My interest in Far Cry 3 started as a simmering curiosity and went, inexplicably, to a boiling enthusiasm to play the game.  Even before Blood Dragon was released, this weird itch came over me, a voice in my head whispered tales of grand adventure, blowing stuff up, and an open world experience with decent story telling.  I wish-listed it, not so subtly dropped hints of wanting it to friends on Steam and decided Ive had enough of waiting, this Friday, May 24th, I will pick up Far Cry 3!

            What could I possibly expect out of it, though?  Maybe Im hoping this will make me better at FPS and enjoy the single player ride, as opposed to the oft-infuriating multi-player modes out there.  Thinking back to how much I enjoyed Uncharted 3 and how it seemed to improve my gaming skills (for lack of a better term), thats what I want to accomplish in playing Far Cry 3.  I feel like exploring, blowing s**t up, driving off cliffs and learning more about gaming in general would just be the bees knees!

            Of course, theres some speculation that the game could end up at least a little disappointing.  I am sure that Ill have a blast with it all the same.  So, for now, Rexs adventure goes on the backburner as I anxiously wait to hungrily devour the sights and experiences of Rook Island and learn more about what Im capable of.

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They bombed it badly with this console in my opinion. They could have shown off that the console was not a constant online, used games hating, with no forced Kinect and core gamer embracing console. It failed in all of these aspects. 

Now before i bash the console it has some upsides. It has 8 ram DDR 3. It also has a slick new controller.

The controller is something i was worried about, but it looks really slick and great. 

The processor also has the ability to switch between games, movies, tv and music. This is something that is really good feature for those that want to use it. 

Forza 5 was the real shining star of this show. With great graphics, It has really good lighting and just looks awesome. This will be a system seller. This is the only reason i am actually considering getting an Xbox One

Now to the really bad part. The used games fee is just flat out stupid and is an insult to gamers, it is actually worse than the Online Pass fee. Making everyone even force to be online to register the game is also as insulting to anyone. Requiring to be online at least once a day or to be online to register a new game. Also Kinect being forced to be used with the Xbox One and not even working without it is also flat out insulting. 

The conference itself was sorely lacking in anything appealing for core gamers. Only appealing with movies, tv and music apps. There was nothing that really appealed to anyone that have been a part of the core crowd. 

There is also no backward compablity despite the fact that the possibility is there for it. I get it with the Cell Processor and PS4. But why shouldn't it be possible to do it with Xbox One`?

I will not get this console, and i will go with Wii U and PS4

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So without further ado, I present to you the final resting place of my O.G. San Andreas review:

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the biggest GTA ever made, and 2nd best (GTA IV is all that needs to be said). The awesome mechanics of previous GTA games have been very refined, to give you what is one of the most fun experiences you can have on your PS2; actually, it is; Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the best PS2 game ever made. Period. It is just so amazing. Never have I had so much doing a Base Jump off a canyon, and getting smashed into by an oncoming plane. The Story: Carl Johnson (CJ) returns to San Andreas, from Liberty City, after his "Moms" was killed in a drive-by retaliation from a rival gang (CJ's a part of the Grove Street Family); while headed back, CJ is framed for killing a police officer, framed by Officer Tenpenny (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson), and is forced to do some dirty work, along with his "homies". You can drive, shoot, and cause mayhem like any other GTA, but it's been refined, to a "T"; you can now aim manually, while moving, which is great; diving is nice and tight, fun "arcade" feel to it; the mayhem is awesome, with awesome new weapons, and the only time in the series you can ever control a plane; this is also the first game where you can swim, and underwater, at that. The music is fantastic, with Ice Cube, Lynard Skynard, Eddie Money, Rod Stewart, Rick James, Billy Idol, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and many more; the Xbox version allows players to import their own music into their own radio station, but with all the great music in this game, who would want to. The size of San Andreas is roughly the size of a small state (maybe?), as it takes Liberty City and Vice City and expands 3 times upon them; 3 cities: Los Santos, the striving ghetto area, beginning city; San Fierro, "San Fransisco" basically, 2nd city; and Las Venturas, the "Sin City" of San Andreas, final city of the game; and lots of country, forest, and desert in between. Sice this is a GTA game, the weapons and vehicles are obviously top-notch; vehicles can go unbelievably fast, and guns go boom, like usual. Since you are in a gang, you can take over other gang's turf; Ballas and Vagos turf can be taken over by killing a bunch of them on their turf, and they can be indicated by purple and yellow clothing, respectively. Speaking of clothes, you can now customize CJ a lot; not just tons of clothing items, but also hair and "tats", which makes the game very dynamic. Collectibles are also very much "there", with oysters, snapshots, horseshoes, numerous Unique Stunt Jumps, and tags you can tag over with spray paint. The game is also the first of the "GTA III Era" to have some sort of two-player; there are little races, 2-player Rampages, and Free-Roam games scattered around San Andreas that, if you find them, you can play with a friend (not through the story, but you can still cause hell, elsewhere). There are also some fantastic cheats for the game, which can make for some fun, just I recommend not using cheats past the 500 mark (you can see how many cheats you've entered in the stats section of the start menu) until you get past a certain "Madd" mission in Las Ventuas, because it could cause the mission to "happen to fast" and will be very hard to accomplish. Respect can also be earned, which will allow you to create little gangs of your homies, to go cause havoc with; you can earn more "slots" as you gain Respect, but make sure you have enough "slots" in your car for 'em. Bottom Line: This game is fantastic. That's it. So, get off (or more like on) your ass and play some SA; it's available on Xbox Live (definitely worth the money), and for PS2, Xbox, Windows, and Mac (might be coming to Playstation Network, GTA III and Vice City are). Oh, and Jetpacks!!!

Well, that was my shitty old review of San Andreas. It may suck, but it did help me as a reviewer. It helped me to realize that I DO NOT want to make a review like THAT ever again.

Now that we have that out of the way, here's my LGA review:

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the most outlandish game Rockstar has ever made. While Rockstar has grown up a bit with more mature, dark storytelling, and realism; many fans will look back on San Andreas as their favorite, and one can understand why. It takes everything that made III and Vice City great, refines it, gives you even more to do, and throws in one of the wildest narratives, one that will take you to every corner of San Andreas, and throw a whole lot of silly your way. Not too much; a reasonable amount. This isnt Saints Row, in that regard; and thats a good thing. It contains the right mix of silly and seriousness, to keep the narrative resembling something coherent.

Carl Johnson (or as youll know him, CJ) is coming home from Liberty City, in the event of his moms death. Just off the plane, he is pulled over by some bent cops; Tenpenny (played by Samuel L. "Motherf*cking" Jackson), and Pulaski; who frame him for the murder of a cop (which will be happening a lot during this game). That makes you their dog.

Bitch, whatd I tell you bout them snakes!

