51
NWR Feedback / RE: Site Good. Virus Bad.
« on: April 22, 2004, 02:14:34 AM »
The compulsary comment here is to suggest Firefox. It won't fix the site but it'll fix your pop-up problems 
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52
General Chat / RE: The Official What to buy thread
« on: April 22, 2004, 12:50:31 AM »
Good idea. My main concern with a Freeloader is being forced to update it as newer games come out. Is Nintendo still as strict as they were in the 64 days about region-code cracking?
Beginner's question: If it's so easy to put a mod chip in/use a 'freeloader' type application with a console, why don't console manufactures just make multi-regional consoles that play PAL and NSTC games?
Thanks
Beginner's question: If it's so easy to put a mod chip in/use a 'freeloader' type application with a console, why don't console manufactures just make multi-regional consoles that play PAL and NSTC games?
Thanks
53
General Chat / RE: The Official What to buy thread
« on: April 21, 2004, 03:26:48 AM »
And remember Splinter Cell is cheap cheap cheap as well (it should retail for around $50), so ask him for Fire Emblem 
So guys, do I buy Beyond Good and Evil (from DVDCrave) and mutilate one of my three memory cards, or chip in for a sexy platinum NSTC Cube with my mates?
So guys, do I buy Beyond Good and Evil (from DVDCrave) and mutilate one of my three memory cards, or chip in for a sexy platinum NSTC Cube with my mates?
54
Nintendo Gaming / RE: Viewtiful Joe 2
« on: April 21, 2004, 03:19:38 AM »
Yoshi Island transformations are awsome. My memories are flooding back, oh how I touched fuzzy 
A sequel really isn't supprising, considering all the positive press the origianal got. Does anyone know how well it sold?
A sequel really isn't supprising, considering all the positive press the origianal got. Does anyone know how well it sold?
55
General Chat / RE: Where you from/ what it's famous for.
« on: April 19, 2004, 11:15:07 PM »
I come from Dunedin, which is famous for its university. More specifically, its famous for its students. About a 5th of our population are students, who are known here as 'scarfies'. To accomidate the scarfies, thousands of run-down old houses have been turned into flats. Being young and living in a really crappy flat is another one of our icons (though it sould be noted that a few hostles have been popping up lately.) Scarfies are renouned for their love of drinking (which has, with the lowering of the drinking age, extended to my brethren, the highschool students; we're the most pissed-up town in New Zealand ) and couches (a crappy run-down couch is yet another symbol of Dunedin.)
Other than that, a 'Scottish Heritige", the steepest street in the world and terrible weather represent Dunedin.
) and couches (a crappy run-down couch is yet another symbol of Dunedin.)Other than that, a 'Scottish Heritige", the steepest street in the world and terrible weather represent Dunedin.
56
Nintendo Gaming / RE: FF:crystal chronicles and MGS:the twin snakes.
« on: April 19, 2004, 01:05:53 AM »
No one knows why Atari publishes games throughout Australasia. I propose they are a vehicle for some sort of cult, the leader of which feeds on the misery and suffering of all people.
EDIT: DAMN! Missed the PA link opportunity
April is Link to Penny-Arcade month!
EDIT: DAMN! Missed the PA link opportunity
April is Link to Penny-Arcade month!
57
Nintendo Gaming / RE:Mario 128, Kid Icarus and more
« on: April 19, 2004, 12:55:10 AM »
Well, time is a dimension we have a sort of special relationship with. Although a 4th dimension mentioned in a game could be time, it doesn't have to be. I think KDR once posted something about a game which forces players to move through a 4th dimension. It was on Underdogs I think.
BTW: You're avatar is just a little too big. 64x64 is the limit here
BTW: You're avatar is just a little too big. 64x64 is the limit here
58
Nintendo Gaming / RE: Silicon Knights and Nintendo break up
« on: April 13, 2004, 10:15:13 PM »
Nintendo has recently formed a new fund that will be used to buy into smaller companies. Gamasutra reported it not long ago.
