I think the worst ever was final fantasy 8 when you had to trek through a long cave with a tough random encounter gradually depleting your resources and will every step of the way to Omega Weapon. (and just when you think you can be all "Lawlz No Random skillz equipped", it bullshits you by giving you randoms anyway.) Omega weapon was some seriously ridiculous bullshit. Certainly one of the toughest bosses in video games, and the entire time the randoms EVERY SINGLE STEP wears you down. Even if you do beat him, in spite of the frantic randoms, you still have to make the trek all the way back before you can save. They must have handed out a lot of pay cuts at Square that week that content was created.

Still didn't have to put up with that randoms crap when in your airship, though.

Deep sea research lab? That was Ultima weapon, you could draw the GF Eden from him! I do know what you're talking about now though, if you did something wrong with the steam valves, you got spammed with enemies. Omega was WAY harder than Ultima though.

One thing that bothers me about Walking Dead is that, while it excels in some areas, such as characters development and well executed tension inbetween the people, it can get a tad predictable in others
For example,
The time Carl goes into the forest by himself in the 11th episode
That on its own is already stupid enough, since a kid raised up in that environment, knowing the dangers of wandering alone, would know better than that
And the fact that the kid instead of just shooting the walker, he approaches it and it was painfully obvious that something was going to happen. And as the boy escaped, I already knew that that walker was going to kill someone, and since Dale was being the main character of the episode, I figured it out it was going to be him

another thing is how the whole zombie attacks are executed, more than once they go with the sneak attack and that just does not go well with the walker theme. they're not smart, they're not cunning and they are certainly no stealth machine. They're animals that are always groaning whenever they're on camera, so it's hard to believe they can actually make a jump on someone without them noticing. However it seems to be one of the favorite ways to kill off a character and it just bugs me

This kind of things really bum me out, since I was thoroughly enjoying the show, but it prevents it from being a great show, it's just an above average one.
However, overall it was a pleasant surprise since I wasn't expecting it to be that good. I've never liked the whole zombie craze, but that's really not the strong point of the series.

All in all, I'm happy I gave this show a chance

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DOWNLOAD - https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qkby011a3tkgg2/Shenmue%20II%20Character%20Database.rar

Yep. After nearly a decade, it's done, people :D

HISTORY OF THE SHENMUE II CHARACTER DATABASE PROJECT
Ever since casting my eyes upon screenshots of Shenmue published in the (now defunct) UK magazine Computer and Video Games, I have been absolutely enthralled by the series. This game was definitely something different. As the famous tagline proclaimed in the trailers before its release – RPG had changed. Sure, hailing the game as being its own exciting new “genre” with a somewhat silly acronym as its name (FREE- Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment) was being a tad overzealous perhaps, but you had to admire Yu Suzuki’s ambition for this game. When I finally got to play it on the Christmas morning of 2000, it did not disappoint. The atmosphere created was just amazing to me – a realistic, living, breathing town with over 300 individual characters – all with their own specific daily routines and, in supplementary materials, all named and given detailed biographies! Throw in the fantastic music and the engaging (if not completely original) story and you really had something special. And this was only part one of the saga...

Bundled with the game was the ‘Shenmue Passport’ disc. Through the Dreamcast’s internet connection, this enabled access to all sorts of information about the game, as well as ranking leaderboards for the various mini-games and the chance to get exclusive capsule toys. One of the best features was the character profile section however; as you met and conversed with the characters during a playthrough, their profiles would gradually be added to the Passport. Now to some, giving all 300+ characters names, stats, and biographies may seem extraneous, (especially given characters that Ryo can’t even speak to have detailed information about them!) but it really shows the love and care put into the game by the developers and the amount of depth to Shenmue that few games have matched.

