I just bought Prototype 2...
 

And I feel a rant coming. Stand the fuck by while I finish it. If you want to.

I'm interested. Looking forward to what has to be said.

I'm almost done and I feel like this when playing it so far.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...mesh/NXV1u.gif

There are just certain things that really, really bother me.

...Damn. I was looking forward to the rant and I get a kangaroo. :(

yeah, biggest heartbreak since, well, since something that crushed my hopes.

Rants is still coming.

YAY! haha, sorry my brain is stuck in video game mode so I imagined seeing everything on IGN.
Versus' Rant: TBA (in development)
Gnet Fanfic: Cancelled until further notice
AshleyO's sexy Abs: Jan 2013

Not too far of a stretch, really.

Spoilers to follow.

So I finished the game a few weeks ago after 14 hours total of playing. It was really disappointing and somehow I was duped into hoping it wouldn't be. *But I had serious expectations for it that failed miserably to be met. These expectations were not based upon what I expected the actual game to be like. I played through the first game and pretty much knew what the second would be like in that aspect. I have nothing to say in that regard. These expectations were based on this trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_BXB...e_gdata_player

Seriously. I saw that and downloaded it on the spot. What I saw was a different, more mature, version of the same game told from the perspective of one of the seemingly faceless storm troopers featured in the first. I remember being particularly annoyed at the first game's portrayal of the military unit that swoops in to take control of the virus outbreak. They were basically inhuman brutes who strong arm the city's population "for their own good." They had a remarkably easy time killing civilians and pretty much established themselves as complete assholes within a few minutes of the game. It was exceptionally lazy on the developers part and I couldn't help but feel a little alienated by their representation of what was essentially me.*

My impression was that over the course of the second game, it would put a face on them and possibly try to humanize them through the perspective of the game's protagonist, and at the same time I was really excited that he was a black man that didn't appear to be a walking *stereotype. But I guess that was asking too much.

So, from the top of my head, I can remember:

-Dozens of instances of the military happily slaughtering civilians.

-A woman pleading with a soldier at a checkpoint as she tries to explain that her son doesn't speak because he is autistic. He doesn't listen and promptly shoots and kills the boy.*

-The unit's second in command questioning his superior's decision to make accommodations for a brothel on the combat zone. The commander explains that his soldiers have been away from home for months; they have needs.

-A subsequent conversation wherein the commander reprimands his subordinate for trying to stop their soldiers from gang ****** a prostitute.*

-An instance that the unit's scientists (what?) admit to conducting experimentation with an end-state of sterilizing the country's poor.

The list goes on, and I'm sure I've thankfully forgotten a few things. I think it wouldn't really bother me so much if -every- other aspect of the military in the game wasn't so fucking spot on; from their radio chatter, procedures, and jargon, to the extremely hard to replicate dark humor that is so intertwined with it all. I really get the impression that they did a major bit of research to make it all seem authentic... that this wasn't all pulled out of their ass and made up from movies and stereotypes. So I'm left thinking "what the fuck, then?" Even the game's protagonist, who is supposedly an OIF veteran, makes no commentary about the military in the game or his experience with it. I can understand that he doesn't walk around with this big army sign over his dialogue, but even in instances in the game where you are supposed to integrate with the military to proceed, he still walks and talks like he doesn't belong or know what the fuck he's doing. Literally, you could have removed all aspects of his involvement with the military and it would not have made a bit of difference to his character.

I guess in the end, I'm just really pissed off that I feel like he was marketed as a veteran to draw sympathy and make a connection with the potential consumer. After all, he is a new character, and I can only assume that the trailer was made that way to establish him as interesting. They obviously recognized that being a veteran is a thing, and promptly exploited and used that special status to sell a video game.

And here we are approaching a time when this country can collectively forget our recent wars and rewrite history; where it's cool to make fiction about OEF and OIF completely different from how it was.*

Also, the protagonist is the angry and scary black man trope to a fault. But whatever.

Are the stars things you're going to elaborate on?

Jesus. I think the part that pisses me off is the same thing you mentioned. If it was so accurate in some ways, then how the fuck do they justify being dishonest about it in others? Man... fuck that shit.

No. I pasted and posted that from a notepad on my phone and it added them for some reason.

Yeah. I don't even care that much that it's dishonest, though It's too common. What bothers me is that it was marketed like it would be honest. They made a specific point to show that he was a veteran before his family died and he joined Black Watch. They made it seem like it was relevant in all the advertisements and previews, and I feel used because of it. I was really excited to play a game about a veteran.

Honestly, I think the only game that I've liked in that regard was the remake of Bionic Commando.

You know what would be cool? If a videogame company actually did something like prototype but consulted actual veterans about the story to see if it all rings true (this of course would be for the veterans who are willing to share those experiences and help guide the narrative of the story).

That would be really interesting. I'm not usually drawn to games like prototype but a narrative like that would interest me enough to give it a try.

All Quiet On The Western Front, the video game. I think it would be good but would probably scar me for life.

Do you think that might be part of it, though? You can educate yourself on army tech and army lingo, but its another thing altogether to educate and open oneself to why war crimes happen. Most of the recent things that have happened have been dismissed as lone crazy soldiers, but if they did that much research, its not always a lonely incident (like Abu Gharib or the permitted rrape in Vietnam). They know that, but they still rewrite how these things happen and the psychology of those involved. It might be too hard for people to come to terms that that is the nature of war and anybody put in the same circumstances could also commit the crime.

Well this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agniO6dczu0

became this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0hIp71HKSk

with literally nothing in between, so I don't feel like the idea is too far of a stretch and I would be really exited to see it fully realized. Sometimes I even feel like that second video is a commentary about returning veterans. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Holy shit......

What's up?

Nothing much... Just chilling. You?

That was a month ago, dude. I meant "what's up?" when I didn't understand what your last post meant.

Also, I'm good. Just bought Dishonored on your recommendation and my passport finally came.

Oh cool.

Dishonored is... fun. I like it more that harder that it is. It makes more sense that way for some reason.

I liked prototype 2 preferred the first one. Anyone got or played The Darkness 2?

Why? Prototype 1 and 2 were the exact same game.

I preferred to play as Alex Mercer than James Meller don't know why but first one was more fun for me maybe because it was new to me and prototype 2 didn't change that much. Both are great games though :)