BusinessMan's definitions
An RPG company that has founded its modern roots during the era of the NES/Master System. Almost at the end of its line, it decided to create an RPG which was appropriately named "Final Fantasy". However, the game founded a surprisingly popularity among gamers and the company found itself surviving. It went on to create Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy III for the NES.
It is the days of the SNES to which many gamers say is when SquareSoft was at the pinnacle of talent for RPGs. During this era, they created Final Fantasy IV (praised for its epic story), Final Fantasy V (which perfectly the job system originally conceived in Final Fantasy III), and Final Fantasy VI (praised for its epic scope of gameplay). Also during this time, Square also created what many considered to be one of the finest RPGs ever conceived, Chrono Trigger. Included in their SNES string of successes was Secret of Mana, Bahamut Lagoon, Treasure Hunter G, and so on. It is also notable that their first and only collaboration with Nintendo has resulted in Super Mario RPG, which was well received by fans of both companies.
With the arrival of the N64/Saturn/PSX, Square had a falling out with Nintendo and they decided to work on the PSX. While they have created what is their most popular and most well known game to date on the PSX (Final Fantasy VII), it is widely considered that they were not as good as they were on the SNES due to their string of failures. Many sequels (Legend of Mana, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy VIII-IX) were considered to be inferior to their predecessors. However, their successes were well received. Games such as Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, and Valkyrie Profile gave their reputation a tremendous boost despite their failures.
With the arrival of the next generation systems (PS2, GameCube, XBox). After the PS2 single-handed crushed Sega's DreamCast, Square soon followed later with Final Fantasy X. While FFX is a commercial success, it was plagued by criticism from time of release and is still considered to be inferior by many (especially fans of older Final Fantasies). This plus many other flops including The Bouncer, Final Fantasy: Spirits Within (a movie), and Unlimited Saga helped to humble Square.
Later on during this generation, a mega announcement was made of Square merging with its long time RPG competitor, Enix. The new company became known as Square Enix and it quickly became known as RPG company supreme.
Also during this generation, Square Enix decided to branch out somewhat. They created their first direct sequel entitled "Final Fantasy X-2", made their first MMORPG called "Final Fantasy XI, collaborated with Disney for Kingdom Hearts, and many are speculating that Final Fantasy XII will make a triumphant return to the Final Fantasy roots of the SNES days. However, that remains to be seen. Included on Enix's side of things is the first 3D Star Ocean and Dragon Warrior.
Future new projects include many derivatives of Final Fantasy VII (most well known of which is Advent Children).
It is the days of the SNES to which many gamers say is when SquareSoft was at the pinnacle of talent for RPGs. During this era, they created Final Fantasy IV (praised for its epic story), Final Fantasy V (which perfectly the job system originally conceived in Final Fantasy III), and Final Fantasy VI (praised for its epic scope of gameplay). Also during this time, Square also created what many considered to be one of the finest RPGs ever conceived, Chrono Trigger. Included in their SNES string of successes was Secret of Mana, Bahamut Lagoon, Treasure Hunter G, and so on. It is also notable that their first and only collaboration with Nintendo has resulted in Super Mario RPG, which was well received by fans of both companies.
With the arrival of the N64/Saturn/PSX, Square had a falling out with Nintendo and they decided to work on the PSX. While they have created what is their most popular and most well known game to date on the PSX (Final Fantasy VII), it is widely considered that they were not as good as they were on the SNES due to their string of failures. Many sequels (Legend of Mana, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy VIII-IX) were considered to be inferior to their predecessors. However, their successes were well received. Games such as Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, and Valkyrie Profile gave their reputation a tremendous boost despite their failures.
With the arrival of the next generation systems (PS2, GameCube, XBox). After the PS2 single-handed crushed Sega's DreamCast, Square soon followed later with Final Fantasy X. While FFX is a commercial success, it was plagued by criticism from time of release and is still considered to be inferior by many (especially fans of older Final Fantasies). This plus many other flops including The Bouncer, Final Fantasy: Spirits Within (a movie), and Unlimited Saga helped to humble Square.
Later on during this generation, a mega announcement was made of Square merging with its long time RPG competitor, Enix. The new company became known as Square Enix and it quickly became known as RPG company supreme.
