Messages

4351

Rockman Series / Re: It always the little things.....

« on: January 16, 2009, 09:18:39 PM »

Can't think of anything recurring, but going by the individual game:

MM1 - Those damn pogo-stick cyclopses
MM1 (again) - Those gun-toting platforms that may or may not crash you into a spiked ceiling in Wily Stage 1.
MM7 - Burst Man
MM9 - F@#*$$@ING HELICOPTER CLAWS!!!
MM&B - The giant fire bombers in Burner Man's stage.  That and the lack of a dash button on GBA.

X3 - The buster upgrade.
X5 - Power-Up Part distribution is more ass-backwards than mooning while moonwalking.
X7 - Pretty much everything X says.
Xtreme1 - Music.

Z1-3 - The fact that weaknesses are just recolors of standard attacks.

4352

Gaming / Re: You Can't Spell Ignorance Without IGN.

« on: January 16, 2009, 08:59:55 PM »

Seems I've been away for too long.  Missed out on a fun thread yet again.

Thoughts:

1. A Great Cast with a Dud Script
Many of my favorite games have little to no dialogue, thus I don't set the bar all that high.  And when they do write something absurd it's usually good humor (Where's that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald?).

2. Unreal Engine 3 Overdose
Funny picture.  My lack of PS3/360 doesn't allow for much else.

3. Sequelitis
This whole "sequelitis" thing bothers me.  IGN in general has a bad track record for "failure to reinvent the wheel" being a frequent criticism.  It's true that there is such a thing as incremental upgrades that dull in value over time, but it's another thing altogether when people insist that a great concept never be revisited and improved.  If all devs followed that logic we'd have never seen A Link To The Past.  This clown, I think, comes pretty close to such a ridiculous extreme, with his Mario/Sonic stab at the end.  By what possible logic does Mario fall under sequelitis?  We've had, including handhelds, five platformers since the N64's launch in 1996 (SM64, Sunshine, Galaxy, Yoshi's Island DS, and New SMB).  While I don't think highly of Sunshine, it did at least differentiate itself.  YIDS is the only one that failed to establish an identity separate from its predecessor.  But considering said predecessor was well over a decade old, I think it's forgivable.  You could perhaps make a decent argument against Mario on ports and spinoffs, but neither of those qualify as sequels.

4. Too Human Syndrome
Why does anyone care this much about announcing developer intent?  Whatever they WANT to do, their bosses and their sales will dictate what will actually be done.

5. Production Values vs. Wii Production "Values"
Shovelware has existed since the dawn of a successful console.  And for that matter the concept of cheap cash-ins is not exclusive to games, either.  Deal with it, weeding out the crap is part of life.

6. Sonic and Mario Visit the Rainbow Dentist
The Sonic discussion is older than dirt, yes we all know of Sonic Team's woes now.  The continuing and annoying prejudice against earlier 3D Sonics aside, I have to once again ask why Mario is on there.  I guess featuring a mascot in sports games is a crime now.

7. Motion "Control"
There is such a thing as personal preference in control methods, and it's something that no "professional" press seems willing to admit.  Movements that are second-nature to some are tricky for others, and this is why options are important.  As are the ability to RECOGNIZE those options.  Oh, THERE'S NO RESISTANCE ON THE WHEEL AND I CAN'T CENTER IT MYSELF, THE GAME IS BROKEN.  Plug in a classic controller, dumbass.

8. Promises, Promises, Promises
Like Sonic, the hype train debate is another older-than-dirt discussion.  Cute that he presents it as if it's something new, but at least it's one of the more intelligent ramblings.

9. Strong Female Lead Character = Edgy, Clever and Desirable
You mean it isn't?
Okay, as the guy who drools obsessively over the first female Reploid introduced, I probably have no right to speak.  But you know, SOMETIMES, it's not about eye-candy.  Some people just like women who are supportive, some people like women who can kick ass in their own right.  It's not as if the gaming industry is overrun with female leads.  It doesn't have to be new, it doesn't have to be edgy.  It may or may not break the norm.  None of that should matter.  Male leads aren't new or edgy either.  Gender is not a criticism.

