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Lestrade
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Lestrade
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 6:45 am    Post subject: Lestrade Reply with quote

Yes, so I'm going to start posting more artwork in here – you know, as an excuse to do it. I quickly sketched a Shadow of the Colossus piece last night that I hope to finish tonight or tomorrow.

For now, however, please allow me to cross-post and include my newest "work": magnetic-title Mario.

Mosaic Mario - Close

Mosaic Mario

Hmm... let's see... this October/November/whenever, my wife and I are returning to Japan for two weeks (well, we're going to Hong Kong too). I can't figure out why, but when I was in Japan four years ago, I didn't buy a single videogame. Not one. Why? I can't even comprehend that.

This year, however, I really do want to pick up a few things. So far, my tentative shopping list includes:

• a white Japanese Saturn (and a Pro Replay, if they carry them)
• something, anything for my DS
• Japanese versions of Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, and Symphony of the Night

That's not too much shit to bring back, I think. I hate extra shit I don't need.

EDIT: I actually miswrote "Symphony of the Night." Fuck me!


Last edited by Lestrade on Thu Mar 09, 2006 9:23 am; edited 2 times in total
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

whoa!

where does one get magnetic tiles like that?
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Lestrade
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 9:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am completely unsure. It was some weird freebee from her workplace, which isn't any sort of magnetic tile factory, at any rate. Fun stuff, though!

(Oh yes, forgot to thank you for posting your Dracula X video. I made a VCD of it and enjoyed it immensely, having never played the game. So... thanks!)
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade wrote:
(Oh yes, forgot to thank you for posting your Dracula X video. I made a VCD of it and enjoyed it immensely, having never played the game. So... thanks!)


thank you, sir.

and the white saturn is heavenly.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you got SOTN for that brand new japanese saturn it has extra areas and things.

I've always wanted one of those JVC saturns.
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Lestrade
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So last night while prepping this for this issue of TGQ I realised that I, in error, deleted all of my TGQ illustrations. In hindsight I can figure out the precise moment when I made that fatal mistake, although at the time I was completely clueless.

Thankfully I am able to cobble together a lot of the final art, but I have lost all of my original Photoshop working files. This is particularly upsetting in the case of my Issue #3 art, which I really enjoyed.

So, yes. I didn't back up when I should, and now I'm paying for it. Stupid me.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade, help us solve a problem!

Kinuko and I were talking about your name (just a few minutes ago!) and we're arguing about how it's pronounced. I pronounce it with a silent "e" and a long "a," like "Le-strahd," whereas she pronounces it in American fashion like "Lestrayde."

Who's right? Are we both wrong? What is the square root of 128??
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I say LES-traa-duh

I think

I can't spell phonetically
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, that's how I pronounce it too. I think.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Persona-sama wrote:
"Le-strahd,"


i pronounce it this way too.

hmm!
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dessgeega wrote:
Persona-sama wrote:
"Le-strahd,"


i pronounce it this way too.

hmm!


Yup, that's right (as far as I know, anyway)!
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 11:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In an attempt to unclutter my LiveJournal of all the stupid, random gaming thoughts I feel the need to write about — and make myself seem slightly less of a fuckwit to the general public — I'm going to start writing in this staff page more often. Here, I figure, it's okay to get up in arms about things that don't matter, like obscure technical terms or why I think the PSP sucks. Out there in the real world — well, I have to check my head, y'know?

Anyway.

Randomly, when I feel like thinking about something gaming-related, I'll think about controllers. I think I have something of a controller fetish. At least, I find them infinitely interesting from a certain perspective; one design versus another, cultural implications, etc. I've no idea why, but this has always been the case.

Right now my main at-home gaming machine is a modded, slim PS2. For it I have no less than four controllers: two standard Dual Shocks, one Nubytech Street Fighter controller (Akuma edition) and one snappily-named Logitech Cordless Action Controller.

The latter is God's gift to PS2 players; less bulbous than an Xbox (or Xbox 360) pad, completely wireless, with perfect analogue sticks and a good, clicky-squishy D-pad, it has made the stock Sony pads completely obsolete for me. I used one today for the first time in months and it just felt bizarre, like a major step backward.

The SF controller is a different story. I use it for, obviously, Street Fighter games, including but not limited to: SF Anniversary Edition, SF Collection 2, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 (rarely!), and Street Fighter Alpha 3. When I first got the controller, it was heaven. Now, for some unknown reason, I'm not so sure about it. The Logitech controller's D-pad — like an Xbox's but looser — just doesn't cut it for classic 2D fighting games, so I usually stick with this one. But man have I been sucking lately whenever I pop in an SF game and noodle around. The controller starts feeling too thick, and my hands get a bit cramped — something I don't remember noticing before. The D-pad, which is smooth and rolls easily, now feels somewhat too big, meaning that it takes more effort to, say, throw a dragon punch than it ought to.

I tried an SF game with the classic Dual Shock, and it indeed felt weird. But I noticed that the smaller D-pad meant I could be more precise more easily. Also, the shoulder buttons meant I could light-punch-medium-punch-dragon-punch combo my opponents like mad. I mean, it was getting brutal.

I kept thinking, If I could get somewhere between the SF controller and the Dual Shock, I'd be all right. My question to anyone who's reading this is: is what I'm looking for the Saturn pad?

(Also see: below comic based on others' comments regarding the Saturn pad)



Last edited by Lestrade on Mon Mar 20, 2006 12:09 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 11:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, if Dr. Rogers is to be believed, the sega produced wireless ps2 controllers combine the dual shock layout with what's essentially the saturn d-pad.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dr. Rogers sounds like a stiff competitor to Dr. Pepper
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade wrote:
Right now my main at-home gaming machine is a modded, slim PS2. For it I have no less than four controllers:
I am a bit of a control whore. I am going to list first then I shal give you a number (note this does not include PS1 specific controllers)

1 Logitec Racing Force Pro (what ever the GT4 one is)
2 Pelican Real Arcade Pro (both modded with good arcade buttons and joysticks)
1 Custom arcade stick (built by me, but currently needs solder work)
1Beatmania IIDX controller
1 Custom Pop'n Music controller
4 Dual Shock 2s (only 2 I use, the rest I am holding onto to take apart and mess with)
1 Saturn PS2 pad (god I love this thing and totally beats the pants off the horrid:
1 SF 6 button Pad (Akuma, like yours. I tried to use it once and found it totally terrible)
1 Blue Slime controller (still in box. too cute to open)
1 Pump It Up dance pad
1 Red Octane Foam DDR Pad
1 Konami crappy DDR Pad (actually... i may have tossed this one)
1 JogCon (while I got it for a PS1 game it does work with RRV as well)


So... yea 17. The PS2 also has the most versitility with contoller adapters. You can even use a PS2 controller on a Neo Geo (although I mainly use my PS2->USB adapter). The Red Octane DDR pad also has an Xbox adapter, and thank god for that. DDR Ultramix 2 is the best version of DDR (well best music) ever, including the Arcade releases. I also have another PS2 -> USB adapter for playing Step Mania: as we all know real DDR music kind of blows.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 12:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I forgot about DDR pads, of which I have one.

Somebody is going to let me fondle their Saturn pad this week, so I will find out if I like it then. I'm trading in a bunch of stuff to the game shop tomorrow to subsidise my purchase of Metroid Prime Hunters; I will probably ditch a Dual Shock and the Akuma controller since I'm feeling very little love for either lately.

Due to the increase in retro compilations and myriad re-releases, I can enjoy almost every game on my PS2 that I didn't get a chance to try the first time around (now even Saturn games!). Because of this, I wish I could have a universal adaptor so I could use the appropriate controller for each game.

That sort of makes sense. Freak, I'm tired.

EDIT: Question! Was there ever a port of the original Samurai Shodown for the PS1?
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Matt: You forgot to mention that you only have three Gamecube controllers and that one of them is broken. So playing Ribbit King inveritably leads to a lot of controller passing and disappointment.

