Messages

31

Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: How has your gaming tastes evolved since Chrono ?

« on: March 27, 2010, 04:04:33 am »

1-What other games did you play back then ? 

The original Mario Kart and TMNT IV: Turtles In Time were some non-RPG faves of mine... say what you will of TMNT, it's still one of the best side scrolling beat-em-ups out there!

NBA Jam: TE was a good one too.  The first game I can remember playing with a good create-a-player feature, complete with tweety bird and alien heads, and upgradable stats.

... I was still an RPG guy back then though, overall.  Just got the most playing time out of them.  FFVI, Secret of Mana (multi player!), Super Mario RPG I really liked. FFIV I enjoyed, but it wasn't on par with the others. Oh!  And Zelda:A Link to the Past.  One of the first RPGs I actually finished. Still a classic.  Got it for GBA recently.  I'm terrible at it these days!  I tried most of the SNES RPGs that I could find at the time.  Seventh Saga and Mystic Quest, I didn't like.  Illusion of Gaia was neat, Earthbound was an odd one that I'd like to revisit.

2-What other genre beside JRPGs do you like to play ?

Puzzle, old-school 2-D platformers and some shooters.  The ones with a sense of humour about them, i.e. Time Splitters. A lot of the new stuff (Call of Duty, etc) just takes itself too seriously. 

I was real into fighters back when Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers and Fighters Megamix etc were still making the rounds in my old Sega Saturn.     

3-Has your favorite genre changed since CT ?

I don't play a whole lot these days, so quick action / puzzle stuff like Tetris DS and New Super Mario Bros is what I play of late.  RPGs are still my fave, though the genre is becoming a bit glutted.  The CT DS port, I am playing off and on, getting through the French version for a change.

Blizzard, Bioware et al?

Never got too into it.  A lot of that early PC stuff - Warcraft II, Dark Forces, Diablo - was pretty cool at the time, but by the time I actually had a computer, the novelty had worn off.  They never had the charm of console stuff, for me. 

4-Finally, I would like to know your opinion about what Square has become today. Do you like their recent games ? Which ones ?

They lured me back for a moment with FFIX.  Other than that... pfft. 

32

General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: March 27, 2010, 03:21:10 am »

I had to go into hibernation for awhile to meet a deadline... this whole issue is pretty buried now, but I'll add to a pair of minor items, re: J's comments two pages back.

But the real point of interest here is: What do you do about it? ... I've had years to practice all three. I've learned something of the art of argument.

While I can agree that there's a certain art to debate - 'argument' strikes me as something more brash and inane - there's only so much 'art' you can learn over the years by typing on a screen with strangers. Especially when they can just google stats or trivia on the go. I've done my time as far as that scene goes, and at this point I've got enough papers, panels and political items to work on outside of the web. If I have down time, I'd rather just collapse and watch some highlights from a piece of cinematic gold like Ninja Terminator to flush the day's stress away: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0l7Fp5jTRQ

Before I go: You've got one point that I have to address specifically: He's considerably younger. ...
And I don't need to make innuendos about his age to chart a course.

You're reading into things a bit much.  As I mentioned above, I've tired of internet frays. But I've been through enough of them to know that people get sand in their vaginas over the most petty of comments, or bend them out of context for the sake of arguing. It sucks that we've arrived at the point my instinct is to preface my remarks with politically correct asides, yes. But if that's what it takes to stave off a potential internet shitstorm, then I'll go to the extra trouble of adding a pair of brackets and 3-4 words to my post and let my online character take a hit. I'm about as PC as George Carlin, but internet scrums just aren't my cup of tea these days.

**********************

In other news.....

Frustrations? Students who use CAPS LOCK in term papers for added emphasis, or take a shot in the dark with a thesaurus to try and jazz things up.  I'm still trying to picture what an "army attack[ing] polyphonically" is supposed to look like. 
 

33

General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: March 20, 2010, 05:25:21 am »

Edit for P.S.: Time constraints have limited my Compendium availability recently, Truthordeal, but as I am able I will pledge a return of the thrashings and rebukes you so consistently deserve. Elitism, bad? ...  It genuinely follows from my philosophy that you do a lot of damage by saying shit that either isn't true or doesn't follow. If I spoke to you politely, you would accuse me of condescension, perhaps not unwarrantedly.

You do realize how incredibly silly this sounds, right? Shaking your fist, promising to go about what you see as a moral duty to correct people on the internet? For fear of others digesting their views, however (in)correct they may be? You've got a long fight ahead of you if that's the case.  Especially (try not to take this the wrong way, Truth) if you're going to cast as wide a net as to go issuing lectures to people almost ten years younger than yourself.