10. Casual Gaming
So there's a new cash-cow on the block, quit your bitching.  Hey, I'm not that big into casual titles (that do not involve insane bunnies) either, but you know what?  The big hits are still out there.  Take a freaking moment and enjoy them, realize that maybe you DON'T have to play every game, or even every genre, obsessively.  You're allowed to choose what you like.

4353

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 09:18:32 PM »

*smacks Aresian with his magical talking fish*

How come I have to be hell?!

4354

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 08:29:59 PM »

To be fair, I'm not sure if any of the other Twili seen were female.  That and they were all transformed back from Shadow Beasts, they seem to still be "out of it".  Since the transformation to Shadow Beast was a gradual shift, it's easily possible that the transformation back takes time to complete as well.

4355

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 07:52:23 PM »

How far back do these pre-OoT sages go? Even in OoT the Master Sword sleeps inside of the Temple of Time. And in my recent replay through OoT I got the distinct impression there was indeed a previous hero of time.

SSB Brawl notes the Sages forging the Master Sword in the TP Sage trophy.  Wind Waker also establishes a connection between the Sages and the Master Sword's power to repel evil.  So the Sages go at least as far back as the Master Sword does, but since we don't know how far that is, it's a giant question mark.  The Master Sword seems to be fairly well-known even in OoT, though, seeings how Navi recognizes it.

Ganon's failure, as hinted by TP not having the Gerudo, would lead to the Gerudo's disappearance. It's a mystery where they went, but some we have no exact confirmation of all of them being gone, they could re-establish themselves.

The Gerudo Desert in Twilight Princess is the location of the Arbiter's Grounds, where the Mirror of Twilight is kept.  The Sages also reside there, and of course this is the same area where Ganondorf's execution was to be held.  So, presumably, the Gerudo cleared out, and the royal family's reach extended there over the course of the OoT generation, before Ganondorf was executed.  Whether they left of their own accord or were removed forcibly isn't known, but considering what the Mirror of Twilight was there for, it's likely that if any Gerudo were captured, they were assimilated into the Twili.

Him coming twice from the Gerudo isn't odd, it's just that in neither case, there's a recollection of the former. Which there would have to be if the Gerudo never vanished between FSA<>OoT. The fact that they gave birth to the King of Darkness, twice, and with Twinrova being the mother still... you'd think they'd remember...

What do the Twinrova possibly have to do with FSA?  They appear only in OoT, MM, and Oracles.  And in Majora they're actually friendly (granted that's Termina and not Hyrule).

Considering the Gerudo only have one male to them born every century, your argument could be pretty well applied no matter which one comes first.  Furthermore, the FSA Ganon isn't all that infamous.  The Gerudo hate him for violating their laws and entering the forbidden pyramid, but what happened to him after that isn't general knowledge.  Ganon doesn't make his presence known until after Vaati is defeated, very near the end of the game.  Hyrule as a whole isn't aware of what happened the way they are in OoT.

If he indeed made his way into the Sacred Realm, by however the Four Sword got there, there's the full Triforce right there.

But this is why the lack of a Triforce mention in FSA would be so odd in the first place.  The ONLY way FSA is linked to the Sacred Realm is if the Four Sword Sanctuary, where Vaati and later Ganon are sealed, is part of it.  But if that's the case, and Ganon had access to it all this time (shadow Link emerges from there), why stop at releasing Vaati?  It doesn't make any sense.

With Ganon dead as of WW, and revived as of FSA, it's very much a matter of convenience and the path of least resistance.

That's just it, Ganon being revived in FSA is fanon.  There IS no revival mentioned in the game.  There is nothing to indicate that FSA Ganon performed any acts of evil before he entered the forbidden Gerudo pyramid, the "ancient demon" likely refers to the power of the trident, which is the focus of Ganon's power in FSA anyway.

