PandaBear

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Battlefield 3 ... started playing in December 2011. Sue me.

@Asurastrike said:

@studnoth1n said:

not that it should come to any surprise that this series should parlay it's popularity with political views, but does anyone else feel anything less than disgust towards this game? i know i can be a little sensational at times, but i'm really in a knot over this game, or more specifically, the intelligent dialogue that is being drowned out by the marketing. where are the journalists? i understand the audience compulsion, and i get the "gotta have it" topics. it's still a junkie haven in here, but i feel there is a noticeable absence of any real dialogue and and much needed analysis regarding some of the nuances that seem to slip by so many people.

now when i say i'm disgusted, by that i mean to say i feel a general sense of unease given the fact that people are using this very influential medium and intentionally blurring the line between fantasy and reality, depicting real life events and public figures in order to suggest conclusions beforehand and perpetuate specific world views and to desensitize people to certain ideas, such as the military-industrial complex, which is clearly has never been an issue when making a military shooter.

initially, i thought the idea of using military as a vehicle to drive sales was just too vulgar and unsophisticated to really catch on. but now listening to people talk about this game with hardly a mention of some of the more offending concerns, i wonder if i was the one being naive. i get that most videogames are intended to be consumed for entertainment, sans all that critical thinking, but how far is too far in terms of what we're expected to tolerate? people have to determine where the line is for themselves, but for christ sake, no one seems to even want to breach the conversation. am i being ridiculous here, is it more benign than what i'm carrying on about? this is of course rhetorical since i wouldn't be writing this if i thought otherwise.

anyway, let me know what you guys think on the matter. personally, i think it's too much, but obviously i won't be speaking on anyone else's behalf. if someone could make sense of the lack of dialogue and explain what i'm missing i'd appreciate it, because this idea that games should only be enjoyed on the basis that they're ridiculous and absurd just ain't cutting it anymore. if it's an issue of articulating your thoughts, than consider this an introductory work-out because i'd really like to hear why games like Call of Duty are still even relevant? a functional piece of technology that's not too irritating of a distraction? so what, so is gin, and there are less things that qualify as a breach of good taste while playing cards.

Ask yourself:

What am I trying to Say?

How do I feel about this?

What is my argument?

Why is this relevant?

And then edit your topic so people can actually understand what you are going on about.

Well said.

And use the damn shift key. I mean you have to in order to make the / button into a ? so why not use it to make capital I or a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence. Seriously.

@LikeaSsur said:

Most would think I am posting this video out of sarcasm, but I am not. Everyone who has lost a dog/cat/pet (myself included) knows that it is one of the most depressing moments in their lives. But the knowledge that many have faced it before and will continue to face it makes us stronger.

So...yeah.

Agreed ... I consider myself troll to some extent, but really this is pretty sad. I have a 15 year old staffy and who I get to enjoy for the limited time I have left with him ... but when it's over it'll be the worst.

Sorry for your loss @mlarrabee

Spec Ops: The Line -- even the later game over screens are part of the story. The critique of modern shooters only works in the context of a game.

BioShock -- obvious reasons that have already been stated.

Batman Arkham Asylum -- the Scarecrow scene... that type of scare only comes from being a game.

Metal Gear Solid 2 -- the finale with naked Raiden ... 'Fission Mailed".

That's all I can think of at the moment but those are the ones that really stayed with me.

@msavo said:

@PandaBear said:

@msavo said:

@mderbs311 said:

So heres a question about the free games. Are the free games advertised in the current deal free to play still once NEW games are added? Like, just recently ive seen inFamous 2 and DD Neon as free, but when PS changes the deal and switches to a NEW set of free games, can I still play inFamous and DD, or is it only while they are the current deal?

As long as you "purchased" them by activating them on the Playstation Store when they are free you can play them as long as you are a Playstation Plus subscriber. For example when Stacking came out on PSN it was free for PS+. Since I was a PS+ member at the time and activated Stacking it is always tied to my PSN account so I can play and redownload it as long as I am a PS+ member no matter if the offer has expired or not.

So I just have a quick follow up to that - do the games run without an internet connection? Or do you have to be logged into PSN for it to work? I'm asking how it works on PS3 as I assume the method will carry over ... and make the wifi PS Vita a tad annoying while travelling.

No you don't have to be online.

EDIT: I misread you ... that's actually good news haha ... I'm a fool

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

So much effort is put into this site, 3 hour + podcasts are becoming the norm, 1 hour quick looks, TNT every thursday, Vinny, Dave and Drew doing old PC games, Patrick doing a live spooking with scoops from home, Jeff doing the Jar Time and Retro QL's from home. This site has been getting really good since they have settled in to CBSi, I was sceptical for a bit but now the content is great. All that is missing is a Endurance Run....

