tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22101415490403266902024-03-14T09:01:18.405-04:00A Sane Man of an Insane WorldMatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-14243830490223422602009-11-27T23:03:00.013-05:002009-11-27T23:30:00.488-05:00Planescape: Torment Journal - Day 2Many apologies about the wait. Doing a playthrough of a time consuming game like Torment on Thanksgiving and Black Friday (on which I had to build a computer for my brother) was not the best of ideas. <p class="MsoNormal">But enough of that. Let's take a look at the OPENING MOVIE (Audience: Ooooooo).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgqX82-HRYE">Opening Movie</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUbljpkG3lFgtz0SrsbwmU805Nxx2Y-eNh1AbAmk86MBkk8fhxqNx1EDWcdN_ogMQGMc75O2qnDGlwI9E9WsyoCE_DjM7fUJU4_DowIInwymzLt_JHJ-nGAQC4AJwS_P6eAw2bQbOB3E/s320/CS+1+-+TNO+Enters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409001161342620130" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoeSOA3C87ZYFZ3woXrZGQjd4h8dXXN1dkOL5Q7BufyC6uMvTznzoq3Wbvkjzj6mHJ9325cZkVDy3V_YAMZsjnj9FGxvno6gDRguUsS-hUUHq9zGTNooNtk0ILvTKxqIPUh_6y3m__sw/s320/CS+2+-+TNO+Dead.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409001162512979522" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNZP5neW0kGO66RSpmFheEQrrA6Ad-cd8N7SmJ9ZKP1KxjQYWNvQ4DWvofAZf1zHYBvIFBL7GQ-b_Xl2J6SXGK74GD-n1UvKCU24QuVjZYCqdhNnm2frBSg87cNmVIhh2p80mEpUw9sg/s320/CS+3+-+Flash+Vision+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409001169341597698" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGl1HVYSQgUVmvA_5BnRGZDXgoBxFyiCGl8jMqfdIoEHsySubDaIMFQF1WD4GELGnra_1g6pfxTC9N1TULKVNsimPwzkRCKdHIpn5gMiJTkGjA_i50EfoLVw7gK6fYmVcweIVDs8EmHig/s320/CS+4+-+TNO+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409001173334102130" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mqUZqX6Fl4y2VJsQKucDwIRtwKv1emU77KAMCec4TcV4UzAB4V89caBHb8ZANaPIytyTym-l6uvFWaEiCAJu8Xe57ZzpXNoFBCu6Za2KT87mg8mbobk7qAJy9_liD2t8lwhXz2S4ML4/s320/CS+5+-+The+Skulls.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409001175188568402" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxX8OOX9a8wFX_h15VN3QXLNfziMa5I9ink7fYv5dJXMeDIM6KGUxCLqqhWm51PieTcg-uN_xsT3twVVi4KpN72YUvfo2CcmG5OsKbg02jndOjC9UmKi2tDkR-X4KReRP-x9guoBn7z8/s320/CS+6+-+Flash+Vision+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002210772303650" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Yvbrof3824w1bwaqjZfrrMOu5ziVDflhYr7L0_pXiKGBilN7EfdisVTKWhyzn01oed1W3ht5-wBGZ30e697yLKykjWZeNkeyTj60y5hF05PA4x-rHniMyse8aFrhN2uIgR_SK_1TtMY/s320/CS+8+-+An+Old+Flame.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002201679587522" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFHYxn8RbOqxOSek1u2dvQbgQo_uXsih1o-85TBecA1m4CTCyxRGzCqttSulJyWMSG-4pbutQAzd_RxkT-x8cOhVwmWqNwOdxwtcjOtcS4gK0focUDuEM6i2buMtB8LEMTzSZ-FeApdc/s320/CS+7+-+TNO+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002208815757042" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8wRo5PWsx7-E-n8h8cmW0XN1gi4kfLo8ae1WfDO26cpblvsbddjvPQGpTA5WyWOiFbQU55GOwSzAEmLWf3Nsr8_x2I_vEom9kglPvXB0rIYXmnGKhR8PQkEs7suD5nQ8-9ogGPeIDs8/s320/CS+9+-+What.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002189107591026" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQt_RF8Uppjh97CepLci3SPk9lQ6yrBRBd1OEBnCH_Teh-rw2FZNoMXNMnjorwpxKFDyU2hb1dKKQaZ9LTSRF7YXHa9QtqjadnDLsHdwxVXU-oYyQq4lDaA2BcNTGbG5S7VEqK2UeObww/s320/CS+10+-+TNO+is+Alive.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002186435771458" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEHO2970eVBhEcpCSBXli-EGw0Dr7A9DVRja3uTh8heAbukXXdxqNjZQiI4xsW_S9-_XVoxQzuGNtMjkCZH-f7XwE_M5N7iy-_Lk8s5fdRraUKCoGeHKrooY5KGr3neg29_s-gmBzCmI/s320/CS+11+-+Horror.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002801143730882" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CK0N2N4rCX-PfRaK3YN3wty9RCV2d-fBeacjjmGd1Qa4ZH48fqTRswBTTZcwMq4N9FI-v4kdYSyFsyNpi6UJPGlGWO5IQCvykG3jNBsBTrktoFLx-OtawSGWG-ZrdBDVryIc2wGnzI8/s320/CS+12+-+Fingers.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002805418890002" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1GUViFEiXOa0XiZMGbMgxUwjS4zUorpl4sisSOBl24AszZa4s_-aDWZEzGn3Ow93bcsnLAMbkxPcQzXkvrsq4VUv-0gWKgB_P4JqJnSvJ2Y1S-oB_E5r64OPHmK7SaakEO7TV88gC4U/s320/CS+13+-+Failure.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002808824189634" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Lo3J-ltFyfa_jCMrIxCprQqGMSkAX_08qcxV68oGDlDEVmAiqxaw25beqxwx6cwt8LPPBO-2CkFJbhdcmMZ2-SjnqYoFYyKzYvJxbJwwZQtHebj8YmxJ9JOoBLKmtLoGjCBg1LuhZhI/s320/CS+14+-+Death.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002809912421282" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiWYY7l9L2lXl1gjiG-4HAyHpNA-Lp97ri1Whca0wxKrJsFcjdsyBeqDzSSajjEmCnSUJaVVX9v44-wcDzZhTpMTG2AC_OlrP9wbk0k9S0yjHJNt8OWYvGaidgLaGysNb4bcQB-BpjTs/s320/CS+15+-+Demons.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409002813546183570" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ir7oRZcJq2sEMFk4FhoMma-j_T6HEWNgyjHkscsWAX4N-d9P73bCFTRYb7tZe8nq46myz57oFLFhtrtonr4w_rBhKgjv5TIpxc3tN0Yeo6c8mTooMPxSeJHDk20hbxyESmopUxHJf9A/s320/CS+16+-+Betrayed.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409003510587041042" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNzfy18kmo2kFpL4nTydFr00xUybwLf64g-63_4JdAAmwwiwUZ4F3m159PHXq2m4iSyIJW4-hHOyCfisZT1pRzk8KG_Zssmuf_hOif4lYvyaDQNJ19nHC9Symq2-tWFfES1GJ4pwoZgM/s320/CS+17+-+Old+Face.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409003512867742194" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWY6Jt08418_1ZGIB3Vo9zbZ94YaHnhKfm1kWPAAMgop515a8vuBXDaCeMKEB4VXUkQwtmR3Wht24S0GIRvK4dRP4RDxes69uEOrYdJh04GnCVJGqAAnfoPlRJk8us9hYZddF_c63KZA8/s320/CS+18+-+New+face.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409003515550178546" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzz28sk2zdoicwqKU9kxPE1apH5OX4uMTmfRAgiAQKAf0t4gb63Wkh52YviW0SkPSDbuDT7bb2jKms4zYYVP2phCnunsu2IeLubjH8cIalUNzTp4hHiZfS9la2ewIoqiW__NW8_UBJSc/s320/CS+19+-+Deionarra.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409003521680563042" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSFcM3iVTIcyy7X7Z08dO1OXBPMfc4aVMY-K95yEdLH5jEw2I4bn3I3XoFqkUtPQtyVTh2NNGMw016-CvFWkQl0IUWXorEn_xVlzQde4oo9kmKBJ3Qq6Bufb3aFrgwMiv9MZsFbBS2Gs/s320/CS+20+-+Zombie+Walks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409003525942700338" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWGuka2d7SGVap5pQ6cDE3Nd8FbiqnQFfDgecr2jTEzJbPts8svy4P4iTQPu1CZ1OUXfFZq2EVbhyphenhyphenynf7qhnbaOgYmonaBlKhq_jflVlghHmgbLtMDFyGhacbCSsgr6K6HXJkWc15zNc/s320/GP+1+-+TNO+Wakes+Up.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409004389133886786" />
</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here is how we begin the game – dead. For a second. But it still a fascinating way to begin the game. How many times can you say that the main character begins the story as a corpse? It tells us one thing, in a beautiful way – Torment is not your average RPG. It is something unique, cool, and as ungeneric as you can get.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvo3jU3tqVAvNjIYVs7bBAUtY8y7QDXrgViO__rz8gA7HqEmXWibcrlutDVZtL96AlulVXUREOB2qq3scci9ZDLM5rs77LlgQb5OpIV4xDWxQ4k2cnHpaE6lTiuzD0NzAR9fnouxWSe8/s320/GP+2+-+Morte+and+TNO+meet.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409004618209279634" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hey, its Morte! That’s pronounced MORT, not MORTEE. I just realized that today when Qwinn’s Unfinished Business mod revealed a voiced dialogue where Mort said his name.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of Unfinished Business, you see that 3<sup>rd</sup> line? That wasn’t there in vanilla Torment. There is also a crap load of new dialogue tree options in this new dialogue with Morte.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We learn a little about our situation. Most predominantly, this!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamEKKVoggrrKYsG69kvxd95-IUMLh2iWsIq8KmJpUKpLJQ7Tfj-jCPI9qN1PUCdFSvTDYMcCNIEBUMNtrHLAL9Ytt1tYX-Za4qhY6gqCr3hi1nNChRWgr2plC1Zdb7M3AcQVsXsXENKU/s320/GP+3+-+TNO%27s+Tatoo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409004883900066354" /><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Notice the references to mythology? Basically, it is like this. Torment takes place in a big place called the Multiverse.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Multiverse is essentially every single setting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">imaginable</i> connected to each other. Real world mythologies count as well. The river Styx is a galactical river that essentially spans between different planes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Oh, and by planes, I mean stuff like the elemental planes, and moral planes. There is a plane for each of D&D’s moral alignments. I might as well describe them…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Lawful Good: Also nicknamed Lawful Boring. Think boy scouts, or God (maybe). It is essentially being a good individual who is very much devoted to oaths, laws, etc.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Lawful Neutral: They pretty much believe in a personal code, and maybe laws, but they don’t feel the need to adhere to either the good or bad of the concept of laws. I guess James Bond might be a good example.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Lawful Evil: I like to call it Lawful Awesome. Pretty much, think corrupt politicians. They know laws, and they have morals, but they are also willing to use them for their own self interest. I think Doom would be a great example here. He won’t hurt the Fantastic Four… but that does not mean he won’t send his minions to do it for him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Neutral Good: Characters that can see the benefit of laws but see no reason to adhere to them. They just do what their morals tell them is the right thing to do.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">True Neutral: So, how can you describe a character that is neither a good nor evil, and does not believe either laws or personal conscience is the best way to do what is best? Me neither.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Neutral Evil: A guy that is after his own self-interest. He just does whatever he sees as being more beneficial to him. He has no honor to abide by, and he is not mindlessly violent.