One of the six maidens dismisses the name "Ganondorf" as being merely a desert nomad, unable to understand why forest monsters would worship him.  They don't recognize the shorter name "Ganon" at all.  Clearly, the FSA Ganondorf has not been previously established as the king of darkness.  So the argument of FSA Ganondorf being a revival of a previous Ganondorf is extremely weak, if even the maidens don't know him.  To add to this, the Gerudo conversations indicate that the theft of the trident, the furthest back "evil act" to be associated with FSA Ganon, is recent.  Some of them claim to not know what his "plans", present-tense, are.  Others believe him to have died failing to reach the pyramid.  The road to the desert pyramid was blocked following Ganondorf's intrusion, and you have to speak to the guards in order to pass.

4356

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 04:52:31 AM »

If you believe that in-breeding leads to one's alternate-reality selves being their own sisters (and I can think of no better explanation), then yeah.  Malon's pretty messed up.

4357

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 04:13:00 AM »

Probably Nintendo's shredder.  Just because they were licensed doesn't mean the owner has any interest in preserving them.

4358

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 04:11:08 AM »

As far as I'm aware no game that could be argued to be pre-OoT features the Master Sword.  It's stated to have been forged (and/or infused with the power to repel evil) by the pre-OoT Sages, but the actual event has never been covered by any game that I'm aware.

For the Gerudo re-establishing themselves, you have to ask why they're not in WW or PH.  I don't really see what's so odd about the king of darkness coming from them twice.  Most/all of the Links/Zeldas share a blood relation.  And I don't see any Ganon getting down with the ladies after they've started their world conquest career (well, there is the Twinrova, but for the sake of all our souls I dare not think about it).

Sure, FSA pre OoT might be doable, but it requires quite a few stretches, two Ganon at once being amongst the biggest of stretches. Like I said, it was weird enough when Zelda did it...

Weird, but she did it.

Besides, two simultaneous Ganons isn't required.  Merely a pre-OoT Ganon is.  Since there's so many "missing links" regardless, FSA Ganon could be killed prior and the blue pig/trident thing dismissed as a thematic deal.  Before FSA, there was no real significance to Ganon's trident in the storyline.  It was merely a recurring thing, much like Ganondorf carrying a sword from SSB Melee/GCN tech demos up until the present.

For that matter, who's to say the FSA Ganon is immortal?  Lacking the Triforce of Power and all, the responsibility for sustaining him falls solely on his magical trident.

4359

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 03:16:11 AM »

I'm aware of that, but that should be where the Palace of the Four Sword comes in. Ganon ends up in the Sacred Realm, and so does the Four Sword. That can't be unrelated.

Which, again, assumes that the Palace of the Four Sword appearing within the Pyramid of Power is canonically valid, despite it being an extra from after the game's storyline is already beaten.

Followed by Aonuma saying the story changed then, so who knows if it still holds true. It could be akin to TP no longer being post WW despite early notions.

Those notions were not two weeks prior to release.  The game is for all intents and purposes done by that point, it's manufacturing/shipping time.  Aonuma said that the story changed during development.

I'm not saying with certainty that FSA is prior to OoT, mind you, it's naive to assume that whatever Zelda timeline exists is not subject to a rewrite.  I'm just saying it's still a valid possibility.  To say that FSA for certain leads into LttP is an overstatement.  I've played the game in full, and yes the references kinda smack you in the face, but it's hard to separate the story-relevant from the design/thematic.  FSA Ganon is given no backstory beyond his search for the trident, and his condition in the ending doesn't directly tie to any other game.

One similarity that is definitely thematic is the Royal Gems, that is precious stones being guarded by the knights of Hyrule.  This is a reference to the Pendant of Courage said to have been guarded by the Knights of Hyrule "generations ago" who were nearly wiped out during the sealing war (Knights took a critical hit in FSA).  However, there are four Gems, whereas there are only three Pendants.  And the Pendants being linked to the Master Sword suggests a more likely story-wise link with the OoT Spiritual Stones.

Then there's the Moon Pearl/Dark World.  There's one Moon Pearl in LttP; there are tons in FSA.  Likewise, FSA's Moon Pearls are keys to a "Dark World", but the LttP Dark World is actually the Sacred Realm (or "Golden Land", that is the home of the Triforce), and it does not become the Dark World until after Ganon gets his hands on the Triforce.  Yet the FSA Dark World maintains the same "shadow world" connection with Hyrule that LttP's Dark World does.