PASSPORT EXPIRED
The Passport service was eventually taken offline in April 2002, but thankfully the character profiles had also been published in Prima’s strategy guide book for the game, so the information was still readily available to fans.
Which brings us to the sequel game, Shenmue II – which I got the following Christmas in 2001. This sadly could end up being the last game in the series, despite it ending on a cliffhanger and at a game-changing point in the saga’s story. Nonetheless, the sequel’s world was even bigger than the first’s– Ryo travels to Hong Kong to continue his quest, with most of its areas completely dwarfing Shenmue I’s in terms of size, as well as the amount of characters – around 700. There was also a lot more mini-games and sidequests to discover, and fans generally agree it is more action-packed and that the plot moves a lot quicker than the first game (though some will argue Shenmue I’s atmosphere has more charm) And what of these 700-odd characters? Were they all named and profiled as per the original game? As it turns out, yes – but these were not readily available to the fans outside of Japan.

Firstly, unlike the first Shenmue, there was no Passport. There was no Prima guide either, as the Dreamcast version had been cancelled in America. America eventually saw an updated version of Shenmue II on the Microsoft Xbox, and a Prima guide was finally published. However, unlike the Shenmue I book, there were only profiles on the main characters; Ryo, Shenhua, Xiuying, Fangmei, Ren, Joy, Wong, Lan Di, Dou Niu and Yuan. The Xbox version, with the new snapshot feature, did include profiles on some of the other characters; unlocked when you took pictures of them, but it didn't come close to having profiles for all the characters. Would we ever know the names and backgrounds of the reams of anonymous characters?

A FAN EFFORT
Shortly after I had completed Shenmue II, I looked around on the internet for fansites/information about the series, ultimately finding the excellent Shenmue Dojo website. I joined the forums, and this was in fact one of the first message boards I signed up to on the internet. My handle on the forum was (and still is) ‘Miles Prower’, as I am also a long-time fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games (and Sega games in general). I made a lot of good friends through the Dojo community and have many fond memories associated with the forums. I think between us we have probably discussed every single aspect of the games to death, but as many fans will attest, you find or notice something new with every playthrough of these wonderful games. Not to mention the very active hacking/modding scene that developed, mostly headed by longtime member LanDC, in which reams of unused content was discovered and many interesting and or humourous modifications made to the game. I still get a warm nostalgic feeling every time I watch LanDC’s Road to Amihama videos in particular.

And indeed, the question of whether detailed character profiles existed for Shenmue II’s cast was raised in discussion. In a thread from 2003, a member named Eek the Cat shared some scans of a guidebook he owned published in Japan called the Shenmue II Perfect Guidebook. The scans showed that there were indeed names and profiles for each and every character.
Eek was even kind enough to put all of the scans together on a CD for me and mail it to me, and even threw in a couple of audio CD’s he had compiled containing music from Shenmue II (sadly the second game never had any official soundtracks released).

The problem? Being that this book was from Japan, the character names were in Chinese and the information in Japanese. Through discussion in the topic, another forum member called khien agreed to help with translating the character names as she could read Chinese. And so began the effort to translate the many character profiles. I began by gradually posting them within the topic, and then eventually creating a website (which, thanks to Web Archive, you can still view here , albeit with most of the images missing).

Continuing into 2004 and beyond, progress was quite slow, mainly due to me starting university. Khien’s life ended up becoming quite busy as well, but thanks to the efforts of another forum member, Oda Ryo, the translation work still continued. The forum member Kiyuu (possibly Japan’s biggest Shenmue fan, and often referred to as the ‘Shenmue Queen’), also informed me that another book existed, the Shenmue II Complete Guide, which contained profiles for characters not included in the Perfect Guidebook; namely those for the many pedestrians who wander the streets of Hong Kong. I made the effort to acquire this book myself and make scans for the remaining profiles.

