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Nameless
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October 31, 2006
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Matt Demers - 22:35 EST
THESE ARE ALWAYS the most torturous of days for Canadian gamers. Why? Well, those "Release Dates" that we all see are the dates when games will be released in the United States. Canadians might get the games into stores on the same day, but there is often a one or two-day delay, and since I haven't had time to swing by EB Games anytime recently, it's impossible to know whether I'm going to get a call today, or tomorrow, or Thursday. It increases the anxiety factor by about, oh, three point two.
So I'll "anxst" all the way through the column today, likely, in which I shall start answering questions presently.
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Strike up the Black Mages!
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Matt,
Hey, I'm a first time writer long time reader. Anyways, I read a colum about a person looking for an orchestrated soundtrack of Final Fantasy Music. The name of the soundtrack is Final Fantasy 20020220. And contains the following songs. Hope this helps.
DISC 1
1. Tuning
2. Liberi Fatali (FFVIII)
3. Theme of Love (FFIV)
4. MC-1
5. FINAL FANTASY I-III Medley
- The Prelude
- Final Fantasy I Main Theme
- Motoya's Cavern
- Elia, The Maiden of Water
- Chocobo Theme
- Rebel Army Theme
6. MC-2
7. Aerith's Theme (FFVII)
8. Don't Be Afraid (FFVIII)
9. Tina's Theme (FFVI)
10. MC-3
11. Dear Friends (FFV)
12. Vamo'alla Flamenco (FFIX)
Disc 2
1 - MC-1
2 - At Zanarkand (FFX)
3 - Yuna's Decision (FFX)
4 - MC-2
5 - Love Grows (FFVIII)
6 - Suteki da ne (FFX)
7 - MC-3
8 - The Place I'll Return To Someday ~ Melodies of Life (FFIX)
9 - MC-4
10 - One-Winged Angel (FFVII)
11 - MC-5
12 - The Man With The Machine Gun (FFVIII)
13 - FINAL FANTASY
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Matt
Thanks very much for the help; I'm sure it is well appreciated! Actually, someone else pointed out a soundtrack as well. Perhaps it's the same one? See the next letter for more!
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Matt,
I'd noticed in your column of Oct. 27 that you answered one of
TheBluick's queries by stating that there were no CDs released from the
recent video game concerts.
However, I found, while browsing through GameMusic's website recently,
that a CD from the More Friends concert in L.A. was released in February
of this year, so it's been available for some time.
Just for posterity, here's the link:
Sincerely,
Eric McLendon
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Matt
Now this looks like it's bang-on what TheBluick was looking for. Awesome.
That'll teach me to just trust the first site I went to; the reason that I thought that such a CD did not exist was because one site I went to explicitly said so. I suppose it could have been an old, outdated page though, so thanks for setting the record straight. And now you can go to town, Bluick!
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In regards to quirky, OCD-type obsessions with FFVI, I remember trying to
get Gau to learn every single monster available in the game by continuously
travelling to the Veldt after each significant event. I got pretty far -
about 2/3 of all monsters - before it seemed like no new monsters would
appear. It was an obsession I'm happy I got over.
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Matt
Oh yeah! It always bothered me, too, that there were some enemies that Gau just couldn't learn Rages from... ProtoArmor, I believe? And still other enemies were missing! Why, for instance, did some bosses like Sr.Behemoth
and the White Dragon appear, yet not others? Grr. My sister and I spent many, many hours on the Veldt too, believe you me.
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Also, HMV in Canada has begun a test period for selling videogames. I work
there and can honestly say we don't hassle you for USED games (because we
don't sell them) or magazine subscriptions, OR videogame insurance and the
prices are competitive. I'd love to see us stock more so I'm hoping people
check it out.
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Matt
That's good. Right now, EB Games has a stranglehold on the video game industry around here right now, quite honestly; there is no other place that carries a wide variety of games. I'd say that Toys 'R' Us is a distant competitor, but otherwise, there's Zellers and Walmart, the latter of which is evil, and both of which carry nothing but the brand new and/or most popular, useless for most RPGamers, needless to say.
It might actually give me a reason to go into HMV other than to buy Christmas gifts for other people, too. Hmm.
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On a side note, I bought Okami last month after work and it's incredible.
It's a shame I definitely won't be done it before FFXII comes out what with
work and school and all. Ah well, such is life in the "real world" outside
of my adolescent years.
