Googleshng:
Well, I've been going out of my way to avoid all information about FF9, and Chrono Cross for that matter, because I know I'm going to love them from what little I know, and want the rest to be a surprise. However, from what I have seen, the quality of the graphics is not being reduced AT ALL. The style of the graphics however is changing. FF8 had a very realistic style and setting, and, let's be honest, boring character designs. Vaguely punkish looking guy, cowboy looking guy, 70s-style girl, girl with a blue trenchcape, girl with pick bellybutton revealing vest, ANOTHER vaguely punkish looking guy. Nobody really jumps out at you. FF9 however has Amano doing character designs again, a thouroughly fantasy setting, and fixed classes for the characters. If they tried to make the characters look as realistic as FF8's, it would look like characters with halloween costumes of FF characters. It should also be noted that FF7 and 8 have really disappointed a lot of long time fans of the series, so FF9 is going back to it's roots a bit. Personally, I think all the characters look kinda like muppets, and, well, Muppets are darn cool!

Googleshng:
I know what you mean. I plan to watch Escaflowne on Fox with a morbid curiousity, afterwhich I will probably foam at the mouth for several hours, so I might just get a rant up this weekend. Anyway, commercials on Fox have been labelling tomrrow (Friday the 30th) as Anime Invasion Day. This makes my brain hurt because traditionally, U.S. networks are known for hiding the existance of Japan wherever possible, let alone say the word anime. Anyway, I can't confirm it, but I assume that they'll start showing Escaflowne then, seeing as the rattled off all the anime they have that they're showing and said "and more". I've also heard that the music from Escaflowne will be completely unchanged, and they will show all 26 episodes. My guess is that they're going to stick in a LOT of commercials. Episode 14 will be particularly hard to get past the translators, to my recollection it's just fight, hospitalization, fight. 8) Anyway, if it's not tomorrow, I guess I'll have to look it up.

Googleshng:
You are missing a LOT. There's Shining Force 1-3 and something else the name of which elludes me for the Genesis, Tactics Ogre, FFT, Kartia, Vandal Hearts 1 and 2, Front Mission 3, Vanguard Bandits, Rhapsody, Koudelka surprisingly enough (at least I think, more on that tomorrow), SaGa Frontier 2 contains a lot of tactical fights towards the end, the Arc the Lad trilogy which will be out shortly, and then Rhapsody. Actually, TRPGs are becoming incredibly popular all of the sudden to the point where hardly anyone seems to be making normal RPGs anymore. Maybe that's why LoD seems like such a change of pace. Personally, I think I can get enough of a fix from all this other stuff that I can live without Rhapsody.

Googleshng:
Well, I haven't played SF1 (although someone claims they're mailing me a copy) but from what I've heard, the main problem people had with it is having to cross the world, fighting, a LOT. This isn't a problem in LoM, since there are no fights on the world map. As for the graphics, no, LoM isn't watercolored, but it does have that hand drawn look, with a lot of animation in the backgrounds, and that's something you really don't see too much of.

Googleshng:
I know of one person or two who actually got that spell, I think, but you'd have to be REALLY bored to get it. Suffice it to say that I won the game without taking a hit from anything, including the last boss, and I didnt get that spell. As for a favorite town in an RPG, that's a tough one. The first Layan town you go to in PS3 has pretty cool music, but I guess I'll have to say Midgar from FF7 actually. I often think how much more interesting FF7 would have been if you never left. Huge enough to set a whole game in it, laid out nicely, and it's conceptually cool. Although I hear one of the towns in FF9 is Alexander(a), and, well, that has a whole Metroplex syndrome going on that I'm already drooling. I will beat all the games I'm getting, because I can write it off as working. Seriously. All my answers in this column come from my own memory. Going to spend today playing Koudelka. I have given the Suikoden series a chance. I played the first, and I didn't particularly like it. Finally, out of the 3 Eva movies (which you can find fansubbed easily enough) I have seen The End of Evangelion. However, asking if they Eva movies explain stuff is like asking if molten lead is a good thing to stick your hands in if you burn them. In other words, NO. There are clips of actual crowded streets (meaning not animated) towards they end. There is a lot of... melting. Everyone is just completely and utterly insane, and many things are reduced to horrific gorey messes. The folks at Gainax started losing it about halfway through making Gunbuster, so by the Eva movies, they're so far gone they're incoherent.

Googleshng:
Yes, LoD is very much an FF7 clone. It DID take them 3 years to make it, do the math. 8) As for the plot, well, I haven't seen the demo, but if that's the bit I'm thinking of, there is context for it. Still though, LoD has a LOUSY translation, but what I've seen of the plot IS pretty good. As for your final comment, no, Vagrant story isn't a "real RPG", it's an Action/RPG of the Dungeon Crawl variety. I admit it has a darn good plot though... although it isn't really attached to the game, but that's another tangent.

Estuans interius ira vehementi,
Estuans interius ira vehementi,

Lloyd!
Lloyd!

I was wondering if Chrono Cross is a remake of Chrono Trigger or if it is a sequel.. Thank you!
-Jamil (A.K.A Roo)

For Big Fire!

-Sano

Itchy. Tasty.

-Simon Von De Ruprecht XIIV

Come inside, have a nice cup of tea, meet the mrs.!! ^^

~LadyChristelle

Does its tastes good, my precious?

About how long is LoD?

~Zaphod

The Last Laugh: