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 Jake's Clever Banter I beat Ico. That's a testament in itself to just how short this game is. If you're an unfortunate soul who can only afford to buy one game this Christmas, this is not the game to buy. That said, every PS2 owner MUST play and beat this game. From start to finish, it is one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had playing videogames. The "Final battle" is very appropriate to the nature of the game, and is simply epic, and despite that the ending itself leaves almost all the loose ends loose, rarely has a game's ending satisfied me so. Also, both Guilty Gear X and Spy Hunter are well-deserving of praise. Guilty Gear X, while a tad on the brainless side (Somewhat similar in many ways to Capcom's Vs. series) is mad fun, although for all the hype it's graphics were getting, I'd expected a bit more. And Spy Hunter seems, so far, to be the perfect realization of the original game in 3D- Controls are spot on, the atmosphere is PERFECT, and the lack of bird's-eye view is not missed at all. If you liked the original, you can't go wrong with this one. Oh, and you'll notice there's another comic today, which means Tim isn't dead, though for the two sentences that were in the E-Mail he sent it in, he may as well be. From the best I can tell from Ish and Jeff (Another friend of his), he's been consumed in schoolwork, which is a decent excuse, I s'pose. I just hope he gets back on track with the next strip... 10/3/01 - I feel like I've been deserted... Every time I go to check the E-Mail, I expect to see the latest comic with Tim saying, "Whoops, sorry I'm late!", but 'tis not to be. I haven't heard from him in a while now, and I've no clue what's going on. In the meantime, I've given up the hope that he'll be getting the latest strip to me anytime in the immediate future, so I've made up another Shirt-guy Gom strip. I'm very VERY sorry about this, but there's not much else I can do. Getting a replacement artist for the strip probably wouldn't be EXTREMELY hard, but Tim is more than that. He's half the heart and soul of this strip, and it just wouldn't work without him... God, I miss him... Where are you, Tim? *Sigh* And today, I guess there are three or so MORE PS2 games that I have to get (Being the obsessive guy I am). Supposedly, the new Spy Hunter remake avoids the whole "Remakes make the baby Jesus cry" rule, and actually rocks ass, and in addition, there's the new Time Crisis 2, and Guilty Gear X. Eat this, PS2-mockers: There are too damn many good PS2 games! And as opposed to the Final Fantasy games, which I've always known to be fantastic but just haven't kept my attention much since FF Tactics, games like Ico and Advance Wars have me glued to the screen. I cannot stop. Games like these are WHY I'm a gamer. Games with gameplay so good, you don't actually get bored. Games so artistically beautiful (Yeah, even Advance Wars, in a kooky comic-booky kinda' way), you're absorbed into the game world. And good news abounds: As Deus Ex PS2 nears completion, the creators issued a statement, talking about the game's progress. Of special interest to me is the talk about the game's controls. FINALLY, someone notices the biggest problem looming over console ports of PC FPSes. We can only hope the ports of Half-Life, No One Lives Forever, and the rest follow suit. Now, although they make no mention of Mouse/KB support (Why haven't any PS2 games gotten this yet!?), they are paying close attention to the issue. I hope they end up with something akin to the controls in Medal of Honor- in my opinion, the best control scheme of any console FPS. In any case, hopefully it'll right itself in the end. In the meantime, my wallet keeps getting thinner and thinner... 10/1/01 - *Sends someone to break Tim's legs* Yup, the comic's late again. And I cannot tell a lie- Tim did it. Send him the hate mail. Maybe he'll get the hint and... oh, Idunno... draw the comic, maybe? Meantime, I can at least give you some keen ranting to tide you over. I have to say, I've heard some interesting rumblings on the X-Box side of things lately. Not just messageboard jammer, but also some other stuff that would destroy friendships if I told anyone because friends broke NDAs to tell me. I've got to say, if some of what I've been hearing is true, the X-Box may still stand a good chance. In the end, I think it comes down to two things- First, how well it's recieved in Japan. Right now, Japanese interest in the system is simply pathetic, and if it doesn't sell well in Japan, we could very well end up seeing a situation much like the Dreamcast. Japanese