3. Ivan! Anyway, I completely agree. There's so many more opportunities for creativity with characters who haven't been overused or personality-raped time and time again...

6. I don't care much either way, since they're both official and all. Actually, I can't keep it straight in my own head and switch between the two pronunciations constantly, even within the same conversation.

8. While I don't recognize those characters specifically, I totally empathize with you. All of my favorite games are for the PS1, too, and my friends are all too busy keeping up to date with the newest releases...