Board 8 > Leonhart Presents: 50 Characters, 50 Games, 50 Moments [lists]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yes, it's time for a big list blowout extravaganza! I haven't done a characters list in quite a while other than the FF characters list I did a couple years ago. I did a games list last year, but I've played so many new games in the last year (which is quite rare for me) that I could stand to update it. I did a Favorite Moments list several years ago, but none of it was ever saved, and it has been lost to time, so that's as good excuse as any to make another one!

Before we get started, the one basic ground rule you can expect for all writeups is EXPECT SPOILERS. All of the writeups will contain them. I will not mark for spoilers during character or game writeups, so this is your warning up front. I will mark spoilers for the moments list since even stating what the moment is could spoil people, so I will make sure to be careful in that regard.

Also, I will make no attempt to pretend to be objective in any of these writeups (In fact, this is the only time I will use this word in this entire topic!). All of my writeups are shamelessly biased without apology. I will attempt to do at least one writeup per day, alternating between characters, games, and moments, but I can't make any promises.

And, as always, debate, discussion, disagreement, deductions, and all those other D words are, of course, encouraged! Whoo, this should be fun!

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"Hold on a minute! That testimony stinks!"
"Witness! You can't just say 'Hello' and expect us to get anywhere! I want you to testify!"

listlistlist

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boring and mundane signature
Now with more bold! Less Italics due to bold

lists it's been a while

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

I GUESS

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http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr345/Rakaputra/pjbasis.png
SuperNiceDog - 1, pjbasis - 0

From: LeonhartFour | #001
Also, I will make no attempt to pretend to be objective in any of these writeups (In fact, this is the only time I will use this word in this entire topic!).

I'm going to ask a bunch of questions that will try to lead you into using that word

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We clasped our hands, our hands in praise of a conquerors right to tyranny

I suppose I should put an addendum on that statement then.

I will only use it derisively in order to mock other users, but only if absolutely necessary.

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"Why must we always choose between certain death and probable death?"
"I'm in an epic battle to the death, FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!"

What happened to you playing FF games?

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http://i50.tinypic.com/23qx00.jpg
"First time I got punched in the face, I was like "oh no", then I was like "this is a story"."

From: mnkboy907 | #007
What happened to you playing FF games?

That is on hold for the time being due to extenuating circumstances, but rest assured, I will get back to that eventually (and probably concurrently with this project, so no need to worry that I won't get back to it until all these writeups are over!).

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http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab48/Leonhart4/Squall.jpg

You just don't want to play FFIX, huh.

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First is mnk'boy'907, who looks fab with her gray skin and grandma poncho/shawl thing~
http://img.imgcake.com/nio/boypngbu.png - Nio

Nah, it's got nothing to do with not wanting to play. Trying to play and do extensive writeups is more of an issue than that. It wears on you, so you need a break once in a while. I love playing modern FF games (even X-2 and XII...!), so that's not a problem.

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"Why must we always choose between certain death and probable death?"
"I'm in an epic battle to the death, FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!"

Oh yes. Tagging this.

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Some things were sad enough to make tears come out... But you were always by my side.

50. Ken Masters (Street Fighter)
Quote: ”See? The stronger fighter always wins! As easy to understand as a flow chart!”


Ah, gotta start off with one of the classics. As most are aware, I am a huge Street Fighter fan and have been since the original SFII. Street Fighter was probably my first major multiplayer experience (although mostly on consoles with friends and cousins, not as much in the arcades), so I have lots of fond memories of it. When I first started playing Street Fighter, Ken was my favorite. I loved the red gi, which looked so cool (still does, really), and I loved all of his specials. I liked his multi-hit Hurricane Kick (or Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku for you Japanophiles) better than Ryu’s single hit knock down version. And when Ken got a FLAMING Shoryuken in Super Street Fighter II? Dude, that was like the coolest move EVER. Never settle for anything less than a flaming Shoryuken, even when it makes no sense. From my experience with Street Fighter IV online, this appears to have become a lifelong philosophy for many a Ken player.

As the series has gone along, Ryu and Ken’s play styles have become more distinct. Ken has become more of a fast, furious combo-heavy guy with lots of crazy kicks. It’s not enough for Ken just to win. You gotta win with STYLE, and I can appreciate that because I am easily impressed with the proper application of flair. He’s really fun to play as in Street Fighter III (and not just because he’s top tier, although that helps, I guess). I just love going crazy with all his kicks and busting people up with his flashy Super Combos.

I know Street Fighter isn’t big on plot (LOL fighting game storylines, am I right), but I’ve always been a big fan of the rivalry between Ryu and Ken. This may in part be because I am a huge fan of foils, and Ryu and Ken are good foils. Ryu is very serious and basically lives for the fight, while Ken is very easygoing and although he loves a good fight, it’s not his life. This sort of stuff gets fleshed out more in comics and the anime (but for the purposes of this list I will spare you from COMIC BOOK SPOILERS), but I’ve always liked it. I enjoy how they handle it in the Alpha games as well, including detailing how Ken gave Ryu his trademark red bandanna as a reminder to stay focused on his goal (even if Capcom did shamelessly steal the basic idea from the anime, among other things).