Also during this generation, Square Enix decided to branch out somewhat. They created their first direct sequel entitled "Final Fantasy X-2", made their first MMORPG called "Final Fantasy XI, collaborated with Disney for Kingdom Hearts, and many are speculating that Final Fantasy XII will make a triumphant return to the Final Fantasy roots of the SNES days. However, that remains to be seen. Included on Enix's side of things is the first 3D Star Ocean and Dragon Warrior.
Future new projects include many derivatives of Final Fantasy VII (most well known of which is Advent Children).
by BusinessMan April 16, 2005
Get the squaresoft mug.Once upon a time during the era of Nintendo's mega-popular console, the NES, there was a company named Konami.
This company had a developer named Hideo Kojima, who became the main face for Konami's most popular games at the time. Castlevania, Metal Gear, Contra, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. All popular among gamers and all go on to have popular sequels.
Although they lay dormant (with the exception of a Castlevania and TMNT game) during Nintendo's godlike SNES days, they exploded onto the scene at maximum velocity on the PSX.
Along with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (highly acclaimed by fans and critics), they also released Metal Gear Solid, which revolutionized games by improving the concept of cinematic gaming beyond anything developers had done before (including SquareSoft). Along with these titles, Konami created many excellent series such as Winning Eleven, Dance Dance Revolution, Silent Hill, Suikoden, and Vandal Hearts.
However, it is even here that one can see the foreshadowing of Konami's future. On the N64, they released their first 3D Castlevania, but it turned out to be a failure. This failure was made all the more painful by the fact that their PSX Contra games were also failures.
Finally, with the arrival of the PS2, Konami unleased onto the world Metal Gear Solid 2...and it marked the beginning of the end. While a commercial success and received well by many critics, it was quickly realized that the success came from love of the original Metal Gear Solid on the PSX. This was made apparent when Metal Gear Solid 3 was released. It is all too obvious that your game is a failure when it sells for $10 to $20 on eBay while it is still $40 to $50 in stores.
The same situation occured for their other series, Silent Hill. Silent Hill 2 sold well due to timing and brand name, but Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill 4 didn't fare nearly as well. In addition to these failures, there existed a problem of Konami continuously porting games a long time after they're already released (usually on PS2) on other consoles.
Now when you release a game, then it is good if you port it something like 4-5 or less months later. However, porting a game something like a year later is, surprisingly, not good. You see, by then, excitement over the game has died off. Also, if you plan on remaking an older game, you might want to try actually REMAKING it. See, Capcom's Resident Evil remake on the GameCube is a good idea of a remake. The graphics/gameplay/EVERYTHING changes somewhat. Taking a game, updating the graphics and adding changes from it's sequel doesn't constitute a good remake, unfortunately.
Also unfortunate is that Konami doesn't seem to be showing any indication of stopping. Some good news is that the new Castlevania on the PS2, which is 3D, is much better than the N64 one. In lieu of all the bad news, though, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Hopefully, Konami will clean up their act and improve their games, but for now, it seems like they're really depending on the Metal Gear Solid and Suikoden fanbase.
This company had a developer named Hideo Kojima, who became the main face for Konami's most popular games at the time. Castlevania, Metal Gear, Contra, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. All popular among gamers and all go on to have popular sequels.
Although they lay dormant (with the exception of a Castlevania and TMNT game) during Nintendo's godlike SNES days, they exploded onto the scene at maximum velocity on the PSX.
Along with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (highly acclaimed by fans and critics), they also released Metal Gear Solid, which revolutionized games by improving the concept of cinematic gaming beyond anything developers had done before (including SquareSoft). Along with these titles, Konami created many excellent series such as Winning Eleven, Dance Dance Revolution, Silent Hill, Suikoden, and Vandal Hearts.
However, it is even here that one can see the foreshadowing of Konami's future. On the N64, they released their first 3D Castlevania, but it turned out to be a failure. This failure was made all the more painful by the fact that their PSX Contra games were also failures.
Finally, with the arrival of the PS2, Konami unleased onto the world Metal Gear Solid 2...and it marked the beginning of the end. While a commercial success and received well by many critics, it was quickly realized that the success came from love of the original Metal Gear Solid on the PSX. This was made apparent when Metal Gear Solid 3 was released. It is all too obvious that your game is a failure when it sells for $10 to $20 on eBay while it is still $40 to $50 in stores.
