What?! 
 
Kyo played by some white dude? 
 
Huh?!

So I met a guy last night--a former friend of my girlfriend--who works at EA Tiburon. He's a manager in the testing department, and he was telling her a bit about what he does at work. He could hardly contain himself when said, "we've been working on something....but I can't talk about it....ah fuck it...." then he proceded to tell me that EA will be announcing next week that they'll be putting out a KOTOR MMO! Now, I know this has been rumored for quite some time, so maybe it doesn't seem like breaking news to you.

I'm not just furthering a rumor here, though. I am saying that next week, the week of Oct. 20, EA will officially announce Knights of the Old Republic Online. I thought it was fairly irresponsible to let me, a total stranger, in on that secret.

He also mentioned that they're in the finishing stages on a unique DS game at Tiburon, here in Orlando, that I'd heard about from another EA employee (an artist) a few months ago. It's supposedly a combination RPG, mixing in elements from other genres. The artist in question has quite an impressive portfolio, so if some of that art makes it into the game, look for the production design to be excellent.

Man, Barnes & Noble in Orlando is the place to meet random EA employees with loose lips....

Dear makers of Xenosaga,

Fuck you.

I've been playing your game series all along, and I am near the end of the second-to-last chapter of the final installment. And I'm done. I'm through with your inane puzzles, your sudden, sharp increases in boss difficulty, and your more-mundane-with-each-game battle system.

Oh, and that storyline? Preposterously overwrought.

I thought I was into the story. That was until I realized that I have no idea what the fuck is going on. And I never have. There's a Rubedo and an Albedo and a Negredo. There's a lot about a "Zohar," but for all the dialogue directed at it, I still have no idea what in the name of all things Holy it is. Pun motherfuckintended. There's a hot girl with glasses, a hot robot with high heels, and a creepy relationship between an old cyborg and a young clone-type-thing-chick. For all the U-do's and U-Tics and URTV's, I have no idea how the writers kept their heads on straight.

So that's it. You've made me hate your game series. It had so much potential, but your response to all the complaining the gaming press did about the series' overlong cutscenes and lack of gameplay was to stuff the second and third games with pointless mazes (one's even called "Labyrinthos"--how clever of you!) and monotonous grinding.

Shame on you. This is what you do with the legacy of Xenogears? Disgusting.

Now I'm going to watch what I'm sure is the unintelligible ending of Episode III on Youtube.

Irately,

Sestren

P.S.
Nietzsche quotes as subtitles? Come on.... Pretentious much?