kagerioshu

I'm no psychology expert here, but with the way it's being used, I think "addiction" would be better classified as obsession in this sense, especially with the way rpgsearcherz broke it down.To use his example, let's say if this person who had sex once a month is more "addicted" to it than the person who had sex once a week. If sex is the one thought that overwhelms this guys mind more than anything else, then it can be said that he's addicted to it. But of course, the better term really is obsession here, since being addicted to sex is not really a compulsory thing.It's important to recognize the distinction and to know how it incorporates into your own life... whether it be polishing the pope or otherwise. For your well-being and self-control and whatnot.

I can't lie here. I'm addicted to chocolate. I eat too much of the stuff, really, but at least I've developed an appreciable taste for the finest qualities over the years. When I can afford it, I like going to gourmet shops and picking out hand-crafted varieties and trying out different flavors and mixes.Of course, when money is strapped, going for a dark chocolate Hershey bar is never a bad thing. Just avoid the treacherous Mr.Goodbar -- that stuff is made out of vegetable oil for some inexplicable reason. Blech!Chocolate is a wonderful thing.

Sleeping naked is pretty relaxing, but more often than not, I end up sleeping with too many clothes on. Usually what I wore during the day. It happens sometimes, depending on how exhausted I am. Then I wake up with terrible muscle aches and impressions in my skin. Score!

I'm a big fan of the UMP 45. Moderate accuracy is decent, but a totally slow ROF -- the slowest in the game, in fact -- will ruin you, but it feels powerful and its fun to slug around. Punches kevlar quite nicely. People are usually embarrassed to get taken down by it as well... probably because it's actually rather useless, haha. Still, skill can compensate for the UMP's weaknesses by a large degree, and I'm definitely not shabby at CS:S, so there.

The para is similarly limited in use, but then again, it is actually kinda beastly on Source. Just don't ever do anything by yourself with it, and don't go long range -- it IS a group weapon for CQC. Just lay down the firepower without restraint in bottleneck areas and work to keep the opponents in their spot. Always run for cover behind friends with capable rifles for reloading, and you should be able to do quite well with it. That's my strategy, anyways.

Realistically speaking, I enjoy the SG-552 a whole lot. That's my personal favorite. It's a little expensive, but quite usable and more flexible than the AUG in my opinion. Overall, it has good power and effective accuracy when used with bursts. Scoping should be limited to tactical situations that demand it, as otherwise the reduced ROF can put you at serious risk.

Of course, when it comes to basic play, you can never go wrong with the M4 -- or even the AK for that matter, but that requires more skill to control successfully. It's no amateur rifle, that's for sure. First shot is deadly though.

Let's not forget about shotguns. In 1.6, they were pretty limited, but in Source, they shine. Oh, do they shine. Like diamonds in the rough, however, they need to be used correctly in order to achieve their latent power. However, Source makes it almost absurdly easy to dominate with either of them, the tougher one to use being the pump shottie (M3 Super 90). However, the pump is basically a guaranteed one-hit kill in CQC... provided your aim is true. Catch them off-guard from around a corner!

Pistol-wise, I like the highly-forgotten p228. I can understand why people don't use it, since it's highly comparable to the USP, which is pretty much a great gun all around from the start that doesn't warrant replacement. As for the glock, well... that's actually pretty usable in Source. As I said, the p228 is relegated to obscurity in games. I love pistol-only maps though, and with those I stick to the one with the cursed 13 rounds. Haha. The 57 is great too, and I enjoy its accuracy, but its too weak I think for truly serious use. But when it comes to competitive play (such as with scrims), most of these weapons are thrown out the door anyways, so... I aim to have fun with alternative weaponry on pubs. I still won't touch the dual berettas though. I'll have fun, but I'll do it with sensible choices.

Oh, and btw, as for the other two questions...Nostalgia, the game you've played might just be Front Mission, although if you played it domestically, it was most definitely something else. Probably Metal Marines, which is often confused with Metal Warriors, hah.Clinton, the game you're thinking of is definitely the King of Dragons. This is one of my all time favorites, and I enjoy playing it to this day with friends. Although given its difficulty, you can always utilize the 99-lives exploit that's done at the beginning of the game...

