It's Like the Roving of the Dog in Tolkien

Yeah, Roverandom. I have, in fact, read pretty much all of Tolkien's fiction—I've even read Farmer Giles of Ham. Look, basically what I'm saying is this is a "random stuff" post.

• Chuck Norris has signed on to be a spokesman for the NRA. My first thought was, "Wait, guns really do carry him for protection!"


• So, Vic, the thief/information broker in Infinite Undiscovery. It's apparently supposed to be some kind of shocker that "he" is actually a girl. No, that's not a spoiler, you'll know the first time she shows up. Hint: if you're a girl trying to pass as a boy, don't wear garments that bare your midriff (or, more to the point, your hips). Apparently Cappell is an idiot; it kinda makes you wonder how many female impersonators he's unwittingly hit on.


• Why do so many RPGs have random missions you pick up in grizzled bounty hunter bars? Resonance of Fate and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance both do it, though the latter does have the decency to start off with story-motivated missions. I ask you, why? Some random assortment of "Honey Do" lists from thinly-characterized NPCs, some of which might advance the plot, is certainly not what I'm looking for in an RPG.


• On the other hand, many other RPGs have obnoxious grinding hack-and-slash right after major plot developments. Maybe the writers figure you'll be willing to do it in order to get to the next part of the story, but why bother? It's a fight with a hive of giant spiders (yes, Infinite Undiscovery again), not my math homework, so why make me force myself? Games are to be enjoyed, and you putting this meaningless crap in the middle of my story hampers my enjoyment.


• All of this would, of course, go away if there were only a market for Visual Novels in the US, but that ain't happening. I hate American video game audiences, I really do.


• Speaking of visual novels, The World God Only Knows is getting an anime. I for one plan to eat it with a spoon. Hopefully next spring? I'm not really sure how long the adaptation process takes for a manga of that type (mercifully there's relatively little action, and action sequences are often the most time-consuming). Here's hoping they do things smart, and realize that the show needs to be in the exact style of a dating sim. You should think it's the anime of a game, not a manga.


• Speaking of anime adaptations, Kurogane no Linebarrels is the example of exactly what not to do. They made Kouichi from "good guy who's a little bit of an ass" into "complete self-absorbed monster". The way they screwed up the time sequence makes the characterization bizarre, though they were probably doing it in order to justify their "Kouichi as Satan" portrayal. Worst of all, they changed the really interesting character designs into the generic Sunrise style (see also S-Cry-ED and Gundam SEED) and turned the mecha from things that looked like Metal Gear concept art (!) into a bunch of generic CGI. Let's not even discuss the hash they made of the later story.


• In the Linebarrel anime's defense, the opening by ALI PROJECT totally sounds like the black, decadent, goth polka that will be danced on the world's last day. Which is awesome.