Prop 8, Starcraft 2 and Leigh Alexander

Prop 8 was finally defeated in court yesterday, and although I'm certain there will be an appeal it will likely be defeated again. The thing about the constitution is that it applies to everyone, not just whoever you happen to be. So the second amendment applies to people like myself who want a .22 to take to the firing range, and it also applies to Tea Party members who want to open carry 2 AK-47s (modified to be semi-auto, naturally!) and 3 glocks into a Starbucks. The funny thing is how different people react to the realization that the Constitution exists to protect the rights of all from the tyranny of the masses. When a gun control law is defeated in court, most progressives shrug and say "welp" while Republicans cheer and say "awwww hell yeah second amendment" but with regards to Loving V. Virginia or the Prop 8 decision, the Conservative consensus is "DAMN THESE ACTIVIST JUDGES OVER-RULING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE!".

If you don't like living in a constitutional republic you're more than welcome to get the fuck out, GOP.

Leigh Alexander wrote an excellent article on Gamasutra found here which I found fascinating because it not only confirmed suspicions I had about micromanagement of acquired brands at Activision, but also answered a lot of questions about why we see so few games with female protagonists. I myself had played DJ Hero to completion and wondered why there was an abundance of licensed male DJs, yet absolutely no licensed female DJs (or fictional ones wearing more than a bikini). I also think this helps explain away the weirdest moment of SC2: The Scientist Lady who shows up, hangs around for like 6 missions which have nada to do with the plot, then kisses Jim Raynor goodbye and begs him to shack up with her. This was the single most immersion breaking moment in any Blizzard game, right up there with time Thrall performed a tap dance to win over the Tauren as allies.

Damnit that Paragraph got away from me, but at any rate, notice the reaction of gamers to Alexander's post? When a male author makes even a baseless claim about Activision being horrible the general consensus is "that's right bro!" but GOD FORBID a woman see fit to cite actual sources and criticize Activision, as the resulting consensus among the brodudes is "FEMINAZI ATTACKING OUR GAMES! QUICK THINK OF A REASONABLE SOUNDING LIBERTARIAN MIND FART BASED COUNTER ATTACK!".

Scott Pilgrim versus Mel Gibson

So by all appearances, Scott Pilgrim Versus the World (the movie) erases the bi-sexuality of the principle female love interest which was visible in the original male nerd power fantasy self insert graphic novel. This probably won't matter too much to the intended audience: Nice Guys aka Internet Nice Guys.  It's a shame really, because there is already enough geekculture coming out in the forseeable future that excludes any views which aren't heteronormative as fuck.

I mean, did Hollywood see the numbers for 300 and decide that they'd only adapt Frank Miller's personal brand of power fantasy into film, or change other stuff that gets adapted so it conforms with the established tropes of Monsieur Miller?

On a side note, Mel Gibson hit his ex and walks the streets a free man, as does the rapist director Polanski. A failure not only on the part of law enforcement but also the media. Tiger Woods sleeps around and its in the news cycle for over nine thousand months, Mel Gibson hits his ex, threatens her and in the process makes misogynist and racist remarks but you'd be hard pressed to see it on the local news or paper. Same with Polanski, who has yet again been released and has not served one day in jail for raping a 13 year old.

Questionable Content: Explained

In the first panel, the blonde young woman is inquiring as to the nature of emotions associated with pressing lips to the lips of a male. The young woman with brown hair responds as if the question was pertaining to physical sensation rather than emotions, most likely due to the fact she is occupied with a video game and therefore wanted to avoid a lengthy exchange.

In the second panel the young woman with blonde hair is either distracted by the realization that men often have facial hair, or is simply giving up on her previous line of inquiry. The young woman at the computer seems somewhat frustrated with her game, and is apparently about to swear.

In the third panel the young woman with blonde hair shows concern for her friend's ongoing distress and inquires as to her progress in the game. The young woman with brown hair uses a vulgar term for the mentally retarded to refer to some union of enemies, and explains that this union is attempting (unsuccessfully) to engage her in mortal combat. For whatever reason, the use of ableist language is not further commented on.

In the final frame we see a young man striking a pose not unlike that of Gendo Ikari throughout most of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. The reflection on the glasses further suggests this reference, although the signature gloves are missing. Likely this is due to the fact it would be quite difficult for one to type with gloves in the style of Geno Ikari, and seeing someone sitting at a computer with gloves would greatly impair the viewer's ability to suspend disbelief. The young man apparently is a member of the "Alliance" and quotes a line from something. I'm unsure but I know it's something in pop-culture.

Military Shooter Review

(this is re: E3)

I think for the most part, the best thing I can say about (upcoming shooter) is that the graphics are somewhat improved over (last year's version). The weapon selection is somewhat improved, and naturally the new guns are as lovingly modeled as those seen in the last entry of the series.

Game-play wise, this is the same reliable, responsive controls seen in previous entries of the franchise, but it is still my personal opinion that controls for (helicopter and or minigame sequence) could stand revision. I would like to see the ability to remap controls in the console version, I still don't understand why this isn't a standard feature in the 5th/10th/20th entry of this series.

In single player, you guide your player character, a heterosexual white male, through a series of missions, on many levels you are aided by several squadmates who are established tv/movie/game tropes. The minorities amongst them are stereotypical, although rendered quite well. After killing enough Russians, Arabs or Vietnamese you save the US/World from a Nuclear Weapon/some BS scifi weapon. The plot is serviceable although nothing we haven't seen before.

As with previous entries many of the dudebros buying this game will spend hundreds of hours shouting homophobic epithets at each other. The modes are fairly varied although for the most part you just kill other dudes and hope your viewpoint doesn't get covered with strawberry jam. The more you play multiplayer the more boosts and guns you unlock, a mechanic quite common in these games.

Fans of the series will be pleased, as this is the same shit they bought last year, there is literally nothing new for those who aren't dudebros though. Overall I give New Yearly Sequel of Modern Warfare Game 8.5 out of 10 dudebros.