h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Cool entry, but I noticed a few mistakes.

First of all, there was never a War of the Magi in any previous FF. Most FFs aren't sequels, and we can be 100% sure that the War happened only in the FFVI universe.

Secondly, I feel a bit offended about some of your character descriptions. Take Gau, for example (not, not THAT way, you hentai bakas! ). You call him a stereotype, but in my opinion, he's a well-developed character, and quite original. Maybe you've never seen the scene where he reunited with his father? If that's the case, I strongly suggest you take Sabin and Gau to the house of the strange man who's constantly yapping about having things repaired. It's to the northwest of the Veldt, and if you go there in the World of Ruin, you'll see a beautiful scene about Gau's past.

Apart from the fact that you call other chara stereotypes and randomly leave out important facts (such as original Jap names), I couldn't help but notice that some parts of this sound awfully familiar. In fact, I'm quite sure I've read this before on some site (can't remember where), and I don't think you asked them for permission you use this info.

I'm sorry for being so bitchy, but I think this just had to be said.

First of all, I never said the War of the Magi took place in a previous game. Sorry if you got that impression.

Second, I didn't say Gau was a stereotype; I just said that the orphan-raised-by-wild-animals deal has been done before.

Third, yes I did borrow some information that doesn't come from the game itself, but I think it can be found in enough other places that I don't need to reference every single one of them.

Thanks for replying.

I don't mean to sound hostile in any way, but I simply can't let this be.

I agree that the FFVI summary that you, quite obviously, copied from is often used by other websites, and that some of these even forget to give credit to the original author. In fact, I believe the site that originally had the summary does not exist anymore. Sure, you changed the words a bit in your essay, but it's still plagiarism in my opinion.

To anyone else reading this, allow me to compare:
Yar: "The Emperor was described by one reviewer as 'bland and uninteresting'. He wants to rule the world, but what RPG villain doesn't? General Kefka, however, is absolutely fascinating. While the Emperor is boring because he wants global dominion with a side order of godhood, Kefka would actually use those exact words if it occurred to him. Most RPG villains never appear until the end of the game, when they express their hatred of the hero(ine)(s) and then attack. Kefka, however, is right in the middle of the stage from Act 1, Scene 2. He has hilarious one-liners that most villains would (ahem) kill for, and he makes the player almost sorry when in the end of the game, he is eventually killed."

Original text: "Emperor Gestahl is bland and uninteresting. Yes, he's interested in complete and total world domination, but what self-respecting RPG emperor isn't? His motives and character development are unimportant. He is a plot device designed to lead the player from point to point in the beginning of his quest. General Kefka, on the other hand, is a fascinating case study. No matter what the player thinks of him, there's no denying that Kefka is one of the most personality-filled villains in RPG history. Before Kefka, RPG villains had been shrouded in mystery; townspeople would whisper hints of the Evil One's existence, but the Evil One himself would only fly in at the eleventh hour via Deus Ex Machina Airlines. Kefka, instead, is onstage from act one, scene two. His mind is not merely warped, but is seriously bent. He has an arsenal of one-liners most Hollywood villains would kill for. He is like a little boy frying ants with a magnifying glass, gleefully amoral; not only uncaring but also unaware his cruelty has any moral implications. It has been said that the audience will hate a good villain ... but love a great one. Kefka achieves the greatest honor a villain can receive: he is well liked."

That's a buckload of text, but somewhere in there you said: "yadayada descibed by one reviewer as yadayada..." giving credit for, yes, three whole words.

Oh, and about that War of the Magi: I'm not sure how you would read 'war from previous games', but I think my impression of it actually meaning that the war happened in previous games was... well, quite correct.

Again, I'm not seeking quarrel. I don't dislike you or your essay, I just wanted to point out certain things.

Okay, I confess the whole copying thing. I ought to get this fixed.

... And as for the "from previous games" bit, that was added by the editor and aren't my words, nor were they added with my permission or consultation.

Hi all,

I scouted this entry initially after it had been in peer review for a very long time with very few comments, despite several appeals for comments.

The text is close in structure (if not exact words) to the original text, so I've refered it to the moderators / italics for a decision, and I hope we'll get a verdict sometime tomorrow.

It's also always possible to update entries, via update HQ, so if anything else needs to go in, it can still be done.

Otto