You arrive at your old moms house, where you meet your life-long homies, Sweet (also your brother), Ryder, and Big Smoke; and all members of the Grove Street crime family. It turns out things went to hell while you were gone, and most of the families split from Grove Street. Led by the naive Sweet, you and your homies take to the task of bringing GS back to the top.

(Screenshot courtesy of IGN)

Plans quickly derail, and what results is one of the wildest narratives ever, filled with tons of memorable, lovable characters; most of which are well-voiced by well-known actors/comedians/rappers; and Rockstars most idealistic game ever, as opposed to their usual brass cynicism; though the wonderful taut political commentary is still there. Its also their largest-scale, with a whopping 3 cities to explore, all connected by vast countryside/forest/desert; and a mission count well over 100; this game will take you about 20-30 hours to beat.

You can now parachute off of tall buildings and out of helicopters.

The games map is mostly based on California, with Nevada thrown in for good measure; Los Santos=Los Angeles, San Fierro=San Francisco, and Las Venturas=Las Vegas. All with their own flare, and whatnot. The size of the map is one of the main reasons many people find this installment their favorite; it is really big, and it can be pretty fun to get from place to place (remember kids, we didnt have taxis back then); but it can also sometimes be easy to get lost, and you will be annoyed at least once; such as driving for like 5 minutes in the forest, before coming across a huge divide filled with water, between you and the rest of your path, forcing you to drive along the gap until you find a way to continue, taking up a considerable amount of time. It may sound like Im being nitpicky, but I truly do appreciate the size of the map, and it really immerses you into the world. Just an interesting fact, San Andreas is set in the same universe as III and Vice City (as well as Manhunt), so be on the lookout for cameos of past characters.

Speaking of water, if you happened to fall off of a cliff into it, as frustrating as it would be, for the first time in GTA history, it would not render you dead; as you can now swim! Underwater even (though this is rather useless, except for rare occasions, and drains your lung capacity meter). It is more fun on land, though; as swimming can get kinda boring, and annoying; sometimes spending many minutes trekking around in the water, just waiting to find a dock or something you can grab on to to get the hell out. Its still a heck of a lot better than dying instantly by merely standing in the water. Just try to stay on land, if you can. Water=Life Insurance. You can also use it to bypass the bridges blocking off the rest of the map, early in the game, by simply swimming past them, but I dont recommend this. You will get a lot of cops on you, and you will not get them off with anything less than your imminent death.

That thing floating next to you is an oyster, which is one of the many collectibles in this game.

I mentioned the lung capacity meter earlier, which is one of the many skills you can level up. You can level up your stamina (how long you can sprint, cycle fast, etc.), your skill with every weapon, every kind of vehicle type (by going to specific vehicle schools), and your physique. You can eat out and work out (not at the same place); and depending on how much of either one you do, your body and (in the fat case) voice will change. You eventually have to go to a Burger Shot (or Cluckin Bell, or Pizza Stack) and eat something, otherwise your hunger will go down, and youll start to lose health. Scrappy mechanic? Sure, but it doesnt happen too often. Still, that particular RPG element could have been left out, and no one would miss it. Your lung capacity meter dictates how long you can swim underwater. It can be leveled up with practice; you should start this early, as a mission 3/5 into the game requires you to have good lung capacity.

Home of the Heart Stopper; six pounds of meat and cheese that will someone in five seconds.

Also, depending on your physique, you can (if you know where to look) acquire girlfriends. This mechanic flat-out sucks, and is so time-consuming and boring for what your eventual reward is (one for instance can get you out of jail with all of your weapons). There is only 1 instance where you have to date somebody, but other than that, there are much better things you can be doing with your time.

Youre not worth it.

Yo CJ! Dont be a busta! There are various spots all around Los Santos, which are all controlled by one of the two rival gangs. You can mount an attack on these spots, and claim them for your own. This will earn respect for you (along with any mission you do for your homies). You can use respect to recruit gang members to help you with random things, such as certain missions and taking down rival gang turf. This mechanic disappears 1/5 into the game.

This is the best way to win a turf war.

You can pick and choose what CJ wears, his hair-do, and his tattoos, making him the most customizable protagonist of the entire series. There are different clothes stores, all corresponding to different social classes. Binco is for the poor, bargain shoppers, while Rodeo is for the rich. You can find various barbers and tattoo parlors all around the city.

Another thing that can be leveled up is CJs melee. Once you reach a certain level of buff, you can learn new moves at either the local Los Santos gym or the San Fierro martial arts dojo. It equips the triangle/Y button with sweet, ball-busting moves. This of course is completely optional, as you wont really be doing much melee.

.

Along with the usual cars, boats and motorcycles; for the first time in the series, you can fully fly airplanes (not just that damn Dodo). One of the best missions in the game is a flight school, which is mandatory. It will piss a lot of people off, though. Also new to the series is the ability to move while free-aiming, though you have to level each gun up to a certain level before you can move while shooting. While its not perfect, its still a lot better than past GTA gunplay, though that really isnt saying much. The series isnt about pin-point accurate shooting mechanics.

Once you reach Las Venturas, you can put your hand and wallet to various gambling, such as video poker, blackjack or the roulette table. Its a pretty sure-fire and fun way to make hefty amounts of cash, which you can then use to play more poker.

The less you play, the luckier you get!

The soundtrack is great (with my personal favorite radio station being K-DST). While there are a lot of misses (mostly on the non-rock and rap stations), there are still a lot of great songs to keep you rocking. The public radio is a favorite, as well; with its hilarious social/political commentary; though its still not quite as good as IIIs Chatterbox. The little adverts in-between songs and the such are as funny as ever.

Word of advice: do not go into this expecting anything resembling easy or fair in terms of difficulty. There are some missions that are almost impossible unless you know what to expect, and what to bring with you in preparation. Couple that with the fact that (like every GTA before) THERE ARE NO CHECKPOINTS. These are some pretty long, sadistic missions we got here, and a very expansive distance between the mission start, and the local hospital. So, unless you save nearby the starting point (which you should always do; and be sure to save regularly, as there is no autosave, and Im sure you dont wanna lose precious hours of progress), youre gonna have to go through a lot just to gt back to the point you died, make it a little further, and then die again. There is also at least one (optional) mission branch that you forces to PAY to start it; and these are some of the best missions of the game. And then there are the races, which. I dont really have the stomach to talk about right now. Lets just say that if you can make it through the two mandatory races, the rest of the game will be a lot of fun, and a hell of a lot easier!

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a very idealistic game, in terms of tone. While most other Rockstar games wind up depressing, San Andreas teaches you that no matter who you are, or where youre from, you can prevail, and be somebody. San Andreas is a rocking package filled with silly, rocking tunes, idealism and fun; and one of the greatest games on the PS2.

A-

I hope you guys enjoyed my review, and for now, this is rigbybot127, signing off.

(Now available on Playstation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace, for $15 and 1200 Microsoft Points respectively. You can also find it on PS2, Xbox, PC, and Mac.)

