Messages

41

Gaming Discussion / Re: Your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: March 06, 2013, 12:28:33 pm »

Yeah, I'm going to have to pick up some bad games here and there. I'm thinking about going for a full collection at some point, so I'm just going to start clearing out the place down the street from me that sells NES games.

I'd love to do the same.  But some of the games are just...  well, they don't come cheap.  Little Samson, Power Blade 2, DuckTales 2...  and those are the relatively obtainable ones.  There's no way I'll own a copy of Stadium Events.

EDIT:  So, how far are you along in your quest?

42

Gaming Discussion / Re: Hard and STOOPID HARD

« on: March 06, 2013, 11:50:07 am »

Actually, if you crowd him, he can't hit you with the gun blast.  Much better to do that than take him at a distance.

By the way, the Sunsoft Batman games have great music.  And seriously, folks, check out Return of the Joker.  That thing is starting to edge towards looking 16-bit.

43

Gaming Discussion / Re: This guy built and Auto-Loading NES!

« on: March 06, 2013, 11:42:25 am »

Very, very cool.  That'd be one heck of a day job. 

44

Gaming Discussion / Re: Your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: March 06, 2013, 10:39:33 am »

Just got a bunch of NES games.

Abadox
The Adventures of Bayou Billy
Astyanax
Faxanadu
The Goonies II
Star Tropics
Zoda's Revenge: Star Tropics II

Funny enough, There were two copies of Star Tropics at the store I was at, and I managed to pick up the copy that was owned by the same people that had Zoda's Revenge.  Even funnier, one of the names that was saved on Star Tropics was "Deeznutz".

Nice set there.  Both StarTropics games are good stuff.  Faxanadu is great, too, and I've always loved The Goonies II.  The worst of that lot has to be Bayou Billy...  which I happen to have two copies of.  Go figure. 

45

Gaming Discussion / Re: Die Reboots

« on: March 06, 2013, 10:36:31 am »

The new Nick show annoys the crap out of me.  It's got a few moments, but it's like they decided to take every trait of the Turtles and amp them up to absurd levels.  I mean, yeah, Mikey was always dumb, but gee whiz, guys.

46

General Discussion / Re: Am I the only person on the planet that isn't on facebook?

« on: March 05, 2013, 06:18:45 pm »

Maybe the zeitgeist sucks and needs a hard drive reformat.

No arguments there Talbain.

Can't disagree with either of you.  I realize social media can have its uses...  but man, what it's used for is pretty much just narcissistic bilge. 

47

Gaming Discussion / Re: Those of you who have a 3DS XL please help a brother out.

« on: March 05, 2013, 06:03:38 pm »

Typical Nintendo.  I've got the model I wanted, anyway.  I like my red XL. 

48

General Discussion / Re: Am I the only person on the planet that isn't on facebook?

« on: March 05, 2013, 05:53:50 pm »

Do you have to anticipate slurs, mean looks or even violence every time you hold hands with your partner in public? Does your family constantly verbally abuse you when you bring your girlfriend or wife around? Has any of them disowned you? Have you had to worry about waiters spitting in your food or you and your girlfriend being kicked out of privately owned establishments because you're together?

Just how much is a "share," Sarge? I bet I can throw bigger pity party than you.

You probably can.  I'm not dismissing your situation.  I'm more saying that you'd probably have to deal with it in more places than just the South, and that there are places here where it is less of or not an issue.

49

Gaming Discussion / Re: Those of you who have a 3DS XL please help a brother out.

« on: March 05, 2013, 05:36:02 pm »

There's no shame in an original model.  I had the wherewithal to upgrade, and decided to do so, mainly for eye strain purposes.  I really need to upgrade my DSi to the XL as well.

50

Gaming Discussion / Re: Those of you who have a 3DS XL please help a brother out.

« on: March 05, 2013, 05:28:53 pm »

You do need Internet.  It needs it at a few points.  I have my own 4G wireless point I used, but GameStop also offered to let me use their point.  It was a little sketchy, though.

51

General Discussion / Re: Am I the only person on the planet that isn't on facebook?

« on: March 05, 2013, 05:24:10 pm »

People think that if you look white and are straight (because that's so evident from just a single glance, I guess), then you've pretty much got it made. It isn't the truth. I actually have to be careful, since to most people in South Florida, I actually look like a white American kid (I'm actually not American-born). You've got people looking at you like they're jealous or something...

At least I don't wear expensive jewelry or anything. The worst thing I have on me is my watch, but since it's not gold-painted or anything, I think it doesn't attract any attention.

...But then again, people in South Florida are crazy to begin with. :S

The Mississippi Delta is like this when it gets dark.  You don't want to be out on the streets in Greenville at night.  Heck, even Jackson has gotten really bad.  My Mom remembers when she could walk the streets safely at 9:30 PM when visiting family as a kid.  Now?  You're asking to get mugged.

