Board 8 > Leonhart Presents: 50 Characters, 50 Games, 50 Moments - Part 3 [lists]

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LeonhartFour
07/07/12 9:05:00 PM
#451:


Final Fantasy VII end of disc 1 spoilers that everybody here knows even if you haven't played the game below

20. Final Fantasy VII – Aerith Dies


It is surprisingly difficult to find a video of this entire sequence that isn’t an LP with some dude talking over it the entire time! The quality of the link I provided isn’t the best, and the sync is a bit off, but it’ll do. I’m glad this video included Cloud’s speech afterward, because it’s a really underrated moment in the game and it gets overlooked because of all the stuff that preceded it, but more on that later. Anyway, this is one of the most well known video game spoilers out there, at least among our circles. I can’t imagine there’s anyone on Board 8 who doesn’t know it, even if they’ve never played the game. And most people have some sort of opinion on this scene, whether good or bad. I feel kinda bad for people who play Final Fantasy VII with prior knowledge of Aerith’s death because I feel like you’re missing out on a solid emotional experience. I’m sure some people disagree with me, but it is what it is.

Well, that’s enough of a setup. Let’s talk about Aerith’s death scene and all that surrounds it. First of all, the buildup to this moment is great. You’ve had all that crazy stuff go down at the Temple of the Ancients where Cloud goes insane and gives the Black Materia to Sephiroth. Then Aerith appears to him in a dream/vision thing (and Sephiroth shows up, too) and disappears. Realizing that Sephiroth knows what Aerith’s planning gives you a sense of urgency to find her in a hurry before it’s too late, but inwardly as an 11 year old boy playing this game for the first time (back in 1997, mods), there’s a part of me that unconsciously expected me to rescue her just in the nick of time because that’s how it always works. Keep in mind that this was only the second RPG I’d ever played, the first being Super Mario RPG, so I wasn’t exactly used to the good guys dying. The good guys always win. As a kid, I instinctively believed this to be true.

Then you get to the Forgotten City, and the atmosphere for this place is off the charts, with the music and the strange design and how staid and how lifeless everything is. You look all over the place, but there’s no sign of Aerith or Sephiroth. The game gives you the option of staying the night in one of these seashell houses, and I figure this is probably what I’m supposed to do, so why not. Then when Cloud wakes up in the middle of the night and it’s dark outside, you know something’s up. The game through Cloud directs you where you’re supposed to go so you don’t have to go around everywhere trying to find it, which is nice.

Then you find this staircase where there used to be this big freaky fish and it’s like “Whoa.” So you go down the stairs and find a place that’s totally unlike anywhere else you’ve been in the Forgotten City. When you get to the bottom of the stairs, you find Aerith. Cloud insists on going up to her by himself, and for some reason, despite what just happened at the Temple of the Ancients, the other party members let him! When you go up and try to “talk” to Aerith, Cloud draws the Buster Sword and the creepy music begins playing. I think it’s kind of humorous the way you can push the directional arrows when you’re standing right in front of her to make Cloud do weird body gyrations, but that’s beside the point.


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LeonhartFour
07/07/12 9:05:00 PM
#452:


As Cloud begins to bring down the Buster Sword and kill Aerith (The fact that the game forces YOU to push the buttons in order to advance the game was a nice touch, by the way), the other party members yell at him just in time to snap him out of it. Then the FMV begins. Aerith opens her eyes and smiles upon seeing Cloud there, but their joyful reunion is short lived as Sephiroth descends from above and impales her through the back with the Masamune. FFVII has some excellent presentation in its key scenes, and this one is no exception. The sound effects (with no background music) are chilling and it slowly sinks in what just happened as Sephiroth pulls the Masamune out of Aerith and the Holy Materia falls from her hair. Then Aerith’s Theme begins to play right as the Holy Materia clinks on the ground, almost in unison with the piano, which is another really nice touch. There are a couple of weird gaffes in this FMV, like Sephiroth not wearing any gloves as he descends from above, and then in the next shot, he’s wearing gloves again. There’s also the fact that Aerith went from facing toward the opening where Cloud came in to having her back to it so the Holy Materia would fall out and drop into the water below.