Also, placing FSA after Wind Waker makes it an aberration in that it would be the ONLY post-WW game to feature the Gerudo.  They have only previously appeared in OoT and MM.

4360

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 02:19:43 AM »

I actually think Ganon himself is the biggest link, and all in all, I consider it quite odd, by your proposal to have two Ganons sealed in the Sacred Realm at the exact same time. OoT Ganon sealed away into the Sacred Realm, and FSA Ganon sealed away in the Sacred Realm for LttP. How does that even work out? Two Ganons at the exact same time?...

By no means (it was an idea, there are other ways to work it).  You permitted yourself a missing link between WW and FSA in your timeline, now I'll give you one between FSA and LttP: Ganon in FSA is sealed within the Four Sword itself.  There is no reference to this aspect of his sealing in LttP, nor in any other game that could conceivably occur after FSA.  Also, the Four Sword when last we see it in FSA is merged into one.  In the Palace of the Four Sword, you find four different swords.

Besides, the Palace of the Four Sword references the Four Sword concept, but there is no such palace in any of the Four Sword games.  Who's to say the location even ties specifically to a previous title at all?  On that same note, what part of FSA's ending confirms Ganon being sent to the Sacred Realm in the first place?

And, dare I say it, but has it occurred to anyone that the Palace of the Four Sword may be canonically questionable?  It's an unlockable feature dependent on your progress in the Four Swords multiplayer game, as well as having already defeated Ganon in LttP.  Is there anything validating its presence in the game before that?

When it comes to FSA Ganon being "Ancient Demon Reborn", OoT is the original Ganondorf that became "Ganon." The power that turned him into Ganon is his own, not the legacy of a previous Ganon, unlike FSA Ganon.

FSA references an "ancient demon" and a "spirit of magic trident".  An ancient evil, yes, but not necessarily a past Ganon.

But FSA is the continuation of FS and could easily retcon Aonuma's statement of "oldest tale."

I did some further research and edited my last post accordingly: The "oldest tale" quote was at Four Swords Adventures' imminent release, thus its story has already been established.  This despite the fact that Aonuma is referring to, "The GBA Four Swords Zelda" in that statement.

4361

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 01:43:57 AM »

Well aware of that statement "oldest tale". But that's just the Minish Cap question that still lingers. The tale of Four Swords starts with Minish Cap, which might or might not be pre OoT, making it possibly the oldest tale in the Zelda universe. But, Aonuma also implicated that the story of FS might have changed overtime, possibly discarding the other quote.

However, Aonuma's "oldest tale" quote refers to the original Four Swords, and he merely notes FSA as being a sequel to it.  The comments on the FS story changing are a reference to the development of Adventures, not the original.  While that comment may call his previous "oldest tale" statement into question, it does not invalidate it.

Consider this: The interview with the "oldest tale" quote is from the 2004 Game Developer's Conference, which was early March.  FSA's Japanese release date was March 18, 2004.  At no more than 2 1/2 weeks prior to the game's street date, any development disorganization referenced in the later quote had already passed.

Landmarks are the main thing linking FS and FSA to similar settings.  Landmarks, likewise, are what links FSA to the GBA LttP more definitively.  Ordinarily, there should not be definitive landmarks between games before and after Wind Waker.  But in the case of the Four Sword dungeon there is a loophole: the dungeon in the GBA LttP game isn't in Hyrule, it's in the Sacred Realm.

The lack of a Triforce reference in FSA is another real killer.

Personally I would place Minish Cap after OoT for the sake of the timeline split and the Vaati seal in the new Hyrule, but nothing is stopping it from being pre OoT

FS and FSA are in the same physical area, the Four Sword and Vaati's seal being confirmation of such.  If there is no reason that FS cannot be before OoT, then there is no reason that FSA cannot be before OoT.

4362

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 01:13:03 AM »

I believe both Zan and I have made note of the FSA Ganon being a pattern break from the OoT/WW/TP Ganon, characterized by the trident among other things.