Yeah I hate to be the guy that comes into a topic and just quotes someone else ... but I agree with this.

I want more Vinny, Dave and Drew and Jeff is sounded more jaded lately, but all of the guys give me so much entertainment every week I can't complain. I pay the subscription just to fund this madness, not really to get anything. A three-hour Bombcast is worth the price alone.

People have a right to criticise, but at some point you have to say your peace, let go and move on.

@msavo said:

@mderbs311 said:

So heres a question about the free games. Are the free games advertised in the current deal free to play still once NEW games are added? Like, just recently ive seen inFamous 2 and DD Neon as free, but when PS changes the deal and switches to a NEW set of free games, can I still play inFamous and DD, or is it only while they are the current deal?

As long as you "purchased" them by activating them on the Playstation Store when they are free you can play them as long as you are a Playstation Plus subscriber. For example when Stacking came out on PSN it was free for PS+. Since I was a PS+ member at the time and activated Stacking it is always tied to my PSN account so I can play and redownload it as long as I am a PS+ member no matter if the offer has expired or not.

So I just have a quick follow up to that - do the games run without an internet connection? Or do you have to be logged into PSN for it to work? I'm asking how it works on PS3 as I assume the method will carry over ... and make the wifi PS Vita a tad annoying while travelling.

Don't fall into this elitist trap ... look at Rolling Stone when they do any Top 100 list. Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Beach Boys dominate the top spot while Gen X music gets a quick look in and fuck the rest. Entire genres like rap or heavy metal are ignored in favour of 70s prog rock and British pop all because a select few tell the rest what is considered the best. Let's just have our own opinions. Personally if I made the list I wouldn't include Saints Row The Third - I thought that game was garbage. But I love Battlefield 3 - yet you could say it's just a derivative modern military game.

It's opinions, not fact. Canonisation (or with a z haha) is when you state a fact not an opinion. When a person is made a saint they become part of the canon and are a saint as a matter of fact not opinion. Take Star Wars - the movies are canon, 99% of the books are not. A band may have what they consider they canon of albums and a side project under a different name that doesn't count (U2 and the Passenger side project).

Canon for what makes the best video games is a flawed exercise.

All of the is IMHO of course thought.

@Ravelle said:

@PandaBear said:

Can someone please explain the zombie rules to me like I'm an idiot.

Here's where I get confused:

1. Everyone has the virus, it's airborne (or in the water??)
2. When some dies, say from an arrow to the heart or your head gets lopped off, they live on as a zombie as long as the brain is in tact
3. Nobody is immune and everyone has the virus, but if they're bitten by a zombie they become one within an hour or so
4. They can smash a zombie's head in with a baseball bat, get the blood on their face and what appears to be in their mouth or on an open wound, and not become a zombie
5. = profit??

How come a non-lethal zombie bite, like one the arm, can make someone a zombie if they already have the virus? Are the zombies also poisonous and their venom kills their victim within an hour? I realise this is a fantasy world, but consistent rules should be expected from serious fiction. (PS I love this show, this isn't me having a go at it, I just feel like I missed a key piece of information)

1. I guess it's airborne, it's the most logically explanation.

2. When the heart stops, everything stops I believe zombiefied organs/muscles are still muscles and still need some blood to be pomped to get it working, when a head is chopped off it can indeed still operate somehow, have no idea how this can be a thing.

3.Everyone has the virus, but a bit just speeds the process up I believe because of the bacteria or whatever those zombies have in their mouth, or maybe you don't turn at all because of the zombie bites.

4. They aren't dying so they won't become a zombie, the brain needs to get in to a certain state to be overcome with the virus. ( or that's my speculation atleast)

Zombie or Infected is the actual correct term rules are different in every game/movie, it's a weird thing.

Giant Bomb really needs a like button so I can acknowledge everyone who replied to me with having to reply myself when I don't have a lot to add haha... @LiquidPrince @Terramagi @NlGHTCRAWLER

@Ravelle I'm cool with most of the rules most of the time, it's just take the prisoners for example. I forget his name, but remember the big black guy who died... well he was cut on his back by a zombie's exposed bone which was enough for him to be rendered a liability as he will become a walker soon. It was a non-lethal wound, I mean Herschel is 800 and he survived his leg getting hacked off, so logic says its the blood from the zombie that does it... but then when Andrea was watching the dudes check out the helicopter wreck one of the men bashed a zombie to death with a bat and clearly had blood on his face... everyone has at some point.

Sigh ... I feel like such a geeb saying all this haha ... I really like this show and this stuff doesn't change that at all, but it is something that has bugged me once or twice...