developers could see a lack of profit in their homeland, pull support, and then interest in the system on our side of the pond would dwindle too, because when was the last time you heard of a good American developer (OK, outside of Neversoft and EA, who aren't doing anything extremely important for the X-Box)? And if Japanese support never really solidifies (Where are Capcom and Konami?), these problems could start at launch. And that's the other side of the thing. The machine is obviously lucrative to PC developers, so will their support be a good substitute for missing Japanese developers? I think it could be, except where is it? The PS2 is getting a new Baldur's Gate, as well as ports of Deus Ex, Black and White, Half-Life, Kabuto: Giants, and possibly an Age of Empires game *Snicker, snicker*, and a Tribes game. I thought the X-Box was supposed to be the system for PC ports... Don't get me wrong, the X-Box could be great, and I just want it to either sink or swim (Instead of just kinda' floating at the top of the fishbowl like the Dreamcastb did). I've found myself dreaming about the idea of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X- using my own personal MP3 collection as a soundtrack as I shred through any of the two games' tracks is sooooo tempting (Although, I do sorta' already have both these games), and the possibilities for this thing are immense... Please, X-Box, either fulfill that potential, or die quickly- I don't want another system that gets a few incredible games before it dies. ... You all hate me now, don't you? *Escapes angry mob and dreams of tearing up the Warehouse, Hangar and Beach, to "Fly", "Kryptonite", "One More Time", and Hybrid's "Finished Symphony" (SSX and Tony Hawk, a perfect combination)...* ... And if you still haven't played BOTH of those games, I pity you. *Looks at new header image* Oh yeah, and Ico, too. This game is a reason to own a PS2, people. The atmosphere, the gameplay, the depth of character- it's all so perfect. I think Penny Arcade said it best when they said that Ico is really the first game that shows what a next-gen game should be. It such a beautiful and deep experience, and yet the core gameplay is so simple, anyone can get into it. And for those thinking it's a pretty game with block puzzles, think again- most of the puzzles in this game are environmental- trying to find a way through the decaying castle. No items to use or keys to find- no collecting of "Stuff", and none of those "Symbolic puzzles" that've become the norm in games like Res Evil and Silent Hill- Everything makes sense. It's the essense of a timeless game- great level design. Just trust me- if you don't try Ico, you'll be missing out on a fun, beautiful, deep, and possibly spiritual experiece. It really is that good. |
 Tim's Clever Banter Rei Ayanami is always calm, always quiet... she is very serene, despite living in a world of violence, where she is destined to pilot a giant robot. Rei lives alone, usually left to her own thoughts, without anybody to share them with. It's this fragility that makes her character so endearing... even if she barely mutters three sentences per episode, her gaze is enough. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the Evangelion character designer, describes Rei "like a shadow or the air. The kind of girl you can't touch. The kind of girl you long for, but there is nothing about her that you can grab a hold onto." No wonder Tim had such a tough time even trying to strike a conversation with her. Although what Tim went through is nothing compared to the hell Shinji went through... Doing something as simple as delivering a NERV I.D. card to Rei can prove to be quite a task. Moving on... The three characters who got "boinked" into the real world in September 19th's strip are, from left to right: Toji Suzuhara, Hikari Horaki, and Kensuke Aida. The two boys are the only real friends Shinji gains while attending school in Tokyo-3. Shinji rescues them during his second fight with an Angel, while barely holding onto his own sanity. Toji and Kensuke mainly serve as comedy relief, easing Shinji's tension, although Toji does eventually play a major part in the overall story. Hikari is the representative of their high school class, eventually becoming Asuka's best friend, and a "friend" to Toji. Other than that she enjoys yelling at people to behave. In other non-Evangelion-related news, I should be getting Silent Hill 2 and Ico today, the first two big PS2 games of the season. I'll give you full impressions on both titles Friday (along with more boring Eva stuff!)
BEEF! |
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