Kid Culture on the NES
OK! So with this posting, I’ve done a pretty good job of carpet-bombing the site with a spread of GameSpite Quarterly 5 content. I think now you have a pretty good picture of what’s inside the issue now: Short game retrospectives, lengthier game retrospectives, bite-sized gallery retrospectives, and articles like this, which are game retrospectives masquerading as something else.
Anyway, you get the picture. It sounds like people who shelled out for rush shipping are beginning to receive their copies of GSQ5 already, which is nice. They also seem not to hate it, which is even nicer. I spend so much time with these things that I lose all objective perspective on their quality by the end of the production cycle and honestly can’t tell if they’re awesome or wretched. So far we seem to be trending toward the former rather than the latter.
Meanwhile, I have already immersed myself in the next issue, because I’m stupid like that. As it happens, I need one more contributor to round out the ranks for GSQ6! Specifically, I need someone who (1) wants to write, (2) writes well, and (3) wants to write well about Panzer Dragoon Saga. If this sounds like you, I think it would be pretty great for you to drop me an email sometime today to express your interest. I mean, you’re certainly under no obligation to do so, of course. I’m merely putting it out there as a suggestion. You know. If that’s something you’d be into.
I received my standard print copy about an hour ago. I’m absolutely amazed by the sheer size of this thing. I could bludgeon a man to death with it. My hat is off to you (and your fine team of writers).
So you do not feel that the price was a ripoff, given the girth/substance of the thing? That is good news to my tiny ears.
I got the hardcover and do not think it a rip-off at all. I do wonder, though, because one page in mine (I forget which, but I am pretty sure it directly precedes the Deadly Towers page) is seriously askew. Not a complaint, I promise! I was just curious if it were some flaw that had happened only to mine? Or generally? Or was it a design decision?
I’d definitely like to contribute to the next GameSpite Quarterly, though I unfortunately have no prior experience with “Panzer Dragoon Saga.” I was having trouble finding your e-mail address, though.
My copy just came in yesterday, and I’d have to agree, it’s pretty brilliant., and absolutely worth the $20, probably more than that given the breadth which it covers. It’s the sort of thing I handed to my mostly video game illeterate girlfriend to catch her up on NES culture after seeing Scott Pilgrim. (QUICK OUTSIDER REVIEW: She doesn’t quite understand the words yet but loves the format and layouts.)
I wouldn’t mind writing up a bit about PDS, depending on what your angle is. Though last time I wrote about it someone made a thread on NeoGAF about how I was a terrible person because I thought the graphics aged terribly. It looked bad even in 1998, but the niche-masses disagree, apparently.
@Aelfric – I just checked my copy, and it’s askew in mine, too.
I like to think I write well, and I’ve got experience with Panzer Dragoon Saga (although not through legitimate means), but it’s been so long since I’ve played that it would most certainly take a replay of the game to write anything of substantial worth.
And yes, the game is great. It’s also rather short for a RPG. But in some ways, that adds to the appeal, as it’s not as layered with the fluff that adorns many modern RPGs, all for the sake of putting a “50-100 hour experience!” tag on the back of the box.
@discoalucard – You’re a bit right on that regard on PDS’s graphics. It looks servicable, but we’ve been spoiled by subsequent generations, and it looks pretty rough now, much like almost every 3D Saturn game.
Oh, I should probably comment on Retro Game Challenge, considering that’s supposed to be the main thrust of the post. I picked up a copy, and never regretted it one instant. It was strangely gratifying to play a “retro” game that made me drop all the current-gen games I was playing for it, instead. In a lot of ways, it was a bit of vindication for me that a lot of games really _were_ better back in the day, at least in my mind.
That article is really boss.
Ugh, that page definitely wasn’t supposed to be skewed, but I see in the source files that it’s off-kilter. That’s so infuriating — it must have happened during the final proofing process. InDesign is constantly interpreting basic trackpad motions as me performing an object rotation, but I always catch it when it happens. Except in this case, apparently. Not much I can do at this point except reprint that page in the next issue and offer my apologies for Adobe’s shoddy quality control. So angry.
You had me at the first 2 things you wanted from a new writer and then lost me at the third. I’m guessing you have to have played PDS to be an extra writer. :(
Panzer Dragoon Saga was an event too many gamers missed, it’s a shame that Sega is a shell of it’s former self these days.