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Chaotic Good: The Robin Hood variation. Also the smarter variation of good. They don’t believe in laws or codes – because they are stupid and get in the way of getting things done. They just allow their personal conscience to direct them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Chaotic Neutral: Someone who is between downright murder crazy (Chaotic Evil) and someone who does good without following tradition (Chaotic Good). They just try to live their lives their way, damning what society thinks of them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Chaotic Evil: The Joker alignment. Also called Chaotic Stupid by a many D&D players because most players think this means their characters should not do anything logical. Like killing a mayor of a city just because. In truth, there is a sense of logic to Chaotic Evil. They just want to spread chaos, anarchy – freedom, bestial logic – to the world. No need for order when there is none in the world.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now that we got to know D&D and the Multiverse a little bit more, let’s learn a little bit about TNO and Morte.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCxPtmwdG0iImWs0zQ4d-5jyO2ht4ZfsVjBfH-r9x7JQa2FecJ1dd-asD2BfgLRscMipEgS1F5NWUmIQH97Im-PN0_KgAK3k2wIl5jptmMzfjhB2dUJ9-vF1QYWP8cIm-WX9orNI3Nkg/s320/GP+4+-+TNO%27s+Bio.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409005397578130450" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 123px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHraFlhXjmH0IKIlkPQ_-JaFpslyyhDatR-WM3J3lZuEG6MZNP8u2HJXT3NZjG7e6ZygdzaWkh1Vr9q5HadA5Q0oJTYJb_aQfZ63zpXQMq3fppeJM0Y645KZkS-6c1F0DAzC0b_eWWZU/s320/GP+5+-+Morte%27s+Bio.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409005403115192914" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Interesting how TNO’s bio is so much shorter when compared to Morte’s. I can presume that I because TNO’s will expand as we reach major plot points in the game. Also, I can understand why they had bio’s in Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, where character development and conversation as kept to a bare minimum. But why in Torment where conversation is every and in large quantities do we need a bio when it will just be revealed to us by the characters themselves?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Maybe it was a “nudge” from the suits at Interplay to make it more like Baldur’s Gate?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So anyways, we quickly realize TNO’s first objective – find Pharod. The “book on his back” told him to do so.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But we seem to have a dilemma – the door is locked. TNO’s journey has just begun and already he is trapped.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lovely.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But luckily for us, we have no sense of moral dilemma about killing mindless zombies for a key with a rusty, well used scalpel.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">One (temporarily) dead zombie later, we opened the door. I quickly realized something. The zombies are not attacking me. They are just wandering mindlessly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is the second time in 5 minutes the game developers have told us that Torment is not Uncle’s RPG. This is going to be a weird gaming experience, unlike any you have seen before.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Also, another thing. None of the zombies share the same opening conversation text. Here are some examples:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6t2pYeId7hRUgtZ2aAodmcwkh0yfRX_Kcr6ejog6LjMdaxnUjqy6Ekfi8JhOAFgumhCVRp0lv9EGtYNMcgdXQXKE7eeWCPC7SRzE3IKkh-WlCZiZpD6b2dZPlyd5bLeUN9lx_ZdFrOLM/s320/GP+7+-+Zombie+examples.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409005857240418226" /><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I really do love it. Some of the zombies have items we can liberate from them. Awesome! The little things really does expand on the believability of the world.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Oh, and we got our first journal update.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Y-qSObmaHTKJNr3NRvX9T_Scm_zIVXsGqqnGbFAjzyKTL0JwyfHwcq0n_yEdaPyop4u2zH3ZmIiYPIx8evrNVWh1WS7jiBY1Nco320IyRQNfzSJVvMe_xXkX6KKwH0f9JDlzb2wB_RI/s320/GP+6+-+TNO%27s+1st+Journal+Update.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409006585402442050" />“UPDATED MY JOURNAL”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Greater words have never been spoken.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shortly after, we run into an old Dustman – the guys who run this Morgue, and one of the dozen factions in the Multiverse – named Dhall.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">He is old, nearing his end, and knows TNO all too well. TNO appears to have died many times, and each time his corpse comes to the morgue, only to eventually leave</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dhall assures TNO that his secret is safe with him. He will not tell the other Dustmen of his curse. If the others found out, they would surely throw him into the fires to permanently correct the problem.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you question Dhall about his kindness, he responds with thus:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI-70VcJbBS5M8fPjBGE-b2XB3Sljl94ZeztBBCvci87ymaKx7fESboIL2bQtz3_pAlHUM-0aQyksvKckT57lGSU7yZ9eXbkVBS3DpAJw8c9MuDZ0SC8_WlM_mjy8rs-BPyod4shLY6g/s320/GP+8+-+Dhall%27s+Dialogue.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409006832520697858" /><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The highlighted dialogue really resonates with me for some reason. I am a somewhat religious individual, but it seems to me that all around I see nothing but arrogance and ignorance from my fellows. I see so much condemnation on others without any attempt to understand them, or even simply sympathize with them, it makes me sick.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I wish more of any faith were more like Dhall. It’s not right for anyone to be have someone else’s beliefs forced on him. They need to come into it on their own, if at all. If the only way for a religion to survive is through force, then it is not worth surviving at all.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyways that’s all for this update. Later.</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-9858594986190732852009-11-26T00:09:00.015-05:002009-11-26T15:10:02.134-05:00Planescape: Torment Journal - Day 1<div align="center">The Planescape: Torment Journal</div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Day 01<o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOwpgonhOydZDl-OFE8PALyv_W9PY5jhi1Ne2AgjemxC3EtryDh8iGvFqDASNdTsii4YmqZkEN5IBImMJLXVLbjc7-R1Mu14ovNYU9seuXSuQHvxxRFw6OXwYp3MbzJRxWavtvi87U5Y/s320/0+-+PST+Intro.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408275908000126146" />
</p> <p class="MsoNormal">From those that know me, they know that I can’t give enough praise for Planescape: Torment. It is a game that some would almost think was made specifically for those that favor the narrative in games over the actual gameplay itself. I am one of the few that strongly believe in the driving force a good story can have in any medium, specifically in video games.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Let me put it this way. With most games, the story is determined by the gameplay. For example, let’s take Thief 2 as an example. The levels were made first, and then the story was written to mesh those levels together. “A well created narrative” is not usually one of the defining features you will find on the back of a videogame box.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With Planescape: Torment (and a few others, such as the Metal Gear Solid series), the story defines what the game is. The narrative is the reason you play the game. If the story was horrible, you would cease to play it only because the story is the only redeeming feature.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Luckily for us, Planescape: Torment has the best videogame story ever created. Period.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It helps that it is estimated it has somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 lines of dialogue. In comparison, Hamlet (Shakespeare’s longest play) only had 1,569 lines. And most of them are phenomenally written.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Ravel: There is no room for '2' in the world of 1's and 0's, no place for 'mayhap' in a house of trues and falses, and no 'green with envy' in a black and white world.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Dak'kon: Endure. In enduring, grow strong.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Vhailor: When the injustice is great enough, justice will lend me the strength needed to correct it. None may stand against it. It will shatter every barrier, sunder any shield, tear through any enchantment, and lend its servant the power to pass sentence. Know this: There is nothing on all the Planes that can stay the hand of justice when it is brought against them. It may unmake armies. It may sunder the thrones of gods. Know that for all who betray justice, I am their fate. And fate carries an executioner's axe. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Nameless One: I see. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Vhailor: No, you do not see. Pray you never will.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Coaxmetal: Start with a fragment of the enemy. A drop of blood. A crystallized thought. One of their hopes. All of these things tell the way it can die.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And these are just a few of the lines. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I had finished Dragon Age: Origins (61 hours! Holy crap!) and The Witcher a few days ago, so I have been thinking what to play next. I wanted a good narrative focused game…and then it hit me like a <a href="http://www.deathstar.org/~krlipka/ps/sense/3erules/race_modron.jpg">modron</a> being propelled by a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKZZEPoVb4c">mechanus cannon</a>! I’ll play the best narrative oriented game of all time – Torment.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Just playing Torment wasn’t an option, however. I wanted to do something… different. Mostly born out of inspiration from Shadowcatboy’s Let’s Play! thread on SomethingAwful where he practically turns Torment into a book.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m going to do a journal. Every day I’ll host a bunch of screenshots from the game, explain their context, and maybe say other goodies.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, Day 1 of my Planescape: Torment journal! Let me introduce you to the characters who’ll me joining our merry band:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">The Nameless One</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w8z7BSiCPOChLTSwe53HWV-L_v6sY0dSl_yeVgz_WcTeZQcJpcylPzwrIHB-PuXyJJQ60_DKSC9vY2BS1tD8bOvTqiQXwcMEU4vXEXsasuhDtTzdujfBj8qHFm01s3amBS1sMiCxvrY/s320/1+-+TNO.