Derek
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Matt
Thanks, Derek! I pumped about ten hours into Xenosaga: Episode III over the weekend in a feeble attempt to try and put it behind me before FFXII graces my bedroom. It doesn't look like it's going to happen, though, unless the game is shipped to Canadian retailers really late. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize!
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The best laid plans of Bucket Mouse often go astray...
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November 10, for SOCK 2, huh? At least this gives me a little time to relax and prepare for my cross-town move. Right now if I still participated I doubt I'd even get up to 0 before then, let alone to even be able to afford your cookie recipe collection. Flare + Freeze = Very Bad Thing. But anyways, #356 is E and #357...I’ll say C. At least I can shake some of the dust off.
I had plans. I was slowly, slowly saving up my points until I got a co-hosting position...My item would've been "Bucket's Memento Ring." The holder of that ring would be protected from any attack that would knock them COMPLETELY off the Top 35, and then the ring would crumble into dust. So for example if you got to #35 on there and someone nailed you with an attack that would make you go down to #36 instead the attack would be unaffected, you'd keep your spot and you'd lose the ring. Don't know how that'd work if you were like, say #10 or #9 though, wouldn't seem fair...
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Matt
That's the way the ol' Apocalypses work, I'm afraid. It was absolutely painful to rip 30, 40, or 50 thousand points away from some people after all that hard work. There's someone else that's way down in the negative numbers too, with little hope of getting out. Poor Vigilante; he was always so chipper when I'd talk to him too.
In any event, I think that for that reason, Apocalypse will be retired for SOCK II, or at the very least, changed significantly. As for your item... very interesting and creative. I thought that I had thought of everything, too. Darn.
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And I am thinking of donating something to the SOCK Prize Store, but there's one problem: I'm currently replaying it...them. I have Golden Sun and Golden Sun: TLA, and just a month and a half ago I managed to find the Prima strategy guide, yeah! Unfortunately it's been a VERY long time since I played my Golden Sun: TLA game so I don't know where I am and what I'm doing, so I'm playing BOTH games completely through again. The resale value for these is probably diddly squat so I figure the next best thing I should do is pass them along to someone who would care as much as I did about them. So when I am done with these games, I'll be more than happy to donate them. (Also, anyone interested in a Pokemon TCG collection circa 1998-2000 including some rare holofoils, or has everyone and their mother moved on to Yu-Gi-Oh?)
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Matt
That's very generous of you, but totally unnecessary! All I want is for readers to just have fun with the games and enjoy the ride; there's never any need to sacrifice your own belongings, though I very much appreciate the offer.
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I'm off to play Contact. I love the instruction book—it's written up to look like the Professor's blog or Livejournal, and there's even a “XYZ is love” style color bar (albeit with some of the colors shifted around) featuring Mochi. I hope the game's just as good.
--Bucket
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Matt
Ah, Contact. The kookiest new game this side of Mars. It sounds like a blast, though it's really encouraging to see that someone else besides MrMSty has picked it up. Maybe this is one underdog title that won't completely slip through the cracks. I hope so, only because damn, while I really like certain series, it's about time that we get something with a brand new name on the market and into people's homes, don't you think? I really appreciate it when companies make efforts outside trusted "flagship" titles. If a company is willing to take risks like that, I'm willing to take a risk myself to try it out.
Thanks for your letter, Bucket.
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Hey Matt,
Been a while since I wrote in, huh? Let's hit the ground running, shall we?
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Matt
That's definitely a better idea than the "fall and break your face" plan, yes. Go for it. :)
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I got a weird possibility for claiming FF12 as my own Tuesday. My original way of claiming it was to reserve the collector's edition at my local gamestop and buy it wehn it arrived on Halloween. However, in a weird twist, I recently received some Best Buy gift cards worth $100 total, and as I went into one to see what I could afford with them, I asked one of the sales people if I could reserve the collector's edition. He said no, but seeing on my face how badly I wanted one, he said he would put one aside for me next Tuesday when it came out! Plus, even though I'm unsure whether or not they have the Collector's Edition or if only Gamestop and EB Games have it, he told me with the purchase of the game from Best Buy, I get some special artbook along with it. Comparing the collector's edition with the special DVD along with the regular game and the artbook, what looks like a better deal to you?
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Matt
Well, it depends on what you're into! I'm not really into bells and whistles, and I don't have much room to stash extra stuff anyway, so I'm going with the normal version, but hey, if it's for just another ten bucks, then why not? I think that the Collector's Edition provides a reasonable deal, so if you're really excited about the extras, then I say go ahead. If you don't really care, then obviously, don't.
