Teru_Murasame

@envane: Lol, I saw what you did there

Military Industrial Complex? PSH!!! It's the Gaming Industrial Complex We All Need to be Afraid Of!!!

So back in 1961, President Eisenhower warned us of the "military industrial complex", stating that "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought". What this means to all you idiotic trolls who still utilize the so-2004 concept of leetspeak, is that we have to be cautious about our government turning into a militaristic regime. Not only that, but we must also question the information and the motives presented to us in certain forms of media...

So you might be wondering what all this has to do with gaming, right? Well, just like every other blog post of mine, I like relating different things to gaming (it's kinda my thing). So what I'm saying is that not only do we need to heed ol' Ike's words about the military industrial complex, we also need to heed these particular words on what I call the gaming industrial complex...

It's no surprise that gaming is a huge cash cow. Look at the millions of copies of different games sold, as well as consoles, DLC, even the copy of "Angry Birds: Star Wars" that you have on your smartphone. Big game companies thrive on your business, whether you're a hardcore gamer or a casual gamer. There's no surprise in these statistics, which is why I didn't post a fancy flowchart or a graph for all you simpletons out there (j/k I LUV UUU!!!). However, it's also no surprise that any company can sell shit just to make a fast buck. That is where one of the main problems of gaming come into play in this generation: The Quality...

With the advent of DLC, it seems companies are getting away with doing less; such as releasing an over-hyped piece of shit game- RE6 *cough*- along with Day One DLC. So obviously games these days cost more than $60 if you factor in the mainly useless DLC. Not to mention that you'll sometimes have to pay for THE TRUE ENDING TO A FREAKIN' GAME!!! (You are sooooo dead, Square-Enix! I don't give a shit how much I love Dream Drop Distance!) One of the biggest offenders in this generation is a company we ALL have grown up with and loved since we played our first game by them, whichever that may be. That company was once known as Capcom...

Capcom has raked in millions upon millions of dollars with their best-selling franchises (except Mega Man)- Resident Evil and their Marvel vs. Capcom fighting games being primarily the focus. While they've had such an outstanding run in the past, now Capcom has taken it all for granted, and with no accountability for their actions. Just to squeeze more money out of our pockets, they actually had the NERVE to put locked content within UMvC3! They implement Day One DLC on Resident Evil 6. Oh, and about that fake-leather Leon Kenedy jacket? I only have 3 very impolite words to say to them regarding that. Not only that, but it seems like Capcom doesn't even give a crap about any of that. All they care about is selling their worthless, broken games and making a ton of money off of their incomplete products. UMvC3 is a decent fighter, but Resident Evil 6's shooting mechanics are completely broken beyond repair and the AI- both enemy and allied- are glitched to hell (I don't have RE6 anymore, so if they've released any patches, let me know). Apart from horrid gameplay, there's absolutely no substance from Capcom these days when it comes to plot or character development. RE6 is a mediocre third-person shooter catered to Western audiences with no merit to the lukewarm plot or its cardboard-cutout characters. That's it. It's been done to death time and time again, but as long as Capcom makes money it'll be just peachy-keen!...

Now, if you think that Capcom will atone for any of those mistakes, or apologize to their fanbase, guess again. If any of you have played the demo for the new Devil May Give Two Shits game, you already know (unless you're a hopeless fanboy troll, then I have no respect for you). The fact that Capcom decided to give that franchise away to a development team that doesn't know a good game if it eviscerated their rectal regions like a honey badger during the month of June was the spark for all the seething hatred that has been attributed- and will continue to be attributed- to this game thus far. This proves that Capcom only care about sales, but it also proves that don't care about consumers. I dare you to ask anyone from Capcom about why the DmC demo is so horrid. I don't care that Capcom isn't directly involved with the making of the game. It's their franchise, and they still oversee production of this game, so they are still involved regardless of that. See what response- if any- they'll give you...

This relates to what Dwight Eisenhower said during his farewell speech because gamers have no idea about the kind of thing that we're dealing with here, nor do they care. Capcom is lucky that they have legions of Internet trolls defending them to the death, because they don't have the gall to utilize the Internet in other ways besides pornography and DBZ: Abridged (although I will go on record and say that I LOVE TeamFourStar). If you want to drink Capcom's proverbial Kool-Aid, fine by me. If you want to attack me just to satisfy your ego and make Capcom proud of you "cuz you're their oh-so-speshul wittle boy/girl", then come at me! For anyone who is having doubts about anything presented here, look it up on Google or search for video on Youtube, because in this deteriorating democracy everyone deserves the right to know the truth...