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408276687974186658" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I wonder what it was that made death reject me”.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The main character of the game, and whom we express our viewpoints on the Multiverse as well as the plot itself. He was a way for the head writer, Chris Avellone, to express his aggravation at some fantasy tropes and videogame clichés. He was tired of death and loading screens, so he made The Nameless One immortal and turned death into a game mechanic. He was tired of poorly written amnesiac tales, so Torment is a well written story about an amnesiac that barely has a cliché in site. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In many ways, The Nameless One is determined by how you play him. You determine his personality and philosophies, a great deal more so than the vast majority of games out there. In an odd twist, you can’t determine a lot of the superficial details about the Nameless One (how he looks, gender, race, not even his name). But more so than any other game, Torment allows you to really forge the Nameless One’s personality and the way he sees things. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Morte</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBeSSBSmANxpaIhyphenhyphenqqilFKCipvXyMfYlUpIcuXR0F4DrNYUNaTdxwo-aOejfIuUnOfOdTyveVgq1SoHXJbltPtCN4xeJUnkqPfofhE2We8jsoAbIOEdAe3qINvBC31SW6xCr1860KCs8/s200/3+-+Morte.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408276870907928002" />
</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Oh sure. I'll just swing it with my arms." (When trying to equip him with any weapons)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Morte is a floating skull that loves to make witty remarks about anything and everything and loves breasts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Oh, he is also actually funny and acts as the Nameless One’s (ie YOUR) personal tour guide through the Multiverse. He is your closest companion, and probably the closest thing to a real friend the Nameless One actually has. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Also, take note that he makes clicking sounds despite the fact he has no tongue.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Annah</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByjp3IKaJ7eLN52g2Krc4qx1D_JlSofzoGsV0QDjZLck5ttSCqr_hBzd82-b_G57rTZWkerv3joMe3c2TWIrF7K0zbvqnr77eXIQ6pEscK93ic74J1FSvfYMWgJ_WrK7beIR9EB-VzbA/s200/4+-+Annah.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408277038484880002" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Get yer mitts off, ye dirty wee rat!" (When attempting to remove Annah’s armor from the inventory screen.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Old Ward. Also known as Wanker City.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A tiefling (half devil) thief, Annah is the only one who is over her head in whole game. After all, most of the characters have either been with the Nameless One in one of his previous incarnations, are well lectured on the ways of the multiverse, are “dead”, or are so crazy that their lives being in mortal danger or not matters naught to them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She is just a simple thief (albeit a damned good one) and circumstances have forced her to accompany this scarred immortal on a quest through the planes to discover his identity. She has no other place to go but to likely oblivion.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">You almost feel bad for her.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Also, customary <a href="http://i49.tinypic.com/w0peed.jpg">link</a> to a much finer and *drool* version of her.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Dak’kon</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiks-rbRB41uT4ZJ-Rffd7qT-vz9O-JjMXzgNNtdFOsxtKRrcWhnc3ZouaKacmt7PtLBHW_7Xjj5Zhdzp1HDFADBm7g8kYGcwkLG6Il6QNmDiSmSSUZc840fmJHCWyBGlOCdmrkbzuri4A/s200/6+-+dakkon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408277493429522354" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Endure. And in enduring grow strong.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“When a mind does not *know* itself, it is flawed. When a mind is flawed, the man is flawed. When a man is flawed, that which he touches is flawed. It is said that what a flawed man sees, his hands make broken.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The closest thing to a Gandalf character in the game, Dak’kon is a githzerai. The githzerai were once part of the same race as the githyankai, and both were liberated by the same being, Gith. However, circumstances divided them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What does this mean? This means that Dak’kon is a very devout individual. He is devout to the teaching to Zerthimon. He is devout to his people. He is devout to his hate for githyankai. And more importantly, he is devout to the Nameless One. And his devotion could be his undoing, depending on how much of a bastard you make the Nameless One. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">How you treat him also changes his weapon. His feelings towards you will actually change his weapon’s stats and abilities. An interesting take on the Influence System before it was introduced by Obsidian Entertainment (the same guys that made Torment, just under a different company) in Knights of the Old Republic II a good 5 years later.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Fall-from-Grace</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqJO1bG-piPWa1FqPoforQt49xzlnX0iNjGVFhEoquuPgfBOeyHoeX4rz4M3CkD2WIF8VF90lRBExNqE1Ebv6BVbh3JyqlnEVXupm1Qfx3ZBtEmLAe4SVSju7PdNVTG9Gm1IasZb8EJI/s200/7+-+fall+from+grace.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408277639646352226" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Time is not your enemy, forever is.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fall-from-Grace is the one character that, maybe even more so than the Nameless One, realizes the dire of his situation. Grace is a succubus, a demon that uses her sexual allure to draw other mortals into hellish servitude.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Except Gracse is chaste. Unlike the other succubi, she doesn’t have sex. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Period</i>. Also, she is Sensate, an individual that wishes to feel all of the sensations of the Multiverse. There is no one more open minded than a Sensate. Heck, they’ll even willingly experience death (but not without a damned good priest by their side to revive them). </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Besides Annah, she is also one of the Nameless One’s love interests. Amusing how both of them are devils in their own right, and they are more good aligned than most of the “nicer” races you’ll find in the game.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Ignus</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IOhaOW_OZiIWd_KPZEDLSIFcjh55vVsiJw9kxLnxYvhMrAcvq_A75QZN3lfImdgQ1hWWSRaq-RMBuOLUlwfWaPHwQ9y3EwQrFhJPaK1ZTndiMK9KwC9Pnh1Dd1c3yHUTkhWIai6Rd1o/s200/8+-+ignus.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408277748960544002" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“BUUUUURRRRRRNNNNN.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hrm, a floathing corpse that is a portal to the plane of fire that is a pyromaniac on steroids. Nothing unusual about that, eh?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Oh God. Ignus is insane, and the most evil character who can join your party. I do not lie. To burn things is what he is. He can’t not set someone aflame. He is who he is – a wrecked soul obsessed about fire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But once you find how he got set on his path, and you’ll get all sad panda-like. I promise you.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Nordom</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStpVet9K3XIblgIgiaVNgL1g25TXLVjEhD7qeM4foKGDX_OZ0LehbCZKRl3qle8H7nQOc2hyphenhyphenG8n0PW9yiHNM0LwmdgdATfT_kRASjx-vCYWxIi9LGRFu5pJcVhjOkcVud3w-RTo0vQvg/s200/9+-+nordom.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408277845876975762" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I think, therefore I am. I think.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, the Modrons are essentially a race of cubes with four arms and legs that speak in total logic, with a fair use of calculation and logistics for good measure. They are the servants of order, to the extent that emotion has nothing to do with what they do. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Except for those that go rogue. Meet Nordom, the origin of some of the quirkiest comic relief in the game. Not to mention he possesses two sentient crossbows. And yes, he is absolutely off of his rocker (but in a totally different direction that Ignus).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Vhailor</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzsfPf1iCOP2-dQWp_PjyWyGbmOAOt-Ct9Snl8vbwG9GW2fThZxs5kcJq_1M88-NSTI0010p6wxy3chDcZ6oQb3m246bHNdCBy2AdfoPz6MY4Aw8rkEQ8e2NhSxQxAFMEQhwl1hi1bnw/s200/10+-+vhailor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408277999628102098" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Let my words carry you: JUSTICE is a TEACHER. In your PUNISHMENT, gain STRENGTH. Through your PUNISHMENT, achieve PERFECTION."</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">An animated suit of armor, Vhailor is a Mercykiller, a faction that acts as the Multiverse’s security force. They are totally devoted to justice, and in a way, see everyone as being guilty of something and so all must be punished in some way.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll be playing with Qwinn’s trio of patchs for Torment: his fixpack, his Unfinished Business, and his Tweaks. This will fix a ton of bugs Torment had, as well as putting in some stuff that was left out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Oh, I’ll also use a Save Editor to give the Nameless One max stats. Yes, this is cheating, but Torment is not about playing. It is about the story. The sooner we skip the bad parts (combat) to get to the good parts (conversation), the better.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And that concludes Day 1. </p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-77681643824870332482009-11-01T16:03:00.004-05:002009-11-01T16:40:14.984-05:00Why am I so excited about Dragon Age: Origins for?