The Gamer's Quarter

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

It will be a long time before I try out this FFXII demo. Why'd they even bother?
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

To sell more games!!!!

Seriously though, I am excited to get this tonight.

Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

Hopefully mine will arrive in short order. The UPS site says it has been in transit since like six this morning and it's afternoon time now. I ordered it yesterday morning, I even spent ten extra dollars on next day shipping. Yet the day is not completely over with yet.

So!

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

SuperWes · Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 2:37 pm Post subject:

Dragon Quest 8!

meh.

I'm probably going to get it. Maybe even today. But I won't like it!

-Wes
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Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

Well, I have dealt with them (We're talking about the Oklahoma branch here.) in the past and have received no such treatment. All my packages have always arrived in a timely manner and in good condition.

So!

Wes: Then don't buy it! Dragon Quest is only for people who can appreciate it. Not philistines like you.

Oh-ho!

I'm totally joking on the philistine comment, just so you know.

edit-Shit yeah! It just came. More like, I just came, am I right? Heh. No? Oh well.

Damn, this is quite a package. I didn't know the actual game itself came in a cardboard case.

Lestrade · Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 3:11 pm Post subject:

Oh shit! And I just started playing Resident Evil 4, too. I definitely want to get this and share the love.

friedchicken · . Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 496 Location: Port Land, OR

If I didn't have so much work to do lately, I'd try DQ8. It sounds great!

Yeah, as for UPS, I've had similar problems with most of the big carrers-- including having irreplaceable original art torn to shreds. PROTIP: If a box gets destroyed in transit, you're essentially fucked, even if you have insurance, unless you can prove the value of the destroyed items. And even if you CAN prove the value, it will take months to complete the claim! Hooray!

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

I've had my share of UPS troubles, including a manager that threatened to cut off service to my home after they lost a package, unless I would withdraw my claim through Amazon. Bunch of crooks.

DonMarco · . Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 349 Location: 33903

Wes, you ever have one of those Wednesdays where you open boxes with smaller boxes in them? And those smaller boxes have 3 even smaller boxes? And you open those to pull out four games? And actually, you have like 50 big boxes to open because EA hates you?

Dragon Quest VIII? More like "Final Quest VIII" am I rite?!?
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Collector of over 1,538 strategy guides. That's weird, right?

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

I was there while my poor local EB clerk unpackaged the things. He only had three boxes, which each had three boxes, which each had four games. I felt sorry for him.

I had to buy a new PSTwo to play it. I also have a slime controller. I also have some slime keychains.

I've finished the portion that was covered in the demo. That was kind of boring, as I had already explored the hell out of that area. I stopped in the second town. My eyes hurt, as does my stomach. I hope this is a temporary thing and I adjust; usually only the choppiest of First Person Shooters give me motion sickness. Ugh.

It might be because I haven't played a 3D game in months...
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:19 am Post subject:

I've kinda been talking shit about this game because I am burnt out on RPGs and I assumed that everyone else was too, but I got it today and (after finishing the Final Fantasy XII demo) I couldn't put it down. Dragon Quest 8 is very, very good. It's reminding me of why I started playing RPGs in the first place. The thing just oozes charm.

I'm currently at the second town without even a clue as to what to do next. If this kind of thing keeps up for the rest of the game I may just have to take back the kinds words I gave it above. You hear me SquEnix? Throw me a bone!

-Wes
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dessgeega · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:00 am Post subject:

enjoy all monsters · . Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 30

playing earthbound over the past couple of weeks has sold me on the idea of dragon quest, i think. i get the feeling that it's the sort of game i'll click with.

Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

I think you'd have to be a pretty jaded cynic not to get some form of enjoyment out of the games.

I know that after four and half hours with part 8 I'm starting to remember why I got into RPGs in the first place. The last time I played one to completion was years ago, though.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

It's quite a bit quicker for me, though I'm playing on a new PS2, so that may have something to do with it.
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:39 am Post subject:

Tablesaw · . Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 303 Location: LACAUSA

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:16 pm Post subject:

Tablesaw · . Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 303 Location: LACAUSA

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

I think they're eating dinner after the part with the mouse in the attic. Wes, I'll save you the trouble of speaking to everyone in town twice like I did and just tell you to talk to the kids guarding the door on the second floor a couple times.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

So did this turn into a spoilers and hint thread? If it did cool, but lable as such.