Anyway, I really like the dialogue after the FMV between Cloud and Sephiroth. The latter begins spelling out the details of his elaborate plan, celebrating his victory over the last Ancient. Then Cloud interrupts him in the middle of his speech and tells him to shut up. He doesn’t care to hear him pontificating right now. While obviously defeating Sephiroth is top priority, at this moment in time, nothing else matters other than the fact that Aerith is dead, and he doesn’t know what else to do. His fingers are tingling, his mouth is dry, his eyes are burning! Watching Cloud hold Aerith’s body and visibly shaking the entire time he talks is really powerful, I think. Square did an excellent job of communicating emotion through body language in this entire sequence.

After hearing all of this, Sephiroth slowly lowers his arms and addresses Cloud as if genuinely surprised by his emotional outburst. I love how Cloud quickly swings around and stands up at Sephiroth’s question about whether he feels any sort of emotion over this, and he’s like, “Of course! Who do you think I am?!” Then Sephiroth takes off, leaving a boss fight with Jenova-LIFE behind. I love the fact that Aerith’s Theme continues to play during the boss fight. Just an excellent touch that serves as a reminder of what just happened even as you fight this boss. Unfortunately, this boss is a total joke if you found the Water Ring the game conveniently leaves for you as you enter the Forgotten City because all of Jenova-LIFE’s attacks are water-based, so if you have it, she literally cannot do any damage to you.

After you beat Jenova-LIFE and get her lone quote in the game, which the translation team botches (“Beacause you are a puppet”), you get to see your two party members react to Aerith’s deaths. I absolutely love the fact that FFVII gave each character a custom animation for this moment to emphasize how big of a deal this scene is. I remember playing through this scene several times back to back just to see every character’s reaction to it. This is one of those rare times when Yuffie might have the best moment in the scene because watching her lean on Cloud and bawl her eyes out was really moving, I have to admit.


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LeonhartFour
07/07/12 9:06:00 PM
#453:


And as I mentioned at the beginning, I really like the speech Cloud gives after all of this, mostly for one particular moment. He basically recaps everything he’s thought he believed about himself up to this point and why all of a sudden he’s questioning himself and thinking there’s a part of him that isn’t really him, and he says he should just quit this journey. Then Cloud shakes his fist and says, “But I am going.” Just another really nice touch by Square there.

I know this has been a long writeup, but Aerith’s death still holds a special place in my heart even after all these years because this was the first time for me playing a game where one of the main characters. I’m not going to say anything overly dramatic like, “This was the moment when my innocence died,” or anything as trite as that, but I do still remember how I felt that day. It left a strong impression on me, and because of that, it will always be one of my favorite video game moments.


Bonus Question: So what do YOU think of FFVII’s famous end of disc one spoiler? Do you like it? Hate it? Feel free to give your overall opinions of this moment!

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Natwaf_akidna
07/07/12 9:09:00 PM
#454:


Final Fantasy VII end of disc 1 spoilers that everybody here knows even if you haven't played the game below

XD

Bonus Question: So what do YOU think of FFVII’s famous end of disc one spoiler? Do you like it? Hate it? Feel free to give your overall opinions of this moment!

I'm okay with it. Tragedy rarely does anything to me though. Take KEY-works, if you want an extreme example. It got so over the top ridiculously sad it backed up to funny territory.

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Jeff Zero
07/07/12 9:17:00 PM
#455:


Bonus Question: So what do YOU think of FFVII’s famous end of disc one spoiler? Do you like it? Hate it? Feel free to give your overall opinions of this moment!

Tragedy totally works for me, on the other hand, so long as it isn't too bombastic and repetitive that the whole piece becomes tragic to the point of absurdity. FFVII is punctuated by the tragedies of Biggs, Wedge and Jessie's deaths (although Wedge falling and somehow still talking, and Aerith alleging that she'll somehow find a way to save him, are really funny...) and, chiefly, Aerith's death. The former got me amped to kill Shinra mooks back in '97, whereas the latter genuinely awakened something in me. I felt the same way when one of the leads died in a vaguely similar way on DS9, and I often compare Aerith to that woman for good reason in retrospect.

