Doing a Meme Soothes the Soul
Day 3 - A game that is underrated.
BUT JENN, IT'S A FINAL FANTASY GAME and well, yeah, it's true that FFX definitely made greatest hits on the PS2 and it's not like no one played it, I still rarely meet people either online or in real life who actually like this game. It seems to me that everyone just shits on FFX without actually playing further than the first few hours. Their arguments for disliking it are pretty much always along the lines of "Blitzball is stupid and Wakka has dumb hair." also "A beachball is a stupid weapon."
Here is the thing about Final Fantasy X- it is a game with a well written, well delivered story.
It is a game with good atmosphere.
And it is a game with good gameplay.
I think that it turned a lot of people away initially because it was a departure from RPG tradition. I think a lot of people dislike it in retrospect because it's the game that started a lot of trends that ended up plaguing PS2-era RPGs and ending the golden age of the genre, however, this is a somewhat unfair assessment because FFX did these things well.
To this date, it's pretty much the only RPG I've ever played that actually benefits from not having a world map. The choice to not use a world map in FFX had nothing to do with showing off graphics or trying to change the way RPGs were made- it was a tool for story and atmosphere. That you were forced to experience every part of the world in a very linear and direct fashion lent to the feeling of a pilgrimage and made the world incredibly believable. Also, I'm going to be a bit of a weirdo here and argue that FFX also has pretty much the most deftly delivered story of any Final Fantasy I've played with perhaps the exception of IX. It managed to avoid the RPG convention of delivering character development in chunks without also devolving into an uneven mess like FFVIII did.
As for a game I really like that happens to both be very good and very unknown...
This is Heart of Darkness. It's a PS1 3D sidescroller than I rented on a whim waaaay back when I was, like, in fifth grade and then spent years desperately searching for until I found it in a bargain bin randomly a few years ago. It's got a silly little premise (kid trying to rescue his dog from an evil sorcerer) but the atmosphere is effectively horrifying at times.
Also, it freaking gorgeous:
Seriously- this game is a gem. I remember it getting good reviews at the time, but unlike a lot of it's more obscure-but-equally-fantastic contemporaries (Abe's Oddworld, Soul Reaver), Heart of Darkness fell of the radar relatively quickly despite being one of the last great sidescrollers. If you can ever get your hands on this game, even in emulator format, I recommend it highly.
Day 1 - Very first video game. - Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutles (the horrible one)
Day 2 - Your favorite character. - Solid Snake
Day 3 - A game that is underrated. - Final Fantasy X/Heart of Darkness
Day 4 - Your guilty pleasure game.
Day 5 - Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 6 - Most annoying character.
Day 7 - Favorite game couple.
Day 8 - Best soundtrack.
Day 9 - Saddest game scene.
Day 10 - Best gameplay.
Day 11 - Gaming system of choice.
Day 12 - A game everyone should play.
Day 13 - A game you’ve played more than five times.
Day 14 - Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper.
Day 15 - Post a screenshot from the game you’re playing right now.
Day 16 - Game with the best cut scenes.
Day 17 - Favorite antagonist.
Day 18 - Favorite protagonist.
Day 19 - Picture of a game setting you wish you lived in.
Day 20 - Favorite genre.
Day 21 - Game with the best story.
Day 22 - A game sequel which disappointed you.
Day 23 - Game you think had the best graphics or art style.
Day 24 - Favorite classic game.
Day 25 - A game you plan on playing.
Day 26 - Best voice acting.
Day 27 - Most epic scene ever.
Day 28 - Favorite game developer.
Day 29 - A game you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 - Your favorite game of all time.
Day 3 - A pairing that needs to happen now
YES. I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.
Chris Metzen has more or less nixed this idea in the butt pretty thoroughly and additionally stated that he thinks Thrall should be with another orc and I know it's just a silly fan pairing, but.
But.
I actually think a canonical Thrall/Jaina romance would be good for the lore. Much better that shoehorning in some random orc lady in so that Thrall can have orc babies to carry on the Warchief line. Also, I am TOTALLY butthurt about all the retcon and devolution of Jaina's character in recent WoW expansions. Even in a platonic sense, Thrall and Jaina's friendship often underlined what was so interesting about either character, especially the fact that they are both painfully idealistic people who are pretty much the only individuals on either side who are truly capable of dreaming of that better world.
And y'know, Jaina was a better character when she was the borderline traitor of the Alliance. This is the only powerful Alliance figurehead who heeded Medivh's warning to leave the Eastern Kingdoms. This is a woman who condoned and implicitly participated in the murder of her own father because he was threatening the fragile peace she, Thrall, Cairne and Tyrande had etched out on Kalimdor. This is the woman who juggled for years her duty to the Alliance and her pact with the Horde. Now she's been reduced to a doe-eyed, wilting, yes-man for Varian who sobs over her still powerful love for fallen Prince Arthas despite the fact that we all played WCIII guys and she was so over him. SO. Over. Him.
