*Ended* MrGarland's Giveaway #2

[TheStark700]

Question 1: I played this awhile ago and surprisingly, I enjoyed blitzball. Tidus and Yuna's relationship was also one of my favorite part of the game.

 

Question 3 (optional): My guess...Girls und Panzer.

 

Question 4: If I win, I plan to buy Final Fantasy XVI. It's my most anticipated game of the year.

[ahmedelebiary]

Question 1: Unfortunately, I haven't played any FF title ?

 

Question 2: I only know a few famous characters, like Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth, and Aerith.

 

Question 3: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure ? 

 

Question 4: Either Callisto Protocol or Dead Island 2 

 

Thanks for the giveaway! 

[Aviditas90]

Started FF X a few Times but really never was in the mood to häng into it. Wanna change that someday tho.

 

Not really sure about the Release Date but i'll take Toradora as the Anime since it's my favorite feel good Anime. 

 

Guess i would buy either Dead Island 2 / Mega Man Battle Network Collection or Persona 3 and 4.

 

From Germany btw.

 

Good luck to everyone and thanks for the giveway. Very nice

[Metal Slime King]

1. I played X and X2 back to back quite a while ago now. I liked the story and the graphics. X2 was a little sillier but I was ok with it. I liked the bonus dungeon part in X2, kind of a separate rogue-like iirc.

 

4. Most likely I'd put it towards the Pixel Remasters of 1-6.

 

Region - Canada.

Cheers for the contest and congrats on the milestone. I'm 50 trophies away from making FF15 my 15,000th trophy.

[TrunksUSSJ]

Q1:  I haven't played FFX yet, in fact the only FF game I've played so far is FFVII Remake. Recently I finished Dragon Quest XI and loved the game so I got my eyes on FFX actually as my next turn-based JRPG when the time comes.

 

Q2: I know some stuff about it, like the battle system... I've watched a few reviews and stuff but stayed away from story spoilers. it looks like a great game from what I've seen.

 

Q3: I'm going to guess Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. One of the few anime I've actually watched that came out that year.

 

Q4: If I win, I'll probably get the Sunbreak DLC for Monster Hunter Rise.

 

thank you for the giveaway! My PSN region/country is Greece.

[farradono]

Congratulations on finishing Final Fantasy 10! Some of these trophies, namely the perfect sphere master are quite a pain.
 

Question 1) I will  proceed into saying that not counting a certain novel, 10 happens to be my favourite of the Final Fantasies, while Ivalice is, by itself, the best designed world made by Squaresoft/Enix imo due to its richness in  details, vastness and lore, Spira is a close second, back then, the graphic jump between 9 and 10 was noticeable, and said world wasn’t even  medieval or cyberpunk scifi inspired, which is a very rare thing in Final Fantasy, there’s something magical and mysterious about Spira, a new player would struggle into finding certain tropes of the setting,  because this world, even to this day, wasn’t replicated in gaming, and wasn’t “tropified” to a point of having its cliches.

 

My favourite character happens to be Auron,  he’s kinda the “spirit” of the plot, if you will, honor bound to a promise, he becomes an unsent, and tries to defeat Sin forever.

”Tries” being the keyword, something that’s rarely talked about in the fandom, is that Auron didn’t actually have a plan  into defeating Sin, he wanted to kill Yunalesca for revenge, sure, but it’s the Bahamut’s fayth that comes to the rescue, and Auron isn’t working for him, though their interests collide.
 

I cannot stress this enough: if Auron completed his objective, and Bahamut’s fayth wasn’t around, Spira was doomed.

Auron is a mirror of Spira, and also the answer to Seymour’s plan, indeed, there are no villains in 10, Yu Yevon wanted to preserve his people, and once the war with Bevelle ended, restore them (summoners have some weird ass reality warping powers in the setting according to Ultimania and ugh, the novel) however, the summoning ritual took a toll on him, and lost all mental capabilities, and after 1,000 years the fayths just… gave up, and concocted a plan to finally have eternal rest. Yunalesca genuinely wants to help people, she just knows Sin is unstoppable, same with Mika, with an undefeatable entity, all he can do, is give hope to others through faith, they cannot be faulted, Yu Yevon did indeed hate machinas, Sin was programmed to go berserk against advanced technological civilizations  due to the threat of  Bevelle of the past (the current Yevon faith was shunned for 600 years before it was accepted due to the first guy that managed to defeat Sin after Yunalesca), and the way that Sin was defeated, is due to so many fortunate coincidences that could never ever be  replicated, even Seymour’s idea in the setting could be considered, as dead is not the end in Spira, and it would help ease the suffering of losing people if the entire society is unsent to begin with, however, we go back to Auron here, unsents exists due to a specific obsession, Seymour wanting Sin’s power, Auron ending Sin and so on, this obsession warps their mind, and makes them laser focused on their objective, and if they cannot get their way, at some point they become fiends, ultimately we have the answer to Seymour’s solution of ending pain through Auron. Convenient in the short term, not worth it in the long term.
 