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     Over the last few decades, the human species have done some incredible things. We reached the moon, we created the modern computer, and one of the most prominent forms of entertainment today: the video game. We have evolved over the years and created such a glorious entertainment. As well as evolve technologically, we have evolved away from horrid gender stereotypes. Women used to be viewed as the housekeeper, while the men were the breadwinners. Likewise in video games, gender stereotypes and roles in the industry such as protagonists and even jobs or appealing games have changed. Women are becoming accepted to be in higher job roles and even taking on more masculine characteristics. With video games, women are usually found being the damsel in distress, the voice-over sidekick, or the sex object. Throughout the past four decades, gender stereotypes as well as the cultural norms have changed through video games, and there is also a parallel trend from how our culture has come to accept the overall different types of people, in which as time goes by, we have culturally gone away from gender stereotypes and sexism.

      Women in video games overall were uncommon in any strong position pre-21st century. One of the first time the lead character of a video game was a woman, but the catch was that it was revealed upon completing, and that was only if the game was completed in under five hours. That game was called Metroid. In the game, the playable character was a space bounty hunter named Samus Aron who fought against the Mother Brain and a bunch of space pirates, her weapon was, and still is, a gun. Back when this was made, in 1986, there wasnt another female protagonist, and if there was, they certainly wouldnt be shooting anyone. But at the end of the game, Samus took of her suit and revealed her true sex. The response to this revelation was complete shock in the audience. But the audience came to accept her through the entire game, thinking that she was a guy, even though she wasnt. There are mixed conclusions one could make, as the developing team didnt even think to include this until after the game was finished, but the series creator Sakamoto, even stated in 2004 that they didnt want the bounty hunter to become nothing more than a sexual object. (Sorice) Back then, women were only viewed as sex objects, and intentional or not, Samus was wearing a bikini. So as the start of women in video games were emerging, there were still problems, but at least Samus was not intended to be a sex object. Most other women who were in video games, were damsels in distress. One of the first and most famous video games was Donkey Kong. The hero is jump-man which we know today as Mario. Mario traverses the traps that Donkey Kong set up to try and save the damsel in distress, which in this case, is Princess Peach. She is completely helpless as she waves her arms around like a fish out of water, and outbursts cries of help because she needs a man to save her. Once you complete the third level, Donkey Kong falls to his dismay and there is a heart that appears between the two. Later on in the industry, when they began to star females in games, one female lead stood out from the rest: Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. She was in countless games where she is a treasure hunter. She gets dirty and kills anyone that stands in her way. The one problem with having a female doing this, was that she was highly sexualized. The industry still wasnt used to having a strong female lead, and many men wouldnt want to play this game unless they could look at her butt the entire game. Most images that you see of her from her first games, are her abnormally large breasts, her tight tank-tops, and her extremely short shorts. A writer at IGN says about the men who played Tomb Raider, But for others, as the series declined prior to Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider: Legend, Lara Croft became symbolic of the video games prevailing failure to offer up real characters rather than cardboard cut-outs with huge guns/muscles/breasts. (MacDonald). The women she says viewed her as an iconic heroine, but the factor of how she was sexualized outweighs the factor of that she is a woman. So with the sexualization of women, and the damsel in distress helplessly flailing her arms away, women didnt have an easy time in the industry. Men in videogames had a lot easier time in the industry, with no one even questioning their position.

     Men had much more of a common and easier time in the industry, such as being the lead role without any big fuss, but also were described as the one in power, with hyper masculine traits. The male in general was typically the guy who provided for the women and got dirty when he had to. Margaret Fuller describes in her essay The Great Lawsuit, The wife praises her husband as good provider, the husband in return compliments her as a capital housekeeper, (Fuller 22). The women in our society accept the men in charge. In games such as Max Payne, Halo: Combat Evolved, and the original Resident Evil, the male protagonists each had a female sidekick. The job of the female would be not to kill the people that stand in their way, but to give them information behind a desk, or just run around helplessly. In a game like Mario, it would be the males job to save the princess, similar to that in the Legend of Zelda. In most games pre 21st century, the male would save the female. The men in video games were typically described as muscular and overly strong. If you look at a game like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, the men in that game have their shirts off to the point where you can see the over-the-top muscles. Take Ryu for example, the most well-known street fighter. Every picture of him is him with a tough looking face, with a karate suit on, and either flexing or in a fighting stance. Every guy in that game on the character select screen has a tough looking face. Similar to what expert and educator Jackson Katz says in the documentary, Tough Guise. Jackson Katz says in his argument The front that many men put up thats based on an extreme notion of masculinity that emphasizes toughness and physical strength and gaining the respect and admiration of others through violence or the implicit threat of it, (Katz). That accurately represents how all of the male Street Fighters and Kombat warriors are portrayed. Although the street fighters are still disguised as this masculine pose, and women are still sometimes the sidekick, there has been several positive changes since the new millenium hit.

    When the 21st century hit, there have been numerous changes to the bias that video games had in regards to gender and sex. Females are more common to be the lead characters and getting more dirty. Games like Uncharted, Final Fantasy, Gravity Rush, Assassins Creed: Liberation, all star females who arent afraid to get dirty and do things that are described as masculine, except the opposite sex is taking on these roles. Take Gravity Rush for example, the main character, Kat, has to defend the city from the Nevi, an unknown terror that rose up from the ground. Typically you would see a man saving the world from an alien attack, but in this case, its a women taking on the attack. She uses her gravity shifting powers to kill the Nevi. She kills, fights, and saves people. Countless times, she saves the rookie cop from trouble. Another lead female is one I have already talked about, that is Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. Square Enix is rebooting the series with a whole new look at Lara Croft, she is no longer a sex object that has men drooling over her when people cosplay. The first images released of the new Lara Croft were of a dirty female in jeans and a shirt. Ron Rosenberg, the executive producer was in an interview talking about the changes, where he said, Gone are her ridiculous proportions and skimpy clothing. This Lara feels more human, more real, thats intentional, (Schreier). This is a sign that people are changing. If some company who intentionally made Lara Croft into a sexy protagonist, into an actual and realistic human, there is so much other companies and we as a society can accomplish, and we can change. The change in who plays video games is a surprise. Typically the ones who would play the NES, or Genesis, would be the brother in the family. But starting in the mid 1990s, games were having more appeal. The Sims was a huge success among women and men. Kristina Benson says, even studies from the early and mid 1990s suggest that a large percentage of females play computer games for approximately 1-2 hours a week, (Benson). The console that were released in 1995 was the original Gameboy. Due to the complete lack of solid graphics, the blood and gore were merely pixel dust. Nintendo was releasing games that could attract both genders, like the Game and Watch Gallery. Today, women are seeing a lot more play time than 1-2 hours a week. The Electronic Software Association explores the growth of women gaming, as they say based on studies and statistics, Forty-seven percent of all players are women, and women over the age of 18 are the industrys fastest growing demographics, (ESA). While this might not have to do with the roles of women being the lead character, it does have to do with the variety of games. Mario has shifted away from just saving the damsel in distress, to games like Mario Party, Super Paper Mario, the sports games, and Mario Kart, all are games that you can play as Princess Peach and are genres that attract everyone. Not only are those games fun and violence free, but they are also games that encourage you to find a partner to join in. The guy in the relationship can now play a nice, friendly game with his partner. The changes in the industry have had a positive influence, as there is less controversy like in Custers Revenge, where the goal is to rape a Native American girl, and we are shifting more towards a less offensive and family game. Culturally, we are making huge steps in the right direction.

