tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7035392554267613242024-02-02T05:36:50.073-08:00The Viking GamerDoing it for the Loot (and sometimes the Pillage)Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-5504996259912279442014-10-21T11:55:00.002-07:002014-10-21T11:55:25.402-07:00Gaming, Gates and Greenbacks<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hwaet,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So there I was, perfectly happy sleeping in my Hall when I
heard the rumble of something in the distance. Something Dark, Ugly and
decidedly unholy. Something so Grievous I felt the need to comment on it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Sup?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, in fairness, the storm known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate_controversy" target="_blank">GamerGate</a> has been going
for weeks now and this is a decidedly tardy commentary but my general apathy
towards Social Media has left me insulated from the worst of it. However it’s
now beginning to leak into the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/21/gamergate-angry-men-harassing-women" target="_blank">mainstream media</a> and giving ammunition to a whole
new generation of Jack Thompson-esque censors who can ring their hands and cry
out “Won’t somebody please think of the children!”. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Look, I’m not going to comment directly on the shocking
levels of misogyny involved. People have literally fled their homes because
douchebags on the internet decided to share <a href="http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/10/11/yet-another-woman-in-gaming-has-been-driven-from-her-home-by-death-threats/" target="_blank">personal data with a bunch of self-professed would-be rapists</a>. Presumably ‘for the lulz’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The world is a very sad place the day a Viking needs to tell
you that threatening rape is not OK. Noone should need to be reminded that
women have every right to work in one of the fastest growing tech industries on
the planet free from harassment or threats.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">McGruff the Crimedog here, reminding you to stop being an ass</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">No, what concerns me more is the moderate gamers who have
been swept up into the howling vortex of the GamerGate ‘movement’. Somewhere,
buried under all the vitriol, there is supposedly a grand point being made
about journalistic integrity in Games Journalism. At the heart of it is a claim
that Zoe Quinn used her feminine wiles to seduce various game reviewers
and so boost the scores and coverage of her indie title Depression Quest (sadly the game title isn't the most depressing thing here).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, if this was true (the claims were made originally by
her ex boyfriend, emphasis on the ex) it might be reason enough to look askance
at any coverage of Depression Quest but as some kind of lowpoint in journalistic
integrity? This barely registers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Want to know the real corruption eating away at gaming
media? I’ll give you a hint.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Money. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Money makes almost any claim of impartiality these days
pretty laughable. Games journalism is still, at its heart, an extension of the
marketing process for the big Publishers. The Publishers decide which games get
shipped out for review, who gets copies (not to mention what 'bonuses' those copies come with) and when the reviews can appear. This
creates an atmosphere where there’s a constant unspoken threat – say something
we like or you won’t get to see our next AAA release. This in turn feeds into
the average review score being <a href="http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2013-03/ban-grading-scales-games" target="_blank">heavily tilted to the positive</a> end of any scale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">They’re able to have this level of control because, more
then any other popular press, Games Journalism is an online phenomena. The
majority of people read their reviews online and the biggest players are all
websites (Kotaku, Polygon, EuroGamer, IGN etc). Because they’re web-based they
rely mostly on Ad-revenue to pay staff and make a profit. Ad-Space that is
bought predominantly by the big Publishers to advertise their next games, or even the game
that is being reviewed. Furthermore, thanks to this model, if a Publisher doesn’t
send you a copy of their latest AAA title, a title people are hungry to learn
more about, you are literally losing money by not having any clickthroughs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So we have a situation where the Publishers control the content
available for review, the timeframe for those reviews and how much money the
review sites will make from them. Yet these complaints have barely cropped up among the most vocal proponents of GamerGate who prefer to focus on Nepotism...which is easier to switch around to women using their natural assets to turn executive heads (To be fair, some commentators have spoken out about this but more on that later.).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hey, but at least no one is <a href="http://gamasutra.com/view/news/107436/GameSpot_Comments_On_Gerstmann_Controversy.php" target="_blank">getting fired</a> right? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Eidos here, reminding you to get back in your cage Peon</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So to summarise, there is an issue with integrity in Games
Journalism but it has nothing to do with those nasty women seducing all you
innocent male bystanders with their irresistible wiles...No, it is much more to
do with the far less sexy world of big business and profit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, some people will no doubt claim that they are part of GamerGate to fight excactly these issues. Or perhaps they are retroactively supportive of Gamergate because of the massive backlash in various media outlets against Gamers (which even <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/10/09/gamergate-is-not-a-hate-group-its-a-consumer-movement/" target="_blank">Forbes</a> points out is a bit much). To be honest though, it doesn't matter:</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">As long as you are tied up in 'GamerGate' noone is hearing your legitimate concerns.</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>If you want to get heard, time to find a new home.</strong> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Or to put it another way, noone is watching the zookeeper when the monkeys start throwing their poo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">On that depressing note, let’s say Skol! And drink together.
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Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-1804628564913838852013-03-06T10:46:00.000-08:002013-03-06T10:46:26.855-08:00It's my Birthday and I'll plug if I want toYes dear readers, it is my birthday today. I'm once again slightly closer to 30 then I was the year before and by all appearances may be becoming a full grown adult...<br />
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...Ok, maybe not.<br />
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That right there is so far among my best Birthday presents ever and was painted by hand by my best friend, Ami. Therefore I am planning to use my tiny slice of the internet to shamelessly plug his artwork. If anyone is interested in something similar (or a 'Viking Batman' which was my other option) then get in touch through the button on the right or in the comments and I'll see if I can twist his arm for monies.<br />
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Right! In other news, while I'm making merry and celebrating the biological achievement of existing there's also this brand spanking new Iron Man 3 trailer. Let's take a moment to drink it in.<br />
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So we have more of Tony Stark feeling sorry for himself, though at least this time achknowledging that he has no idea why (must be tough on his giant money bed). There's also an increasingly Authoritarianism vs. Terrorism streak starting to develop.<br />
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This has allready been touched on a bit in the earlier films with Tony acting as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar">Avatar</a> of the military industrial complex while his foes go to increasingly elaborate, desperate or evil lengths to oppose him. The idea of a hardline Rumspheldtian President being able to use War Machine (Iron Patriot in the film) to further his case is kind of wonderful and incredibly terrifying, while Ben Kingsley continues to prove that he wasn't hugged enough as a child with what's shaping up to be another classic role as a villain.<br />
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Overall, pretty psyked for my birthday, my present and the new film!<br />
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Until next time friends, let us say Skål! and drink together...Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-51107902206075210392013-03-04T11:59:00.001-08:002013-03-04T11:59:33.788-08:00Morality in GamesSay what you will about Mass Effect or Infamous (and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect_3#Controversy">people will</a>) but while the moral choice systems they introduced were integral to the plot, they were also somewhat lacklustre; with the most difficult choices sometimes being the metaphorical equivalent of 'Kick an adorable puppy' or 'Don't'. <br />
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Is this the games fault? No, not really, moral choice systems in Games almost always suck and have done for years. Of course, this shouldn't be suprising. After all, morality is one of the most challenging concepts the human race has created and it's one that major figures still <a href="http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/27660831?uid=3738032&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21101905414087">struggle with</a> today. The stark black and white choices in most games are simply an extension of this wider societal debate...and often the safest way to keep your game free of controversy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://magiccards.info/scans/en/gtc/25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://magiccards.info/scans/en/gtc/25.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This should be a button on Xbox Live.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://magiccards.info/gtc/en/25.html">Source</a></td></tr>
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Ironically, by trying to present things in as simple a form as possible Game Developers have actually managed to present the main camps of this complex debate in a handy bitesize format. So, like a Viking at a buffet, I'm here to gobble up the moral quandry and spit it back out into a diatribe of knowledge.<br />
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While you take in the imagery of that last sentence, I'll begin.<br />
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<u><b>Viewpoint 1) Absolutism</b></u><br />
<u>Mass Effect 2</u><br />
<u><b> </b></u><br />
When you see people debating morality today, whether on the news or in a seedy internet forum, they will almost always fall into two camps. Since Absolutism has been around alot longer, it gets to go first.<br />
<u><b></b></u><br />