-Wes
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SuperWes wrote:
Matt: You forgot to mention that you only have three Gamecube controllers and that one of them is broken. So playing Ribbit King inveritably leads to a lot of controller passing and disappointment.

I am working on aquiring 2 Wavebirds
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade wrote:
EDIT: Question! Was there ever a port of the original Samurai Shodown for the PS1?


Not that I'm aware of. Super Nintendo, yes, but not PS1.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

friedchicken wrote:
Lestrade wrote:
EDIT: Question! Was there ever a port of the original Samurai Shodown for the PS1?


Not that I'm aware of. Super Nintendo, yes, but not PS1.


Actually yes! There was a Samurai Shodown 1+2 collection that came out in Japan (and maybe europe) somewhat late in the PS1 life cycle. The first game also came out on 3DO, Genesis, and SNES. By my recollection, the 3DO version is the only one at the time that had the screen scaling of the arcade version.

-Wes
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SuperWes wrote:
friedchicken wrote:
Lestrade wrote:
EDIT: Question! Was there ever a port of the original Samurai Shodown for the PS1?


Not that I'm aware of. Super Nintendo, yes, but not PS1.


Actually yes! There was a Samurai Shodown 1+2 collection that came out in Japan (and maybe europe) somewhat late in the PS1 life cycle. The first game also came out on 3DO, Genesis, and SNES. By my recollection, the 3DO version is the only one at the time that had the screen scaling of the arcade version.

-Wes


I knew about all the other versions, but I had only heard rumours of the 1+2 pack, so I wasn't sure. This year in Japan, I WILL FIND IT!

I remember having some good times with the 3DO version.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More info: It was called the Samurai Shodown Fencing Pack and it came out in the year 2000. Good luck finding it!

-Wes
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SuperWes wrote:
More info: It was called the Samurai Shodown Fencing Pack and it came out in the year 2000. Good luck finding it!

-Wes


Wouldn't that be Samurai Spirits? Oh look, there it is! Hopefully I can find a copy when I'm over there.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade wrote:
I WILL FIND IT!


I don't know if you've heard this from anyone yet, but finding specific older games in Japan can be really difficult. It can be easy if you're lucky, but there are so many games released there that some games are just not available unless you happen to find them.

I know that you're looking for SOTN. Think about how difficult it is to find a copy of SOTN in America. Japan is no different than America in this regard. It's certainly possible that you'll run into it at a random GameStop, but it's not very likely. I'm just warning you so you don't get disappointed.

That said...

Sometimes you'll just randomly come across something that's an incredible deal that makes no sense. Sin and Punishment is regularly less than $20 new there, Ogre Battle 64 is under $5 new, and sometimes there will be places that have random recently released games for under $10. I happened across a $30 N64 DD system (with N64) and a $10 copy of Goo Goo Soundy while I was there and these are the only times I ever saw either of these things. I found a place that sold Neo CD systems for $50 and didn't pick one up. I found several places selling "junk" games for around 20 yen. "junk" meaning that the games had a tiny scratch on them. I got the Evangelion Saturn game for this price.

So the moral is that you probably won't find what you're looking for, but you probably will find a lot of stuff you didn't know you were looking for. You'll love it I'm sure.

-Wes
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Side note: SamSho for the SNES and GEN are terrible, but nothing compairs to Game Gear version... NOTHING. It is beyond horrible. I remember playing it in my closet almost in tears of how bad it was. It was the only version I could afford. I almost threw my Game Gear through a wall. I was so foolish to think that the Neo Geo game could be replicated!
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fear not, Wes, I'm no stranger to digging through bins and shelves in Japan. Besides, I can always ask.

Shaper: At the time, Samurai Shodown for the SNES was... welll, as good as one got unless one had a Neo Geo (unlikely) or a 3DO (not recommended). My friend had his SNES hooked up to his gigantic, wall-spanning audio system, and every time there was a bass sound in the game, we would almost feel sick from it.

Despite the inexplicable censorship (orange blood, no fatalities, even though the ESRB was in place already), it was a decent time. The R+Medium combo you had to use in order to get a strong attack was ridiculous, however.