All this is encompassed into a tragic story and the power of the enduring human spirit through the ages, and the solution is never “oh, it’s X fault, so once it’s disposed of, everything will be fine”, no, even in X-2 without Sin or Yevon, you can see other problems arising, life is never  easy, and all this makes it much more realistic, compared to something like 13 saying they won’t kill Orphan, only to do it  and get rescued by their actions through a Deus ex machina in Etro cough cough

 

2) Already answered 1, but what the hell I’ll go ahead and do 2 as well for fun, if I didn’t play it, I would probably know the game for the laughing scene, Seymour’s final battle OST, A Fleeting Dream/Journey to Zanarkand and the fact that it had a pure turn based system unlike the others.

 

3) Haha, too much stuff in order to properly guess, so I will use this chance to say that you should check Bleach, the japanese VA of Ichigo and Tidus are the same, and so are Grimmjow’s and Seymour’s VA, what are the odds, huh? Blonde hair vs blue hair, old man Zangetsu and Auron also have many parallels, and the spiritual setting, especially the thematic of death/fiends are closely linked, they also came out around the same time, so Kubo definitely took some inspirations.

 

4) Real talk, I already did everything for 10 and 10-2, so I would just spend it on either the pixel remaster or  killing Chaos, it’s not a feeling or itch, I know I must  kill Chaos.

 

UK,  EU PSN Region.

Edited May 6, 2023 by farradono

[Slava]

1. I have played this game, but only for 30 minutes. That was around the time my PS2 was starting to die. But I got an answer ?. It's this cinematic. Here's why. In the two minutes you get to see a cool looking stadium and an even cooler looking city standing in the sea. The main character who was introduced moments earlier shows his skills and charisma while playing a sport that doesn't exist IRL. You see a cool and mysterious guy who you would meet later. A giant wave destroys the city, and Tidus notices it mid backflip. Not to mention the music. Square always knew how to impress with peak CGI, especially in the PS2 era. So yeah, memorable and unique cutscene. Encapsulates my first impression of the game well and makes me want to return to the game just to see more of this world.

 

3. I'll say Daily Lives of High School Boys. Why? I've heard it's a fun and uplifting slice of live/comedy show. 

 

4. I want to gift it to a friend who has been too generous to me, actually. But if I win 50, I might reconsider ?. In that case, Metal Gear Rising could be one of the options.

 

Region: Canada

Edited May 6, 2023 by Slava

[DeepEyes7]

1. FFX always will have a special place in my heart, it was my first PS2 game and obviously was one of the 2 main reasons that I wanted so bad a PS2 (being MGS2 the other one), on those times I downloaded tons of videos prior to the release, loved the summons and characters (my late dog was named after Yuna). I still have my PS2 game and got the CE for the PS3 one. After playing it and getting practically everything I liked various things of the game, first the story, characters, the soundtrack (the black mages covers are ones of my favorites), the turn based gameplay, summons, blitzball!...

 

3. For sure it was Chunibyou, Shinka and Sanae always lift up my mood.

 

4. I want to try to complete money to buy Street Fighter 6  (NA)

 

Thanks for the giveaway!

Edited May 6, 2023 by DeepEyes7

[steveblazinggrin]

 

Q2: I haven't played any FF game but I can tell you it's entertaining to watch fans argue about blitzball.

 

Q3: I think the only anime I've watched from 2012 is Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and it's one of my favorites, so thats my guess.

 

Q4: If I got the $30, I'd probably buy the dlc for Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey, and if I got the $50 I would buy Like a Dragon: Ishin when it's on sale.

 

Really nice that you're doing this! I'm in the US.

 

 

[mariosF94]

2) Haven't played it and don't know anything about it, only FF game I've played is FF7 remake which to my surprise I enjoyed.
4) In your previous giveaway I said that I'd buy some dlc for ps3 games like dead space, cod or bioshock. I got dead space and bioshock since then so I'll probably get some cod dlc or far cry 4 dlc.
Country: Greece

Thank you for the giveaway and congratulations on collecting 150 platinum trophies!

