Life

[Snooglebum]

Speaking of research, I'll be starting my experiments for a study I'm conducting soon, which is exciting. Analysis of Logical Discordance in Deaf Individuals.

Ah, that!

What?

[ThunderPeel2001]

So I was in the pub the other day, and I met a guy who said this: "There hasn't been a film in the past five years that has come close to telling as good stories as games have in the same time period."

I asked which games he thought had overtaken films in terms of storytelling and he said, "Gears of War, BioShock and Red Dead Redemption".

It's fascinating to me that he got so much from those games. What do you all think?

[Orv]

So I was in the pub the other day, and I met a guy who said this: "There hasn't been a film in the past five years that has come close to telling as good stories as games have in the same time period."

I asked which games he thought had overtaken films in terms of storytelling and he said, "Gears of War, BioShock and Red Dead Redemption".

It's fascinating to me that he got so much from those games. What do you all think?

Short answer: The man is a drooling idiot.

Long answer: The man is still a drooling idiot, but I can see where he might be coming from with BioShock. Even then, BioShock is still not exactly a monolithic masterpiece of drama and tragedy, it's just a really well imagined place. The story is. . .well, if I'm honest, mediocre. If I'm buoyed by the "choices" and the sets, I'd give it a 4/5.

The man is a drooling idiot. Especially in regards to Gears of War.

So no, they haven't overtaken cinema. Cinema has just been, really. . .lacking lately, in terms of good stories.

[miffy495]

Orvidos is being a tad overzealous. The man is not a drooling idiot, he is just confusing leaps in game storytelling for games overtaking films. Bioshock is an excellently realized setting with a meh story, and Gears of War is fantastically exciting setpieces with a terrible story. Certainly I've gotten more out of some GoW moments than out of most recent action movies, and I've been sucked into Bioshock's world in a wonderful way, but that has nothing to do with their stories.

While Red Dead Redemption is probably the most justifiable choice on that list in my opinion, it's mostly notable because it's a game with an honest to god denouement. The fact that that is a thing that has been lacking from games for so long says all it needs to. It is probably the best game story in years, but it has nothing on, for example, There Will Be Blood or the recent True Grit (saw it last night), to name two movies from the last five years that share the same setting.

While I disagree with the man, I can see where he would be coming from. That said, he probably needs to see more good movies before making that claim.

[Wubbles]

Ah, that!

What?

I'm afraid that's classified.

(I don't want to get scooped.)

[James]

Yeah, I see why he'd say that, but it's kind of like when people were saying GTA4 should win Oscars: a spectacular failure in the perspective department. Storytelling in games has taken some encouraging steps in the past few years, but the road is very long, and the pace isn't steady.

Even if you did accept the premise that games have exceeded films at storytelling for a full half-decade, the degree of hyperbole he employs is pretty frustrating: how can he honestly say that nothing in film has even come close? Does he just not see any films?

[circadianwolf]

Does he just not see any films?

Probably, yes.

[Orv]

Orvidos is being a tad overzealous.

Well. . .yes. But the point stands.

No they have not.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Orvidos is being a tad overzealous. The man is not a drooling idiot, he is just confusing leaps in game storytelling for games overtaking films. Bioshock is an excellently realized setting with a meh story, and Gears of War is fantastically exciting setpieces with a terrible story. Certainly I've gotten more out of some GoW moments than out of most recent action movies, and I've been sucked into Bioshock's world in a wonderful way, but that has nothing to do with their stories.

I said the same thing in reply, Miffy. I was like, BioShock: Amazing setting, but the story wasn't great. He responded: "Are you kidding?! The story was AMAZING. The twist was unbelievable! No film has that!" I started to talk about the Usual Suspects, but then realized it wasn't in the last five years.

When I started talking about the lack of dimensions for the characters in GoW, he was still unswayed. He still insisted the story was great.

I said, "Well, for me, the best film of the last decade was There Will Be Blood." He quickly responded with, "Oh yeah, that was good." So he does watch movies... he just loves games.

[Thyroid]

You guys, the Middle East is flippin'.

In Jordan, we're having protests! Us! I know it's a stunt to ease-up on the Human Rights Watch, but a protest! In Jordan! Holy shit! There's revolution in Tunisia, the Lebanese government has collapsed, and Sudan is being split into two countries.

Holy fuck biscuit.

[Roderick]

I'm not trying to be facetious here, but hasn't the middle east been pretty fucked up for a while now? It's pretty hard to understand the full breadth of what's going on from here, but between Israel, Iraq, Iran and Sudan, it appears a hotbed of turmoil and strife.

[Orv]

I said, "Well, for me, the best film of the last decade was There Will Be Blood."

I would hug you, TP, but the urge to beat you with a bowling pin would be overwhelming.

[MrHoatzin]

I'm not trying to be facetious here, but hasn't the middle east been pretty fucked up for a while now? It's pretty hard to understand the full breadth of what's going on from here, but between Israel, Iraq, Iran and Sudan, it appears a hotbed of turmoil and strife.

I wouldn't call it facetious so much as fatuous.

But yes, some shit seems to be going down... On the face of it it doesn't, however, look like any of it is related. Plus, Kroms, your definition of Middle East is kind of broad. Tunisia and Sudan, really?

[Patters]

I wouldn't call it facetious so much as fatuous.

But yes, some shit seems to be going down... On the face of it it doesn't, however, look like any of it is related. Plus, Kroms, your definition of Middle East is kind of broad. Tunisia and Sudan, really?

I can see Sudan being classed as it, but Tunisia is very much not.