Metal Warriors is definitely the game you're thinking of, Hikaru. Interestingly enough, it's actually a part of a greater series of games that all involve similar or identical gameplay. This series is known as Assault Suits, and there were several titles produced by NCS until Konami took over for just one title: Metal Warriors.Imagine that! More Metal Warriors greatness to be had.Unfortunately, only Metal Warriors made it over to these shores... except for two other titles. That's Target Earth on the Genesis, which started the series in Japan as Assault Suit Leynos. Afterwards, the sequel game Assault Suits Valken was made on the SNES, and was brought over here as well, except as another game butchered in translation and given a new title as Cybernator. You can play either of those games through emulation these days or by obtaining admittedly rare copies for their respective systems. However, I recommend trying to find a way to play the original games. I think some fan translations exist to give you the authentic experience without the crushing editing that was done to the American titles to strip them of their flavorful anime-esque plots and characters (due to the mistaken fear that our gamer demographic is xenophobic basically).Metal Warriors is known otherwise unofficially as Assault Suits Gideon. It has a rather strange history though, and Assault Suits Gideon was its formulative title before being switched to Konami who then proceeded to change its name several times and adjust the theme of the game until it ended up what it is today for both the American and Japanese markets. Yes, no translation butchering was done to this title. It's exactly the same in any market, which is a relief.NCS Took over for future titles in the series, but these ended up on the Playstation and Saturn and have stayed in Japan. The Playstation's Assault Suit Valken 2 is more of a turn-based strategy RPG, which is similar to the Front Mission series. Assault Suit Leynos 2 for the Saturn is basically classic hardcore Assault Suits gameplay, and is a ridiculously fun game. Good luck trying to obtain a copy. Emulation for the Saturn is almost ideal these days finally, and so you may have luck playing it by those means.Speaking of Front Mission... ironically enough, Square borrowed heavily from Assault Suits and produced their own title in the same style, named Front Mission: Gun Hazard. This plays very similarly to the rest of the Assault Suit series, but involves heavy RPG elements and an open world design that lets you go where you please. It was never brought over here of course, but it was given an excellent fan translation that I recommend you try (properly of course, by somehow magically obtaining an original copy of the game and the expensive and discontinued equipment it takes to patch it yourself and blah blah blah etc etc).Anyways, that's uh... your "Metal Warriors" lesson for today, haha. Try the other titles out if you can, they're all recommended.

I loved Mike Tyson's Punch Out as a kid, and I still do to this day. The whole theme of the game is really rewarding, presenting you as the underdog who pulls through it all to achieve greatness. The size of your character compared to your opponents, the music itself that seems to suggest a challenge to victory, the sense of overcoming these powerful adversaries in order to reach the top... it's pretty much perfect in its simplicity. An all-around well-presented game, it of course also benefits from having tight gameplay that is snappy and responsive.I agree with your review, Saint_Michael. Congratulations on beating it finally, because at any age that's no easy task I think. I could only get up to Bald Bull myself before getting knocked out like yesterday's leftovers. Hard to time that uppercut that's REQUIRED to beat him .I should probably do the same and beat Punch Out by whatever means necessary, haha.

If this Saint_Michael gentleman is paying, then what the heck. I'll take an ice-cold classic Irish stout Guinness in a tall mug. Here's my ID, waiter.Cheers!

Let's see, I have the following systems in no particular order:Atari 2600Nintendo Entertainment SystemSega Master SystemSega GenesisSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemGameboy ColorNintendo DSSony Playstation (first edition -- still going strong!)Sony Playstation 2 (same deal here -- first edition)and last but not least, my PC entertainment system. Haha! That about wraps it up. I love gaming, and I hope to create my own game soon that matches what I believe to be a quality experience based on the titles that I have played over the course of my admittedly short life. Here's to gaming... cheers

What everyone is saying about Quake 4 is pretty much correct, but I'll thrown in my own thoughts and say that the netcode for Q4 is pretty terrible, which ultimately ruins the online gameplay. As a game that essentially tries to emulate Quake 3, poor netcode makes it practically worthless on a competitive level unfortunately. I heard the recent patches fix that problem, but without the simplicity in design that makes Quake 3 so crisp and tight, it's essentially just a clunky game with a play style that is too fast and snappy for the level of graphics that it comes equipped with.Quake 3 is basically the pinnacle of its design, and achieves a level of gameplay that is practically shrink-wrapped perfection. It can also run smoothly on almost any system being used today, and is still good-looking. It's a very smooth and precise experience that rewards skill overall, and can be played and enjoyed by anyone looking to get into a traditional competititve FPS game. With so much going for Quake 3 and its immense lasting popularity to this day, no wonder Quake Live is being made. I got into the beta, btw!