I only played the Genesis version via emulator, and although I appreciate the port (and the larger sprites), it felt a bit aenemic.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shapermc wrote:
Side note: SamSho for the SNES and GEN are terrible, but nothing compairs to Game Gear version... NOTHING. It is beyond horrible. I remember playing it in my closet almost in tears of how bad it was. It was the only version I could afford. I almost threw my Game Gear through a wall. I was so foolish to think that the Neo Geo game could be replicated!


I did this too. I've beaten that version countless times, each time hoping that a character would be sliced in half. As a child I even liked it. In the sense that it was the only SS I could play at home.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Man, I remember being so hyped up about how Samurai Showdown was being ported to the home consoles! I was fresh off the thrill of home ports of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter and looking for the next big fight game to play. I remember constantly reading through that one EGM article comparing all the different versions of Samurai Showdown overa nd over, lusting after the expensive 3DO version with the sprite scaling arcade-perfect gameplay. I settled for the Genesis version as it still had blood and better animation, but with an annoying "press start to switch between slash/kicks." I did end up eventually buying a six-button controller for it though.

I remember picking up my Genesis Samurai Showdown at a seedy import game store down in Torrence. It didn't come with a box, but that was okay - my open arms was box enough.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Last night I spent about fifteen to twenty minutes playing Metroid Prime: Hunters against Aerisdead (of IC:TO and Eurogamer fame). I had crammed far too many necessary tasks into the evening, and by the time my frazzled brain hit my pillow at 1:30 in the morning, I didn't care about any of them.

The game certainly looked good, and in a very Sony-esque nod opens with — gasp! — lots of FMV. I was suddenly reminded of that terrific CG/live action opening sequence — ungodly in length — to Battle Arena Toshinden 2. At least the CG rendering was better than it was back in 1996.

I didn't try any single-player missions yet; I only established my WiFi connection for this game and got to it. I got smoked by Aerisdead in both matches we played. The game's controls certainly didn't help. Initially I used the Dual Whatever setup (southpaw, though I'm not), and immediately was complaining to myself that I had inverted the controls. Needless to say, I watched as Aerisdead bounded around the arena with ease and grace as I struggled to figure out, as it were, which end was up.

We were also testing the walkie-talkie-style voice chat, which was impressively crisp and clear. "I think I inverted my controls," I stated, too loudly, into the DS' mic. "I'm going to jump out and change that."

A minute later, after navigating the game's frustratingly slow (and really poorly drawn) menus, I had my control options changed and I was back in the thick of things.

Only I had just done the opposite of what I wanted; my controls weren't inverted, and I had just inverted them. I was now even more useless, and I proved to myself that I was just a shitty player the first time around. Aerisdead, like everyone I ever play a videogame against, mopped the floor with me. I was glad when the match was over, because running around swiveling your blaster arm at a ceiling isn't as fun as you might think.

After Aerisdead was gone, I tried to switch control schemes and play a quick match against a bot, just to see if I was any better. The only problem is, I couldn't get the fucking control option to change. I was getting increasingly irate at this point, which made any rational thought difficult. After a few minutes I was so incensed that I just wailed, "Fuck! Fuckit, fucking fuck!," violently snapped the machine off and threw it on my desk. I had some work to do, and I needed to focus.

First impressions of the game: Fuck you.

I'm hoping that when I get a chance to try it again, it will be a better experience. Right now, though, I am so aggravated that I'm boycotting my DS for a paperback detective novel.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade wrote:
We were also testing the walkie-talkie-style voice chat, which was impressively crisp and clear. "I think I inverted my controls," I stated, too loudly, into the DS' mic. "I'm going to jump out and change that."

Whoa! Awesome. I may get this after all.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shapermc wrote:
Lestrade wrote:
We were also testing the walkie-talkie-style voice chat, which was impressively crisp and clear. "I think I inverted my controls," I stated, too loudly, into the DS' mic. "I'm going to jump out and change that."

Whoa! Awesome. I may get this after all.


