Judas

I actually really like the new crest.

I don't think a market like Toronto needs to offer any sort of incentive to watch NHL again. They'll get crowds no matter what. I know here in Vancouver they aren't lowering ticket prices...but why should they, I suppose, since renewal rate was something like 90%.

^ LOL...

NO YOU DON'T, VOLOURN. Again, you sign a contract for MONEY and LENGTH, not LOCATION. This is why contracts are transferable, and this is why contracts are not broken when a player is traded, and this is why your argument is totally void. I hope you're just trolling, because the fact that you don't understand this very, very basic point is a tad unsettling. Right, because trades are allowed in the gaming industry. The gaming industry and professional sports are totally analogous! Stick to arguing about games Volly; at least then you know what the hell you're talking about. Sports are obviously not your forte.

Does the team tell the player, "We promise we will never EVAR trade you! Cross my heart!"? Does the player sign the contract with the notion that he will never EVAR be traded? Of course not, unless they have a no-trade clause. Ask any hockey player. The player signs over the rights to his services for a sum of money over a specific duration. If a player doesn't want to be traded he asks for a no-trade clause, otherwise, it's fair game, and to be expected that they may be traded. PERIOD. THE END.

That doesn't even make sense. Does the video game industry trade employees? Of course not - hockey (and most professional sports) do allow the trading of players. Professional athletes realize this. Holy apples and oranges. BUT HOCKEY IS THE EXACT SAME AS VIDEO GAME DEVELOPING R00FLES!1 LOL nice analogy buddy. And you're talking about logic? ...sigh A team could continue to pay a player and not utilize him. OR the player could negotiate a buyout and then be free to sign wherever he wants. OR the player could demand a trade. Explain to me how a team can "fire" a player. What an idiotic statement. Do you even understand how professional sports work? You obviously have no idea what you're talking about. FYI: The contract for players is LENGTH and MONEY, not who they play for specifically. Signing a 3-year, 3 million dollar deal means you are guaranteed to get paid that amount of money for that specific term. It does not guarantee you will be playing in the same location...unless you have a NO-TRADE CLAUSE...hence the reason no-trade clauses exist. Therefore trading the player is not breaking the contract in "spirit" or in any other sense. Next!

How is trading a player treating them like crap? That's part of the business, and evey hockey player knows and accepts that. Holding out when your rights are owned is childish and unprofessional. Anyways, now with the new free agency rules players can pretty much choose where they want to play at the prime of their careers, so I don't think you'll be seeing very many holdouts anymore.

That is awesome news.

Currently finishing Xenosaga 2, have Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Complete on it's way here (thanks Ebay!).

I bet it feels really strange to work hard on a game knowing full-well that it's actually going to be released. My guess is it's probably kind of nice to step away from the whole RPG scene, after all that went down. Not trying to speak for JE, of course.

I had no idea there was a much earlier "Neverwinter Nights" game. Interesting.

Congrats and good luck. I hope you end up having to work on console games.

I liked the second better than the first... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah, so far the second one seems pretty good to me as well. Granted, they made a few questionable decisions (no money or stores, WTF?) but I wouldn't say it's a step back from part one. The story is a little more focused than the first part, which can be a good for bad thing, depending on your tastes...

Yeah the thing with JRPG's is they tend to be a bit...over-the-top? Japanese ultra-dramatic soap opera style, I guess. I think it's more a cultural thing than anything. I can see how this would grate on people's nerves; for me, I don't mind it to a certain extent, though there have been a few occasions with certain games where just I roll my eyes, turn it off and trade it in for another game. That said, I will say that I feel there are some pretty decent stories to be found in some JRPG's out there. Xenosaga I think has a very good, epic story, and I thought FFX was an excellent story as well. Can they get a little goofy at times? Sure, but not to the point where I can't stand it anymore. Some Strategy JRPG's (Tactics Ogre and FF Tactics, in particular) had some really great stories as well.

^ Nah, I don't think the pacing is what made FFX-2 less dramatic then FFX. FFX-2 was a lighter story, plain and simple. And I do suspect the "girl power" Charlie's Angel type stuff was aimed towards a younger crowd.

If backwards combatability is a factor for you isn't the PS3 a better choice, seeing as you can play games back to the PS1? I thought the XBOX 360 would only have a certain percentage (read: best sellers) of games that would be backwards compatible.

Most likely the PS3. I only play RPG's (or JRPG's I guess) and Strategy RPG's for the most part.

How was Wild Arms 3? I played the first one waayyy back and remember liking it...I didn't even know that WA3 was out for the PS2 (or WA2 for that matter...) - I saw it for dirt cheap but picked up Xenosaga 2 instead. I was tempted to try Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter as well, which was also available for an absurdly cheap price.

Play FFX. I loved that game - one of my favourite JRPG's ever. FFX-2 is so-so...I played thru it just because I wanted to finish the FFX story. Xenosaga was really good as well - lots of cinematics, like Oerwinde said, but still really good. Just starting Xenosaga 2 right now, and it seems pretty good so far. I really wanted to like Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, but the frantic battle system and lack of save points really turned me off. Nothing like palying for over an hour with no save in sight, only to die and lose everything. I packed the game up after that little incident. And another vote for Kingdom Hearts if you like action RPG's.

Not too sure about that boomerang controller...but at least when I freak out and throw my controller at the TV it will come back to me. You know, like boomerang.

Oh! Oh! Go over the RPG Codex and say that! It'll be good times.

The poster ask for story-driven CRPG's and you suggest games like IWD, Diablo, and ToEE?

OMG OBSID IS BETHESDA JR I'm kidding. And this is an early April Fools joke. "