Someone pointed out that Nintendo never disclosed how much of SK they owned. They also mentioned that Denis owns some shares in the company. If Silicon is a listed company, and Nintendo owns a minimum of 10%, it's concievable that another company could actually buy a larger potion of SK [than Nintendo has] without revealing it. Not likely, though.
Darc Requiem is right; Nitendo is pissing off too many of it's somewhat numerous hardcore fans by having this sort of crap happen, especially when it happens by suprise. SK was prehaps the best anecdote Nintendo had as a 2nd party; being based in North America, making 'mature' games et cetera.
Darc Requiem and Ian Sane should get together and form a website with rants whenever something like this happens. I'd read it.
Someone pointed out that Nintendo never disclosed how much of SK they owned. They also mentioned that Denis owns some shares in the company. If Silicon is a listed company, and Nintendo owns a minimum of 10%, it's concievable that another company could actually buy a larger potion of SK [than Nintendo has] without revealing it. Not likely, though.
Darc Requiem is right; Nitendo is pissing off too many of it's somewhat numerous hardcore fans by having this sort of crap happen, especially when it happens by suprise. SK was prehaps the best anecdote Nintendo had as a 2nd party; being based in North America, making 'mature' games et cetera.
Darc Requiem and Ian Sane should get together and form a website with rants whenever something like this happens. I'd read it.
59
Nintendo Gaming / RE: Localisation for Donkey Konga
« on: April 10, 2004, 06:28:03 PM »
Jazz can work pretty well with bongos, but I haven't heard much other contemporary music which blends with them well. There's lots of music from games that have some form of bongoesque percussion in them.
On a only-very-vaugely-related-at-all note, does anyone else here play the Djembe?
On a only-very-vaugely-related-at-all note, does anyone else here play the Djembe?
60
General Chat / RE: Atari really need to get their act together..
« on: April 10, 2004, 06:20:27 PM »
Nah, not really. I wanted an e-name, so I just selected some random words and mixed up the grammar for a bit of fun. I've realised, however, that my first name has a rare spelling and I can just use that as a username instead. I'm putting a sinking lid on Ocarina Blue
61
General Chat / RE: Atari really need to get their act together..
« on: April 06, 2004, 04:19:31 PM »
I really have to agree about FMV. Although overused in many games for the PSX in particular, it still remains a feature that most gamers seem to want.
BTW Akdaman: The plural for 'matrix' is 'matrices'
BTW Akdaman: The plural for 'matrix' is 'matrices'
62
Nintendo Gaming / RE: Gettin' Cube...finally! (Official "What game should I get?" Thread)
« on: March 31, 2004, 10:50:57 PM »
Though I've never played it, I've heard that Paper Mario is a very good game. It's quite hard to find. If you've seen a copy 2nd hand near you, I'd suggest you pick it up. Even if you don't like it, you'll probobly be able to sell it again at a profit if if you play your cards right.
63
General Chat / RE: Atari really need to get their act together..
« on: March 29, 2004, 12:04:50 AM »
I got a copy of HM! My new credit card was checked and it was allocated in only a few hours time! I love DVDCrave.
64
General Chat / RE:Aussie Gaming Bargains Thread
« on: March 29, 2004, 12:03:14 AM »
There's a few good deals at DVDCrave that aren't displayed on the main pages. Namely here and especially here. I'm pretty sure those are rarely available in stores, though it's hard to tell here. My apoligies if this is just spam.
Mario also pointed out that FF: CC and link cables are hard to come by. DVDCrave has a few here and here. Hope it helps.
Mario also pointed out that FF: CC and link cables are hard to come by. DVDCrave has a few here and here. Hope it helps.
65
Nintendo Gaming / RE: Zelda for NDS confirmed! Awesome...