         Gender problems through video games and through culture are growing out of pathetic stereotypes. Our culture has been shifting around a little bit, and there is a parallel trend from how video games are changing and how gender stereotypes are changing. For video games, when the games go from women being the helpless, screaming hostage, to a female described masculine hero, it provides hope that stereotypes dont need to exist anymore. When women are becoming the dominant sex in education, as more women are graduating, we can stop viewing them as just a sex object who lives under the stove. The industry is making games also more appealing to feminine characteristics, which leads for more opportunities for them to play, similar to how in the job world there are opportunities for both sexes. If we would take these trends and put them on a graph, the x-axis would be time, and the y-axis would be progress towards eliminating gender stereotypes, both lines would have the same slope going positive. For the future, this could mean a lot of things. We may see new series with female protagonists, we could see men being the sidekick, we could even see more women saving men as they are in the damsel in distress position. There is a vast open-world that we can take anywhere, and in a few years, the changes may even double.

Works Cited

Benson, Kristina. "Five Myths about Female Gamers Debunked." LA Weekly. LA Weekly, n.d. Web. 1 Feb.

   2013.

"Game Player Data." The ESA. Electronic Software Association, n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

MacDonald, Keza. "Rewriting Lara Croft." IGN. IGN Entertainment, n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

Shrieier, Jason. "You'll Want to Protect the New, Less Curvy Lara Croft." Kotaku. Kotaku, n.d. Web.

   1 Feb. 2013.

Sorice, Adam. "Samus Aaron, the Woman Within." Nintendo Dojo. Nintendo Dojo, n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

Tough Guise. Screenplay by Jackson Katz. Media Education Foundation. Film.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/11/rewriting-lara-croft

http://www.nintendojo.com/features/editorials/samus-aran-the-woman-within

http://kotaku.com/5917400/youll-want-to-protect-the-new-less-curvy-lara-croft

http://blogs.laweekly.com/arts/2011/03/five_myths_about_female_gamers.php

http://www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp

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Subsequently, a lot of people have been in touch asking what I'm up to now. The last couple of weeks have been really exciting -- I've put out the first episode of my new weekly podcast, which not only reunited me with Jane Douglas, Lucy James and Dan Maher, but also went to number one on the iTunes chart. I've also been busy writing for Wired, appearing on BBC and Sky News, and updating my YouTube channel with new videos. In the next few weeks I'll be sitting on a BAFTA games journalsim debate, interviewing Rhianna Pratchett at the Hay Festival, talking about the next Xbox on CNN and BBC, and of course heading out to E3. If you're going to be attending any of those events, please say hi, and if not, I look forward to hearing from you over on my website or on Twitter. There's loads more coming down the line, but for now, please let me know what you think! See you all again soon.

Jane, Lucy, Dan and I recording the first episode of my new podcast.

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The game is currently less than a cup of overpriced coffee (3.39) and worth every penny! We'll make a server and dig down to the depths to see if we can enter hard mode!

The deal is only going until 4:00 PM PST today. 

To sweeten the deal if we can get 50 people to sign up and participate in this two part game night I will make us an emblem.

MadElk will be assisting with the server, I will be posting details about how to join later this evening. Unless of course he decides to grace us with his presence and inform us in the comments. 

We'll be using a chatzy room for communication up until the event happens, then we'll be moving to a group steam chat. 

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So I'll show off some of my short stories and a little of my Beaumont series in the blog.  To read more though then look up ReinaHW on Deviant Art and Reina Harriet Watt on Wattpad to see my work, the blunt of it is on Deviant Art.

This short story I'm going to show is one of my more recent ones, it's called I Remember:

I remember

I remember the first time that this happened, I was a child of barely two years.  I remember being dressed for bed and as I closed my eyes after my mother had said good night, I died shortly after in my sleep.

I remember it so clearly, I recall how I felt myself detaching from my body and not feeling scared.

Then I woke up the next morning with memories of my parents finding that I had died in my sleep, memories of my funeral.

But I do not recall exactly how I came back to life.

I remember

This would continue every day, I would sleep, die and wake the next morning with memories of something that couldnt have happened.

It wasnt until I was older when I realised that every day brought slight changes, from a toy being in a different place to colour changes in the clothing my parents wore or behavioural changes.

One change in particular was unexpected, I woke from my death one morning when I was in my mid teenage years to find that my mother had died many years ago, yet when I woke from my death the next day my mother was still alive.

Another had me waking as the opposite sex from what I usually was.

I wasnt just dying, I was shifting from reality to reality whenever I died.  Every version of me was.

I remember

I have died almost every day of my life, I have memories of my funerals and I do not know how to stop this from happening.

I am far from the reality I started in, I am unable to make friendships because I keep dying.  My parents are like strangers to me due to how often this happens.

I am a shadow of a life detached from a solid reality, drifting from death to death, life to life, possibility after possibility.  Will this condition ever end?  Am I doomed to die and shift to another reality until I am too old to continue?

Will I ever have the chance of a life of my own?

I remember

As the years pass and I get older, I wake to find myself married, a parent, I wake to find myself single and alone, I wake to find myself disabled from an accident or from birth, I wake to find myself in many different paths.

In one reality I may be pregnant, the next morning I am not.  In another I am with my spouse, male or female, in another I may be facing a day of pain and torment.

It is all random with no pattern and the years are falling away at a rapid rate.  Soon the years will stop and I will not wake at all.

I remember

My body begs to sleep and as I close my eyes and feel myself die again, I wonder if it will be the final time.  I wonder if I will see another sun rise.

I am so old now, my body is becoming weak with age as I near the end of my life and the nights are terrifying for me.

I close my eyes in protest, I do not want to sleep, but I always do even when I try to stay awake.  And again I die.

Again I await the dawn.

I remember

The dawn comes and something unexpected has happened, I have been reborn and I am once again an infant, I am starting my life anew.

But will the shifting continue or will I be able to live this life?

I dread the coming night, for it brings an uncertain future.  Please dont let this be a loop.

I remember.

~

This next short story is part of my Beaumont series, it is called We Are Never Meant To Live Forever:

Is it a curse?

Is it salvation?