Also I might be reading a bit too much into this, but Thrall had kind of a fucked up childhood, y'know, and his reaction the first time he saw another orc was horror and fear. Sure, it's been like, fifteen years since that happened and he's pretty integrated into orc society now, but I always kind of wonder if other orcs find him sort of off-putting at times. He's a bad ass Shaman orc warrior, yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that he was not raised as an orc- he was raised essentially as a human slave. I bet that he probably speaks orcish with a weird accent and has hobbies and mannerisms other orcs don't get sometimes.
My point is that Jaina is a better character when she's got one foot diplomatically outside of the Alliance and Metzen's attempt to pull her back into the Alliance wholesale is just ruining the character because her thing upon introduction was that she was the Alliance leader who thought outside the box.
And Thrall is a more interesting character when he has one foot still in the human world despite the trauma he suffered because that is the paradoxical crux of his character as established in his backstory.
So thematically all things considered they make more sense with each other than with anyone else. It would also be good for the lore because as much as, YES, the game is called "World of Warcraft", what makes the relationship between the Alliance and Horde compelling is not that they hate each other; it's that they live in a world so fucked up that they honestly DO need to come together and make peace, but they just fucking can't. Against such a backdrop, there is a poetry to an awkward and articulate orc gladiator and a peace-loving but pragmatic human mage falling in nerd love.
My other point is that they are both awesome and awesome people deserve each other.
< /JENN CARING TOO MUCH >
EDIT: How could I forget!
Additionally- as a proud gnomish citizen, I can personally verify that any piece of information obtained by the gnomish paparazzi is completely and totally 100% true. We use the most upright and vigorous of journalistic techniques, all performed with exceptional integrity.
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship? - FShepard/Garrus (Mass Effect)
Day 02 - What was your very first ship? - Sonic/Sally (Sonic SATAM/Archie Comics)<
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now? - Thrall/Jaina (Warcraft)
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry?
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry?
Day 06 - The best kiss?
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene?
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage?
Day 09 - The most believable relationship?
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life?
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing?
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding?
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing?
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing?
Day 15 - What is your favorite real life pairing?
Day 16 - What is the absolute worst pairing?
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did?
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing?
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning?
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing?
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why?
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why?
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great?
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly?
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out?
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving?
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating?
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand?
Day 29 - What ship had the best proposal?
Day 30 - Your favorite ship forever and ever and ever?
BUT JENN, IT'S A FINAL FANTASY GAME and well, yeah, it's true that FFX definitely made greatest hits on the PS2 and it's not like no one played it, I still rarely meet people either online or in real life who actually like this game. It seems to me that everyone just shits on FFX without actually playing further than the first few hours. Their arguments for disliking it are pretty much always along the lines of "Blitzball is stupid and Wakka has dumb hair." also "A beachball is a stupid weapon."
Here is the thing about Final Fantasy X- it is a game with a well written, well delivered story.
It is a game with good atmosphere.
And it is a game with good gameplay.
I think that it turned a lot of people away initially because it was a departure from RPG tradition. I think a lot of people dislike it in retrospect because it's the game that started a lot of trends that ended up plaguing PS2-era RPGs and ending the golden age of the genre, however, this is a somewhat unfair assessment because FFX did these things well.
To this date, it's pretty much the only RPG I've ever played that actually benefits from not having a world map. The choice to not use a world map in FFX had nothing to do with showing off graphics or trying to change the way RPGs were made- it was a tool for story and atmosphere. That you were forced to experience every part of the world in a very linear and direct fashion lent to the feeling of a pilgrimage and made the world incredibly believable. Also, I'm going to be a bit of a weirdo here and argue that FFX also has pretty much the most deftly delivered story of any Final Fantasy I've played with perhaps the exception of IX. It managed to avoid the RPG convention of delivering character development in chunks without also devolving into an uneven mess like FFVIII did.
As for a game I really like that happens to both be very good and very unknown...
This is Heart of Darkness. It's a PS1 3D sidescroller than I rented on a whim waaaay back when I was, like, in fifth grade and then spent years desperately searching for until I found it in a bargain bin randomly a few years ago. It's got a silly little premise (kid trying to rescue his dog from an evil sorcerer) but the atmosphere is effectively horrifying at times.
Also, it freaking gorgeous:
Click to viewSeriously- this game is a gem. I remember it getting good reviews at the time, but unlike a lot of it's more obscure-but-equally-fantastic contemporaries (Abe's Oddworld, Soul Reaver), Heart of Darkness fell of the radar relatively quickly despite being one of the last great sidescrollers. If you can ever get your hands on this game, even in emulator format, I recommend it highly.
Day 1 - Very first video game. - Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutles (the horrible one)
Day 2 - Your favorite character. - Solid Snake
Day 3 - A game that is underrated. - Final Fantasy X/Heart of Darkness
Day 4 - Your guilty pleasure game.