The same situation occured for their other series, Silent Hill. Silent Hill 2 sold well due to timing and brand name, but Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill 4 didn't fare nearly as well. In addition to these failures, there existed a problem of Konami continuously porting games a long time after they're already released (usually on PS2) on other consoles.
Now when you release a game, then it is good if you port it something like 4-5 or less months later. However, porting a game something like a year later is, surprisingly, not good. You see, by then, excitement over the game has died off. Also, if you plan on remaking an older game, you might want to try actually REMAKING it. See, Capcom's Resident Evil remake on the GameCube is a good idea of a remake. The graphics/gameplay/EVERYTHING changes somewhat. Taking a game, updating the graphics and adding changes from it's sequel doesn't constitute a good remake, unfortunately.
Also unfortunate is that Konami doesn't seem to be showing any indication of stopping. Some good news is that the new Castlevania on the PS2, which is 3D, is much better than the N64 one. In lieu of all the bad news, though, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Hopefully, Konami will clean up their act and improve their games, but for now, it seems like they're really depending on the Metal Gear Solid and Suikoden fanbase.
by BusinessMan April 17, 2005
Get the Konami mug.Al Capone or Alphonse Capone is undoubtedly the most famous gangster in the world.
However, he is in NO way, shape, or form the most powerful who ever live. Most people believe he is the most powerful just because he is the most famous. Actually, there were many more gangsters who were more powerful than he was.
Also, he was not the most influential. Most sources believe Lucky Luciano is the most influential gangster who ever lived.
There are so many misconceptions running around Al Capone mainly, once again, because he is simply the most famous. If one were to take into account every gangster who ever lived and rank them according to power and influence, then Capone would rank very high, but he would be nowhere near the top. One's best bet on getting proper information about Al Capone is to read it from Wikipedia or CrimeLibrary.
However, he is in NO way, shape, or form the most powerful who ever live. Most people believe he is the most powerful just because he is the most famous. Actually, there were many more gangsters who were more powerful than he was.
Also, he was not the most influential. Most sources believe Lucky Luciano is the most influential gangster who ever lived.
There are so many misconceptions running around Al Capone mainly, once again, because he is simply the most famous. If one were to take into account every gangster who ever lived and rank them according to power and influence, then Capone would rank very high, but he would be nowhere near the top. One's best bet on getting proper information about Al Capone is to read it from Wikipedia or CrimeLibrary.
by BusinessMan January 20, 2006
Get the Al Capone mug.A way of spelling "girl". This way of spelling is most often used by AOL users, MMORPG addicts, video game magazines, and female gamers.
Unfortunately, they are all eventually subjected to natural selection.
Unfortunately, they are all eventually subjected to natural selection.
Girl A: You go, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl!
Girl B; Yeah, you know it!
Guy A: .....what in the hell are you two talking about?
Girl B; Yeah, you know it!
Guy A: .....what in the hell are you two talking about?
by BusinessMan September 2, 2005
Get the Grrl mug.Short for "pre-nuptial". It is a document that you get BEFORE marriage. It exists for the purpose of protecting you in case of divorce.
It is for this reason that only fools don't get a pre-nup. Pre-nups are created to protect major assets such as a house or anything that gives you a lot of money. Pre-nups make it so that your wife doesn't take everything from you, including your testicles, in the event of a divorce (and with a 60%+ divorce rate, that's a pretty likely event).
Unfortunately, there are many courts who just throws out the pre-nups. Usually for any reasons too. They might throw it out because your kids are staying with the wife (and trust me, they will be awarded to her) or because you're successful or just because she's a lazy bitch who refuses to find a job. And if the court doesn't do it for the previous reasons, she can just make a false claim of abuse or just a fear of it. After all, they won't question her on it.
While pre-nups do get thrown out a lot, many courts also respect it. So just get the damn pre-nup. What do you have to lose? Besides protecting you, it will also reveal a lot about your wife if she refuses to sign it. If you're one of the fools who think your wife-to-be would just want a quiet divorce, then I hope you're not bitter when you takes you for everything you worked for your whole life.