Absolutism is, very basically, the belief in Truth with a capital 'T'. That is, the existance of a single, clear-cut standard of what is right and what is wrong. This is the version of morality that is most often linked to organised religion and,. in fairness, most games that present you with a moral choice system.<br />
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Mass Effect, and in particular Mass Effect 2, presented this in the simplest possible terms with quick time events that shifted you towards either 'Paragon' (Good Guy) or 'Renegade' (Bad Guy). The thing is, despite some pretty clear design choices (You glow when a Paragon, get Red Smoke and bitchin' scars as a Renegade) they decided to introduce a few of these events that were less clear cut.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/002747433/2553640036_Paragon_and_Renegade_logos_by_Retsnimel_xlarge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/002747433/2553640036_Paragon_and_Renegade_logos_by_Retsnimel_xlarge.png" height="320" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not only are you evil, but you're a damned Commie to boot!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/paragon-or-renegade/question-2747433/?link=ibaf&q=&esrc=s"> Source</a></td></tr>
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For example, during one mission you have to infiltrate a PMC (*sigh*) in order to reach 'ArchAngel' (He's a Paragon by the way) and stop said PMC from murdering him. On the way you can sabotage several systems they were attempting to use in order to make the fight more even. Finally, when you are nearly there you can head down an alley and find a mechanic working on a attack gunship.<br />
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Now, said mechanic starts merrily chatting away about how the gunship can really 'do some damage' a renegade flag pops up. What do you do oh evil one? Shoot him in the back? Knife him repeatedly and dance a merry jig in his organs?<br />
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No, you pick up a electric cable and shock him with it, knocking him out and helping to sabotage the gunship.<br />
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Now this is certainly not heroic, indeed it could be seen as kind of wussy, but by doing this you could be helping to save several lives. Certainly some people, who we'll get to later, would argue this was a just act.<br />
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Not Mass Effect.<br />
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Renegade! Bad, bad man!<br />
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This is the thing with Absolutism, by definition there is no Grey Area. You are either Right or you are Wrong. The problem with that should be self evident, but incase it's not then just imagine this. If you can be one of two things, will you always be the one you should be, even when it's hard, or will you be tempted to change the rules so that what you are is always Right...no matter what?<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades"><br /></a>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades">History</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot">suggests</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihadism">an answer</a>.<br />
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<u><b>2) Viewpoint 2: Relativism</b></u><br />
<u>GTA IV</u><br />
<u><b> </b></u><br />
In one of his defining moments of Pope-ness the former Pontiff warned about the '<a href="http://www.lst.edu/academics/landas-archives/373-dictatorship-of-relativism">Creeping Relativism</a>' in Western Europe. Essentially, he claimed that the 'Truth' (noone should be shocked the Pope is an Absolutist) was being watered down by a society that consistently saw shades of grey (Not those <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifty_Shades_of_Grey">Shades of Grey</a>!).<br />
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Again, very basically, that's what Relativism is. The concept that truth along with concepts of right and wrong all depend upon where you're standing. To us Bin Laden was a mass-murderer, to a select few he was a heroic martyr. Based on this belief, it is impossible for us to declare an absolute right and wrong and can only act on what society can agree at the time. <br />
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To me, no Game better sums this up then GTA IV.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ayay.co.uk/backgrounds/action_games/grand_theft_auto_4/niko-bellic-with-shotgun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ayay.co.uk/backgrounds/action_games/grand_theft_auto_4/niko-bellic-with-shotgun.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niko Bellic: Shotgun Philosopher.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ayay.co.uk/background/action_games/grand_theft_auto_4/niko-bellic-with-shotgun/">Source</a></td></tr>
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In GTA IV you play as Niko Bellic. Immigrant from a war torn Eastern European country who's hunting for the men who betrayed his unit and his (presumably ethnically cleansed) village. In the game you murder, deal drugs, help pimps and prostitutes and rob a bank with a group of Irish Mobsters who don't include Ben Affleck.<br />
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Yet while you do all of these things, you are still the hero. You don't question the things that happen in the missions because you know what Niko's goal is and you empathise with his character. Like Liam Neeson in Taken, he's been wronged and someone has to pay.<br />
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Again, the problem with this viewpoint should be self-evident. Niko cares so little for right and wrong that he leaves a body trail at least as long as the men who killed his village. In fact, even the game achknowledges how far he's come.<br />
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See, at one point you think that 'Florian', a man from your village living in Liberty City, may have been the traitor so you hunt him down and kick in his door.<br />
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Only to find that Florian had become...well, this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100328155222/de.gta/images/a/a3/BernieCrane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100328155222/de.gta/images/a/a3/BernieCrane.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Das Vadanya, Sailor</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://de.gta.wikia.com/wiki/Bernie_Crane">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Bertie Crane, happy and openly homosexual man. When Niko explains why he's there Bertie says something along the lines of:<br />
<br />
'I'm sorry Niko, but it wasn't me. When the war ended I was upset, I came here and came out. I got over it'<br />
<br />
Sort of seems like the healthier option really, but not, in GTAs world, the abjectively 'Right' one.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, which of these systems is right? Well, neither. There's a reason I said all game morality systems suck, and it's the same one as why I think these predominant beliefs (in their most commonly spouted forms) also suck.<br />
<br />
Human beings are incredibly complex creatures, and never more so then on issues of the soul, morality and sentience. The truth is that while there may not always be a 'Right' in every situation there may well be a 'Wrong' in that same situation.<br />
<br />
The 'Truth' may not exist but the truth does, and sometimes is ignored when it should be spoken.<br />
<br />
Or to put it more simply: If you find yourself in a situation where you are shooting a child, or detonating a explosive vest in a crowded public square...Then you're being a dick and should cut it out.<br />
<br />
If you are preaching with all the fire of a Crusader against religion because it doesn't see your point of view, chances are you're also being a dick and should cut it out.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, you could say Skål! and drink your fill.<br />
<br />
<br />Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-8429211373102150802013-03-01T12:27:00.001-08:002013-03-01T12:27:57.855-08:00Technical IssuesI continue to be plagued by windows 8. While I work on it, enjoy some 13th Warrior...<br />
<br />
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Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-37831459772056575632013-02-27T12:23:00.000-08:002013-02-27T12:23:05.345-08:00Cons, Things and the GroupAs I mentioned previously (and with breathless excitement) I recently ended my embarrasing lack of Con experience by hitting up London Super Comic Con and had a great time. I talked briefly about how not having been to a Con was kind of weird for an internet 'Geek' commentator like myself and that, along with the experience myself, got me to thinking about Conventions and the central place they've come to occupy in the hearts and minds of Gamers, Comics-Lovers and other assorted brands of what we might call geekdom.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2011/06/medium_bulgarianstatue2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2011/06/medium_bulgarianstatue2.jpg" height="236" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lest we Forget...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gawker.com/5813906/bulgarian-war-memorial-vandalized-awesomely">Source</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The first things we'd probably recognise as 'Cons' started in the 30s, around the time that Science Fiction and Fantasy were starting to gain some ground as serious mediums rather then schlocky 'Genre Fiction' like John Carter (read the books, everyone is naked the whole time) or the stuff of childish fairy tales.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, 1930s New York and London weren't crawling with mustachioed men with funky outfits and Nerf Guns but the point of the Cons hasn't changed since these early meetings. It was, and still is, a profoundly liberating experience to gather together in one room with others who you knew, by their mere presence, appreciated the somewhat borderline things that you did.<br />
<br />
This instant inclusion, the feeling of being at home, is a profound one; Particularly for those of us who grew up either hiding our obsessions or being bullied because here, possibly for the first time, you find yourself in the majority. This is a feeling we may not have experienced before.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.dukechronicle.com/images/large_rect/fe00f80ee499cb952be181ad5182fbb58acc98cf.jpg?1358842122" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.dukechronicle.com/images/large_rect/fe00f80ee499cb952be181ad5182fbb58acc98cf.jpg?1358842122" height="246" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Give me your Thors, Your Iron-Men and Huddled Fanboys</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.dukechronicle.com/images/large_rect/fe00f80ee499cb952be181ad5182fbb58acc98cf.jpg?1358842122">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Inclusion is a powerful thing, speaking to something deep within us as Human Beings. It's why sports fans will scream themselves hoarse in the stands and in bars; why every major election is a pitched screaming match between party supporters and yes, sometimes it's why grown men dress up as Jayne Cobb and aim nerf guns at the camera.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XA4S-EjzDpktj-Jq-1-E6keLEwzLECUtGa3vUdH1m4Ry1YuTiEssqTh2RuwwMvbYjPlXiXRdJU6BMP7xsua8m1VzBGYpWhUDsk6U-orolsSkbzm4zgEscr3NzNDYdtnmqm9g1YXlFU4G/s1600/John+Jayne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XA4S-EjzDpktj-Jq-1-E6keLEwzLECUtGa3vUdH1m4Ry1YuTiEssqTh2RuwwMvbYjPlXiXRdJU6BMP7xsua8m1VzBGYpWhUDsk6U-orolsSkbzm4zgEscr3NzNDYdtnmqm9g1YXlFU4G/s1600/John+Jayne.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I literally cannot thank my mother enough for that hat</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I could talk all day about the whole warm feelings, lovey-dovey and generally hippyish feelings that I don't imagine I was alone at experiencing at my first Con but I'm going to do something better instead.<br />