Is it hope?

Is it damnation?

The word is Immortal

The reality is beyond understanding.

The mother:

An illusion of sincerity can be seen in the eyes of those who do not grasp the horrors of living beyond the natural life span intended for humans.  They pretend to understand when they learn of what I am, but how can they truly understand something that even those who are forced into this kind of life can barely understand?

I envy those who are not long lived and I pity those who are, for those who are not long lived eventually come to the end that nature intended, they become dreamers of the dream.

But those who keep going, they do not dream, they simply continue.  As they do they lose the will to live, they fade away a little bit for every year they continue to live when they should have been long dead.

It is a curse wrapped in the thin layer of a blessing.  There is no pleasure in slowly and surely fading away within yourself.

~

The sister:

Eternal tears of hopelessness develop but never fall, you wish so much to cry those tears in the hopes that those tears will be your last, but they never are.  They are merely more tears that pool into a large river within the weakened soul of one who is being kept alive.

People come and go in our lives, we may love them, hate them, wish them dead or wish them to remain with us in this unwanted torment.  But they never do.

They come from so little and become nothing but dust in the bitter and cruel winds of time.

Take my hand, I beg you, plunge a blade into my heart and let it drain my lifes blood from me, let it drain my body of all life so that I can finally, and blissfully, sleep.

Take my hand and remove me from this damnation of undying existence.

For humans are not ready to live beyond their means.

~

The daughter:

The winds carry petals from many flowers that have grown from a mere seed, like all life those petals become part of the winds that are life.  We are all, in a sense, petals in the wind.

We twirl and swirl in the winds of life, settling or constantly going until finally gravity brings us down and holds us in place where eventually we wither and crumble into nothing.

But what if you were born to forever stay in that wind?  What if gravity could not bring you down onto the unforgiving ground of a sudden end?  Where do the winds take a petal that does not fall?  What lands are there for that petal to see?

I am a petal that does not fall, I am a rarity amid many petals and the winds of life keep blowing me along into paths that so few or no one has ever been to before.

What does the future hold for me?  What delights and horrors will I witness?  Only the winds know and they do not reveal their path to anyone.

~

The grand-daughter:

I am a product of violation, an unwanted life.  That is what I am and like my birth mother, I am born into a life that does not seem to have an end.

Am I bothered by this?  I do not know, for me it is perfectly natural and feels normal to me that I do not age as many others do.

I watched those around me become old while I remain young, I watch their bodies decline and then stop.  I do wonder why I was born the way I am, what does life hold for one who is born to live so much longer than the majority?

Do I consider myself superior to them?  No, I do not, I consider myself to be both equal and inferior to them.  Some would say that my being unable to grow old and die could be seen as a blessing, as a sign of superiority.  But what superiority is there when you say goodbye to those you care about more often than you do hello to anyone you have only just met?

There is no superiority to being long lived, there is merely the ever constant loneliness and heart ache from the many losses of those who mean a lot to you.

Why was I born this way?  What purpose is there to an immortal being born?

The many possible joys and delights of life, the happiness that you may find along the way tend to pale next to the goodbyes that gnaw at you.  What does the future hold for me?  I do not know, I hope there will be happiness.

But I feel that there will be more loneliness than happiness, and that hurts a lot.

We are never meant to live forever.

~

This next short story is called Sunshine And Lollipops, a dark story:

What can I say of how it was?  It's hard to say since it just was and ultimately meant nothing.  You look at me as if expecting me to say something profound, something predictable to whatever you clearly expected of the moment.
But I find I have nothing to say, it meant nothing to me while it meant everything to you.  Do I lie to you and say it was wonderful?  Do I tell you the truth and say it meant nothing, that I felt nothing?

All I know is that I am still alive and for that I can't apologise.

Still you look at me, your eyes displaying more pleasure than I feel.  How long must I wait until I know there is something wrong?  Is there something wrong with me?  Or am I feeling the way my heart feels?
Please stop looking at me like this, like that, like you expect me to say something that I don't feel.
From the corner of my eyes I can see that it's a sunny day, sunshine and lollipops like my mum would say.  Have the hours passed by that fast?  I must have lost track of time when I switched off within and felt nothing, nor desired to.

Yet I am still alive and I can't apologise.

You try to engage me in banter, it's clear that you don't feel what I feel.  For you this was special, wonderful.  For me it was just another day, another job.
I feel nothing for you, nothing for this job.  Yet I need the money due to the way my gender is seen and regarded, as if we're still inferior to you, still nothing but property.
So I switch myself off whenever I'm with anyone while on the job, be it day or night, I switch off so that I don't feel the increasing shame within me.  I hate that I feel this shame.

Yet I am still alive and I can't apologise.

The money owed is paid and I say goodbye in a half hearted way, you still look at me as if you expect me to be happy.  I feel only revulsion now, at myself.  I hate this job, I hate my life.  I hate what I'm forced to do because of the lack of options I have.
I head home and as soon as I am alone I collapse in tears, then spend an hour in the shower sobbing and trying to wash away all traces of my job for another day.

Yet I am still alive and I can't apologise.

I feel so numb, so cold despite the beautiful day.  Sunshine and lollipops, mum, that's what you told me.  Sunshine and lollipops.
I look down at the gun in my hand and wonder if today is the day I can pull the trigger.  If today is the day when the numbness will end and I can be free of this hell.
Can I be free?  Can I feel even the freedom?  Only one way to find out.

Yet I am still alive and I can't apologise.

~

And one more, this next story is called For I Am:

Sticks and stones may break my bones

Taunts aplenty come from your lips, hurt so much comes from your hands and feet as you attack me, insults never seem to stop coming from you.  You try to bring me down, you try to crush my spirit.

You are succeeding, yet you are also failing.  A part of me is still fighting against the misery you bring upon me.

But your words can only graze me

You call me a freak, an it, a thing.  You demand me to be just like you because you are too close minded to understand that no one can be exactly like you, no one can be what you demand them to be.

You and your friends who follow you around, who dont think for themselves because it is so much easier to be a group mentality than a single mind, you and your friends do not think for yourselves.

Every word stings, every bruise is painful, but as much as I am hurting and wounded, I am determined to stand my ground.

You spout ignorance and hate

I try to reach out to others who are as different as I am, who are like me.  But they are also hurting due to so many who also hurt them for daring to be themselves instead of conforming to the demands of hurtful ideals and misinformation.

How can we ever speak when our words are dismissed as not conforming to a limited notion of what it is to be a person?

Is there anyone who will listen to what me and so many others like me have to say?  Is there anyone in the world who even cares about those of us who cant help the way we are born?

You are insecure though, you are afraid of looking inside yourself

For I am trans-gender, I do not conform to a gender binary because I am unable to do so since I was born this way.

My gender does not match my body, my feelings do not match who I am demanded to be.  Many demand me to be what is between my legs, they tell me that it is sinful and evil to not conform, to not be the person I can never be.

