Crystals For Life 2014

Poxnor

Edit history:

Poxnor: 2013-10-09 10:39:25 pm

Poxnor: 2013-10-09 10:37:38 pm

2013-10-09 10:35:21 pm

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Round One Reviews and Decisions Complete

First off, my apologies, but there are some runners who will not be attending C4L 2014. If you have any questions or concerns about this list, please contact me privately instead of bringing it up in the public thread (unless, like chessjerk, you were overly excitable about not attending C4L 2014 Wink

)

Runners Not Attending

- chessjerk
- Felly
- Jiseed
- System Error
- tiornys
- Withhelde

To each remaining runner there was a single game allocated. We're going to have to do some cuts to bring the marathon down to size. However, everyone is going to be starting Round Two from a one-game threshold. I'll post some more details about how Round Two will work once I've given some time for people to digest the remaining games.

If someone less lazy than me could add up the length of the remaining games, that would be greatly appreciated! (Be careful not to double-count the co-op run times.)

Below each runner's name (in the hidden section) are the comments I received from the reviewers on their games.

Note that I did not write any of these reviews except where explicitly marked. That's correct, even the "Only offered one game" reviews were written -- not at my request, might I add! -- by a kind reviewer just making sure I didn't forget those of you with one game, hahaha. Only when there was a lack of an "obvious" winner out of Round One did I add my own opinions to the mix, at the end and clearly marked.

AlecK47 - Mass Effect (2:10:00)

- Mass Effect - not really familiar with this game or WRPGs in general; but if Morrowind will be a 'joke' run that skips all of the game, then I'd rather see a longer, more 'serious' run to represent WRPGs in C4L.

- Morrowind feels like there wouldn't be enought ime to explain what is going on. Mass Effect barely feels like an RPG but feels a better fit. Verdict: Mass Effect

- Mass Effect is a solid run with a lot of fun out of bounds glitches that will impress viewers. Although Morrowind is undoubtedly quite entertaining, I think Mass Effect will make the better watch.

Alko - Revelations: Persona (4:00:00 - 6:00:00 ??)

- Only offered one game.

Caracarn - Final Fantasy X-2 (3:30:00 JP-catnip or 5:00:00 NA)

- For Caracarn, FF 9 seems to be his preference, but I'd like to see X-2.(I don't think it was in last C4L.)

- Final Fantasy VII - I think 1 3D-length FF game is enough for C4L '14 given that we played all of them in '13, and of them FF7 would have the best freshness (Slots route is VERY different from the route puwexil uses) and donation incentive-to-run length ratio. I don't think marathon-safe runs of FF8/9/10 would be different enough from their '13 runs for the casual viewer to justify replaying them so soon.

- Of Caracarn's games, the best suited in terms of freshness would be FFX-2, as it hasn't been to C4L last year (or any SDA marathon so far). For the other games, he did not say if the routes would in any way be different than last year's routes.

- While it was played last year, I feel that the money potential in IX is there. It is also his first choice game. Verdict: Final Fantasy IX

- I see no reason to disagree with his choice of FF9. All of his offers are solid.

Poxnor's Decision: As I understand it, FF9 hasn't really changed since last year. So it came down to FFX-2 or FF7 (which is apparently a very different route from last year). FFX-2 has the bonus of being fresher and Caracarn's preference between the two.

Chrno - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (4:00:00 all-guilds)

- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Skyrim was pretty poorly received at AGDQ due to the lack of action (run is mostly running from point A to point B while glitching through walls, and with a pretty long unskippable cutscene in the middle). As before I'm not an expert on WRPGs, but Oblivion sounds like a stronger watch.

- Just based off the estimates I'm going with Skyrim. More recent, insanely popular, and new tricks since AGDQ.

- An Oblivion all guilds run sounds very interesting. I don't really know a lot about these two games speedrunning-wise, though.

Poxnor's Decision: Simple majority + better justification for IV

Dowolf - Half-Minute Hero (0:50:00)

- Half-Minute Hero - sounds like an interesting watch, plus I don't see a Japanese-only PSP game doing well for a Western audience.

- Yuusha 30 Second, while it looks like it'd be easier to follow, I had never heard of it before this. Half-minute Hero would be a better marathon watch I feel, especially with good commentary. Verdict: Half-minute Hero

- I think Half-Minute Hero at least has the possibility of name recognition in the west, whereas I have never heard of its sequel.

Driscollad - Soul Blazer (2:30:00)

- Only offered one game.

Duckfist - Final Fantasy III NES (2:45:00)

- Only offered one game.

Essentia - Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (2:30:00)

- Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep - character bidding war did fairly well at SGDQ '11, plus if Essentia is willing to fight the superbosses those should be strong draws for KH fans (Mysterious Figure in the NA version of BBS is often regarded as the most difficult superboss in any KH game). FF4 diehard% was in C4L '13 bonus stream and SGDQ '13 and could use some time off before coming back.