Honestly, giving online verbal beatdowns in an effort to push your views on someone or simply obliterate their own is a waste. Respect is earned. Patronizing rhetoric and dueling monologues get you none. 

Reading some of your longer posts, J, I don't think I'm even that far off from you on major issues, but come on.  We're some of the oldest members here. Let's save our haughtiness and philosophy for mature items like doing dishes, paying the bills and writing congressmen as opposed to online bickering.  It shouldn't be such a distraction that we have to leave foreboding PS messages in threads we didn't have time to argue in.

34

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: March 17, 2010, 11:32:45 am »

I think the highlight to my day has come and gone already, before the clock strikes noon.  Was speaking with an old friend and catching up on weekend antics.  At one point he let go this great comment to sum things up:

you know it was a good party when you wake up and find a fully grown stingray in your sink

That one will be on my quotable quotes list for some time.  

It'll be a long day of teaching today, but there'll be a payoff at the end of things.  Seeing the Marinsky Orchestra in the evening, and picking up tickets for the Young Frankenstein musical (seeing it tomorrow).  Looking forward to that.  Lots of good performances coming through this city - saw the Toxic Avenger musical in the Fall, and that was just great.

35

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: March 15, 2010, 06:31:20 pm »

Thanks, Samopoznanie. On a related note, I was accepted to another program this weekend, thus providing the welcome problem of choosing between two programs (with three schools to still get back to me).

Right now the most frightening aspect of the whole deal is language requirements. I think I have a firm foundation in several languages, as well as in learning languages (as the more languages one learns, the easier to seems to be to pick up more), but I don't pretend to have mastery in any except English (and even English is a bit dubious, as it is in the informal form of being a native speaker). I'm quite looking forward to teaching and historiography. I will have to put a lot of effort in the community aspect, however, as I am naturally insular (a quality that is at odds with becoming a successful academic).

Good stuff, re: multiple programs to choose from.  Hopefully you've got some time to consider or even visit the schools.  Of the schools that offered me funding to live on,  Alberta offered me more, but it was only a 4-year package, versus U of T's 5-year one.  But Alberta's program is less intensive, with comprehensives covering about half the number of books as Toronto does - which would be a blessing!  I made my decision after considering some local factors (having to find a new doctor, etc) and more importantly, after spending a few days at the school.  The profs and grad student community were a cool bunch, but the lectures I sat in on just didn't make a great impression on me. 

I wouldn't worry too much about the language pre-reqs.  Based on my experience, at least, I would say that if you have even a second-year equivalent the exams won't be a problem. Assuming they're for written translation into English as mine was. I think they even had an alternative to the exam here, where you could just take a first-year language class and get a mark over 70% and that would be your credit.  Not sure if it's a similar scheme in the US schools.


As for 'Stuff I Love'..... Coming up blank on that one, honestly!  No time for loving when it's Deadline Season!

36

General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: March 15, 2010, 05:47:20 pm »

Double-spacing assignments is fucking annoying.

Try marking +- 150 assignments for a course. Then you'll learn to love double spacing! So much easier to read and comment on. 

I've always satisfying to type single spaced and then double space it to kill off the page limits for assignments.  Besides, if your prof is real lenient, you can be crafty and even double-space footnotes!  Brutally efficient way to get through things! 

37

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: March 13, 2010, 03:16:53 pm »

Yesterday I received my first acceptance letter to a PhD program.

Congrats. 

Here's hoping you get another one or two to give you some choice and bargaining power at the end of things.  It's quite a jolt from Undergrad, or a step up on the exhaustion meter if you're coming from a Master's.  Don't hesitate to try and negotiate a revised timeline with your supervisor if you feel overwhelmed, as it's easy to  let things undermine your health, especially with the novelty of teaching / marking four sections of classes on top of coursework. 

The teaching side is actually the highlight to things, I find.  That and getting more involved in the conference / publishing / presentation circuit.  If someone told me upon finishing my BA that I'd be traveling to Finland and Austria for school stuff, or drinking wine with senior military figures and government officials I'd have told them they were crazy. Those sort of things make the lifestyle seem worthwhile, for me anyway.  Though it is kind of crisis-inducing at times to see friends getting real jobs, having children etc while you're still in school!

38

General Discussion / Re: Video Game Discussion Thread

« on: March 01, 2010, 01:08:38 am »

9 days till final fantasy 13 !!!
Whose excited ?! I AM !!

*crickets chirping*

I've not had that much time lately, so I've been sticking to pick-up stuff.  Mostly New Super Mario Bros - one of the better surprises of the last year or so for me, nice to see a return to side scrolling with some reference to the old games.