<br />
I'm gonna talk about Vikings.<br />
<br />
More specifically, I'm going to talk about how they used this natural, all-too human need for inclusion to stop Iceland tearing itself apart. See, Dark-Age Iceland was a pretty hairy place to live (both literally and metaphorically...Vikings.) with Blood-Feuds, honour-killings and general nastiness going on often enough to fill several very readable Sagas.<br />
<br />
The only thing keeping the whole place from descending into a massive Battle-Royale was the government of the time. Uniquely, it wasn't a particularly badass Viking Warlord who had final say. Instead, it was everyone.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Law_speaker.jpg/300px-Law_speaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Law_speaker.jpg/300px-Law_speaker.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For the last time, Han shot first! Drop it Thorvald!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althing">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
See, while the Greeks are generally credited with introducing Democracy in the West its kind of a con. The Greek democracies were actually Oligarchies (rule by a small minority), run exclusively by old and extremely rich men while younger and poorer free citizens had absolutely no vote. In Iceland however, while the most powerful men could meet and set laws they were then presented to every single free man and woman in the country, all of whom came to the Thingvellir (Assembly Fields) to meet, hear the news and listen to legal cases.<br />
<br />
If you broke a law in that time the worst punishment was to be declared 'Outlaw' (literally Outside-the-law) and therefore exempt from the protection or interest of the Althing. Basically, a walking target.<br />
<br />
The Althing was often the only place Blood-Fueds could be settled with both sides still standing.<br />
<br />
Yep, it could even stop Vikings from killing eachother.<br />
<br />
Now, if that's not an argument in favour of heavyset, bearded men and women in chainmail all gathering together I just don't know what is.<br />
<br />
Until next time friends, let us say Skål!and drink togetherHarald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-37808129114977761162013-02-25T12:27:00.000-08:002013-02-25T12:27:18.177-08:00London Super Comic ConI have sucessfully returned from the London Super Comic Convention (LSCC) which was, in a word, amazing. You see,while Conventions, or Cons, have been a mainstay of Geek and Gamer culture for a few decades, I myself had never been to one. Until now, that is, and may I just say that it was most definately worth the wait.<br />
<br />
Myself, a few friends and may ever understanding wife got together and made our way up for the festivities on Friday. My wife had actually arranged the trip as an early birthday present for me, which should tell you everything you need to know about why I married her. <br />
<br />
If I'm honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a sea of very vibrant, excited people talking about comics, films and all things Geek; usually while dressed as one of their favourite characters. The standard of costumes was incredible with representatives of Marvel, DC, a handful of Judge Dredd-style Judges and one or two characters who I completely failed to place.<br />
<br />
I left with a boatload of Comics swag, and some pictures to share with you all...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfx3bsj3axMEN_F17I7DPsiTdp4o9vOXCX2XXbcFxG_8SKMc8-fHClWcKPXxEdMPAi9VmewEgBXqXOkhag8ACpGFPcvGZBnsqjFq6XghrRPVHbAKSV-PFJ4EYnjAEeRzGdVSVf4C5Itil/s1600/Punisher+Cap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfx3bsj3axMEN_F17I7DPsiTdp4o9vOXCX2XXbcFxG_8SKMc8-fHClWcKPXxEdMPAi9VmewEgBXqXOkhag8ACpGFPcvGZBnsqjFq6XghrRPVHbAKSV-PFJ4EYnjAEeRzGdVSVf4C5Itil/s1600/Punisher+Cap.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punisher Captain America...Apparently this is a thing that happened</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrOeAEsTbokeSGPaSHTa6Jqe87327kAG5DWMNKqd_OIomvilJIIKVbYjVP0Y8wlJDUc46p9fMDfrAWUFU3y6gKWMYQ82zCXXJ8xqq154Y0QajOcpH_oSy0gl4yV6cnaOo5Lp5WwDMvwBH/s1600/Ami+and+Nightwing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrOeAEsTbokeSGPaSHTa6Jqe87327kAG5DWMNKqd_OIomvilJIIKVbYjVP0Y8wlJDUc46p9fMDfrAWUFU3y6gKWMYQ82zCXXJ8xqq154Y0QajOcpH_oSy0gl4yV6cnaOo5Lp5WwDMvwBH/s1600/Ami+and+Nightwing.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thanks to my buddy Ami and Joe from <a href="http://threeleggedsofa.podbean.com/">3-Legged Sofa</a> for some of the pics.<br />
<br />
<br />
Until next time, Let us say Skål! and drink togetherHarald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-40785945572496825432013-02-22T10:03:00.000-08:002013-02-22T10:03:18.937-08:00PS4 AnnouncedWell it was a press conference full of flash and low on substance, but Sony finally confirmed that a PS4 is nearly ready for release.<br />
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You'll probably have heard the basics by now but here were the main points that stuck out for me.<br />
<ul>
<li>They confirmed nothing about the hardware spec, but were eager to compare it to a PC rig. This is a dumb road to go down in my opinion, as no console will keep up graphically with upgradeable PCs. Methinks the rumored SteamBox has them scared, and theyre positioning themselves to fight it.</li>
<li>Looks like there might be no backwards compatability. Lame, but not unexpected.</li>
<li>No price, eh? Either they're waiting to undercut Microsoft or they don't want it to kill the launch like the £600 PS3 pricetag did.</li>
<li>Like the recent Xbox rumours it seems that Sony are moving for a always on connection to limit the secondhand market. Advertising Diablo 3 as a launch title pretty much confirms that. I still think its a mistake.</li>
</ul>
That was the basics, sorry if this seems rushed but I'm in a car on the way to Londons Super Comicon. Pictures and post will follow on Monday!<br />
Until next time friends, let us say Skal and drink together!<br />
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Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-7554668048059066622013-02-20T13:40:00.001-08:002013-02-20T13:40:24.920-08:00Aliens: Colonial MarinesPlaying Colonial Marines is a bit like having a drunk friend try to explain the experience of Aliens vs Predator 2. In between the poor decision making, annoying asides and assorted bullcrap there is glimpses of something definately worth playing.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it takes a lot of sifting to find the diamond in this particular bit of rough.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gamerzines.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/AliensColonialMarines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.gamerzines.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/AliensColonialMarines.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protip: If your Aliens game features close combat, something<br />has gone horribly wrong.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.gamerzines.com/playstation/hicks-returns-latest-aliens-colonial.html">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lets start with the games introduction. Thing start allright with the usual Ooh-Rah speech by the resident military tough guy and a distress call by Corporal Hicks from the Aliens film. So in no time you, Cpl. Winter, and a band of plucky marines are sent across to the spaceship Sulaco to see what's wrong.<br />
<br />
It's at this point, about 2 minutes into gameplay, that things first fall down. As you walk across an embilical between your ship and the Sulaco things actually start exploding and bodies rain through space. Suddenly, with absolutely no build up, you are in the middle of a Michael Bay movie and things only get more action packed from there.<br />
<br />
When you're on the ship there are dead bodies and Alien goop everywhere, along with the obligatory friend who's allready been facehugged. Yet, because everyone is so busy shooting guns and causing explosions, noone even vaugley reacts. While there may be the occasional 'Whats that?' the marines, for the most part seem to take their declining situation in stride.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wallpapersmarket.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Aliens-Colonial-Marines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wallpapersmarket.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Aliens-Colonial-Marines.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their <i>sexy </i>stride</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wallpapersmarket.org/wallpaper/aliens-colonial-marines.html">Source</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course, maybe they're so calm because the Aliens just aren't that scary. No, far from the slink, swift-moving death machines of the films and Rebellions seminal games the Xenomorphs in Colonial Marines are boxy, badly animated and apparently fond of the Michael Jackson moon walk.<br />
<br />
They employ all the same tricks of every Aliens game and film ever made but while the slowly speeding beep of the motion tracker preceding a burst vent and black shiny death used to get my pulse racing here it just makes me sigh wearily before despatching the latest in a long line of disposable foes.<br />
<br />
Things only get worse when the human enemies appear, while previous entries in the Franchise have made human betrayl a key story point here it's clear that the humans are only there as more active foes then their alien counterparts. More then likely because somebody at Gearbox thought 'People liked Gears of War and that had guns in it' and shoved them in here.<br />
<br />
Sadly for that genius the combination of their poorly executed appearance, cliched getup (They're not even Weyland Yutani security...they're a 'PMC' aka that thing every game had two years ago) and bad AI make them even less consequential then the Aliens. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110304012459/avp/images/1/1e/Weyland-Yutani_Corp._Logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110304012459/avp/images/1/1e/Weyland-Yutani_Corp._Logo.gif" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weyland Yutani: Screw you, that's why</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Weyland-Yutani">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I said, every now and then we get glimpses of the game that might have been. The weapon sounds and occasional snippets of dialogue are captured perfectly and the Pulse Rifle is once more modelled with loving detail.<br />
<br />When the game is allowed to slow down and build tension we get the best sense of what we missed. There are a few moments of genuinely great storytelling and gameplay, mostly focussed around the shady dealings of Weyland Yutani and the fate of LV-421s doomed colonists. There's even a character nod to <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VasquezAlwaysDies">Vasquez always dies</a>, which is nice.<br />
<br />
Overall I could not be more disappointed. I have been looking forward to, and actively promoting, this game for months. I had hoped for a return to the greatness of AvP 1 and 2, what I got was something that very nearly rubs shoulders with the atrocious reboot from a few years ago.<br />
