RFZ

Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you right there. See, I actually agree that when kids are taught about history, they should be taught all the points, including the really awful ones. I also agree that in spite of this, to show those moments in their full-horror would be inappropriate. You wouldn't teach kids about the Hindenburg disaster and then graphically describe how the victims burned alive, so obviously, when teaching them about the slave trade, there's going to be details that are glossed-over. Fair enough. Problem is...taking the OTHER extreme in order to teach this to kids isn't any better. Here we have a game that is basically treating the fucking slave trade like it was a friggen quest filled with adventure and wonder, complete with cute talking animals! Just from the intro to this game, I don't feel like they're talking about the slave trade...I feel like they're about to go search for buried treasure! It's...so bizarre that it actually makes the whole experience both completely hilarious and yet utterly depressing to watch. I don't think anyone's asking for a full-on visceral retelling of the slave trade for the kiddies here, but surely there's a sane middle ground between showing them a snuff film, and showing them a game that makes one of the darkest moments in human history look like it's a peg-leg short of an adventure featuring pirates?

Been watching a playthrough of this game. After the debacle that was Colonial Marines, this looks like a return to form with some genuinely terrifying moments. I really missed it when the xenomorphs used to actually be, you know, fucking scary, but this game looks like it delivers that in spades. Also, the androids have got to be some of the creepiest fucking robots I've seen in fiction. They're like evil (but polite) mannequins... Definately something I'm gonna have to buy when I eventually get a new computer (my current one has no chance in hell of running a game like this).

... I don't think I've ever lost interest in a movie just by watching it's trailer faster than I have for this one.

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I'll just leave this here for now... New Sovietsky Republic Territory: Russia, former Soviet States Coming soon

Have yet to see any issues on my end. Many thanks for fixing that, Player 1!

Bob

Nice to see ya again, Allen!

Oh shit...Look out everyone! Looks like we got us an internet badass here! In all seriousness, if all it takes to threaten your "masculinity" is a show about colorful ponies, you weren't very masculine to begin with. I know there are people who genuinely don't like the show (hell, I used to be one of them), and I have no problem with that, you're entitled to your opinion after all. But if you're claiming that liking something that you don't means that something is wrong with the other person? That means you really need to pull your head out of your ass, before you suffocate. I also love how he calls Star Trek and Lord of the Rings "nerdy", too, as if there's still a problem with all things "nerdy" in today's society. This is 2012, not the 1980s, dude. Actually, he MUST be trapped in the (early) 80s, because he seems to think Kirk is the only captain ever. Anyone who actually knows anything about Star Trek would've used Sisko as the example of manliness:

Loved the review, Cass! I found it to be both a thorough and fair assesment of the game in question. (Seriously, what was up with the "I shouldn't poke it" guy? Isn't he supposed to be a soldier for a secret society? You'd think they'd hire guys like those in SEAL Team 6, not...well, him)

Eh, even with the "smile shot" crap, I gotta admit that is one badass mecha, there. Just as long as you don't recall any funny jokes your friends may have told you the other day while you're driving around in public...

You're asking some dangerous questions, Isaac... ...Though the answer is Santa Claus.

Have a fun, safe trip, Storm!

Later that day...

I'd might be interested, any idea which year the campaign will take place in? (won't be able to do it anytime this week though, I've got finals for my summer classes)

I dunno, the 2nd movie looks like it'll be better than the first, IMO. Then again, I didn't hate the 1st Expendables movie, I just think it could have been alot better, and was a dull film for somethin alleging to be a nod to 80s action schlock. The sequel at least seems like it'll have more, ya know, action. Do I think it'll be a good movie? I dunno, maybe. But I think it'll at least be better than the first.

While I personally enjoy movies from both genres, I do think Stallone has a valid point. We've been seeing alot more of the superhero genre lately, and alot less of the standard action genre. Hell, even the "standard" action films lately have been taking more of a turn towards being like superhero movies (Drive Angry, for instance). Is this necessarily a bad thing though? I can't say for certain. However, I can say this. While I do love movies like The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, I have always had a preference for action films. Films like Indiana Jones, Demolition Man, The A-Team, and Die Hard have a special place in my heart. The closest I've come to liking superheros on the same level as action heros, is Robocop (Robocop's technology gives him superhuman strength and abilities, so it could be argued he's a superhero). I don't count Batman, as he doesn't have superpowers, which I honestly like about him. The problem with superhero movies, I find, is that the stronger and more badass your hero is, the harder it is to really threaten them with anything. When an action hero destroys a tank, it's usually the result of a climatic battle between man and machine (Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade). When a superhero does it, it's just another scene that establishes how badass he is (Iron Man). I find it easier to get involved with an action film, because the fact the hero is completely mortal means he has no plot shield, so it's easier to forget that he's the protagonist and therefore, isn't likely to die. That's just my two cents, anyway.