39

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you hate

« on: March 01, 2010, 12:26:05 am »

I think I'd not mind Collins so much if he'd just let poor Genesis die in peace, before the 80s pop years kicked off.  To go from 'Selling England...' to 'Abacab' and 'I Can't Dance' is just... 

40

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: February 28, 2010, 11:15:27 pm »

Canada's 3-2 overtime victory over the USA. And a record 14 gold medals!

41

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: February 25, 2010, 01:41:15 am »

Stuff I love?  Olympic Hockey stats like these:

Score:

Canada 7
Russia  3

Ovechkin:

 0G, 0A, -2

Canada:

6 goals on 23 shots in just over 24 minutes.


Still have to win two more games in a row, but hopefully we'll get a rematch against the US. 

42

General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: February 24, 2010, 08:39:57 pm »

oh, and probably something about not attacking my sister even when she kicks me in the balls over mayonaise.

I know I shouldn't laugh at another guy's man-pain, but this phrase did make me laugh. 

I haven't been kicked there in awhile, thankfully.  My ex-girlfriend did whack my head against a tile floor once, giving me a scar above my left eye.  I think I'd take that over a kick though. At least I can lie about the scar and say I got it in a bar fight!

Frustration...?  Still the insomnia, really.  Tell you one thing, I'll be super-frustrated if Canada doesn't win the hockey match against Russia tonight.  Especially if Mike Babcock has the ill-sense to start Brodeur!

43

Site Updates / Re: Chrono Alter Release - Download Inside!

« on: February 19, 2010, 12:24:28 pm »

[Back on topic:    I get the impression that I can't play RPGMaker games on Mac... is there any sort of emulator program that I can use, or do I need Windows on hand?  Surely we've got other Mac users here who are literate in such things.   

I haven't actually downloaded the game yet, but RPGMaker is a Windows-only program, so I'd assume the game is a Windows-only executable. There are three ways that you can go about running Windows executables on a non-Windows machine, none of them ideal:

3. If you have an Intel Mac, set up a Windows dual-boot--this gives you maximum compatibility at the cost of maximum inconvenience. I don't know the exact procedure--plug Mac "boot camp" into Google and see what information it gives you.

Many thanks!  I'll give this a shot. 

44

Site Updates / Re: Chrono Alter Release - Download Inside!

« on: February 19, 2010, 04:27:46 am »

Ah, I shouldn't argue with someone who is epileptic.  

Talk about low tolerance for irony... what on earth does this have to do with anything?    Yeesh. 


Back on topic:    I get the impression that I can't play RPGMaker games on Mac... is there any sort of emulator program that I can use, or do I need Windows on hand?  Surely we've got other Mac users here who are literate in such things.   

Great to see these projects see the light of day and make it into circulation.  Real spit in the face to the Powers That Be.  I remember trying to put things together with RPG Maker and Fighter Maker when they were released for PSX.  Failed miserably!  Continue to be impressed with the fan-made products that come out of this community.

45

General Discussion / Re: Sooo... a music thread! (V SAYS: DO NOT JUST MAKE A LIST)

« on: February 18, 2010, 05:47:04 pm »

Here comes another long post...

I didn't even know he released a new album a few years ago. The most "recent" thing I've heard of his is a demo dating back to the 80s for a proposed third installment of Rocky Horror called "Revenge of the Old Queen". The song was called "The Moon Drenched Shores of Transylvania" and I dug it a lot. I have an mp3 of it if you haven't heard it.

The O'Brien album was released about ten years ago - I've flirted with ordering it a number of times but not yet got around to it:  http://www.amazon.ca/Absolute-O-Brien-Richard/dp/B00000K29V/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1266521101&sr=8-5

I'd love to hear that 3rd RHPS leftover.  He was flirting with the idea of a third installment as recently as a few years ago, and even did a live performance of one song called 'Not Dead Yet' if I recall correctly.  Back when it had the title of 'Rocky Horror Shows His Heels.'

Pink Floyd without Roger Waters is simply uninteresting to me (I’m done after “The Final Cut”). I really dig “Dehumanizer” and especially dig the song “I” after seeing Heaven and Hell perform the song live.

I'd encourage you to revisit it, even if you think of it as a David Gilmour solo disc. (Speaking of which, 'On An Island' was quite good...).  There are a few real nice songs, especially 'High Hopes' :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXmcN8uuaU

'Lost For Words' was nice too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXmcN8uuaU


I tend to be more open to black sheep lineups than a lot of folks. I find they bring out different sounds in my favourite musicians.  That one-off Van Halen album with Gary Cherone on vocals is the only one of their albums I listen to these days - it's got Eddie's best playing since Fair Warning on it, even if the mix sucks and the drums sound like a limp dick on cardboard. Likewise, I enjoy a lot of the Black Sabbath stuff with Tony Martin on vocals - had the pleasure of meeting him and longtime Sab keyboard / rhythm guitarist Geoff Nichols in Russia a few years ago. They got me a guest pass after my ticket was stolen the day before the show!

