Comments on: Editorial Miscellany: Familiar Places

By: Wolfe

Wolfe — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 03:09:25 +0000

Don’t be so hard on yourself Ethos. Nice article. I’ll deliver some random thoughts on a couple of the titles you touched on here, as I have little else of worth to contribute.

-FFX: I’ve never played it. Always flirted with the notion of doing so, but the bizarre, Pacific island aesthetic coupled (I swear to god I almost just typed Bupled) with the ridiculous character designs have put me off in a big way.

-Bravely Default: I love everything about it (save for the ‘twist’ towards the end) so why can’t I finish it? I’ll still pick up 2 should we be lucky enough to see it here.

-Dragon Quest: (Despite it being mentioned only in passing) I loved VIII so much that it brought me back to JRPGs after my interest in them was killed during the mid 00s by a string of mediocre titles. That spring/summer I felt the same wonder and pure joy I felt in my younger days when I first discovered Lunar on the Sega CD. It’s the kind of game I endlessly chase and rarely find. I’m still very upset I can’t play the 3DS version of VII.

By: Lusipurr

Lusipurr — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 20:30:22 +0000

@Bup: Lots of new music has been added over the past month. There’s a lot of content there.

By: Ethos

Ethos — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 18:34:02 +0000

@Bup – I forgot about that! That’s actually a pretty perfect transition game. I haven’t played it since my initial burst, so there’s still a lot of tracks I haven’t played. My FFIX piano music book is still one of my most used.

@Mel – Yeah, falling behind is one thing, but at least the ranking system helps with that a bit. Also, while I think I would be considered a moderate to heavy casual player, I’m still able to buy cards fairly frequently without spending a real cent.

By: Mel

Mel — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 18:25:30 +0000

I have yet to get into Hearthstone, but all of my friends (all fans of Magic at one point or another) still play Soul Forge. I used to but just fell out of the habit, then when I stopped logging in my decks fell behind and it wasn’t fun to play anymore. I’ve considered getting back into it.

By: Bup

Bup — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 16:00:15 +0000

I actually started playing Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call again. This time playing through the Expert difficulty songs. I forgot how good the music in IX is.

By: Ethos

Ethos — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:23:51 +0000

Yes, sir. Thank goodness I still have four left!

By: Lusipurr

Lusipurr — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:19:47 +0000

“I’m afraid you need to put in a bit more effort than that, Ethos!”
When you fail in your routine, you need to cut off one of your toes.

By: Ethos

Ethos — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 20:39:36 +0000

You’re looking for CCGs. I can only hope that you were being as sardonic as I was. Developing a morning routine can help to streamline all that stuff at the start of the day which can eat up loads of time. Get out of bed, brush your teeth, shave, use the toilet, shower, and then have breakfast. I prefer two pieces of toast and an apple with a glass of tea or orange juice. Light, but substantial, and then you’re good through lunch time if you like. Plan, and then adhere! Indeed! Something I did very well the first two days of this week and then for some reason thought would work on auto-pilot this morning. I'm afraid you need to put in a bit more effort than that, Ethos!

By: Lusipurr

Lusipurr — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 20:33:02 +0000

“Maybe then it would not be such a tonal disaster, but I am hard pressed to imagine a way in which all those camera swoops and inane prolonged adolescent reactions would work.”
There is no language of men or beasts which can excuse the camera work in Final Fantasy X. In one of my favourite shots, the character delivering the lines is almost entirely off-screen because the camera is focused on his ankle, which is about two inches from the camera. There’s nothing else going on in the shot, so the reason for this is…?
The same thing is done in Final Fantasy X-2, so it seems to be something which they thought was really cool at the time.

“Especially given how easily I can skip all the terrible dialogue and just focus on the beautiful locations and that sweet, sweet level-grinding.”
It’s not all terrible. There are some pretty excellent moments (quite a few in fact). Of course, there are some really cringe-worthy things as well. Bravely Default is a game of extremes. Luckily, there’s far more good than bad.

“I just wish there was a commonly used acronym for games in which cards are collectible.”
You’re looking for CCGs.

“I will eat right after I post this.”
Developing a morning routine can help to streamline all that stuff at the start of the day which can eat up loads of time. Get out of bed, brush your teeth, shave, use the toilet, shower, and then have breakfast. I prefer two pieces of toast and an apple with a glass of tea or orange juice. Light, but substantial, and then you’re good through lunch time if you like. Plan, and then adhere!