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Bonsai Superstar posted:I always thought it was attempts to appease Gackt after they pretty much designed Squall after him - there were bootleg models in the 90s that just said "GACKT" with the gunblade and everything, you can still find them at nerd shops over here. Hell, Edea looks like a ripoff of another member of his old band, too. When Gackt actually showed up in one of the games I just assumed it was due to a lawsuit threat. This is a few pages old but the bolded is interesting. As a Malice Mizer fan (Gackt's old band which I prefer to his solo work), I'm not sure who Edea resembles... Still, something I've never thought about. Anyway, big thanks to Azure_Horizon for telling me about this LP. It's off to a really great start and it's definitely going on my Bookmarks. Count me as one of the few who thinks there is not a serious downgrade in quality upon leaving Midgar. There are some slow points but there are also really good ones. We'll get to travel the bumpy road together and I'm looking forward to it. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 10:39 on May 31, 2011 |
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May 31, 2011 10:37
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Elentor posted:I think Edea resembles Mana, she also barely speaks. Bonsai Superstar posted:Yeah that was who I was thinking of as well. I was pretty into J-rock when FF8 came out and I remember opening the manual and instantly thinking Squall/Edea were Gackt/Mana. Some other nerd on the internet apparently agreed: Very nice. Of course the first person I thought of was actually Mana but I just couldn't see it in my head. But the pic makes it a bit clearer. Of course Mana is still prettier.
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May 31, 2011 12:28
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On the note of JRPGs featuring very young casts, I think Xenogears did a good job at making it work. Even though most of the playable cast were youngsters, the two most important charactes were so much more than what they appeared. Sure Fei is only 18 but he's also the avatar of God. Plus you had a couple old pros like Rico and Citan. But that's Xenogears and it's a much better game than this. But, to FFVII's credit, I prefer Xenogears to most of the FF series.
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Jun 1, 2011 21:53
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Oxxidation posted:Xenogears was long-winded trash that subsisted on cut-rate anime and meaningless gnostic imagery for staying power, and its "sequels" were even worse. I'd put even FFVIII above that entire series. "Cut-rate?" And if you think the Gnostic imagery was meaningless I have to wonder how much of the game you remember since the imagery was the core of the game's plot. As for FFVIII...the characters were all less developed than in Xenogears, Ultimecia was a terrible villain even by FF's early standards, and the time travel plot was so stupid it hurt. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 22:47 on Jun 1, 2011 |
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Jun 1, 2011 22:44
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Yeah, my bad. I always get it mixed up with Zeromus. And while I like Laguna, I don't remember Kiros or Ward being particularly deep. They were just Laguna's buddies.
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Jun 1, 2011 22:50
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Hey, Azure was right - FFXII talk. And much sooner than I expected. Ahem. First, I don't think FFXII has a main character. The fact is, the story is so badly paced that characters fall in and out of prominence with loud thunks. Basch, for instance, spends 80% of the game taking up space as far as the story is concerned. When Vossler dies, Basch loses all relevance. He only regains some importance at the top of the final dungeon and in the endgame. Balthier, who you could argue has the second most plot importance after Ashe, doesn't really do anything significant until halfway through the game. Really, if all there was to FFXII was the playable cast, I'd probably hate the game. Luckily for me, there is far more to it than that. There is the Imperials who, breaking from FF tradition, are not cartoonishly evil. Pretty much every Final Fantasy has an "Evil Empire" that eventaully transitions into or gives ground to the real villain. But in FF12, the Empire is well-explored and depicted in a more morally grey area. Heck, the noblest character in the game (Larsa) is a leader in the Empire. That's why I like FFXII at any rate. The main cast sucked but the antagonists were a nice change of pace from what we're used to in Final Fantasy. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 08:35 on Jun 2, 2011 |
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Jun 2, 2011 08:31
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Dauntasa posted:FF9 didn't really have an evil empire. Alexandria was for a bit, but that was Brahne's fault and it went back to normal when she died. Yeah but that's no different than how Baron was being used by Golbez in FFIV. Once you kill the Fake King it's no longer an Evil Empire either. As I said, the evil empire always folds so the main villain can take center stage. quote:And, really, I don't think ShinRa counts, either. I mean, they're an Empire, I guess(albeit of the corporate variety), and there are a few members who would not be too out of place in an episode of Captain Planet. Going any further into this would be spoilers, I guess, but I think ShinRa's got a bit more depth than, say, the Empire from FF6. Eh, I'd say Shinra is pretty evil. You're right about spoilers but with one or maybe two notable exceptions, everyone at Shinra does belong on Captain Planet.