Shaper, it's called a phone. :-)
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade wrote:
Shaper, it's called a phone. Smile
My butt still hurts from the bill I got last time I called you.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shapermc wrote:
Lestrade wrote:
Shaper, it's called a phone. :-)
My butt still hurts from the bill I got last time I called you.


That sounds so wrong.

I understand you now; let's connect to Metroid but not actually play the game! We can formulate winning TGQ strategies FO FREES that way.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade wrote:
I understand you now; let's connect to Metroid but not actually play the game! We can formulate winning TGQ strategies FO FREES that way.

The funny thing is that MP:Hunters is cheaper than the phone bill was. Hahahaha.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shapermc wrote:
Lestrade wrote:
I understand you now; let's connect to Metroid but not actually play the game! We can formulate winning TGQ strategies FO FREES that way.

The funny thing is that MP:Hunters is cheaper than the phone bill was. Hahahaha.

You guys might be on to something here...
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TGQ Metroid VOIP meetings?!?!
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hey wait, hunters has voice chat?
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Persona-sama
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apparently only outside of games. It's like chatting in a room before a match!
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Persona-sama wrote:
Apparently only outside of games. It's like chatting in a room before a match!


Before and after, yes.
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

can you theoretically hang out for as long as you want and just chat up your buddies? or is there a timer?

because free ds voice chat is more exciting to me right now than bounty hunters trying to shoot each other.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 8:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not sure about how long you can spend chatting, Dess.

And in an twist of fate, I've rid myself of Metroid already. I just wasn't "feeling the love," as I put it, so I sold it to a fellow Insert Credit: Toronto pal last night at the IC:TO Meeting. I might pick up MGS3: Subsisisisisitisisisitence today after I meet my Japanese tutor.

Last night was by all accounts quite fun. Meeting at Pacific Mall in the barren wasteland of Markham (technically, we were across the street from the Toronto city limits), we toured around the place, checked out some game-related bubble toy machines, and then tried to find the infamous Scary Dry Cleaners.

This local legend has it that the couple that owns a small dry cleaning shop in the mall lost their only daughter years ago. In her stead they keep a child's doll propped in a chair in their shop and "feed" it cookies and other snacks. I've seen the doll before, and... wow, you just get a chill from that thing. It's creepy.

- -

Eventually we made our way to the arcade which favours Japanese-style, sit-down machines that are networked. Aerisdead and I played some Mario Kart GP, which quickly became one my favourite arcade games of all time in a few minutes. The physicality of the game — steering, using the pedals, slamming that item button in the middle of the wheel to use your items — really makes all the difference. Playing Mario Kart DS just won't be the same anymore. Whipping the steering wheel around and working the pedals to make that perfect last-minute corner just can't be replicated with a tiny D-pad and a hand-cramping button layout, you know?

Next I played Sogeki (Silent Scope EX). Even more so than Mario Kart GP, I realised how much more engaging video games are when they come with their own hardware. That hefty sniper rifle is just a delightful thing, in a violently disturbing sort of way. As Aerisdead and I ad-libbed the lines of our stereotypical teammates — the Angry Black Man and the Busty Blonde Whore — I managed to show a few terrorists that Jack Thompson was right, that I was being trained to be a ruthless killing machine right then and there.

While I was trying my hand at the counter-terror game, some of the other guys tried their best against an obvious Street Fighter III champ, who was one of those players that instantly makes gaming not fun, because you can't play a casual few rounds against someone who obviously spends more time mastering parries than he does, say, bathing.

After the arcade, I thought two things: one, that I really, really, cannot wait for the Revolution to launch (even more so than before). The idea of having functions like a real steering wheel, perhaps even a sniper rifle, all possible with that little magic wand is enticing. Suddenly the idea of hunching on a couch, selecting menus like "Attack" and "Magic" over and over and over again, watching your actions be played out before you with only this minimal and repetitive input — well, it just seems backwards.

