VicariousShaner

Metroid is a pretty well known female protagonist, although I'm not really sure if her character is one to be lauded. I mean, she doesn't have too much character at all (outside of comic books/Other M) and could be a completely blank slate without much changing. I'm not sure that's the type of female character we should be pushing developers to make, even if it's not sexualising or demeaning.

Per Deans request: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-sHp-iapqvo I disagreed with most of the points made in the video (the Bioshock corset is pretty time-appropriate) , and he seemed to overreact pretty harshly to quite a few things ("You're helping sexist people feel validated if you don't care about women in videogames"!) I'm a bit curious to see what you people think of the video, and the subject in general. Do you think there aren't enough women protagonists (good ones, at any rate), there is far too much sexualization, or do you think it's just a lot of noise about something that's ultimately harmless?

The Sith Inquisitor has some pretty amazing dialogue options. You're able to randomly zap people you disagree with, yawn after every hammy speech given by the enemy, and be really polite about torturing dudes. Edit: SWTOR is officially free to play. Servers seem to be holding out well so far. Interstingly, the PVE servers are much more popular than the PVP ones, which are about equal to the roleplay servers.

So, with the game becoming F2P tomorrow, I guess now would be a good time to see how many of you are going to jump on there. I, for one, will be rolling a Sith Inquisitor. What are your plans, if any?

Mister Jack:

Just finished watching Season 5 episode 1.

I wonder if any of the Big 3 console developers will invest in making more mobile (iOS) games. Sony and Microsoft already have a few phones, but neither of them have really focused on putting out high quality games for them. Nintendo, without a phone, only has their current handheld devices. I believe Nintendo has just a few products for the iPhone, like the Pokemon tablet puzzle thing, but it's possible in the future they may abandon their handheld devices to instead work on phone/tablet software. Of course, the 3DS is starting to sell decently, so it would have to be a bit farther down the line.

Update 4.5: Of Incompetency and Comparison Mayor: Fantastic! Delightful Paperwork! Oh, I love paperwork so much! This looks great! So, you're into.....paperwork? I'm not entirely sure if I want to stay here anymore. Mayor: I really can't wait for you to help rebuild the town. I've heard you're great at that sort of thing. Well, I don’t mean to brag, but, I do have magical powers which usually only involve picking up apples, tears, and smiley faces and turning them into furniture, while also being able to build houses pretty effectively (with my mind), so I guess all of that stuff will finally come into use? Because seriously, they really disliked me making babies cry just to gift them a gothic cradle the next day. My old town was full of prudes with no fashion sense, let me tell you. ...I may be a bit insane too, now that I think about it. Mayor:First things first-I'm sure you're tired. Let's get you settled into your new home! Follow me! If I die here, I wish to be remembered not for my painful sense of humor, borderline dark magic, or unrealistic hair-style, but for the super rocking dog on my shirt. I want him on my tombstone. Mayor: Well, this is Shorizon. As you can see, it's a little bit run-down, and there aren't too many people living here. No, seriously, the town doesn't look bad at all. Have you ever seen Bakersfield? This place has one thousandth the population and even then it's like comparing the Sistine Chapel to a barnyard! Not to mention, that's only a bad Californian city! Mayor Rosalyn: That’s where you come in! I know you’ll be building it back up to its former glory in no time! Let’s go check out your house! ...Well, okay. You were right, I am a tad tired from the trip. Mayor Whaaat?! Oh, no! There's no house here! How embarrassing... This lady will not be receiving my vote for the upcoming mayoral election. Join us next time for when I BUILD MY OWN FUCKING HOUSE.

Update 4: The Rare Fetish of the Mayor Welcome to Shorizon! Let's go to Town Hall and let the Mayor know you're here! I've got to say, this place doesn't seem nearly as bad as it looked to be in the brochure, what with the mass exodus of practically everyone due to a lack of mustache magic. In fact, this place is actually kind of pretty. It has the single texture grass, some nice bridges, a cute little river to spruce the town up and even some well placed flowers. Maybe all the people that left were snobs? I mean, even the pirate lady probably had a hard time living on a pirate ship. I don’t think scurvy is too prevalent here. It does seem that the flower shop owner is one of the few that didn't jump ship. She must be a pretty headstrong lady. I arrive at the town hall. It looks nice, I guess? Seems kind of small for anyone but the mayor to be working here. That would seem kind of ridiculous, though. What kind of mayor would live as the only bastion of authority in a town, even if if only has 5 residents!? This one, apparently. Mayor Rosalyn:Well, if it isn't Shane! Welcome to Shorizon! We're so glad you decided to come here and help rebuild the town! "We’re so glad you decided to come here!” Wait, what do you mean by "we"? You're the only person here! There’s nothing inside except you and.... This mustachioed statue of the glorious wizard.... ...and a statue of....yourself? (I think the eyes follow me) ….Continue. Mayor Rosalyn:Have you filled out the resident registration form yet? I'm going to need to file it before we move you in." I slowly hand her the paperwork. She adopts a monstrous grin on her face, one of which the likes I have never seen before. As if she is being given happiness through the despair of others. I feel as if the innocence of my youth has been destroyed in that very instant. (Cutting this into 2 parts because of forum upload limits)

I will try to find one of those, but I already have the screenshots for the next few updates lying around, so as soon as I'm done posting those I'll get right on that.

