Sonic Unleashed?

[Frieza2000]

It was an awesome find. I've been thinking about that conclusion, though. Looking at some of the details in Unleashed (the DC in the opening, robots named after old consoles in Eggmanland, some of the detail in the level design) I'd say there's still at least some people who put their love into the games. It's just that there either aren't enough of them or the circumstances keep that love from manifesting into anything substantial.

[Neo]

I don't get why everybody is suddenly so shocked at this. Wasn't Shadow the Hedgehog's production time like, six months or something? Sega's been putting ridiculously harsh deadlines on Sonic titles since the beginning of time, the difference being it used to be enough to actually FINISH the games back then.

[Radrappy]

Yeah because Shadow is totally finished.

[Neo]

I... was talking about the Genesis games. I thought the whole "beginning of time" thing made it clear. Unless you're agreeing with me or... whatever. Yes, Shadow is unfinished. Sonic 06 was a public alpha test. Sonic Adventure was shoved into stores before the floors were made solid. Though they DID mostly fix that last one for the western release.

[Ritz]

If it means anything, FlashTHD's post seems to have made quite a stir.

Soon afterwards, Kotaku, Destructoid, and damn near every other gaming blog on the internet made a fuss about it. It's cool how FlashTHD has attained internet fame by pointing out something two years old that should've been blatantly obvious at the time!

[Delphine]

Congratulations Flash, your whiny attention to bitchiness has finally earned you e-fame!

[Radrappy]

I... was talking about the Genesis games. I thought the whole "beginning of time" thing made it clear. Unless you're agreeing with me or... whatever. Yes, Shadow is unfinished. Sonic 06 was a public alpha test. Sonic Adventure was shoved into stores before the floors were made solid. Though they DID mostly fix that last one for the western release.

yeeeeah I realized what you meant a bit late and was too embarrassed to double post.

In my defence though, the way you worded it implied that Shadow was an example of a finished game.

WHUPS!

[Yami CJMErl]

Oh hey guys, Sonic Unleashed won an award!

...too bad it's the "Turd in a Turd Award for Unsurprising Bad Quality" by none other than Yahtzee Crosshaw. (PROTIP: zip to 3:17 on the play time)

[FlashTHD]

If it means anything, FlashTHD's post seems to have made quite a stir.

Soon afterwards, Kotaku, Destructoid, and damn near every other gaming blog on the internet made a fuss about it. It's cool how FlashTHD has attained internet fame by pointing out something two years old that should've been blatantly obvious at the time!

Congratulations Flash, your whiny attention to bitchiness has finally earned you e-fame!

Can't play "no comment" here anymore I guess.

I figured the info would get around the community naturally...it didn't for three weeks, and then this happened. TSSZ is the reason this has exploded like it has, and they aren't to be thanked. Ben contacted me yesterday morning about the situation; he forgave me for doing the research, but now the efforts of Tristan and Blaze (he wrote the piece, Tristan claims to have executive-produced it) to spotlight it have, last I heard, put his job on the line.

I bitched out Tristan last night for wrecklessly using me and not suprisingly at all, he's feigning innocence and deflecting all blame if this goes bad to anyone but him. I know better than to argue with that concrete wall, he and his tabloid were already unpopular and i'm counting on the tide of public opinion (read: his ongoing feud with Sonic Stadium) to bury him.

So while ego stroking might otherwise be nice...wait, nope, I don't do these things hoping to feed talking heads like Kotaku. And anyway, I was such a footnote in the TSSZ piece, that it's no wonder the bloggers give them the credit.

[Segaholic2]

what the fuck are you babbling on about

[Locit]

what the fuck are you babbling on about

[Shadow Hog]

Yeah, TSSZ hasn't exactly cared about what kind of collateral their articles could cause all that much, last I checked. I remember them being in some pretty hot water over some "English is the official language of SFGHQ" nonsense, in which they painted SFGHQ as an awful place that doesn't like foreigners (AFAIK, they don't mind them, provided they speak the language the majority of users there speak). It wasn't on the level of losing somebody their job, but it was pretty nonsensical nevertheless.

[Frieza2000]

the efforts of Tristan and Blaze (he wrote the piece, Tristan claims to have executive-produced it) to spotlight it have, last I heard, put his job on the line.

His job at "Idle Thumbs, writing editorials and reviews"? I wouldn't think an incident of prematurely revealing game info (in a way that made it sound like sarcasm) would be an issue for that sort of work. Or were they wrong about his current employment?

[Ritz]

I think someone in Sonic Retro's equivalent topic for this mess mentioned in passing that he's got a job at Sony now, whatever said job entails. What I want to know is, what exactly is the context behind his job being "put on the line"? Does that mean that he's currently in peril of losing his job, or that he came pretty damn close to it, but it's blown over already? Because it'd really suck if the fandom wound up screwing him over after he'd martyred himself for the noble act of alleviating all false hope it might've had for Sonic Team's resurgence.

The silver lining here is, if Sony's picked up on this, Sega probably will, too! They might actually try to save face.

[FlashTHD]

Does that mean that he's currently in peril of losing his job, or that he came pretty damn close to it, but it's blown over already?

I'd rather not print any of what he told me verbatim until i'm somewhat satisfied it's safe, because TSSZ may or may not be watching and they've done enough sensationalizing. But it's closest to the former.

[Delphine]

TSSZ may or may not be watching

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Baba O'Riley]

TSSZ may or may not be watching

If you want, we can talk in code.

I mean, my, the forests of Timber sure have changed!

[Delphine]

But the Moogles are still here!

[Baba O'Riley]

But the Moogles are still here!

What are you talking about, sir? In the forest there are Ow... Nothing, yeah, it's nothing sir.

[CM August]

Our knowledge of FF8 plot minutiae disturbs me.

[Delphine]

It's not like the plot was particularly deep or layered. Especially after the first disc.

[CM August]

But we're talking about an incidental and completely forgettable in-game conversation, not to mention Baba can apparently quote the sequence where you somehow manage to pick the wrong answer. That's scary shit.

[Baba O'Riley]

But we're talking about an incidental and completely forgettable in-game conversation, not to mention Baba can apparently quote the sequence where you somehow manage to pick the wrong answer. That's scary shit.

I was playing the game about a week ago, if you were wondering. That said, FF8 is probably one of my favorite games in the series, bruises and all.

[j-man]

Second'd. I dunno why it gets such a bad rep. It's the only one I could be arsed to actually complete.

[Ngangbius]

Final Fantasy VIII is a very polarizing game. People either rank it as one of their favorite FFs or as one of their most hated. Some of it stems from the battle system, characters, story elements, or a combination of that and more. I didn't really like the game myself, but I have to admit Triple Triad was fun at first, until many rules were changed throughout the game.