2/11/00

Random Ramblings and Corrections, Including The Answer To the Burning Question: Does Brad Hate Everything?

Okay, first I’ll correct the couple of boo-boo’s I’ve committed over the last couple of weeks: In my first (of which I’m sure will be many) Nintendo rant, yes, I was counting the two THQ wrestling games as one title. Yes, I know that they’re awesome, but they really are practically the same game. Shawn pointed that one out. This next one I found myself: In my Playstation2 write-up, when I said that Sega would have their DSL network up this summer, I meant to say dial-up network. Those two things are kinda different, huh? Oh well, no one else seemed to catch it, so I probably could have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for those meddling kids. Also, as Heath is really riding me about this whole "black text on white background" thing, I guess I’ll have to come up with something new. Since most of the major sites, such as ign.com and dailyradar.com, use the exact same thing, I’m not sure what the big deal is. However, I can’t be the only guy here to not have some funky background action, so I’ll put something together in the next few days.

Speaking of Heath, I get the distinct impression that he is going unleash his unholy army of flesh-eating monkeys on me if I don’t explain myself further in regards to that whole Final Fantasy issue. Here’s my thing: I would never say that ANY Final Fantasy game sucks, ‘cause that just doesn’t seem to be possible. Just like everyone else, I just had more fun with certain entries into the series than with others. Now, this whole FF7 vs. FF8 issue seems to have divided our great country even more than the Civil War, so I’m guessing that only about half of you agree with my stance on this. I really do like FF8 better than FF7. Like I said before, the story, at least to me, seems to flow much better, and it stays fairly coherent throughout. The characters are indeed a mixed bunch – I do like Squall, as well as Rinoa and Zell, and Siefer and Laguna are just cool as hell. However, I could do without Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine. Yes, FF7 has the best Cid ever, and Tifa’s groovy, but most of the characters, like Cait Sith, are just kinda lame. As for the Junction system – yeah, I hate it, too, but I hate Materia even more. Now, it seems that Mr. Uematsu is still using the same music software that he used for the Super Nintendo FF’s, but it’s still pretty good. I do own both the FF7 and FF8 soundtracks, but I really do like FF8’s better. And, again, you just can’t discount the value of a kick-ass ending. So, while I have played and enjoyed every Final Fantasy game out there, I consider FF8 to be a better title overall than FF7. And, as for my choosing FF4 over FF6 for my top-ten list, here’s my explanation: While FF6 is generally considered to be the pinnacle of the series, and one of my personal favorites, I actually had more fun with FF4. For some reason, I actually like RPG’s that are more on the linear side. The story always makes you want to see what’s going to happen next. I also like having members of my party join and leave when it’s integral to the story. In FF6, FF7, and for the latter part of FF8, you always have this stockpile of characters, and much of the time it doesn’t really matter who you take into battle. FF4 has a nice, long, linear story, characters that rock, and a fairly upbeat mood. FF6, FF7, and FF Tactics are just so damn depressing…I don’t mind dark atmosphere, but jeez, when everybody gets killed or the planet gets destroyed even after 80 hours of trying to save the universe, that’s a real downer. That must be why I love Gamearts’ stuff – they always have great characters that actually survive their adventures. Anyway, hopefully that’s the last we’ll hear of this topic. Now let us never speak of it again.