Anyway, yes. I loved it. I still love it.

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LeonhartFour
07/07/12 9:30:00 PM
#456:


I really liked the Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie moment overall, especially for the stuff they say to you when you talk to them on the pillar.

But to give you further insight into the mentality I described in the writeup, I totally kept expecting them to reappear alive and well at some point, believing they had SOMEHOW made it out of there safe and sound during the group's skirmish with the Turks. I think I had pretty much accepted they were dead for good by the end of disc 1 though.

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mcflubbin
07/07/12 10:31:00 PM
#457:


I just finished Final Fantasy VII less than a month ago, and I feel that the spoilerific event at the end of Disc 1 had a significantly diminished emotional impact on me because I knew it was gonna happen. I still thought the scene was quite emotional and exceptionally well done, but I'm sure it would have had a bigger impact had I not expected it.

I'm interested, if you were actually using Aerith prior to her death, were you kinda pissed when she kicked the bucket? I avoided using her because I knew ahead of time, but I remember thinking to myself that I would have been pissed because of all of the wasted experience haha.

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Jeff Zero
07/07/12 10:33:00 PM
#458:


^ Naw, I wasn't. To me that just added to it. I used her like 70% of the time up until that point, and yeah, it stung, but it was just all the more compelling to me to end Sephiroth because of it. :P

Besides, FFVII's party levels up at half your experience as you go into battle without them, so it wasn't the end of the world.

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LeonhartFour
07/07/12 10:39:00 PM
#459:


The first time I played FFVII, I tried to split time between my party members fairly evenly, so I hadn't invested a lot of time and effort into Aerith. At least, not more so than I had with any character other than Cloud, who was almost always required to be in your party. I've always been a Cloud/Tifa guy, but at the same time, I've always liked Aerith a lot, so it was still a blow.

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Ultimaphazon
07/08/12 9:38:00 AM
#460:


^ Naw, I wasn't. To me that just added to it. I used her like 70% of the time up until that point, and yeah, it stung, but it was just all the more compelling to me to end Sephiroth because of it. :P

This. I love the end of disc 1.
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OlDirtyNumbers
07/08/12 10:28:00 AM
#461:


Argh why can't my phone reveal spoilers.

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Jeff Zero
07/08/12 10:30:00 AM
#462:


From: OlDirtyNumbers | #461
Argh why can't my phone reveal spoilers.


Go into message detail if you can. That brings them up for me.

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 10:42:00 AM
#463:


Yeah, go into message detail or quote the post. Works for me.

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pjbasis
07/08/12 12:06:00 PM
#464:


I used to keep save files right before that moment.

And my non-gaming sister would even like to watch that part sometimes.
She also liked to see the Squall and Rinoa dance FMV and the FFX wedding.

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 12:33:00 PM
#465:


Metal Gear Solid 3 provides the background for Ocelot and shows us a bit about how he became what he became, through the various influences of Naked Snake, The Boss, and Volgin, among others. We also learn that he’s a Big Boss fanboy, which makes him even cooler. Plus, he has all of the fancy revolver tricks and the hand gesture! Then you learn that Ocelot’s been working for the Philosophers all along, which blew my mind. He has a lot of cool scenes (like the motorcycle chase) and cool dialogue with Naked Snake throughout the game. “Whaddya say to one last showdown?” It’s a fancier and flashier Ocelot than we’re used to, but I like it.