In FSA, Gerudo tribe members note Ganondorf as having defied their laws and entered a forbidden pyramid to obtain his trident, thus becoming the lord of darkness and all.  No way, no how, is that relevant to OoT's Ganon, who lacks such a trident, and knowledge of his ties to any OoT tribe in a post-WW world are unlikely to survive across the ages.  Ganon in FSA has no backstory beyond what FSA in and of itself presents, there's nothing within FSA that links him to OoT.

4363

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 11, 2009, 01:05:22 AM »

I don't think Mario is the type of game where story is meant to be taken seriously, considering that the recurring villain is invited to most of the sports outings; several of which being immediately after his latest plot was foiled (DDR Mario Mix and Mario Party DS).

Sonic is iffy due to being reinvented with Adventure, but the manner in which games tie in is still fairly manageable.

With that figured out, the next oddity in the Zelda series would be the Seal War from OoT leading to LttP, but Capcom straightened it out with Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures. Furthermore, Four Swords Adventures gave us an account of Ganon's revival after WW, and in that way ultimately linked NES Zelda with Oracle.

Except that Eiji Aonuma stated that the Four Swords arc (Minish Cap, FS, and FSA) is prior to OoT, with the LttP notions being purely nostalgic.  Despite such references being extremely heavy in FSA, note that there is no reference to the Triforce, only to Ganon's trident.  Ganon's history is also something of a red flag, his heritage with the Gerudo isn't something that's likely to survive in a post-flood age where the land of Hyrule itself is legend.

It is possible that the "blue pig/trident" Ganon was sealed prior to OoT and resurfaced after OoT's Ganon died, but the manner in which that is relevant to the sealing war that is, or was supposed to be, OoT is kinda fuzzy.  But to state that FSA is post-WW contradicts developer interviews.

Because he's the only one doing the actual time traveling, naturally.

The Master Sword is time traveling as much as Link is.

Aside from in game quotes, I distinctly recall an interview in which they proclaimed the split Triforce was indeed caused by Link being send back in time. And this is indeed similar to how the Triforce of Wisdom was split by Zelda in NES Zelda.

4364

Gaming / Re: Zelda FAQ: Letīs summerize everything from OoT till TP.

« on: January 10, 2009, 11:39:10 PM »

And why is there no comment on the fact that the ToW was similarly split up in NES Zelda?

Thanatos-Zero outright ignored this question when you first posted it, then responded in the context of Wind Waker and not NES, and that's what's causing the confusion.  Your take on the NES Zelda is correct, but I don't see how it's relevant to the discussion.



IMHO there is no greater exercise in futility than trying to make sense of the Zelda timeline.  Zelda games are generally built as adventures in themselves with their continuity addressed as an afterthought (case in point: Twilight Princess was originally supposed to be a Wind Waker sequel, then they decided Phantom Hourglass worked better).  Even when they do make an effort to establish some connection, they don't hesitate to brush over minor details (characteristics of the Sages).

There is little doubt in my mind that the split-continuity stemming from OoT was not established officially until they wrote TP out of the Wind Waker timeline during development.  Before that, there was no definite statement that the adult Link timeline from a game released eight years ago had been preserved.  And given the fact that the two periods remained linked, as presented in the Kakariko windmill scenario, arguing that they fork away from each other wouldn't have been easy.

The answers given in this thread are merely what is derived after the point.  Before the release of TP, it would have been an entirely different matter, especially when it comes to the status of the Triforce of Courage.  All that's out the window now, but I still have one problem with this timeline fork:

Why is it that Link, the Hero of Time, is the *ONLY* thing to not coexist in both time forks?  Zelda does, Ganon does, all Triforce parts do, and the Master Sword does.

I don't expect Nintendo to ever answer that one.  They might, but they probably won't.

Let`s make it short:
Link got back in time by Zelda, however this was only a stopover in his timetravel, because his and Zeldaīs actions where still in effect, as we can see that the DoT is open alongside with the Sacret Stones on the altar.
Zelda from the AT has activated the other Door of Time which is the entrance from the outside. When Link goes through it, he was no longer bond with the AT and this starts the Child Timeline. This has closed the roads between the times.
Link lacks now the Sacret Stone of the Kokiri and the Ocarina of Time, which he gave Zelda in the AT, also he will meet for the first time Talon and Malon.
Since Link has no longer the Ocarina of Time, it  confirms timetravel to the point before the first meeting has occured, that he got it from the Zelda of the CT, as we can see it in the Majoraīs Mask Fashback Szene. [/I]

First of all your URL is broken.