Honestly? I think just about all of the staff members here can recall at least one decision they've made in the past that, looking back upon it, they sincerely regret. I know I've had a few such moments... I don't see any reason to be upset over it. None of us are perfect, and honestly, I think the good you've done for this site far outweighs the few bad things.

Earlier this morning, it had come to my attention that there was an...incident...that mostly occured in the shoutbox. For those who aren't aware, Reverse was banned from the site after a confrontation with a staff member. I'm making this topic to make something very clear. When things have cooled off a little, I have every intention on looking into the incident, along with the other watchmen and admins. If the banishment was in fact, unwarranted, it will be lifted. This investigation will be conducted fairly. I'm saying this, because I've also heard we've already had a member/s get involved in the mess, when the situation did not concern them. This topic is here as a warning. The staff will be handling this problem, and the staff only. If you guys try to take matters into your own hands, you'll only make our jobs harder, and make the overall situation worse. One person has been banned already...please, don't add to that tally.

He was only mostly dead? I must say, Black Ops 2 looks like it has potential. Whether that potential will be exploited, however, remains to be seen... Uhm, C&C4 would've sucked even if the core gameplay HAD remained the same. It's just that they also changed the core gameplay to try a new style of gameplay that did not pan out at all, making it suck even more.

Ok, here's my current beef with the situation. It isn't that the ending seems lazy, or all the plotholes, or all of the decisions you made in the previous games suddenly not mattering. I can see why a fan of Mass Effect would be irked by those, but I have yet to play the games myself, so I can only make observations based on how well I think the story is being told. And while I don't think the ending was well written from what I've observed, to be honest, I planned to stay out of this whole mess. Cause again, I haven't played the games. And then Bioware announced that free DLC. A DLC that does NOT change the ending at all. In other words: they are putting money, time, and resources into content that they will not make a profit off of, won't change the things the fans are actually pissed-off about, and ultimately solves NOTHING. ... It is easier to understand the motivations that drives a frakking canibalistic serial killer, than it currently is to understand Bioware's. To me, this no longer is just an issue regarding the endings and whether or not they sucked. It is now, for me, an issue of whether the guys in charge of Bioware even know how to run a goddamn business anymore. Either make a compromise with the fans and change the damn ending (or add some new alternate endings), or don't even bother doing anything at all! What is with this free DLC bullshit? And don't give me that "artistic integrity" bullcrap. Bioware decided to make changes anyway, so they don't get to play that overused card. What do they expect to gain from this? Again, the DLC is free, so its not like they're going to get any money out of it!

Guys, keep it civil in here. I don't want any flamewars breaking out. Having said that...personally, while I haven't seen the movie yet, I have heard alot of things about it. And honestly, it doesn't really sound like what I would call "propoganda." At least, not more so than how most other action movies could be called "propoganda." Movies like Red Dawn are propoganda. Hell, I would personally argue James Cameron's Avatar was borderline propoganda, and thats if I'm feeling generous that day. Propoganda movies always have their hidden agenda where they're trying to get you to feel a certain way, without letting you come to that conclusion on your own (Red Dawn was basically trying to make us feel sorry for the Afghanis after the Soviets invaded them, don't get me started on Avatar). Said movies have a common theme: they tend to feel very preachy once you become aware of their actual intent. Conversely, I've seen people accuse the Dark Knight of being a propoganda flick, simply because of the scene where Batman reveals he had devices set up to monitor everyone in Gotham, which suddenly makes Dark Knight a movie supporting the Patriot Act (apparently). This, in spite of the fact that Batman gives Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman's character) the means necessary to destroy said devices after they've been used. In spite the fact that Lucius is obviously disturbed by the fact that Batman went to those lengths, and called him out on it. Dark Knight is not a propoganda film, because the alleged hidden message is in fact the opposite of the point the movie was actually trying to make. Again, I haven't seen Act of Valor yet, so I'm personally suspending judgement on it. But I do think if you're going to call it propoganda, you might want to better explain yourself, Solidus. If Act of Valor truely is propoganda, just what is the hidden message it's trying to get across? How does that movie hammer that message onto the audience? Is there any other possible interpretation other than the movie attempting to manipulate its audience?

*After looking and only finding a big 'ol red X where the picture should be* ITS LIBERATOR CENSORSHIP, MAANN!!!