Matt Demers - 22:58 EST

I FEEL LIKE I have a slightly better outlook on my short-short term future life than I did earlier this week. With a little bit of direction from my wonderful supervisor, I think that I have the keys to getting through the majority of the questions I'm responsible for on my assignment due next Tuesday. Needless to say, I'm still going to be a very acceomplished man by the time my first column next week rolls around, so expect me to be either hyper, exhausted, or some strange combination of both.

I just want to take this chance to say that while I think this is a fun column to write for, I know that there are probably ways that it could improve. If you will, please let me know what you'd like to see! Is there anything you want included that isn't already? Anything that annoys you that you want to see eliminated? Are the columns too short? Are they too long? Q&A is something that is built by readers, and so I believe very strongly that you should speak up if you have any criticism, ideas, or comments. I really appreciate it, everybody!

In any case, let's get started on #183. Yes, #183. Seventeen more until we get to my bicentennial column, unbelievably. Expect big things that day (unless homework assignments ruin my fun, of course).

I will say it quickly, and then I shall never mention it again. The TGS media posted on RPGamer makes me think twice about buying the 360. In fact, I almost... w... want one *irk*

Bleg! Now I have to wash my mouth out, scrub my brain clean, and disinfect my keyboard. I feel so wrong...

SOCK
#326 - d) Tidus
#327 - e) 4

Have a good day!
Maggie ^_^

Ick! Ack! Ick!!

Well, why not? They actually have a couple of very attractive games in the works, and I have to admit that I felt a similar twinge for both it and the PS3 upon seeing those screens. In all honesty, I was pretty disappointed that there wasn't more shown from games in development for the Wii. It's quite a bit more difficult to get excited over games you've only heard about (Dragon Quest Swords, Final Fantasy: CC, etc), isn't it?

I used to think that Microsoft was "just evil" for getting involved in the console game industry. To a degree, I still think that it's true; if they aren't making much (or even negative) money from this sector, then it seems like they aren't really in it for any reason but to harm the competition. On the other hand, though, I think that both Nintendo and Sony are stupid in their own ways too. At this point, whichever one is going to give me the games I want to play will be the one I support. The balance hasn't really tipped much for me, but it's nice to see that there will be a little glimmer of hope for Xbox 360-owning RPGamers the world over.

Thanks Maggie! Don't feel too dirty.

Damn me Matt, maybe the questions should have been worth more!

Anywho apart from Wild Arms 4 and Suikoden 5 being pushed back yet again, and Kingdom Hearts 2 being released this week, I myself am enjoying Wild Arms 3. I've already passed the place where I first reached (About 2 years ago!) and have won every winable battle so far. The ship reminds me largely of a certain Skies of game that i've played ported onto the GC. Also, surposedly Magical Melodies is being released on the 13th but I'm loath to believe if this will be true or not, due to the fact it was ment to be released in May.

Anywho my question of the month (as it seems anyway) is what finished game/s would you love to see released now?

Bainick spent way to long on question 326 and could be late for work!

Now, that's a difficultly-worded question. I'd LOVE to see some finished Japanese games released in English in North America going all the way back into the 1990s, but I'd never get my wish. Xenosaga I+II for the DS, Mother 3 *sniffle* for the GBA, all Fire Emblems predating 2003, Dragon Quest IV and V's remakes, Dragon Quest VI... the list goes on and on!

As for actually completed games that are just sitting, waiting to be distributed? Zelda: Twilight Princess, easy as pie. And I KNOW it's completely done, because that one blind kid got a copy on the Ellen DeGeneres show a little while ago. I want it too!!

In any event, thanks for writing, as always!

Hey Matt!

I feel that I have to stand up for Wind Waker a bit. While the game did feel a bit simpler than Ocarina of Time, I thought it was pretty darn good in it's own right. It had the usual Zelda smooth control goodness. Everything felt natural, even the endless sailing. The dungeons were smaller, but it felt like there were a lot more of them. While it looked "kiddie-fied," I thought the graphics were well done and darn nice (kiddie-fied emphasis, there). Plus, I thought the final battle cut-scene in the rain was one of those freeze-frame moments, where you watch it and go "That's a really cool shot." Of course, you had to suffer through endless sailing to find those things, but I still don't understand the shots that people take at it. Honestly, would you all rather play Alundra 2?