Impending Oblivion like a Swarm of Bees in Wintertime

What is it about the Apocalypse that is so frightening, yet so fascinating at the same time? I mean, everyone knows at least one crackpot who thinks that the world will end on the Winter Solstice of this year, and are immediately given an implied facepalm/middle finger combo by some man/woman who goes home and eventually pops in a DVD of "The Day After" while playing "Tom Clancy's EndWar". Whether or not you believe in the 2012 conspiracy, have a copy of "The Day After" on DVD, and/or even like Tom Clancy shit, the end of the world is one of those subjects that brings along a deep-seated morbid fascination into the minds of many...

One of the first games I've played that dealt with the Apocalypse was "Chrono Trigger" for the SNES. To this day, I still have a psychological complex whenever I see a shooting star. I stop speaking for quite some time, and if someone asks me a question, I write down two possible responses and I circle the one I like- just like ol' Crono (I'm currently seeing someone to help with that). Anyways, I played this game before 1999, where I honestly thought that Lavos would rape the entire planet when midnight struck on New Year's Eve in 1999. Y2K? Bitch please! Lavos was the real deal in my mind. Until about a year later. That's when I felt like an idiot...

There are so many games in various genres that deal with the world ending. Even in Cave's classic vertical-scrolling shooter "DoDonPachi", the commander that was supposed to be on your side ends up being a deranged lunatic hell-bent on wiping out Humanity. Also, "Radiant Silvergun", "Giga Wing", and even "Subterranean Animism" deals with these Apocalyptic themes. Why is it that so many games use this as a plot device? Simple: It's because that it's entirely too real...

No, I'm not one of those 2012 doomsayers, but I am one who likes to keep my eye on what's going on in the world. Hell, even your parents can tell you about those duck-and-cover drills they used to do in school if the Soviet Union decided to push the big red button (cuz, you know, nukes are pussies when it comes to classroom desks. Fuck you, Khrushchev). Everything from the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the Able Archer exercises in the 1980's, and to the international tensions with Iran and North Korea nowadays; it still presents that same fear and fascination in all of us...

I could've listed off the more popular games on here like "Fallout 3" or even throw in some "Call of Duty" shit, but I wanted to keep this entry as an observatory piece of how I view people's reactions and opinions on a subject such as this. Upsetting to some, even welcomed by a few, it's important that we keep our minds in a state of readiness. Learn about these international affairs. Question everything about what other countries- as well as our own- is doing right now. Also, if the darkest of days does get here, be prepared for it. The greatest defense mechanism, after all, is education. Otherwise, we're nothing more than a swarm of bees caught in the winter amidst impending oblivion...

Forever Love by SNK... Or how I'm relative to Robert Garcia

Any of us who were raised by arcade machines back in the good ol' days definitely remember the "Art Of Fighting" series of games (spoiled rich kids with Neo Geo AES systems need not apply). While I was more of a fan of "Fatal Fury" and "Samurai Shodown" than "Art Of Fighting", I still popped a quarter or two into that machine and gave it the attention it rightfully deserved. While I spent most of my playtime as Ryo Sakazaki (cuz he reminds me of Ryu from "Street Fighter" and Goku from "Dragon Ball Z"), I also spent some time playing as another character- when Ryo was already taken, of course. His name is Robert Garcia...

Robert Garcia is an Italian badass who is friends with Ryo and Yuri Sakazaki. His father Albert Garcia is friends with Takuma Sakazaki, the master of the particular fighting style used by my favorite character(s). Because of this, I quickly mastered both Ryo's and Robert's fighting styles and combo moves. Anyways, throughout the "Art Of Fighting" series, Robert starts to feel a romantic connection with Yuri Sakazaki- Ryo's younger sister. In the first game, Yuri is kidnapped by a villain known as Mr. Big, so Robert and Ryo embark on a skull-busting crusade to get her back. I'm not gonna spoil the ending of this game, so get a ROM if you want to see a twist...