Zelda having the Ocarina of Time during the Majora's Mask flashback is no greater evidence of Link traveling to before their first meeting than Link having the Hylian Shield and Epona are of him going back to after said meeting.  What happened between Link meeting Zelda in OoT's ending and his departure in the Majora's Mask flashback is a complete mystery, besides that it spans multiple days.

How/where the Ocarina reappeared in child Link's time and when the OoT ending meetup with Zelda occurs isn't made clear.  You'd have better luck arguing on the grounds that it must be, at least, before Ganondorf makes his move on the Sacred Realm, since according to TP he is discovered and captured.

4365

Rockman Series / Re: Ancient Theories/Fanon

« on: January 10, 2009, 07:43:16 PM »

Me and Oakes sprite everything in Paint. It's the best program for the job.

Depends.  If you're working in 24-bit PNG and transparency means nothing to you, then sure.

Paint has its conveniences (and the curved line tool is spiffy), I just don't appreciate what a pain it is to work with multiple sheets.  I guess that comes from being an editor and not a scratcher.

4366

Gaming / Re: Nintendo Patent Reveals Potential Paradigm Shift in Design

« on: January 10, 2009, 07:28:06 PM »

You know, I've realized something. Nintendo is the [tornado fang]ing king of creating controversy this gen

I think people are just looking for controversies with them after the Wii's very existence rocked the boat.  I mean, honestly, this patent is pretty mundane.  In and of itself it means jack squat to us.  But watching everyone react to it?  Priceless.

4367

Gaming / Re: Nintendo Patent Reveals Potential Paradigm Shift in Design

« on: January 09, 2009, 11:53:46 PM »

my opinion on this matter: i don't care.

So they're considering including video walkthroughs.  Zipadee-doo-dah.  Oh, what's that, it's an incredible disaster that the player can jump in in the middle of one?

Then DON'T USE IT.  It's as simple a concept as a blue bomber veteran not choosing Easy Mode in a MegaMan ZX game.  It's not that ground-breaking, folks.  This is targeted at people who either need a hand or are just plain bored/shameless.  If you fall into none of those, then it shouldn't concern you.  I thought the hardcore gamers were supposed to be good at figuring out menu options?

The disconnect is when the games are no longer of the same quality. Subjective enjoyment aside in terms of cast or aesthetics, there are now a number of games that don't even equal their predecessors (some are even worse, Starfox Command compared to Starfox Assault, or the dungeon designs in LoZ:TP compared to LoZ:WW). This drop in quality was unfortunately timed alongside the execution of the Big 3's new attempt at mass appeal, causing finger-pointing.

This is not to say great games aren't still being made. Personally, Mega Man 9 and Super Mario Galaxy (while not necessarily in my Top ___) have far outshone a lot of older games.

This post just proves how subjective gaming is.  For as much as I wish Star Fox Command had a traditional control option, there is NO WAY I would call it worse than Assault, quite the opposite.  Assault was by far the worst game of the franchise to me.  And I'm none too fond of Command's art style, I just truly believe it plays better.  Likewise I do not see any advantage design-wise of either TP or WW dungeons over the other, they are both very expansive and engaging, but neither are superior to the other on any objective scale that I can imagine (and I'm trying to set my own preferences aside; I'll admit I prefer TP for style reasons).

I don't know if it means their was more love and care, but it's possible cause they had a lot less to work with then today.

Well, it's a fact, there IS a lot more work to game creation today.  But I don't find the old superior to the new in that kind of "Classic vs ZX" (so sue me, I think Zero-series could have done better) way.  IMO they both have their own unique charm.  And they both have their low points, too.  Even the oldies aren't perfect, if Classic MegaMan selection was limited to, say, 4-6, it would carry a lot less weight with me.