But it’s Metal Gear Solid 4 where Ocelot really shines. Even though it’s technically Liquid’s personality, he still made all this happen. Plus, Patric Zimmerman does a fantastic job with the voice work. He does in the other games as well (I’ve always loved Ocelot’s gravelly voice), but I think he does his best work here. He has some great serious moments (“This is the legacy we’ve won for ourselves” and “The war is over…but we still have a score to settle”) and some silly moments (like the Ocelot Dance or where he pretends to die of FOXDIE after the REX/RAY battle), but overall, he’s pretty awesome. He steals the show in MGS4, and I’m glad he got an awesome sendoff with that last boss battle. Plus, I love how Ocelot regains his own personality at the end right before he dies. “I am Liquid’s doppelganger, and you…are his. Just like your father. You’re…pretty good,” and then he gives one last hand gesture before dying, like a boss. I’m generally not a big fan of villains, but when you’re as good as Ocelot is, you have to make an exception.

Bonus Question: Who is your favorite video game villain?

Trying to be careful with MGS4 spoilers since there are some people who STILL haven't played it!

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 12:34:00 PM
#466:


19. Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid)
Quote: “This is the greatest handgun ever made. The Colt Single Action Army. Six bullets…More than enough to kill anything that moves. Now I’ll show you why they call me…Revolver.”
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Ocelot is my favorite video game villain. Dude is so good in each game of the Metal Gear Solid series. He plays a different role in each one, but somehow he manages to make it all work, which is to be expected because he’s the greatest double/triple/quadruple agent ever. Ocelot knows how to perform any role, and that’s part of the thing that makes him so compelling. Even up until the very end of Metal Gear Solid 4, you’re still not entirely sure about the guy, what he’s really up to and what he really wants. It seems like just when you’ve maybe got him figured out, he throws out a new twist and makes you question what you thought you knew about him all over again. Ocelot also seems to have an active hand in manipulating many of the major events of the series into going the way he wants them to go, which is very impressive.

In Metal Gear Solid 1, Revolver Ocelot seems like Liquid Snake’s right hand man (LOL get it?) and little else. He’s the first boss fight of the game, too, which tends to make you think he’s not really that important in the grand scheme of things. Plus, he gets owned by Gray Fox after the boss fight, which also seems to lower your overall opinion of him. By the way, how many times does the first boss in a game/series turn out to be the primary antagonist? Seriously, I’m asking you. I’m not sure, but I don’t think it happens that often! But Ocelot’s still a cool dude in MGS1. He has that awesome speech before you fight him, which is one of my favorite quotes in the series. He also has that neat fourth wall breaking moment during the torture session where he’s all like, “Don’t even think about using auto-fire or I’ll know,” but that’s apparently just a bluff because most people I’ve heard who’ve tried it got away with it. Then Ocelot throws the haymaker plot twist in the post-credits conversation where he reveals that Solid Snake was the inferior clone and that he was really working for the president, who’s the third clone, all along, and you’re all like, “Wait, what just happened?”

In Metal Gear Solid 2, Ocelot shows up to betray everyone even harder. He just seems to own faces whenever he’s on screen unless Solid Snake is around. But I love how calmly he manages to be in every scene as he casually explains how he was never on their side from the start and then he just as casually shoots them with his revolver as they try to kill him first. I love the scene where Ocelot shoots Fortune after the game’s built her up as some sort of supernatural witch who can’t even be hit, much less killed, and you’re just standing in awe of the guy for being able to hit her. Ocelot’s just one cool customer throughout MGS2 unless Liquid’s trying to take over. Although admittedly, I am kind of confused on the how Liquid possession thing. Was that a real deal in MGS2, but then Ocelot got the idea to keep up the charade in MGS4 because he thought it would be the best way to accomplish his goal without the Patriots thinking he had betrayed them or whatever? After MGS2, Ocelot replaces Liquid’s arm with a prosthetic because he apparently was worried he’d go insane, so maybe it was real there (and the fact that his father is a spirit medium provides an explanation of how it was possible, at least, even if MGS4 never touches on this possibility) and he got the bright idea to keep it going to achieve his goal. If so, it only adds to his overall brilliance, but again, I’m not entirely sure on the details there.