Some excellent music came out of that decade, but for the most part it was pretty disappointing.

For me the biggest disappointment with the stuff that's come out since the mid nineties has been the lack of fun to the music. I trash the popular metal stuff of the 80s, but the music - and the movies too, and video games... a lot of media - had a real sense of fun about it and didn't take things so deathly serious or angsty as a lot of groups do today.   Even the outrageous colourful outfits they wore onstage had a sense of kitsch about them.  More melodic too - not as much cookie monster vocals. 

The bands were starting to evolve and morph into some new and interesting places, but grunge nipped that in the bud, and since then bands like that haven’t been able to find much mainstream success.

Probably you've heard Cinderella - that's essentially the story Kenny Aronoff (one of the best session guys in the business) gave us at a drum clinic a few years ago.  He played on the album Still Climbing, and said it was one of his favourites that he'd done, but only about six people bought it after Grunge hit. 

Aronoff is great, btw.  If you've not looked him up, check out his site.  The guy is super laid back, and a great teacher - I've seen a number of drum clinics (Mike Mangini, Jimmy DeGrasso, Pat Mastelleto(sp?), etc) but as a non-drummer, I definitely learned the most from Ken.  He'd explain the challenge of coming up with different drumming approaches for 10 songs that all go at the same pace, back during his long stint with Mellancamp, which was pretty funny.     Even the Avril LaVigne albums, he's added some great parts to.  I think he was with John Fogerty's band last I checked.

Aronoff did a lot of the drums for Meat Loaf in the 90s too, including Bat Out Of Hell II. 

And I do like the new album a lot too.

I like it better than I do Revenge / Carnival, surprisingly.  Again, I think it's what I mentioned with the 80s stuff. Those two were pretty dark albums, whereas this one's just good fun.

Are you referring to when he was in the band for the “Thunder and Lightning” album or the current lineup where he leads Lizzy?

Yeah, I was thinking of the current lineup.  They sound fine, just don't do much for me.  Not a big Lizzy fan.  I enjoy Black Rose, but that's about it.

Agree that the rest are underrated and I haven’t heard Manzarek’s solo debut. I also want to hear the couple post-Morrison albums they recorded, just for curiosity’s sake.

The post-Morrison albums are okay, but more of a showcase for Manzarek and Kreiger's influences - it sounds a lot like old time rock and roll in places, definitely not Jim.  I used to have them both but lost them during a move.  My favourite song from those two was probably Tightrope Ride:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_X2oPFRR0Q

I really like Manzarek, one of the more respectable guys in rock and roll. The solo album I mentioned has a lot more of a Doors-ish vibe to it. Pretty dated, but given our tastes, it shouldn't be a problem! 'Solar Boat' has a few lyrical references to Morrison in it, even:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4PBoAedWVA

I used to have John Densmore's Tribal Jazz stuff on my old cpu... didn't really care for it though.
 

And yeah, I heard about that show but haven’t seen it.

Just do a youtube questi f you like... it was Pro-Shot, or there's an audio recording from the soundboard if you're into the bootleg scene.  I collected shows for years (via the post, before torrents took over!) and had a couple dozen Sabbath ones at one point. 

I didn’t get into music until my first concert at age 14. I would always listen to music on the radio and say, “This is so bad. Why do people like music? Music sucks.” The only music I liked was The Beatles, Ozzy Osbourne, Pink Floyd, Queen, Michael Jackson, old lullabies from my childhood and video game/cartoon music. And one Cher song.

For me it was about the same, I think it was grade seven or so that a friend's swimming coach lent him Led Zeppelin IV.  I was a retro act from then on.  Mind you, I'd already gotten into a fair bit of stuff before then, just from Weird Al Yankovic.  I loved his stuff as a kid, and still have a lot of respect for the guy.  And his music introduced me to quite a range of artists, as I'd go to the library and track down CDs by the groups he was parodying.

Oh, and I checked out your prior post in this thread. Some cool stuff in that post.

Thanks!  It's always good to run into someone else who's heavy into music.  I'm a big fan of Carmine Appice btw - one of the first heavy drummers out there.  Check out the latest from Vanilla Fudge if you've not already.  They did a great Zep tribute album called 'Out Through The In Door.'  Carmine's one of the only guys who could do justice to Bonham's drum parts.

I've meant to get into Prince and The Outlaws, so it would be cool if you could point me in the direction of some albums - maybe bearing in mind that my ears aren't so friendly to 80s production! Can't help it, the snare sound on some of those records gets to me.