You've convinced me halfway on Xenosaga II's music. While I still loathe and despise almost every piece of looping music in the game, there are some scene tracks that are very nicely done. Unfortunately, you spend a lot more time listening to the loopable stuff. It's got to be hard to compose music knowing that it has to be able to flow back to the beginning and start over again every three minutes.

Xenosaga III has solid music, although none of it is really jumping out and going "This is great music!" I hope it keeps up to the end, and finds something special to close the series out.

326) D. Tidus (awesome problem, fun to do. Please don't hurt me, confusion!)
327) B. 1 (Utah)

Thanks!

BigWook

My brother just finished the game a couple of nights ago, and he echoes your beliefs. He thought that the music was, all in all, not something that you ever really noticed. Apparently the battle themes are really boring, too.

It's funny, isn't it? There have been at least some music in every episode that has been of very high quality, but not a single one of the trilogy has hit the nail precisely on the head, it seems.

Thanks, BigWook! And there's yet another compliment for your question, Dermot... you've received a lot of them.

Wow, long time no write. Today, I bring you not one, not two, but three entirely unrelated questions/comments/questments. En garde!

First of all, a question. Can you call the Advance Wars series on the GBA and DS an RPG series? I got into a heated debate with a friend on this subject. First of all, you have COs (commanding officers) with distinct abilities, skills, personalities, and storyline roles, and in the DS iteration of AW you can further customize them with additional shared abilities. Battle takes place on a grid and is turn-based, very similar in appearance to the Fire Emblem series of strategy RPGs. That sounds like an RPG. However, combat features no distinct characters, but rather generic units that are deployed on each map. When you consider that, even after factoring in the game's aforementioned RPG elements, if you call Advance Wars an RPG you'd probably also have to call the likes of Starcraft or Civilization RPGs as well, which of course they aren't. Still, the game's narrative and COs make you think RPG, even if certain aspects of the gameplay don't. My friend and I sort of came to a compromise of "well, neither of us is going to change the other's opinion, so let's forget about and play some Soul Calibur", but I'm not satisfied. So what's the verdict? Is it an RPG or isn't it?

Second of all, a comment. I understand why the PS3 has been getting so much negative press recently, with the delays in Europe, the high prices, and the general rush of recent bad news, but is it okay to be a little hyped for it? I mean, the nextgen console games I'm looking forward to the most are without a doubt the Final Fantasy XIII set, Devil May Cry, and White Knight Story, mostly because I'm a sucker for FF, DMC, and anything and everything that Level-5 has ever done. The bottom line is, if I ever get a nextgen console, it'll probably be a PS3. I don't judge systems based on what they are, I judge systems based on what they play: the system that has the most games I want is the system I'm going to get, and right now that seems to be the PS3... but probably not until 2008 or so. In any case, there are plenty of PS2 and DS games I'm still interested in (I do most of my recent gaming on those systems), so that can hold me over for at least a year and a half.

And thirdly, speaking of Level-5, how about some love for Rogue Galaxy? I mean, come on! It's by Level-5, it's done in the Dark Cloud 2 engine, and it's about space pirates. What's not to love? It supposedly comes out in January, and I couldn't be more stoked for it. Of course, by then I'll probably still be working on Final fantasy XII and Tales of the Abyss, but I have honestly not heard an ounce of news about this game since the English trailer came out two months ago. Why is no one else psyched about this game?

So yeah, that's all I felt like getting out. Advance Wars junk, PS3 junk, and Level-5 junk. I'm sorry to be so incoherent, but I have to do something between classes at college, right?

Long-windedly yours,

~Lazzie

That was not incoherent. I'll never understand you people; you're all so critical of yourselves for no reason. THIS is incoherent:

"lwkg.>.1lkj11! sdgfj.w .a2wpopw fjlll apwuq annw.e ofw!Oi ofjjs. AND, tatheoi23 ,f, tooo;'? Zagaowte."

In any event, I appreciate you taking the time! Take care, Lazzie.

Dobry den, Matt!