- Already said she is okay with Dowolf taking it if he can come. Birth by Sleep & FFIV are both really good, though I'm going to have to go with Birth by Sleep as it needs a moment to shine. Verdict: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

- Die Hard%, since Brossentia will not be here. It's such a fun run.

Poxnor's Decision: Birth By Sleep, because I agree that diehard%, while great, risks getting marathon-stale

FFGamer86 - Suikoden (5:00:00)

- Suikoden - decently popular PS1-era and a 100% incentive should be decently successful. Chocobo's Dungeon and Gauntlet Legends sound like they'd wear out their welcome too quickly for their respective lengths.

- Tough choice but... Gotta love that cuteness. Long as the random dungeon point can be worked out, going with Chocobo's Dungeon.

- Suikoden is a classic, I think there will be a lot of interest in presenting the speedrun to a large audience.

Poxnor's Decision: This kills me inside to do, but I think Suikoden will get a better reception, as indicated by the reviewers above. Plus, I think FFGamer86 has been working more on Suikoden. Maybe some year, my favourite Wii game will get its chance Tongue

Keylie - Chrono Trigger (3:40:00 any%)

- Only offered one game.

Keypaladin - Ys 3 Oath in Felghana (2:45:00)

- Ys 3 Oath in Felghana - fairly well received on PSP and Steam, plus it's a superior remake of a SNES Ys game (Wanderers from Ys) that many of our viewers will probably remember. Sounds to me like a stronger run in general than Ys 1.

- Despite the grinding, Ys 1 looks to definitely be the better choice here - shorter and more incentives. Verdict: Ys 1

- The Oath in Felghana is a very fast-paced game and it's a lot of fun to watch. I think this will be a good choice for the marathon.

Poxnor's Decision: Ys 3 was the majority favourite, and "despite the grinding" is not a great sell Tongue

Lag.Com - Ultima Underworld (0:25:00)

- Ultima Underworld - sounds like a good representation for old school PC RPGs, plus the length and random dungeons in Dark Cloud are turn offs for me.

- Would absolutely love to see Dark Cloud, and the fact it gets broken fast is a bonus (though it is still not short by any means). That said, would there be enough time to explain glitches in Ultima Underworld? Verdict: Dark Cloud

Poxnor's Decision: Dark Cloud seemed a little worrisome in terms of an estimate, glitches, etc. Ultima Underworld seems like a nice old-school RPG.

magicfreak500 - Skylanders Spyro's Adventure (4:30:00)

- Out of the two games i suggested would mostly say skylanders. first why is that its a decenct fast rpg with practally no grinding if done with lvl 10 hars. second is that the donation incentives.this game would have many donation incentives. depending how you set it up can get a lot

- I watched a few gameplay videos of Skylanders and question if it has enough RPG elements to justify being in C4L or if it should have been a 'Round 0' cut like Link's Awakening was

- Only offered one game.

Poxnor's Decision: There seemed to be some misgivings, so skylanders may have a tough time getting through Round 2, but I'll let it be for now and see if it gets more feedback.

MetaSigma - Tales of Xillia (with rinimt, 4:30:00)

- Tales of Xillia - co-op run involving rini and MetaSigma should bring a lot of hype and energy to the marathon. Secret of Evermore was in C4L '13 bonus stream and SGDQ '13, and could use some time off before a return.

- His only solo offer is SoE 100%, and it's a very strong run with a bit less awful RNG than the any% route. Tales of Xillia should be strongly considered in addition to Rini and Meta's individual runs. Having a speedrun of such a recent game will probably draw some attention to the marathon.

Poxnor's Decision: Even though SoE is a new route, Tales of Xillia is completely new. And I think rini and Meta would, as mentioned, be a strong pair.

mikwuyma - The Demon Rush (4:30:00)

- Only offered one game

MisterMV - Secret of Mana (with Rayas, 3:00:00)

- Only offered one game

Obdajr - Lufia 2 (4:00:00)

- Lufia 2 - this was a tough call, but as Chrono Trigger is going to be in AGDQ '14, I think it should get a year off before being in C4L. Lufia 2 is a pretty well-remembered SNES RPG and the puzzle elements should make it a pretty different watch from the other SNES JRPGs in the lineup.

- My prefered game would be Chrono Trigger I suppose, as I'll only need practice and won't have to learn a new run. 4:00 for any% or 6:15 for 100%

- Chrono Trigger will have just been done at AGDQ and Lufia 2 will have never been done. Would love to see both, but because time, I feel he'd do a better watch (and more incentives) for Chrono Trigger.