Now, you may notice that many of us here at Gamehits are diehard Sega freaks. In my opinion, they make the best first-party games in the world. However, is it just me, or does Sega seem to rely mainly on luck in order to succeed? Nothing that Sega does seems to very calculated – they just seem to kind of go with the flow. The ‘ol Genesis was pretty underpowered compared to the SNES, and, had it not been for EA’s killer sports lineup, Sega would have been toast. SNES had Square’s amazing RPG’s, and much better graphics and sound overall, but Sega still won out in the 16-Bit arena. I’m sure Sonic helped, but it seemed to be decent marketing and a lot of luck that saved Sega back in the day. Of course, no amount of luck could save the ill-fated Saturn here in the States. Horrible marketing combined with a seeming lack of interest to release quality titles here in America spelled doom for Sega’s 32-Bit baby. Strangely, in Japan the Saturn sold just as well as the all-powerful Playstation. But, with Capcom’s arcade-perfect fighters and some killer Japan-only RPG’s and strategy games, perhaps it’s not too surprising, after all. Personally, about two-thirds of my Saturn collection consists of imports. Thankfully, Sega seems to have learned important lessons from its spotty past. The decision to have AAA sports titles in its early lineup was a stroke of genius, and most major, and not-so-major, titles released in Japan are on their way to our shores (eventually). Their first-party lineup is the best I have ever seen, and I’ve been gaming for quite awhile. And, those names just kill me – only Sega could sell games called Zombie Revenge, Chu-Chu Rocket, Space Channel 5, and good ‘ol Seaman. Still, as I’ve said before, the current Dreamcast marketing campaign completely blows, and they really seem to be lackadaisical about the whole Internet thing. And now, I’m hearing talk of all sorts of add-ons for the DC. The Zip-Drive doesn’t seem like a bad idea – no more need for memory cards, and with its built-in Ethernet card, it’s cable-modem time! However, the rumored DVD-ROM addition should never happen. I guess it’s okay, as long as it ONLY plays movies. However, if it becomes required in order to play certain games, it’ll split the market (Sega-CD, anyone?), and Sega REALLY doesn’t need that right now. There’re also rumors floating around of a CPU upgrade that would make the DC even more powerful than the PS2. The DC seems to be fairly modular, but Sega would have to make such an upgrade pretty cheap in order for everyone to adopt it. Hell, Nintendo’s RAM expansion only costs $30, but only an estimated 10% of N64 owners actually bought one. So, implementing something like that could prove quite difficult. We all want Sega to really succeed this time, but they’re gonna have to stop relying on that Magic 8-Ball for all of their corporate decisions, methinks.

If you visit this site on a regular basis, chances are that ya’ll think that I really have it in for Nintendo. The truth is, while I don’t hate Nintendo themselves, I do hate the direction that the company has taken. Back in the day, Nintendo used to have a little something for everyone. Mario and Donkey Kong games have always been cutesy, but Nintendo had games like Metroid and Super Metroid, Kid Icaris, and the first three Zelda games for those of us that wanted something a little different. Nintendo also had amazing third-party support, receiving the best that companies like Square, Capcom, and Konami had to offer. Final Fantasy, Bionic Commando, Castlevania, Contra, Metal Gear, Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden – all of these franchises had some of their finest hours on Nintendo hardware. Truth be told, I used to swear by Nintendo and (almost) everything that they did. Then, however, the N64 reared its ugly head, and things would never be the same. All of the major third-parties defected to Sony, leaving Nintendo with such brilliant companies as Acclaim and Midway to help bolster the N64 library. Nintendo also changed its tune, becoming solely interested in catering to the 10 year-old-and-under demographic. Rare did grace us with Goldeneye, but they then joined with Nintendo in creating the most inane first-party lineup in history. Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Star Fox 64, Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Donkey Kong 64, Jet Force Gemini – the list of travesties goes on and on. Nintendo even enlisted third-parties to churn out even more Mario junk, such as Mario Party 1 and 2 and Super Smash Brothers. I actually got diabetes from trying out Diddy Kong Racing…but I got better. I can almost understand the allure of Pokemon, as it’s really just a dumbed-down RPG, but now Nintendo seems to be banking their entire future on this one franchise. And, we haven’t even gotten to my biggest disappointment in recent memory – Zelda 64. Fairly weak graphics, forgettable music, and gameplay so simplified that a poorly trained helper-monkey could beat it – this wasn’t the Zelda I knew and loved. At first I blamed the move to 3D, but now, I’m not so sure. Now I believe that this was merely a case of Lucas Syndrome. Much like Episode 1, it seems that the creators of this title were so intent on making it accessible to kids that they completely forgot about making it enjoyable for anyone that has actually stopped wetting their bed. Who knows? Maybe Nintendo will make a turnaround with Dolphin and start showing some love for those of us not in kindergarten. I’m not holding my breath, though.

So, after the past few weeks of ranting, does Brad really hate everything? No, quite the opposite, actually. You see, being given a forum for expressing one’s opinions leads one to first get off one’s chest the stuff that really irks, um, one. So, I did kinda focus on the negative stuff at first, but now I think you’ll start seeing things even out. Yes, I’ll still rant and rave when something stupid happens in this industry, but, most likely, there will be positive stuff to even it out. But, even if it doesn’t, that’s the beauty of the Internet: I can say anything I want with no comeuppance whatsoever! Do you hear me, world? NO COMEUPPANCE!!!

Note: The inflammatory comments spewed forth in Brad's Soapbox are his own editorial steps on the brink of madness, and are not necessarily the opinions of Gamehits, or anyone else on Earth, for that matter.

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