect, for example, does a great job of making it so that while the sci-fi drama in itself could be interesting (if not exactly ground-breaking) but also makes it so that you care about the characters that your avatar stands to interact with. Furthermore, the notion of how you're able to start from the first game, and then have the effects of your choices/interactions roll over into subsequent games stands to make you care even more. But all that ME showcases is what Blues is talking about: GOOD WRITING, on both parts, is necessary to make you give a [parasitic bomb] about the character(s) in a RPG/drama. A back story should be a means to help you identify with the character, while the character's growth over the course of the story keeps you loving the character.

*WARNING, the below contains spoilers for a number of titles - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*

This is what separates how Mass Effect was able to do what it does well, and where a game like Final Fantasy 7 does fall short. In FF7, the "default" storyline that the game presents pretty much assumes that you (as Cloud) would be interacting with Aeris heavily, such that when she dies later in the game, you are supposed to feel empathy for her. But suppose you made it so Cloud rolled with any of the other viable choices the game presented (like I did with Barret for the lolz ). Aeris' death immediately has no real emotional impact for that player, due to the lack of the emotional investment on the player's part.

At least Leo's similar demise in FF6 was able to have a better chance at an emotional response, due to how he was able to build up an "emotional repertoire" with the player in that relatively short time he had before he got all stabbed. Then there was Fire Emblem 4, which basically forced you to say good-bye to almost ALL of the characters you had to come to love from the first half of the game (due to a great number of them dying horribly by the intermission), so there was little chance for the emotional investment to be lost on a number of those characters.

But in short, there in lies what I think is that critical thing that makes an overall story work. How it is portrayed, through either explicit writing or just the overall "direction", has to make it so that it can make the player "feel" some thing for the characters and their role in the story. It doesn't have to loads of dialogue, as I certainly was able to care about the fate of my horse in Shadow of the Colossus, and the baby Metroid's death in Super. That's more than what I can say for Alucard, who had a whole game to [sonic slicer] and moan about his lot in life throughout the course of SOTN, and I don't even feel like his character did much to change throughout the entirety of the game's narrative. But that's me.

You'll notice that there's a trend in both american and japanese games. In american games, there's the story about the soldier who has to do this or that because it has guns and it's totally cool. On JRPGs, it's the protagonist with the tragic past who has to save the world from this or that unstoppable evil. In both these games, there's little character development, if any at all. This is how you can tell a bad story from a good one. On Mass Effect, many characters start out unbearable and with a stupid personality. But they grow out of it. Good writing in plot is required.

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Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: June 20, 2010, 04:07:15 PM »

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k98hcitEL-U[/youtube]

I'm-a just gonna share some of my national treasury of film. The first portuguese ninja movie. This is its trailer.

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Gaming / Re: The Kingdom Hearts Thread

« on: June 20, 2010, 04:00:43 PM »

O...kay?

Anyone have any ideas in what way the gameplay of Coded changed, from the cellphone to the DS?

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Gaming / Re: The Official E3 2010 Discussion Thread & Lounge (Jun 13, 2010 - June 19, 2010)

« on: June 20, 2010, 03:34:13 PM »

Showfloor Photos~

Those booths.
Those babes.

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Gaming / Re: The Kingdom Hearts Thread

« on: June 20, 2010, 03:33:00 PM »

Yup. 

Examples?

3068

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: June 20, 2010, 03:32:31 PM »

You people don't know how lucky you are to be counting english-speaking movies only. I've seen some HORRIBLE stuff, European-made.

3069

Off The Wall / Re: Post a Random Fact About Yourself

« on: June 20, 2010, 03:29:26 PM »

Tarot cards. Only I don't read fortunes through divination or predicting the future, like most people assume. I don't believe predetermination of one's fate is possible. Instead I offer what I call "spiritual advice"; the person asks me a question about themselves, and I draw the cards to see what they have to say. If they don't want to ask a question, I give them a more broad piece of advice or suggestions as per the reading. I'm quite an occult enthusiast, see. I take it very seriously, but I'm not at all bothered if the person doesn't agree with or believe in it. Most people just have their fortunes read for fun.

I also only use the Major Arcana in my readings. I feel they're more symbolic, and the Minor Arcana are more suited for playing cards, in my opinion. I use the original Rider-Waite deck, because it's my favourite interpretation of the cards and I've spent a lot of time learning the symbols and imagery involved. I use a three-card reading; a lot of people use a full spread or "Celtic Cross" reading, which is a lot more in-depth, but which I don't feel is really necessary to get the same effect. Another thing I like about the Tarot is that everyone can have their own way of interpreting the symbols, performing readings and divining the readings. I would honestly consider it the closest thing I have to a religious faith.

Interesting. Although I would admit symbol interpretation and various theories HAVE been humanity's general idea of religious faith. I've read a few texts about Tarot. Although it's definetly not my thing, I'd like to find out more about it. I love occult theories, and finding out where the beliefs come from. Gives me a better insight of religion in itself.

3070

Gaming / Re: Legend of Zelda - The official Zelda thread

« on: June 20, 2010, 02:52:20 PM »

At this point it's basically Character vs Plot and Opinion vs Opinion.

