Few years? Really? I still see commercials for it on tv. Well I suppose it all depends on if Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft will start having their titles distributed online, then Steam would have advantage there. So really, Steam is just looking out for the quite possible future. Considering it's been said that the WiiU will be able to download GC-sized games (but I don't think it's been confirmed that it will), then what's stopping them from downloading Wii and WiiU games? Gamers need a place like Steam where they can eventually buy cheaper games. The problem when it comes to downloads is selling/borrowing old games. Some people might think "Why sell your game?" it's because some people can be desperate for cash.

When it comes to pokemon games online, I have an idea: How about this: After you beat the Elite Four, the friends on your friend list roster become NPCs (where their teams have been uploaded to your game). That way you're not only re-battling old NPCs from phone calls (I don't know if they still do that...it's been awhile since I've played), but also updated roster of your friends every time they are online for a moment (so the Friend NPCs appear even when you're not online...if that makes sense).

Then might I suggest (if it's possible) to friend people from across the world (or wherever your time schedule coincides with theirs. Just an idea.

-BGS

Gamefly... Haven't heard that name in a few years, haha. Anyway, the thing about the way Netflix works versus Steam is that Netflix allows you to both watch shows on the computer and get disks to use in DVD/Bluray players, whereas Steam really only caters to computer users. Unless they change that, GameStop will very likely stay for the consoles. None of the GameStops around here actually have PC games.
Of course, being mainly a computer gamer, that isn't really an issue for me.

Well, Animal Crossing and Pokemon have that to an extent, but I would think you mean something a bit more substantial. Animal Crossing does it pretty well, but that doesn't mean much if the games don't happen to tickle your fancy. I know what'cha mean, though. That would be quite nice. That and if changing the clock did indeed effect the game. Can't tell you how many times I changed the clock on my Gamecube to get to the different seasons in Animal Crossing, lol.

Eh, the thing is, I don't go out of my way to find friends. I just let it happen naturally. It also doesn't help that I have completely discombobulated sleep schedule (to the point that it isn't actually a schedule), so actually being on when other are awake/willing isn't the easiest. 'Course, that part's entirely my own fault.

Yes, "computer". And yes, I know what Steam is. I'm not that much out of the gaming-world-loop. I think I know that Steam sometimes has a big sale sometime during the year (I know it's already passed because of a webcomic I read). If downloadable games becomes the future, then these sales will be the only things that could really make it worth while for people who don't want to spend so much on old games. Just like how Netflix destroyed Blockbuster, I hope that online downloads will destroy GameStop. Yes I know about Gamefly (which is the Netlix equivalent), but it hasn't done the same affect:/

You know what would be nice? Is if Nintendo made a game that was fun/different throughout the whole entire year. For example, if you play Mario during December, you'll find more snow/ice levels (where there previously wasn't). And during July, there'd be more fire-breathing piranha plants and that sun that always scoops down to hit you. And for Zelda, maybe once a month there would be a few NPC characters that would ask you for different missions. My idea is basically DLC, but I don't want to pay even more for the extra feature. I want the feature already on the game, I just have to wait (or change the clock) to get those extra things.

When it comes to MMORPGs, I think you can meet friends online (hello...you're on ZU)

-BGS

By "online" I assume you mean "computer"? Skyrim isn't an online game per se, but you may need an internet connection to play if you bought it through Steam. I haven't really looked into it, but some people can play it offline just fine while other need to be connected to Steam. Of course that all means nothing if you don't know what Steam is.
I don't actually play any games that require a subscription to them, mainly because I don't have a job and I can't just leech the money off my mom, lol. The only 'subscription' involved is paying for the internet itself.

Oh I definitely understand; I grew up playing games like that. If I remember correctly, Animal Crossing was the only endless game I had in those days. Despite having games like that, I was always kinda disappointed when a game just ended and that was it, you had to start fresh. I really liked when the games would either let you replay levels or mess around in the game world even after the end, either by saving before the end or the game itself saving after the end (usually to get collectibles and what-not).

I'm not really interested in Final Fantasy or World of Warcraft either. The FF series just wasn't my cup of tea, and WoW was a bit much for me. I've played a few MMORPGs before, but I'm always a loner (both by choice and because my friends just don't play that kind of thing) and that doesn't generally get you very far in those games.

I'm good...I don't play online games much (so I didn't understand a lot of what you just said). I'd partially have to blame Nintendo for that, but also my lack of liking the idea of paying a monthly subscription to continuously play online. To reference a webcomic I once read, it's very much like buying a car, but having to pay for gas as well to just use the damn machine.