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 12:50:00 PM
#467:


Also, if you're not aware, Patric Zimmerman also does the voice of Elroy Jetson. I remember hearing an interview years ago where he does some of Ocelot's lines in Elroy's voice. It was pretty amazing, but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 2:04:00 PM
#468:


Darn it, I forgot editing your posts makes your spoiler tags magically disappear and now it's too late to edit them back in to that last post.

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 6:54:00 PM
#469:


So yeah, I’m sure it sounds weird to say I like my favorite fighting game in part because of plot related stuff, but there it is. It had some pretty cool moments, like Ryu and Akuma’s showdown, Bison offing Charlie, Ken giving Ryu his trademark headband, Sodom attempting to become a sumo wrestler, and things like that. Plus, it didn’t get ridiculously convoluted like Alpha 3’s did with all the dolls, Bison needing a new body, him exploding all the time, and people trying to find new and creative ways to destroy the Psycho Drive in each ending. Alpha 3 tried to do too many different things and yet somehow managed to find a way to make it all feel the same. Alpha 2 kept it more simple and stuck with what made the series so charming in the first place, and the game is more enjoyable as a result, I think.

Bonus Question: What game has your favorite art and/or graphics?

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 6:54:00 PM
#470:


19. Street Fighter Alpha 2
external image

For me, Street Fighter Alpha 2 is the pinnacle of fighting games, but it isn’t entirely due to the game’s fighting mechanics. I’m not saying they’re bad, of course. SFA2 is still a really fun game to play, but I’m saying it’s some of the extra details that make it my favorite fighter. First of all, look at that cover. Man, that’s awesome, and it’s part of what makes Alpha 2 so great: Rival battles. Instead of everybody fighting the same last boss, each character has his own rival that he fights at the end for personal reasons. Some of the characters have the same rival (Bison is a somewhat popular one, as you might expect), but they all have their own setup to the fight, including some dialogue. Yeah, I know Alpha 3 had rivals and stuff, as did Street Fighter IV, but then you end up fighting the same last boss as everyone afterward anyway, so I don’t feel like it was quite as special or quite as well done because of it. Plus, Alpha 3 had almost all of them set against the backdrop of Bison’s boring last stage, and the battle was just a preface for fighting him anyway, so meh. Alpha 2 also had unique mid-bosses you could fight by fulfilling certain conditions that I can’t remember off the top of my head, and none of those overlapped, which was cool. I also liked how some matchups gave you custom fight intros, like Sagat’s scar glowing whenever he fights Ryu.

The art and the sprites for Street Fighter Alpha 2 are beautiful as well. The game has some wonderful looking stages, such as Ryu’s stage with the snow lying on the ground and the location of his Street Fighter II stage in the background. I also love the stage they ripped straight out of the anime, the grassy field in a thunderstorm one, which is only used in single-player mode for Sagat’s rivalry battle with Ryu, which is a nice touch. This is going to sound strange, but I liked Gen’s stage because it had those puddles that would splash every time you stepped on them or fell on them. I don’t know why I was so fascinated by those things, but I was. Alpha 2 also has a pretty solid soundtrack, but you kinda expect a SF game to have some classic tunes in it by this point, for the most part. Regardless, the game looks great and sounds great.

And of course, Street Fighter Alpha 2 is a lot of fun to play. I’ve always liked the way the Alpha series handled Super Meters, with you having three levels and each Super Combo getting more powerful the more meter you used. Alpha 2 also introduced the Custom Combo, which allowed you to perform combos you couldn’t normally do due to the limitations the game places on you. Like, you can normally only have one fireball on the screen at the same time, but now you can shoot as many as you want. Your attacks also come out much quicker so it’s much easier to link any combination together that you want to attempt. So that was a neat concept overall, and Alpha 2 tried to prevent it from being TOO broken by making your meter run out very quickly, and you could only move forward, so if your opponent managed to jump over your head and get behind you, tough luck. SFA2 also has a solid cast of characters, and a lot of them are fun to use. I don’t have one particular character I used above the others because there were so many I enjoyed. Alpha 2 was one of those weird games where every character was unlocked from the get go, too. No unlockable or hidden characters in this one, for whatever the reason.

