I've never heard someone speak of the conversion to the Dark Side in such a remarkably constructive way. Well done.

Yeah, that's one of the big problems with this system... the best you can do is edit, delete all your text, press the spacebar a few times, and publish a blank response... and this has to be done within 15 minutes or else the post becomes permanent.

Wow. This actually sounds like a pretty good reason to grab an XB1... I wonder how the multiplayer for these will work out? It'd be badass if they mix and match versions, ala Street Fighter Anniversary Edition and Ultra 4...

You guys have any counterparts on the West Coast we can hang out with?

Good on ya, man, hope things stay that way. I went from Environmental Science and Planning to... merchandising and sales for a major game company. I seriously have no idea what I'm doing.

My preparation consists of a basement full of scotch and the obscenely large stockpile of free games I've collected over the years. That is masterclass coping, right there.

I agree, particularly in the terms of strategic whistle-blowing. But my hope is that Kotaku will be able to use the information they glean to put together a picture of how the industry is currently functioning as a whole, and perhaps learn some of the ways developers are learning to cope. For example, indies are…

I dunno... unless he edited at the last minute to spite you, his post specifically says "Want to talk (anonymously) about layoffs?" and asked to chat about job instability. People who come to chat about other stuff are probably coming to the wrong place.

Yeah, he's the narrator. For a lot of the fans, he's a big reason why we're fans, but if it's not your thing (which is understandable), you might have a hard time with the game.

I think he's talking about layoffs and job instability in the market, not casual bitching about the companies in question. You guys are talking about two different things entirely.

Well now, I guess it's my turn to goad you into trying again. There's just something sublime about the way you're constantly improving into something new and different, the way you can bend the game mechanics to do some truly outrageous things, and the little stories you imagine for your soldiers alongside the epic…

Well hey, he's the video guy. He is the videos, the the videos are him.

Damnit. And I was so looking forward to learning.

Well, there's a 50/50 chance I'm gonna get terminated this coming Monday, and if I do you'll be sure to hear from me.

Like a BAWUS.

Watch, by the time Battlefield releases without any problems, just before we touch the controller, God will think "well now's a good time for the Rapture."

That was probably the problem I had; treated it like a regular RPG, focusing on leveling and combat rather than trying to actually find stuff. I got three Ateliers sitting in my collection now... I'll have to redeem myself.

Why it's worth playing: Aside from giving me a reason to post a picture of Master System box art, in every iteration this game is pure, simple, distilled JRPG goodness. No frills. Logical leveling system. Talk to townsfolk, find key items to access new areas, traverse interesting dungeons, and beat the crap out of…

I dunno, I played a few (I think Meruru was the last one I remember) and I always thought "ah, light hearted, moe zaniness, I can take it easy and..." *ten hours in* "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS TO COMPLETE THIS QUEST!?" Maybe I have terrible organizational skill.

I think it's supposed to be a hybrid of action with a time-freezing mechanic that allows you to pause and set combinations of moves. Basically you have a bar that allows you to freeze time and do a set number of moves, and once you do those moves and use up the bar, you need to run around and fight in real-time until…