RESSURECTING THE PROJECT
As the years went on, however, my free time became less and less. I studied for three years at university and after graduating in 2008, I was working full time; in short I was growing up. It was also looking increasingly unlikely that a Shenmue III would ever emerge. Life went on. However, my enthusiasm to complete the project was somewhat fired up again when Peter from the forums (who most likely owns the biggest Shenmue collection in Ireland) got in touch with me on Facebook asking if I was still working on it, as the Dojo staff had managed to get an interview with one of the voice actors for the English dub of Shenmue II (a very interesting read by the way, which can be found here , and they had requested that video clips be assembled of the characters he voiced, which he supplied a list of – but only by name and brief descriptions. Using the information from my project I helped with finding some of them. I then found myself wanting to get the project finished once and for all, and got back in touch with Oda Ryo who happily assisted me with getting the remaining names translated.

I had also spoken to the member ‘thegreatchai’, who had also been attempting to catalogue the character information on her wiki site, and over time we assisted each other greatly. I began transferring the information to an Excel spreadsheet with the intention of creating a complete database of all the Shenmue II characters – which after assembling a numbered list I discovered there are exactly 700 – surely a deliberate intention of the creators? At any rate, after a few months work the project was finally finished. I am glad that this information is now easily accessible to Shenmue fans, and while some may consider me obsessive or downright insane for pursuing with the project, it was worth it for a game series that I love so much and one day hope will be continued in some form. We can but hope. The saga may still go on....

DOWNLOAD - https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qkby011a3tkgg2/Shenmue%20II%20Character%20Database.rar

Please feedback and let me know if you spot any mistakes or errors, or any factoids about the characters that I may have missed. Most of all, enjoy :D

If anything, I became more impatient with games that take longer to complete. I used to hate the fact I couldn't get 40-50 hours off a single game.

Now I deride any game that takes longer than 8 hours to complete. Or even 4. I just don't have that much time to spend on them anymore.

http://kotaku.com/5964345/thq-is-so-bro ... ble-bundle

Saint's row 3
Darksiders
Company of Heroes
COH Opposing Front
COH Tales of Valor
Metro 2033
Red Faction Armageddon

Paid 6.50

I have no degrees or training in anything 3D or 2D, programming or anything real computer wise with experience and its my main strength.
I make sligs and busses :P (WIP :P)
Thats it really. wip and a kobe tower ill dig out later.
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I'm a support worker for people with autism. Been working with learning disabilities for the past four years (since graduating from uni basically), can be very hard work at times but ultimately very rewarding

I'm a support worker for people with autism. Been working with learning disabilities for the past four years (since graduating from uni basically), can be very hard work at times but ultimately very rewarding :)

Hey I do the exact same thing! I am teaching at a school for autism, and doing support work with multiple families on the weekends. I have been doing this since I graduated in May. Very rewarding work indeed :D

Finished my degree awhile ago. I work for a telecom company now in business sales for the past 2 years. I make good money, which is important because when I move back to Japan a year from now ill need plenty to buy/recondition a house, get a hybrid car and have some kids.


Actually never talked about this one before because of NDA and I didnt care to discuss it, but I actually used to work for Sony Computer Entertainment here in San Diego for about a year in the QA dept. Went in as a temp, writing up bugs and braking games. I got promoted to full permanent within my first few projects. I worked on quite a few small and big titles out there and you can actually find my name in the credits of some games. I also worked with the Move controller in some of the launch games before it came out.
I found the work at first to be very nice. I liked Sony as a company alot and they have great offices. I got along with alot of the people there which is why I got promoted relatively quickly. But once I was in with more of the higher ups their were people that really rubbed me the wrong way, who were on power trips and one person in particular that had it in for me big time because of a misunderstanding. I felt like my job was being threatened because of it, so I found a new higher paying job somewhere else, (where I am currently) and was done with it asap. The work was getting tedious and destroying my love for games anyways. But ill always value that time cause I can say I worked in the industry and for Sony at that. Which looks great on my resume.

Its too bad that so many new RPGs are afraid to do turn based (look at how great Resonance of Fate is)

The modern idea that Action>Turn based is a bit silly considering they're just so different its all about style. I think a series that highlights this is the Ogre series, theres people who think March of the black queen is rubbish and let us cling together is brilliant, then again theres people who think the opposite too. If a player want to slow things down and have more of a plan thats one thing, if they want to run in and make quick decisions based on a small pool of actions its another. Both are fun for different reasons.