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Natwaf_akidna
07/08/12 7:07:00 PM
#471:


Bonus Question: Who is your favorite video game villain?

Lord Blazer from Wild Arms 2. Though I guess he barely counts... I'm gonna say Matt Engarde and Shelly DeKiller from PW AA: JFA 2-4, and Niall Eremon of Infinite Space. WA villains in general.

Bonus Question: What game has your favorite art and/or graphics?

Okami.

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 8:56:00 PM
#472:


Oh hey, Okami. There's another one of those games I need to get around to playing one of these days.

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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 10:09:00 PM
#473:


Mass Effect 3 spoilers below

19. Mass Effect 3 – “The Answer to Your Question was ‘Yes’”


The geth are a very interesting race in the Mass Effect series. In the first game, they are viewed as little more than Reaper and Saren flunkies. In the second game through Legion, we learn that the geth are intelligent beings capable of communication, and they are not all interested in being allied with the Reapers. In the third game, the geth become sympathetic figures as we learn the truth behind their rebellion, that they only reacted to the quarians, who were becoming afraid of their hivemind intelligence, trying to shut them down out of self-preservation. To me, it comes across as a lesson about how first impressions with limited information can be wrong, and our opinions can change as we learn more and alter our perspectives.

I love this entire sequence of events in Mass Effect 3. The Rannoch missions might be my favorite part of the game, and this last bit is a big reason why. Shepard has an awesome moment where everyone wants to retreat after discovering there was a Reaper in the base, and he’s all like, “No way, man. We gotta take this thing out NOW, and I’m gonna do it!” What a boss. The part where you have to aim the laser right at the Reaper’s firing chamber was pretty hard for me the first time I played, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly the next time. It’s a pretty tense moment, at least to me, having to dodge the Reaper’s blasts while trying to aim the laser in the right place as it slowly gets closer to you. Then you get the slow motion laser blast right before you hit it for the last time for a nice dramatic effect. The conversation with the Reaper afterward was pretty nice, although I wish there was a little more to it.

And just when you think it can’t get any better, it does. This scene can play out in a few different ways depending on your previous decisions and the decisions you make in this scene, but I prefer the way it plays out in the video I provided. The tension of Tali trying to call off the quarian fleet from attacking while Legion uploads the Reaper Code is fantastic. Legion asks two very thought provoking questions that surely must have been hard to swallow for Tali. He says that the geth only acted in self-defense when the creators attacked them, so do they deserve death for that? Then he reminds Tali of the question that originally caused the quarians to attack: “Does this unit have a soul?”

Then Shepard decides to use his powers of persuasion. Both the Charm and Intimidate options of convincing the Flotilla to back off are excellent. I’m usually a Paragon guy, but I think I actually prefer the Renegade option in this one because Shepard basically tells the quarians, “I’m tired of putting up with your crap and risking my life for you all the time because you’re too stupid to quit messing with the geth. So I’m not going to help you anymore, and if the geth destroy you, then you deserve what you get.” After hearing that speech for the first time, I was like, “Whoa.” So hardcore.


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LeonhartFour
07/08/12 10:09:00 PM
#474:


After the quarians agree to hold fire, Legion reveals that he wasn’t able to upload the Reaper Code properly and direct dissemination was required. He apologizes to Shepard that it has to be this way, and then Tali approaches him and tells him that the answer to the geth’s question was “Yes.” Legion says he already knew the answer, but he thanks her for acknowledging it before shutting down and falling over. That was just a very emotional exchange for me because it showed that Tali was finally ready to accept the geth for what they are and put the past behind her. It was in effect admitting the quarians had been wrong for attacking them all those years ago as well.

But this was one of those moments whose full impact didn’t really hit me until afterward when I talked to EDI on the Normandy and she pointed out something I hadn’t noticed. Before he shut down, Legion referred to himself as “I” instead of “We,” indicating that he had achieved a fully independent personality instead of merely being an avatar of the geth consensus. When she mentioned that, I was just like, “Wow,” and I started to get emotional all over again. Such a great moment.


