Henroid

Wait, I thought one of the first things GamerGate declared was that they hated the Humble Bundle. Is this people trolling them?

The last of the media departed Ferguson, so guess what the local PD is up to?

If anyone looks into La-Mulana, I've played the original to completion and was at the end on the remake (though my computer crapped out before I could finish it). As remarkable as the game is, it suffers from obtuse puzzles with obscure hints. I hit my fair share of points in the game where I had to look up how to overcome puzzles (or remember where to go). While things are relatively the same in the remake, it had a mix of good and bad changes to puzzles. Some of the puzzles I described as being obtuse got simplified, but then some elements of the game were changed and made the game that much more confusing. All that said, I still think it's worth having a look into. There's still an element of platforming / combat to get some challenge from. I wouldn't know which version to recommend to people; the original has a presentation that sells the authenticity of the puzzles being impossible to learn to solve on your own (as many games from that era had issues with). But the remake allows the game to control way, way easier. If you take notes (like with a pen) of every hint you come across or make notes on every room with a really unique feature, I think you can manage to get through the game on your own fully without looking up a guide. But it's gonna take time. They're making a part 2 after all this time. I'm hoping they design the puzzles / backtracking to be easier to understand.

I'm not his biggest fan (to put it lightly), based on me engaging him one on one over a previous video games thing that happened like last year. I wouldn't mind him so much if he was at least honest about everything - he wants to make money and will do anything he can to achieve it. Hey, nothing wrong with that. But he tries to sound like the Little Guy™ all the time to score cool points with his fans. Plus there's that time he was like, "My time is money and I don't owe you answers or a debate" when someone engaged him on the Zoe thing. Honestly, I expect him to wait for the initial Steam Curation thing to bubble down before he starts listing games he's paid to sponsor again. Edit - Actually something to consider about his current ranking on the Steam curating thing is that his growth isn't organic; GamerGate has made a concerted effort to boost him up on the list.

I'm only 23 minutes in but two notes. - I'm starting to question how either the Thumbs view Nick, or how I view Nick, or both. You guys make him sound crazy! - I was just thinking a few days ago "Whatever happened to Dishonored jokes?" I AM PLEASED. Edit - Jake is at his best this episode.

And now GamerGate is pushing the hashtag "ComicGate" because that piece of shit Spider-woman cover is being changed. GG claims it's because of oh-noes-feminists, but it's being changed because people thought it looked like shit as far as comic book level art goes. The proportions were all goofy and weird, and this isn't the first time it's happened to Marvel (backlash against art that was just bad; separate of issues of sexism). Which isn't to say the art didn't have some issues to it vis-a-vis sexism, but that wasn't the loudest voice / concern. If anything they're so desperate to make their non-point / attacks that they're reaching beyond their poorly-maintained public mission statement of, "This is about journalism ethics." Because once again, it's about keeping feminism and women down.

Oh god I keep forgetting to ask - So those Warner Bros. cartoons being released from their vault, racist content unedited; are they being sold, or is it just content you can acquire for free?

I have no idea when this photo was taken, and I don't have any proof that it is apparently one of the cops in Ferguson, but:

Or a private detective.

While I didn't see mentions of Steam Curation along with it specifically I did see GG accounts saying they "stood by" TotalBiscuit and his integrity. I figured it was related.

Meanwhile checking in on GamerGate today, - Pretty much the same shit repeated - No mentions of the Steam Curating thing having possible issues, aside from non-GG folks asking GG about it - Shout outs to Emma Watson while also saying SJWs are against her because reasons - Something about not buying products from those that bully GG, because... journalists make games and not write about them right? Edit - Oh yeah someone is saying Chris Hardwick (nerdist) is an enemy of GG or some shit and to not watch @Midnight. Which is dumb because that show is pretty goddamn great.

Somebody set part of the Mike Brown memorial on fire last night. I guess the KKK arrived in town or something.

Hoop earrings are hard to pull off but I think she nails it. But the thing I mostly notice is the plaid attire; I grew up at an impressionable age and dress like it's 1992 and Pearl Jam is still the hot shit - which for you young folks means I have plaid flannel shirts all over and dress that way as if it holds back my mortality.DON'T JUDGE ME. Edit - Also this post brought to you by having shit all to do with feminism or Anita's critiques. And yet is still positive so BOOYAH.

A friend of mine was telling me the Steam store front changed but I haven't seen it myself yet (my PC is still broken). Apparently there's both a "Popular New Releases" tab, which may be redundant because there's a "Top Sellers" category? The only way I can think to justify that is they want to attract better attention to new releases rather than have them compete with long-released stuff maybe having a sales surge.

That's a good point. The only thing I can think to say is that it's easier to get people on board with something when you make it about something they can relate to. Edit - I'm wording this poorly but I think people know what I mean.

That was actually a really good speech. She fucking nailed it. I can't think of anything she said that could be refuted or counter argued (I'd like to see Sommers try, just for schadenfreud's sake). I am man # 41,080.

