Damian

YAY Insensitive joke time!

1. Fact: The clavicle is the most commonly broken bone during childhood.

2. I guess there'll be no more quicklooks, then.

3. Hey, Patrick! What's the hardest thing about riding a bike?

Seriously, though... Good to hear you're okay and in good spirits. Get better quick, Patrick!

@flindip said:

@Branthog: The easiest answer as to why Star Wars has the enduring appeal is that its universe where you can tell pretty much ANY type of story. The easiest way I can describe it is this quote from a message board:

"Basically, any movie that features gangsters, aliens, wizards, cowboys, samurai, zombies, or robots (so, all the good ones) can be worked into the Star Wars universe. George Lucas did something back in 1977 that I’m sure would’ve been impossible if he had set out to do it specifically. He fused sci-fi with fantasy, and through some mysterious alchemy, created a potent hybrid with all the myriad story potential of both that somehow appealed to mainstream audiences that don’t have much taste for either. It was a world so vibrant, so teeming with life that seemed to extend for parsecs past the edge of every frame, that people didn’t care much that the dialogue could be clunky and the lead was a bit whiny and bland (he did get better as the series progressed!) and kinda wanted to pork his sister. That world is so overflowing with potential that it hardly seemed to matter that the prequels were flat out bad, and didn’t take advantage of it, instead focusing intently on familiar characters and setting up the things we already know all about."

Whoever wrote that was spot on. The movies aren't as cherished as the greater universe they portray. It's something people can invest themselves in, made easier by committing to it with as little relatable context as "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away". That's the only bit in the movies that even makes you aware humanity exists, and even that's just an assumption. Like LOTR, it takes a to another world with no apologies. When executed as well as Star Wars, it's clearly very potent.

Ever see that He-Man live action movie with Lundgren? It typifies my problem with what Hollywood constantly does with it's non-committal fantasy fare, doing the opposite of what Star Wars did in the late 70's. Hollywood's gotta put you in "relatable" shoes, so they through He-Man into a portal to Earth and gave him a Human, teenage boy as a sidekick to make sure their audience had something to cling to (as if a monster-punching barbarian wasn't enough). Avatar's got the handicapped dude. Transformers has LeBeef. And countless other stupid movies have some normal, human shmo falling into a portal to a magical realm, only to realize it was all a dream at the end.

I have respect for any movie universe that has the confidence to be what it is without needing that forced "relatability". There aren't many series that can claim that level of commitment. Certainly not many live action ones, anyhow.

Also, we can't forget all the working crafts people in the industry today. All of the design people, special effects people, make-up, props and so-on people grew up very inspired by what the Star Wars folks did. Hundreds of graduating classes all praying they'll make it into ILM or Skywalker Sound because of what an inspiration they were. It's no mystery why we still feel the impact today.

@D_Bones: He's a magic heavy familiar who isn't weak or slow. Plus his storm moves look great, and he's adorable.

@Zeik: You're not wrong. Most of those are relegated to palaces, or the end of a dungeon (where it's pretty obvious because you just saved or it's a large, featureless room). But I still preferred to have the heads up. There are a few instances of "continue, or chicken out?" choices in the game, and that's one of those immersion-breaking things I'd rather avoid until I'm ready.

Another reason it's good to have it on is that a lot of times just approaching the star's area will trigger a cutscene or battle, and if you don't want to advance the story yet, or aren't ready for a boss battle that can be a real bummer. Plus the star doesn't point you to side missions, so you'll still have all of those to give you that sense of exploration.

I suggest getting Swaine a Clinkityclank.

If you're a fan of Ghibli and can go for a JRPG, it's a no-brainer. If you're a fan of Pokemon I imagine that helps.

A lot of people say there's an undue amount of grinding, but I'm no JRPG officionatto and I did fine. Though, to be honest, I was highly OP by the end because I was grinding inadvertently just trying to get some of the more frustrating side-quests complete.

Selfishly, I'd very much like to see Ghibli/Level5 do more of this, so I say grab it.

You people haven't seen, absorbed and remembered every trailer released in the last three years?!? You sicken me!!!

Subliminal 4's all over that shit. It's clearly PS4 time. Bet they announce price and everything.

I predict $444.

Man, I hope that crisp, spooky breath at the end is the boot-up noise.

Self-conscious gamers always fretting about what society at large thinks about our hobby. Stop with that "games will never be respected as a medium because of such and such" bullshit. That ended in the 90's, and folks should get over it.

Every time I hear someone bring up that nebulous "shame" we all supposedly share, it's only to further their argument or political agenda.

I don't need CNN to respect my hobby in order to enjoy it. Neither do you.