A couple of issues I brought up, you responded to and then I forgot to finish up. We have the issue of modifying one's systems to play import games. I'll have you know that it is absolutely legal to do so, with only the warranty paying the price. But on a SNES or something of similar vintage, the warranties will have expired years ago anyway! As for actually playing the games on there, so long as you've actually got the cartridge there is no legal infringement (unless one is playing a game that has been released in English - but why would one do something like that?). We all are familiar with the aspect of playing the games without owning the cartridges, but that does not require any alteration of the system itself. As for playing a PAL title; did my story about trying to play Terranigma not sink in? Japanese and North American electrical systems use the same structure, whilst PAL regions do not - and I'm lucky I didn't fry my SNES trying to make a PAL title work in it. Amtrak instead took care of breaking it.

A quick note about Langrisser 2 while I'm thinking on it: there actually are English words onscreen! It will say 'Game Over' when you lose, Scenario _, and a few other things. Plus certain monster opponents such as wyverns and krakens say deep things like 'Gyoooooh!' and 'Guwoooh!' Isn't that ponderable?

Our session of Shining Force III Scenario 1 voice acting commences: now. http://www.audioatrocities.com/games/shiningforce3/clip11.mp3 Masqurin joins at the very beginning of the game, and her magic remains useful for the duration and into Scenario 3. When she uses Spark magic, however, that is said. Intimidating? Not really.

A couple of things I forgot to mention about Fire Emblem last time, or got wrong and need to redress. First, Fire Emblem Gaiden takes place in a different world than FE1 or 3. Roy can promote, and I believe Leaf also promotes, so it was with FE5 that promotion of the lord began. FE5 also had a fascinating feature in which the player's units could 'capture' enemies, holding onto them until ready to deal properly with them. This is akin to rescuing an ally, and its application could be quite useful - too bad the feature has vanished.

Why not have another link or two to soundtracks most people haven't heard? This is the boss theme in Sailor Moon: Another Story. http://gh.ffshrine.org/soundtracks/6297/96103 What one gets out of the game is partly dependent upon how well one knows Sailor Moon's first three seasons, but its music is good enough to avoid turning it down.

Then we have another Panzer Dragoon Saga link: http://gh.ffshrine.org/soundtracks/570/51 The theme to an area accessible late in the game, under a forest which is afire. Ancient ruins with unpredictable effects are what one will find in this place.

And now a track from Dragon Force 1: http://gh.ffshrine.org/soundtracks/2987/28937 This is Junon's theme heard during that particular quest of 8. Junon is the ruler of Tristan, a country farther north than any other on the Dragon Force continent of Legendra. Fittingly it mostly gets snow. Incidentally every Tristan commander at the start can use Harpies.

Then we've got another Shining Force III track: http://gh.ffshrine.org/soundtracks/1780/1275 Does this one also remind you of Star Ocean: The Second Story? Every track of SFIII is indelibly placed into my brain...

And now for a new thought bouncing about my brain: what happens when a book is adapted into RPG form? Not a movie based on a book, we saw what happened to that with The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. And there was a lame pseudo-RPG based on the book version of The Fellowship of the Ring I watched some guys in my dorm play, which was amusing only in its ineptitude. But I firmly believe a grand title COULD be created using The Lord of the Rings as its base. Having read the trilogy twice and as I plan to read it again ere the year is out, I know there is ample material.

If the movies prove an irresoluble roadblock on this line of thought, I have read the Silmarillion and know it would prove just as workable - if not more thanks to the enormous expanse of time in Middle Earth it covers - for an RPG treatment.

I'm somewhat surprised that no one has ever made a game based upon Oz. No, not the HBO show! (Although that would very likely turn out to be an Adults Only game.) Considering L. Frank Baum wrote 14 books about Oz, and Ruth Plumly Thompson wrote 19 more, with a few others creeping up in the 40's, all of which painted a vivid and distinct fantasy world, I find it most peculiar that no one has attempted to use the license. Admittedly Return to Oz came out 21 years ago and the original movie came out in 1939 and the majority of the books predate the movie.... Plus Dorothy doesn't really have any fighting aptitude, and Ozma out-and-out refused to fight on a few occasions in the books. But that could be circumvented somehow, if only for the chance to fight those Skeezers in Road to Oz who threw their heads at people and had them all thrown into a deep pit forevermore - heh. The original book The Postman held fruitful subject matter for an RPG, which the Kevin Costner movie turned into a boring patriotic piece. Same for the book Starship Troopers. Actually, many Robert Heinlein books would make for interesting sci-fi based RPGs.

