July 12th to 18th

Section: 

Your mileage may vary, but happy Monday! I have a confession to make this morning, IÂ'm not proud of it but here goes. IÂ'm constantly tempted to play Japanese RPGÂ's despite the fact that I havenÂ't enjoyed one since Final Fantasy VII. I donÂ't like the way most of them portray their characters as children. The stories are usually soap opera dramas and the encounters quickly become repetitive and too full of filler cinematic moves. It drives me nuts, all of it. So why is it that despite my feelings IÂ'm drawn to games like Tales of Symphonia? Look at the screen shot! LOOK AT IT! IÂ'm getting angry just thinking about picking up armor and not having it show on my avatars but I still kind of want to pick it up. My gaming life is a sordid mess of contradictions and shame.

Tales of Symphonia ships exclusively for the Gamecube this Tuesday for $49.99. On DVD this week weÂ've got Against the Ropes, Agent Cody Banks 2, The Dreamers and more.
Athens 2004

Platform: PS2
Ships: July 13th
Price: $39.99

The Buzz: What I saw at E3 didnÂ't look too spectacular and smelt like it may come out a bitÂ"… unfinished. HAHAHA!

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Platform: Gamecube
Ships: July 13th
Price: $49.99

The Buzz: Looks like as usual Nintendo gets Ubi SoftÂ's sloppy.. ummm.. thirds? Yeah.

Samurai Warriors
Platform: Xbox
Ships: July 13th
Price: $49.99

The Buzz: Even the official Xbox magazine only gave it a 75%.

NCAA Football
Platform: Gamecube, Xbox, PS2
Ships: July 12th
Price: $49.99

The Buzz: Great magazine reviews so far! Fans of the series shouldnÂ't be disappointed.

- Certis

Comments

Admit it, you're saving your money for the special extended edition of Agent Cody Banks 2. Shame indeed.

pinku ^_____^

Seriously, I hate Japanese RPGs. The repetitive encounters, senseless cinematics and 800 hours of gameplay represent everything I hate about RPGs. Every time someone suggests I play Final Fantasy, it makes me want to jab them in the eye then spit on them.

Also our air conditioner is out at work, that might have something to do with my anger.

Why isn't NCAA football the game of the week instead of some dumb japanese rpg? Oh yeah, Canadians, they have no NCAA.

Why isn't NCAA football the game of the week instead of some dumb japanese rpg?

Don't worry. NCAA is game of the week in my book. Certis' public shame and prediliction toward games where cartoon spiky haired creatures muck about shouldn't be mocked. We should show him sympathy, and perhaps have an intervention.

Holy poo, NCAA out today?! So tempting. Must resist.

My gaming life is a sordid mess of contradictions and shame.

I think that applies to all of us in one way or another. That said, however, I can't stand japanese RPGs and don't have the desire to drop money on them either.

But don't be thinkin' I'm all high-brow with my gaming. My secret shame is that I actually spent money on John Deere: American Farmer last week. I mean really, WTF?! I had enough mucking stalls and shoveling sh*t during my formative years, do I really need to re-live them curtesy of John Deere via the PC.

Tales of Symphonia... must resist...

[Salesman]
...did you know playing this game is like watching anime?!
[/Salesman]

Must not resist... must find 50$.

slambie wrote:

My secret shame is that I actually spent money on John Deere: American Farmer last week. I mean really, WTF?! I had enough mucking stalls and shoveling sh*t during my formative years, do I really need to re-live them curtesy of John Deere via the PC.

*crickets chirping*

slambie wrote:

But don't be thinkin' I'm all high-brow with my gaming. My secret shame is that I actually spent money on John Deere: American Farmer last week. I mean really, WTF?! I had enough mucking stalls and shoveling sh*t during my formative years, do I really need to re-live them curtesy of John Deere via the PC.

Ho-Lee Crap. How did this one slip under my radar? Personally, I'm a Cub Cadet man, but still...I wonder if there is multiplayer?

LeapingGnome wrote:

Why isn't NCAA football the game of the week instead of some dumb japanese rpg? Oh yeah, Canadians, they have no NCAA.

Because the Japanese RPG is a real game.

ooooo, burn!

Because the Japanese RPG is a real game.

Back to bizarro world with you! Out evil spirit!

slambie wrote:

[But don't be thinkin' I'm all high-brow with my gaming. My secret shame is that I actually spent money on John Deere: American Farmer last week. I mean really, WTF?! I had enough mucking stalls and shoveling sh*t during my formative years, do I really need to re-live them curtesy of John Deere via the PC.

Believe it or not, my GameStop just outside of downtown San Diego sold out of our whole shipment of John Deere: American Farmer in one day. Dudes were calling the store asking if it was in yet.

Is there an actual sh*t-shoveling mini-game? How realistic are we talking here, Slambie?

If one of the GWJ crue doesn't do a review of this farming sim, I will cry.

That would involve one of us buying and playing it.

I nominate Certis. Second?

ColdForged wrote:

I nominate Certis. Second?

That would be proper penance for his Japanese RPG fetish, no?

I actually enjoyed FFX, even though I knew what I was playing was re-hashed and derivative, mindless entertainment can be fun once in a while. I also watch Enterprise and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on occasion. OTOH, FFX-2 was chunked back to Blockbuster as soon as the word "disasterific" was used.

Elysium wrote:

That would involve one of us buying and playing it.

Tsk Tsk. Now that doesn't sound like a very objective attitude for a reviewer to take.

And yes, that comment was specifically designed to goad you into reviewing it, in only to defend your journalistic integrity, Heartland Boy.

Definitely going to pick up Tales of Symphonia. Whenever it gets released over here. Need some jrpg-lovin' for the cube (the preciousss, it demands sacrificesss), and people I know with only occasional lapses in taste claim the Tales series are excellent.

Alien Love Gardener wrote:

Definitely going to pick up Tales of Symphonia. Whenever it gets released over here. Need some jrpg-lovin' for the cube (the preciousss, it demands sacrificesss), and people I know with only occasional lapses in taste claim the Tales series are excellent.

Well if we follow NOE history the game should be out by the release of the next console.

Sanjuro wrote:

Believe it or not, my GameStop just outside of downtown San Diego sold out of our whole shipment of John Deere: American Farmer in one day. Dudes were calling the store asking if it was in yet.

That's just freaky. My local EB manager said they were selling like hot cakes here as well. I thought he was just BS'ing me at the time, but apparently not.

Sanjuro wrote:

Is there an actual sh*t-shoveling mini-game? How realistic are we talking here, Slambie?

Haven't fired it up yet to find yet. Looking at the box I could just picture myself spreading manure on the back 40 all in the name of farm simming fun. Tell you what, I'll load it up tonight and find out. It'd be cool to post a pic of my hot farming self messing with cow sh*t, that's fer sure!

Journalistic integrity? Do you even read the site?!

The girl in the pic is saying:

"Please, I feel nervous without Lloyd"

Seriously, I hate Japanese RPGs. The repetitive encounters, senseless cinematics and 800 hours of gameplay represent everything I hate about RPGs.

I like Japanese RPG's. I don't find the repetitivness boring.

I love you, Pyroman and Certis.