[Matto_lsi]

1 & 2 - So I started the game on PS2 back in the day but didn't get very far.  I had already played FFVII to the point right before the final boss fight and then stopped playing for a while and had played FFVIII to nearly the final act of the game, but got stuck trying to beat Ultima Weapon and put it down for a bit too.  When I started playing FFX, I was thrown off by the voice acting (hadn't experienced that before, and at the time greatly preferred to hear the voices I assumed the characters would sound like in my head) and decided to go back and finish VII and VIII first.  I finished VII, but didn't get around to finishing VIII, and never came back to X.  I ended up getting really busy with life and by the time I got back into gaming, it was the midpoint of the PS3 life cycle and I just dove in there.  I had planned to borrow the PS4 copy of X/X-2 from a friend a couple years ago, but then the pandemic happened and that didn't happen.  Someday I do hope to play X, as well as many of the others I missed along the way. Other than the opening of the game - which I barely remember - I don't know much about it.

 

3 - Anime from 2012?  I'd have to say Legend of Korra (I know it may not be considered true anime, but it's all I can think of from that year, lol)

 

4 - USA

 

Thanks for the hosting this giveaway, it's very, very generous of you!  And Congrats on 150 Plats 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Matto_lsi

[Play3GianniGreed]

Thank you for the opportunity. 

My answers:

 

I have played Final Fantasy X back in the days of PS2. 

Final Fantasy for me is a special series, I have discovered it with FF8, then I played FF7 and after that, FF9 on PS1. 

I have to say that I loved all those games for various reasons, so when they announced the game for PS2 I had to buy the new console. I started to put my money away, I was a student at high school, at that time I was 14 years old, with no job (obviously) so I had to save every cent I was getting my hands on. 

It took almost two year for me to buy the PS2. At the time, piracy was rampaging, so I could have bought the game for very cheap, but as I said, Final Fantasy for me is special, I bought all original version of the games before, and so I wanted to buy the original version of game. Luckily for me, in the meantime the price lowered, and I was finally able to buy the platinum version. 

Then I started playing it and it was magical, so different from the games before (it had voices!) and the graphics was amazing. The game was hard, at the time I didn't really understand the level up system (again, so different) but the story was so interesting, I keep playing it, then, I reached the end, and man, I started crying. For the first time, a videogame made me cry (it won't be the last). Final Fantasy made a hole in my heart, and it's still there after all these years. 

I liked the sequel also, even if not as much the original. 

Sadly, I never played the HD version of the game because I can't find the time and the right state of mind to start it again (it's a long game after all). 

So yeah, this is my story with the game. 

 

As for the anime, I will say, Kuroko no Basket, it's from 2012, and the only reason I am making this assumption is because I like it, I liked the animation, the story, the characters and basketball matches. 

 

If I win, I will probably buy some games on sale, there are a couple that I want to buy, first of all, Watchdogs Legions, so I can complete the series. 

 

I'm from Italy. 

 

Thank you again and congratulations for your 150th platinum. 

Edited May 7, 2023 by Play3GianniGreed

[Mr-Photo]

Thanks for doing this giveaway!

 

I have not played that game before, in fact I have never played any Final Fantasy games. I do know that they are supposed to be very very good, but also very very long with crazy requirements to beat massive bosses. I could be completely wrong in this though, because they only thing I've ever heard (other then they are great games) comes from Conan's Clueless Gamer bit where they did FFXV.  It's one of the funniest every Cluess Gamers, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXJFbsQBvLw

 

 

My knowledge of Anime is very limited. Way back in the day I really enjoyed Akira, but that's about all I know.

 

My Country is Canada. I've been saving up for God of War Ragnarok!

 

Cheers again!

[veinte-justo]

Question 2:
My first FF was IX so naturally when I heard the next one was ready I couldn't wait to play it. However between MGS2 and and others I never had the time to continue playing a main line FF until XIII. All I now about FFX is thanks to the Dissidia games on PSP.

The main character is named Tidus (tee - dus), his father is half naked a hits like a truck and Yuna apparently is best FF girl. Theres a character named waka (i think) thats always make me think about Shakira and the battle theme is one of the best Ive ever heard in any RPG. One day I want to experience this adventure, I even bought it for the PS3 AND PS4. I just need to find some time to finally play it.