<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://dragonage.bioware.com/images/logo.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 385px; height: 95px;" src="http://dragonage.bioware.com/images/logo.png" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><p>I mean, it hasn't been that long since I've posted <a href="http://sanemansblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/bioware-tells-sucky-stories-and-here-is.html">this</a>, right? I mean, not much has really changed with Dragon Age. After all, Bioware is still calling it a "Dark Heroic Fantasy", it still has a combat system that can't decide if it is real time or turn based, and it probably still has characters that are remarkably similar to certain character from Baldur's Gate 2.</p><p>In truth, not a whole lot has changed with Dragon Age. But for once, they actually decided to let out some little things - well, a lot of little things, rather - that have changed the picture.</p><p>First off, let's start off with the fact that this game is hard. Dragon Age is undeniably a hard game. Reviewers have said it time and time again: you will wipe alot, and you will wipe hard. Higher levels and superior equipment and spells will be a great boost, but they will not be the deciding factor in who wins each battle. You will have to use something that most modern gamers are very much unused to - tactics! Strategies! Using your superior brain matter to overcome the AI!</p><p>I know a lot of players are gonna complain on the forums about it. And I am just going to gloat at them like the inferior beings they are. "Of course you died! You don't take advantage of the environment! You don't surround your enemies and use buffs to enhance your characters!"</p><p>I strongly suspect that we are going to get a repeat of alot of the brainhurt we got when Storm of Zehir came around - people say the game is too hard because they are idiots. "Enemies keep on ambushing me, even though I invested no points at all in sneaking and I have no rangers or thieves in my party and I have all Paladins!!1!1!!"</p><p>Secondly, I like the casual talking that your party members will have while you are just walking around the world. Nothing will trigger it. It adds a dimension to the characters that forced conversations don't possess. And it sounds to be very amusing when the sarcastic Alistair and the wry Morrigan send jabs back and forth as you go across town.</p><p>Thirdly, you can have your bones broken! When your party members come back from losing all of their health in a fight, you'll notice something. They'll have wounds. Surprisingly, people don't fight as well when they have a broken leg or a wound across their groan. They can be patched easily enough, but what if you run out of medkits?</p><p>Well, the game gets a lot more interesting. </p><p>Lastly, I just need a good party oriented RPG that actually tries to tell a story, even if it is one I have heard half a dozen times before. I just want to recreate that feeling I got with Neverwinter Nights 2, or Knights of the Old Republic. The Witcher is the best RPG to come out this generation, but I still like my RPGs with people to fight along me.</p><p>And seriously, I need to stop being so stingy. How am I supposed to love this hobby if I hate every other game that comes out?</p><p>Fallout 3 is still a horrible pile of shit though.
</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-46449857524757521632009-10-30T17:02:00.004-04:002009-11-01T16:00:46.290-05:00What I think of: DLC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://news.gotgame.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/shirt_0034.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 298px;" src="http://news.gotgame.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/shirt_0034.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<p><em>(From Wikipedia: Downloadable content (commonly referred to as DLC) is a form of digital media distributed through the Internet. The phrase is used to refer specifically to content created for video games that is released separately from the main video game release. The phrase has, however, also been used to refer to any type of digital entertainment media distributed online.)</em>
</p><p>In a nutshell, DLC is content that adds to a videogame. This can essentially be anything from a costume to a mini-expansion, adding hours worth of content to a game for a modest price. Now I don't know when exactly the concept of DLC first came around in the sense we know of them today. It certainly started with the Xbox a good 8 years back. With Xbox LIVE, and consoles finally entering the internet a good 4 years after the PC, being able to download new stuff was not just an damn fine idea. It was downright inevitable.<em>
</em></p><p>So, skip a Videogame Generation, and take a look at DLC and it is <em>everywhere</em>. You can't escape it. Developers always say they will give DLC support. If DLC is right there on Day 1 it is praiseworthy. Heck, DLC is now commonly addressed in FAQ on most videogame websites. It is as common as the ridiculous regenerating health. You can't escape it!</p><p>But I don't like DLC. On the surface, it is good. More content for just a little bit more cash? What is so wrong with that?</p><p>Well, it is when you are charged $4 just to have an Xbox LIVE avatar that it is bad. It is bad <a href="http://xbox.joystiq.com/2008/11/13/dead-space-dlc-uses-stasis-on-your-wallet/">when you have to pay for an unlockable costume, or $2 for a single weapon that DLC is bad</a>. Pretty much, it is when instead of given you an opportunity to test your skill at a game you are tested at how thinly you can stretch your wallet that DLC is bad.</p><p>In fact, a lot of DLC sucks in this regard. Now, there are some instances where the developer has the balls to not charge you for more. Mainly VALVE - they never charge you for anything beyond the actual game. Portal's challanges? Free update. Team Fortress 2's new hats and guns? Came with a patch. Left 4 Dead's new campaigns? Again, one big update.</p><p>The problem with DLC is that it is way too much for too little. Recently, Bioware announced their first DLC for Dragon Age: Origins - Warden's Keep. $7 for a quest that we are assuming will last a few hours.</p><p>That is just too much. Think about it - for the PC, Dragon Age's MSRP is $50. The game itself will last a very long time - reviewers say anywhere from 30 to 60 hours on a single playthrough. With additional Origin stories, that could easily be tripled. That is at minimum of, what, $1 (or less) for every hour.</p><p>The DLC is asking for twice the price tag for not even a fraction of the original game's play time! </p><p>Now, do not get me wrong. I fully and completely understand why DLC is a necessity. Videogames are becoming more expensive. Budgets are getting bigger by every year, standards are getting higher. But $50 for a game isn't cutting it any more. Not even $60 is good enough for most console releases. Companies need extra income to stay afloat.</p><p>That is where DLC comes in. But the problem is that they are too much. And it is becoming more of an issue where developers may very well cut content from a game to sell it as DLC. It is not ridiculous to assume that one day some big name company will say "Insert Credit Card for Ending".</p><p>And players everywhere will do so willingly.</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-84744346523828047252009-10-12T20:24:00.003-04:002009-10-12T20:42:49.066-04:00I have a new computer... how does it feel?<p>A long, long, <a href="http://sanemansblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/development-of-cyclopean-computer.html">long</a>, time ago, I made a little post about my initial thoughts on building myself a gaming rig. What I had originally planned on buying then, and what I ended up were quite different. The cup was the same... but some other stuff was somewhat different. And some of it was the same. I kept the video card, but I threw out G.SKILL in favor of CORSAIR, and I favored COOLER MASTER for my cpu cooler. </p><p>But that is all besides the point. I have a new computer - one that is wholly mine. I built it myself from scratch. I chose each and every component. This was my creation. And it never felt so good to see that boot up screen on my monitor (a tiny 1280x1024 one. It will be solved soon, I promise!). </p><p>To be at the end of the road, it is nothing less than weird. When I first bought that Intel Core i7 waaay back, I was fairly certain I would end up selling it after giving this affair up. But for some reason or another, I persevered. I'm not one for commitments. I like quick satisfaction, and to actually spend a year buying the parts for a high end computer was a fairly big departure from the norm for me.</p><p>There was quite a few road bumps, most specificly me trying to figure out why nothing would show up on the monitor despite the fact I plugged everything in right. It only took me 12 hours and 1 help post on a computer builder forum for me to find the problem culprit in a DOA RAM stick.</p><p>Oh, and did I mention I had trouble getting the cpu to lock into place, and it had to take my engineer dad to do it for me? Yeah, that was an interesting moment.</p><p>I also had to redo it 3 times (first time because I forgot to install the backplate for the cpu cooler, second because I put the cpu cooler in the WRONG direction, and the third time to see if that would solve the monitor issue). </p><p>But at the end of it all, it was all worth it. I love having a 5.4 out of 7.9 system rating from Windows 7, and the only reason for that would be due to the "slow" transfer rate of the primary hard drive. What with everything else being 7.3/7.4, one could hardly call this an "okay" machine.</p><p>And I can hardly describe how darn cool it is for me to finally have a computer with an Alienware case! It is quite intimidating. </p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-44452243952219710222009-08-23T19:40:00.004-04:002009-08-23T20:08:14.347-04:00Initial thoughts on GEIST: THE SIN-EATERS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.irook.com/images/categories/cat_2562.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 375px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.irook.com/images/categories/cat_2562.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<p>Every year, White Wolf Publishing, the guys behind <em>Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Changeling: The Lost, Exalted, Scion, </em>and lots of other rules-lite roleplay-heavy games, releases a limited release for their World of Darkness line. In contrast to their main lines, which will have a few supplement books every year added to it, these limited lines will get only 5 or 6 at most.