I've watched my friends played, but I never got into FFXI (that was the online one, right?), World of Warcraft, or even the Elder Scrolls series (Oblivion almost got me convinced to buy one, but I decided to pass). I've sorta (SORTA) given up gaming (because it is an expensive hobby that's time consuming). I waste enough time on the internet, I don't need yet another thing to keep me blindsided as the world turns. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'd like Skyrim, but only if it wasn't so endless. I like a beginning, middle, and end. You understand, right?

-BGS

Very Skyrim-y. Got a character to about level 50 (which is about as much Skyrim as I can handle at a time), so it's gone now. I don't like having a lot of saves, so when I'm done with a character I just delete them.
In addition to that, though, is that fact that I use a good few mods (and frequently change them around), so that can cause some issues with saves. Skyrim's scripting is pretty buggy in the first place and adding mods doesn't help, haha. I get quite a few CTD's as I play (usually a couple/few hours apart though), but I'm in the habit of quick-saving a lot, so it's not really an issue.

Anyway, the character I just had was a High-Elf battlemage vampire. I was using the Better Vampires mod which made things a lot more interesting, and made being a vampire worthwhile. It also helped the battlemage aspect as it progressively boosted Destruction damage up to 25%. I also made it a point to use only Elven armour, gilded specifically. I was going to have some enchantments, but only got enchanting up to about 60 (purely through skills book/rewards and disenchants) and never got around to putting perks into it.

It was definitely one of my favorite characters I'd made, the others being an old war axe-wielding Breton barbarian (no magic, and only fur armour until I could craft myself the Warchief armour set), and an assassin that used bound weapons (very early character that I had a lot of fun learning the game with, though I haven't had a sneak-based character in a long time).

And you? Have you played Skyrim much?

Eh, things happen. How is Skyrim?

-BGS

OH! Whoooops...
Heh, sorry about that. I actually saw your message, but I couldn't think of a response then and from there I just kinda forgot. Probably distracted by Skyrim at the time, and more recently Warlock: Master of the Arcane.

So yeah, hey there! Guess it's been over a year since our last chat. We sure know how to keep a conversation going, eh?

Long time no chat, we should change that.

-BGS

Nope, and nope. Wasn't ever really into X-men. Then again, I never really watched that much TV when I was a kid.

Oh I just remembered another anime I've watched (but never completed): s-CRY-ed. It took me FOREVER to try and remember that name. Have you ever heard of it/seen it before? If you like Marvel's X-men, it's basically like that (but in anime form). And speaking of Anime X-men, did you know that they are making an X-men, Wolverine, Iron Man, and Blade anime series?

-BGS

Eh, there isn't so much of a 'between' for me. Unless I specifically don't want to try an anime, I'll check out recommendations.

Well if I had to give you just one recommendation today between Hellgirl or Trigun, I'd definitely go with Trigun. Hellgirl just seems like a watered down version of Death Note and some of the storylines are repetative, so Trigun is more original, and it has a better storyline.

-BGS

I've looked at it on Netflix (didn't watch it, just read the description), but I dunno. I might try it, but I'll have to check Youtube for trailers and stuff. I like to see what a show's like before watching it usually. One anime I do want to try at some point is RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne. I'm a bit sadistic, lol.

Yeah, I'd say try it out. It's not one of my favorite or anything, but it wasn't bad at all. And I'll probably try Trigun out. It's on Funimation, so that makes things a lot easier.

Hahaha, yeah I like long messages (I like to give people as much of my full opinion on the first go). Well if you liked Death Note, then might I recommend Hellgirl? It's about this special website that anybody can get on. If you type in the name of the person you want to kill, Hellgirl will kill that person for you. However as the price, your soul will go directly to hell when you naturally die.

When it comes to mecha-based anime, for the most part I've found them boring. Yes, they are giant robots that can fight in outerspace or on land, but it's the combination of relationship drama and non-hand-to-hand combat that turns me off. Even in regular TV shows/movies, I prefer regular hand to hand combat (and foot chases) than guns and cars.

Gun X Sword is part of my large Nexflix lineup, are you recommending that I should watch it? Netflix recommended it to me because I liked Trigun. Since you've already watched it, this would be one more reason to watch Trigun.

Eh, Naruto isn't that bad (at least the manga isn't). But when it comes to the anime, I usually only watch the episodes that feature big fights (the same goes for Bleach, I read the manga, but don't really watch the anime).

-BGS

Ohsweetjesusmotherofgodwalloftext. (But not really.)

*Facepalm* How on earth could I forget Code Geass and Death Note? Geeez. I loved those anime, haha.

I forgot about movies. I've seen Interstalla 5555: the 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (if you want to count that; I do), Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa, and Cowboy Bebop: the Movie. So not many.