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Jun 2, 2011 08:41
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I just want to point out Squall rescuing Rinoa off the cliff was a complete accident/contrived coincidence. Just moments before that, there was this excahnge: quote:Zell: Squall, DID YOU HEAR ME!? So then proceeds to split the party into teams and sends only one person to save Rinoa. That person fails and it's up to Squall to, completely by chance, save Rinoa. I'm all for subjective opinions S-Alpha and I won't criticize you for liking FFVIII. Heck, I think Squall and Rinoa had some sweet scenes and I don't really like either of their characters. But Squall really never admits any special feelings for Rinoa until she goes into the coma. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 09:54 on Jun 2, 2011 |
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Jun 2, 2011 09:47
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Elentor posted:I'm not sure the game or anything in the series ever explains why, but the protagonists are pretty much Marvel-level super-heroes. I mean, Cloud is pretty much immune to bullets. To quote Chip Cheezum: "The Jenova Cells do THIS!" But yeah, Cloud is physically enhanced. It's just his mind that sucks.
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Jun 3, 2011 00:52
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I really didn't like Rosa. Thank God I played the Advance version and so my endgame party could consist of characters I did like. And it's good to see the Turks. Reno was always my favorite. Note for people who care about translation - Reno is pretty different in Japanese apparently. He's more like a Yakuza thug than anything apparently. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Jun 5, 2011 |
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Jun 5, 2011 12:49
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Bocc Kob posted:I think Yuna was a great character, but her VA sounded like she wasn't given much direction for her lines and was usually confused. Dauntasa posted:Part of that was Square not really knowing how to translate games with voice acting. They didn't bother changing any of the lip movements, so the VAs had to talk weird to make their lines match. It's especially noticable when they say "Okay". I assume the Japanese equivalent only has one syllable, because they say it much faster than normal. You can see this in X-2. Yuna's VA does a really good job in the game and it's one reason why I prefer her in the sequel. Elentor posted:I hate, hatehatehate FFX's Japanese Voice Acting. For all the poo poo people give to the English VA, they picked up a guy who voices brooding 15 years olds to voice Auron. FFX had a pretty decent-to-good cast. The problem definitely lay in the voice direction, not the actors. I mean, they frickin' had Tara Strong as a main character. I've been hearing her in so many different things all my life and never knew it. She really is one of the best female VAs out there, if not the absolute best.
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Jun 5, 2011 13:05
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I just want to say that, while there is a bit of hypocrisy in Barret, it's really not fair to compare coal mining to Mako production. There's using up a finite resource that can cause local pollution and then there's using up a finite resource that will cause the death of the planet and everything living on it. Lesser of two evils and all that. And since Mako is literally the lifeblood of the world and we're a giant mosquito sucking it dry...that's more evil.
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Jun 6, 2011 02:02
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I don't know why everyone is so down on what's about to happen. Calling it "exposition" makes me think of those 20-minute long MGS4 cutscenes where people just stand around and explain things at you. The flashback in the next update will be "exposition" but in a manner that is quite well done. Several of the scenes coming up were some of the most memorable in the entire game for me. Midgar was fun but now the real plot begins. Sort of. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 20:44 on Jun 25, 2011 |
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Jun 25, 2011 20:41
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Why would you ignore the entire foundation of the game's storyline? I mean, everything the heroes do through the course of the game is based on what we learn in this flashback.
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Jun 25, 2011 21:03
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"Bond Villain" has an unfortunately negative tone to it. I mean, some Bond Villains were truly great like Scaramanga and Trevelyan.
NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Jun 26, 2011 |
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Jun 26, 2011 00:48
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Fake Plastic rear end posted:Am I the only one here who's played before and is still excited for Kalm? Nope. Easily one of my favorite parts of the game.
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Jun 26, 2011 04:05
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Man, all this Sephiroth/Jenova talk is popping up now and we won't even be able to talk about it openly for another 100 pages or something. I guess I'll just have to resist the urge to rant for a few months. I agree with what's been said about "Sephiroth is in control" being retarded but only because it really ruins his character and the entire point of what we're about to see in the flashback.
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Jun 29, 2011 13:32
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I always found it strange that Gackt had two songs in the game where he was in it for 1 minute (in a secret ending no less) while he had no songs in the game where he was a main character. And while I hate Genesis, I have nothing against Gackt as a musician. His songs were the only decent part of the game's soundtrack. I blame the entire character of Genesis on Nomura who, as mentioned way earlier in this thread, has been ripping off Gackt's image since FFVIII.