</p><p><em>Geist: The Sin-Eaters</em> is their newest limited game, and I was looking <em>very</em> forward to it. I really can't emphasive how much I was anticipating this game. Heck, I preordered it way back in May! I even marked the release date on my calendar.</p><p>Folks, I never ever mark anything on my calendar. Not even <em>The Dark Knight</em> or <em>Star Trek</em>! I was quite happy when <em>Geist</em> came in on Saturday. Of course, as luck would have it, I was busy that day, with me at Cold Stones training from eleven to five, and then my best friend Pete came over and we played Guitar Hero and went to see <em>District Nine. </em>His first time, my second. He loved it, and I <em>still</em> continued to love it. But that is neither here nor there.</p><p>But I did read <em>Geist</em> today, but not all of it. It's barely a 300 page book, so it is not the biggest RPG White-Wolf has put out. I think Mage and Changeling are the runners up for that, with a cyclopean 400 something pages. In fact, I'm only halfway into Chapter One, which describes exactly what Sin-Eaters do and their duties and the circumstances in their metamorphosis from humans to Sin-Eaters, as well as describing the death demi-gods the Geists that live within them. It covers alot, but I'll leave my description of them for another post.</p><p>This post will be on my initial thoughts on <em>Geist</em>. So far, what I am loving I really do love. I love the concept of the Geists, these very tormented souls that have become the embodiment of whatever type of death that took their lives. They don't even have a personality any more. And they don't cause deaths because they are monsters - it is because they have to. It is their nature. Fire can't help but burn people alive - it just burns.</p><p>I like how Sin-Eaters understand that this is their last chance, so they have to live like no one has never lived before. How to do that is different from Sin-Eater to Sin-Eater.</p><p>But, I do not really like how Sin-Eaters just mish mash all of the cultures together to make theirs. It just does not make a lick of sense to me! I see no real life culture ever doing that. I mean, you could give some argument for the English culture, but we have nothing on these guys. Sin-Eaters put a little bit of every foreign culture they encounter into their own. And then they drop it the next week and replace it with something else. It. Does. Not. Make. Any. Sense.</p><p>And another thing: if Sin-Eaters are so religious (which makes sense, since most of them are poor, and the poor have the tendency to be more religious than the middle class and the rich), why do they put stuff from other faiths into their own religion as much as with their culture? I just have a very difficult time getting that.</p><p>And this is more of a personal preference, but I do not like how most Sin-Eaters are aware of the fact that other Sin-Eaters are out there. I like unified supernatural beings, not divided ones. I can certainly see where the writers were going with this, however, since the Sin-Eaters' <em>krewes</em> are essentially gangs, minus all of the crime. That tightly knit brotherhood. "I watch your back, you watch mine, brother".</p><p>But even then, I do not hate the stuff I don't like. I just don't get why any rational human being would do something like that. What I do like, though, I more than like. I love them! And I am only 30 or so pages into the game, so don't count this as gospel.</p><p>Until next time, gentle readers.</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-61948246203605568932009-08-12T22:05:00.004-04:002009-08-12T22:17:57.716-04:00A Marketing Strategy So Crazy It Just Might Work!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img1.immage.de/03085c5275awolfenstein.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 426px; height: 600px;" src="http://img1.immage.de/03085c5275awolfenstein.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<p>Thanks to Kotaku, I have been informed of some absolutley <strong>bizarre</strong> news.
</p><p>Next Tuesday, the next video game in the long running First Person Shooter franchise, <strong>Wolfenstein</strong>, is being released. </p><p>It is up against that hellspawn of a game, Madden 10.</p><p>The project's director, via his Twitter, has said the following:</p><p></p><blockquote>Here's the deal folks: if Wolfenstein outsells Madden 10 in August I will personally pay for your copy (keep your receipt) - SPREAD THE WORD</blockquote>That was yesterdat at 10:51 AM.<p></p><p>I am tempted enough to contribute to this madness!
</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-70915578438803504092009-07-30T17:54:00.004-04:002009-07-30T18:16:28.323-04:00"Judge Will Likely Deny Activision's Request for Brütal Legend Release"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://files.fluctuat.net/images/b/r/brutal-legend-conan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 245px;" src="http://files.fluctuat.net/images/b/r/brutal-legend-conan.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93544-Judge-Will-Likely-Deny-Activisions-Brutal-Legend-Delay">Source: Escapist</a>
Here is what I have to say to <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span>, Activision. This could of had been yours. This hard rocking game of a gem could have had your nice little label on it, and you could of have made oodles of cash on it.
You could of had it Activision! You could of had it all, only if you wouldn't make it a Guitar Hero spin-off! But <span style="font-style: italic;">noooo</span>, you had to have that cursed spin-off, you couldn't perceive the brilliance of any marketing strategy outside of it. You didn't dare have the awesome power of metal burn your faces off like butter sitting on a freshly warmed knife!
So you got rid of it! You abandoned Schafer's baby in the cold desert of 'No Publisher', leaving all those years of labor for naught. And when EA swoops down to save it, what do you do? You <span style="font-style: italic;">panic!</span> You go "Oh noes!" and you decide to pull off the biggest douche bag move you could ever conceive of pulling off.
You try to use the legal system to delay it, you good for nothing sons of mothers! You tried to stop the great charge that was <em>Brütal Legend</em>.
But you can't stop it! You can't! Even the legal system urinated you in the face! You had your chance to do something good with the gaming world, but you shrunk back!
And you got nothing for it all!
And that is all you deserve.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-30057794439881565222009-07-26T20:13:00.006-04:002009-07-26T20:23:33.158-04:00Friday is for Funny Picture Day! Wait, its Sunday?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W0S2IaKhOUTiJyroZQh5LtmrOkzUeJpuGZylNgp9mExjuRiwSEDWIcHFAMSBmvlE8HJJk68KZ2grganBLe-MJREwyJ9dYNLV18OjqE3hSx1Q2Kvy_Wk9Boq8KOOJcKRk5DlJsWfDO7Y/s1600-h/1199567761828um5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W0S2IaKhOUTiJyroZQh5LtmrOkzUeJpuGZylNgp9mExjuRiwSEDWIcHFAMSBmvlE8HJJk68KZ2grganBLe-MJREwyJ9dYNLV18OjqE3hSx1Q2Kvy_Wk9Boq8KOOJcKRk5DlJsWfDO7Y/s200/1199567761828um5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362928864348881506" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrPePdB7eLUtJnH0BeXugyJFjrW4F6CkxkgF0-VLcEDDVl-ulrLwufMKi2vN3KuEzTe0VMJI7a_Wb0_tbfhH_FtwUTwySHdCwiLDzBv8hgQkMghqMTjLvx9xOAz6z4I3GpmIydFT3ayg/s1600-h/MotivationalDr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrPePdB7eLUtJnH0BeXugyJFjrW4F6CkxkgF0-VLcEDDVl-ulrLwufMKi2vN3KuEzTe0VMJI7a_Wb0_tbfhH_FtwUTwySHdCwiLDzBv8hgQkMghqMTjLvx9xOAz6z4I3GpmIydFT3ayg/s200/MotivationalDr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362928760608351634" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5vQlobUa2rw_FeZATAgfhHig4VWbA1KGaF5cHsarKkEKPJW-U8BRwbXPqQCG55wuTRX5KCSkJw-7LwzG_QTjBMK_17uPNgJ0xJHUusLCR6cgoQme6fEmoniCDztO0vLXzO88bhU7ktE/s1600-h/1206744811994.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5vQlobUa2rw_FeZATAgfhHig4VWbA1KGaF5cHsarKkEKPJW-U8BRwbXPqQCG55wuTRX5KCSkJw-7LwzG_QTjBMK_17uPNgJ0xJHUusLCR6cgoQme6fEmoniCDztO0vLXzO88bhU7ktE/s200/1206744811994.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362928624154436162" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLa3s6fJMGEhoyMddfsr-hyEfcrtu5a08Qt7qLkd8Zf_OT7m8zShtUE9OvX15yzeuOKhHCr3j3YDbXWRHjS5k8v2fdHOg5Tn5U5LYTK1rHVivd4OriVCW3UX1I5jMtwUgdahWh2edH0A/s1600-h/onlineadvice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 109px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLa3s6fJMGEhoyMddfsr-hyEfcrtu5a08Qt7qLkd8Zf_OT7m8zShtUE9OvX15yzeuOKhHCr3j3YDbXWRHjS5k8v2fdHOg5Tn5U5LYTK1rHVivd4OriVCW3UX1I5jMtwUgdahWh2edH0A/s200/onlineadvice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362928360888515762" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUDGfqd1IKR5QaAef0QLH5WGEbXx-qlXOEwgHYudHuuUN4Yr7TW_kDOVFf1XrH0erQtuiegHkJxqJUQTEMUguGH-JQREdB8Bo1RzV9Tn2BYhnKsDdYWZret2SPqChLy2g0XzDPl7wc4I/s1600-h/barrelrollnotgood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUDGfqd1IKR5QaAef0QLH5WGEbXx-qlXOEwgHYudHuuUN4Yr7TW_kDOVFf1XrH0erQtuiegHkJxqJUQTEMUguGH-JQREdB8Bo1RzV9Tn2BYhnKsDdYWZret2SPqChLy2g0XzDPl7wc4I/s200/barrelrollnotgood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362927134650255746" border="0" /></a>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-19643444167310871822009-07-26T12:08:00.002-04:002009-07-26T12:10:43.446-04:00Sin to Win!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.shacknews.com/images/sshots/Screenshot/12474/12474_4a69facee2218.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 851px;" src="http://www.shacknews.com/images/sshots/Screenshot/12474/12474_4a69facee2218.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
This is so ridiculous that I can't even be offended.
