There's no method to the madness.

• 20Aug 08

  I just have one question...

  Why do people who can barely put together a complete sentence always calling others dumb?

  The internet is a strange, sad place, my friends.

  • Posted Aug 20, 2008 3:38 pm GMT
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• 31Jul 08

  Out of the Void, Into the Deep.

  It isn't time for me to leave the forums altogether, but I am going to stop attending these forums for a while except under specific circumstances.

  Originally I started writing what was turning out to be an unique piece about genius, and how it's not about intelligence but creation, and how I needed to pursue. But of course, it would be perceived as pretentious (not many people seem to realize some stuff is legitimately heady), and that I was just another kid on the internet who thought too highly of himself, one in a long line of kids with some intelligence, but not nearly as much as perceived. I know, I've met a few.

  I'd rather just start showing what I think I've got going. If I can present something that surprises people in its quality, then maybe I can say something on the nature of genius and be heard. But to do that, I've got to focus more exclusively at the task at hand. Thus, I have to reduce the amount of time that is not dedicated to my projects. I am going to be off these forums, off all internet sites, save for those directly pertaining to my work. You will still be able to reach me at my e-mail address DavidSupina (at) gmail (dot) com, and over my AIM screen name (if you want my AIM SN, e-mail me for it, although you'll have to introduce yourself if I don't know you). And I update you guys when I am ready to announce something related to my videogame project. But for now, I need to swear off GameSpot, IGN, HockeysFuture (stupid Oilers forum...) and all the other sites I currently waste time visiting. I'll remain on GameRevolution.com, because I write for them, so at least I'll know if Kojima suddenly unveils and releases Metal Gear Solid 5 on my birthday.

  I don't want to reveal too much this early, but if you picked three genres I would be most likely to design for, this game would definitely fall into one of those three. I'll be talking more about it soon. And although it's probably not going to bear fruit as soon, I'm excited about having more time to start toying with the piano and guitar more. Music is a highly enthralling field for me to learn, and I find that when my skills with an instrument grow, using them to improvise is blissful.

  Until there is more time. See you then.

  • Posted Jul 31, 2008 10:01 pm GMT
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• 3Jul 08

  Year of Final Fantasy: This Is Your Favorite Story?!?

  Yeah, it's back. I have two other ones written up, but I might as well do the next one, the first since the end of February, on what's going on now. I'll post the other ones later, when I have caught up more the other entries on my retro games.
  
  I understand much of the appeal of Final Fantasy VII, even if I think the game itself is only a good, not great, RPG. Its high tech gameplay, then-gritty characterizations, high drama, detailed visuals (at times, anyway) and novel gameplay made for an experience that could have definitely impressed itself heavily upon an equally impressionable gamer.
  
  But if this is your favorite story, even in the RPG genre specifically, give your head a shake. You may like the characters and overall plot, but there is a gaping weakness, key to every good plot, that knocks the whole thing down a notch. And that is... the awful writing.
  
  Writing is a critical component of storytelling, simply because it's crucial to both realism and character development. Realism because it's crucial to make you believe these are real people, and can help mask the inherent artificiality of storytelling, particularly in a melodramatic and abstract franchise like Final Fantasy. It also helps develop characters, because how a character states something can say as much about their nature as what they say.
  
  And that's where this game falls flat. The problem is that this game seems too intent on translating, literally at that, what the Japanese version had with little thought as to how the character might say something. There are frequent times when something said is just ambiguous. Moments where a statement could lend real insight into a character's psyche just end up being either confusing or bland. It ultimately fails at adding a layer to the storytelling, and for a plot that has to rely on text, it's a huge missed opportunity.
  
  Final Fantasy VIII was the first game where that started to turn around (though the writing still had its problems). Maybe I get a deeper understanding of the overall plot, or gameplay system that makes me think better of this game overall, but this game will remain inferior to the overall storytelling of Final Fantasy VI (which somehow had a better script, even on the SNES), VIII and X at least, because its writing cannot compare.
  • Posted Jul 3, 2008 3:26 pm GMT
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