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STEAM announcements & updates 2013 - Year of the SteamBox

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S

Salsa

Member
NaM said:
What Diego did you think I was talking about? :p
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Diego-Forlan-006.jpg
 
S

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Dice said:
There is nothing game-ruining about something that happens like 6 hours into it. People are only nostalgic about that shit because they were kids and to them she represented whatever girl they had a crush on at the time. She's a fairly crap character up to that point TBH, totally boring.
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That's pretty reductionist.

Aeris is an interesting character because she's innocent. Everyone else in the squad barring Yuffie (who is a professional thief!) has a direct connection to AVALANCHE or ShinRa and are trained fighters. Aeris is just a girl. She is targeted for kidnapping and you save her--only to find out that she's actually the most important character in the game. She has no parents, she's adopted, she's a flower girl, she goes to a church, she's done nothing wrong.

Then Cosmo Canyon and later the Temple of the Ancients reveals her duty. She's there to save the planet, because she's the only one who can use the White Materia.
When she is killed, she is praying quietly. The whole time, she's innocent. She doesn't harm a soul.

I'm not a music theory guy, but even think of her themesong. Reflective, sad, innocent. The church song includes most of Aerith's leitmotif and same deal there. Why do you think they choose to include her theme in the church theme? Because it's a tranquil, reflective, and innocent place. There's also the visual theme of the flowers growing in the church. A lone little ray of hope, innocent, hurting no one.

When she gets deep-sixed, you don't hear her theme. You hear Sephiroth's theme. It's the juxtaposition of her innocent and the terror he's meant to convey. But when he pulls out the sword and the materia tumbles out of her hair, her theme starts. Again. She's innocent. White materia, which controls Holy. Her theme song. The materia bounces down the rocks and falls into the water. Cut back to the in-game engine. It continues playing as you fight Jenova right through to her burial. Again, I'm not a musician, but maybe someone who is can point out how the chord progression, instrument choice, the tempo, etc all play into what they were very clearly going for.

Like, is she well written? No, the whole game isn't. Is she deep? No, no one in the game is--really no one in any Final Fantasy game is, they're all designed to be archetypal and evocative rather than deep and three-dimensional. But it's pretty clear how she was constructed as a character and what you're supposed to feel when she croaks and why.
 
X

xelios

Universal Access can be found under System Preferences
Stumpokapow said:
...she's innocent.
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She does threaten to rip Don Corneo's balls off, which is pretty terrifying. Other than that cutesie little moment they did manage to make me believe she was just an innocent girl in the wrong places at the wrong times, caught up with the wrong crowd and that I had to protect her to some extent. It was as if she didn't fit and I was forced to bring a child along with me on my travels.

The cutscene was definitely unexpected but I was just like damn gurl you shoulda stayed home, until I figured out what was actually going on. She was never my girlfriend or anything, I swear. I went on the date with Barret.
 
-tetsuo-

-tetsuo-

Unlimited Capacity
Dice said:
There is nothing game-ruining about something that happens like 6 hours into it. People are only nostalgic about that shit because they were kids and to them she represented whatever girl they had a crush on at the time. She's a fairly crap character up to that point TBH, totally boring.
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Pretty much. I never used her because she sucked. When she died I laughed.
 
Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Stumpokapow said:
Like, is she well written? No, the whole game isn't. Is she deep? No, no one in the game is--really no one in any Final Fantasy game is, they're all designed to be archetypal and evocative rather than deep and three-dimensional. But it's pretty clear how she was constructed as a character and what you're supposed to feel when she croaks and why.
Click to expand...
Yeah, and because of that the relationship/attachment part all felt ridiculously heavy handed to me, most of all the way the other characters seemed to fall completely in love with her in like 2 minutes. I was 15 or 16 at the time and I felt that way, and that feeling hasn't really changed as I got older. There is a fine line between "innocent" and "dumbass" and from the perspective of a newcomer I feel like she crosses it a few dozen times as she interacts with very not-innocent people and situations.

Granted, the way she is does make sense later, and she becomes really interesting postmortem in all these conceptual ways you mention. However, that isn't what people are talking about when they complain about her death spoiling the game. I don't think any grown adult playing this game would be like "OH MY PRECIOUS AREITH! GENRE DEFINING SHOCK MOMENT" which is the kind of "game-ruining" weight meant by such complaints.

The game overall actually isn't even set up to work like that. It's a bizarre blend of operatic main plot, tv drama personal conversations, and storybook adventure subplots. Everything in the game is better appreciated when you know the whole of it to see what each component means and where it fits in. When such is the case, you and pick up on those concepts and the emotions behind them past the limitations of the technology.

Like it's obvious they meant for her to be an ethereal character, someone who transcends the situation, the embodiment of the life energy they are fighting to save and thus hope itself, and in this nature she simply mesmerizes everyone. In an anime it could work, but in this game it does not... unless you know already. Her death is a message, the start of an awakening to her role, not a tragic end to a love story as it is most often treated.

xelios said:
It was as if she didn't fit and I was forced to bring a child along with me on my travels.
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_tetsuo_ said:
Pretty much. I never used her because she sucked. When she died I laughed.
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See, this is what I mean. It was the same for me.
 
Z

zerokoolpsx

Member
People talking about FFVII?
Aeris was mostly my girlfriend in all my playthroughs. I just couldn't be a total ass to her to get Barret on the date.
 
D

dot

Member
Derrick01 said:
Is that the sequel to Warface? Or was that Wargun?
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I don't think it's a sequel to anything. It's made from the same guys that made Dark Sector i believe, so i guess you can say they're going back to what Dark Sector's original theme was with the ninja suit.

Warframe is basically a spiritual successor i guess?

Game was fun but got kinda old. Stopped playing it awhile back since it got boring but i hear they're adding a lot of new stuff like new snow levels, and abilities like deflecting bullets with your sword.
 
K

kuYuri

Member
So if Konami is now jumping back on the Steam bandwagon with PES 2013... let's see some real good stuff on there damn it.

MGS: Rising PC port and Silent Hill 2/3/4 all on Steam please.
 
Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
zerokoolpsx said:
People talking about FFVII?
Aeris was mostly my girlfriend in all my playthroughs. I just couldn't be a total ass to her to get Barret on the date.
Click to expand...
Tifa 4 lyfe. That girl knows passion and devotion, but she still keeps it real, too.
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
Psycho Powaa said:
So if Konami is now jumping back on the Steam bandwagon with PES 2013... let's see some real good stuff on there damn it.

MGS: Rising PC port and Silent Hill 2/3/4 all on Steam please.
Click to expand...

MGS HD collection
ZoE HD collection
Silent Hill
MGR
MGS 5

We got along way to go Konami.

Iron Badger said:
I'm selling my copy of XCom: Enemy Unknown from the Bioshock preorder for $15 Paypal. PM me if you want it.

header_292x136.jpg
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Getting started early?
 
R

RionaaM

Unconfirmed Member
So Machinarium is really nice. I feel smart for being able to beat the first 3 or 4 screens without any guides or hints. But now I'm stuck at a
match red and green lights minigame
, which I think I'll leave for later as there's some other place I can still go, that I haven't explored yet. I hope it's not necessary to proceed.
 
E

eyeless

Member
damn son my steam client is hellof fast after this update valve got their shit together

also shout out to my free xcom 96% chyeah
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
TF2 guys, what should I do to further clothe my scout?

Should I do 3x Refined for a random headgear, hope I get lucky, and trade for what I want?

Or

4x Refined + Scout token for Random Scout Headgear.

Or

Just trade my refined and other items for what I want?
 
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