« on: March 28, 2004, 06:57:58 PM »
Yes, I was referring to something in Aonuma's speech in GDC. My quote was inaccurate, sorry. It went something like: "With the next game [Majora's Mask], we had a groovin' graphical style we were exploring, but found the N64 couldn't handle the jandal, so we made WW and were happy with it." What Miyamoto has said in previous interviews is the notion of realistic characters being unable to move fluidly through their surroundings without an very hight graphical power - power that exceeds what the GC can handle. My bad.
What's this about wishful thinking? I have no predudices towards either of the graphical styles.
What's this about wishful thinking? I have no predudices towards either of the graphical styles.
66
Nintendo Gaming / RE: Zelda for NDS confirmed! Awesome...
« on: March 27, 2004, 10:23:21 PM »
I doubt it will look like OoT. Aonuma noted that EAd were'nt thrilled by the OoT look, and only used the engine again because the N64 wasn't powerful enough to handle the toon-shading effects. Also, the most obvious way to use the second screen is to have it emulate something like the 'dark world' in ALttP. Two games that use the same Link are more likely to share graphical styles. My last point is that the DS just couldn't produce two screens of 64 quality graphics while maintaining a good battery life.
67
General Chat / RE:Overpopulation and the Unemployed
« on: March 26, 2004, 02:42:50 AM »Quote
Originally posted by: RABicle
Yeha I relise you meant propaganda Perm, I think it was Ocarina Blue who suggested education was the answer.
I hope not. There is actually clear evidencce here that beside from high ranking office jobs, stock-brokers and so forth that the crafts and skilled manual labour jobs are the best payed. There is a huge shortage of builders, plumbers and electrictions here, some areas have building back-logs of three months. Apprenticeships are comming back into fashion. Unless this is an extreme case, I'm pretty sure this doesn't have anything to do with mere acedemic zeitgeism, but that it's caused by an actual miscalculation and gross inbalance within the educational system. Structural unemployment ahoy!
I honestly agree that overpopulation will have disaterous effects at some point, just that I'm more skecptical of how the West will employ poorer nation's governments to enforce these measures. When left as roughly individual cells, the countries should be able to decide when to prevent population themselves. This will also allow for equity to emerge from area to area.
As for 'Americans' being lazy; it's true that in richer countries, a weaker work-ethic is generally desplayed. In a poor country, it is required of people to do more work to survive. In India, for example, typical work-hours for kids in factories can be 16 or so hours a day. And you don't get convienient supermarkets or anything, you have to hun around at a market for food. If you don't work, you starve. It's simply an expectatoin to have to work.
68
General Chat / RE: Hey look, it's a Link. About Zelda. ... I TRI-FORCE'D SO HAAARD
« on: March 24, 2004, 09:49:42 PM »
It turns out these have been distrubuted in New Zealand, but through the same method that is used in the USA. Buy a Cube, and get one free! Awsome.
69
General Chat / RE: Overpopulation and the Unemployed
« on: March 23, 2004, 09:56:06 PM »
I agree with Slacker on most issues here. Although overpopulation will eventaully end in castastrophy and cause a significant drop in populaion - it hapens all the time with all life - it is unlikely anything will completly wipe us out for quite a while. Life is actually really robust, especially tough things like us. Not even a huge nuclear war would destroy all humans.
There is little to be alarmed at. Countries that experience vast overpopulation will sort it out as individual cells, be it through disaster or political reasoning.
On the other hand, with lax access to global travel, and dense populations, a massive plauge will hit soon, I reckon.
Oh, and with regards to older diseases being able to keep our population in check: Humans will actually naturally adapt to a lot of diseases. In some isolated areas situated high in the Himalayas, the flu is still deadly. It killed millions in South America when it was first introduced. In the long run, many more deaths have been prevented through natural immunity than through Human intervention.
There is little to be alarmed at. Countries that experience vast overpopulation will sort it out as individual cells, be it through disaster or political reasoning.