So the moral of the story is that I am easily impressed by flash and flair (and Ken symbolizes that better than most video game characters out there for me), so I am a part of Michael Bay’s key demographic.

Bonus Question: Who is your favorite "flashy" character, the guy you like more for his style than his substance? Doesn't necessarily have to be from a fighting game, just from any game!

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"The great GF...Bahamut."
"...GF? I...? Using my powers...It is you humans...I fear..."

did I hear the word list?

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xyzzy

also, four posts too few!

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xyzzy

From: transience | #013
did I hear the word list?

Yes, I remember your topic the other day about people not making lists anymore, so I have decided to go overboard in making lists!

From: transience | #014
also, four posts too few!

Ha, don't expect super long writeups for the vast majority of these. I'm going to try to contain most of these to one post. It'll probably be harder to manage that the higher we get up the list, but I will try!

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"I can set you free, mate."
"My freedom was forfeit long ago!"

From: LeonhartFour | #012
Bonus Question: Who is your favorite "flashy" character, the guy you like more for his style than his substance? Doesn't necessarily have to be from a fighting game, just from any game!

Can you say "Falcon Punch"

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We clasped our hands, our hands in praise of a conquerors right to tyranny

tag

hurry up with this so you can get back to that FF playthrough!

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I do because I can.....and because I'm bored.
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/4565/mgrok.png

I literally cannot think of a single flashy character I like.

This is awkward.

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http://firsthour.net/screenshots/suikoden-2/suikoden-2-luca-blight.JPG
The Cult of Personality.

then just lie and say dante chris

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boring and mundane signature
Now with more bold! Less Italics due to bold

Oh, I actually do like Dante I just didn't think of him.

Yeah Dante is pretty awesome.

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http://firsthour.net/screenshots/suikoden-2/suikoden-2-luca-blight.JPG
The Cult of Personality.

From: LeonhartFour
Bonus Question: Who is your favorite "flashy" character, the guy you like more for his style than his substance? Doesn't necessarily have to be from a fighting game, just from any game!

Raiden

From: LeonhartFour
the guy you like more for his style than his substance?

heh

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http://i.imgur.com/1fvTA.gif

Ken is way too low

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Also I see we're both not in peak form if your Ken writeup is one post!

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Well, like I said, that's intentional! I could fluff it up a bit and elongate it if I really wanted to, but that stage is behind me now!

Sad, I know, but alas.

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http://i43.tinypic.com/dgwh0.gif
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/atukam/OHWD/snownd.gif

50. Portal 2


I was not part of the crowd who played the original Portal when it was fresh and innovative. I was part of the crowd who was inundated and annoyed by the wave of Portal memes that flooded the internet thereafter. I did not play Portal for the first time until about a year or so ago, and the only reason I did was because someone on Board 8 was giving it away as a free gift on Steam, so I decided, “Sure, why not.” To be honest, I was not terribly impressed with it. Not that it’s a bad game or anything. It’s very solid, but it felt a little…lacking, I guess. It was a bit too barebones for me. Also, the dialogue does absolutely nothing for me, but I blame the internet for that more than I blame the script.

At first, I had no intentions of playing Portal 2 since I wasn’t all that enamored with the original, and I figured it was just one of those things where Board 8 and I don’t see eye to eye. But then someone on Board 8 made a topic saying that it was on sale on Steam for 5-10 bucks, and I figured it would be enjoyable enough that I could get it when it was that cheap and not feel too bad if I didn’t like it that much, at least.

But I gotta say, Portal 2 impressed me (obviously, or it wouldn’t be on this list). It was much improved from the original. I am sure that I will get my fair share of disagreement for saying this, but Portal 2 is better than the original in nearly every way. The puzzles were better (albeit admittedly not as difficult as the original’s for the most part), and for the most part, I liked the new gadgets. They kept the game from getting mundane and from being too much like the original, I think (although in some people’s eyes, that’s probably a bad thing). The dialogue is way better, and the characters are better. Cave Johnson and Wheatley are very well done and enjoyable characters, due in no small part to the fantastic job their VAs did. I’ve seen a lot of people complain about the part where you’re underground at the original Aperture facility, but I enjoyed it. I thought it was a nice change of pace, and working together with GLaDOS was fun. I also liked going through the progression of Cave Johnson’s speeches and seeing how he changed over the years. Finding out that GLaDOS was originally his assistant Caroline was a neat twist, too.

In conclusion, Portal 2 was a surprisingly fun experience for me. I never did get to play the multiplayer, which I hear is also really good, so if I ever get around to that, it may climb up the list a bit in a future edition.

Bonus Question: Let’s just go ahead and throw it out there. Portal or Portal 2: Which do you like better and why?

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http://i52.tinypic.com/2zfiu09.gif
http://i54.tinypic.com/10729w2.gif

List!

From: LeonhartFour | #012
Bonus Question: Who is your favorite "flashy" character, the guy you like more for his style than his substance? Doesn't necessarily have to be from a fighting game, just from any game!