Secondly Retro Game Challenge it’s criminal that many gamers have missed this one also since it’s on the DS and not in HD on the PS3 or 360.
I’d love to write about PDS, e-mail sent.
What do the PS3 or the 360 have anything to do with Retro Game Challenge?
The third screenshot is broken, pyon.
Parish, if it helps to give any sort of indication regarding the popular reaction to GSQ5, the first words out of my mouth upon opening up the Blurb package were “Holy f***.”
(in a really, really good way)
When I asked him about Retro Game Challenge, Yuri Lowenthal told me that hardly anyone else ever brings it up. He told me he’s never even seen any clips of the game in action, though he enjoyed recording his part as Arino, and didn’t know why the sequel was never picked up for localization. Needless to say, we commiserated over the fact that barely anyone checked it out.
I dunno, I hadn’t even heard of the game until well after it came out. By then, it was too late. :(
Just wanted to say that I love GSQ5! I got it shipped to my office at work (along with all the other issues as well!) and everyone I work with pretty much wanted to have their own copies. I work at a game dev company, so I figured my coworkers might dig it. I’m doing what I can to get this awesome site/books the exposure they deserve! Thanks for providing something great, that is going to help get me through the cold Canadian winter months that are coming soon!
Oh, and by the way, I absolutely think that every issue is well worth the cost – especially this one! It’s huge! And epic. And awesomely awesome! :)
I’d love to write about panzer dragoon saga for you, it’s probably my favourite game ever but I can be objective, those graphics are probbaly the best example of 3D on the saturn but it doesn’t mean they aren’t garish by todays standards. Managed to pick up an unboxed PAL version for 20 euros a few years ago. I like to think I write well but I haven’t much experience other than a few reviews and an article for an irish games site I helped some friends set up.
Finding an objective PDS writer would be a hard task. I mean, who could be objective about a game they paid a lot of money for? I guess only the people who got it for the cheapz could be more objective about it. Then again, if someone was dissapointed by the game after spending so much money on it…but that would probably be a negative review.
It’s hard to be objective about the game because it’sso damn good and just cuts all the fetch quest and and other RPG rubbish that extends out the game so much. It’s 17 hours long but manages to tell and epic and heartwarming story in those 17 hours that most other RPGs wouldtake 50 hours to tell while never feeling too short. I bought my chipped saturn to play Radiant Silvergun but tried PDS first. The next 5 days of gaming ended up being taken over by PDS. It’s certainly not perfect, random battles are an inconvenience and the item system is totally useless and can be ignored, but there’s a lot of little details that just make it stand out and you can really tell it was a labour of love for the developer. All the NPCs are voiced and their dialogue changes throughout the game, which is something you don’t see even now. Admittedly the cast is small but it helps the illusion of the world being alive. The soundtrack as well is arguably one of the greatest collections of music for any game, each area has at least 2 battle themes and each boss has thier own unique music.
Few could argue with you on that point…because few had the oppurtunity to play that game.
Also, you played the Japanese version? Because you’re missing out on what I’d assume be an integral part of an RPG; the story.
Played the PAL and US version of game. I’ve read that the translator of the game had very little japanese and only a loose description of the storyline to go on but I also read that he managed to some how translate the game fairly accurately and managed to tell the story the japanese game was telling. I can’t confirm this myself since I don’t know japanese. The story is excellent as well, a great universe, interesting cast of characters and an intelligent sci-fi story.
I fell in love with the game but even if you people aren’t as enthusiastic about it as me I can’t see how they coukdn’t enjoy itand admire what it achieved.
Because I’ve never played it before…just like most people. I’m just saying it’s hard not to like a game when you’ve layed down a lot of money on it, even if it is an amazing game, which is what I assume Panzer Dragoon Saga is.
I don’t know, I’ve laid down a lot of money on some games and hated them, namely Xenogears. I can see some people try to justify the money spent by forcing themselve to like the game.
Which is why I generally never spend more than $60 on a game.
Which is why I got a chipped saturn. Some of the best games on that system are totally out of my price range and if I was to buy them the money wouldn’t be going to the developer so what harm?