On the other hand, with lax access to global travel, and dense populations, a massive plauge will hit soon, I reckon.
Oh, and with regards to older diseases being able to keep our population in check: Humans will actually naturally adapt to a lot of diseases. In some isolated areas situated high in the Himalayas, the flu is still deadly. It killed millions in South America when it was first introduced. In the long run, many more deaths have been prevented through natural immunity than through Human intervention.
70
General Chat / RE: Aussie Gaming Bargains Thread
« on: March 23, 2004, 05:12:59 PM »
F-Zero is at least really fun on the easier difficulties.
I really wouldn't recommend Rebel Strike. I bought it on a whim, and damn, was a stupid thing to do.
I really wouldn't recommend Rebel Strike. I bought it on a whim, and damn, was a stupid thing to do.
71
General Chat / RE: Overpopulation and the Unemployed
« on: March 22, 2004, 10:20:18 PM »
Reducing population will not necessarily reduce poverty. Small countries like places in the Pacific and Western Africa are some the poorest countries on the world. Besides, countries that are gaining huge growth from outsourcing (e.g. India) probably won't be willing to take away a fundamental freedom so they can diminish their most valuable resource and help rich countries get richer.
The problem of reliance on the U.S.A. will fix itself eventually: poorer countries will gain wealth from company's willingness to employ them, and their wealth will increase. When the scales are more balanced, it will no longer be efficient to outsource, as the transportation of goods etc. adds to the cost. Therefore, companies will employ people from their own country. The scales will tip, and some other country will become a massive super-power. The only problem here is government intervention: Bush has clearly set his goal as being to prevent any other country from approaching the U.S.A.'s military and economic might (it's somewhere in his foreign policy thingiewhatsit.)
Although the idea of making everyone as rich as everyone else (and therefore providing everyone with a job) is a pretty neato concept, it tends to not work so well, and probably won't catch on in the U.S.A. anytime soon
The problem of reliance on the U.S.A. will fix itself eventually: poorer countries will gain wealth from company's willingness to employ them, and their wealth will increase. When the scales are more balanced, it will no longer be efficient to outsource, as the transportation of goods etc. adds to the cost. Therefore, companies will employ people from their own country. The scales will tip, and some other country will become a massive super-power. The only problem here is government intervention: Bush has clearly set his goal as being to prevent any other country from approaching the U.S.A.'s military and economic might (it's somewhere in his foreign policy thingiewhatsit.)
Although the idea of making everyone as rich as everyone else (and therefore providing everyone with a job) is a pretty neato concept, it tends to not work so well, and probably won't catch on in the U.S.A. anytime soon
72
General Chat / RE: Aussie Gaming Bargains Thread
« on: March 21, 2004, 11:42:02 PM »
DVD Crave has Ikaruga PAL.
73
Nintendo Gaming / RE: Final Fantasy:Guilty Wing???
« on: March 21, 2004, 10:12:07 PM »
FF II and III are awsome. Although (except an hour or so of FFVII which I hated) I haven't played the more recent ones. Personally, I don't see why Square-Enix shouldn't just make something original: like they did 90% of the other ones.
74
Nintendo Gaming / RE: Zelda Master Sword complete!
« on: March 20, 2004, 10:15:40 PM »
You really shouldn't carry a knife into any combat unless you're skilled at and willing enough to using it. Most attackers will probably be able to take it off you and use it against you if you aren't.
75
Reader Reviews / Final Fantasy: Chrystal Chronicles
« on: March 20, 2004, 12:34:22 AM »
I actually began writing this as a relpy to DarkSyphor's post, but I wrote for too long. It's only an initial imression, and it presumes you know of some of the concepts in the game - generally the ones mentioned in reviews (such as your family) - but also that you haven't played it hands on yet:
I have Crystal Chronicles. I really shouldn't have bought it. I'm really too bothered to be playing games, but I bought it anyway. Then, once I got it, I felt compelled to force myself to play it for a bit. I don't have a brilliant impression of the game so far - the single player seems pretty boring (I have lots to do: anything slow-paced seems like a waste of time), and I hope it will get more... involving. Playing just really seems too shallow with one player, though it has potential. The beginning areas are too watered down to be really interesting. It would take longer to get used to with 4 players, I suppose, which is why they seemed needlessly long.