- Discounting CT, which Keylie offered as his only game, Obda's only offer is Lufia 2.

Poxnor's Decision: This one was pretty split with no clear winner. I'm going with Lufia 2 because Keylie wanted CT.

Potato Handle - Wonder Boy in Monster World (1:30:00)

- Wonder Boy in Monster World - good representation for Sega RPG franchises with some good-sounding incentives. Tomb Raider sounds questionable if it belongs in an RPG marathon and I think Lost Odyssey is too obscure and too long.

- Love Tomb Raider but unfortunately, given the nature of who we are doing this for, it doesn't fit with our image. Lost Odyssey is a RPG by the classic FF developers and Potato Handle is a great runner of it. See above about Wonder Boy. Verdict: Lost Odyssey

- I am not familiar with Lost Odyssey or Wonder Boy, but Tomb Raider strikes me as being a little too dissimilar to the remainder of the games likely to be at the marathon. I would lean away from it for that reason primarily.

Poxnor's Decision: Didn't see anything inappropriate about Wonder Boy, so I went with that one. Seems nicely different from many of the other runs. But, if there is any inappropriate content (as the second reviewer insinuated), please point me to it and I'll swap this decision for Lost Odyssey.

Poxnor - Final Fantasy Adventure (1:30:00)

- Only offered one game.

puwexil - Final Fantasy VI (6:30:00 any%-glitchless)

- For Puwexil, he's really good with the games he's offered, but for me, it's a toss up between wanting to see FF6 glitchless or the Seiken Densetsu 3.

- Kingdom Hearts 2 - of his offerings KH2 has the best mix of freshness (FF6 was in the 1st C4L and would still have a lot of overlap even if many of the battles will be completely different), fanbase (Illusion of Gaia is more obscure and has never been re-released on modern consoles), and donation incentives.

- Even though FF6 can raise money, going to have to side with the co-op here, even if it is on a game never released outside Japan. The two will be able to put on a good show. Verdict: Seiken Densetsu 3, but if Soul Blazer/Terranigma get in, I'd like to also see Illusion of Gaia.

- I have to side with Puwexil's choice here - I think FF6 glitchless would be a very strong watch, since it features actual strategies for most bosses.

- Seiken Densetsu 3: I would be hard-pressed to deny the power of a Puwexil/Romscout co-op run.

Poxnor's Decision: This was one of the hardest decisions, and the reviews were all over the place, so I'll talk about it a bit. I think DW3 by romscout was a cool suggestion, so I didn't feel compelled to include the SD3 coop with romscout. While we would be lacking IoG for the full trilogy, non of the reviewers preferred IoG, and the other two games in that trilogy have been suggested (so that trilogy could still get some love). I was really up in the air about KH2 vs. FF6. There were good arguments for both. In the end, my decision turned on two facts: (a) the route for FF6 is significantly different enough from all past marathon runs of it; and, (b) FF6 has yet to do poorly during a marathon. It'll need a break next year for sure, but I'm willing to give it one more go this time, especially since it was puwexil's favourite.

Raelcun - Chrono Cross (8:00:00 any%-best-ending)

- Only offered one game

RaneofSOTN - Sweet Home (1:30:00)

- Only offered one game.

Rayas - Secret of Mana (with MisterMV, 3:00:00)

- Secret of Mana is the best marathon game (incentives, history, and obvious multiplayer giggles etc) I can offer.

- Secret of Mana - much more well-known/loved game, with a lot more entertaining speed tech.

- Definitely down for that Secret of Mana co-op with MV. Wonder Boy III might just be too obscure to really be worth the time spent.

- I don't know anything about Wonder Boy III. If MisterMV can make it, and he and Rayas can practice sufficiently, Secret of Mana would be very strong. Both ifs are very important.

rinimt - Tales of Xillia (with MetaSigma, 4:30:00)

- I've seen Rini run SO4 quite a few times and I think that's her better game to bring. (I've seen parts and from start, I've seen up to the 2 area's completion, about an hour and a half in).

- Tales of Xillia - co-op run involving MetaSigma should bring a lot of hype and energy to the marathon. Star Ocean 4 on the other hand is widely considered the weakest in its series by fans, and the SO series is fairly niche; so I think 1 SO game per marathon is enough (and the much better received SO3 was offered).

- Her only solo offer is Star Ocean 4, and I think it's a good run deserving of inclusion. Tales of Xillia should be strongly considered in addition to Rini and Meta's individual runs. Having a speedrun of such a recent game will probably draw some attention to the marathon.

Poxnor's Decision: This was basically a split by the reviewers. Taken as a whole along with MetaSigma's reviews, I felt a co-op run for both of them would be a great show.

romscout - Dragon Quest III (3:30:00)

- Dragon Quest III - Dragon Quest/Warrior on the NES was many Western gamers' first exposure to the JRPG (especially due to Nintendo Power giving away free Dragon Warrior 1 carts back in the 90's for subscribing), and a DQ game would have a big nostagia factor with our viewers.