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:31 pm Post subject:

I'm not sure there are any spoilers mentioned...

-Wes
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GSL · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:44 pm Post subject:

wourme · . Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 362 Location: Maridia

I was planning to buy DQ8 at full price immediately upon release (something I do with VERY few games), but the demo actually dissuaded me. I'll counter this by saying that two of my top five RPGs on any platform are Dragon Quest games and that I have nothing against a 2D series I like moving to 3D if it is done well.

I can't reconcile the perfect reviews and praise from people who appreciate good video games with my experience with the demo. I didn't get very far in the demo (I quit after reaching the second floor of the cave), and I hoped that I simply hadn't given the game a fair chance. But then I started hearing things like "Despite the weak story, it has a lot of charm." I wish I could find out what that charm is and whether I'll find it charming without spoiling the game.

These are some things that left me unimpressed:

- As in past games, you can search every bag and cabinet. But in this game, I had to wait for an animation when doing so. Also, it bugged be the way he "searches" barrels by picking them up and breaking them.

- This is probably becuase I played the demo halfway through Shadow of the Colossus, but I felt that the engine really didn't live up to the graphics. I mean, I couldn't even leave a path when the ground was perfectly level on both sides--it's been a while since I've seen that in a game. The old DQ games weren't even like that.

- The game was nice visually, but not THAT nice. The graphics aren't enough to make up for any shortcomings there may be, at any rate. And I sort of don't like how the main characters look--but at least they are better than this.

Okay, I just had to complain about this. I don't really need to be convinced--I'm going to end up buying it, and I'm sure it will have some very good sequences (just as Dragon Quest 7 did), but I'm probably going to wait for a price drop. I'm just disappointed that somehow the demo didn't hook me.

I do have one question about the game if anyone is willing to answer yes or no--does it include the type of stale humor that brought us the lecherous old man in DQ7? I really hope not.

dessgeega · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:47 pm Post subject:

i actually found the dragon quest VIII demo to be less compelling than III or V, too. that's probably my disdain for its not being a neat two-dimensional grid filled with charming little sprites, though. the "explore a town and dungeon" demo didn't thrill me but the "explore the countryside and fight things" one did.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Lackey · . Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 1107 Location: Canada

It sounds both nostalgic and depressing.
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Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

wourme · . Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 362 Location: Maridia

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

So. All the people complaining about the story being lackluster are a little wrong.

The story is God fucking awful.

Spoilers! (Not very bad ones, I don't think.) At first, it was just a retread of Final Fantasy VII. Hey, there's some random badguy wandering all over the world. Let's follow him! He even retraces some of Sephiroth's moves. He went across the ocean! We have to go to some weird temple! But then! Then it turns into EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING RPG STORYLINE EVER. Some kind of big bad ancient evil thing will be unleashed after X number of items have been collected! Except this time, it's X number of people have been killed. I ALREADY KNOW they're going to die and the ancient evil is going to be unleashed and I'm going to have to fight it to save the world and blah blah blah. Stop fucking patronizing me already and kill the stupid motherfuckers off instead of pretending like I have a chance of saving them. Fuck.

There would have to be a very major plot twist to save this train wreck from the horrible cliché it's mired itself in. The only thing that could make it worse is if the church is secretly evil and is working to resurrect a demon lord or something. Come to think of it, there have been some hints of corruption...

Aside from all that, though, it's a great game.
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

dhex · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:40 pm Post subject:

! ! L O L ! !
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Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

I had to vent somewhere.
_________________

"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

Yeah it's pretty much just a foil.

friedchicken · . Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 496 Location: Port Land, OR

Well I bought it, despite not having much time to play games, because I felt I'd be missing a significant cultural moment not to. I'm determined to take it easy and not rush through and pay lots of attention to what's going on, and who knows, maybe my opinion of RPGs will be turned around.

I'm still trying to track down a god damned slime controller though, just because.

SuperWes · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 9:17 am Post subject:

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Wes had a good point the other day when I was talking to him. The game put the story tertiary to combat and exploration so that you don't feel like you need to rush through the game to get to the end of the story and you can just enjoy the exploration and combat.

I don't know when I will get a chance to play this again, but it will be in bits and pieces until I finish.