 

Question 3:
Haven't been able to keep up with anime for some time now, I only watch 2 or 3 per year but if I had to guess, for some reason I`ll say The Prince Of Tennis.

Question 4:
If I win I'll use it for either Street Fighter 6 or Final Fantasy XVI. I want both but the fact that they release in the same month is unbelievable

 

(Country USA)

 

By the way, CONGRATS on you 150th plat!! I recently got mine too with Crisis Core Reunion, I wonder if we got it at similar time.
Excellent choice for your milestone

[SpaceIsDandy]

1. While I really disliked how daunting it could be while trying to do the trophy, i really like the sphere grid and how it lets you "customize" everyone to a certain extent, as far as story goes the whole crux of the ending would have 100% destroyed me if i played it as a kid and not as an adult with a trophy guide open next to it

 

3. Girls Und Panzer

Reasoning: Lucky guess ?

 

Q4. Ive got a few games in the wishlist that are currently on sale (Daganronpa summer camp/Persona 4 arena ultimax) that I would not mind being in my library instead

 

US is my country

 

good on you for doing this, congrats on 150, and congrats to the winner

Edited May 7, 2023 by SpaceIsDandy

[Ultraxian]

The best bit of ffx for me was the sphere grid. I know by the end of the grid every character is going to be more or a less a clone of everyone but early game right up until post game and beyond it was great to build any character the way you wanted and have such diversity amongst them.

Now they just have to make my dream a reality a final fantasy game that uses the sphere grid for stats and abilities fused with a materia system for spells and summons.

Is your anime from 2012 fugget about it such a awesome show.

UK if im lucky enough to win

[AllSugarRain]

Question 2: I played the game on the PS2 a long time ago, but the console broke and I couldn't keep playing the game anymore. Last thing I remember was reaching the part where Tidus meet Rikku.

 

Question 3: Shin Sekai Yori - From the New World.

 

Question 4: Under Night in Birth Exe Late [st].

 

Store Region: US PSN

 

Thanks for the giveaway!.

[LDN-Legend]

Feels like this competition is made for me, of all games to revolve around it's FFX. 

 

Question 1: I have played this game many times, most memorably during my young teenage years on the PS2 with the official strategy guide book. My favourite thing was the story; What started out to be a bit of a bore and lots of cut scenes involving Jecht... Opened up to be so much more, with touching moments like Yuna performing a sending in Kilika for the first time - This was heart wrenching and surreal. Other notable moments include Brasca's final Aeon and showing Jecht's ultimate final selfless sacrifice. Tidus jumping from the airship still gives me shivers. The dream of the faith. This game Had profound affects on my life and I like to listen to Youtube instrumental covers of the songs. 

Edit: The cut scene when the gang storms Bevelle to save Yuna from wedding Seymour! 

Question 4: FF Pixel Remaster

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by LDN-Legend

[draqilo]

On 5/5/2023 at 2:23 PM, MrGarland said:

Removed large quote

No. Main character. Is a game. Ps plus extra for 1 year.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Beyondthegrave07
Removed quote

[LDN-Legend]

On 5/7/2023 at 10:56 AM, AllSugarRain said:

Question 2: I played the game on the PS2 a long time ago, but the console broke and I couldn't keep playing the game anymore. Last thing I remember was reaching the part where Tidus meet Rikku.

 

Had to reply to this  That's the prelude haha ! 

[blue_blur_98]

2) I haven't played Final Fantasy X, or any Final Fantasy game for that matter (aside from trying the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo once), but the infamous Tidus laugh has indeed made its way onto my side of the 'net on occassion.

 

4) The funds would likely be used to help me save on renewing my PlayStation Plus subscription, although I could also spend it on something else, such as a smaller or older title. It would probably depend on a few different factors at the time I would potentially recieve my card.

 

[PlayStation Store region: United States]

[MrGarland]

Since there are enough replies, I can start reading them. I'll be sure to read every last one of them before I'll decide the winners. I'll try to see that done by the end of week.

[Martain2]

Question 2: I've never played the game but I know it was ported to the Vita

 

Question 4: I would like to finally pick up Mini Metro, been on the PS Store for 3+ years and never once been on sale.