- Going to have to side with the co-op here, even if it is on a game never released outside Japan. The two will be able to put on a good show. Verdict: Seiken Densetsu 3

- His only solo offer is Dragon Quest 3. I don't know anything about this game. Seiken Densetsu 3: I would be hard-pressed to deny the power of a Puwexil/Romscout co-op run.

Poxnor's Decision: Basically a split review here. Taken as a whole, along with puwexil's reviews, I felt a solo DQ3 run would work best.

Sakegeist - Terranigma (4:30:00, JP or English-flash?)

- Only offered one game.

Sh0rtCiucuit - Brave Fencer Musashi (3:40:00)

- Brave Fencer Musashi - not familiar with either game, but heavy RNG elements and lack of donation incentives are a turnoff to me for Threads of Fate. But I watched a few gameplay videos of Brave Fencer Musashi and question if it has enough RPG elements to justify being in C4L or if it should have been a 'Round 0' cut like Link's Awakening was

- Looking at how much RNG and stuff there is with Threads of Fate, Brave Fencer Musashi looks to be the winner - though it doesn't seem like as much of an RPG from what I've seen of it from others. Verdict: Brave Fencer Musashi

Poxnor's Decision: I feel this may be a Round Two cut, but I'll leave it in for now just in case other people have input to give.

Sir VG - Legend of Mana (3:00:00)

- Legend of Mana - storyline options are quite different and a bidding war could be a hit with fans of the Mana series.

- The answer is a bit tricky for me to answer, since the two games really have different benefits. I'll devide it up to a few short pros and cons. Crystal Bearers: Lots of various donation ideas spread out throughout the game that have an impact (even a small one) on the game, more technical play, Humorous voice acting, but Not a lot of combat may turn some RPG lovers off (There's like, 5 battles in the game). Legend of Mana: Lots of fast paced combat, Beautiful soundtrack from Yoko Shimomura, Shorter in length, but most of the donation goals have to be done prior to the game start. There are some goals which can only be done once storyline is decided.

- From what I've seen and played of Crystal Bearers it does not look or feel like a great marathon game. Which leaves... Verdict: Legend of Mana

- I expect FFCC would be a hilarious watch, and would really provide a bit of a contrast against some of the other runs in the marathon. I really think this should be strongly considered.

Poxnor's Decision: A split review, and as far as I know Sir VG has no real preference. The sense I got though was that LoM would be a faster paced watch, which is always good for a marathon.

Tide - Wild ARMS 4 (5:45:00)

- Only offered one game.

UraniumAnchor - Crystalis (1:15:00 any% or 1:30:00 100%)

- Only offered one game

Vulajin - Pokemon White 2 (4:00:00)

- Pokemon White 2 - I don't know much about the Pokemon series, so I'll go with White 2 based on Vulajin's comments that it's a better-loved and faster-paced game than Black.

- Going to have to side with White 2 here BECAUSE there are less length dialogue sequences.

- Of the two gen 5 Pokémon games, White 2 is a stronger watch with more battle variety.

[size="18"][b][u]Round One Reviews and Decisions Complete[/u][/b][/size]

First off, my apologies, but there are some runners who will not be attending C4L 2014.  If you have any questions or concerns about this list, please contact me privately instead of bringing it up in the public thread (unless, like chessjerk, you were overly excitable about not attending C4L 2014 ;) )

[b]Runners Not Attending[/b]
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- chessjerk
- Felly
- Jiseed
- System Error
- tiornys
- Withhelde
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If someone less lazy than me could add up the length of the remaining games, that would be greatly appreciated!  (Be careful not to double-count the co-op run times.)

Below each runner's name (in the hidden section) are the comments I received from the reviewers on their games.

Note that I did not write any of these reviews except where explicitly marked.  That's correct, even the "Only offered one game" reviews were written -- not at my request, might I add! -- by a kind reviewer just making sure I didn't forget those of you with one game, hahaha.  Only when there was a lack of an "obvious" winner out of Round One did I add my own opinions to the mix, at the end and clearly marked.

[b]AlecK47 - Mass Effect[/b] (2:10:00)
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- Mass Effect - not really familiar with this game or WRPGs in general; but if Morrowind will be a 'joke' run that skips all of the game, then I'd rather see a longer, more 'serious' run to represent WRPGs in C4L.