<br />
Until next time, Let us say Skål! and drink together..Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-80726816037187508472013-02-18T13:47:00.000-08:002013-02-18T13:47:05.095-08:00ChangesSo I start my new job (amazing, just fyi) and after finishing sit down to write this post. Of course my computer picks this moment to die.<br />
<br />
Ah well, as promised I'm going to break down the changes coming to the blog. Unfortunately, it boils down to fewer posts a week. <br />
<br />
While I was previously able to post 5 days a week, I'll now be moving to a three update schedule. Posts will now go up Monday, Wednesday and Friday, though there's the chance of small updates or news flashes outside this.<br />
<br />
For anyone who needs more Viking Gamer in their lives there's. Always my twitter feed (later nk to the right) which will continue being updated.<br />
<br />
Until Wednesday then my friends, let us say Skal! and drink togetherHarald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-10048441051703715792013-02-13T14:42:00.001-08:002013-02-13T14:42:50.125-08:00Brief Intermission and Changes to the BlogHello! As some of you will be aware yesterday was my last day at a job I had been plugging away at for several years. The more canny reader may have noticed that most of my updates were done during working hours and only on work days. The reason for this is that while I was good at my job and worked with some charming people I often had free time I decided to use creatively.<br />
<br />
Now, on Monday I will be starting at my new company and expect a much heavier workload. However, before that I am busily fitting a new kitchen in the Great Hall and as such will be preoccupied for the next several days. <br />
<br />
What this means in short is that the blog will have a short intermission for the rest of this week, and pick up again on Monday. <br />
<br />
On Monday I will be announcing some changes to the post schedule to better reflect my increased workload.<br />
<br />
Thanks to everyone reading this for helping me get this far, and I hope you'll bear with me for the future.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
The Viking Gamer<br />
<br />
(Skal!)<br />
<br />
Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-86016052829249175282013-02-12T05:17:00.001-08:002013-02-12T05:17:58.426-08:003 Real Weapons we need in VideogamesI'm a big advocate of Videogames in many respects, and one of my favourites is promoting games as stress relief. It may sound odd but there really isn't anything that calms me down as much as sitting down, zoning out and blasting pixelated enemies into gory oblivion.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/261/4/0/borderlands__psycho_by_sntp-d5f7gin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/261/4/0/borderlands__psycho_by_sntp-d5f7gin.jpg" height="320" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But I'm not crazy! Right Guys?...Guys?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sntp.deviantart.com/art/Borderlands-Psycho-327873119">Source</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />I've spoken before about how the best tools for these cathartic rampages are those with soul and substance...but since we're obviously gonna continue down the Borderlands/Jak and Daxter route of craziness for the sake of craziness I have a few real-world weapons that would make even the Gunzerker blush.<br />
<br />
These are the weapons too crazy for games, not quite crazy enough to not exist.<br />
<br />
<u><b>3) Weaponized Dolphins</b></u><br />
<br />
Imagine you're playing a game that allready has some pretty crazy weaponry, let's say Dishonored. Now, on this particular play-through you've fallen into the water to escape a strider but what's this? Your health is dropping! A damn hagfish is attacking! Except of course, because this is a game, you can't hit them back because water is to videogame protagonists what carbonite is to Han Solo.<br />
<br />
At this point you can either suck it up and take the damage, jump out of the water and shoot at it like Cnut on a really bad day at the beach or reload and try not to get spotted in the first place.<br />
<br />
Now imagine if you could throw a dolphin at it. A highly trained, Liam Neeson of a Dolphin.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/04/17/dolphin11a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/04/17/dolphin11a.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Know this, I have a very particular set of skills that make me a nightmare <br />for tuna like you...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/07/bottlenose.dolphin">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This was basically what the US Navy was thinking when they commissioned the '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_Marine_Mammal_Program">Marine Mammal Programme</a>' and started training Dolphins and Sea Lions for a variety of naval warfare missions. Now apparently none of these involved blowing themselves up like adorable underwater terrorists but that doesn't make them pretty intense like this quote from that wikipedia (pinch of salt warning) article:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"When an enemy diver is detected by a dolphin, the dolphin approaches
from behind and bumps a device into the back of the enemy's air tank.
This device is attached to a buoy which then floats to the surface,
alerting the Navy personnel of the intruder. Sea lions carry a similar
device in their mouth, but instead attach it by hand-cuffing one of the
enemy's limbs"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Holy crap! As somone who used to dive pretty frequently let me just say this: If you're getting body-slammed by a dolphin or handcuffed by a sea-lion then that is one seriously bad day.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><b>2) The Speech-Suppression Gun</b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Now, let's say you've been on a serious gaming binge. You've played for six hours straight and are nearing the end. Finally you kick in the final level door and are greeted by 300 goons, all shouting their single line of recorded dialogue. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Just one line, over and over again.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's enough to drive anyone crazy...but what if you could actually silence them with just one trigger pull (instead of one very loud and noisy spray). Well, if your game is made in Japan (Hi there Androgynous Heroes!) you should be doing just that because a research team in Japan made a <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/view/427116/how-to-build-a-speech-jamming-gun/?ref=rss">speech-supressing gun</a> that fires your own words back at you making your brain do something akin to a face-plant.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/347744-Chatterboxe-1331306034-897-640x480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/347744-Chatterboxe-1331306034-897-640x480.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, I sure don't see any troubling future implications of this!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/347744/japanese-team-invents-device-that-silences-chatterboxes/">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<u><b>1) The Lightning Missile</b></u><br />
<br />
(Quick Hat tip to <a href="http://www.cracked.com/">www.cracked.com</a> for educating me that these exist)<br />
<br />
Farcry now, and you're waiting for the convoy to complete it's incredibly aribtrary route before it comes back and detonates the mine you've set in the road. It's a routine you've done at least a dozen times before in order to get all the upgrades from the local arms dealer.<br />
<br />
If only there was a way to make it more exciting, something a bit jazzier then a normal explosion.<br />
<br />
Something like this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/4/2012/01/cbe96236e0431c913526eb04114de1ad.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/4/2012/01/cbe96236e0431c913526eb04114de1ad.jpeg" height="320" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallelujah! Thor is Real! And he's Pissed!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gizmodo.com/5626248/what-is-this">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That picture, which looks like Thor and Zeus both really hate that tower, is the aftermath of a <a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/4217464">Lightning Rocket</a> a completely real thing which uses rockets with some form of conductive agent (wire, superconductive liquids etc) to cause a weatherfront to prematurely give up it's electric love.<br />
<br />
Why? Well apparently because while some Scientists study rocks or global warming, other scientists look at a thundercloud and go 'You know what, Fuck that guy'.<br />
<br />
Until next time, Let us say Skål! and drink together...<br />
<br />
<br />Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-20498010800240109372013-02-11T06:56:00.001-08:002013-02-11T06:56:23.602-08:00The ChurchSo, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21411304">this happened</a>. <br />
<br />
It also got me thinking about how much of an impact the Catholic Church still has on the world even when we in the West are in increasingly secular societies. I mean the story is covering half of the BBCs news page and a quick browse around the web shows similar coverage on every major news outlet along with alot of chatter on most social media sites.<br />
<br />
Even Gaming, a thoroughly modern medium and one that normally goes out of its way to not<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Creed#Reception"> offend anyone</a> (well, <a href="https://account.hirezstudios.com/smitegame/default.aspx?ok=">normally</a>) by even mentioning religion, probably owes more then you'd think to the Holy See.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dici.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/papamobile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.dici.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/papamobile.jpg" height="230" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pope-Kart Racing never caught on though...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dici.org/en/news/vatican-a-green-popemobile/">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
See, while the modern church is more famous for scandals then it is trendsetting, the Church itself has been around for nearly 2000 years. That's plenty of time to spawn some pretty ass kicking tropes, especially for an organization that's not been historically shy to throw its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades">weight around</a>.<br />
<br />
To illustrate my point I'll need you to think of any religion that featured prominently in a game, particularly fantasy games but not necessarily . Do any or all of the following points apply:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Fanatical, heavily armed adherents</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A singular, clearly defined 'Evil' enemy<br /></li>
<li>Tendency towards brawny guys in full suits of armour<br /></li>
<li>A promise of salvation/paradise for falling in action</li>
</ul>
Congratulations, you've just conjured up the <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChurchMilitant">Church Militant </a>and its many subtle variations. This is almost always the way that in-game Religions are built. Sometimes because it's a useful Quest-giving tool, sometimes in response to the unimagineable evil present in the world and sometimes as the villain. Whatever the reason for their appearance, they all can trace back to a singular parent in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_order">Orders Militant</a> of the post-Crusades Catholic Church.<br />