It is for this reason that only fools don't get a pre-nup. Pre-nups are created to protect major assets such as a house or anything that gives you a lot of money. Pre-nups make it so that your wife doesn't take everything from you, including your testicles, in the event of a divorce (and with a 60%+ divorce rate, that's a pretty likely event).
Unfortunately, there are many courts who just throws out the pre-nups. Usually for any reasons too. They might throw it out because your kids are staying with the wife (and trust me, they will be awarded to her) or because you're successful or just because she's a lazy bitch who refuses to find a job. And if the court doesn't do it for the previous reasons, she can just make a false claim of abuse or just a fear of it. After all, they won't question her on it.
While pre-nups do get thrown out a lot, many courts also respect it. So just get the damn pre-nup. What do you have to lose? Besides protecting you, it will also reveal a lot about your wife if she refuses to sign it. If you're one of the fools who think your wife-to-be would just want a quiet divorce, then I hope you're not bitter when you takes you for everything you worked for your whole life.
It's funny, but a few decades ago, pre-nuptials were made to protect women against men in case of divorce.
It's ironic that men are the ones who want a pre-nup the most now.
It's ironic that men are the ones who want a pre-nup the most now.
by BusinessMan March 1, 2005
Get the pre-nup mug.A program used to imitate another device. The most famous types are console/handheld emulators.
Emulators are often used to play games that are no longer in product, but nowadays, they are also emulating brand new systems. Examples are XBox, PS2, and GameCube emulators. While none works yet, all are beginning to play commercial games well while some other commercial games are played well already. However, the Gameboy Advance emulator came out BEFORE the actual handheld did and it emulated it excellently.
The biggest problems with emulator is speed and compatibility. Emulators need PC much more powerful than the actual system it's emulating in order to run at full speed. Also, some emulators tend to sacrifice compatibility for speed or vice versa.
Some notable things about emulators is that you need ROMs to use it. However, ROMs are completely illegal. The rumor that you can own a ROM if you own the original is false.
Emulators are often used to play games that are no longer in product, but nowadays, they are also emulating brand new systems. Examples are XBox, PS2, and GameCube emulators. While none works yet, all are beginning to play commercial games well while some other commercial games are played well already. However, the Gameboy Advance emulator came out BEFORE the actual handheld did and it emulated it excellently.
The biggest problems with emulator is speed and compatibility. Emulators need PC much more powerful than the actual system it's emulating in order to run at full speed. Also, some emulators tend to sacrifice compatibility for speed or vice versa.
Some notable things about emulators is that you need ROMs to use it. However, ROMs are completely illegal. The rumor that you can own a ROM if you own the original is false.
by BusinessMan July 17, 2005
Get the Emulator mug.Quite possibly the most uninhabitable country since Canada (no, that's just a joke because I hate Canadians and Canada so much...).
Everything that sucks about Sweden:
1)The taxes are mind-blowing
2)It's run by a communist government
3)There is no other country on Earth that gives such power to feminazis
4)There is no other country on Earth that has so many brain dead politicians
And the list goes on and on! It doesn't ever seem to stop! I could probably write a novel on how many bad things there are about Sweden. However, to make things fair, here are all the good things about Sweden.
Everything that rocks about Sweden:
1)The landscape looks kind of nice
2)Not overpopulated
And that's pretty much all I can think of. I can probably count the number of good things about Sweden on my fingers. Basically, this country can be summarized in two categories, "too little of everything good" and "too much of everything bad".
Everything that sucks about Sweden:
1)The taxes are mind-blowing
2)It's run by a communist government
3)There is no other country on Earth that gives such power to feminazis
4)There is no other country on Earth that has so many brain dead politicians
And the list goes on and on! It doesn't ever seem to stop! I could probably write a novel on how many bad things there are about Sweden. However, to make things fair, here are all the good things about Sweden.
Everything that rocks about Sweden:
1)The landscape looks kind of nice
2)Not overpopulated
And that's pretty much all I can think of. I can probably count the number of good things about Sweden on my fingers. Basically, this country can be summarized in two categories, "too little of everything good" and "too much of everything bad".
Sweden: You wouldn't want to live there after living in a better place, such as anywhere else in the world, but it would be nice for a visit. Well, maybe not.
by BusinessMan April 25, 2005
Get the Sweden mug.