- Morrowind feels like there wouldn't be enought ime to explain what is going on. Mass Effect barely feels like an RPG but feels a better fit. Verdict: Mass Effect

- Mass Effect is a solid run with a lot of fun out of bounds glitches that will impress viewers. Although Morrowind is undoubtedly quite entertaining, I think Mass Effect will make the better watch.
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[b]Alko - Revelations: Persona[/b] (4:00:00 - 6:00:00 ??)
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- Only offered one game.
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[b]Caracarn - Final Fantasy X-2[/b] (3:30:00 JP-catnip or 5:00:00 NA)
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- For Caracarn, FF 9 seems to be his preference, but I'd like to see X-2.(I don't think it was in last C4L.)

- Final Fantasy VII - I think 1 3D-length FF game is enough for C4L '14 given that we played all of them in '13, and of them FF7 would have the best freshness (Slots route is VERY different from the route puwexil uses) and donation incentive-to-run length ratio.  I don't think marathon-safe runs of FF8/9/10 would be different enough from their '13 runs for the casual viewer to justify replaying them so soon.

- Of Caracarn's games, the best suited in terms of freshness would be FFX-2, as it hasn't been to C4L last year (or any SDA marathon so far). For the other games, he did not say if the routes would in any way be different than last year's routes.

- While it was played last year, I feel that the money potential in IX is there. It is also his first choice game. Verdict: Final Fantasy IX

- I see no reason to disagree with his choice of FF9. All of his offers are solid.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: As I understand it, FF9 hasn't really changed since last year.  So it came down to FFX-2 or FF7 (which is apparently a very different route from last year).  FFX-2 has the bonus of being fresher and Caracarn's preference between the two.
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[b]Chrno - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion[/b] (4:00:00 all-guilds)
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- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Skyrim was pretty poorly received at AGDQ due to the lack of action (run is mostly running from point A to point B while glitching through walls, and with a pretty long unskippable cutscene in the middle).  As before I'm not an expert on WRPGs, but Oblivion sounds like a stronger watch.

- Just based off the estimates I'm going with Skyrim. More recent, insanely popular, and new tricks since AGDQ.

- An Oblivion all guilds run sounds very interesting. I don't really know a lot about these two games speedrunning-wise, though.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: Simple majority + better justification for IV
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[b]Dowolf - Half-Minute Hero[/b] (0:50:00)
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- Half-Minute Hero - sounds like an interesting watch, plus I don't see a Japanese-only PSP game doing well for a Western audience.

- Yuusha 30 Second, while it looks like it'd be easier to follow, I had never heard of it before this. Half-minute Hero would be a better marathon watch I feel, especially with good commentary. Verdict: Half-minute Hero

- I think Half-Minute Hero at least has the possibility of name recognition in the west, whereas I have never heard of its sequel.
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[b]Driscollad - Soul Blazer[/b] (2:30:00)
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- Only offered one game.
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[b]Duckfist - Final Fantasy III NES[/b] (2:45:00)
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- Only offered one game.
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[b]Essentia - Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep[/b] (2:30:00)
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- Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep - character bidding war did fairly well at SGDQ '11, plus if Essentia is willing to fight the superbosses those should be strong draws for KH fans (Mysterious Figure in the NA version of BBS is often regarded as the most difficult superboss in any KH game).  FF4 diehard% was in C4L '13 bonus stream and SGDQ '13 and could use some time off before coming back.

- Already said she is okay with Dowolf taking it if he can come. Birth by Sleep & FFIV are both really good, though I'm going to have to go with Birth by Sleep as it needs a moment to shine. Verdict: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

- Die Hard%, since Brossentia will not be here. It's such a fun run.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: Birth By Sleep, because I agree that diehard%, while great, risks getting marathon-stale
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[b]FFGamer86 - Suikoden[/b] (5:00:00)
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- Suikoden - decently popular PS1-era and a 100% incentive should be decently successful.  Chocobo's Dungeon and Gauntlet Legends sound like they'd wear out their welcome too quickly for their respective lengths.

- Tough choice but... Gotta love that cuteness. Long as the random dungeon point can be worked out, going with Chocobo's Dungeon.

- Suikoden is a classic, I think there will be a lot of interest in presenting the speedrun to a large audience.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: This kills me inside to do, but I think Suikoden will get a better reception, as indicated by the reviewers above.  Plus, I think FFGamer86 has been working more on Suikoden.  Maybe some year, my favourite Wii game will get its chance :P
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[b]Keylie - Chrono Trigger[/b] (3:40:00 any%)
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- Only offered one game.
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[b]Keypaladin - Ys 3 Oath in Felghana[/b] (2:45:00)
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- Ys 3 Oath in Felghana - fairly well received on PSP and Steam, plus it's a superior remake of a SNES Ys game (Wanderers from Ys) that many of our viewers will probably remember.  Sounds to me like a stronger run in general than Ys 1.