[Roderick]

I wouldn't call it facetious so much as fatuous

I was only commenting on the apparent surprise of the statement in the initial post, no need for insults

[ThunderPeel2001]

Well, I guess we're seeing some pretty big stuff going on at the moment, much bigger than the general unease that's been bubbling under (and over) for... ever? -- Not least because these are big changes being driven by the people, and not sporadic acts or violence or events orchestrated by governments. It's certainly interesting. I hope some good comes from it!

So I suppose it might be seen as a little ...rude?/ignorant?... to say what you said to Kroms, who is actually in the thick of it (as it were) and obvious sees the difference in a very big way.

Plus, Kroms, your definition of Middle East is kind of broad. Tunisia and Sudan, really?

Kingzjester, Sudan has always been considered part of the Middle East, as far as I'm aware. Tunisia falls under the Bush Administration's controversial "Greater Middle East" (which is basically all major Muslim countries), and I suppose Kroms was subconsciously including it in that way.

[toblix]

Just for the hell of it I decided to upgrade my BIOS. Turns out there had been like six releases after what I had, and I figured the risks were mininal, and the system would potentially be better.

I download their BIOS update utility (the horrible-looking 90s faux metal jagged rounded-corners graphical user interface of which is inspiring no confidence whatsoever as to its ability to properly erase and rewrite the highly essential and critical bytes of code on my motherboard's flash chip,) click the "UPDATE FROM GIGABYGE INTrN@t srv´r" button (or it was something akin to that), it freezes for ten seconds, then gives me an error message telling me to please download from web site please.

So I download from website please, and point the program to the file. It does its thing with the progress bar and then tells me to restart. I restart, and a horrible mistake of graphical design appears on my screen. Apparently one of the features they added was a new boot screen to cover up all the POST info. Anyway, on it goes, loading Windows and then BLUE SCREEN OH MY GOD WHY DID I EVEN UPDATE THE BIOS IT WAS WORKING FINE! NOW I HAVE TO REINSTALL EVERYTHING YOU FUCKING IDIOT!

However, it turns out it was just that the update had reset my SATA controller to IDE mode, and everything was just fine after all. Hopefully there won't be any problems with

[Thyroid]

Kroms, your definition of Middle East is kind of broad. Tunisia and Sudan, really?

Yeah, I'm referring to the "Greater Middle East". I guess Arabs in general think of the entire Arab world as the "Middle East". It's slang for "we Arabs, yes?".

I'm not trying to be facetious here, but hasn't the middle east been pretty fucked up for a while now? It's pretty hard to understand the full breadth of what's going on from here, but between Israel, Iraq, Iran and Sudan, it appears a hotbed of turmoil and strife.

The Middle East was never not fucked-up, but for once, people are making some sort of stand. I like this. In Jordan you can't say anything without fear you'll be fucked - hey, it's in our constitution (Article 15) - by everyone's favorite boogeyman, the intelligence division. Protests and protesters fall under this category.

The protests, at least, make me a little happier, because maybe we'll lead to full-on democracy and then, if we're lucky, a slightly better future. If that sounds like sweetened bullshit to you, know that, to me, this means a lot. Really. Having the freedom to say what I want without fear of torture interrogation (which isn't uncommon with certain kinds of loud-mouths) sounds like a big step towards making it a better place to live in. I'm not going to go around being disruptive (I'm no communist, which, incidentally, is illegal to believe in here), but at least I'd like to have the right to be.

[Roderick]

Thanks for explaining And I hope things work out in Jordan the way you describe. You tend to hear more about the people in the middle east taking matters into their own hands, demanding change. It could be the start of good things!

(My apologies that I asked you to explain things, though, because apparently when you make an effort to learn something from someone, you're supposed to already be an expert on it, or else you'll be treated like a dumb idiot here on the Thumb )

[Thyroid]

(My apologies that I asked you to explain things, though, because apparently when you make an effort to learn something from someone, you're supposed to already be an expert on it, or else you'll be treated like a dumb idiot here on the Thumb )

I hope I didn't come across that way. Sorry if I did! I don't mind you asking, at all. Ask away!

[brkl]

hey, it's in our constitution (Article 15)

I like the creative spelling. That way they can point out they only guarantee freedom of OPINLON :X

"The State shall guarantee freedom of opinlon."

[MrHoatzin]

(My apologies that I asked you to explain things, though, because apparently when you make an effort to learn something from someone, you're supposed to already be an expert on it, or else you'll be treated like a dumb idiot here on the Thumb )

Jeez, man. Way to overreact.

[vimes]

Oh wow, that does sound super extreme, Vimes! Sounds like a god damned James Bond movie; skiing right into the airport.

You should have seen me skiing though security while sporting a japanese woman in Yukata on my right biceps.

My next task will be to convince my wife to go again to see more of the country...

Yeah, there are definitely a bunch of things to see. I'll be definitely go back next year in Spring or Autumn to see more of the countryside; Winter not being the best time to go into mountains or rural areas.

Also, for anyone who wants; I've uploaded photo albums of Fukuoka, Hiroshima and Miyajima.

[Roderick]

SURELY there is security cam footage of that feat! Also, I desire all women in the west to also wear yukata.

Kingz: Ehn, yes.

Kromz: Don't sweat it, see PM.

[James]

I said, "Well, for me, the best film of the last decade was There Will Be Blood." He quickly responded with, "Oh yeah, that was good." So he does watch movies... he just loves games.

I considered mentioning There Will be Blood, but it occurred to me that the reason it blew me away IGN.com so much was because it was such an anomaly – there hasn't really been anything quite like it in recent years, if at all. It's amazing, but it's not really indicative of current films on the whole.

STILL, other films are good too. Sometimes.

[bIOS woes]

I think I remember fretting at you over the possibility that I'd ruined my computer with an attempted BIOS upgrade. It seemed all right after that, but then it did break again a few months later, so maybe everything wasn't fine.

Edited January 16, 2011 by JamesM