Please, oh please, is there someone out there who can see me for me instead of only seeing me for who and what I can never be?

Please?

The bruises fade, the broken bones can heal.  But the scars within from all the hate, those do not heal so easily.

I can not conform to your demands, I do not want nor wish to conform to your demands.  I wish to be myself, I wish to be the person I was meant to be but was denied due to natures random acts.

My seeking to be myself is no threat to you, your demands are the real threat.

So please, do not judge me for something I had no choice in.  Please stop hurting me.

For I am Trans-gender, and I have the right to live.

~

Let me know what you think.  These are just four short stories from my fairly large portfolio, although much of my written work has been lost over the years, I still have a great deal written.  In total I guess I've written well over a thousand pieces - stories, reviews, articles and more.
And there we go, all done.  I might do another blog some other time if there's anything to be talked about.  And please don't expect me to write what's demanded by the many, I write what I wish to write and say what I wish to say. 

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Remember when I said the only thing I didn't have to do with Valkyria Chronicles 2 was that I hadn't read the Aliasse's Blue Flame manga?

No, of course you don't.

But anyway... every once in a while I search Valkyria Chronicles 2 on Google. Partly to find new fan art, and partly to flip the middle finger to anyone b****ing about my lovely game.

And I found that the Aliasse's Blue Flame manga has been translated.

I'm exceedingly happy.

So this is good news for any Valkyria Chronicles fan.

The real ones anyway, not those pesky stuck up bass tards who are still whining desperately that Valkyria Chronicles 2 should have been on the PS3, or that its story is not good, or that its graphics aren't, or this, or that... To me, people like that are honestly the lowest forms of life. Lower than prokaryotes.

So a few fan arts of Aliasse to redeem an otherwise utter failure of a blog...

I guess that's it.

Goodbye.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Now if you guys are fans of the series then you'd know that KOTOR 3  doesn't really have much potential.  If they continued where KOTOR 2  left off, it'd be a short game.  Though it'd still be a great storyline it wouldn't feel like the past games because there would be very little team play seeing how its only 4 guys and T3M4.  Bioware was smart to just make the huge The Old Republic mmorpg because its set a long time after a sequel would've been and has a lot of differnet storylines.  

Though a lot of people (including myself) don't usually cross the line between console single player gaming and pc mmo's.  The old republic is a great game where it doesn't feel like an mmo unless i really need help on a group mission and I can enjoy an inceredibly long storyline where a possiblity of 16 different ways to play the game.  

Going back to KOTOR 3, the storyline is that the exile (after the events of KOTOR 2) leaves malachor V, drops off Atton and the other group members to restore the jedi order, then proceeds to follow revan in the ebon hawk with t3m4.  When they find eachother i forget all the details but i remember one of the final battles between Revan and one of the true "sith" masters that Revan with all of his power is outmatched by the old master, before he is killed T3M4 uses his flamethrower to distract the master long enough so revan can finish him, but dies in the process.  If they made this storyline it wouldn't feel like the classic RPG unless they made up a lot of characters to be team mates and it wouldn't follow the storyline.  If they used this story It would be a good dlc for an actual rpg or make this an action game.  And I can't even guess who the hero(ine) would be, either Revan or the exile.  

Now I think what would be a great KOTOR 3  is a new storyline set 700 years before episode I and I don't have a good storyline but it would be awesome if a young padawan Yoda was one of your group mates.  So in the comments please lets just have fun with this and think of a great storyline for a kotor 3.  I love the story so much and I'm excited that there's a possiblity for it.  

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I was 9 years old when we moved to a new house. I was over the moon , i finally had my own room and i felt independent. About a week after we had moved i started having these dreams. I don't remember how many times or how often but i remember being scared to death. We had a backyard with a big garden , in my dream i would see one of those outdoor toilets with a crescent moon on the door. The door was shut , it was just there , in the middle of the garden. Then the door would open and i could feel this evil , sinister presence. I remember thinking it was a vampire at the time , it was this dark mass and could see it's eyes looking at me. I remember waking up without my covers and freezing. 

My theory is that i was afraid sleeping on my own...

Story 2 :

After a couple of years we buy an apartment and we move again. So it's night , we had just settled in and my dad asks me for a glass of water. I go to the kitchen , i click the switch to open the light and while i was waiting for the light to turn on the dishwasher starts shaking like crazy. It felt like a small earthquake , i remember it starting slow and the then just shaking frantically. The light turns on , everything stops and i take a step back. All this happened instantly. I called my father over and asked him if there where dishes in the dishwasher , of course he said that it wasn't even plugged in. At this point he's next to me so i give him him glass to get water on his own. I was still staring at that dishwasher waiting for something to happen again just so my dad would believe me. But nothing happened ever again in that kitchen besides the occasional whisper now and then. 

Story 3 :

Same house , summertime and the livin is easy. It's night (again) and it's hot as hell. My fan was broken and i was pissed , sometimes it stops working on it's own... So i close my eyes and try to sleep. While my eyes were closed i thought " I wish someone would turn on my fan" and i imagined my hand pressing the button. Can you guess what happened next? I hear this *wooshhh* , i open my eyes and i see the fan spinning and changing direction which i found weird because i had locked towards my bed. My heart was beating so fast. Did someone turn it on? But i opened my eyes immediately , why didn't i see anyone? I was frozen in place , i managed to get under the covers covering everything but my eyes , ironic isn't it? Did that just happen? i kept thinking... I slept eventually. I didn't know whether to be amazed or terrified.

Story 4 :

I think this happened a while before the previous story. It was Saturday if i remember correctly , i watched "The Omen" that evening and i remember waking up in the middle of the night that same day , i don't remember why but i remember hearing something under my bed. It sounded like a small glass ball , bouncing as if someone was dropping it , then picking it up and dropping it again. Once i realized what was happening i started screaming at my mom. She came running thinking i was being butchered or something. I told her to listen , it happened one more time and then it didn't happen again. She looked under the bed and didn't see anything and told me to go sleep with my brothers. At least my mom heard it so i knew i wasn't hallucinating. 

Story 5 :

This happened a couple years ago. It was almost midnight , everybody was in their beds and i was waiting to fall asleep. Out of nowhere i felt like someone was running in the house. You know when someone is walking and you feel the thumbing on the ground , like when the music is very loud and you can feel the bass in your heart. That's what i felt/heard , it was all over the place. Then i felt something running on the hall , my room is facing the hall so my eyes were locked on my open door. I could feel it getting closer , i knew i was about to see something , i was bracing myself. I started praying , i've never felt so scared in my entire life. It stopped after a while but needless to say it wasn't going to be a very relaxing night. 

Why is everything out to get me...

Do you have any scary stories or unexplained events? Share them in the comments section. Thank you for reading!