 

Region: UK

[DJ_Murda_Murk]

I'm in the United States

 

I have played the game once many moons ago when I was a kid on ps2.  I honestly don't remember it very well and its the only Final Fantasy game that I've ever played.  What sticks in my memory is really loving the character designs.  I remember them all being pretty different from a lot of the games I played and thought a lot were awesome especially Auron.  I also remember being blown away by how good the cut scene graphics were like I couldn't believe video games could look that good.  Also blitzball was awesome/frustrating lol.

 

Question 3 (optional): I'm gonna take a shot at the anime and say Komi Can't Communicate.

 

Question 4: If I win ill probably buy a game I think is less likely to end up on ps plus.  Something I've really wanted to play but the back log is to big.  I'm thinking Crusader Kings 3.  It's a bit outside of my usual stuff, but I've always been super intrigued by it.

[MrGarland]

After spending a few days reading everyone's posts, I've made my decisions and passed the PSN cards to the winners. Just like last time, I won't name the winners, as it's my policy and I hope that everyone respects it.

 

I have to say, selecting the winners from this Giveaway was really hard. Sure, it was like that last time, but this time, it was a different story. While all of them were great, there were a certain amount of posts that exceeded my expectations. Especially those who have played the game before and shared their memories from it. Reading those made me feel nostalgic. The journey I had in that game will not be forgotten.

 

Also, I might as well give the answer to the optional question I represented. Few people got close with their replies, with answers such as Kuroko's Basketball and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, but I'm surprised to see that two of the participants actually got it right, regardless if it was a lucky guess or not.

 

So, the anime from 2012 that puts me in a good mood, no matter what? Of course, I'm talking about:

 

Spoiler

Girls und Panzer

 

 

I've talked about this at least once before, but for those who want to know why it's such a big deal for me, I'll tell you. When the dark ages began in 2020, I had a hard time staying positive (especially in my work) due to the pandemic. It also didn't make it better that the news was mostly nothing but about that. However, everything changed when I discovered this in February 2020. I was scrolling through Netflix's catalogue when I noticed this specific anime. I watched all the way to Ep 9 from Crunchyroll a few months before rewatching, but gave up on it for some strange reason. Then, when I watched it again from Netflix, I started from the beginning and I made it all the way to the end. All I can say about it, wow. Ep 12 blew my mind on so many levels. Of course, I enjoyed the previous episodes as much, but it was the final episode that impacted on me. So many moments that I honestly couldn't but enjoy. Since then, I've been following this series while watching everything there's to it and I'm curious to see how it's going to end in a few years. Each of the sequels has gotten better, so I'm having high expectations.

 

What makes it so special to me? I could name many things, but to keep it short. The characters, the action, the details/references and of course, the music. The latter one is probably the most important thing to me, as the soundtracks have songs that usually cheer me up, no matter how hard the day might've been. I also like to listen to certain songs, depending on the mood I am. Not to mention, the fact that they're on Spotify makes it even better. I do own them on a CD, but whenever I'm on the go, listening to them from Spotify is an option.

 

Oh, and before it slips my mind, there's one last thing I should mention. Besides making my life better, it also gave me something new. Studying a new foreign language, which is obviously German. I actually planned to study that years ago, but cancelled it. When I started watching this and noticed that there's a German dub available, I decided to resume that plan, thanks to this wonderful series. I also decided to buy the Blu-rays for later use, but I've started watching the German dub, out of curiosity. It's really great, and it can be pretty funny sometimes. In fact, I'd say it's almost as good as the Japanese dub, but if anything, it's better than the English dub. Sorry, I didn't like the latter one, no matter how much I tried. It's not that bad, but there were a few moments that it felt like they didn't even try. So if you want to watch it dubbed instead of subbed, I recommend the German dub.

 

By the way, that key visual is awesome. Seeing it always brings a smile to my face, just like how thinking about the series itself does.

 

Well, I suppose that's about it. Before I conclude this, I might as well say that I'm going to hold more Giveaways in the future, with the next one sometime in summer. When exactly it's going to happen is unknown. It might happen once I finish a certain game that I'm excited about (some might already guess what game it is), but it remains to be seen. Not only that, but I might have something else in store. I haven't planned the latter one yet, so whether it's going to happen or not remains to be seen. Finally, since there were a couple of posts that I enjoyed reading but that didn't win, I'm going to give those a few extra PSN cards. However, due to personal reasons, it's not going to happen immediately, but I will say that it's going to happen at some point this summer. I'll contact these lucky few when the time is right. You'll have my word on that.

 

For anyone participating this, thank you. You guys are awesome. Reading all your posts was a great time. I'll see you in the next Giveaway.