<br />
Hell, The Agency from the Hitman series is literally just this; a group within the Catholic Church acting as violent assasins...kung-fu nuns sold seperately.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
The only obvious exception to this trend is in Dead Space. There the Church of Unitology is a less-then-subtle take down of Scientology. In fairness, I think most people can get <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/02/l-ron-altman-why-dead-space-2-is-a-direct-attack-on-scientology/">on board with that</a>.<br />
<br />
Now all that remains is to ask: With the Pope leaving does this mean Agent 47 can gain the seat of St. Peter?<br />
<br />
Until next time, Let us say Skål! and drink together...Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-19956598812842173102013-02-08T10:01:00.002-08:002013-02-08T10:01:51.444-08:00Soon...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Soon Ill finally have this in UK cinemas...</div>
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Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-20959382837396176242013-02-07T11:33:00.001-08:002013-02-07T11:34:59.574-08:00Xbox 720 RumoursWell, if the<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2275067/Microsoft-Xbox-720-BLOCK-second-hand-video-games.html?ITO=1490&amp;ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490"> Daily Mail</a> reports it...it must be true!<br />
<br />
Seriously though, rumours have been going nuts for the last few weeks about the new Xbox (probably 720 but possibly 'Kryptos') and how it will run. There's a pretty comprehensive breakdown over at <a href="http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox-720-rumors/">GamesRadar</a>, but for those of you who want it right now here we go:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Unsuprisingly, it's going to be stupidly powerful. The term 'Teraflop' is one that sounds like the arousal caused by MMO and chainmail bikini purveyor Tera online but actually means a ridiculous amount of processing power. </li>
<li>Depending on who you believe it will either be £300 odd pounds or £100 but act as a cable/satellite set-top box. GamesRadar quotes Comcast but as Sky already have a distribution app for customers on Xbox I could see a similar deal coming forward on this side of the pond. Good way to tie up entire households leisure time in one source.</li>
<li>Supposedly it's going to require an 'always on' internet connection. A lot of people are up in arms about this but realistically I think this is how games are going. We've seen it more and more on the PC and PS3 and eventually the Xbox would follow up. </li>
<li>Of more concern is reports (like the Daily Mail story above) that the 720 (I refuse to call it Kryptos) will require games to come with 'activation codes' that stop disc-swapping and second hand sales. Now we've all heard how the second hand market is under attack by the Games Industry, eager to get some of the money back from retailers, but this would be the first real step on consoles.<br /><br />It could also tragically backfire, if this turns out to be true not only have Microsoft abandoned one of the fundamental strengths of console gaming but they leave themselves open to Sony, prepping their own PS4, to either abandon DRM or simply come up with something a bit easier and a significant chunk of sales might swing their way.</li>
</ul>
That's the main points for now, apologies for the text heavy post, flu continues to assail me!<br />
<br />
Until next time friends, let us say Skål! and drink togetherHarald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-91704872120649544122013-02-06T11:49:00.001-08:002013-02-06T11:49:30.151-08:00Ugh...Seasonal flu caught up with me in a bad way...so uhh...did you guys know some Danes built a longship and sailed it across the North Sea to Dublin?<br />
<br />
Well, they totally did!<br />
<br />
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Until next time friends, Let us say Skal! and drink togetherHarald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-79752184668954346972013-02-05T03:02:00.000-08:002013-02-05T04:58:55.323-08:00Vikings hit the History ChannelI stayed up to watch the Superbowl, because I love American Football (it requires more commitment in the UK, by the time the Ravens won it was 4am) sadly I missed out on this superbowl ad until the morning.<br />
<br />
The History Channel, apparently remembering a time when they were about historical figures and events instead of people with ridiculous professions have launched their first scripted series.<br />
<br />
Awesomely, it focuses on the Vikings.<br />
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<br />
It's not 100% clear from the trailer what the storyline will be in the series but given the constant references to 'Going West' it almost seems they're doing some version of Erik the Reds life, or possibly his son Leifs (discovered Greenland and America, respectively).<br />
<br />
That being said, while Erik was certainly an Icelandic Outlaw and something of a rough and tumble man generally he doesn't fit the cry of 'This Man has no respect for our Traditions!' because he was actually the quintessential Viking. Pagan to a fault, a man who fought at the slightest insult and who was a master sailor. It was the rapidly Christianizing Iceland that had moved on without him.<br />
<br />
A quick trip to IMDb and it seems the story will focus on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok">Ragnar Lothbrok </a>who, while a hell of a Viking in his own right, is hardly the first man to think of raiding West. In fact, as Ragnar was largely active during the mid to late 800s, he was active at the peak of Viking raiding. The first raids, meanwhile, were back in 793 when a group of Norwegian Vikings sacked the monastery on <a href="http://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/793/">Lindisfarne</a> (modern evidence suggests that Scandanavian traders and sailors were active on the British Isles even before this date).<br />
<br />
Now, aside from those historical quibbles the tone and brief glimpses of action seem spot-on for the Viking world and I for one will be looking forward to this most eagerly.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-71317625344233682232013-02-04T05:56:00.000-08:002013-02-04T05:56:10.915-08:003 Things better then a JJ Abrams Star Wars<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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With the news that JJ Abrams, fresh from the second film in
his Star Trek reboot, will be directing at least one of Disneys <a href="http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/feb/03/director-jj-abrams-good-fit-for-star-wars/">new Star Warsfilms</a> the internet went a little bit nutty.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XgiJxHjN2k8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lens Flare!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m more or less on the fence with this one, leaning towards
worried. I didn’t mind the first Star Trek reboot but then again I wasn’t a
massive trekkie previously (watched a bit of TNG and DS9, shockingly I like
Klingons the best). Star Wars, on the other hand, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">is </b>my childhood. I spent years watching the original trilogy over
and over on VHS and when my wife bought the cinema releases on DVD I made a
noise similar to a six year old girl.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thehappyviking.com/images/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thehappyviking.com/images/logo.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was Sports Pub-Happy</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thehappyviking.com/">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Now, it goes without saying (because this is the internet)
that I hated the prequel trilogy. The plotholes, annoying side characters and
complete destruction of Darth Vader as any kind of threatening character (I
should be the most powerful Jedi! Wah. Wah. Wah.) made me angry to the point of
frothing, trolling rage. Add that to the fact that Mr. Abrams track record isn’t
excactly flawless (Lost) and you’ll see why it’s been occupying my thoughts a
lot lately.</div>
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So, to get this stuff out of my head I decided to come up with
three things that could have been better than a JJ Abrams Star Wars. If I’m already
let down by these not happening it will cushion the blow if his effort does
fall short.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So without further ado, here’s the list of things we’re missing
out on.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<u>Josh Whedon making a smuggler movie</u></div>
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<br /></div>
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Han Solo is the coolest thing in Star Wars, there is no
arguing against this. He’s a slick smuggler who shoots first (screw you Lucas)
and asks questions later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s also got
a fair few similarities to another slick <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/02/great-geek-debates-han-solo-vs-mal-reynolds/">Sci-Fi smuggler you may remember.</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/hanvmal-660x222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/hanvmal-660x222.jpg" height="133" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the future, everything is pistols</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/02/great-geek-debates-han-solo-vs-mal-reynolds/">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Now imagine if Joss Whedon was given free rein to explore
the world Han operated in; the torrid deals and underworld trades
of SWs famous smugglers. Think about it, not only is the formula there for a
stealth return to Fireflys ship, crew and job formula but it would be a
brilliant way to introduce large swathes of the universe in only a single movie
as the ship and crew have to travel between worlds to do their jobs.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<u>Genndy Tartakovsky making a feature-length Cartoon</u></div>
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<br /></div>
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If I say Star Wars cartoon to you, most people will think of
the godawful 3d animated effort from a couple of years back. Yet before the
blue Twi-lek with ‘attitude’ and a boxy Hayden Christensen there was the superb
Clone Wars shorts by Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/e7bibcsnvZY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
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Amazing right? Now picture that, except feature length and
with a higher budget.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I don’t think I need to say any more.</div>
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<u>Let Michael Bay make a Michael Bay movie</u></div>
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Michael Bay gets a lot of stick on the net, mostly because
of his less-then-faithful Transformers adaptations…</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://host.trivialbeing.org/up/transformers-20090528-head-skids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://host.trivialbeing.org/up/transformers-20090528-head-skids.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah, this was a good idea</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2009/06/is-transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen-racist">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But what people often forget when bad mouthing the racist