Actually shooting the bad guys, steering a kart — moving and jostling and having fun — seems so much more attractive than watching a bored 16-year-old play Street Fighter III sitting down, eyes glazed as he stars right past his screen, using the same three devastating moves to annihilate his opponent in the quickest fashion possible, only to move on to the next hopeless challenger. Where is the fun in that, exactly? Of being so consciously skilled at a game that all you can do is burn through opponent after opponent without even thinking? Where's the fun in wasting away your free time in a loud, boisterous arcade, learning nothing? Accomplishing nothing? Doing nothing yet repeat the same few dozen flicks of a joystick ad infinitum?

In any case, as we all took transit out of the wasteland and back to the city proper, we played some four-player, single-card Puyo Puyo and Tetris DS. I have to say, Tetris is still perfect, wonderful fun, although I wish Colour_Thief would have told us he's a global Tetris champion before my spree of 10-second losses began. Still, as someone put it, there's something about "playing games on your DS that you don't actually own." Fleeting matches of download-play DS gaming is one of the most satisfying videogame experiences I've yet had, even if my little angular blocks were practically swimming to the top of my screen like a drowning man frantically clamouring for air.

As soon as I got home, I headed back out again to join some friends and long-lost colleagues for a jovial night of beer and silliness. It would be 3 AM before I would crawl into bed. By that time, all thoughts of the falling Tetris blocks, the sniper scopes and the uninterested 16-year-olds were blissfully wiped from my mind in a lovely, golden haze.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade, how are you and your wife getting on with Dragon Quest 8: did it get any better or is it in your not played pile.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ketch wrote:
Lestrade, how are you and your wife getting on with Dragon Quest 8: did it get any better or is it in your not played pile.


It's been pitched.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okay, I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but please to be listening to my dream.

First things first: I received an email from Tim (108) last night regarding some stickers. I didn't reply just yet because I was too tired to form a coherent sentence. Shortly thereafter I went to bed.

In the dream, I was in a sprawling, open field at dusk. All I could see around me were trees and gently rolling hills. Suddenly, I turn around and there's Tim, repeating what he wrote in his email. One of us was picking at some blades of grass as we talked about I-don't-know-what. The email, I guess. This was all very short.

Then [garbled memory], I'm in a house/tavern/something, and I receive two letters. One is written on thick parchment and rolled up; the other is sealed in a large, ratty-looking envelope.

This is where the dream gets fucking bizarre. The first letter is from Mister Toups. The second is from Dessgeega. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY. I also don't know what the letters exactly say, but I think they want to get together, like old friends.

Despite this odd thematic twist, I agree to (as I suppose was requested of me) join a World of WarCraft guild (in "real life") so we can band together to slay the foul beast that's disrupting the land. So... uh... we do. And then we go through sweeping, epic scenes of vicious fighting, lost friends, and tearful sacrifices until we arrive at the climax of the dream. (I might add that Tim is no longer in the dream, and there may have been one to three faceless friends in our crazy little party.)

The beast we're meant to slay is a huge one — a hydra-like creature that can split itself entirely in two, which it does. It's several stories tall, and the party bisects itself to properly deal with it. Both sides of the beast is a stereotypical dragon-thing. I vaguely remember dodging fire on one side, ice on the other. Blah blah blah a bunch of stuff I remember...

... and then I wake up.

I'm clutching my cell phone, and I turn off its alarm. Then the dream hits me, and I think, What the hell was that!? I look for my wife and sort of pet my cat in a daze.

So... yes. Sorry Toups, sorry Dessgeega, sorry Tim. But thanks for helping my slay the dragon.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A few nights ago I had a dream where you and I shared a cab in Manhattan. It wasn't that bad of a dream.

I've had dreams where Toups and his brother appear and talk in Russian.

I think I spend too much time on the internet.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 2:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

seryogin wrote:
A few nights ago I had a dream where you and I shared a cab in Manhattan. It wasn't that bad of a dream.

I've had dreams where Toups and his brother appear and talk in Russian.

I think I spend too much time on the internet.


Hopefully we got out of the cab and then invisibly bungee-jumped our way onto a passing tanker?

There is someone in this city who looks like Mr. Toups, and I get freaked out every time I see him.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lestrade wrote:
seryogin wrote:
A few nights ago I had a dream where you and I shared a cab in Manhattan. It wasn't that bad of a dream.