EDIT:  Aaaaaaanyway, I think I'm taking this train way off-topic.  Facebook.  Useful if used for the right reasons.  A mindless, narcissistic time-waster if not.

52

General Discussion / Re: Am I the only person on the planet that isn't on facebook?

« on: March 05, 2013, 05:15:33 pm »

Aren't you a heterosexual right-wing white Christian man? It's a very different experience when you're anyone else.

Oh, I get my share of grief, at least for the right-wing and Christian portion at times.  I suspect I'm a bit biased because of where I live and where / how I was raised, though.  We had a pretty tight-knit community growing up (very rural), and I live in a college town now, so it's not overly surprising to see a larger divergence of viewpoints and lifestyles.

I know there are some communities I wouldn't be able to walk into as a white dude, too.  Especially at night.

EDIT:  Anyway, I don't think I worded my initial statement quite right.  I have no doubt there are places where what you describe is indeed the case.  I've just never lived in them, or encountered the sentiment you allude to in a blanket manner (other than the occasional crank).  I guess it's more dependent on where you live and who you associate with, and that's true everywhere, which was my general point.

53

Gaming Discussion / Re: Those of you who have a 3DS XL please help a brother out.

« on: March 05, 2013, 04:57:15 pm »

You can transfer your stuff to the 3DS XL from a 3DS.  I did my first transfer at home, then transferred in-store at GameStop when I had to return my first XL.

What exactly do you guys mean by this?

Not sure.  You've got a limited number of transfers from system to system before you have to contact Nintendo to do it for you, but other than that, if you buy something on a different, you can transfer it to your new system.  You do have to have both systems on-hand, though, as it's hardware-based, not account-based.

EDIT:  I should also add that it copies over pretty much everything.  You don't get to pick and choose, you take your old system, and it gets pretty much duplicated on the new one when you do a transfer.  The old system is then restored to factory default settings.

54

General Discussion / Re: Am I the only person on the planet that isn't on facebook?

« on: March 05, 2013, 04:54:44 pm »

I honestly believe it was a hate crime and I honestly believe it wouldn't have happened above the Mason–Dixon line.  But that's just my opinion and all.

If it was, I'll condemn the heck out of it just like anything.  No one deserves that.  That being said, this isn't exactly a commonplace occurrence...

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General Discussion / Re: Am I the only person on the planet that isn't on facebook?

« on: March 05, 2013, 04:32:06 pm »

I heard about that.  It's unquestionably horrible, but I'm not jumping to any conclusions until they catch the sorry excuse for a human being that perpetrated the deed.  And I could dig up plenty of stories from pretty much any state where horrible atrocities are committed.  I didn't argue that things are perfect.  Far from it.  I just argue that there's folks that are screwed up, judgmental, and just plain psychopathic pretty much everywhere.  It's not just a South thing.

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General Discussion / Re: Am I the only person on the planet that isn't on facebook?

« on: March 05, 2013, 04:19:11 pm »

Where are you from?

In contrast to some other cultures, I've heard complaints that people in the U.S. have little respect for others' boundaries, both physically and ideologically. I guess the polite thing to do would be to acknowledge that different people live different lifestyles, but we seem obsessed with trying to pigeon-hole everybody into a single way of life. At least, that's how it tends to be here in the South. It's a constant "us versus them" mentality. If your beliefs aren't in perfect harmony with someone else's, you'll be ostracized and mistreated constantly.

To stick up for the South a bit, I don't have this problem.  There are certainly communities where this is the case, but I dare say it's something that transcends regional boundaries.  There's a natural assumption that one's way is "the right way".  But what's right for me (barring some things that there can be no argument about) isn't necessarily right for you, and vice versa.

57

Gaming Discussion / Re: Your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: March 05, 2013, 03:03:27 pm »

Dank's got it right.  The continuity is probably a bit stronger with the first trilogy, since everything ties into Erdrick's quest, the second is called the "Zenithian Trilogy", and pretty much finds you visiting the castle in the sky in all the games, but other than that, the second trilogy is relatively disconnected.  The others are pretty much their own beasts.

EDIT:  I'll also add that Dragon Warrior II is one of those games that I spent years looking for as a youngster.  Finding a copy of the game was a revelation at the time.

58

Gaming Discussion / Re: Your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: March 05, 2013, 02:50:20 pm »

I haven't even gotten around to the first one yet.  At this rate, I never will.

59

Gaming Discussion / Re: Those of you who have a 3DS XL please help a brother out.

