Topics

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General Gaming / Silent Hill Discussion

« on: August 23, 2003, 02:01:59 PM »

Just finished playing Silent Hill 3 and it is a great game...

Honestly, though, the story's about as whacked as can be, but I think I finally figured out much of it.  Especially the origins of Pyramid Head and Valtiel...

So...discuss about the series.

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Nintendo Gaming / C'mon, Blockbuster and Sears...are GC sales really that low?

« on: August 07, 2003, 11:08:28 AM »

A couple days ago, I decided to go to the local blockbuster and see if I could rent a game, only to find that the PS2 mostly dominates the video game section. Anyway, the Xbox and GCN each get only one shelf.  Well, at least the GCN is on par with the X-box here, right?  Nope.  The X-box gets the shelf in a nice-well-lit space.  The GCN shelf happens to be in a dark corner, and it doesn't even have the whole shelf to itself.  One part of the shelf actually belongs to the PSX section...

Then yesterday, I decide to head to Sears.  After I scope out the electronics department, I decide to pay the video game section a visit...

Well, when I get there, I see an abundant amount of PS2 and X-box games up on display.  It turns out that's all they have.  I looked hard and even in the bin of old games and they still don't have GCN games.  

I don't get it...why are GCN games doing so bad in certain stores and rental chains?  Honestly, from the looks of it, it would seem like the N64 was doing better than this...  

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Nintendo Gaming / The Hylian Loach

« on: June 21, 2003, 09:54:58 AM »

Well, I'm on my way to clearing OoT.  I have all upgrades, skulltula tokens, heart pieces, and items collected.  I did some of the "specials" such as setting a record on the horse track or buying out the whole bombchu shop, but the one special that I need to truly beat OoT 100% is to catch the Hylian Loach.

The Hylian Loach is the biggest fish in the Fisherman's Pond located in Lake Hylia.  It's a black, eel-like fish that almost never takes the bait.  Before you go after it, you need the sinking lure as well as some luck that the Loach will appear in the pond.  After that, good luck trying to get the loach to take the bait.

I spent two long hours chasing it around the pond trying to force it to take the sinking lure, but it never fell for it.  I have read a guide on how to catch it, but it still does not work.  I tried to get him to take the bait when he surfaces for air, but he still does not take it.

Any advice?  

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Nintendo Gaming / Zelda getting milked?

« on: June 15, 2003, 04:22:14 PM »

Does anybody else get that feeling?   No console ever had more than two Zelda games on it.  Yet, the GCN is getting four Zeldas.  Or five, if you want to be technical.

The Wind Waker
The Four Swords
Tetra's Trackers
The Wind Waker 2 (tentative title)
Ocarina Of Time: Master Quest (technical one)

I do not mind Master Quest, The Wind Waker, or the sequel to the Wind Waker, but The Four Swords and Tetra's Trackers.  But The Four Swords and Tetra's Trackers?  C'mon...I know both of them were meant to help with GBA connectivity, but they sound like milkers.  One is somewhat of a party title, and the other is a definite party title.  

Before the GCN, all Zeldas (except for the horse manure that were the Philips versions and The Four Swords GBA) were massive adventures that sucked players into worlds that were unique only to Zelda.  The Four Swords was an exception, but it did also contain the port of LTTP.  And it is not on the main console.

However, the Four Swords GCN and Tetra's Trackers are.  The Four Swords, from what I hear, is a fun title, but it is not a massive spectacle we all come to expect from the main console Zeldas.  Even so, this would not be enough evidence of Zelda getting milked if Tetra's Trackers did not come into play at the same time.  That is just a blatent party game so far.  

I do not want to see the series many esteem for being the best get milked.  Metroid is not getting this treatment, so why is Zelda?  They are Nintendo's two best series quality-wise (Mario has too many titles.  As many quality titles he has, he has lots of crap titles as well, sadly) by the fans and critics alike, so they should not be marred with any side titles.  If they want to have gaidens of the series, that is all right, but no side titles like "Zelda Party."  

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General Chat / The Great GameFAQs Character Battle II

« on: June 08, 2003, 11:09:05 AM »

It's that time of the year again.

I'm betting most of you do not like it, but it's just so much fun.  You thought the console wars debates were rough when dealing with Sony and Microsoft fanboys?  This is even rougher.  Characters are insulted as well as the company they are tied to.  Not only that, with a prize reward of $300 on the line, you'll see "internet advertising" going around when July starts.  Also. Anyone here ever participated in an NCAA bracket?  You could fill out a similar bracket and whoever gets the most points when the battle is finished gets the prize of 300 online dollars.  

What do I mean by "internet advertising" though?  Well, it is when people go around other sites advertising this contest and trying to force people to vote for a specific character.  Planet Gamecube was involved in it when Mario was losing against Cloud.  You might say this is what sucks about it, but that is what makes it great in a sense as well.  So many people get into it, especially when there is a reward involved, in this case, there is.

This year's looks to be more violent than last year's.  I heard accounts of forums and chatrooms being invaded already with people trying to advertise the characters they want to win.  It will be hell this summer when the contest launches off.