*shrugs* I don't care for either at this point since it'll just go back and forth. I think that for a plot, characters are necessary, just as characters need a place to be. I need both for a story to be particularly interesting at this point. Carry on Zelda thread.

In other words, completely unrelated to what I just said.

I don't think it's a case of Character vs. Plot, but rather Good Writing vs. Bad Writing.  Good writing make both the character & plot interesting and compelling, like a freaky game of Curling.  Bad writing does not, like a recent game of Basketball.  Take Smallville, for example.  The show's writing is pretty terrible, but when you put a good writer, like say Geoff Johns on it for an episode or two, it's damn good and makes you wonder why all episodes can't be like it. 

Exactly. But would you rather be writing the descriptions of each character... or would you be rather be writing the plot that CHANGES them? =P

3071

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: June 20, 2010, 06:56:24 AM »

I'm a seasoned Maso.

We who browse the nets must all be.

3072

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: June 20, 2010, 06:48:24 AM »

Yes

Well that explains alot.

3073

Gaming / Re: Legend of Zelda - The official Zelda thread

« on: June 20, 2010, 06:47:59 AM »

Pretty simple process. If the characters don't matter, if they aren't important/likable/interesting/relate able and so forth, then it is very easy to lose interest in the game or the characters or what happens to them.

A plot can rarely carry its self, dynamic characters are important as well.

Based on the kind of stuff you like, Legends will be a bit too "light" for your taste. You're a tad too "hardcore" for that kind of thing, honestly. But it's definitely the diamond in the rough when it comes to stories with Capcom. Command Missions is also decent, but doesn't compare.

Also, gotta say. KOTOR 2's story was superior to KOTOR 1. Let the flames begin.

Interesting. Funnily enough, I see stories praised and worshipped, even though when there are silent protagonists. Hell, even when stories have... no characters, should we say? Like in Flower. Interestingly enough, characters really are completely irrelevant sometimes. because characters change with the flow of a story. Character development, they call it. Look at Batman's Damian. KOTOR's Bastilla. They start off as snotty little [sonic slicer] characters, and end up as some of the best and most developed characters in their own stories. The plot is what matters, because it's what BUILDS the character. A character is never really stuck to a single characterization of a story is any good. They grow throughout the story, they interact with what's happening, and that's what makes them good. Put any unlikeable bastard in a challenging plot, and I assure you the character will come out different from the other side. Changed and grown-up. I love to hate a certain character in a well-developed tale. Because you never know what you're gonna get.

I'm not too hardcore for simple stories. Zelda: Link's Awakening had a simple story, yet a tragic development. I liked the way it flowed and ended. Oddworld games also have simple stories, but awesome execution. Yakuza, for example. It thrives on its simplicity, but the way it does it so well is what makes it enjoyable. I'll like it as long as it'll do that story RIGHT. The only Megaman games I've been in touch with that had a big story of any sort were the Battle Network titles. And Jesus Christ, those had a shambling mockery of clichés and profund stupidity as a "plot".

KOTOR's story is debateable. 1 was simply and purely, an adventurous story, with a cast of riveting characters, each one enjoyable and with its own personality, a plot which was quite good, simplistic but could drive its own weight better than any other Star Wars fiction I've ever seen, and everything was very convincing. It was done. Finished and it triumphed.
KOTOR 2's story, is what I call an example of greatness falling short. It had alot of plot development, more complicated characters and a more convulted story. But it was unfinished to a degree that it was unforgiveable. The cast was more complex, but their stories didn't make sense sometimes. Every single one of them except for T2 was basically waiting to stab you in the back. You had a TON of elements, betrayals you could see coming from a mile away, and the usual cryptic speaking between people. I dunno about you, but I hate it when a game's characters speak in such a smart way, yet follow such boring, linear plans. KOTOR 2 was an unfinished game in every way, from its constant bugs, badly-made levels, unnatractive environments compared to the original, and drab overall colors, along with repetitive scenarios. Obsidian aimed for the very top, but they couldn't reach it in time. Thus, a game even buggier and crashier than its predecessor, in which we're constantly reminded of how deep and traitorously the new characters behave, as well as how dark the story goes. I did like Nihlus, though. Was dissapointed when the final encounter was so damn predictable, with an enemy with whom made little sense to fight, after every single action done in the course of the game. It had so much potencial... but it fell short.

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Off The Wall / Re: RPM's Personal Meet-up or Who on RPM would you like to meet?

« on: June 20, 2010, 05:02:04 AM »

Oh, and as for people that I'd like to meet, I guess anyone here. I'm a weirdo IRL, though, so I don't know if that would work out too well.

We're all weirdos who find stuff in common to talk about and to joke about. We'd all get along.

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Off The Wall / Re: RPM's Personal Meet-up or Who on RPM would you like to meet?

« on: June 20, 2010, 04:50:54 AM »

I'd like to hang out with pretty much anyone really. As long as you promise you can eat tons of grilled pork and you can hold your licour, come to Portugal anytime. I'll take you for a night on the town. You'll wake up with THREE kidneys!