If you're going to mention those two books, rayzoredge, I'm going to throw in my two cents and mention Fahrenheit 451 as well (which is what Equilibrium is based on to a large extent). That books is another creation that features a largely dystopian (or is that un-utopian?) world where reading of all sorts has been banned. The main character, a firestarter as he is known, is charged with the responsibility of burning books as his profession. Eventually, he comes to recognize his ways once a friendly neighborhood female girl wakes him up to the joys of life through conversation and such, but that's getting far into the plot and I wouldn't want to ruin it for anybody...

Anyways, it's worth a mention and is definitely another book that is well-worth reading. Not a very large one, so anybody can appreciate it really. I'm not certain, but I think it may just be required reading in some schools, but I don't know. I read it on my own, and I enjoyed it.

I have to agree that American Psycho is one of the craziest books written. I think things like Lovecraft are more otherworldly, but this book featuring the unforgettable Patrick Bateman is quite surreal in its own regards. However, if you want a book that is simply "messed up", I recommend the House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. This book is simply incomparable to most literature. It involves all sorts of crazy stylistic approaches and elements that require a very dedicated effort to traverse. Of course, if you want to get really fringe, there is also the Codex Seraphinianus, but that can hardly be considered "reading". You'll know what I mean when you see it (or look it up). (Same could go for the Voynich Manuscripts, but that's neither here nor there...).

The Mustang is a respectable vehicle, but I think the Camaro wins because it has wonderful GM technology behind it. Starting with the 4th generation, the Camaro got the ls1 engine which is widely regarded to be one of the best small block v8s ever made -- in fact, it is considered to be one of the best engines in existence. It utilizes a pushrod design, but don't let that fool you; this engine is simply one of the best (if not the best) of its kind in that respect, and delivers more power and torque than most other v8s for the displacement.The Mustang, well... You're looking at a SOHC design unless you break into Cobra territory. Which in that case, you're paying extensively for something that is basically the equivalent of a much cheaper and stronger Camaro. I love the Camaro myself, and if I could fantasize, I'd really enjoy owning a 4th generation Trans Am -- a car fairly related to the Camaro.

A sudden loss of skill isn't just a phenomenon experienced with a game like CS. Many players of sports or sports-like games around the world experience a particular condition called the "Yips" on occasion. If you're experiencing this, it would be important to know about it. Google can lead you to a comprehensive description, but I can summarize it for you because it's very relevant to the thread subject.Basically, the Yips is a condition where you suddenly, inexplicably lose a portion or the entirety of your ability in a given sport. There are many different theories that aim to explain why this happens, but the essential result of the Yips are the same: you lose your ability to play in your sport of choice. It can manifest in different ways, but typically it has you disabled in a way that is psychologically prohibitive to overcome. For golfers, they may not time their swings. For Bowlers, they may suddenly lose the ability to release the ball. Dart players are disabled from throwing. It goes on.One leading theory for the Yips is the possibility of biochemical changes that take place in the body over time due to aging. These can reduce the efficiency of sensitive nerves and muscle coordination that are important in playing a sport -- which can be especially true of a FPS game, although I wouldn't know how relevant it is and in what way.Prolonged use of involved muscles and intense demands of coordination and concentration can really take it out of you. Playing at such a high level is something that really challenges your body. Proper rest and timed breaks are essential when it comes to this sort of thing.