~Rein

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

The Final Fantasy series by Square (now known as Square Enix) was originally developed in 1987 for the Japanese Famicom and was ported to many different game consoles including the American NES release, PlayStation game systems and the Gameboy Advance. The series became popular to both fans and critics alike with plenty of new instalments and sequels. However after Final Fantasy X was released for the PS2, it showcased impressive gameplay as well as cool storyline and characters, graphics and sound. After when Final Fantasy X became a massive success, by 2002 marked the beginning of the series downfall. This blog will explain about the problems with the series as of now.

With the exception of the remakes and ports of the old games that originally didnt make it to Europe originally on the PS1, GBA, DS and the PSP. The series started it's downfall with Final Fantasy XI for the PC, FFXI didn't become a single player RPG experience instead it was developed into a MMO RPG where players from over the world. The biggest problem with the game was that it was a pay to play game as part of the PlayOnline Network and every time you died you lose EXP that you earned which was actually stupid. It also had a cumbersome initial registration setup and the game featured overcrowded camp-sites while others say that it was unoriginal. Dispute these problems it managed to become one of the most profitable titles and earned a few medals even if some people thought that an MMO being part of the main series was a bad idea. It had 5 missions packs but why the fifth one had to come out so late in 2013 is just plain dumb.

The next bad Final Fantasy game is Final Fantasy X-2 and personally this where the series really begun to take it's turn against the fans. Square Soft merged with it's rival Enix so that they can become Square Enix and so the disaster begun for Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy X-2 was liked by some others since it did returned to the Active Time Battles and the traditional levelling system. Other then that the game had Yuna returning along with Riku and also a character named Paine to turn the game into one that's rather girly which does disgust me whenever I dare play it. People personally think the graphics haven't changed from the original X title while personally I don't think it's worth complaining about aside from the framerate and large black bars that covers about 15% of the screen. I do say that the girls themselves should have donned better outfits on. Other complaints of the game involve the storyline progression which is very disjointed, the minigames being unenjoyable and the soundtrack sometimes sounding very inappropriate. It may have been an impressive selling game but honesty this is one Final Fantasy that makes me feel uncomfortable playing.

After a long while another main Final Fantasy instalment came for the PS2 that was Final Fantasy XII. It had great impressions when you watched the intro only for it to be destroyed when you actually play it. I wish I could excuse the use of the License Board system if it wasn't for the game's atrocious Gambit system and ridiculous combat. Also correct me if I'm wrong but my friend who has this game has told me that the game has tried to create a sandbox style environment but ended failing miserably but I'm not really sure if he's right about it. Don't get me wrong the characters, storyline as well as the graphics were impressive but however it's the entire gameplay that kills it entirely. On top of everything there's a super boss that takes literally hours to beat which is super ridiculous. I honestly can't believe that this game sold well and that people tend to defend it. Personally I think Revenant Wings on the DS was way better then that pile of trash.

Next up is Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus for the PlayStation 2 and let me tell you, Square Enix simply made a generic Third Person Shooter that featured Vincent as your main character. It might have told an interesting story but however it's gameplay was beyond question. First up the melee combat is frustrating no thanks to the awkward camera controls, it has blend and linear level design and worst of all it wasn't even in the least fun and the enemy AI was just plain dumb and weak. I really couldn't believe that this rubbish shooter dared to carry Final Fantasy VII's great name and allow Vincent to simply destroy it with this trash. Hey, at least Crisis Core made up for that embarrassment.

Just when the Final Fantasy handhelds had a very good spot in the fans another main instalment in the series came out for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 that was Final Fantasy XIII. Gamers have waited a very long time for this game to come and when it did it became one of the most disappointing squeals and to be perfectly honest it doesn't surprise me when XII disappointed me so much. It had a convoluted storyline with uninteresting characters like unlikeable main character Lightning, Snow and cowardly boy Hope. Alongside the bad characters and story the game design was just so linear as you were just walking through lengthy corridors and also the battle system was just simply garbage. You only controlled one character which has it's own abilities and summoning. The worst thing about the battles is that it always relays on mashing the same attack over and over for a few minutes before it finally dies and also when the leader dies it's Game Over regardless if your allies are still alive. This is one of the biggest offences that this game commits and fans and some critics claim it to be one of the worst instalments in the series but I claim that it comes close to being one from all the later ones I've seen.

Just when remakes of the old Final Fantasy games where starting to feel stale, Square Enix announced and then released Final Fantasy XIII-2 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. I played the demo and I'll say this, they did improve the battle system but only a tiny bit and they did add a monster capturing system and also making the game non linear. These pluses aside the game had a more uninteresting storyline which was confusing and disappointing and the characters with it's only exception was the main villain were weak. The battle system was still rather simplistic and shallow and the use of cinematic actions lacked any impact. What I really hated about the game are the Trigger Events where you need to press either one of the face buttons to select a piece of dialogue to advance and some of the choices are just plain stupid. One of them where you got a choice to use a control device against a boss named Atlus was the worst. You can either ask Mog, ask someone you don't know, say you don't know or select I live in the moment. Why couldn't you just say let's control the device and weaken him since fighting him at his full power kills us in one hit. It's just like the game wants to troll you or something. Some people said that the game's boss battles are often frustrating and they get more annoying later on. Overall this game is a better then the original XIII but however there are still some major annoyances that didn't make it fun to enjoy.

Before the release of Final Fantasy XIII-2 there was announcement of Final Fantasy XIV and when the trailer got to the end it was going to be another online Final Fantasy game which was going to make it extremely disappointing. Not only was the battle system completely broken but the interface was terrible, the sound effects were annoying and worst of there's very little to no depth to the gameplay at all. The worst news of this game is that it is getting a reboot since the company recognizes the problems of the original game. All I can say is that I am extremely disappointed to have seen the announcement and wish the game would just die already.

If you thought all those were bad then you mistaken, there is no other terrible Final Fantasy game then the abysmal All the Bravest for the IPads. Simply Bitgroove and Square Enix simply took the sprites from the other games as well as the fanmade ones and made a rubbish game where you simply flick the screen where your allies are and then they attack automatically. Worst problems is that the game was blend and simple, your hand would ache even after only a few minutes of playing it and finally it used the microtransaction deal where stuff in the game such as Hourglasses (which acts as Phoenix Downs) to adding extra characters costed real life money when you have dozens of Gil in your hand that you want to spend it on. It was well criticised by critics and fans alike for any lack of gameplay depth, character customization, no story, and very expensive in app purchases for basic gameplay functionality. It should be called the worst game in the entire franchise and it makes me so mad that I want to throw any copies of the game into a fire. It's just absolute criminal.

The only good Final Fantasy games this generation has done is Dissidia for the PSP which is an excellent fighting game, Final Fantasy IV for the DS which is brilliant and Crisis Core which was pretty good if difficult to learn and master. Some other like Theatrhythm were alright as well. However when it comes down to seeing all the newer games in the series is just insulting. I'm not happy to announce that there are more games on the way.