I got worried about them when they decided to close down the North American version of DFO. Granted, it didn't help that its pay-for options were staggeringly expensive. As a free game its the most open among F2P as far as not paying money at all goes. But if you do decide to pay money, it actually punishes you for not investing as much as possible. Specifically, your characters had two sets of items; regular equippables like any RPG has, and then "avatar" items which actually affect your character's look (they also had some stat bonuses). The avatar items had three payment options for any of them; I believe it was 2 months, 6 months, and permanent. Which, yes, suggests what you'd think - if you didn't buy the permanent one, after time ran out, you wouldn't have the item anymore. But you weren't spending $5 on a hat or whatever, it was like $15 for 2 months of a hat (if I remember right) while the permanent version was $40 or something. Though I may be thinking about the cost for full avatar sets (aesthetically matching) and not a single item's cost. It was a strange, strange business plan.

There's one argument (that I don't agree with) as to why he probably couldn't get publishers to bite; the Castlevania series, as popular as it is, isn't popular enough on the business end. The series has always struggled to recoup costs if I remember right. But still, that's a shame that the guy's clout alone couldn't work out. But hey, mobile games mean he can bring in money still and maybe get to work on what he really wants to. I see it as a delay of plan rather than his plan ending. Speaking of delays, the XB1 was supposed to launch tomorrow in China. But apparently MS decided to push back the launch without a concrete explanation, nor a new release date. That's as last minute as it gets. Sucks for China! http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/226144/Xbox_One_delayed_in_China_the_day_before_launch.php Another bit of news I wanted to come here with is a report on Nexon; I dunno how people know the company, if at all (I know them as the publisher of Dungeon Fighter Online), but basically it's a Korean company that does Korean business style games. But they're making a big push for western developers to sign on board, starting a new division called Nexon XP. It's literally their western branch of business. They have Cliffy B working on something for them, and Splash Damage, Turbo, and some others. So keep your eyes peeled over the next year or two. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/226192/With_big_names_signed_Nexon_guns_for_Western_players_with_new_division.php I'm not going to say I'm the biggest fan of Nexon (not to say I don't like them) but I think they can pull this off with some dignity.

I've slowed down in peeking in on the GamerGate shit going on (I got hired for a job a couple days ago and frankly have more important shit to do now). The thing ongoing for the weekend seems to be harassment of GG supporters. Well, reported harassment (hey, if they want to question the shit Sarkeesian or others get, they can be questioned too). But the first thing that comes to mind is the most likely scenario of what's going on; the same people that harass / dox / threaten Sarkeesian and others are focusing on doing the same to GG at the moment, if only to sit back and watch the group blame "SJWs" for it. Sadly there's a lot of GG supporters falling for it. On the plus side, the people talking about GG the most now are its most devout members / believers. People seem to have moved on and its for the better. Like I said, even I'm looking in on it less now. I figure the next time it'll come up in the broader media surrounding video games is when the anniversary hits.

The moral of the story: Not every disagreement or error has to be the start of an activist movement.

I actually agree, but the saving grace for that was the charity stuff the guy setup in the wake of the success of what was meant to be a joke. So at least it wasn't a waste.

I think the only way a behavior is influenced from a piece of work is if it's a point blank lesson intended to be conveyed. The lowest rung on the ladder for that is children's shows teaching kids that sharing is cool as fuck. Going up the ladder for influencing behavior, see propaganda sites or peoples (I dunno, let's go with Sarah Palin) who directly or cryptically influence behavior / actions. Y'know, politics. The way I hear Anita's arguments about sexism in game is that it isn't influence of behavior; it's depiction of behavior or other things that makes it "normal," whether it's "normal" in the game's setting (where you'll get more extreme things like women outright being butchered brutally) or "normal" in real life (women being decoration). It's a huge huge huge difference from saying it changes people or makes them act a particular way. It's a subtle touch, which has an impact over the long run when combined with other sources showing the same thing (or near enough to it). If a guy grows up seeing his mother beaten and treated like trash by the father, while still loved by both, the kid may likely grow up to think that's "just the way it is." Especially if he never sees the alternative frequently enough or at all.

Are you saying potato salad isn't worthy?

Every time I think the paranoia has reached a critical mass I'm proven wrong. So apparently there's this idea that 4chan has been taken over by SJW plants among the mods. Because even 4chan is sick of this stupid shit and is closing down threads / deleting posts about it. Whatever fun there was to be had with it, I guess, is done. So the GamerGate response against one of the lead mods? Attacking his girlfriend. I wish I was joking. SHE is the target of HIS perceived attacks. Also, some of the paranoid chatter about taking 4chan back as if it were a country subjugated by Russia or some shit: I know that generally speaking people are moving on and ignoring this, as we probably all should, but I'm worried that some nut is going to flip out.

That was awesome, and also addressed her line for line from her original video too.