« on: March 05, 2013, 01:08:12 pm »

It's...  about the same, honestly.  The bigger screen seems to amplify the effect, at any rate.  I don't think there's an actual increase, just that the increased real estate helps the immersiveness.  I actually played most of Sticker Star in 2D, just to save a bit on battery life and not to have to worry about keeping in the 3D sweet spot, which is pretty tight on both versions.

I think the crosstalk issue is where you can faintly see the other eye's image while in 3D mode.  It's not usually noticeable, but I have seen it crop up from time to time.  The barrier probably isn't perfectly filtering the image.  Both of them had the issue for me, so it's just something you have to live with.  It's just a tad more noticeable because of the larger screen in the XL.

Again, most of these issues seem to stem from the fact that the screens are almost twice the size.  It's the same sort of stuff I started picking out on-screen when I moved from a 13" CRT to a 27".  I could clearly see the comb effects that I didn't notice before, but after dropping back and looking closely, they were there all the time.

60

Gaming Discussion / Re: Your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: March 05, 2013, 12:26:55 pm »

Man where is Sarge when you need him, he is the resident DQ overlord.

Maybe...  I'm the Dragonlord? 

Dragon Warrior for the NES is probably the worst place to start.  I know it's the first...  but that's the problem.  There's not much to it, it's incredibly grind-heavy, and while it's amazing for what it did in the day, it has been surpassed by nearly everything on the system.  If you have to play a version, take either the GBC or SNES versions.  (All that being said, I still have a soft spot for the game, it was my first RPG.  But I'm not blind to its flaws.)

The series shows marked improvement in the second game.  Much larger world, more enemies, three party members, more spells, and so on.  You still may want to try the GBC / SNES version for that, I think they've adjusted the difficulty curve a bit.  I don't think the game was nearly as grind-heavy, either.  I'd say the original Final Fantasy is probably a touch better than DW2, but not by a lot.

DW3 is where the series really shines.  I love that game.  It's important to play the first, in retrospect, because it gives much more heft to the story, such as it is.  You've also got many more strategic options, as you can build your own party, and there are eight classes in total (Hero, Soldier, Fighter, Merchant, Pilgrim, Wizard, Sage, and Goof-Off).  It's just a great, great game, in any form.  I've played through the NES and GBC versions (which add new classes on top of those mentioned, and new weapons and personality stuff as well), but the SNES version is pretty.  You'd probably want to roll that way.

Dragon Warrior IV is also great, but at this point, it's another game that's a bit better on the DS, simply for pacing concerns.  Not that DWIV is bad, of course.  It's great, just the DS version helps with some folks that might not appreciate the slower pace of the NES version.

This advice holds pretty much true for Dragon Warrior V as well.  There are multiple ways to play it.  I wasn't particularly smitten by the SNES version, but the DS one was aces.  There's also a PS2 version that has been translated.  If I ever get the itch to play the game again, it'll probably be through that.  Everything's polygonal, though, which makes me miss the phenomenal spritework in battle.

You've got two options for DQVI, SNES and DS.  I really enjoyed both, and they exhibit the least amount of differences.  I'd probably roll with the DS version, though, seeing as how the translation for that is completely finished.

Dragon Warrior VII is long.  Really long.  There's a 3DS remake now, hopefully we'll get it.  I loved the game, but it's one of the slowest in level pacing, if not actual plot pacing.  That gets moving pretty fast beyond the opening sequence.

Dragon Quest VIII is PS2-only, and it's a really, really pretty game.  Great fun.  There's some reduction of strategic depth, ditching the class systems in V-VII.  But the localization is superb, and we even get rockin' British voice acting and a actual symphonic soundtrack.

Dragon Quest IX is...  well, it's fun, but it's also very different.  You can play traditionally, but there's also a push towards mini-quests along the way, and an almost MMO-lite feel to it.  It's a bit of a bridge between the previous games and the MMO they just released (curse their sorry hides!).  Fun stuff, but not as good as the DS remakes, in my opinion.

...wall of text.  Yeesh.  You'd think I liked Dragon Quest or something.

EDIT:  I should say which I think is the best, shouldn't I?  That's...  actually not easy.  I think for the most emotionally poignant tale, you have to roll with DQV.  For gameplay, I think DQVI ends up being one of my favorites.  For interesting characters, DQIV is great.  DQIII is great for delving into the backstory of the original trilogy.  DQII is good if you want a challenge, at least in the NES version.  For sheer mass of content, DQVII is tops, and for sheer spectacle, DQVIII is the one to roll with.  It's definitely the most modern.  And finally, if you like some of the MMO-ish mechanics (and more puns than you can shake a stick at), Dragon Quest IX is the best.

That leaves out the original, but it's still important from a historical standpoint.  Play the faster versions, and it becomes an enjoyable snack of a RPG.