Skummy

Except that, for the most part, the villain is Jenova. Not really. It starts with Shinra and then moves on to Sephiroth because of his Jenova discovery. Most of the game is spent chasing Sephiroth, not Jenova. That's how it would appear, but it's not actually true. As Cloud states when you make your first journey to the Northern Crater, you are not pursuing Sephiroth, you are in fact being summoned by him. What he doesn't realise at this point is that he's not being summoned by Sephiroth, but by JENOVA. In fact, Cloud spends the entire game being drawn towards Jenova on a purely biological level, because the Jenova cells within him wish to complete the Reunion. The only point in which you actually see the "real" Sephiroth is his body inside the Northern Crater, and in the Nibelheim flashback.

Except that, for the most part, the villain is Jenova.

1. The Smiths 2. The Tiger Lillies 3. Jeff Buckley 4. Art Brut 5. The Boy Least Likely To 6. Antony & The Jonsons 7. Rufus Wainwright 8. The New York Dolls 9. The Cramps 10. Sonic Youth

I have a strong disdain for FF8, I just don't think it felt like a Final Fantasy, and the storyline was piss-poor, with too much happening just for the sake of it. FF7 had a fantastic storyline, with the most impressive backstory I've seen in any game, and more impressive than most films or books, and a fantastic array of characters, all whilst remaining very playable at the same time, whilst FF8 often felt tedious. FF9's storyline was fairly weak, and often felt like a parody of earlier Final Fantasy games, but the gameplay more than made up for any shortcomings, as I think it was the most inherently playable game in the series so far, having the best selection of side-quests and mini-games to date. FFX I wasn't keen on at all. It has it's good points, but I couldn't get into it at all. Tidus was far too emo a main character, even by Final Fantasy standards, none of the characters really appealed to me at all, and I felt no real compulsion to continue playing or to follow the story. FF11 didn't feel like a Final Fantasy game to me, but it was a decent enough RPG. Of the "old school" Final Fantasies, FF2 was great, with a fantastic "feel-bad" ending, but FF1 and FF3 were missable, and only worth playing for historic purposes. FF4 is fantastic, and still playable today if you can accept the poor (by today's standards) graphics. FF5 had a fairly steep learning curve, but other than that, is wonderful. The job system was brilliantly implemented, and it didn't shy away from getting quite dark at times, which is always good. FF6 was absolutely incredible. It really laid the foundations for FF7, with it's psuedo-futuristic setting, and much of the storyline, as well as basic storyline elements. There's so much to do, and some wonderful characters, so the positives outweigh a lot of forgettable silliness. All in all, I rank Final Fantasy 7 above the rest of the series, and most other games, though.

Best sub 3 minute song: An Albatross - The Revolutionary Politics Of Dance Best plus 7 minute song: Jeff Buckley - Lover You Should've Come Over Best use of guitars in a band: Derrin Nauendorf Best use of drums in a band: Tool Best Lyricist: Tom Waits Best Vocalist: Jeff Buckley Best Dark Band: Will Oldham, The Smiths or Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Best Light Ban: The Moldy Peaches Best use of emotion: The Cure, Damien Rice or Will Oldham

SunnO))) - you can't get more sludge. You'll be lucky to hear more than two notes in a twenty-minute song. Fucking great stuff. Sounds like two monoliths being ground together, distorted, and fed through a tiny amplifier. And listen to The Locust, Neon Blonde and An Albatross, just because everyone should.

I can never understand people who view Fightstar as a legitimate band but don't like Busted, to me they just sound the same, only Fightstar are a bit angry: "Arghhh, it's the Year 3000, and I'm right fucked off about it!"

I dunno...I thought the whole thing should have been a lot classier, and felt a lot more timeless, if you get my drift.

To be honest, I don't know. I've never been an avid ITV watcher, but especially in recent years, it seems to be really naff, and I can't think of anyone who really "embodies" ITV, other than Trevor McDonald, who was there anyway. I guess Tarrant was a logical choice, come to think of it.

I still think that, after 50 years, if all ITV could manage was Chris Tarrant, Ken Dodd and Robin Gibb with G4, they don't deserve another 50.

What was this Ant & Dec/Hitchcock comparison? I must have missed it, but I see no possible way to draw comparison between them Well, there wasn't exactly a comparison, it's more to do with the fact that they're both on it, which is funny in it's self. Nobody made any comparison, it's just funny that you have a legend like Hitchcock, and then you have Ant & Dec as well. Ah, fair enough. I misinterpreted what people were saying and thought that they had somehow made some tedious link to compare the two to try and justify Ant & Dec being on there.

What was this Ant & Dec/Hitchcock comparison? I must have missed it, but I see no possible way to draw comparison between them

The books are considerably better than the films, but I think The Lost World is a lot better than people give it credit for. I think it works a lot better if you watch it as a modern retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, rather than a sequel to Jurassic Park or as an adaptation of Crichton's book of the same name.

Mad Season (Layne Staley post-Alice In Chains), Sonic Youth (Mudhoney but better), Erase Errata (quite like Sonic Youth and Mudhoney sometimes)...and assorted others.

I believe that there is such a thing, but I hardly think it's as common as many elitist music fans make it sound. Signing to major label is not selling out, changing your sound is not selling out. Pandering to the genre du jour for an extra bit of cash, however, is. As for myself, I don't think I'd do it, as I'd hate to be in a band playing music I don't enjoy. However, it's not something I could make a definite answer to without actually being in the situation.

Bruce Springsteen, or possibly U2's cover of, "My Hometown"? That's the nearest I can think of. EDIT:

5. Get Behind Me Satan 4. The White Stripes 3. Elephant 2. White Blood Cells 1. De Stijl I just found Get Behind Me Satan somewhat uninspiring, I guess.

And if you like Dresden Dolls (which you should), check out The Tiger Lilies. They're a little more quirky and less accessible, definitely a love or hate deal.

The Piano version of "Miss Misery" by Elliott Smith, or "All This Useless Beauty" by Elvis Costello, which is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It's amazing.

Haha wow, I just downloaded "I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star" by The Boy Least Likely To, and it's exactly what I was looking for. EDIT: And "I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes" is even better. And you get double kudos for having Broken Social Scene in your sig, "Anthem For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.

So...yeah, I'm listening to Syd Barrett, Moldy Peaches, Belle & Sebastian, Loudon Wainwright III and Television Personalities a lot at the moment, kind of simplistic almost child-like innocent music, but with genuinely intelligent lyrics, and more than a little dose of irony. Can anyone recommend similar bands?

I can. I'll complain for any price.

Eugh, I saw that on Scuzz this morning for the first time and was just about to say it aswell. It's horrible. ← Precisely, I saw it on Scuzz this morning too...I'd heard of it, but all knowledge had pretty much been wiped from my mind, and I happened across it whilst channel-hopping, and I had to sit through the whole thing to find out who it was so that I could post it here. It was shite.

Add Gene Simmons - "Firestarter" to the list of heinously bad covers.

I have indeed heard Brains. It's wonderful, but my favourite Voltaire track is probably Graveyard Picnic.