Bonus Question: What is your favorite moment where two characters reconcile with each other?

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ZFS
07/08/12 10:19:00 PM
#475:


SFA2 great game. Much better than SFA3!

Ganondorf for villain.

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the dreamer of improbable dreams
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Jeff Zero
07/08/12 10:43:00 PM
#476:


Oh god, great write-up Leon. Possibly the best moment in the series for me. Possibly not, but all the same, quite possibly.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite moment where two characters reconcile with each other?

The one you just mentioned, as far as gaming is concerned.

--
K | H | A | Q | Q | A | H | K
"we're about 50 years behind the rest of western society." -icon on B8
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Jeff Zero
07/08/12 10:46:00 PM
#477:


Bonus Question: Who is your favorite video game villain?

Grahf, followed by Sephiroth and Ocelot. Saren and The Illusive Man are somewhere in the top ten. Krelian, Miang, The Boss, Sin and Wiegraf as well.

Bonus Question: What game has your favorite art and/or graphics?

Probably FFX. So f***ing beautiful was that color pallet.

--
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"we're about 50 years behind the rest of western society." -icon on B8
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ZFS
07/08/12 10:48:00 PM
#478:


Saren yes.

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Natwaf_akidna
07/08/12 11:04:00 PM
#479:


Bonus Question: What is your favorite moment where two characters reconcile with each other?

Off the top of my head, Osu Tatakae Ouendan 2. The cheer squad setting aside their rivalry for the greater good, and then the song kicks in. Also, Momoyo and Yamato as well as Momoyo and Kazuko in Majikoi. Ooh! I maybe a Godot hater, but I absolutely love that moment at the end of 3-5. Also, Virginia and her... "dad", in WA 3.

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LinkMarioSamus
07/09/12 1:49:00 AM
#480:


Favorite VG villain? I can't decide between Bowser, Ganondorf, Kefka, Dormin, and Liquid Snake!

Favorite art or graphics? Either The Wind Waker, Ico, or Shadow of the Colossus, with Metroid Prime, Super Mario Galaxy, and Twilight Princess all being very close behind.
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most_games_r_ok
07/09/12 10:41:00 AM
#481:


Bonus Question: So what do YOU think of FFVII’s famous end of disc one spoiler? Do you like it? Hate it? Feel free to give your overall opinions of this moment!

A day late but who cares!

I unfortunately knew it was going to happen, so I wasn't at all bothered when she died. However, playing Crisis Core after this did make me sad to see her go next time I played.

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Pram_the_Oracle
07/09/12 3:16:00 PM
#482:


Oh that reminds me.

Anybody else immune to the negative effect of spoilers, and instead get pumped up, impatient to see the moment happen?

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LeonhartFour
07/09/12 8:22:00 PM
#483:


No, I hate being spoiled. I like being surprised the first time and playing the second time looking for foreshadowing.

--
"I couldn't stand a day without a past or future. I need to live each moment to keep fighting here and now."
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pjbasis
07/09/12 8:48:00 PM
#484:


From: Pram_the_Oracle | #482
Anybody else immune to the negative effect of spoilers, and instead get pumped up, impatient to see the moment happen?


I mean I have felt this way before, but I can't tell you why certain things make me feel that way and other things I avoid spoilers like the plague.

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LinkMarioSamus
07/10/12 12:10:00 AM
#485:


Pram_the_Oracle posted...
Oh that reminds me.

Anybody else immune to the negative effect of spoilers, and instead get pumped up, impatient to see the moment happen?


*raises hand*
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Natwaf_akidna
07/10/12 12:26:00 AM
#486:


I mean, I don't go out of my way to know everything about the book/film/game/media, but knowing it beforehand never bums me out. Just gets me giddy and excited.