I recently watched I Remember You as well, after being a relative fan of the show. I bawled like a baby, no regrets.

Update 3: Character Customization! Well, after the main cutscene I am asked to create my character! Although I can change my appearance at any time, I still feel this is an important part. I’ll probably change clothes throughout the game, but my face is beautiful as it is. But before I settle on the perfect attire, I may as well hit “random” a few times in order to gain inspiration. Wow, MySim’s, that’s a little bit racist. I am sure somewhere down my culturally rich genetic path I should be offended somewhere along the line. I mean, that is probably the most gangsta MySim that will ever be made. Well, I guess once more wouldn’t hurt.... Wha...What the fuck, MySims. I’ve had quite enough of that for a lifetime. Here’s what I ended up coming up with: I’m not sure which part I like most. The awesome, hair, the cool “dawg” or the inexplicable Kamina glasses. I could make a awful Gurren Lagann reference here, but I have decided with my enlightened sense of maturity that it will completely immature, and play me off as a weaboo. ... .... MYSIM IS THE MYSIM THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS. BELIEVE IN THE MYSIM THAT BELIEVES IN YOU. ROW ROW, FIGHT DA POWA. I name my creation after the well-known 1953 western classic starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, and Van Helfin. I figure this LP’s got to have some historical influence involved, in order to light the way for the educational, informal, and enlightening series of events that is likely to follow ... ...... 3 HOURS LATER: This is going to be so silly. JOIN US NEXT TIME FOR: INTRODUCTORY QUEST AND HOUSE BUILDING. May I also say that any recommendations of clothing for my character to wear will be taken, and most likely used.

Update 2: Exposition HO! Well, I chose a name! I liked the name Horizon quite a bit (5 honor points to Frosted) , but also thought that it needed some....Shane (-2 honor points for Ethan). For the record, Waffletopia was never going to be in the running, although I may have relented and just called it horizon, had I waited to start it before the second group of replies. Regardless, after making the most important decision in the game, we get the most screenshot LP friendly cutscene of all time. “Now this is the story all about how my sim town got flipped, turned upside down, and I’d like to spare a minute, just sit right there, I’ll tell you bout Shorizon, and how I was a mayor. In West Shorizon born and raised, near the fountain where......Leon(?) spent most of his days. Chilling out maxing, relaxing all cool And all doing assorted activities suitable for people of many different interests and hobbies outside of school. This was all due to a single guy, up to some good. Literally making up the neighborhood. But one day, he was gone, and everyone got scared. They began leaving saying: “YARR, I’M GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF HERE” ....Ok, enough of the rapping, I guess. Is it me!? I bet it's me! I mean, I have no idea what essence is, or how it gives you wizard powers (or that amazing mustache), but I am completely determined I will be the savior of this new shit-hole dumpster town. ...Maybe the mustache is the source of all essence? Mayor: “Apparently, they’re coming here to Shorizon to help us out! I can’t wait.” (All italicized text indicates actual dialouge. I'll usually write the rest of it out like this so I don't have to repeat the same picture saying different things in the future.) Neither can I, mayor! But the viewers can! Join me next time in my quest to be the master mustache wizard in part 3: CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION (Also, if anyone has trouble reading the text, just say so and I'll re-post what it says under each box.)

Hello everyone! Due to a recent accident involving a coupon code, incompetent web servers, and entitled teenagers, I have come into possession of quite a few new games. I have also learned something about myself. I have learned that I am completely awful at making decisions in a short time-frame. I helped myself to Dragon Age, Mirrors Edge, Crysis, and..... I realize that I am not a clever man. Regardless, after looking the information over for a bit, I decided that I wanted to try something that I had always wanted to do. A Let's Play! Although a video version would be out of the question (and for this game, quite a bit boring), due to my computer hardly being able to play games, nevertheless record them! I think this game's a good fit due to the large amount of customization, allowing for hopeful audience interaction, and the simplicity of telling a enthralling tale through pictures and witty commentary. I hope to do this in-character for the most part, as there isn't too much reason to discuss actual gameplay mechanics. I've even prepared a bit by reading this: http://lparchive.org...uartz/Update 1/ (highly recommended, by the way) and some numerous general tips. Regardless, I think we may as well start with the most important decision in the entire game. So, what suggestions do you gent's have?

Wouldn't it be funny if 90 percent of the first buyers were just people looking to grab a quick buck from re-selling them online?