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Jun 29, 2011 20:52
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Lance Streetman posted:I like Gackt's song. But does he have to remake the exact song over and over and over again? Everything he makes sounds exactly the same! If you like Gackt's voice, I'd strongly recommend Malice Mizer. It was a band he was the singer for back in the day and it was easily his best work. (IMO of course) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbZu1ByuYkk NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Jun 30, 2011 |
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Jun 30, 2011 00:08
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Katsuma posted:So, um... As someone who once played FFVII to completion, I find myself asking: Who is this Gackt person you all keep talking about? Think Michael Jackson only Japanese. He's quirky, insanely popular and sings. Not a bad singer mind you but I don't really like the type of music he does on his own. One of his most popular songs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asRKI2XXyJg His relation to FFVII is because Tetsuya Nomura (main character designer for FF7 and its assorted sequels/prequels) is a huge fanboy and thus had him in some of that material. http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv351/tifa20/ff7gackt-798027.jpg?t=1252466927 Not only is Genesis basically identical to Gackt, Gackt does the voice as well. (in Japanese anyway) NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Jun 30, 2011 |
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Jun 30, 2011 04:32
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Katsuma posted:Everything I thought I knew about Final Fantasy 7 is a lie. I was gonna make a Prequel Trilogy joke about midichlorians making up the Lifestream but that's just too easy. Also, everything you knew about FF7 is still true. It's just there is some horrible fanfiction out there. Now it has high production values and maybe even some good music...but it's just fanfiction with Self-Insert Sues. Final Fantasy VII remains a good game, no matter what hack writers attempt later when they've gone insane with a thirst for easy money.
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Jun 30, 2011 05:42
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S-Alpha posted:I like Gackt's music, yet, if we're going on fashion sense, then I hate him and everyone who dresses like him more than I hate anyone else. Seriously, what in the gently caress is he wearing in that video? Well I can't make any excuses for how he dresses now but in that video, that was when he was with Malice Mizer. MM is a "Visual kei" band. It has an emphasis on, you guessed it, visuals. If done right, like MM did, it is meant to compliment the music. The costumes they wear have relevance to the type of song they're performing and the story they are telling with the music. The whole genre was inspired by bands like KISS. Only, because it was in Japan, it got really altered and twisted and the final product is something distinctly...Japanese, for better or worse. No argument here on how a lot of the outfits looks retarded though. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 08:45 on Jun 30, 2011 |
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Jun 30, 2011 08:40
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Sorceress Adel should have been the main villain. No stupid time travel nonsense and it makes the Laguna flashbacks worth a helluva lot more. kinda like "these are the intrepid heroes that sealed her away so many years ago. But she's managed to escape and it's up to the new generaton to put an end to her evil once and for all." And I don't think Sorceress Powers make you evil. Edea had them and was perfectly nice. Rinoa has them and is alright. It's just people like Adel and Ultimecia choose to use their powers for tyranny.
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Jun 30, 2011 23:19
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TKMobile posted:If it is, that's still a poor excuse. "Oh sorry, the legacy of our powers means anyone who gets them will be corrupted and will do all sorts of evil poo poo that will bring upheaval on the global scale, and it's all thanks to what boils down to a dying witch going 'tag, you're it' to some innocent person nearby." Well, if it offers any vague sort of comfort, there is a popular fan interpretation of Ultimec'as motivations. It's mainly conjecture from her speech as Edea in Galbadia. Basically, fanboys say she was harshly persecuted and vilified. ("Hailing the very one you have condemned for generations.", "What happened to the evil, ruthless sorceress from your fantasies?") And so, to fight off this oppression, she set about to alter time and thus destroy all humans. Now she will be free of their racism and hatred. ...of course this is a load of bunk and I've told everyone who says it as such. She has no one to blame except herself for how sorceresses are treated. She literally went back in time to try and kill everyone so how can she expect the SeeDs of the future to treat her well? Time loops are a bitch.
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Jul 1, 2011 00:03
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TKMobile posted:Her entire motivation presented in game(again, without going into fan theory) seems to be that she's a horrific megalomaniac who wants to compress time so she can rule past present and future all at once. Because...she's a greedy bitch? You're a bit mistaken there. Granted I don't blame you for forgetting FFVIII dialogue and it's just my curse tha tI can remember extrmeely worthless poo poo. Rinoa: There was a sorceress inside me. Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future. She's trying to achieve time compression. She's the only one who would be able to exist in such a world. And this is what Ultimecia-Edea says to Squall at the end of Disk 2: "So the time has come. You're the legendary SeeD destined to face me?" Now forgive me but I am willing to theorize a little here but I think it's a decent theory. Ultimecia knows she's gonna get killed by SeeDs. More specifically, SeeDs from another time. How do you counter this? You gently caress over time completely to the point nothing else can exist but yourself. Thus no more SeeDs and no more fear of death. Of course it all ties into the good old-fashioned Self-Fulfilling Prophecy cliche. She was so afraid of getting killed by heroes from another time, that she basically killed herself by granting them the ability to get to her and thus fulfill the prophecy.