To some degree I think that format restrictions, which technology is more and more breaking away from, can actually contribute to design.  Speaking from experience on RM2K here: When you're getting creative, and you're given a box, one of the most exciting ways to work is figuring out how to break it.  Hell, that's how we wound up with the now-traditional boss halls; they thought they made the stages too big for the NES to handle normally (turned out to not be the case anyway).  When you take that box away, for some people it can make it harder to get the juices flowing.  More than once there have been complaints about how as games get more realistic they also often get more generic.  I don't think that's any coincidence.

4368

Gaming / Re: Super Smash Bros. Bitchslap: What Do You Want To See In It?

« on: January 09, 2009, 11:40:13 PM »

I think it could work well either way.  As long as it's in the game, and it's available for Custom Stages.

Personally, as long as we're giving the Metal box its own theme music, I think it could use some souping up.  As it stands it only increases your weight; useful if you're at high damage but otherwise pointless and comes with the double-edge of hindering recovery.  As it stands I just love it because it looks cool.

So, we can either drop the flinch value to Giga Bowser-esque levels, reduce damage taken, boost your attack launch power, or boost your attack damage.  Thoughts?  I think extra damage sounds good.  Launch power steps on Giant territory, and I'd rather the Metal status not suffer the same all-defensive rework that Starman did.

4369

X / Re: 1up interview: Hironobu Takeshita says "whine moar for Mega Man X 9"

« on: January 09, 2009, 11:10:00 PM »

Yeah, while I lack a PSP to view firsthand, from what I've seen in screenshots and vids MHX's life bar always seemed unusually small.  When a life bar goes high-res, the blips really need to be a bit thicker.

4370

Gaming / Re: Super Smash Bros. Bitchslap: What Do You Want To See In It?

« on: January 09, 2009, 10:59:01 PM »

It also needs this/remix of this whenever you get the Green Block!

Badass indeed, but I still say

this

is better.

4371

Rockman Series / Re: Ancient Theories/Fanon

« on: January 09, 2009, 05:37:43 AM »

That was a good one. The reviewer himself for Tips 'n Tricks signed up on GameFAQs to say "sorry, it's legit". Of course, those who knew Mega Man better than Capcom said it was continued bull on their part.

Then it all became a clever plot device that showed us Reploids could have "civilian names".

Uh huh.

Even better was X6.  Everybody and their dog claimed that the Maverick names were the result of some massive mistranslation.  Turned out the exact opposite was true: X6 carried the most literal boss translations yet.

4372

Gaming / Re: VG Music Thread

« on: January 09, 2009, 03:30:42 AM »

Oh, and one other thing.  It's almost a year old, but I didn't track it down until a few weeks ago:
a kickass Toxic Seahorse remix on Newgrounds.

Now THAT is how the PS1 tracks should have done it.

4373

Rockman Series / Re: Ancient Theories/Fanon

« on: January 09, 2009, 03:24:38 AM »

That would've been nice if Wily had possessed Sigma for the first fight, trying to communicate with X and Zero, but the syntax was messed up due to data format mess-ups.

As much as I'm surprised to hear myself arguing with a "more Wily" scenario, I WOULD NOT change a thing with the X6 Sigma fight.  Sigma's only been dead 3 weeks, it makes sense that he's not up to snuff yet.  Plus the whole joy of that battle (besides the extraordinarily rocking remix in part 2) is kicking the baddie while he's down, something that is sadly lacking in most fantasies period, much less MegaMan.

4374

X / Re: 1up interview: Hironobu Takeshita says "whine moar for Mega Man X 9"

« on: January 09, 2009, 03:21:08 AM »

Personally, I never had a problem with either method.  The vertical's kinda nice for tradition, though.

4375

Gaming / Re: VG Music Thread

« on: January 09, 2009, 03:19:37 AM »

My VG Music list would be entirely too insanely long to be practical.  However, I feel the need to post a tune I recorded, lost in a previous reformat, and finally went hunting for today.  And I'm quite ashamed of all of you that in three pages nobody beat me to it.

Yoshi's Story ending

, a.k.a. the most insanely cute piece of VG music ever.