robots and Meagan Fox is that Michael Bay knows how to make things blow up, and
blow up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BIG</b>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the problems with the Prequels was that they couldn’t
decide if they were silly action movies or serious drama. If Disney decided to
abandon all pretence and just make a big, loud movie then Michael Bay is
probably the man to do it. After all, Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2 are among my
favourite films of all time. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Now picture that boat-trailer chase scene...but in Space!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Until next time friends, let us say Skål! and drink
together. </div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-64939384569177469242013-01-31T06:35:00.000-08:002013-01-31T06:35:13.024-08:00Big Damn Heroes<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you ever found it odd how different Game genres
approach their ‘Heroes Journey?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well no, probably not, as you are all happy, well-adjusted
people but this is the kind of stuff I think about when my brain grows tired of
attempting to be a productive member of society (also, Vikings).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seriously though, while ostensibly each describing a fairly
simple character arc, usually along the lines of ‘bad guys do bad thing, you
have to stop them, you stop them, much success’, they tend to approach it in
vastly different and usually pretty weird ways. Not only that, but sometimes
they seem to draw characters from entirely the wrong era.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s take two of the most straightforward examples and I’ll
try and show you what I mean. The two I’m going to use are the random soldiers
of FPS’ and the random peasants of Western RPGs. I’m using these because; well
a little bit because these are the games I play most, but also because they’re
the games with the most character-focussed view. Compare the solo heroes in
most of these games to the Omniscient Gods of RTS’ and the spiky haired,
mal-nourished teenagers of JRPGs and you’ll see what I mean.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://psoneclassics.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/cloud1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://psoneclassics.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/cloud1.jpg" height="320" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat a Damn Cheeseburger!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://psoneclassics.com/reviews/final-fantasy-vii-review/">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Let’s start with a brief rundown of how the two characters
normally play out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Your standard FPS, whether <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ASpaceMarineIsYou">Sci-Fi</a> or Modern, begins with you
and usually a squad being deployed or already present in some hot-spot or
warzone. As things escalate around you and people shout whatever random Caucasian
or semi-ethnic name you’ve been given (Johnson! Ramirez!!) it will eventually
become apparent that you are the only competent member of that particular
military/space marine corps and the next 8 hours are spent rushing headlong
into a wave of bullets and enemies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Meanwhile in a normal Western RPG (except Elder Scrolls
Games where you are always some kind of criminal, I assume because Bethesda are ‘down
with the streets’) you are generally a plucky and not unduly downtrodden
peasant living in a facsimile of Arthurian Britain. When your surprisingly pleasant
country is invaded by todays flavour of ork and all the professional knights
and soldiers are routed it’s up to you to start gathering allies, combine
powerful characters and forces and save the day!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also, sometimes you’re Link.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ladygeekgirl.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/zelda-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ladygeekgirl.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/zelda-links.jpg" height="138" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If anyone says 'Hey, Listen!' I'll knife you</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ladygeekgirl.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/why-i-hate-toon-link/">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now let’s think about that for a moment. Apart from the
accumulated works of Mr Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger the one-man army
doesn’t really have a place in the modern world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a reason an entire SEAL team took
down Osama Bin Laden and not just one dude with the mystic power to open doors.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know where we do find a culture that
holds the greatest warrior of a group up to do the heroic works?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you guessed Vikings then you’re wrong…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.imgbase.info/images/safe-wallpapers/miscellaneous/1_other_wallpapers/16320_1_other_wallpapers_vikings_warrior_angry_viking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.imgbase.info/images/safe-wallpapers/miscellaneous/1_other_wallpapers/16320_1_other_wallpapers_vikings_warrior_angry_viking.jpg" height="188" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHAAAATTT!!!??</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wallpapervortex.com/wallpaper-16320_1_other_wallpapers_vikings_warrior_angry_viking.html">Source</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nah I’m just messing with you, the Vikings loved that stuff. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just that they
were a continuation of a tradition that was on going for thousands of years.
Amongst the Celts, Germanic Tribes and eventually the Vikings there was a
warrior elite of fighting men around important Lords and Kings. These men could
come from anywhere, even other tribes if they were particularly skilled, but
once ensconced as a Hearth-Troop (Saxon:Huscarl) they formed a cultural elite.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was from these men that heroes like Beowulf emerged, the
best fighters of an elite unit tackling the most difficult foes to achieve
their goals…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sound familiar?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/call-of-duty-4-call-of-duty-4-697661_1280_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/call-of-duty-4-call-of-duty-4-697661_1280_800.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And lo, he did strike upon them as a Troll unto noobs</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/call-of-duty-4/images/697661/title/call-duty-4-photo">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, if we look at the RPG storyline I sketched above we can
see some definitely modern trends in it. In fact a lone man, or small group,
building alliances and leading a grass-roots swell against some outside ‘evil’
force should sound very familiar indeed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s called Guerilla Warfare and it’s how <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War">every</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War">modern</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_%282001%E2%80%93present%29">war</a>
is being fought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you don’t think this is a fair comparison to make, well
then let me point out that leading a regime change is literally the entire plot
of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Age:_Origins">Dragon Age:Origins</a> , it’s also a sizable questline in <a href="http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Stormcloaks">Skyrim</a> and once again
the entire plot of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Siege_III">Dungeon Siege 3</a> (admittedly there you used to be the faction
in charge so it’s more of a reverse-coup).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you look at it that way, it starts to look like
Modern-Warfare is the barbarian to the developed martial prowess of our
old-timey RPGs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So…I guess this means Link is a member of Al-Qaeda?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until next time friends, let us say Skål! and drink
together.</div>
Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-90603271220710963352013-01-30T07:16:00.001-08:002013-01-30T07:16:15.487-08:00Warm BodiesWow, so today kind of buried me.<br />
<br />
On the bright side, and thanks to my wife, I have a trailer that links quite nicely to yesterdays post. Even if it doesn't involve gaming, Warm Bodies still seems like a pretty awesome movie as it takes a new look at the tropes of the Zombie Apocalypse.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/07s-cNFffDM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Plus it will be fun to see if all the women who think that pale kid from twilight is hot like the mopy hair/pale skin/unbearable voice triple-threat in zombie form.<br />
<br />
Probably not, but this is the kind of thing I think about.Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-7760531804048101742013-01-29T06:21:00.004-08:002013-01-29T06:21:53.375-08:00The Restless DeadThe undead have been given a bit more life recently. Literally every facet of popular culture is flooded with them. Whether you are attempting to avoid the shambling hordes in The Walking Dead (<a href="http://www.comicvine.com/the-walking-dead/49-18166/">Comic</a>, <a href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead">TV Show</a> or <a href="https://www.telltalegames.com/walkingdead">Game</a>), watching strangely breathy vampires duke it out over a barmaid in True Blood or reading about a werewolf who takes his <a href="https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5296022272/hF464823C/">shirt off for no reason</a>, chances are good you've been touched by the trend in some way.<br />
<br />
Even if it is just by watching that pale chick from Twilight tackle a cougar...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Twilight-Breaking-Daw-Part-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Twilight-Breaking-Daw-Part-2.gif" height="202" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will never tire of this .gif</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2012/09/super-kittens-are-here-to-save-the-day-your-morning-links">Source</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It's not that surprising really. As we've discussed before, humanity has been making up monster myths from the day we stopped being particularly clever
ground-apes and started being slightly stupid sentient beings. As it happens, a
lot of these involve dead things and creatures that walk the line between life
and death.<br />
<br />
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Want some examples? OK, let’s start with this. Remember the
Draugr from Skyrim? Of course you do, there were millions of the buggers littering
every dungeon in the province. Well, they are actually pulled from Norse myth.
The Skyrim versions are an amalgamation of the traditional Norse Draugr (an
unquiet spirit that could cause incredible havoc if it put its mind to it) and the
Haugbuii ,or barrow-dweller, who essentially filled the role that Skyrims Draugr
fill in-game. They guarded the graves of important men and killed those who entered.