--
My Little Phineas and Ferb: Summer is Magic!
Aww, I lost to SuperNiceDog, Winner of the Rivalry Rumble Guru Contest
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Eeeevil Overlord
07/10/12 2:34:00 AM
#487:


Catch-up time! Not gonna talk about the actual write-ups 'cause they were either a while ago or I can't really add anything due to not having played the game, either 'cause it's in my backlog (MGS4, ME3) or is from some weird genre apparently to do with fighting or something.

Bonus Question: Who is your favorite Final Fantasy X character?

I love the vast majority of key characters in the game, but I think probably Auron on balance.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite Tales game?

In the battle between Symphonia and Abyss, Symphonia wins out.

Bonus Question: So what do YOU think of FFVII’s famous end of disc one spoiler? Do you like it? Hate it? Feel free to give your overall opinions of this moment!

It's good stuff. The first time I played the game I was a stupid 9 year-old kid and didn't appreciate it properly, but it was still pretty damn cool. Looking back now, it's brilliantly done, my favourite part being the music continuing to play as you mentioned.

Bonus Question: Who is your favorite video game villain?

Gonna go for Kuja like a moth to a flame.


Also, yeah, spoilers bother me. If I want to know the experience of playing/reading/watching through something knowing the plot twist that's incoming, I'll just replay/watch/read it. Experiencing something without knowing the twist is something you can only do once. For instance, I'm sure I'd have enjoyed Game of Thrones anyway, but if I'd known the big spoiler from that first season ahead of time it wouldn't've been nearly as powerful.

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LeonhartFour
07/10/12 3:19:00 AM
#488:


Shocker LMS likes being spoiled on something before he plays it

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LinkMarioSamus
07/10/12 5:10:00 AM
#489:


I used to avoid watching YouTube LPs because I thought they would make me want to avoid the games. However, I now know that they achieve the exact opposite effect.
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pjbasis
07/10/12 5:32:00 AM
#490:


From: LinkMarioSamus | #489
I used to avoid watching YouTube LPs because I thought they would make me want to avoid the games. However, I now know that they achieve the exact opposite effect.


I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign

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LeonhartFour
07/10/12 1:14:00 PM
#491:


If only you would realize that you posting about games you've never played achieves the exact opposite effect you intend.

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most_games_r_ok
07/10/12 6:21:00 PM
#492:


From: Pram_the_Oracle | Posted: 7/9/2012 11:16:03 PM | #482
Anybody else immune to the negative effect of spoilers, and instead get pumped up, impatient to see the moment happen?



*also raises hand*

I do this for every FF game and still manage to be surprised for the most part. Except for Aerith though >_>, but it was hard to be surprised for that.

--
I do because I can.....and because I'm bored.
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Lopen
07/10/12 11:16:00 PM
#493:


Funny thing about that Alpha 2 write-up-- my Alpha 3 write-up would be pretty similar in that most of the appeal of Alpha 3 is in single player to me. The convoluted plot is awesome and superior to Alpha 2.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite Tales game?

Only played Symphonia-- which is strange cause I love Symphonia to death and own Abyss and Vesperia.

Also Zelos > Lloyd > Sheena >> Kratos > Raine > Regal >> Genis > Colette > Presea while we're at this.

Bonus Question: So what do YOU think of FFVII’s famous end of disc one spoiler? Do you like it? Hate it? Feel free to give your overall opinions of this moment!

Never cared for it. Disliking the character involved probably didn't help, but the whole thing being so... slow motion didn't help it either. It felt almost like a suicide-- I realize that's kinda intended now but it didn't help the moment of the time.

Bonus Question: Who is your favorite video game villain?

Vergil from DMC3-- but a lot of that is just "this guy is cool and happens to be a villain." If we're going mainly on villainous exploits cred it's probably Seymour Guado or Luca Blight.

Can't really answer the others. Either cause not enough comes to mind for graphics, or too little comes to mind for reconciliation.

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LeonhartFour
07/11/12 3:50:00 AM
#494:


Presea below Colette and Genis? I don't think even pjbasis or LMS could post an opinion that makes me want to gag more than that.

And LOL Alpha 3's plot

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