RPGamer - Letters for November 14, 2000

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Googleshng - November 14 '00- 2:00 Eastern Standard Time

This last week wasn't so good to me. I get a ton of very printable letters, then get sick and sleep so much there's only time to post a couple a day. THEN two staffers quit out of the blue and I have to replace them. Yikes. Fate must be getting back at me for trying to break my curse by making everyone promise not to quit over halloween.

Just so you aren't kept in suspense, Cheshire Catalyst, ancient submitter of weird pics, and come to think of it my first choice to replace Brad when he left, will be taking over weekend Q&A effective immediately. Meanwhile, Gin is going to go to his classes, hang out with friends, and generally relax a bit... aside from his half dozen other major obligations that he retired so he could work on that is. As he said yesterday, feel free to mail him some more goodbye letters.

Now, on a MUCH lighter note, FF9 and SoA are both out today I believe... but not in my EB. So, either today or tomorrow, run out and grab'em, and play to your little hearts' content.

Shocked?

Ask Google
Me too.

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Fan Googles

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Listen

In the SNES:

Pokémon Silver
Yeeha, 12 new ones in an hour.

Super Gameboy

Hey Googleshng,
Some time ago, you had Pokémon GS in your "In the SNES" sidebar. Are you using the "Super Game Boy" accessory that came out several years ago? If so, would I still be able to find one, and how much would it cost? Does it display the same number of colors as the Game Boy Color? I like Pokemon, but I don't want to buy a Game Boy just for it.

~The Silent One~

Googleshng:
Yes, I am one of the few people who own an SGB. For the record, it's a MUST for the original versions of Pokémon. I couldn't survive without the color coded HP bar. Now then, I'm pretty sure it doesn't show the same number of colors as the GBC, considering that the maps are still shown in the optimized 4 color pallete scheme as the older games. Meaning, Veridian City is 4 shades of green, Goldenrod is bright yellow, honestly it's quite gaudy. Fight graphics are much more colorful however. Each Pokémon has it's own unique pallete. Still, the SGB is more limited than the GBC. As for getting one, try eBay?

Halloween wackiness

Hey (summons monks) GOOG-LE-SH-NG (monks take of to the buffet) I noticed that on Halloween you dressed like a witch so that means. (a bunch of Pythonian pesants yell) A WITCH!!! But how do we know you're a witch. (pesant comes up) that transexual turned me into a Newt (holds up picture of him as former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich) The punishment is burning at the stake. (Dilandau shows up) MWA HA HA HA BURN!!( laughs evily but how else could he laugh) I've also seen funny things where game or anime characters run for president. In your opinion, who would be the best of these characters for president, why, and what a campaign slogan would be.
ImperialMog

Googleshng:
That's just the right balance of obscure references to get printed. Now, if I could have any fictional character be president, I think I'd actually go with Starscream from the original Transformers. He always wanted to be in charge, I'd kinda like to see just what he'd do if he was. 8)

Zelda

Possible spoilers for ancient games

Google:

Before we get started, let me say this. I just don't understand why you people don't like Majora's Mask! I havn't been this absorbed in a game since I got Zelda on my GameBoy! Am I missing some great big flaw in the game, or something? Granted, OoT is a BETTER game, but this is more carefuly crafted. Anyways, enough of my ranting, onto the point.

I was reading the staff review of Zelda: OoT, and it mentioned that the plot was a remake. Wait a minute, that's not right! Am I the only one whose figured this out? Or am I crazy to think this? Here, I present for your evaluation, my (spoiler ridden) Zelda Timeline!

1) Zelda: Orciana of Time - Here the first Link, a boy in the Kokiri village and carrier of the Triforce of Courage does his time travel thing and ends up banishing the thief Gannondorf, who has transformed into Gannon, into the Evil Realm, where the Seven Sages seal him up. In the final cutscene, we see him pledge to hunt down the decendants of the Sages (and Link).

2) Zelda: Majora's Mask - Like Link's Awakening, this doesn't affect the main Zelda storyline. At least it has a definitive time setting.

3) Zelda: Link's Awakening - I'm putting it here in the timeline because it fits with the later games better than the earlier games. It has the owl, Malon, the Orciana, the Balad of the Wind Fish (which is alluded to in Majora's Mask). It never really sets a time period for the game to take place, though.

4) Zelda: Link to the Past - Many many years later, the events of the first game have been reduced to legend. The decendants of the Sages are hunted down (as promised by Gannon, remember?). The decendant of Link, Link (maybe they're all named Link), is taught by his father the secret technique that the first Link developed and have been passed down from generation to generation.

5) Zelda: The First One - Once again, we have a new Link (I believe he's nine in the first game). No mention of the Triforce of Courage until the sequel. Gannon has the Triforce of Power, and Zelda broke her Triforce of Wisdom into 8 pieces, which is, of course, where the whole adventure arose.

6) Zelda II: Adventures of Link - Our now 16-year-old Link (from the last game) strives to get the Triforce of Courage. Only notable because of the towns named after the Sages of the original. It makes sense that there would be towns named after such figures so far after the original events.

See? It all fits together! We have three Links, three Zeldas, and the implication that there were many others (on which to base future games). It also explains why the Master Sword is never found where you left it, the Orciana disapears, and many of the other inconsistancies in the games. It also makes the whole series seem more solid. I've left out some of the other details (because they just sound redundant) but there are a whole bunch of other clues to this. Maybe I'm just finding order in chaos, but I think Zelda 64 was a diliberate attempt to tie the other games together. I think this is what it's meant to be.