Also: EA knows their bastardization of <span style="font-style: italic;">Dante's Inferno</span> is a piece of shit, so instead they pornography it to get sales. Good job EA.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-61226050467621684972009-07-24T11:45:00.002-04:002009-07-24T11:49:06.663-04:00SyFy...New Name...But needs more Sci-Fi shows...Working on a new "Firefly"<a href="http://io9.com/5309356/syfy-seeks-the-next-big-space-opera-to-replace-bsg-and-farscape?skyline=true&s=i">Thanks io9.</a>
It would appear that SyFy, a channel that is devoted to Science Fiction shows and movies, is now quite surprisingly out of shows that deal with Science. They have plenty of Fiction though!
What is the solution? Simple!
Make a new Firefly show!
Well, not exactly Firefly, alas, but it will be in the same style, and tone, and all sorts of goodness. This Browncoat hope it works and it lasts for more than a single freaking season and a feature length film.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-28094931852960020002009-07-23T23:22:00.002-04:002009-07-23T23:23:43.395-04:00No fruit for California for 100 yearsYou can read more about it<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006166"> here</a>.
But why so worried? In 100 years, our kids will be on the moon doing crazy things with jetpacks!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-74135504175555459522009-07-23T20:53:00.001-04:002009-07-23T20:55:33.445-04:00Castlevania movie is back from the deadThanks to <a href="http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/16838">BloodyDisgusting</a>, it has been revealed that the Castlevania movie, which was killed in the Spring, has been revived, thanks to the co-creator of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Saw</span> franchise, James Wan!
...Yeah, I never heard of him either. But it has an awesome poster!
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/photosizer/timthumb.php?src=/photosizer/upload/castlevania072209.jpg&w=600&zc=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 929px;" src="http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/photosizer/timthumb.php?src=/photosizer/upload/castlevania072209.jpg&w=600&zc=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-56221070290878927882009-07-19T14:56:00.003-04:002009-07-19T15:08:31.738-04:00A Review of FIRE AND ICE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_IGcPoXkEPio/R9-WTPuqSFI/AAAAAAAACCQ/LhcwdNQEtoc/fire_and_ice_poster_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 405px; height: 653px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_IGcPoXkEPio/R9-WTPuqSFI/AAAAAAAACCQ/LhcwdNQEtoc/fire_and_ice_poster_01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
If there was ever a better collaboration to produce the greatest masterpiece in fantasy's short run in the Cinema, it would of had been Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta. Between these two people, we had gotten The Lord of the Rings (the animated one), Wizards, the Death Dealer, countless paintings for Conan the Barbarian, as well as cover artwork for some Tarzan novels.
These guys knew how much artwork lends itself to some of that over the top landscapes and scenarios that are so common in fantasy. These two were perfect for bringing <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> Fantasy movie. They made Fire and Ice, a chronicle of the battle between the denizens of the Fire Kingdom and the Lands of Ice, a retelling of the struggle between good and evil that only these two guys could of had thought up of.
Unfortunately, they did not make the definite fantasy movie. On the positive side, Fire and Ice is still a pretty good movie, and one you could watch and so long as you are not looking for a storytelling masterpiece, you will find a fair representation of the fantasy genre.
Fire and Ice has its shortcomings. The overly sexualized heroine, the occasional dry dialogue, and the fact that pretty much everyone has to wear loin clothes.
But on the plus side, you get a fun movie with lots of action and suspense and proof that just because you were a Panther's mask you can still be a badass.
It is a fun movie. Ignore the fact that all of the girls are in small bikinis and you will have a good time. A solid <span style="font-weight: bold;">7</span>.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-54492283229107914882009-07-17T00:01:00.009-04:002009-07-17T00:16:04.378-04:00It's Friday! You know what that means!No.1 - You have one more day to write the story for saturday's RPG Group?
Me - No.
No.2 - You have to think of some way to get money for that First Date?
Me - What First Date?
No. 2 - Precisely.
Me - No, it means this is "post funny images" day!
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/alternate_currency.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 415px; height: 333px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/alternate_currency.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFeTVvjg5va8dAWUDrIYTdNAbHRIBRGWnAE3irJI6lN2bW3V3788sD3JLjsI9jtJYhTx1LFJD-v_SIXBtfkLnG2UIsxWPfmZQ1Nv597uKDuBv3cdiMen9IPsyl9qcZTUGk18ArHyPy4U/s1600-h/Creationism.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFeTVvjg5va8dAWUDrIYTdNAbHRIBRGWnAE3irJI6lN2bW3V3788sD3JLjsI9jtJYhTx1LFJD-v_SIXBtfkLnG2UIsxWPfmZQ1Nv597uKDuBv3cdiMen9IPsyl9qcZTUGk18ArHyPy4U/s320/Creationism.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359275155883139378" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCknZoF2n2K6eBdBB10Skrf6GXkwKeGQFAF8DkITVlYeKY83D7TjvPjlDF02vH1H_FYEwFmia4gA258DM3N6dn18i5a8csy-dlEHW9Hspt1bU8oDF7x2dar2otEEr9U9hh6LXSLzRvk0/s1600-h/STARWARS_GiantMag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCknZoF2n2K6eBdBB10Skrf6GXkwKeGQFAF8DkITVlYeKY83D7TjvPjlDF02vH1H_FYEwFmia4gA258DM3N6dn18i5a8csy-dlEHW9Hspt1bU8oDF7x2dar2otEEr9U9hh6LXSLzRvk0/s320/STARWARS_GiantMag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359275461217214530" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBKVGuqGI2eAihfBfcH-bTqjaLpwoFDxHEnC4IwXsufgaddaQgi-06uGGU8_hZ_5JqfP5gPp0XvY2xegrCNoJS1LGxhzqZjv4uykfwE8LWTRuc446RYrP4tJimSzirluRNKLizm3Jkdk/s1600-h/america_motivational.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBKVGuqGI2eAihfBfcH-bTqjaLpwoFDxHEnC4IwXsufgaddaQgi-06uGGU8_hZ_5JqfP5gPp0XvY2xegrCNoJS1LGxhzqZjv4uykfwE8LWTRuc446RYrP4tJimSzirluRNKLizm3Jkdk/s320/america_motivational.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359275634159254514" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0dHafld4_x3PWeTJYKZ2l5UDV2UHC9k8HpkYkpifh-oHR6mKZidQpWCJsgISQh4o2VdkiIUYDrrVDTBU4k7P5D29zbFN5eCHHX052R-B5NcByS90hyW8e7qfLhEDDMQ1Ybh0kEGsNLU/s1600-h/sign27wg4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0dHafld4_x3PWeTJYKZ2l5UDV2UHC9k8HpkYkpifh-oHR6mKZidQpWCJsgISQh4o2VdkiIUYDrrVDTBU4k7P5D29zbFN5eCHHX052R-B5NcByS90hyW8e7qfLhEDDMQ1Ybh0kEGsNLU/s320/sign27wg4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359275816233614146" border="0" /></a>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/friends.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 686px; height: 953px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/friends.png" border="0" alt="" /></a>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-8071886675606449532009-07-16T12:08:00.002-04:002009-07-16T12:10:32.822-04:00An astronomically idiotic 18 year old makes a mock terrorist threat via World of WarcraftFrom <a href="http://kotaku.com/5314752/nutso-wow-player-threatens-to-hijack-plane-kill-as-many-americans-as-possible">Kotaku.com</a>
You know, it is an unproven fact that precisely 1/3 of World of Warcraft's player base is made up of incest spawns.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-18280951297975376402009-07-15T21:43:00.002-04:002009-07-15T21:45:37.774-04:00As a huge fan of Planescape: Torment and Final Fantasy VII's #1 Hater, I must say this...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/6682/namelesscloud.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 441px;" src="http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/6682/namelesscloud.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My God.</span>
Okay, yes, Planescape: Torment has some baisc design principles with Eastern RPGs, but come on! That is just painful!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-43999501981685193002009-07-13T22:47:00.000-04:002009-07-13T22:47:07.202-04:00Matt goes to see PLAY! A Video Game Symphony<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.originalsoundversion.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/play_cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 550px; height: 550px;" src="http://www.originalsoundversion.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/play_cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The days of the bleeps and bloops of the video game ancients of Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Tetris and Space Invaders have long since passed. Technology has now reached the creativity of composers, and while it is a rarity that you will get compositions that equal their patriots in the film industry, there are always a few glimpses of true art with video game music.