Not many people may have heard of David Feintuch's Hope series, set roughly 400 years in the future in a semi-spacefaring Earth world where a strict version of Christianity has overtaken the world, and the only form of intelligent life discovered is a thing called the 'fish' which lives in space and has taken a great dislike to humanity, enough to come onto human-colonized worlds and attempt to eliminate the humans it dislikes. The setting is unique, check it out. And it could work as an RPG, yes. Remember that alternate history stuff I mentioned awhile back? Turtledove wrote one long-running series in which aliens with technology roughly equivalent to what Earth militaries possess now, only not very much of it, invade the planet right in the middle of World War II. He went off on a long-running WorldWar series followed by the alien colonization fleet arriving, but an RPG with the same sort of concept could be very good. I'll let other RPGamers submit further book-based ideas for themselves, because I'm running out of composition time. So that's my cue to sign off - as if anyone truly regrets it! (Maybe venus577.)

JuMeSyn

Heh heh, that's all right!

I think that a lesson has to be taken from your letter for some of us. It's a common misconception that RPGs and video games in general have already explored every setting, and that some game in the past has already been there and done that. Not true! With enough creativity, there is an absolutely astounding number of avenues that have not yet been explored, and I think that in the years to come, while there will be a lot of familiar things, there will be a lot of surprises in store, too. The first big wave of video gamers who were inspired by the first console RPGs are coming of age right now. Think of all the potential there is in that!

Thanks for your letter!

Hmmm.

House M.D. is an absolutely fantastic show, and I highly recommend it to just about anybody who hasn't started watching on their own. The writers are really creative, and while some of the ailments are a bit out there, I have to say that I've enjoyed just about every episode I've watched so far (and I've watched quite a few).

#326. d) Tidus - 750 points/1,500 for Dermot
What an awesome question! This has to be one of the most simultaneously fun and challenging questions I've ever had featured from a reader, so hats off to you, Dermot; I've had no fewer than twelve e-mails with high praise for your creativity. Great job! For the record, all the information you needed was there; I managed to solve it myself. The following was true:

The leftmost shop was the Inn: Zidane, with Ultima, Potion, and Ifrit.
Shop #2 was the Item Shop: Squall, with Flare, Shiva, and Ether.
Shop #3 was the Weapon Shop: Cloud, with Meteor, Ramuh, and Elixir.
Shop #4 was the Armour Shop: Tidus, with Holy, Odin, and the Tent.
The rightmost shop was the Magic Shop: Vann, with Meltdown, Bahamut, and Phoenix Down.

A lot of you put in a lot of time and got this one right. Good work.

Reader-Submitted #328:
One of the discs of a certain PS1 game contains a game based on the Atari game "Warlords". This is accessed by pressing a certain button sequence. Which of the following keys is NOT a part of this sequence? (650 points)

a) Select
b) Start
c) Triangle
d) Up
e) Left

Poor Red Mage... he would have been my favourite, but I had to get rid of one of them, or else expand #329 into an ugly sixth option. I hope that that little sprite will forgive me...

STRAGGLERS:
(people who I love, but who still need to check their e-mail or somehow get in touch with me because they have unclaimed items- if you fall off the list after a week, it's TOO LATE FOR YOU! Check your spam/trash folders for my messages if you're not getting them, and I'll check mine, too!)

• none to speak of!

So, it appears that there may be hope for RPGamers on Sony and Microsoft's new console offerings. Besides greater graphics, though, what do you want to see more of? What are you hungry for? Something completely off the wall that has never been done before? An epic traditional adventure through a huge and detailed world? A little of column A and a little of column B?

Well, I've got news for you! Leaper will be joining us in tomorrow's column for his very first co-hosting! You'd better visit, because there's sure to be more great discussion, and exciting happenings in the ongoing contest. Until then, take care!

***Matt is running late...