I could be wrong, though.

-Tetris

Googleshng:
Interesting theory, but it still leaves a few holes, like how it Link to the Past it SHOWS the wisemen who the 7 people are decended from, and they're all quite clearly human. For the record though, in the most recent three games, your name isn't nessessarily Link, it's whatever you put in. Still, about MM, it's not that people DISLIKE it, it's that, well, you said it yourself, tOoT is a better game. They had two years to make MM, same ammount of time tOoT took, the engine was already created, which is a huge chunk of the development time for any game, and, well, they didn't make the most of it. If you had two whole years to design dungeons, don't you think you'd have made more than four? Same with the plot. Not a single twist to it. It's still a great game, but in a lot of ways it's a huge letdown.

Reviews

Don't mind me stating this, but shouldn't there be a rating on how "fun" a game is in the review's part of RPGamer? I mean, sure all those other characteristics are important, but if they don't evoke a sense or feeling of fun, then graphics, sound, interface etc are worthless, nor matter how hi or low they are.

Mind you some people like games that aren't totally fun...or evoke a sense of pure excitement. I mean, Xenogears was pleasurable and amusing, but how much? Vampire Hunter D had great graphics and sound, but was it enjoyable?

Also, how about a gameplay rating? I know these two factors can be said of any game, but they should still be included. Actually, some reviews still have the gameplay factor in them. (I checked out C:SOTN and noticed someone used it, since that game was perhaps one of the most "fun" I've ever played due to the gameplay. Although it doesn't have rip-roaring 3d graphics, it's still a better game (for one reason at least) because of the amount, simplicity and control of gameplay.)

I could go so much as to state an "escapist" factor, but that's probably overdoing it :) (Since Fun and escapism is at the discretion of the player/viewer, and the sum of the playing experience.)

-Smud

Googleshng:
That would be the Overall score. Most magazines breakdown their review scores into 5 or so categories, like, say, Graphics, Music, Control, Plot, Fun, score those 1-10, take the average, and post that as Overall. Here at RPGamer, the mere thought that someone would only count how much they enjoyed the game for 20% sickens us. So, our overall scores are reached by ignoring everything else and just thinking deeply about how much we enjoyed playing the game.

Quote and stuff

Hey Goog!
This week's quote is from Baldur's Gate when you, um... meet Silke. BTW, what's a good way to level up a claculator in FFT? You can't even give him math skills until you have 400 JP. (level 5 cure anyone?)

The Salubrious Chainsaw Repairman

Googleshng:
A lot of people got that quote, but I was too out of it to give tildes. Here you go. ~~~~ As for the calculator, simple. Sing/Dance as your secondary ability. Once you start, your speed stat doesn't matter. You can pull off something like 3 life songs before it's your turn again.

I'm pathetic

That "Are you prone to having blackouts" quote you had for a column name is from the Critic, isn't it? When Jay was getting a trucker job, the dude kept asking him that over and over.

The FunkE One
The Only One
Da Funk
Former Writer of The High Spot
"We spent all night learning an important lesson: You can't judge a sewer by its manhole cover. No sir, people can be very different under the surface than they might seem. Quiet, mild-mannered souls just might turn out to be Roaring Lions of Two-Fisted Cool. And Roaring Lions of Two-Fisted Cool just might have some crippling lobster problems. Listen, man, it's all crazy down there, under the surface. A lost wallet could bite you in half! A bar of soap could save your life! Egad! A disgusting mound of much just might have some very compelling ideas! Do..you...dig...my...DITCH?" -The Tick

Googleshng:
Obviously I only printed this because, well, Gin's final column went up at like 9 PM, low on stuff to post. Saving some for tonight too. Aren't Tick quotes just so wonderful though?

Quickies

I heard that the x-box can play games from other systems is this true?

That's not even remotely true.

Greetings Goog. Got A VP question for you. What does taking off the Nibelungen Ring do? I've never had the nerve to take it off for more than A half A minute.

Aoshi19

Well, it makes you Odin's little lapdog. Seriously hinders getting the "best" ending.

what is my character name and my rival name in pokemon silver/gold?

Uh... whatever you put in for names. Just like the old ones. Id REALLY fits for a rival name by the way.

Will the playstation version of Chrono Trigger be released in north america?
If so, when?

Wade McGillivray
mcgilliw@prsd.ab.ca

If I haven't added this to the FAQ, I really should. We aren't getting PSX CT. Accept it.

In the words of REverand Lovejoy:

"IT'S OVER PEOPLE"

-Radrisol-

This quickie, like the comic below, is the result of Rad and I talking at 3 or 4 AM on election night.

The Last Laugh:

There. An entire column made up of stuff that collected while I was sick. Speaking of which...

There. Now, as a final act of catching up, I present the big list of Pokémon not found in Gold/Silver!

Not found in Gold: Meowth & Persian, Vulpix & Ninetales, Phanpy & Donphan, Ledyba & Ledian, Delibird, Skarmony	Not found in Silver: Growlithe & Arcanine, Mankey & Primeape, Teddirusa & Ursaring, Spinarak & Ariados, Gilgar, Mantine
Not found in either: Bulbasaur & Ivysaur & Venusaur, Charmander & Charmeleon & Charizard, Squirtle & Wartortle & Blastoise, Omanyte & Omastar, Kabuto & Kabutops, Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno, Mewtwo, Mew

Hmm... now I'm in the mood to make a definitive guide to getting all of them. Bye!

Googleshng "Pokémon listing" @rpgamer.com
Must play more!


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