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Jul 1, 2011 00:24
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Honestly, there really are no spoilers for Shinra. They remain "evil for the sake of evil" until the end of the game. The Turks don't count. They are their own thing.
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Jul 1, 2011 00:57
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Elentor posted:Oh God I go to bed for two days and I find this. I wish I could just delete page 57. All the FFVIII talk was worth it now. I'm definitely gonna stay up to read the next update. It's really what I've been waiting for since the LP began.
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Jul 1, 2011 06:03
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Super Ninja Fish posted:Dreading? This is the last time the story of the game is really really good and engrossing for a long time. Agreed with this. For reasons that we can't go into for like, 100 pages, this is simply one of the best moments in the game's plot and it's a drat shame the later story fails to utilize it properly.
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Jul 1, 2011 19:59
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Yeah, definitely edit that. Also, while Crisis Core might be "canon", it's canon in the same way KJA's novels are "canon" in Star Wars. Which is to say, everyone just ignores them and only counts the good stuff. So FFVII's flashback it is.
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Jul 2, 2011 01:59
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Yeah it'll definitely come up later. Not for a good while though.
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Jul 2, 2011 02:05
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I thought he was just shaking. He was apparently trying to remember his father and then he starts shaking and I just figured something was going all weird in his head. I guess I just associate memory issues with odd body movements in this game.
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Jul 2, 2011 04:07
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Man I always loved/hated Sephiroth's entry. Back in the day I was a super mega fanboy of his and wanted to learn everything about him. This was before Ultimanias or sequels or prequels. So I turned to the manual, hoping it would shed some further light on Mr. Awesome. "Confidential". Thanks a lot Square. Of course now I'm no longer a drooling teenager, I realize most of what you need to know about him is in the game anyway.
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Jul 2, 2011 08:17
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I always preferred Seifer's Hyperion. Dunno why.
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Jul 5, 2011 03:59
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Pure greatness. Between the dialogue, the amazingly effective implementation of "Those Chosen By The Planet" and visuals, this could be my favorite part in all of FF7. I remember feeling quite bad for Sephiroth my first time through FF7. Sadly this was because of my woefully inadequate grasp of the storyline and when i learned more, I felt less sorry for him. Well, I felt sorry for him in Nibelheim. It's everything later on that was ruined by my actually understanding the plot.
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Jul 6, 2011 00:59
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Was anyone disappointed with the ending of the flashback? It sort of peters out after building up to a very big climax. I can't remember exactly how I felt upon my first playthrough but I'm guessing I was...confused. But that's probably the point.
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Jul 6, 2011 03:46
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UberJew posted:I dunno, they mentioned that Sephiroth doesn't sleep off-handedly (with the too few beds issue) and combined with the 'the lights never turned off' line reads to me like he spent twenty four hours a day reading journals from a brilliant but entirely insane scientist. This is also where the whole "it was Jenova controlling him" idea works best and why I suspect most people figured that was the case until Square hosed it all up.
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Jul 6, 2011 08:02
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Momomo posted:Unless I'm remembering wrong, doesn't the whole reunion thing support this? Sephiroth has Jenova's cells, and reunites with her, just like all the clones tried to. Sephiroth being the one in charge doesn't make any sense at all. Basically Sephiroth was using the Reunion for his own purposes. The clones were being drawn to where Sephiroth and Jenova's head were but it was all just so Seph could get the Black Materia and become a god. It really does undermine the power of the flashback we just saw. But I'll have to wait till much later to properly rant on that matter.
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Jul 6, 2011 09:27
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Honestly, I'd say her reason for liking the game is the most acceptable. Finding Vincent attractive is much less offensive than "I really loved the story." He is voiced by Steven Blum after all. Going back to the Gackt and Malice Mizer talk from way, way earlier, I thimk DoC had good music. Of course the only tracks I know are the two Gackt provided but it's still the best thing about the game for me.
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Dec 1, 2011 08:28
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Insertibg Genesis into the Nibelheim flashback was the single greatest sin of Crisis Core. I don't want that garbage anywhere near an FF7 remake. Then again, if CC is any indication, Square has completely forgot one of the things that made that part so memorable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rV40ypje7o As for retcons, much of the game would be spared. Square couldn't care less about non-Sephiroth related stuff so the backstories and sidequests of everyone apart from Cloud and Vincent have been left alone. Really, the events of the game are unchanged. It's just some key flashbacks that will suffer. The EU has been nice enough to be so unnecessary that you can forget it exists and still appreciate everything in the original game. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 10:04 on Dec 1, 2011 |
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Dec 1, 2011 10:02
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The Chocobo Sage is the real villain of the game. I hated that guy so much. That whole sidequest is just the kind of thing where you say "I did it. Now never loving again."
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Jan 10, 2012 02:22
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