- Despite the grinding, Ys 1 looks to definitely be the better choice here - shorter and more incentives. Verdict: Ys 1

- The Oath in Felghana is a very fast-paced game and it's a lot of fun to watch. I think this will be a good choice for the marathon.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: Ys 3 was the majority favourite, and "despite the grinding" is not a great sell :P
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[b]Lag.Com - Ultima Underworld[/b] (0:25:00)
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- Ultima Underworld - sounds like a good representation for old school PC RPGs, plus the length and random dungeons in Dark Cloud are turn offs for me.

- Would absolutely love to see Dark Cloud, and the fact it gets broken fast is a bonus (though it is still not short by any means). That said, would there be enough time to explain glitches in Ultima Underworld? Verdict: Dark Cloud

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: Dark Cloud seemed a little worrisome in terms of an estimate, glitches, etc.  Ultima Underworld seems like a nice old-school RPG.
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[b]magicfreak500 - Skylanders Spyro's Adventure[/b] (4:30:00)
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- Out of the two games i suggested would mostly say skylanders. first why is that its a decenct fast rpg with practally no grinding if done with lvl 10 hars. second is that the donation incentives.this game would have many donation incentives. depending how you set it up can get a lot

- I watched a few gameplay videos of Skylanders and question if it has enough RPG elements to justify being in C4L or if it should have been a 'Round 0' cut like Link's Awakening was

- Only offered one game.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: There seemed to be some misgivings, so skylanders may have a tough time getting through Round 2, but I'll let it be for now and see if it gets more feedback.
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[b]MetaSigma - Tales of Xillia[/b] (with rinimt, 4:30:00)
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- Tales of Xillia - co-op run involving rini and MetaSigma should bring a lot of hype and energy to the marathon.  Secret of Evermore was in C4L '13 bonus stream and SGDQ '13, and could use some time off before a return.

- His only solo offer is SoE 100%, and it's a very strong run with a bit less awful RNG than the any% route.  Tales of Xillia should be strongly considered in addition to Rini and Meta's individual runs. Having a speedrun of such a recent game will probably draw some attention to the marathon.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: Even though SoE is a new route, Tales of Xillia is completely new.  And I think rini and Meta would, as mentioned, be a strong pair.
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[b]mikwuyma - The Demon Rush[/b] (4:30:00)
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- Only offered one game
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[b]MisterMV - Secret of Mana[/b] (with Rayas, 3:00:00)
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- Only offered one game
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[b]Obdajr - Lufia 2[/b] (4:00:00)
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- Lufia 2 - this was a tough call, but as Chrono Trigger is going to be in AGDQ '14, I think it should get a year off before being in C4L.  Lufia 2 is a pretty well-remembered SNES RPG and the puzzle elements should make it a pretty different watch from the other SNES JRPGs in the lineup.

- My prefered game would be Chrono Trigger I suppose, as I'll only need practice and won't have to learn a new run. 4:00 for any% or 6:15 for 100%

- Chrono Trigger will have just been done at AGDQ and Lufia 2 will have never been done. Would love to see both, but because time, I feel he'd do a better watch (and more incentives) for Chrono Trigger.

- Discounting CT, which Keylie offered as his only game, Obda's only offer is Lufia 2.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: This one was pretty split with no clear winner.  I'm going with Lufia 2 because Keylie wanted CT.
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[b]Potato Handle - Wonder Boy in Monster World[/b] (1:30:00)
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- Wonder Boy in Monster World - good representation for Sega RPG franchises with some good-sounding incentives.  Tomb Raider sounds questionable if it belongs in an RPG marathon and I think Lost Odyssey is too obscure and too long.

- Love Tomb Raider but unfortunately, given the nature of who we are doing this for, it doesn't fit with our image. Lost Odyssey is a RPG by the classic FF developers and Potato Handle is a great runner of it. See above about Wonder Boy. Verdict: Lost Odyssey

- I am not familiar with Lost Odyssey or Wonder Boy, but Tomb Raider strikes me as being a little too dissimilar to the remainder of the games likely to be at the marathon. I would lean away from it for that reason primarily.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: Didn't see anything inappropriate about Wonder Boy, so I went with that one.  Seems nicely different from many of the other runs.  But, if there is any inappropriate content (as the second reviewer insinuated), please point me to it and I'll swap this decision for Lost Odyssey.
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[b]Poxnor - Final Fantasy Adventure[/b] (1:30:00)
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- Only offered one game.
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[b]puwexil - Final Fantasy VI[/b] (6:30:00 any%-glitchless)
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- For Puwexil, he's really good with the games he's offered, but for me, it's a toss up between wanting to see FF6 glitchless or the Seiken Densetsu 3.

- Kingdom Hearts 2 - of his offerings KH2 has the best mix of freshness (FF6 was in the 1st C4L and would still have a lot of overlap even if many of the battles will be completely different), fanbase (Illusion of Gaia is more obscure and has never been re-released on modern consoles), and donation incentives.