Don't have any illusions here: the fighting is completely strategy, 'realtime' has little to do with it, and reflexes nothing. I died a few times before I found that out, and it can get pretty frustrating. There is a particuarly frustrating delay between pressing a button and you character actually carrying out the action (though an exception here is dodging) – you must plan everything out and form tactics for defeating various enemies. The combat system has some really interesting concepts, but the first area just didn't provide enough resources to manipulate them.
The song when I started a new game really didn't excite me at all, though it was only the vocals that put me off. Watching the movie, a hint of nostalgia stirred and I remembered exploring Kokori village for the first time in OoT. This brightened me somewhat, and I soon found the atmosphere to be cute: familiar enough to be natural, but exotic enough to draw me in. It seems like it's just on the threshold of bursting into incredible richness and detail; but my somewhat dulled senses have to stammer around blindly looking for the grail of this detail. The main problem here isn't the graphical style, but what you get to see of the graphical style. The characters are probably the best renders in the game - but you'll only ever see the top of their heads. Perhaps more emphasis should have been placed on the textures that make up the grass, rocks and shrubs of the landscape. The water and rainbow effects are brilliant and almost feel out of place when seen after the somewhat generic gravel and shrubbery.
The music lends itself well to the atmosphere, with subtle and well-developed themes emerging and making themselves familiar. It makes excellent use of unusual beats in particular: using standard classical ones for 'safe' and familiar areas while using folkish and exotic ones for strange and hostile areas.
I would be disappointed with the initial impression given by the game in terms of the detail it provides if it wasn't for one thing: the events. Occasionally something will happen, and a brief cutscene will play, usually detailing (none to subtly) an event or rumour in the world. Although none have yet lead to anything at all, they really give the impression that later in the game, things will coalesce and some great story-arcs will emerge.
Perhaps my main gripe so far is how, well, uninteractive, or how clumsy all interaction with the environment seems. Even your family at this strange is only a vague set of characters tacked on to support a gameplay mechanic; they have no personality, and show no emotion when you first set out or some back to meet them. I'm hoping they will open up somewhat in the letters. Small details like shrubs having a little invisible shield which prevents your character from approaching them, and the fact that minute plateaus are unreachable without some sort of guiding slope take a lot away from the overall feel of the game, and how it feels it can be played. There's nothing for cool-looking escape scenes from a tough gang of enemies or nifty emergent behaviors to emanate from. When you try to do something, you usually have to go through an un-natural set of tasks before you can get anything done. An example of this is when I found a hole in a cliff. When I approached it and pressed the action button it said something in the likeness of: "There is a hole here, do you want to enter?" No sensory clues as to the purpose of the hole were presented, and yet a 'warning' menu was presented. Nothing. In a game, if I go up to a door and press the action button, I want to go in the door, dammit. It might seem like a minor flaw, but interactivity is the most important part of a game. I guess communication between players is meant to provide most of the interaction, but that's no excuse for a minimal, linear, and on the whole sloppy character/environment interface.
So far, I haven’t really experienced anything too great from this game; although note I’ve only played it for a very short ammount of time. Partly this will be due to how I'm playing the game – you have to learn to read before you can appreciate a good book, and I really haven't experienced anything very similiar to this game before. I guess it's caused a random throe of creativity grip me and have me spin a sweater from a piece of lint – which is what this is - but I percieve my interest in this game to be derived from something greater than just the hype surrounding it.