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Also put actual Xmas decorations around the house. I'm very anxious and if you read last thing you bought topic my last post as of December 3rd 2012. I will have the christmas for the ages. Because I can finally give someone something they never had in thier adult life. An Adult 72 years of age. To fix something that has bothered me since 1990.

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Sorry DP.

This is it for my mom. I don't really have the money but will be ok I believe. I'm overwhelming er with gifts. I never really had money to buy her anything. Also I want to do something for her she has never had in her adult life on christmas. Be showered with gifts. Esp when back in 1990 she went full out and had these massive gigantic santa bags full of toys. Gifts stacked to the ceiling for my dad and sister. I was 6 year sold. Then after were are opening all this stuff my sister says "Open one Linda" My mom said "Nobody got me anything" ..yeah...That christmas has been in my mind ever since. And this year is the year she get's that christmas back.

Revised a little

You are not authorised to read this forum.

The only reason I want rare back with Nintendo is because of Banjo, and I imagine Nintendo would fully support a 3D platformer Banjo-Kazooie. Even if Rare isn't the developer, I'm sure there are plenty of people who are capable of making a good Banjo game.

Believe me, I was there when gamestop opened for Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts, and the employee looked at me like I was retarded and said, "You know, the shipment doesn't come in until noon... so come back later...". The game is good but a huge departure from the rest of the series, and not what I would have preferred.

Banjo-Threeie is up there with Mega Man Legends 3, Chrono Break, and even Shenmue 3 for my most wanted games. If Nintendo can make it happen then I would be all for it. Of course, I've been talking as if this rumor isn't complete shit but whatever, :P

I'm not so much concerned about Rare but their IPs... and really only Banjo.

You are not authorised to read this forum.

And you'll never have to.

You are not authorised to read this forum.

Those are obviously some pretty extreme cases and not every fan is going to be like that. I just don't really trust the "fuck bronie" mentality. People have seen these extreme cases of fandom and have extended it to the entire -- in this case male -- fanbase, which results in a "Twilight" effect. If only people would bother to see if the show is actually good, despite the fanatics. However, it's a trap. The minute you watch the show, say it's good (if you like it), you're deemed a bronie by a bunch of idiots with an inability to think for themselves. I should really watch the show soon; curiosity really gets the better of me sometimes.

Don't really get the My Little Pony thing myself, but I don't really see the big problem with it either. So what if some men happen to appreciate a cartoon show with cutesy characters? It's not really anything new or that out of the ordinary.

Wanna hear the amazing joke I made up? You do!? Ok. *ahem* Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach were going to see a movie at the theatre. It was a re-release of an old film; a real classic. However, Bach ended up not being able to go because he was Baroque. You're welcome.

I asked Bach during the November elections whether or not he was in favor of Mitt Romney and the Republican party. He said he preferred Baroque Obama.

Nice yukupo I just got one too.

You are not authorised to read this forum.

You are not authorised to read this forum.

I just got a real sense of just how long it's been. I was unable to sleep and watching some old videos I made, and came across Extraordinary (Link here, if you haven't seen it :lol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qpRRknV88I )

It's crazy because I made that when I first came here in 2003, and, thinking back to my thought processes when I made that video, everything in it already felt so old, it felt like we had already done everything in the games. It's just insane to think that it has already been 10 years since I first joined here and made this video... yet in another way, it feels like a whole different lifetime.

I just looked at my PM box, and I have a new PM, but my box is overflowing and I have all these old PMs from people who aren't here anymore like Yusuke and Odds and Ends/Riot on Broadway and I don't want to delete them. :-o

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nowUbao1Pc[/youtube]

New Zelda announced for Wii U but Nintendo also just announced Wind Waker HD coming to WiiU this year!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSF-yNvKmjI

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Wude!