- Even though FF6 can raise money, going to have to side with the co-op here, even if it is on a game never released outside Japan. The two will be able to put on a good show. Verdict: Seiken Densetsu 3, but if Soul Blazer/Terranigma get in, I'd like to also see Illusion of Gaia.

- I have to side with Puwexil's choice here - I think FF6 glitchless would be a very strong watch, since it features actual strategies for most bosses.

- Seiken Densetsu 3: I would be hard-pressed to deny the power of a Puwexil/Romscout co-op run.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: This was one of the hardest decisions, and the reviews were all over the place, so I'll talk about it a bit.  I think DW3 by romscout was a cool suggestion, so I didn't feel compelled to include the SD3 coop with romscout.  While we would be lacking IoG for the full trilogy, non of the reviewers preferred IoG, and the other two games in that trilogy have been suggested (so that trilogy could still get some love).  I was really up in the air about KH2 vs. FF6.  There were good arguments for both.  In the end, my decision turned on two facts: (a) the route for FF6 is significantly different enough from all past marathon runs of it; and, (b) FF6 has yet to do poorly during a marathon.  It'll need a break next year for sure, but I'm willing to give it one more go this time, especially since it was puwexil's favourite.
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[b]Raelcun - Chrono Cross[/b] (8:00:00 any%-best-ending)
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- Only offered one game
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[b]RaneofSOTN - Sweet Home[/b] (1:30:00)
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- Only offered one game.
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[b]Rayas - Secret of Mana[/b] (with MisterMV, 3:00:00)
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- Secret of Mana is the best marathon game (incentives, history, and obvious multiplayer giggles etc) I can offer.

- Secret of Mana - much more well-known/loved game, with a lot more entertaining speed tech.

- Definitely down for that Secret of Mana co-op with MV. Wonder Boy III might just be too obscure to really be worth the time spent.

- I don't know anything about Wonder Boy III.  If MisterMV can make it, and he and Rayas can practice sufficiently, Secret of Mana would be very strong. Both ifs are very important.
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[b]rinimt - Tales of Xillia[/b] (with MetaSigma, 4:30:00)
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- I've seen Rini run SO4 quite a few times and I think that's her better game to bring. (I've seen parts and from start, I've seen up to the 2 area's completion, about an hour and a half in).

- Tales of Xillia - co-op run involving MetaSigma should bring a lot of hype and energy to the marathon.  Star Ocean 4 on the other hand is widely considered the weakest in its series by fans, and the SO series is fairly niche; so I think 1 SO game per marathon is enough (and the much better received SO3 was offered).

- Her only solo offer is Star Ocean 4, and I think it's a good run deserving of inclusion.  Tales of Xillia should be strongly considered in addition to Rini and Meta's individual runs. Having a speedrun of such a recent game will probably draw some attention to the marathon.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: This was basically a split by the reviewers.  Taken as a whole along with MetaSigma's reviews, I felt a co-op run for both of them would be a great show.
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[b]romscout - Dragon Quest III[/b] (3:30:00)
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- Dragon Quest III - Dragon Quest/Warrior on the NES was many Western gamers' first exposure to the JRPG (especially due to Nintendo Power giving away free Dragon Warrior 1 carts back in the 90's for subscribing), and a DQ game would have a big nostagia factor with our viewers.

- Going to have to side with the co-op here, even if it is on a game never released outside Japan. The two will be able to put on a good show. Verdict: Seiken Densetsu 3

- His only solo offer is Dragon Quest 3. I don't know anything about this game.  Seiken Densetsu 3: I would be hard-pressed to deny the power of a Puwexil/Romscout co-op run.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: Basically a split review here.  Taken as a whole, along with puwexil's reviews, I felt a solo DQ3 run would work best.
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[b]Sakegeist - Terranigma[/b] (4:30:00, JP or English-flash?)
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- Only offered one game.
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[b]Sh0rtCiucuit - Brave Fencer Musashi[/b] (3:40:00)
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- Brave Fencer Musashi - not familiar with either game, but heavy RNG elements and lack of donation incentives are a turnoff to me for Threads of Fate.  But I watched a few gameplay videos of Brave Fencer Musashi and question if it has enough RPG elements to justify being in C4L or if it should have been a 'Round 0' cut like Link's Awakening was

- Looking at how much RNG and stuff there is with Threads of Fate, Brave Fencer Musashi looks to be the winner - though it doesn't seem like as much of an RPG from what I've seen of it from others. Verdict: Brave Fencer Musashi

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: I feel this may be a Round Two cut, but I'll leave it in for now just in case other people have input to give.
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[b]Sir VG - Legend of Mana[/b] (3:00:00)
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- Legend of Mana - storyline options are quite different and a bidding war could be a hit with fans of the Mana series.