But in the end, it's all about how much fun it was to participate in a video-game contest of this magnitude.  As for me, it's a ton of fun, especially if I place in the top ten of the contest.  

Also, fifteen Nintendo characters are involved this year.  Sweet.  Nintendo characters nearly make 25% of the characters in this year's battle.  

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Nintendo Gaming / The winds brought the same thing...Death. (Spoilers warning)

« on: June 02, 2003, 05:32:35 PM »

One thing confused a couple people here, and it is the nonexistent state of the Gerudo, the tribe Ganondorf hails from, in The Wind Waker.  

In the end, before Ganondorf delivers three blows to Link and summons the Triforce, Ganondorf mentions how the winds destroyed his land while another wind seemed to bring a type of prosperity to Hyrule.  

I'm just wondering, but his land is the Gerudo land, correct?  Could that mean that the Gerudos have been killed off by these winds?

And are these winds the gods' doings?  The gods selected choice people and placed them on the top of mountaintops so they could survive the flood and create future generations that could one day awaken Hyrule in all its glory yet again.  All the major races seem to be there except the Gerudo who were "the bad guys" of the land.  It seemed that the gods commanded those winds to kill off the Gerudo while the gods brought a "prosperous wind" to Hyrule.  Perhaps I'm just overthinking on this matter and the winds that destroyed Ganondorf's land was natural.

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Nintendo Gaming / A warning to all

« on: May 26, 2003, 04:06:57 PM »

Do not play Mortal Kombat Advance.  After playing that game for fifteen minutes, my whole perspective on life changed.  The game truly redefines the "bottom of the barrel" class to limits which no human can even see.  

To all those who have played for at least five minutes, go seek therapy.  

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General Chat / Pictures

« on: May 04, 2003, 07:10:33 AM »

Which sites can you get 64x64 GIFs no bigger than 20 kbs?  I want one for my profile so it can appear above my name whenever I post.

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Nintendo Gaming / Star Fox Armada: MIA

« on: April 26, 2003, 08:54:07 PM »

This game is supposed to come out in 2003 according to PGC release date charts and the IGN "Biggest Games of 2003" list.  Yet, practically nothing is known about it.  If this isn't in video form or even showcased at E3...well...ummm...yeah.

This game might be Nintendo's biggest title for 2003.  Nothing much is known about it, so it seems Nintendo wants to shroud it in secret.  Along with Pikmin 2, Mario Kart: DD, and the already released Wind Waker, it looks as if this year will be great for first-party titles.    

[any]

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Nintendo Gaming / Mario Kart LAN

« on: April 23, 2003, 06:52:37 AM »

I am not looking forward to the LAN feature of Mario Kart.  It is a cool option to have in a game, but that probably means no online feature.  

Online, to me, is much better than LAN.  LAN is fun and all, but online lets you play against a braod userbase at any time.  Eight friends are hard to gather, especially during the school year.  

This could have been the game that could launch Nintendo's online feature.  But, alas, the cost of setting up online is too much.  This game alone cannot pay off the cost of online.  Still, if Nintendo and a couple other third-parties has more promising multiplayer games lined up after Mario Kart, I do not see the harm in setting up online.  The games could pay off the cost of online and finally gve GCN owners who do not have a Xbox or PS2 the chance to go online.  

I doubt we'd be seeing that anytime soon though...

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Nintendo Gaming / Legend of Zelda

« on: April 22, 2003, 08:40:27 AM »

Anybody here ever played the original?  That was hardcore Zelda goodness: nine levels all designed after their names filled with enemies that had no A.I., but were tough regardless, puzzles that sometimes made no sense (i.e. invisible walls), a damage reduction system that was much more harsh compared to Wind Waker, old men who were all pedaphiles, various cave dwellers, the classic world map, state-of-the-art graphics(in those times), a soundtrack that beats out any NES soundtrack ever made, bombing various spots in the wall hoping a hole would appear for Link to go through, Ganon's Palace, and of course, the final showdown between Link and Ganon for the fate of Princess Zelda.

Ah, good memories...  

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Nintendo Gaming / RE's exclusitivity status

« on: April 12, 2003, 07:55:28 PM »

A rumor's going around that Capcom is reconsidering their decision on making RE exclusive for GCN.  Low sales seem to be the reason.  Indeed, the charts support this.  RE0 barely even cracked 400-500 thousand copies here in the states.  A port of Code Veronica to the PS2 sold more than that.  RE1 did decent.  I think it maybe cracked 1 million copies worldwide.  But the TRSTS chart I saw thanks to Mingesium got me worried on whether Capcom will continue supporting GCN if its juggernaut game sells just decent on the GCN when it could have sold over a million easily on the PS2.  I just hope lots of people go out and buy RE4 when it is released.  

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Nintendo Gaming / Capcom Five

« on: April 09, 2003, 04:31:36 PM »

The first of the Capcom Five, Product Number 03, seems to be a disappointment.  I'm skeptical of the rest.  I know P.N. 03 was probably rushed, but I don't want to see the other exclusives from GCN's biggest third-party supporter be crap too.  Well, Resident Evil 4 looks to be on the right track...