Archive for July, 2011
Posted by CmdrKing on
July 19, 2011
In doing the Thematics series, it’s important to remember that video games rarely use trained writers. At times this works out; while the people behind Final Fantasy aren’t writers by trade, they clearly has some idea of the process, and in the end it’s simply easier for a non-professional like myself to sift through the work. Other times? If we’re honest, we have to admit that there are no deeper meanings or threads binding the stories together, at least not in the mind of the fellows putting dialogue together. But of course, humans as an animal are if nothing else pattern seekers, and as such it’s entirely possible to come away from a nominally shallow story with much the same sort of impression as one clearly written with advanced technique in mind.
This brings me to today’s subject, the Chrono Series. When I considered my next project, people immediately recommended Chrono Cross, because “you can talk about CC at the drop of a hat anyway”. Which is probably a fair point, but I don’t think the failings of Chrono Cross at the writing level mean much without talking about Chrono Trigger. But in considering CT as its own article, I was unsure the game was actually written to have strong central themes. So in what follows, I’m not entirely sure if I’m stretching in order to strengthen my point later or seeing a legitimate aspect of Chrono Trigger’s story, but I think you’ll agree it makes a lot of sense and fits with what’s in the game.
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Posted by Xeroma on
July 14, 2011
Disclaimer: This review column won’t delve into RPGs much. However, I still feel that I should do these reviews for a reason.
Lots of people in our community have been obtaining 360s and PS3s as of late, and I still see remarks from various people about how there are few games that are any good on the platforms. I feel that this is not an accurate statement, and above all ignores a prominent sector of both console’s libraries: the digital distribution network. There are actually a pretty decent number of good games on both XBLA and PSN, which are easy to overlook if you’re not intimately familiar with both services. This review column was an idea I had to help alleviate this problem, to shed light on notable games on the service and hopefully convince people of what these services have to offer. I plan on updating this column once every two weeks, so that I can have time to ensure the individual reviews will be of quality.
Without further ado, here is the first review. This game I believe represents what both services are capable of, and that game is Pac-Man Championship Edition DX.
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Posted by Djinn on
July 12, 2011
While the main Tournament Page is still undergoing a bit of construction, the RPGDL Tournament marches on! A smaller substitute Tournament is being held on the Forums, organized by CmdrKing. Come get all RPG-hero deathmatch needs by voting in the Forum Topic.
Discussion is welcome, but not required, for placing your vote.
Standard Duelling League rules apply. The one exception is that a few of the more famous characters who weren’t on the Ranked DL roster have been allowed to compete. Maybe one of your favorites is beating up Sephiroth right now?
Tournament 2011 – Round 1 Topic
Round Two is now open!
Tournament 2011 – Round 2 Topic