I had the privledge on Saturday to go with a certain blogger named <a href="http://theknightshift.blogspot.com/">Chris Knight</a> to "PLAY! A Videogame symphony", a 2 hour long compiliation of various video game music suites written specifically to be played by a live orchestra. As a lover of not only symphonic music, but also video games, I went there with great enthusiasm.
But first, I'll link you to <a href="http://theknightshift.blogspot.com/2009/07/review-of-play-video-game-symphony.html">Chris Knight's post</a>, just so that you can get an idea of how a much more casual music lover's tastes are. Oh, and just to give the man some much needed publicity.
Back to the symphony! I met Chris at the Palladium Cinemas at 5:00, and soon we were off to one heck of a road trip. I was under the impression that we would be heading straight to where the symphony was taking place, but Chris had more than a few trips up his sleeve.
We took a pit stop at "Hyper Mind", a hobby store that Chris is more than attached with. As someone who was quite new to the RPG hobby, I was quite excited to be in a gaming store for the first time ever. Of course, just my luck they had no RPGs that I was currently acquiring. It was still a very fun expierence for me to have.
Of course, when I told Chris my semi-dissapointment, he turned to me and said in a loud voice that made me glad we were alone in the car "You want RPGs? I'll give you RPGs! We're going to Sci-Fi Genre!"
A good twenty minutes later, we turned into a small six car max parking lot, and before us stood Sci-Fi Genre, a store that I was more than acquainted with. I had almost bought a set of<a href="http://www.warehouse23.com/img/full/QWSKCTH21.jpg"> Q Workshop's Cthulhu Dice</a> for my friend Peter's birthday back in April from them.
It didn't take me long for me to find their shelves full of RPG books, and just a tad longer me for to find their old RPG shelf. I had almost bought their copy of "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fading_Suns">Fading Suns</a>", but not after I realized it was the First Edition, and not the Second Edition that I was on the hunt for.
Anyways, Chris bought his figurines for Warhammer 40,000 (<a href="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6324/85570.jpg">Chaos Space Marines! Death to the False Emperor!</a>), and we were off.
We arrived there at about, oh I'd say 7:00-ish. We found some nice seats on the lawn in front of the playing platform, and at 8:30 the music was on!
They began with SUPER MARIO BROS. Well, it was quite expected to be honest. After all, where else would you start any sort of dedication to video games than with something regearding that big, fat, Italian plumber? It was a mixture of suites of the main theme, the undergound, that underwater theme, and Bowser's castle theme.
BATTLEFIELD 1942 came next. Now to be honest, I never quite remembered that game's music havins such a Jazz-like feeling to it. Of course, we have to be honest here, I don't remember that much about the game, so I'll allow that to pass.
We were then subjected to an electric guitar edition of the SILENT HILL games. Personally, I thought this was the weakest part of the whole occasion. Silent Hill does NOT work very well with rock instruments. It was designed to give a sense of corruption and supernatural horror and the way it was used here did not evoke that atmosphere at all.
Listen to this, and then I am sure you will be in agreements with me.
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One of my most favorite parts of the symphony came next - CASTLEVANIA! I was in estatics the whole way through. Sure, they didn't have any of the themes from Lament of Innocence play, but come on! This was Castlevania! How could you <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> be excited just by the fact that they had some Castlevania music playing? I was satisfied for the entire performance right then and there.
KINGDOM HEARTS came next. It was a nice arrangement of the music - and thank God, no pop songs in sight - but the overly ecstatic applause made me frown. Only because of Kingdom Heart's association with Final Fantasy makes it such a huge hit. Otherwise, it is just a purely average game. The music is charming, sure! But it is not worth all of the love it is getting.
Oh, wait, I'm going into rant mode again. Let's move on.
They finished the first part with a wide variety of music from THE LEGEND OF ZELDA games. Of course, with 12+ games, there is no way in hell you could accurately give a musical suite with such a vast variety of musical cues in just 7 minutes. But whoever did the arrangement gave it their damned best attempt, and what music was heard was quite good.
After the break we listened to some jolly music from SIM CITY 4. It was the light hearted fun you could expect from a game where you can build your own cities and destroy it any way you could desire.
As much as I hate the Elder Scrolls games (or heck, anything from that hack studio known as Bethesda Softworks), the musical cues for the fourth entry in the series, OBLIVION, was quite good. It gave a good sense of the fantasy setting, of the mysteries of the ruins, to the despair that was given by the hordes of Oblivion that was invading the land. I quite enjoyed the choral cues.
Some music from CHRONO CROSS and CHRONO TRIGGER was played. Surprisingly, I remember nothing from this portion of the performance.
This is when the biggest shock occured - it rained. And not just a drizzle, no sir. It rained cats and dogs and some mice for good measure. Chris and I ran for them hills and got some nice cover and stayed to listen to the music from the HALO trilogy.
Now, you guys probably know that I think the HALO games are good mindless fun, but to be honest, are pretty average. The music on the other hand... woo boy, now there is some music. Great fun to be had, especially by that HALO geek Chris Knight.
Then one game came up I was never expecting - WARHAMMER ONLINE. As a one time player, it was great to have that music play.
And of course, then came one game that everyone knew would come up - WORLD OF WARCRAFT. A great set of music to be sure.
Thinking that it was done, Chris and I made our way to the parking lot when, all of a sudden, we heard <span style="font-style: italic;">something</span>. Like mad men, we raced back to the stadium, and I heard the final boss music from FINAL FANTASY VII, "One Winged Angel". I thought the choirs were too soft and slow myself.
And then, they were done. For real.
And it was a great experience. Should it ever come North Carolina's way again, I will certainly be dragging everyone I can by their ears to this. Good fun to be head by all.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-32126821053227381272009-07-09T22:29:00.005-04:002009-07-10T07:33:40.523-04:00What I'm Playing Now - Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/5684/609031-vampirebox1_super.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 850px;" src="http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/5684/609031-vampirebox1_super.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
There are few games in the field of videogames that divides players as much as this one does. One end, it is horribly glitchy, has some of the worst combat you could ever see in an RPG, and the character models aside, it is not at all a good looking game. On the other side of the spectrum, you have some of the most finely written dialogue you could ever hope to see in any medium, its characters are so well written that they seem real life human beings, and it has a wide range of options in handling the objectives in the game. You could persuade your way past the guards, suck their blood like that Vampire you are, or sneak past them like you are the next Solid Snake.
There is a lot of hate, let me tell you. But man, for someone who loves his options and his stories like I do, there is so much to love that you have to wonder why bother hating it at all?
Let me give you all one good reason why you should grab this game from your nearest torrent site.
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.eurogamer.net/assets/articles//a/6/4/4/5/7/1/ss_preview_EGBloodlines1.jpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 512px;" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/assets/articles//a/6/4/4/5/7/1/ss_preview_EGBloodlines1.jpg.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
This right here is the Haunted Hotel at Santa Monica beach.
You think you have seen scary in a video game. You probably thought you had seen it all. "Pfft!" You will think when you are given the task to retrieve the pendant from inside the Hotel that control the ghost that haunts it. "I've seen Horror movies. I saw Alien and didn't even flinch! I'm a new age man. I watch SAW and I can handle this pussy Hotel ghost like it was nuthin'!"
You will be wrong.
My hand was shaking the whole time. I couldn't even keep my mouse steady. My palms were sweaty. It was like Niagara Falls all over my Microsoft Sidewinder (the new spiffy black one, not the one that looks like a boomerang). I had to wash my hands for a whole minute, soap bar and all, before I was convinced I was clean enough to continue gaming.
People, that scene is pure atmospheric brilliance. Saw what you will about that sewer level, where all us persuasive characters are forced to run for our (un)lives from those Death-on-Legs because we were too busy investing our points into Persuasion and Seduction rather than "I'm Gonna Woop Yo' Ass!". The Hotel Mansion alone <span style="font-style: italic;">made</span> Vampire Bloodlines one for the record books.
And that wasn't even the best scene. There is this one scene where you are confronted with a Cannabilistic Vampire, and this is where the game throws some moral-philosophical head spinners our way. See, this vampire wanted us to send some poor chap that had seen her doing her stuff down to her lair so she can make sure the guy doesn't tell a soul about her.
You will do it. It will make perfect sense in all of the world for you to do it, even for those extremelly moralistic individuals. You will do it because she presents the case - and quite well, I might add - that you are <span style="font-style: italic;">no</span> different from her. You suck blood, the life force of humans. She eats them. They are both horrid, damnable acts. What makes what you do so much better than heracts of survival?
