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Wist

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    Preferred Atmosphere?

    in General Gaming

    Posted · Edited by Wist

    I'm curious as to whether anyone prefers a particular kind of atmosphere in a game, or if anyone has found any game much more enjoyable because of its atmosphere. What one means by an atmosphere is vague and open to varied interpretation (although I don't think a game like Tetris would necessarily fit into this thread), so I won't invent any guidelines or restrictions for the term.

    The Fire Emblem games (those which I have completed) are generally uplifting. Many characters come from impoverished backgrounds or have a dark history, but they usually end up in a better position (I know this is vague but I hope you can understand what I'm driving at). Fire Emblem doesn't take itself too seriously and is in no way overtly violent or gruesome despite its focus on warfare, but it still manages to convey an intriguing story. The overall atmosphere is pleasant, if not necessarily happy or fun. This is in contrast to a game like Disgaea, which is very silly and quirky, or much darker games (of which I cannot think of an example in this genre at the moment).

    I'm sure many of you are aware of criticism concerning The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker's extensive use of sailing; some of you may agree with that sentiment. I sympathize to a degree, but my father absolutely adores the game. He found the sailing, exploring, and treasure hunting aspects of the game to be an immensely fun way to wind down after work. The vibrant colors and pleasant music helps to reinforce what one would consider a very positive, laid back atmosphere. This is in opposition to Twilight Princess which is notably darker and more mature. Twilight Princess tries to give a firm impression of an unhealthy world (for example, traveling through a Hyrule Castle Town brimming with depressed ghosts). Both of the aforementioned games play similarly, but their atmospheres are radically different.

    Does anyone have a preference for a particular kind of atmosphere? How relevant do you find the feeling of a game's world to be to your enjoyment of the game as a whole? Do you prefer darker or lighter games in general, or are you more focused on the depth of the story or specific gameplay mechanics or the art style (or whatever it is that most draws you to your favored titles)?

    EDIT (29.08.2008):

    Fixed a spelling mistake and a dialectal dissimilarity.

    The Fire Emblem Wikipedia Search

    in Far from the Forest...

    Posted · Edited by Wist

    Antonia Del Rosario

    Filipino (links to Philippines)

    Archipelagic country (links to Island country)

    Japan

    Video game consoles

    Famicom (links to Nintendo Entertainment System)

    List of Famicom games

    Fire Emblem (links to Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken)

    Fire Emblem

    I thought it would be a bit silly to follow your route exactly upon reaching Japan so I tried another route (which ended up being longer).

    Free-ware Games

    in General Gaming

    Posted · Edited by Wist

    I read/played Narcissu awhile ago and I loved it. The story had me in tears at the end and the music was beautiful. I recommend it to anyone who's interested! =D
    I endorse Songbird's post wholeheartedly.
    Crayon Physics :D

    And Pocket Physics for the DS.

    Crayon Physics website (includes a link to the original available version). Wow! That's really neat! I don't have a tablet PC but I'll definitely keep that game in mind.

    Shuffle

    in Entertainment

    Posted

    Shuffle! was a bit strange, but it was funny. I prefer Kanon because it was more mature and heartfelt (and didn't need to include an obligatory beach episode), but Shuffle! represented its niche perfectly well. My only problem with the anime was that I felt each character had a nagging sense of inane childishness attached to them.

    University

    in General

    Posted

    I like that my university is in a city. My family moved from a major global city to a rural swamp, which is probably why I have a ridiculous amount of free time at the moment. I will have access to a much more internationally diverse community (and a superior array of food) while at college.

    CGV, will you be going to another university? One of my friends at work didn't like what his college offered either so he's going to take this semester off and look for another college.

    Mr. Canas Bertram Rolo, are you interested in mathematics or is it only a requirement for your (potential) major?

    FE7 Sound File help

    in Questions and Suggestions

    Posted

    Are you looking for sound effects or music? The music ripped in .gsf format can be found here. As FEFL stated, the music can also be found on the main site, in a more conventional format, on the Media page, but I don't think the entire soundtrack can be found there. You might try FE Planet (I cannot give you a direct link to the music files because my computer currently won't load the website). If you are looking for sound effects, I'm afraid I cannot help you because I don't know where they might be found.

    he did it

    in Entertainment

    Posted · Edited by Wist

    Perhaps I should try my hand at starting a literary Olympic event.

    Maybe I should focus a little more on making my posts concise? When I read over old posts of mine, I sometimes notice a recurring pattern of repetitiveness (presumably a side-effect of lengthening English essays in high school) which could probably be avoided. But this does not pertain to the topic at hand.