Day 5 - Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 6 - Most annoying character.
Day 7 - Favorite game couple.
Day 8 - Best soundtrack.
Day 9 - Saddest game scene.
Day 10 - Best gameplay.
Day 11 - Gaming system of choice.
Day 12 - A game everyone should play.
Day 13 - A game you’ve played more than five times.
Day 14 - Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper.
Day 15 - Post a screenshot from the game you’re playing right now.
Day 16 - Game with the best cut scenes.
Day 17 - Favorite antagonist.
Day 18 - Favorite protagonist.
Day 19 - Picture of a game setting you wish you lived in.
Day 20 - Favorite genre.
Day 21 - Game with the best story.
Day 22 - A game sequel which disappointed you.
Day 23 - Game you think had the best graphics or art style.
Day 24 - Favorite classic game.
Day 25 - A game you plan on playing.
Day 26 - Best voice acting.
Day 27 - Most epic scene ever.
Day 28 - Favorite game developer.
Day 29 - A game you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 - Your favorite game of all time.
Day 3 - A pairing that needs to happen now
YES. I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.
Chris Metzen has more or less nixed this idea in the butt pretty thoroughly and additionally stated that he thinks Thrall should be with another orc and I know it's just a silly fan pairing, but.
But.
I actually think a canonical Thrall/Jaina romance would be good for the lore. Much better that shoehorning in some random orc lady in so that Thrall can have orc babies to carry on the Warchief line. Also, I am TOTALLY butthurt about all the retcon and devolution of Jaina's character in recent WoW expansions. Even in a platonic sense, Thrall and Jaina's friendship often underlined what was so interesting about either character, especially the fact that they are both painfully idealistic people who are pretty much the only individuals on either side who are truly capable of dreaming of that better world.
And y'know, Jaina was a better character when she was the borderline traitor of the Alliance. This is the only powerful Alliance figurehead who heeded Medivh's warning to leave the Eastern Kingdoms. This is a woman who condoned and implicitly participated in the murder of her own father because he was threatening the fragile peace she, Thrall, Cairne and Tyrande had etched out on Kalimdor. This is the woman who juggled for years her duty to the Alliance and her pact with the Horde. Now she's been reduced to a doe-eyed, wilting, yes-man for Varian who sobs over her still powerful love for fallen Prince Arthas despite the fact that we all played WCIII guys and she was so over him. SO. Over. Him.
Also I might be reading a bit too much into this, but Thrall had kind of a fucked up childhood, y'know, and his reaction the first time he saw another orc was horror and fear. Sure, it's been like, fifteen years since that happened and he's pretty integrated into orc society now, but I always kind of wonder if other orcs find him sort of off-putting at times. He's a bad ass Shaman orc warrior, yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that he was not raised as an orc- he was raised essentially as a human slave. I bet that he probably speaks orcish with a weird accent and has hobbies and mannerisms other orcs don't get sometimes.
My point is that Jaina is a better character when she's got one foot diplomatically outside of the Alliance and Metzen's attempt to pull her back into the Alliance wholesale is just ruining the character because her thing upon introduction was that she was the Alliance leader who thought outside the box.
And Thrall is a more interesting character when he has one foot still in the human world despite the trauma he suffered because that is the paradoxical crux of his character as established in his backstory.
So thematically all things considered they make more sense with each other than with anyone else. It would also be good for the lore because as much as, YES, the game is called "World of Warcraft", what makes the relationship between the Alliance and Horde compelling is not that they hate each other; it's that they live in a world so fucked up that they honestly DO need to come together and make peace, but they just fucking can't. Against such a backdrop, there is a poetry to an awkward and articulate orc gladiator and a peace-loving but pragmatic human mage falling in nerd love.
My other point is that they are both awesome and awesome people deserve each other.
< /JENN CARING TOO MUCH >
EDIT: How could I forget!
Additionally- as a proud gnomish citizen, I can personally verify that any piece of information obtained by the gnomish paparazzi is completely and totally 100% true. We use the most upright and vigorous of journalistic techniques, all performed with exceptional integrity.
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship? - FShepard/Garrus (Mass Effect)
Day 02 - What was your very first ship? - Sonic/Sally (Sonic SATAM/Archie Comics)<
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now? - Thrall/Jaina (Warcraft)
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry?
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry?
Day 06 - The best kiss?
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene?
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage?
Day 09 - The most believable relationship?
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life?
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing?
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding?
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing?
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing?
Day 15 - What is your favorite real life pairing?
Day 16 - What is the absolute worst pairing?
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did?
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing?
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning?
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing?
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why?
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why?
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great?
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly?
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out?
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving?
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating?
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand?
Day 29 - What ship had the best proposal?
Day 30 - Your favorite ship forever and ever and ever?