That was awfully nice of the guy, though. Maybe you were just wearing some really good-smelling cologne or something? Heh heh heh. You were really lucky, either way!
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Oh yeah, I should ask an RPG question, right? Um...has any RPG hero actually fulfilled his stated mission to the end of the game seperate from being drawn into the usual "save the world" mission he/she encounters throughout the game? Also, name any RPG that doesn't use Dues Ex Machina as a way to solve the problems at the very end. Yeah, that'll do...
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Matt
Surely! Back in the days when RPGs were simple and mini-games were seldom found, the hero's actual mission at the very beginning was to save the world! Also, think of Super Mario RPG: Mario does indeed succeed in his task of saving the princess, though afterward, things get more complicated. The original Final Fantasy, the original Dragon Warrior, and most other simple-plot RPGs spared the gamer of both of these things you mentio- oh wait, never mind. I forgot about the whole TIME LOOP thing in Final Fantasy, which is more than a bit random. Yeah, most of the time, there's a lot of "out of nowhere" things that happen to explain things or progress the storylines, but hey, I'm all for the twists and turns. I'm playing Xenosaga, after all...
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Also, for random goofiness, what your guilty pleasure song from the late 90's that still make you smile thinking back to better times before real life set in as you got older? Mine's Affirmation by Savage Garden, in case you're curious...
That'll do,
Have a great weekend, doing whatever....
BLG
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Matt
Doing a lot of Xenosaga-ing, as I mentioned above, after I finished marking papers, of course. It was nice enough!
Also, from the late 90s? I have to admit that I went through a phase where I really liked Alanis Morissette's music. Yeah, really. I never owned the CD (I actually don't have many CDs at all, to be honest) but my mom did, and I heard it all the time, so it grew on me. Ahhhhh.
Anyway, thanks for writing in, and do so again soon!
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SWEET. I got on the 12:45 bus to get to campus after writing the majority of the column, but I got the phone call from EB Games just as I was heading out the door. I now have two copies of Final Fantasy XII in my room: One for Boojum, and one for me! Whoo-hoo! You know what that means, of course: I'm not going to be long-winded here. ^^
For complete contest rules, click here!
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Answers to October 27th's Questions
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#356. e) Firearms - 1,000 points
Ursula was the link there, and the character in Breath of Fire IV totes a mean gun. She also has an attack in which she says something that sounds like an english expletive, but I won't get into details.
#357. a) Swalot - 1,000 points
And it was a pretty close call, too! Swalot has a BMI of 27.6, followed by Golduck at 26.5. They always say that BMI isn't accurately reflected by muscular people (or birds, for that matter) though. The others all had healthy BMIs, though, with Crobat at 23.1, Flygon at 20.4, and Gardevoir at 18.9.
CW duels against BLG!
BLG gets no questions correct!
CW gets 2,000 points of questions correct!
CW becomes the Duel Glove holder!
Boreas breathes a horrible Arctic Wind!
Boojum is frozen!
MagRowan is frozen!
DMJewelle is frozen!
Ourobolus is frozen!
MrMSty is frozen!
Alexander is frozen!
Prismatic is frozen!
Leaper is frozen!
Kharamain is frozen!
Dermot is frozen!
Laurie is frozen!
Arros Raikou is frozen!
Sundoulos is frozen!
LufiaLvr is frozen!
Macstorm casts Blind! The questions were obscured!
#358:
h0E nU.h dOE5 a nom_Co-..cT0r"s .opY 0f f8NQl VaNT--- xiI R3ta.L f0r i- -..t CahAdIqn st9r?s?
(1,500 points)
a) $4-..9
b) #52/9(
c) r56.99
d) $59.)9
e) $6r.9o
#359:
a ChA-..Te. y07 mE-. in ONe oi fO;;oeinh tlWnS hsa teh 5.me voi.. ...rESS aS thr oN4 oLays sHIOb i. .wo EpI50ses of CEmoZAGA> wHIvh town is it?
(1,500 points)
a) A*ry...ph
b) aQuSria
c) Srias
d) hEMit6
e) kIRLSA
Hmm hmm. Moving on...
Obtain these items upon reaching the listed point benchmarks!