Y'know, it's a labor of love like that that can really get you thinking about the relationship one has with another. For me, I would definitely risk my bio-technological life and cybernetic limbs to save my girlfriend from psycho criminals like Mr. Big, Mr. Karate, and let's not forget the infamous Geese Howard (he didn't really capture anyone as far as I can remember. I'm just stating the fact that he's one bad motherfucker)...

I love my girlfriend. She has been through a lot, and she is such an incredibly strong person. Every morning, I wake up with a smile on my face knowing that she loves the hell out of me and that I love the hell out of her. It's a special kind of romance that knows absolutely no roadblocks. Distance doesn't mean a thing to us, because we are open and honest with each other and let each other into our lives. We share our triumphs. We cry on each other's shoulders. We laugh and make jokes. Hell, we even love video games and other nerdy shit. NERDS, YOU CAN- AND WILL- FIND LOVE!!!! IT IS POSSIBLE!!!!

So does that make us the Robert Garcia/Yuri Sakazaki of the real world? Well... I'm not Italian, she's not Japanese, I only know Shotokan Karate instead of Kyokugen-Ryu, and my girlfriend prefers buster rifles to melee combat. However, the one thing I can say about both Robert and I is this: We will stop at nothing to protect the ones we love...

@Zithe: Will do!

I answered no, cuz I'm a huge jerk. At least I'm honest about it.

I'm gonna cry when this comes out. I won't even finish it because I want to savor every single moment.

Hey duders, I'm Teru Murasame. I've been playing games for about as far back as I can recollect. I love Metal Gear Solid, Ninja Gaiden, Shadows of the Colossus, Prototype, Ratchet and Clank, Killzone, Battlefield, and Ace Combat just to name a few. Apart from games, I love music, anime, and writing. Oh btw, I'm a cybernetic ninja assassin. Just thought I'd throw that out there...

One word, and one word only: Brono

Seriously, the Endurance Run was awesome! You guys should totally do another one.

The Sad Poetic Braindump of a Lovesick Man

So tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Whoop-de-freakin'-do! You know what I'm gonna do tomorrow for Valentine's Day? For one, I'm gonna hop on MSN and have a horribly depressing chat with my girlfriend who's 2,000 miles away in Norway. Second, I'm gonna whore around Giant Bomb, because I just freakin' love this place THAT much. To top it all off, I'm gonna pleasure myself with tons of crazybloodyparkouraction resulting from a certain parasitic dickhole by the name of Alex Mercer in "Prototype". Heh, there's no doubt that I would unleash an epic virus like that if I was super pissed off. Hallmark, I have your damn number...

Obviously, we're no strangers to pricks in video games. RPGs made that perfectly clear, as well as the insane amount of 12-year-olds who keep kicking my ass at "Modern Warfare 3". What's intriguing to me is how these CG-animated assholes fare with other members in a party/clan/posse etc. The main characters from "Borderlands" serve as an example of 4 show-offy, egotistical badasses melding together into one solid unit. I am also gonna paint the target on my head when I mention the relationship between Cloud and Tifa from "Fina Fantasy VII". Sure, we all know that Cloud was a genetically-engineered supersoldier working for the uberdicks at Shinra, but it's the somewhat emo-depressive way he comes off when he's around Tifa. Dude, she wants you. You want her. Stop denying it! You've been friends for how long? It's no secret that you two were meant to be together, fanservice be damned! Speaking of dicks in "Final Fantasy VII", do I need to mention Sephiroth? Didn't think so...

Okay, back on topic, we need to dive further into "Prototype". More specifically, we need to dive into the relationship between Alex and his sister Dana. Was it just me, or did the virus form of Alex care more about his sister than the actual human Alex did? I mean sure, he was the only parental figure she had, but I just see more humanity in the virus than I do in the actual Human. Call me a cynic, call me a pessimist, even call me a misanthrope. I am all of those things...

To wrap this all up, I will say this: Alex had his reasons for doing what he did, and that's A-OK. As I await the release of "Prototype 2", I hope to learn more about our boy Mercer as well as the newbie Heller. Maybe Alex will come to terms with what he did and offer a valiant sacrifice at the end of the game. Who knows? I'm sure that underneath his reanimated corpse, amidst the Blacklight virus flowing through his veins, there is a shred of love and compassion buried somewhere beneath it all. When I fire up my PS3 and take yet another playthrough of "Prototype", my heart will be warm and fuzzy as I rip a Special Forces soldier in half...