The best account of them is probably in Grettirs saga, where the eponymous hero
kills the<a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/gre/gre40.htm"> Dragur Glamr</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/images/7761-1-1328385910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/images/7761-1-1328385910.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi! Have you heard the good news of Hela?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=QcQ4d8o5ahXYnM&tbnid=6R3LrJ1PmhYk6M:&ved=0CAEQjxw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fskyrim.nexusmods.com%2Fmods%2F7761&ei=uNkHUY7BFaSW0QWfqYDQBA&bvm=bv.41524429,d.bGE&psig=AFQjCNG-l5WcwnSuib2Ib1l62q0ijLBRAw&ust=1359555321339136">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Actually, it’s impressive how many of the undead myths we
have come from the Vikings and other early Germanic cultures. Most of it is all
tied up in layers of pagan mysticism and fear. Werewolves, for another example,
might have started at as Ulf-skeres or Wolf-Skins. Otherwise known as warriors
who fought in wolf-pelts and were a little bit insane, see also Bere-Skeres
(Bear-Skins) otherwise known as Berserkers. The sight of these guys losing
their minds in the most explosively violent way possible made some people think
they were actual fusions of man and animal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s some serious violence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_BG_gPgniX3TKDR-N3mq53WoYm7XNjIAlX6JmfJEYdY35Ogds38thH67DhZgA1NeQXtAltYkp3NLomG1xZhfqlTBdzqPrS117m_GT5wH0r9upZ1_-BIBaG-HGLNY_2gwo5Y5T7KiKaBY/s1600/berserk_viking_by_overdrivezero-d34r576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_BG_gPgniX3TKDR-N3mq53WoYm7XNjIAlX6JmfJEYdY35Ogds38thH67DhZgA1NeQXtAltYkp3NLomG1xZhfqlTBdzqPrS117m_GT5wH0r9upZ1_-BIBaG-HGLNY_2gwo5Y5T7KiKaBY/s1600/berserk_viking_by_overdrivezero-d34r576.jpg" height="320" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently shirts were always optional though</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://warriorsinart.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/berserk-viking-by-fred-studart.html">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, as for those pesky, cougar-tackling vampires. Most
people trace the origins of the myths back to <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/631524/Vlad-III">Vlad the Impaler</a>, the man who
liked to stick virgins upon spears and murdered <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">all of the turks </b>(Robert Patterson might have stopped at the
impaling women part)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. </b>The thing is,
there are other, older, vampire myths. Unsurprisingly these vampire myths
largely come from the civilised world (because Vampires are sissies, there I
said it) with some of the most screwed up coming from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_folklore_by_region#Ancient_Greece">Ancient Greece</a>…including
the origin of the fiendishly sexy female bloodsucker, as well as a woman who
lends her name to the Vampire realm in <a href="http://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Lahmia_%28city%29">Warhammer</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each of the popular undead myths came about as unique
analogues for real-world issues and problems. Zombies represent fear of the
faceless mob (or consumerism, if you’re George Romero), Vampires are a walking
STD and Werewolves are the risk of giving into humanities more beastial urges. Yet
each one also arises from humanities endless fascination with death.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Mort.jpg/300px-Mort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Mort.jpg/300px-Mort.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can I bum a smoke?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_%28personification%29">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nothing frightens and intrigues us quite so much as what
happens when we die. For all we see it, we can never really know. Making up
stories about some kind of afterlife, even a horrific one, at least serves some
small comfort.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I die, I certainly hope I come back as a Berserker.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until next time friends, let us say Skål! and drink together.</div>
Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-34446343776501509162013-01-28T05:27:00.002-08:002013-01-28T05:27:59.202-08:00I remember now!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
So, recently (and possibly because of <a href="http://vikinggamer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/thq-bites-dust.html">what happened to THQ</a>)
I had a craving for some PC gaming. Then, because I am an incredibly lucky man,
my wife bought me a new Gaming-Rig that arrived on Wednesday last week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The system is good spec, certainly more than high enough to
play any game I am interested in. The only problem was it had no Operating
System installed (for my fellow console gamers, it didn’t have Windows).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Easy!” Thought I, Naively. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I will just install an old copy of XP and go
from there.”<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
I eventually got it working on Saturday, around 6pm, after
multiple reinstalls and finally upgrading to Windows 8.
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3180/2800039277_779debc18e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3180/2800039277_779debc18e.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how Vikings react to Compatability Issues</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/adam_thierer/2800039277/">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the problem with PC gaming that I, in my
console-based largesse, had largely forgotten. You constantly have to fight
with a machine that has its own logic and pathways, as well as a myriad of
software and drivers that are never quite as up to date as you might like.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The difficulty many people have getting their heads around
Hardware and Software issues on their PC have certainly helped contribute to
the console boom over the last decade and, having now been through a quite
gruelling installation myself, I don’t see this changing anytime soon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Of course, with the rumoured <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/why-valves-steam-box-is-a-console-killer-1124160">Steam Box</a> generating buzz in
both PC and Console gaming circles for its supposed ‘compartmentalised’
construction we may yet see the PC regain ground.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the meantime, the good news is that I have a working
Gaming PC so may be able to talk on topics outside my normally console-centric
viewpoint.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Until next time friends, let us say Skål! and drink together.</div>
Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-65792735775988062592013-01-25T04:18:00.000-08:002013-01-25T04:18:03.679-08:00Trailers, Trailers Everywhere!So, I was gonna use todays post to talk about the new Elder Scrolls Online trailer and the Beta signups that you can find <a href="http://signup.elderscrollsonline.com/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
However, then Gearbox dropped a new Colonial Marines trailer. <a href="http://vikinggamer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/monsters-have-always-been-with-us-our.html">As we've established</a>, I love me some <a href="http://vikinggamer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/alienscolonial-marines-has-new-story.html">Colonial Marines</a>. So today we get to have a double-header. First the Elder Scrolls Online trailer and some breakdown, then the newest Colonial Marines trailer and some breakdown.<br />
<br />
Here we go:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
First things first, the Nord in this is every bit as awesome and Axe-wielding as I could hope. That being said, Cinematic trailers (while pretty) are notoriously untrustworthy when we're talking about Games.<br />
<br />
After all, while anyone can make something beautiful to watch these days, it's entirely different to make something that's fun to play. Being Interactive is literally the soul of all Games and while we may not be playing during a Gameplay trailer either, at least we can see how someone else is doing it, and imagine if we would enjoy it ourselves.<br />
<br />
That being said, do we need a Gameplay trailer for an MMO? I've got a spoiler for you: There will be pointless quests to collect x amount of y and deliver it to random townsman A. The meat of ESO is supposedly the massive PvP sieges, some of which can be seen in the earlier trailer <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KxJTsq2XeKY">here.</a><br />
<br />
With that in mind, this cinematic tower-assault makes a bit more sense and is also kind of awesome to watch.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
"We're Fighting for the title of biggest Badass in the Galaxy! And I intend to win that Fight!"<br />
<br />
This is now my favourite gaming quote of the year (including 2012). Hands down. <br />
<br />
Everything we see of Colonial Marines just seems to get better and better, but then again I'm kind of a sucker for this stuff. Maybe it's some latent gene in my American side but if you tell me that there's a game/film/series where human military personnel will be pitted against ruthless aliens in a more realistic firefight then your normal 'Gears of War' style space marine? I'm there.<br />
<br />
Battle:LA, Space: Above and Beyond, Aliens vs. Predator (originals) all in my favourite things of all time.<br />
<br />
The only thing that does worry me in this trailer is the brief shot of a marine shoving a Xenomorph backwards with his bear hands. That stinks of the AvP reboot from a few years ago and that game sucked like a Dyson.<br />
<br />
Still, overall I remain optimistic.<br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">Until next time friends, </span>let us say Skål! and drink together.<br />
<br />Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-8115068045552426192013-01-24T06:10:00.002-08:002013-01-24T06:10:48.794-08:00THQ Bites the DustI'm actually pretty sad about <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121680-Bankruptcy-Auction-Ends-THQ?utm_source=news&utm_medium=index_carousel&utm_campaign=all" target="_blank">this</a>.<br />
<br />
From about the mid 2000s onwards, THQ were responsible for some of my favourite games of all time. From Dawn of War to Saints Row, by way of Homeland and Metro, they consistently created games I not only enjoyed but occasionally genuinely loved.<br />
<br />
Still, Ashes to Ashes and all that jazz. Let's take a look at what some of the big acquisitions might mean for the future of some franchises.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vgblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/06/DawnOfWar2SystemSpecs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.vgblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/06/DawnOfWar2SystemSpecs.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In my head, this is what the auction looked like.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vgblogger.com/here-are-your-dawn-of-war-ii-system-requirements/4243/" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(Just a quick note before I begin, this list itself is pulled from The Escapist, article link is at the top of this post, commentary is my own.)<br />
<br />
<b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"></span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Relic - purchased by Sega for $26 million </b></li>
</ul>
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">This is the most exciting one for me, and also the most obvious. After Creative Assembly (The Sega-owned company behind the Total War series) and Games Workshop announced <a href="http://www.creative-assembly.com/sega-and-creative-assembly-announce-partnership-with-games-workshop-to-create-warhammer-games/" target="_blank">a partnership for a Warhammer:Total War</a> type game it makes sense for Sega to also aquire Relic, the studio behind the genre-defining Dawn of War series set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.</span><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"> Will they be making a Dawn of Total War? I doubt it, but Sega have come back as a major player in gaming over recent years (any Sonic Team game notwithstanding) and I'm excited to see where this goes.</span><b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"><ul>
<li>Volition - purchased by Koch Media for $22.3 million</li>
</ul>