Hmm... Gilder from Skies of Arcadia is the first character that comes to mind, but it's definitely not the best I could think of. Spike from Buffy started as that as well before becoming a more well developed character. Kilik for dat staff. Style over substance?

Bond. James Bond.

EDIT: And just remembering all the time watching MVC3 and UMVC3... Thor. Tron Bonne. Dr. Doom. Hulk. Viewtiful Joe. Arthur. Pretty much everyone but Wolverine/Akuma, Wesker, Phoenix, Storm, Magneto, and Sentinel.

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"COMMUNITY is back at 8 on the 15th. I have a good feeling about those numbers." - Damon Lindelof

I'm the same! Better to do a one post writeup.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Oh right, a little note on my Moments list: I purposefully limited myself to no more than two moments from any one game just for the sake of giving the list more variety (No such promise for the characters list!), since I figured most people would not enjoy reading "Leonhart's 50 Favorite Moments from FFX and FFVIII"

50. When Zell Choked on the Hot Dogs
49. The First Time the Hypello Dude Said "Riiiiiiide ze shoopuf?"
48. Rinoa Pushing Irvine Down the Stairs
47. Tidus Telling Lulu She's More His Type
46. Quistis Shooting Down X-ATM092 on the Turret
45. Tidus Staring in Awe as Rikku Strips Out of Her Wetsuit (Oh who am I kidding, that'd be top 5 easy)

Etc.

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Guess who I am!
http://gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs3/1345748_o.gif

I should play Portal 2.

But it has the curious property of not being free.

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http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr345/Rakaputra/pjbasis.png
SuperNiceDog - 1, pjbasis - 0

From: pjbasis | #029
I should play Portal 2.

But it has the curious property of not being free.

Just gotta find those generous people on B8 who are willing to gift it away on Steam for free!

That's how I got Portal and VVVVVV!

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http://img.imgcake.com/nio/26leonpngat.png
http://img.imgcake.com/nio/daigohadoupnguj.png

Portal 2 is better for the co-op by itself.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Spoilers in Message Detail

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http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7760/222bj.jpg

Well, that's all I'll do for today. Just wanted to give you all a taste of one apiece from each list to give you an idea of what's in store! Fun times ahead!

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http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7760/222bj.jpg

Plus the Rawkin music.

And the SMB3 jingle.

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http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr345/Rakaputra/pjbasis.png
SuperNiceDog - 1, pjbasis - 0

Oh yeah, the Ice World jingle for the e-mail notification was nice.

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http://img.imgcake.com/nio/26leonpngat.png
http://img.imgcake.com/nio/daigohadoupnguj.png

What is this Message detail crap?

Spoiler tags are enough methinks.

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http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr345/Rakaputra/pjbasis.png
SuperNiceDog - 1, pjbasis - 0

Just playing it safe since I'm going to be talking about such a wide range of games and fantastic spoileriffic moments.

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http://i43.tinypic.com/dgwh0.gif
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/atukam/OHWD/snownd.gif

I didn't like the glitz pit the first time around, but I definitely warmed up to it in later playthroughs when I realized it was more than just 20 fights put together.

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boring and mundane signature
Now with more bold! Less Italics due to bold

You know, Chapter 3 might be the longest chapter in the game, but it never really feels like it. The entire chapter is excellently paced with virtually no lulls in the action.

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"I couldn't stand a day without a past or future. I need to live each moment to keep fighting here and now."

I was going to start something kind of sort of vaguely similar to this, and you totally just stole my fire. Ahh well I'll do it anyways.

(tag)

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snowpork
Also...I can kill you with my brain.

This is what happens when you preoccupy yourself with the world's slowest 500 topic!

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"I couldn't stand a day without a past or future. I need to live each moment to keep fighting here and now."

Indeed. This topic has forced me to reevaluate my priorities.

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snowpork
http://img.imgcake.com/Ainoxi/zazigifed.gif

Tag.

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"Later..." <Toonami> <4/1/2012> <Never Forget> ~SCP~
http://img.imgcake.com/Jeffzeropngus.png

Ooh...

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<3 Crimmy - http://img.imgcake.com/CrimsonOcean/GenDrak0001jpgyz.jpg
Thanks Drak - http://img.imgcake.com/drakeryn/genesissagajpgat.jpg

tag

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Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

ZaziGuado posted...
Indeed. This topic has forced me to reevaluate my priorities.

I am glad that my lists not only provide entertainment value but also inspiration for life

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"I couldn't stand a day without a past or future. I need to live each moment to keep fighting here and now."

list topic

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ONLY FIVE CAN LADDER.
Sushi, kamikaze, fujiyama, nippon-ichi...

Hmmm...I am not sure if I will get a chance to do any writeups tonight.

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"I couldn't stand a day without a past or future. I need to live each moment to keep fighting here and now."

Tag

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James - Board 8's Resident Warm And Safe, Slipper-Wearing User
& The Cream of Porcupine Tree Fanboyism