I don't specifically like mecha-based anime/manga, but I have nothing against it. It all comes down to the show's story and humor, mostly. If it happens to be about or have mecha, than that's fine.

I just remembered that I've also tried Gun X Sword. It was pretty entertaining, but I started watching it when I hit an anime slump, and stopped watching most anime (including it). About that time I tried Azumanga Daiou as well.

Oh god. Naruto. Oh god. Oh god...

Anime Shows I've watched: Digimon, Pokemon, Zatch Bell, Yu-gi-oh, Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi Universe, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Hellsing, Trigun, Ghost in a Shell, Full Metal Alchemist, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Cowboy Bebop, Ruroni Kenshin, Inuyasha, Naruto, Bleach, Hellgirl, XXXHolic, Code Geass, Samurai Champloo, Yu Yu Hakashu, Death Note, Ouran Host Club Academy, Wolf's Rain, Mushi-shi, Gunslinger Girl, Queen's Blade, Trinity Blood, Big O, Card Captors Sakura, Golden Boy, Jyu-Oh-Sei, and Darker Than Black.

I'm sure there are more I just can't think of them at the moment. I haven't included anime that I've tried to watch, but wasn't interested/lost interest for example Gundam, Romeo X Juliet, One Piece, Dragon Ball GT, and Tsubasa Chronicles.

Anime Movies I've watched: Akira, Summer Wars, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, 5 Centimeters Per Second, Graveyard of the Fireflies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Roso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo On A Cliff, The Cat Returns, Tales from Earthsea, Origin: Spirits of the Past, and Steamboy.

Tales of Symphonia & Final Fantasy Advent Children should get an honorable mention. However they were movies based off of video games, and not anime/manga.

There are more movies I've watched that are connected to anime shows. But I'd feel like I would be repeating myself if I added them to the list (like the FMA movie).

Anime I'm currently watching: Naruto & Aquarion
Manga I'm currently reading: Naruto & Bleach
Anime that I'm planning on watching: Afro Samurai, Samurai 7, Speed Grapher, Kaze no Stigma, Melancholy of Haruhi, Appleseed, and Moribito.

Phew! Now on with my opinion (yes I like to make large posts)

Since you like Aquarion, I have to ask, do you like those Mecha-based anime shows (you know, giant robots with usually 1 pilot)? I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of those kind of anime (especially the Gundam series). The only ones I've been able to muster are Aquarion and Code Geass. And since you like Aquarion, maybe you should take a look at Code Geass. In a nutshell it's like an anime based on games of Chess (sounds boring, but it isn't) using Mechas on the battlefield.

Soul Eater wasn't that bad, so maybe give it a second chance (if you like Naruto, then you'll like Soul Eater).

Hmm one more recommendation: Since you like the warm-hearted Elrick Brothers and the devastated trials they had to go through in life, might I recommend to you Trigun? It's about a mysterious lone gunman named "Vash the Stampede" who has a large bounty on his head for destroying a city.

Feel free to talk about anime/manga with me anytime. If you remember any more anime you've watched, then I might have a better chance of giving you some better recommendations.
-BGS

Haha, I watched an episode of Soul Eater after I finished FMA: BH. It didn't really interest me much, though.

Manga's an easy one to list. I've read several volumes of xxxHOLiC, a few of Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNicle, and (as I said before) up to vol.22 in FMA. I only actually own the first two volumes of Tsubasa and xxxHOLiC, and vol.22 of FMA (my sister used to bring home the FMA manga for me when I lived with her, then she bought me vol.22 as a gift).

As for anime... lemme try to remember. Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was the first anime I watched (not counting Sailor Moon and Pokemon when I was a little kid). After that Ouran High School Host Club, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, xxxHOLiC, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Jyu-Oh-Sei, Aquarion, and STRAIN: Strategic Armoured Infantry are the ones I can remember that I finished. Ones I saw but haven't finished (for various reasons) include Sgt. Frog, Glass Fleet, One Piece, Bleach, Chobits, Hellsing, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Soul Eater.

Again, there's some I can't remember, but that should be the most of them.

Too true on everything you said. After I watched Brotherhood, I started seeing another anime called Soul Eater. It really reminds me of a cross between Bleach and Naruto. When I was half way through the series, I went online and checked to see on Wikipedia about it and noticed that the anime wasn't based heavily on the manga. I was a little disappointed, but now I'm trying to find a place online where I can read the manga.

What other (anime/manga) (have/do) you (watch/read).

-BGS

Brotherhood, no question. I much prefer an anime to stick to the manga it's based on, unless it's a continuation of said manga. That and (just a minor thing) it does look nicer.