Admittedly the community has been quite tame as of late and has seemed to come into it's own once again. Despite that, having a team that works collectively is key. Due to some previous drops from months ago and time zone differences, we've discussed adding a couple of new moderators.

With that said, we're confident Wude will do a great job. There are more potential additions on the horizon, no eta as of yet though.

I just wanted to let everyone know that due to the donations received and our hosting upgrade, I've been able to enhance our PM features.

⋅ Users are now able to include attachments in PM's by uploading files to Shenmue Dojo.
⋅ Users PM boxes are now unlimited, the 250 limit has been changed to no limit.

Hope this makes life a little easier around the Dojo. Enjoy!

Thanks a lot guys,i'll do my best

Meh, doubt i'll be getting it, namco has proven how shit they really are.

^^See, this exactly what I was talking about before.
It's not Namco.
Sure, you could go the snarky Ryudo route and say "whelp, they chose a shitty distribution company, hardy har," but that still places the blame on the distribution company.
Namco were responsible for localizing the game, translating it, and putting together this fantastic little package, all of which were done with player interest in mind. JRPG's aren't the popular quantity that they used to be, so not only was Namco Bandai taking a risk by even bringing the game over, but they were taking an even bigger risk in spicing it all up by creating such a nice LE (which couldn't have been cheap). They were admirably and honestly trying to create something great for RPG fans.
The taking of preorders and the final distribution of everything ought to be the simplest part of it all. It's done all the damn time with several thousand products every year, so I find it hard to fault Namco in having faith that the distribution company they hired would be able to take care of this relatively simple task.

If I go to Olive Garden, place my order, and for some reason it takes an hour for my food to finally come out, I don't blame the company itself. I blame the waiter for not getting the order in on time, not checking to see if it was being made, or whatever the problem may have been.
So if Namco could be faulted for anything, it would be for hiring the wrong waiter. Doesn't mean that they should have to take the blame, when all they really wanted to do was provide you with a tasty plate of fettuccine alfredo.

Dammit, I'm hungry now.

But yeah, fuck that waiter.
Namco and Olive Garden are still awesome.

I suggest patience. I remember when the Mass Effect 3 N7 edition sold for $80, went for $200+ on ebay at launch and preorders were cut off half a year in advance.

Now Best Buy sells them $30 new on clearance.


Besides, the opposite end of the spectrum of Capitalism to those price gouging the game on Ebay is that the game maker will see those figures, want a silce of it and consider making more copies. They don't make a cent on private sales between persons that result due to a lack of stock in meeting the demand.

Birth of a Nation. Or what I saw of it before I gave up on it.

Stupid absurd racist revisionist history aside, it's not a very good film to watch. It's so slowly paced it puts you to sleep. From what I understand, it set the standards for a feature film narrative (even though i'd argue The Great Train Robbery did a better job at narrative, too bad it's only a short).

It's so hilarious to see that during the reconstruction, blacks would enslave the white South and treat them the same way they were treated as slaves...then the KKK are the "heroes" that liberate the nation once more. There are too many things wrong with that, I have no idea where to start. So I won't.

FF Tactics War of The Lions (Never Played but played the GBA and DS game)

:|

Maaaaan, if you could play the two spin offs, then you are in for a right treat with the original Tactics, which is on a whole different plane of existence. One of my favourite games. The story and tactical gameplay is just...unparalleled. I put in around 70 hours in my first playthrough and 50 in my second and I could play that game all year round, such an addictive game. Masterpiece.

I'd cautiously say that it's my favourite storyline in a game ever next to a couple of others. I'm hyping the game up too much, sorry...but really, it's good. Really good. Best game ever, good. Play it.

http://i.imgur.com/AmfO90N.jpg

My games, finally out of storage containers and into their new home. Sorry about the quality of the picture, camera battery was low so I took it in a hurry.
You inspired me heavily. I worked up a real sweat moving everything over. Thanks Chris!

http://i.imgur.com/e730KJw.jpg

Hey, whats up.

Now I'll take my leave for another 4 years into the darkness.