    Michael Phelps has done well for himself considering how much he eats.

    he did it

    in Entertainment

    Posted · Edited by Wist

    Your statement that Michael Phelps feat was not impressive, whether or not it was made in jest or indifference, shows how detached a spectator of the Olympics is when watching the games from his or her television. It was that sense of indifference for a swimmer achieving eight gold medals, proving himself to undoubtedly be the fastest swimmer currently known to the athletic world, that you conveyed which reminded me of a statement my father made regarding art museums while touring London's National Gallery. I could not hope to recall his quote, but he suggested something along the lines of what I stated in my previous post. With so many hugely famous and expensive works of art condensed into small rooms it's very easy to gravitate towards those which one personally finds the most attractive. The value of the paintings, or any thought as to how they could possible be so valuable, is washed away to the point that touring such a collection doesn't feel very impressive. One might see one or two spectacular paintings but there is no guarantee that the person in question will remember those paintings in two years' time. Does anyone touring such a museum even have a reason to care about such a multitude of outdated paintings? Witnessing an individual piece of art worth millions of dollars would potentially be more impressive than seeing two thousand such pieces in a gallery. In much the same way, athletic world records being broken amongst a crowd of thousands of world class athletes seems to generate such a sense of indifference amongst the majority of its audience.

    I hope that explanation made more sense, my prior post wasn't very well focused.

    That's Wist for you. Give him one short sentence of inspiration and....BAM! A response worth 704 words.
    I don't know if this is good or bad because what I wrote could probably be much better condensed had I a reason to revise it. It is, however, nice that you remembered me.
    tl;dr
    What if I tell you that there is a secret message regarding the administrator's sexual preferences favorite breakfast cereal hidden within the post? In honesty though, that's perfectly fine and I take no offense to your choosing not to read my atrociously lengthy post. Writing the post helped me to organize my thoughts more than anything else.

    EDIT (23.08.2008):

    I don't recall this website marking edited posts as having been edited. Do I remember incorrectly or was a forum setting changed?

    he did it

    in Entertainment

    Posted · Edited by Wist

    ....

    Michael Phelps performed extraordinarily well, but that's fairly obvious without someone stating it.

    Meh... not that impressive.
    I hope you don't mind me using your quote as an example like this, but it stirred an interesting thought. I hope I do not come across as critical because that is most definitely not my intention. I'm putting forth an observation more than I am a particular discussion point (although what I have to suggest will most surely be debatable).

    The Olympics remind me of an art museum. At an art museum one has immediate access to thousands of paintings, each worth thousands or millions of dollars on their own, and they are all lined up next to each other in a series of rooms. One interested in a particular piece's history may be fascinated by that work, but, as a whole, the majority of the experience is spent strolling through each room and taking glances at each painting or piece (is there a better generic word for any random form of art?) to see which ones are the most likable. The value of each piece is significantly diminished in the eyes of a museum wanderer because they are all grouped together like any other collection; people pick and choose a few favorites, maybe try to figure out why the most famous paintings are as famous as they are, or wander aimless and bored.

    Athletes who participate in the Olympics are the fastest, strongest, most skillful, and most motivated individuals from a country to dedicate themselves to a sport. Being confronted with thousands of such athletes, one naturally gravitates towards those from their own country, those with an arduous history, those who appear that they may prove themselves the best in the world, or those with some other particularly unique quality (assuming, of course, the spectator is interested in the event). I doubt many people will have taken much notice of Liz Yelling or Robert Cheruiyot (two marathon runners (England and Kenya respectively)) because they are not the best in the world, but they are still in an elite top tier and they have the same borderline asinine dedication as any other Olympic hopeful. Athletes like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt stand out only because they have proven themselves the absolute best of the best, and that may not last into the next Olympics.

    Seeing Michael Phelps win consecutive gold medals on the television, alongside a multitude of similarly motivated and superbly trained athletes, has a notably reduced impact. He will be talked about whenever Olympic gold medal wins are discussed, but he will otherwise drift from public consciousness. It's easy to see an athlete win a race by hundredths of a second, note that the arbitrary time in which the feat was accomplished is alleged to be amazing, and then go on with life regardless. It's difficult to appreciate that these athletes are the absolute best in the world, whether they win eight gold medals or they win nothing, and to feel any reason to pay attention to them at any time other than the Olympics (and understandably so; as an example I doubt many other people here could discuss the merits of the most accomplished StarCraft players in South Korea because I don't many other people would care at all).

    Like an art museum, the Olympics allows the best of the best to completely overshadow each other (excepting, to a degree, the Olympic's few identifiable faces like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt who still won't necessarily make a long lasting impression). It doesn't look particularly impressive to see a man swim multiple laps at an accelerate pace, but these Olympic athletes have dedicated their lives to whatever sport they pursue and the bulk of their only worthy competition is in Beijing right now. In the same vein, one can discuss how manly or unmanly it is to perform acrobatic flips without any appreciation for the amount of work required for a gymnast to be qualified to take part in a worldwide competition. Most peoples' exposure to the Olympics is an unknown sea of faces accepting medals for swimming fast or performing funky flips. It would be amazing to witness these feats in person at one's local park or gym or wherever, but the Olympics desensitize what would otherwise be absolutely incredible.

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