Quote
Who has Cryistal Chronicals
I have Crystal Chronicles. I really shouldn't have bought it. I'm really too bothered to be playing games, but I bought it anyway. Then, once I got it, I felt compelled to force myself to play it for a bit. I don't have a brilliant impression of the game so far - the single player seems pretty boring (I have lots to do: anything slow-paced seems like a waste of time), and I hope it will get more... involving. Playing just really seems too shallow with one player, though it has potential. The beginning areas are too watered down to be really interesting. It would take longer to get used to with 4 players, I suppose, which is why they seemed needlessly long.
Don't have any illusions here: the fighting is completely strategy, 'realtime' has little to do with it, and reflexes nothing. I died a few times before I found that out, and it can get pretty frustrating. There is a particuarly frustrating delay between pressing a button and you character actually carrying out the action (though an exception here is dodging) – you must plan everything out and form tactics for defeating various enemies. The combat system has some really interesting concepts, but the first area just didn't provide enough resources to manipulate them.
The song when I started a new game really didn't excite me at all, though it was only the vocals that put me off. Watching the movie, a hint of nostalgia stirred and I remembered exploring Kokori village for the first time in OoT. This brightened me somewhat, and I soon found the atmosphere to be cute: familiar enough to be natural, but exotic enough to draw me in. It seems like it's just on the threshold of bursting into incredible richness and detail; but my somewhat dulled senses have to stammer around blindly looking for the grail of this detail. The main problem here isn't the graphical style, but what you get to see of the graphical style. The characters are probably the best renders in the game - but you'll only ever see the top of their heads. Perhaps more emphasis should have been placed on the textures that make up the grass, rocks and shrubs of the landscape. The water and rainbow effects are brilliant and almost feel out of place when seen after the somewhat generic gravel and shrubbery.
The music lends itself well to the atmosphere, with subtle and well-developed themes emerging and making themselves familiar. It makes excellent use of unusual beats in particular: using standard classical ones for 'safe' and familiar areas while using folkish and exotic ones for strange and hostile areas.
I would be disappointed with the initial impression given by the game in terms of the detail it provides if it wasn't for one thing: the events. Occasionally something will happen, and a brief cutscene will play, usually detailing (none to subtly) an event or rumour in the world. Although none have yet lead to anything at all, they really give the impression that later in the game, things will coalesce and some great story-arcs will emerge.
Perhaps my main gripe so far is how, well, uninteractive, or how clumsy all interaction with the environment seems. Even your family at this strange is only a vague set of characters tacked on to support a gameplay mechanic; they have no personality, and show no emotion when you first set out or some back to meet them. I'm hoping they will open up somewhat in the letters. Small details like shrubs having a little invisible shield which prevents your character from approaching them, and the fact that minute plateaus are unreachable without some sort of guiding slope take a lot away from the overall feel of the game, and how it feels it can be played. There's nothing for cool-looking escape scenes from a tough gang of enemies or nifty emergent behaviors to emanate from. When you try to do something, you usually have to go through an un-natural set of tasks before you can get anything done. An example of this is when I found a hole in a cliff. When I approached it and pressed the action button it said something in the likeness of: "There is a hole here, do you want to enter?" No sensory clues as to the purpose of the hole were presented, and yet a 'warning' menu was presented. Nothing. In a game, if I go up to a door and press the action button, I want to go in the door, dammit. It might seem like a minor flaw, but interactivity is the most important part of a game. I guess communication between players is meant to provide most of the interaction, but that's no excuse for a minimal, linear, and on the whole sloppy character/environment interface.
So far, I haven’t really experienced anything too great from this game; although note I’ve only played it for a very short ammount of time. Partly this will be due to how I'm playing the game – you have to learn to read before you can appreciate a good book, and I really haven't experienced anything very similiar to this game before. I guess it's caused a random throe of creativity grip me and have me spin a sweater from a piece of lint – which is what this is - but I percieve my interest in this game to be derived from something greater than just the hype surrounding it.
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