Classic Sci-Fi References

[JeniLinsky]

I was over in Aleport today, and I accepted a quest from the Miqo'te cannoneer up on the walls. She talked about her friend C'mell getting tossed in jail, and I snorted soda out my nose. Someone at Square Enix reads Cordwainer Smith!

What references from outside the Final Fantasy mileau have you noticed?

(For those who haven't read Cordwainer Smith)

[TheRac25]

biggs and wedge is pretty hard to miss

[Gyrus]

a lot of pop culture references in this game. I love it

[Gramul]

a lot of pop culture references in this game. I love it

Personally, I just think it's cheap writing.
But I guess it makes people happy to know that what they like and know are acknowledged by the game staff. I can just ignore it for the most part.

[Kennar]

Personally, I just think it's cheap writing.
But I guess it makes people happy to know that what they like and know are acknowledged by the game staff. I can just ignore it for the most part.

In my opinion, a well-written pop culture reference is one that can go completely unnoticed by those who don't get it. I don't mean it has to be really obscure or anything, it just has to fit with the narrative in a way that seems natural. For example, in 1.0 there was a Roegadyn NPC named Immodest Mouse who says, "The ocean breaths salty, and it be her briny whispers what give our salt ale its temper." I chuckled at that because I got the reference to the band Modest Mouse, but to a person who has never heard of it the dialogue would be just normal NPC chatter. Immodest Mouse is a perfectly fine Roegadyn name, lore-wise, and they very well could make something called salt ale in a place near the sea.

Quest names with references don't bother me a bit because they're sort of out of the narrative. If done right they add a bit of levity, especially if the quests aren't too serious in the first place. FFXI vets will remember the Star Onion Brigade in Windy; those quests were very lighthearted and had names like "Inspector's Gadget" and "Truth, Justice, and the Onion Way!"

Back on topic:
I don't know if it's been mentioned in other threads, and it isn't a sci-fi reference, but has anybody else noticed the NPCs in The Quicksand who describe how to beat Bowser in Super Mario Bros.?

[JeniLinsky]

In my opinion, a well-written pop culture reference is one that can go completely unnoticed by those who don't get it.

I agree. The reference to C'mell that I opened with would be completely missed by anyone who hasn't read Silver Age SciFi. The fact that Cordwainer Smith wrote about animal people, that C'mell was a cat-girl, that it perfectly fits the Miqo'te name paterns, and that Smith's C'mell spent time in jail aren't necessary to appreciate the fact that the cannoneer at Aleport is worried about being tossed in the brig for overreacting to threats outside the walls. If you do know all those things, it's worth a wink and a nudge.

[Kennar]

The reference to C'mell that I opened with would be completely missed by anyone who hasn't read Silver Age SciFi.

i.e. me. Now that I get the reference I can appreciate the thought that went into it, whereas before I was just talking to a silly NPC who wanted me to kill a few things. This is why I like to talk to every NPC; so many of them have little nuggets of information, or just have something to say that puts a smile on my face.

[Mysteltain]

For example, in 1.0 there was a Roegadyn NPC named Immodest Mouse who says, "The ocean breaths salty, and it be her briny whispers what give our salt ale its temper." I chuckled at that because I got the reference to the band Modest Mouse, but to a person who has never heard of it the dialogue would be just normal NPC chatter. Immodest Mouse is a perfectly fine Roegadyn name, lore-wise, and they very well could make something called salt ale in a place near the sea.

That's pretty cool. And that verifies that the Black Mage quest, "The Voidgate Breathes Gloomy" is, in fact, another Modest Mouse reference to the same song. I love finding these sorts of things, haha! And it works, too, given that the Kobold you fight with talks about the gloomy air coming out of the voidgate.

[vpc]

The quest Big Trouble in Little Ala Mhigo was my favorite love Big Trouble in Little China haha

[DeadRiser]

The FATE "Clever Girls" with the raptors in Central Shroud. I love Jurassic Park