3,500 points:
A.P.G. (2 left),
Mythril Armor (2 left),
or
Regen Spell (1 left)
5,000 points:
Any 1st-Level Elemental Spell (1 left),
Point Halver (1 left),
or
Rename Card (1 left)
7,000 points:
Slowga Spell (2 left),
Float Spell (1 left),
or
Blind Spell (2 left)
10,000 points:
Sneak Glove (1 left),
Any Gem (1 left),
or
Biora Spell (1 left)
14,000 points:
Ultra Sneak Glove (2 left),
Nightmare Staff (1 left),
or
Scan Spell (2 left)
19,000 points:
Mythril Armor (2 left),
Magic Pearl (1 left),
or
Wait Mode (1 left)
25,000 points:
Vanish Spell (2 left),
Item Bomb (4 left),
or
Flare Spell (2 left)
32,000 points:
Mythril Shield (1 left),
Staff of Aid (2 left),
or
A.P.G. (2 left)
40,000 points:
Toxic Waste (1 left),
Sean's Dictionary of Doom (1 left),
or
Super Sneak Glove (2 left)
50,000 points:
Regega Spell (3 left),
Rebirth Stone (1 left),
or
Item Destroyer (2 left)
61,000 points:
Flare Spell (1 left),
Rare Candy (3 left),
or
Item Destroyer (2 left)
73,000 points:
Rare Candy (1 left),
Cloak of Evasion (2 left),
or
Regera Spell (3 left)
86,000 points:
Meteor Spell (2 left),
Item Bomb (1 left),
or
Rare Candy(2 left)
100,000 points:
Rare Candy (2 left),
Diamond Armor (2 left),
or
Meteor Spell (1 left)
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!)
- Flamethrower
- Prismatic
- Witecat
Obtain enough points, and you may buy items, merchandise, or guest-hosting positions.
Click here for the current list of potential prizes!
"MagRowan uses Leaper's Scroll of Blue Magic!"
Yaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK, I'm happy. :)
But I'll still be happier if/when Blue Magic appears in SOCK 2.0! Without it in FF12, I have to have it SOMEWHERE! :)
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Matt
No Blue Magic in Final Fantasy XII!? What is this?
Also, ne'er fear. As I said, there will be something for everyone. I think you'll be pretty content in the end... ;)
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OK! That's it! If I want to get in an hour of Final Fantasy XII, this is where I must end (and what does it matter? I pretty much say the same thing here everyday anyway). So, give me mail, and all that jazz, and come back tomorrow, yadda yadda yadda. Oh yeah, and Happy Halloween. ;)
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Inbox Status: Meh.
Matt is nowhere to be found!
Garrroooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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Most Recent
Oct. 30: Josh
Oct. 29: Josh
Oct. 27: Matt
Oct. 26: Matt
Links
SOCK's Rule Guide
SOCK's Prize Shop
About the Host
Quote Archives
What I Want to Play:
1. Final Fantasy III
2. Final Fantasy XII
3. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
4. Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn
5. Pokémon Diamond/Pearl
What I'm Playing:
1. Xenosaga: Episode III
2. Disgaea II
3. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
SOCK's Scoreboard
Dueling Glove Holder:
CW
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Summon in Play:
-BOREAS-
HP: 13,000
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1. Boojum
503,002 pts
2. Erika
56,986 pts
3. Kanato
39,629 pts
4. Belthasar2
39,418 pts
5. CW
34,714 pts
6. MagRowan
31,584 pts
7. DMJewelle
31,490 pts
8. JuMeSyn
30,849 pts
9. Alan Tse
30,156 pts
10. MrMSty
29,930 pts
11. Ourobolus
29,658 pts
12. Alexander
28,883 pts
13. TV's Adam
28,721 pts
14. Arpijy
27,857 pts
15. BLG
27,812 pts
16. Prismatic
26,410 pts
17. JokingChimer
23,966 pts
18. Leaper
23,965 pts
19. Thinkfreemind
23,336 pts
20. Kharamain
23,329 pts
21. Erunion
21,715 pts
22. Bainick
20,307 pts
23. Dermot
20,146 pts
24. Laurie
19,050 pts
25. Arros Raikou
18,915 pts
26. Hunter B
18,836 pts
27. Sundoulos
17,085 pts
28. LufiaLvr
15,490 pts
29. Draconn
13,985 pts
30. Waterfiend
11,550 pts
31. DDX
11,098 pts
32. Gaijin
10,138 pts
33. Carabbit
10,015 pts
34. Genjuu
9,523 pts
35. Cap
9,205 pts
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