I follow the translation scene pretty closely actually, and have always been a fan of the Mother series myself. When I heard that Mother 3 was translated finally, I was pretty joyous. Of course, like most people, it all started for me on the SNES with my original copy of Earthbound. I even still have the scratch-n-sniff Nintendo-published cards and all!Since the translation of Mother 3 was released recently, I decided to go back and check out the entire series from the start. I got a copy of "Earthbound Zero" as its called and have been playing that for the past month. The random battles don't bother me too much, although I did get a fan-made patch that reduces their encounter rate while upping the experience and money received from battles. Lame I know, but I don't have the patience for dealing with excessive grinding. I'm someone who really appreciates the innovations that the SNES game brought to the table, such as foes being visible on the overworld and having the option to defeat them automatically.Earthbound Zero is unusual compared to the rest of the games in the sense that it seems to carry a stronger sinister undertone that exists beneath the charming surface. It's kind of hard to explain, but things feel creepier and darker than compared to the two sequels. I know the creator behind the series, Shigesato Itoi, based plenty of the imagery and darker ideas in Mother on a traumatic experience he had as a child, which reflects in character designs like Gygas and the crazier elements of the end-game. Maybe it's just the harsh and sober NES palette that makes Earthbound Zero so creepy, but I imagine that if I was a child playing this game on my NES, certain scenes and aspects of it would definitely chill me. Altogether, it's fun, but I can't wait to get to the SNES Earthbound and beat it again so I can move on to Mother 3 finally.I love Earthbound, and I appreciate all the unique qualities that the Mother series contains. The characters of these games are very simple but true, and are delivered beautifully. The worlds that the Mother series contains are surreal, hopeful, dark, dangerous, glorious, irreverent, and peaceful all at once. More importantly and above all else, they're honest, and that's what makes the games so endearing I think.

I agree with mas_fey, although actual physical copies of Valkyrie Profile are hard to come by these days (and quite expensive, may I add). Persona is an outstanding addition to anyone's game collection. P4 was just released recently, and that is highly recommended as well.Since you have an Xbox360, you should do yourself the favor and check out Lost Odyssey. It was made by Mistwalker, which was founded by the venerable Hironobu Sakaguchi who created the Final Fantasy series. You really can't get much closer to the traditional driving spirit behind Final Fantasy than that. Enchanted Arms is also a decent title on the system, but not as good as Lost Odyssey in my opinion. Infinite Undiscovery, despite the ridiculous title, is another rpg for the 360 that isn't too shabby. It's action-oriented, so keep that in mind if it isn't your cup of tea. Tales of Vesperia and Eternal Sontana are both masterpieces which warrant your attention. Blue Dragon is okay, not really what I would consider an outstanding game, but you may like it more. Finally, there are several western RPGs for the system such as Oblivion and Mass Effect that are pretty good in themselves.The ps2's library is enormous, and to go through it all would be a pretty monumental task. However, brief recommendations include Dragon Warrior 8, the Wild Arms series, both Drakengard titles, the Persona series, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocture (the non-hardcore need not apply :/ ), Digital Devil Summoner, and more.I wouldn't call any series the best per se, it's all relative to your particular tastes, but I'm quite fond of the early Romancing SaGa and Mana series. Same goes for Dragon Warrior.

There are plenty of RPG series out there, and it isn't very difficult to find great games. Since you're into the Final Fantasy series and you have a ps2 already, a vast library of games is available to you. I recommend checking out Gamefaqs and scrolling through the list of games for the system starting under the RPG genre. It's a good start, although that might exclude some titles that are more action-oriented that involve heavy usage of RPG mechanics.As for my personal choices, I recommend almost all Atlus-published titles as well as a few published by NIS America. I'm not a big fan of Disgaia, but Soul Nomad & the World Eaters is particularly good. Check out the Persona series if you can. You'll probably love Persona 3 and 4.If you can find it, the Arc The Lad Collection is a particularly good SRPG series, bundled together for your enjoyment. Since it is a limited edition boxset that has been discontinued, it may be too expensive however. Outside of that esoteric choice, you have a wide variety of games published by Square Enix themselves, such as Dragon Quest 8. It's always a good play.I second the recommendations for Valkyrie Profile and Vagrant Story, btw. I love both of those games dearly, but physical copies are definitely not easy to acquire. At least, the original ps1 version of Valkyrie Profile is a hard fetch. Not too certain about Vagrant Story, though.Good luck with your search! Whatever you find, I hope you enjoy it.

I was actually wondering when my balance would show up, and was going to ask about that until I checked your reply. You already answered a question I had before I got around to asking it, haha. Thank you for the information and kind words, xpress.

Hi everybody. Let me first say that this seems to be a very robust community! I just recently signed up for future hosting benefits, but after looking around, I can definitely say that I'm looking forward to enjoying a great community along with them. There are so many forums for all sorts of different subjects here that I can easily see myself engaging in some nice discussions... or general chitchat. :PAs for myself, I'm a freelance writer that has strong interest in photography, art, and game design. I'm looking at putting up my own website in the near future that's dedicated to my work in these subjects and some writing as well.Anyways, I'm glad to meet everyone. Hopefully I'll get to know some of you guys pretty well in the future. You'll be seeing me around these parts...