PixlBit

My first exposure to cel-shaded graphics came with Wind Waker. Like many others I was disappointed by the direction Nintendo chose for the Zelda franchise after the expectation of an ultra-realistic Zelda from Nintendo's E3 demo. When I saw it in action, though, it was incredible.

Dragon Quest VIII was one of the best-looking games of the PS2 generation. Had they chosen to go with a more traditional CG look for the game it would have looked like a lower-resolution version of Blue Dragon. And Okami looked absolutely amazing, and looks even better in HD on the PS3.

Besides Ni no Kuni, this generation also brought us Valkyria Chronicles, which sports its own Ghibli-esque look.

The Skillsaw gun looks pretty cool. I like guns like that in games, but oftentimes they're a bit impractical for the realities of the gameplay.

I started with Metal Gear on the NES myself. It was a great game for its time, and I enjoyed The Twin Snakes on Gamecube and the HD collection. I can respect your love for MGS, because it is the same love I hold for... Final Fantasy VII!

I'm in no hurry to get a PS4, what with stuff like Tales of Xillia coming down the pipeline still, but if they can bring some great RPGs to the PS4 I'm in!

Hey, now, I happen to be one of those FF fanboys!

But I would never diss someone over their choice of game, so long as they do me the same courtesy. :)

Makes me sad again that I lost my Wizards' Edition. At least I got the strategy guide free.

I skipped this during its initial run but finally got it as a Christmas present in 2011. It's probably the best horizontally scrolling shmup I've ever played.

I remember when the PS2 came out, the US government was actually investigating claims that the Emotion Engine was powerful enough to control nuclear weapons delivery systems, and it supposedly caused minor political friction between the US and Japan.

After initially snubbing the PS3 due to price and then trying the 360 only to have less-than-optimal experiences with it, I got a PS3 (60GB, native BC) and Valkyria Chronicles in 2009, and it has become the hub of my living room, since it can play most of my game collection and run Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. I'm actually rather bummed that the PS4 won't be backwards-compatible, but I still want one at some point. Maybe when Final Fantasy XV comes out. After all, I got a PS1 for FFVII and a PS2 for FFX.

I've only been on a bus/train cross-country a couple of times, as living in the West necessitates that most trips will be done on the freeway in one's own vehicle, but yeah, that sounds like hell.  I think the wannabe gangstas would probably be the real deal-killers for me. :)

I played the demo. It was interesting enough, but I pretty much dismissed it as a poor man's Valkyria Chronicles. I suppose I was part of the problem.

I remember seeing the print ads for Lunar: The Silver Star in a 1994 issue of GamePro I bought for the Mortal Kombat II strategy guide (this same magazine was also where I got my first look at Final Fantasy VI). Man, did I want that game, but I was a kid and my parents weren't about to form over $300 for a Genesis + Sega CD combo. So I got a SNES instead and contented myself with the aforementioned Final Fantasy VI.

Four years later, by then gainfully employed and owning a PS1, I heard rumors that Lunar was being remade for the 32-bit consoles and released in the US. Since WD was still a Sega publisher, I assumed the games were coming to Saturn and I'd have to buy one of those to play them.  I went to Electronics Boutique at the mall to inquire about what the staff there knew about Lunar. Not only did they confirm that Lunar was indeed being re-released in the US, but it was being released for the PlayStation, not the Saturn! Needless to say, I put down 5 bucks on the counter for a pre-order. Come May 1999, I came home with my Lunar prize. I loved the hell out of that game, A year later, I likewise picked up Lunar 2. I still own both games with all their little feelies and boxes, and they remain among my favorite games today.

As to whether I'd like to see the series revived? Sure, although I'd like to see it done using either Sega's CANVAS engine (the Valkyria Chronicles engine) or the engine used for Ni no Kuni, in glorious 3-D. And hopefully without whatever bizarre thinking that guided the development of Lunar: Dragon Song. Keep it back to basics but in wonderful cel-shaded 3-D, and maybe give me a box of feelies, and Game Arts would have $60 of my money right there.