- The answer is a bit tricky for me to answer, since the two games really have different benefits. I'll devide it up to a few short pros and cons.  Crystal Bearers: Lots of various donation ideas spread out throughout the game that have an impact (even a small one) on the game, more technical play, Humorous voice acting, but Not a lot of combat may turn some RPG lovers off (There's like, 5 battles in the game).  Legend of Mana: Lots of fast paced combat, Beautiful soundtrack from Yoko Shimomura, Shorter in length, but most of the donation goals have to be done prior to the game start. There are some goals which can only be done once storyline is decided.

- From what I've seen and played of Crystal Bearers it does not look or feel like a great marathon game. Which leaves... Verdict: Legend of Mana

- I expect FFCC would be a hilarious watch, and would really provide a bit of a contrast against some of the other runs in the marathon. I really think this should be strongly considered.

[b]Poxnor's Decision[/b]: A split review, and as far as I know Sir VG has no real preference.  The sense I got though was that LoM would be a faster paced watch, which is always good for a marathon.
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[b]Tide - Wild ARMS 4[/b] (5:45:00)
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- Only offered one game.
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[b]UraniumAnchor - Crystalis[/b] (1:15:00 any% or 1:30:00 100%)
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- Only offered one game
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[b]Vulajin - Pokemon White 2[/b] (4:00:00)
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- Pokemon White 2 - I don't know much about the Pokemon series, so I'll go with White 2 based on Vulajin's comments that it's a better-loved and faster-paced game than Black.

- Going to have to side with White 2 here BECAUSE there are less length dialogue sequences.

- Of the two gen 5 Pokémon games, White 2 is a stronger watch with more battle variety.
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Sir VG

2013-10-04 07:58:30 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Quote from chessjerk:

Sadly, I have to back off my offer of playing Final Fantasy Tactics. My wife and I found out we are expecting our second child around the first or second week of May, so I definitely will not be able to attend.

Withhelde, feel free to take FFT back, if you so desire.

Second child? Bah, nobody cares about them. Tongue

Congrats and good luck with that.

Essentia

2013-10-04 08:39:11 am

Everything's better with Magitek

Congrats, chessjerk! Hope all goes well with the pregnancy. Smiley

I forgot to mention which games I can do commentary for: Final Fantasy VI, IX, and X; Kingdom Hearts 2, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, and Chrono Trigger.

Also, Brossentia told me that he won't be able to come. Sad

So my first choice of game to run would be FF4, then Half-Minute Hero (if Dowolf can't come), and then KH: Birth by Sleep.

Tide

2013-10-04 10:15:24 pm

Insanity Prelude

Adding and confirming Front Mission 3 to the list of things I can run. Estimated time is about 6-9 hours. I actually just finished a run at 8:05, but the game does eventually come down to battle skill luck, so putting a safety buffer in. The lower end of the estimate is dependent on the route chosen. The big thing this game has are lots and lots of donation incentives that I mentioned before. So my order would be Wild ARMS 4, then Front Mission 3.

Keypaladin

2013-10-05 09:22:14 pm

The Wayward Wanderer

Between Ys 1 and Ys 3, Ys 1 would be my preference. Also, I'd like to add Final Fantasy Adventure, Final Fantasy 4, Half-Minute Hero and Shadowrun to the game's I'd like help with commentary. ^__^

2013-10-05 11:48:57 pm

I probably can't do much for commentary, outside of probably FF IV since I've done glitched runs before.

magicfreak500

magicfreak500: 2013-10-06 09:09:28 am

2013-10-06 09:08:55 am

i wouldnt mind helping out on commentary too but only two games i can think of that i would have a good knowledge of would be the pokemon. i wouldnt do it for other games since there is some i dont know and there are many i dont get the speed run part of them.

Alko

Alko: 2013-10-09 04:43:29 pm

2013-10-08 06:59:00 pm

Caution: This user contains Kana ^_^

A heads up on the time estimate for Persona:
It took me a while but I finally found at least one Japanese TA on Youtube using the Sebec route. It clocks in at 8:48 h or so. I would thus suggest 10 hours to be a safe initial estimate which would probably be lowered coming closer to May. (Unless Romscout has found further (R)TAs that he hasn't told me of yet, that actually do the Sebec route.)

Edit: Said person also has a Snow Queen RTA in four hours forty-something. So pretty much in line with what Rom said.

Sh0rtCircuit

2013-10-09 01:11:33 pm

...Wha?

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been around. Work is getting brutal with my time, blah blah blah.

I'm still interested in participating, though at the very least, feel free to erase Threads of Fate from the game list. I won't really have time to improve that run any way.