I've had dreams where Toups and his brother appear and talk in Russian.

I think I spend too much time on the internet.


Hopefully we got out of the cab and then invisibly bungee-jumped our way onto a passing tanker?

There is someone in this city who looks like Mr. Toups, and I get freaked out every time I see him.


As far as I can remember we were meeting my Russian friend and his merry band of soccer hooligans to take over the Staten Island Ferry.
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So I played Black for another couple of hours this weekend and my opinion of the game is definitely changing. I must just be in the mood for its brand of play, because I enjoyed these hours with it a lot more than I did the previous sessions.

I can only play one mission at a time, for two reaons: one, they usually take me upwards of an hour to complete (which is sort of impressive in itself). Two, I find that each level is so intense that I can't even deal with any more stimuli afterwards.

The explosions, the rockets, the shattering windows, the debris flying everywhere, the yelling, the chatter of guns — after an hour of this, I need to go outside, take a walk and clear my head.

I must say though that the game is really hitting the spot now. My previous indifference is quickly turning into healthy affection. Because of its intensity, simplicity and focus, the game is one I don't mind enjoying in small doses. I know the game isn't long, and that makes me want to savour each mission, because I never know when it will be my last. Similarly, the game does not evoke the desire to rush through it; each mission is thoroughly saturated with enough stimulation to satisfy the most MTV-addled teenager for days. For me, playing more than one mission every few days or so would ruin the impact of each one. It's like ordering three very expensive, incredibly gourmet appetizers; you want to take your time with them.




I keep trying to find a Street Fighter game I can stick with and really improve at. I usually return to Street Fighter III, but there are so many things I don't like about the game:

One, there are too many "freak" characters (Oro, Twelve, etc.), and I hate these. Unless I'm playing Killer Instinct, I want humans in reasonably outfits using martial arts. Sorry. Two, I think I sort of suck at the game. Three, the music just fucking sucks, doesn't it? Then again, the music in every Street Fighter game sucks. (Well, I like Turbo's.) Four, Gill is really, really stupid, in a bad comic-book kind of way.

So while I love the game's looks and mechanics, I'm struggling with the gameplay and these niggling details. So I popped Street Fighter Alpha 3 in for some variety, and realised that I like this game a lot less than I used to.

Not only is the music really, truly bad, but there is so much happening on-screen, I get agitated very easily. Three types of super meters, character portraits, guard meters, win counters, combo counters, etc. etc. When will someone with an ounce of sensibility get to design all these auxiliary bits for a fighting game? Street Fighter II: Turbo kept it clean, and it's only due to overeager pixel artists that fighting game interfaces have become as bad as they are.

I found a new game in using Ken, whom I haven't played with in a while, but there's still something about the game — or rather a collection of somethings — that keep me from having fun.

I wonder if I'd still like Alpha 2? I practically bought my first PlayStation from a friend so I could play that game. I don't remember it being so... insane.

After all this, I popped in my copy of Street Fighter Collections 2 and booted up a game of SF2:Turbo. Yeah, that hit the spot. I still think it's the best game in the entire series, parries be damned.



Last edited by Lestrade on Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:45 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

SFA2 all the way. Also... I don't really agree with you on most of your comments about SFIII. I note that you are also refering to Third Strike with all of your comments. Have you played Double Impact? Perhaps it is more for you.
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shapermc wrote:
SFA2 all the way. Also... I don't really agree with you on most of your comments about SFIII. I note that you are also refering to Third Strike with all of your comments. Have you played Double Impact? Perhaps it is more for you.


Well if that's the case, I'm screwed, because unless I get another Dreamcast, I won't be playing it.

But yeah. Bad, fake hip-hop and a (nearly) naked man who is red and blue? Fuck's sakes. I should stop playing videogames, I think; I obviously can't enjoy them from the perspective of a lonely 13-year-old who thinks Ultimate X-Men is the pinnacle of modern literature (which is obviously the audience for things like this).*

*edited for clarity


Last edited by Lestrade on Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:52 am; edited 1 time in total
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