Yes guys there are more bad Final Fantasy games coming with the exception of the HD remake of Final Fantasy X which will be great to see as long as the company doesn't destroy the game. I'm still of upset that X-2 will be included as well.

As for the bad ones there is going to be Lightning Returns which upon seeing the game's screenshots looks like a PlayStation 2 game which ensures utter disappointment. A Realm Reborn which I already said that it was going to try an improve on the games problems while in my opinions make it possibly worse and finally recently there was an announcement of a Final Fantasy Tactics port for the Ipads which brings a company known as Mobage which have been well known for having their games use the microtransaction deal. It's not going to be any surprise that this trash is going to be as bad as the others.

With the series being a fantastic innovative RPG series for fans, it's just insulting that Square Enix is just being absolutely lazy with their titles but still gaining money from their sales. At least now they are losing their money over their titles. Unless they can something about their Final Fantasy titles and get on with Versus XIII instead of screwing around with the franchise, otherwise I wish the series could just die along with the company.

I know I was bashing the series for a long while but it's just absolutely terrible that Square Enix could get this lazy on an extremely popular franchise and the company should know better. I'm glad that I did the right thing and ignored the other games and chose Namco Bandai's Tales Of Series which has answered the fans call.

That is why I'm going to take out every Final Fantasy related hero and villain in the franchise so that they'll regret disappointment they unleashed on us. That is why I'm now called The Bringer of Tales and Slayer of Fantasy. Then I'll be able avenge the fans fir what Square Enix has done.

Subscribe to my channel on Gamespot, Raptr, DevaintART and Facebook for reviews, countdowns and images.

Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)

GAME ON!!!!!

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Boobs

This sorceress has giant boobs. She's going to be in a video game. This is a problem.

Kotaku and Gearbox have pinned Vanillaware's lead artist and president with being everything from a teenage boy to a sex-offending criminal. There's no shortage of slurs and swears in what is no longer a discussion as it is a schoolyard name-calling match. I'd say Gearbox is winning, by the way. I guess stones thrown from glass houses pick up momentum.

Why is it that we've reached a point where breast size is equal to controversy? Gaming characters have a long line of big breasts, ranging from fighting games, to actions games, RPGs, and so forth. It wasn't an issue then, but it certainly is one, now.

Most of this rage comes from an industry that wants to shed the days when the industry was a boy's-only (if it ever was) clubhouse and allow admittance for females. Any girls who want to play in the house shouldn't have to play with GI Joes, sure. But should they only be able to play with Barbies that have their clothes sewed on and breasts hacked off? That doesn't sound right.

Any videogame character with large breasts is automatically sexist. This is a scientific fact. Any sexualized female is a part of a male-centric power fantasy. This is what we're supposed to believe.

But does this fit every fantasy? 

The Fantasy

There is this concept that videogames since the 80s have been developed for straight white male boys. Anything that doesn't go out of its way to show how progressive it is is clumped here.

The concept is that the boy plays as a big, strong, muscle-glimmering alpha male who roams around, beating things up with his alpha man fists and saving the super sexual woman. Imagine something along the lines of Golden Axe--but forget that you could play as a woman. Something like Mario--except neither of those leads are sexualized. Maybe Mega Man--but he's an adorable robot and doesn't save a woman. Maybe, ahm--you know just smash those three games together and you'll see what games supposedly have always been.

Gamers have argued that men in videogames are just as sexualized as women, but the counter-argument here is that the men are a part of the male fantasy as well. The male plays the big strong man saving the sexual woman. Easy enough.

Here's the problem in pushing this idea into Dragon's Crown: You are the female. You don't have to save her; you don't have to win her over. You play as her kicking ass and saving the day. She's her own power fantasy. So then, who is this power fantasy for?

To say that it's for straight males again leaves little room for women to have fantasies at all. This isn't even to mention the fantasies of gay or bisexual people, let alone transsexuals. Figuring out what fantasy is for whom is tricky and pretty well impossible.

One thing I do know is that my girlfriend always prefers to make a character for herself who has big breasts and wears provocative outfits. She's a straight white female. She should hate this, but she genuinely enjoys being a badass and sexy woman who saves the day. She says she likes to play as "pretty" women. And why wouldn't she, if the concept of the male power fantasy is that we like to play as rugged, handsome men? Women should find escape in pretending to be those stereotypical caricatures of themselves, too, right?

Why would women only want to play as rugged, flat-chested she-hulks 

All-Inclusive

The gaming industry wants to include women now more than ever. With sexist slander, employment issues, and violence agaisnt digital women causing controversy, it's easy to understand why.

So the industry reacts. They react by lashing out, screaming slander, and fighting against people's creative expressions, because they don't agree with those expression. That's not how inclusion works. 

Not only that, but it's an impossible way to include women in games. You can't tell the rain to stop raining, and you can't tell an artist not to draw breasts. The idea isn't to make less games that feature super sexualized women, it's to make more games that have what would be considered the standard archetype for women. The industry sees where women are being under-served in their escapist fantasies, and they need to fill those gaps. They don't need to lash out at those who are not.

So then the gaming industry is doing that, right?

Of course not. In fact they're completely against it.

With Epic expressing that a Gears game starring a female would never sell, and the developer of Remember Me describing their trials and tribulations with publishers demanding the protagonist of their game be a male, it seems like the game industry doesn't actually want games that appeal to women. They want manly masculine games for men, because girls don't buy games.

But then they yell at people who make what they consider manly masculine games for not trying to appeal more to girls?

The industry is in an inclusive conundrum right now where it knows that it needs to make games for women, but no one wants to take the first step and actually do it.

In the West, anyway.

Japan is Better

The country responsible for the jiggling woman that has burned a fire of controversy is actually the country doing inclusion right. They make dating sims, dress-up games, RPGs, and plenty more solely crafted for a female audience. Not to mention Capcom was the only publisher willing to pick up Remember Me. They actually have a system in place where boys and girls can play with their Barbies and GI Joes, big breasts and no, together in harmony.

The Western gaming industry makes a lot of fuss about the Japanese industry, where they are and how they have to catch up to where we are, but this is a case of not recognizing when something is actually ahead of its time. They're in the future we're too afraid to reach. They should be the model, not the issue.

We're also yelling at a completely different culture to be more like us, so that's a problem, too.

So, What Do We Do?

If the gaming industry wants to be more inclusive to women, then it needs to be more inclusive. They need to make games with strong female leads, make the games they think girl gamers want. But they can't try to force games featuring sexualized females out the door. It's not only the opposite of inclusion, but it's also impossible. Everyone has different fantasies; there's no way to know who wants what. They just need to make a little bit of everything.

Games for Western girls are coming, and they will come soon--

As soon as the industry has the balls (or breasts) to be more like the country they point fingers at and say is so far behind them.

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