Someone asked if there was any real connection between Koudelka and Shadow Hearts yesterday. To clarify the issue, aside from both being set in the real world, they're set within a few years of each other, every character from Koudelka who isn't dead shows up at some point or another in the story, usually playing a pretty significant role, and of course the setting of Koudelka is to be found later in Shadow Hearts.

Now, whether you have to play it to get the most out of Shadow Hearts is another matter entirely. One of the things I've always dug about Koudelka is that it has, hands down, the most narrowly focused plot of any RPG ever made. There's no warring kingdoms, no earth scarring superweapons, no having to save the world from an evil megalomaniac. The whole game takes place in one building, with the major story points quite honestly having no real impact on anyone besides those involved.

So basically, yes, Koudelka provides backstory to Shadow Hearts, but it provides roughly as much backstory as talking to all the people in a given town in the game, and there's a nice little catch-up.

Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't play Koudelka, it's a pretty nifty game in its own right.
Oh yes, in keeping with my policies I should throw a question in here too. What do you think of the various bits of news regarding FF10-2 floating about? You can find people everyone rambling on about the shots of girls in skimpy outfits, but you generally don't hear anyone talking about the fact they're evidently bringing back the job system, via magical girl transformation sequences, and adding a jump button, bringing up horrific memories of Xenogears' Babel Tower. Again, your thoughts?

- Google

My Dearest Andrew (cough, snigger);

Tellah: miss, miss, miss, miss, hit (8 point), miss, miss, take three fricking turns to cast Fire 3 (upon casting spell only one monster is left and kills the monster 16 times over).

Has anyone noticed that BIG STRONG Samson in Beyond the Beyond hits hardly any better than Annie?

And don't you wish you had saved ALL of your Sources of Agility for Edward?

-Wesley

"On a caring scale of 1 to 100, with 1 being "I couldn't care less" then "I could care less" could be anything from 2 to 100."

No, because on that scale 100 is caring very very very much and you cannot possibly care any more because there is no 101 or decimals after 100. Therefore, "I could care less" could only be anything from 2 to 99! Ah ha ha ha! Even more irrelevant minutiae nitpicking!

with all the warmest regards of a magically animated peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich that will join the party in Chrono Break to replace Turnip,

- WobblyFork

Hey Andrew,

First, I just wanted to say that I think you're doing an awesome job as a host, your sarcasm parallels my own.

Second, I wanted to comment about the "Japanese-only extras". In many cases, while a game is being localized, we receive extra bosses or small changes that the developers didn't have time to include before the Japanese release. They will then re-release the game in Japan, with the English dialogue, so that the fans overseas don't feel left out. This is the case with both of the titles mentioned, so we really aren't missing anything.

Thanks,

SkywardShadow

Hey Andrew, long time reader, first time lesbian. As I watched the Q&A column around christmas time I noticed something. Everyone who sent in a letter about what they were getting just had to mention they were getting it from a girlfriend! Now I think I remember you telling people to write in about what they wanted to get, but not who they were getting it from. But anyway the rule goes that anyone who has to bring up the fact that they have a girlfriend whenever they possibly can probably doesn't actually have one. Hmmmm, how pitifully sad.

For most annoying RPG character.... I dont have one, I love everyone always! By the way if you give me a smartass answer to this I'll RIP YOUR FREAKIN FACE OFF!!!!

Peace
Josh

Yeah, Transmetal 2 Megatron rocked. Best cyborg dragon ever. There was this one time, he did this thing, and blew some stuff up... Yeah, that was cool.

Here are some questions, because I care.

1) Lunar GBA, Zelda GBA, or Yoshi's Island GBA? Ever time I try to decide which one to buy my brain starts to convulse. Stupid lack of being able to buy all the games I want. Make a decision for me, I'm lazy.

2) Why hasn't ADV released King of Bandit Jing in North America yet? Noir and RahXephon be damned! I want Jing DVDs!

3) Netto is a crazy bastard. He jumped off a moving bus so that he could go save Rockman from Skullman! I ever tell you how much the Rockman EXE manga rocks? Well, it does. Wait, that wasn't a question...damnit. Just pretend it was, or something.

There is nothing funnier then staying up all night, then watching Sesame Street while drunk. Really. -Jita

Everybody and their mother's bashing Quina, but have you ever stopped to think about what he/she/it has gone through? First, it's obvious it has a horrible eating disorder. There's no argument there. Then, the party ditches it on the other side of the world TWICE, although one can argue that the first time was its own fault. When Quina swims across the ocean to find you again, nobody even cares. Then later on, when everybody splits into four groups, Zidane's upset because he's stuck with Quina, and he says it out loud right in front of its face. Don't you think someone as depressed as Quina would do anything to get attention, including being a total moron?

Also, I know this is a bit late, but I've been much too lazy to send letters. My worst RPG moment was playing Super Mario RPG. I've already beaten it several times, but I was fighting Smithy again because the last battle was so awesome (I was 12 at the time). My friend comes over and asks if he can try. I give him the controller, and on his first hit, he beats Smithy! Then, for several years, whenever RPGs were brought up in a conversation, he would mention how he was able to defeat Smithy in one hit. Needless to say, it got very annoying after a while. I know that's not a really horrible moment, but I've never really had that many bad RPG moments.

My best moment is a "I was down to one hit point, and I attacked, and I won!" In this case, it was Fenrir against Opiomorph. After that battle, I made it my solemn duty to beat up anybody who said Citan wasn't the coolest RPG character ever. But, that never came up, so my fists have remained clean. Again, sorry this is so late, but since winter break started, I've been in a state of half-consciousness (is that even a word?).

BL Alien

2 Things,

1: Reguarding all the Suikoden games, whats with the time ratio on that stuff, if you ask me it seems pretty inacurate. I mean, just look at the difference between Suikoden I and Suikoden II, then take Tengaar and Hix, they only age about 3 years, but Flik and Viktor age about 7. I dont even want to start on the ratios of Suikosaga Vol.1 & 2.

2: In Suikoden III, Nash Latjke is the coolest character, hands down, yet they made it so you can only use one of his weapons! If you read up on the history of Nash, he also has two swords which Yuber seems to have stolen, a dagger, which he only draws once to defend Chris from Hugo in that one village, and also how can you forget the Grossier Flux! I bought the game mainly to see him with all the weapons and such, yet i was dissapointed to see that he only shot knives from him sleem/arm. What do you think about that?!?!

Red

• Way too much free time.

• Classes and work.