None of it does. So that is why you do it.
And that is why I love this game. Because it is more than a game. It is about things, stuff that you need to think about, to ponder about, to debate with yourself. That is a sign of good storytelling folks, not how much fanart is dedicated to your game on DeviantArt.com.
I'm not even finished with it yet. If it weren't for the fact that The Witcher and Arcanum and Planescape: Torment are patiently waiting for me to finish them, I'd do a second play through as either the butt kicking Gangrel or those crazy I'm-gonna-debate-with-a-stop-sign Malkavians.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-8926832428519176212009-06-30T14:44:00.002-04:002009-06-30T14:45:56.055-04:00If there is *one* good thing about Barack Obama...It is this.
<object width="500" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kVFdAJRVm94&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kVFdAJRVm94&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="525"></embed></object>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-40253294046586834122009-06-30T14:34:00.003-04:002009-06-30T14:42:02.506-04:00Pirate Bay Goes Legit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://suse.groenbaek.net/openlife/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-pirate-bay-logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 371px; height: 371px;" src="http://suse.groenbaek.net/openlife/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-pirate-bay-logo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
Say what? <a href="http://www.cisionwire.com/global-gaming-factory-x/acquisitions-of-the-pirate-bay-and-new-file---sharing-technology--p2p-2-0">The biggest file sharing site in the world is going legit?
</a>
Now that's something you never would of expected in a million life times.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-20513806189698721562009-06-27T16:48:00.004-04:002009-06-27T16:55:01.862-04:00What Happaned to the Oscars<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famecrawler/2009/03/oscar-academy-award.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 460px;" src="http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famecrawler/2009/03/oscar-academy-award.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
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mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:auto; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:200%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">“This was the time when the Oscars actually meant something”. So commented Skac01 7 months ago to a YouTube video of Jerry Goldsmith winning his one – and unfortunately, only – Oscar for his score to The Omen – and what a score that was!</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">But I’m not going to write about that fantastic score. I’d much rather talk about that comment, what it meant, and why it rings so <i style="">true</i>… or at least to me.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">The Oscars first came about in 1929. That was when movies were still young. They were fresh and exciting! Sure, we didn’t have CGI, or Computer Generated movies, or even color. Now that I think about it, we didn’t even have sound. But we did have stories. We did have images that <i style="">moved</i>. That was something new. After millions of years of just being content with having pictures that stayed perfectly still, they could now be animated.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">It was something new, something exciting.
</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">And the Oscars were supposed to award those that were truly great.
</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">With that in mind, a question should be raised. Is the reason the Oscars no longer mean anything is because movies no longer mean anything.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I’d wager a yes.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">More and more, I am seeing a trend in our general media. The mass audience go for the cool things. Big shiny robots, cool explosions, a simple good against evil plot. Things that are nice to stare at and say “Oooooo” for 90 or so minutes, but beyond that, not much more.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">We have our cool special effects, the awesome fight scenes, the copy cat romantic comedies, and one has to wonder, why even bother anymore? If all of the movies are cookie cutter duplicates, with minimal difference in characters and plot, why should we even care?</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">And the answer is we shouldn’t.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">So, Academy, if you want to make the Awards worth something, allow me to give you a big hint. Nudge those Studios to make movies that are worth something. Then you will see people flocking to their televisions to watch the Academy Awards again.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">
</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Just a hint.</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-49242665201163016342009-06-24T11:44:00.002-04:002009-06-24T11:47:37.471-04:00How do I revive this blog?By saying that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is <span style="font-style: italic;">way</span> too long at 2 and 1/2 hours, has way too many juvenile jokes, and had what I'd like to call the "Car Car Binks" twins.
But it had awesome action scenes and Meghan Fox, so all is well.
With all due apologies to those (2) faithful readers. I will return to posting more melodramatic insights on philosophy, politics, and RPGs soon, I assure you.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-85027492294429631452009-06-19T23:33:00.002-04:002009-06-19T23:34:58.042-04:00The Great, Grand, and Wonderous 'Fire David Letterman' Rally<object height="340" width="560">Ladies and gentlemen: I present to you a bunch of loons. Maybe we should have abortions - at least then we wouldn't have idiots such as these folk running around.<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7lyxaAiFmJc&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7lyxaAiFmJc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210141549040326690.post-22915393288888088142009-06-06T10:16:00.002-04:002009-06-06T10:19:02.370-04:00Bioware Tells Sucky Stories, and Here is Why!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blogcdn.com/news.bigdownload.com/media/2009/01/bioware.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 425px; height: 283px;" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/news.bigdownload.com/media/2009/01/bioware.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">I. Bioware bases nearly all of their storyline on the idea of "Absolute Good versus Absolute Evil"</span>
Ever since their inception into the RPG universe with Baldur's Gate, there was a certain familiar feel with their storylines. You can't help but have the feeling that you have been there before, just in diffirent shoes, and maybe with a different <i>reason</i> to be there every now and then.
That is because Bioware almost always relies on the classic "A Hero must Rise to destroy a Great Evil that Threatens to Destroy the World!" plot archetype. Now, this is a classic archetype, and rightfully so. It is often found in the likes of mythology and folklore. J.R.R. Tolkien brought this into mainstream with his The Lord of the Rings, and George Lucas even more so with the vast majority of his Star Wars movies.
However, just because a story archetype is classic does not mean it is all good either. After all "classic" is just one stone throws away from being "cliche". We need more than just a mold for a story to be good. We need interesting characters, character relationships, a villain that is truly worthy of being called a villain, the development of the characters, etc. You can have all of the plot twists to your heart's desire, but if it does not have a heart, what is the freaking point?
Simply put, plot twists alone do not make a story "good".
And Bioware seems inept of understanding this fact.
In Baldur's Gate, you were a <span style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffffff;"><b>SPOILER!</b></span> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Spawn of Bhaal, the God of Bloodshed,</span></span>, and you must stop your <span style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffffff;"><b>SPOILER!</b></span> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">evil half brother from replacing your divine father, and save all of Baldur's Gate in the process</span></span>!
Baldur's Gate II was a very refreshing change of pace, when you instead were out to kill the bastard that tortured you and killed one of your friends. The villain was also very compelling, and you understood his actions. He was an interesting character, as well as a plausible villain. What was at stake was all that mattered - your own neck. It was an epic storyline for all of the reasons that most people do not think is epic. Unfortunately, Bioware did not like it, and went back to its roots with their next games.
In Neverwinter Nights, you must stop an ancient evil from conquering the city of Neverwinter. The singleplayer game was quite bad, but in return, they gave the community an <i>amazing</i> editor, which allowed users to create their own games! Sure, most of them were crap, but a select few were quite stellar, and were worth the price of the game and its 2 expansion packs!
With Knights of the Old Republic, you are tasked with saving the Republic from the evil Sith! Oooooo.
In Jade Empire you must stop a horrible person from conquering the Jade Empire! Hrm.... where have I heard this before?
And in Mass Effect, you, once again, have to stop some horrible evil from destroying galactic civilization as we know it!
People, how on Earth is this not getting tiresome? Bioware is recycling the same story archetype 4 games in a row (surely soon to be 5 with Dragon Age in October)! And people praise Bioware for good storytelling? Laughable.
Now, I understand that just a story archetype alone isn't enough to condemn a story. It may still very well be a "save the world" storyline, but there could be enough twists and turns and interesting scenarios, well written dialogue, and compelling characters that it will be a good story.
Unfortunately, Bioware rarely has any of those things. Their plot twists are far too rare, and rarely do anything for the storyline, that makes them truly effective. Their dialogue is often quite crude, with the appearance that they were scratching them onto stone rather than writing them with pencil. Sometimes, the dialogue is just downright cringe worthy. In some cases with Baldur's Gate, they were even laugh worthy at how campy it all was.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">II. Bioware Recycles Their Characters for Nearly Every Game</span>
Baldur's Gate II is one of the strongest games in Bioware's lineup, and they know it. Not only was it, fun, engaging, an open world, and full of dozens of characters that can be a part of the player's party, but it also had an engrossing storyline, and it was full of strong characters, especially the villain.
So, instead of bashing their brain boxes together and trying to think up of ways to recreate the magic in their subsequent games, they decided to just downright copy it, paint it another color, and just call it new!
Basically, nearly every single party NPC after Neverwinter Nights can be easily be described as a BGII character with a different name and backstory. This weakens the overall narrative of the story overall.
<span style="font-weight: bold;">III. Bioware's perception of "evil" is just mindlessly killing people and/or being a bully</span>
Let's face it people. Being a murderer is not the sole way in which you can be classified as evil. In the same respect, being a bully, asking for money from someone for just saving their lives, is not evil.
Evil is when you totally and absolutely remove all measures of hope and perseverance from someone. It is when you leave them as a lifeless husk, when you screw a woman despite you having no affections for her whatsoever, and right after that going to the local whore house, leaving her on that bed. Evil is using that woman's affections for your own selfish ends. Evil is when you totally and absolutely remove the humanity from people, leaving them as a soulless husk for you to do with as you please.
So, those are my 3 main reasons as to why Bioware does not tell good stories. Good day and good gaming.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07140082038700620906noreply@blogger.com1