</span></b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">Saints Row is often described as a series trying to be GTA. This isn't true, Saints Row is the series GTA wishes it still was. Long before Niko Bellic was growling his way through a mountain of gritty dialogue and annoying customers I was chasing pedestrians with a flamethrower in a top down-view while the world around me exploded with insanity. Saints Row brings back that childish, giddy thrill of pure, silly destruction and ratchets it up to 10 in both intensity and graphics.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">All of that makes it one of my favourite franchises of all time, and is also why I'm a little sad that it got picked up by Koch Media, a publisher who releases games through the brand 'Deep Silver. Sound familiar? <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2013/01/16/deep-silver-sincerely-regret-dead-island-torso-statute-3354210/" target="_blank">This is why</a>. </span><b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"> </span></b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">Yeah, not relishing the thought of them taking the reigns. Then again, maybe the kind of people who think of disturbing torso figurines are right at home with a franchise that includes giant purple dildo-bats.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/saints-row-the-third-dildo-bat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/saints-row-the-third-dildo-bat.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun fact, my employer almost made display cases for these</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2011/11/saints-row-the-third-community-qa/saints-row-the-third-dildo-bat/" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"></span><br />
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"></span><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"><br /></span><b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"></span></b>
<ul>
<li><b><em>Evolve</em> (IP) - purchased by Take-Two for $11 million</b></li>
</ul>
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">To be honest, I know nothing about this franchise. I'm overall fairly fond of Take-Two though so I guess you can take that as a positive<b>?</b></span><b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"><br /><ul>
<li><em>Metro</em> (IP) - purchased by Koch Media for $5.8 million</li>
</ul>
</span></b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">Hoo boy, please see my earlier comments about Koch. While their crazy marketing choices and somewhat bland game design (Risen, Dead Island) might have been workable with Saints Row they could possibly kill a sombre, serious and respected series like Metro, at least after this latest installment (Last Light).</span><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/unN8ItC_rQ4/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/unN8ItC_rQ4&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/unN8ItC_rQ4&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"> </span><b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"> </span></b><br />
<b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"></span></b><br />
<b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"></span></b><br />
<b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"></span></b><br />
<b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"><br /></span></b>
<ul>
<li><b><em>South Park</em> (IP) - purchased by Ubisoft for $3.2 million</b></li>
<li><b>THQ Montreal - purchased by Ubisoft for $2.5 million</b></li>
</ul>
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">I'm not sure about the South Park games, I never played them. I gotta figure that the aquisition of THQ Montreal though is more a geographical one for Ubisoft, whose largest studio also happens to be in Montreal.</span><b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody"><br /><ul>
<li><em>Homefront</em> (IP) - purchased by Crytek for $500,000</li>
</ul>
</span></b><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">Finally! Something else I can get excited by. Homefront was a big, silly shooter that would be a clear ripoff of Red Dawn if not for the fact that it was written by the same guy. Can you accuse yourself of Plagarism? Deep.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">It got mixed reviews but featured some fun set-pieces, great multiplayer with an innovative in-mission unlock system<b> </b>and was generally just a ton of fun. Now that it's been aquired by Crytek, <b>the </b>name in big and beautiful shooters, I can see a future installment being not only tons of fun but also eye-burning levels of pretty.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">Unfortunately the rest of THQs franchises weren't sold, leaving somewhat promising titles like 'Darksiders' with no future for the moment. This is doubly sad, not only for the death of some great Games but also because the studios that made them will now not have their contracts renewed. That means another wave of Layoffs in an allready recession-hit industry.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">Bad times.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="articleBody">Until next time friends, </span>let us say Skål! and drink together.Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-23835822981392093452013-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:002013-01-23T06:30:01.751-08:00Even Viking food is deadly...Hectic today, so only time for a quick post. Luckily the BBC has <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21141244" target="_blank">this rather amusing story</a> about a Norwegian tunnel being closed by flaming viking cheeses.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thewclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/flames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thewclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/flames.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a 'Gouda' blaze, eh Bjorn? Eh?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thewclub.co.uk/old-flames-a-new-regular-series/" target="_blank">Source</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If that's not enough whacky Scandinavian cuisine for you then how about some producer-prohibited fish? Take it away, Stephen Fry.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Hungry yet?<br />
<br />
Until next time friends, let us say Skål! and drink together.<br />
Harald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703539255426761324.post-91524690145134257932013-01-22T07:49:00.000-08:002013-01-22T07:49:04.868-08:00Et tu, Luigi?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
**Warning! The following post contains Spoilers for Dishonored, Game of Thrones, Borderlands, Bioschock, one Norse Saga and Mercenaries 2. If you don't want to know any of this...RUN AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER**<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, yesterday I had a day to myself after the British driving publics continued efforts to lose their minds all at once over some snow meant I had to miss out on a friends wedding. Being the Viking Gamer and not, say The Viking Hiker (I hate that guy!) I used this opportunity to play Xbox for pretty much 8 hours straight.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.skegnessra.madasafish.com/images/photo/STD-NNR_Walk-03_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.skegnessra.madasafish.com/images/photo/STD-NNR_Walk-03_07.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Viking Hiker, note the spear and smug sense of satisfaction </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.skegnessra.madasafish.com/mablethorpe_walk_3.htm" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, someone very kindly gave me Dishonored for Christmas and I've been playing it on and off ever since. I like the world they've built but never really got a chance to sink my teeth into it and finish off the campaign. Until now.<br />
<br />
So, there I am having sucessfully rescued the young empress and ruined the hell out of the Lord Regents reputation on his own propaganda network (deliciously ironic revenge is the best kind). The Good Guys are throwing a party back at the Pub that served as our revolutionary base (you can tell this game is based on British people) and then <b>Boom, Poison.</b><br />
<br />
Yep, I'd been betrayed by the guys who I'd been working with for the whole game but that's not what shocked me. No, what shocked me was how un-shocked I was.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.2old2play.com/system/files/images/gaming-news/2012/game-reviews/dishonored/corvo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.2old2play.com/system/files/images/gaming-news/2012/game-reviews/dishonored/corvo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This betrayal bores Emo-Corvo</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.2old2play.com/game-reviews" target="_blank">Source</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, to be fair, this twist in Dishonored was actually pretty well done. I mean everything seemed pretty ok and there were only a few warning signs (Havelock does start giving off evil vibes if you read his diary). The problem is, I've been hurt before. Alot.<br />
<br />
I actually am struggling slightly to think of a 'dramatic' Game (or Action/Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie) that didn't have at least one betrayal. I mean Borderlands has it's Guardian Angel turn out to be a computer program that 'neglects to mention' the unspeakable evil in the vault, Bioshock has the guy helping you out turn out to be horrendously controlling you and I don't think <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Drake_%28character%29" target="_blank">Nathan Drake</a> has ever met a NPC who didn't double-cross him at least once.<br />
<br />
Hell, Mercenaries 2 starts with your former employer shooting you in the ass.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://portingteam.com/index.php?app=downloads&module=display&section=screenshot&record=21086&id=7383" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://portingteam.com/index.php?app=downloads&module=display&section=screenshot&record=21086&id=7383" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To be fair, I'd shoot that guy too</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://portingteam.com/files/file/7383-mercenaries-2-world-in-flames/" target="_blank">Source</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even Literature isn't safe, after all there's almost no better example of betrayl then the infamous (serious Game of Thrones spoilers coming up, I've warned you twice now) ....<br />
<br />
...Red Wedding where the Freys betray Rob Stark (after he allready kind of betrayed their trust. Why? GRR Martin.) and <b>murder him and almost all of his closest friends, allies and family members.</b><br />
<br />
So what's behind this pile of treachery? Is it another example of Games (and other media) going just a <a href="http://vikinggamer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/ill-drive.html" target="_blank">teensy bit insane</a>?<b> </b><br />
<br />
Actually, this time it's more a case of Art imitating Life. Lets face it, Human Beings are kind of selfish, wicked and often cruel animals. Not all the time, but enough of the time for everyone to be in on it. Most of you reading this will have felt some small betrayal in your
lives. Whether it's a co-worker not backing you up with the boss or a
friend stealing the girl you fancy at the bar. It almost universally
sucks.<br />
<br />
It's certainly no modern invention, the triumphant march over other people. If you don't believe me I humbly suggest you check out the <a href="http://omacl.org/Njal/" target="_blank">Saga of Burnt Njal</a>.<br />
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Njals Saga is a hearty tale of backstabbing, vengeance and cold blooded murder that spans decades and involves some vicious Blood Feuding in Dark Age Iceland (spoiler alert, everyone dies).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbmgvuhRYc1qe23mao1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbmgvuhRYc1qe23mao1_500.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole thing started with 'overcompensating' jokes</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://fuckyeahnorsemen.tumblr.com/page/26" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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Now, while a bit of realism in media is always welcome that is not while this particular trait has stuck around so long. No, what makes backstabbing such popular story fodder is it's hotter, more screwed up sister: <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Revenge" target="_blank">Vengeance</a>.<br />
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We all love a good tale of Vengeance, of the wronged party getting their own back on those who wronged them. After all, if they can do it maybe one day we'll set the world to rights too? Writers love it because it's instant motivation. Why does our hero want to fight the bad guys? Cause they betrayed him! Boom, instant plot.<br />
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It's a one-two combo that's hard to beat, and while Dishonored didn't shock me, it sure was one hell of a ride.<br />
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Until next time friends, let us say Skål! and drink togetherHarald Redbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04935990267184634012noreply@blogger.com0