Tagaziel

In packs that aren't distributed as well as a suit of medieval field plate armour, orogun. That's beside the point, though, which was "looks can be deceptive." Plus, field plate was intended to be worn during direct combat, not on week long deployments in extreme conditions with little in the way of support and transport. Aesthetics are a personal thing, but I firmly believe it is possible to design attractive feminine-looking armor without resorting to chainmail bikini or the dreaded boob plate. I like Cadegund's design because it's powerful, but has that feminine touch, at least for me. Maybe it's the rounded shapes and less angular appearance. Come to think of it, Dreaded Mammary Plate could be a powerful magical item with a chance for seriously injuring or killing the wearer.

The Supreme Court 80 years ago didn't have to bother with a high speed global network allowing most of the world's population to communicate instantly, satellite phones, spy satellites, portable video/audio recorders, and all the other wondrous bits of technology we take for granted nowadays. I love how people use any old document to support their views, consistently ignoring the circumstances in which they were written. Kind of like gun nuts use the 2nd Amendment, forgetting that it was penned by people who could not know that in less than 150 years there'd be man-portable weapons capable of unloading several dozen rounds of ammunition into an unsuspecting crowd in seconds. Problem is, Internet surveillance is a necessary evil. You can't adopt a hands-off approach and treat the Internet as an inviolate sanctity and treat all attempts to monitor activity in it as sacrilege. You're essentially giving away free means of secure communication to everyone, regardless of their intent. A balance needs to be struck between the needs of the many and, well, the needs of the many, between privacy and security. "HERP DERP USA IS EVIL, COMMIENAZIJEWPINKOGAYCONSERVATIVEKK OBAMA WANTS TO PUT YOU IN FEMA CAMPS PRAISE FREE INTERNET PORN AND TORRENTS" isn't really a helpful attitude. What would be helpful would be realizing that compromises need to be made and put forth constructive proposals. Like how data gathering and monitoring could be kept in check, or how security can be balanced against the right to privacy. And what Walsingham said.

"Typically"? A full suit of field plate armour in the Renaissance (which roughly corresponds to Eternity's setting tech-wise) weighed about twenty (20) kilograms and marginally limited the wearer's mobility. You're confusing it with jousting armour, which was indeed heavy, but not up to 70 kg. 50 kg is a better estimate. I'm not sure why you think infantry would consent to being turned into barely mobile tin cans that are defenseless the moment they trip over on the battlefield. Or that Cadegund's a weak pedestrian girl. Appearances are deceptive. Operators of various special forces throughout the world are generally unassuming and can hardly be told apart from the average pedestrian, yet are some of the most durable and strong people in the world.

Each country has an individual touch when it comes to the art of entertainment. Witcher is unmistakably Polish.

Rage of Mages 2: the MMORPG? If Obsidian's involvement is deeper than just porting it over Stateside, I might be interested enough to check it out.

You keep missing the point and resorting to poorly thought out argumentum ad absurdum. The point is the overall trend in games, a trend you apparently support, to treat women as eye candy. I'm not sure how you can find skimply outfits justifiable in settings that aren't purposefully ridiculously over-the-top, like Heavy Metal. The trend is most present in fantasy games, contrary to all logic and reason. Cadegund is a brilliant 180 degree turn from this kind of crap, as she represents a practical, functionality-oriented approach to design. Instead of chainmail bikini you have proper armour with subtle feminine characteristics, as it should be. Modelling women in games to show off the biggest possible amount of skin at the expense of all logic and reason is objectification. There's a world of difference between attractiveness and siccing boobs at the player. For reference, compare release Elizabeth to early Elizabeth in Bioshock: Infinite. So it's fine to have women treated like objects in fighting games, just because they're simple? What, you're going to defend Rapelay because story isn't the focus there?

You do realize that Geralt's pretty damn old? The most conservative estimate places him at 65 years of age, with the possibility that he is over a century old by the time Witcher 3 takes place. I'm not sure why he should not be showing signs of aging. The amount of **** the man went through is enough for a dozen lifetimes, from being gently broken by Vilgefortz to getting killed. I'm looking forward to Witcher 3, not because of the trailer (these are pure entertainment and shouldn't affect a tru gamer's decision at all), but because CD Projekt RED is incredibly ambitious and showed that it does put in real effort to make their games great. Oh, and they're Polish. ADDENDUM: I pity non-Polish gamers. Our voice actors blow foreigners out of the water when it comes to the Witcher.

I've only used Planet Busters against the aliens. They kept picking fights with my beloved Peacekeepers, so I introduced them to chemical weapons, genocide, Planet Busters, and harsh words. The rest of human factions and the Planet don't seem to care once the Charter is repealed.

Overly sexualized portrayal of women is not objectification? Heh, that's a new one. I'm not sure why you're posting Conan, though. Guess you missed the point. By about an astronomical unit.

I'm sorry, what's the original poster's point? Women are not objectified enough in video games? I find the trend towards treating women like human beings better than implementing them as giant floating boobs with some dialogue thrown in as an afterthought. Not to mention:

Lovely! BURN AND PILLAGE! (on a side note, CK2 got crazy yesterday for me and I accidentally the whole Finland)

The greatest irony of life is that the more you know about religion and the better your understanding of it and its tenets, the higher the likelihood of you being a non-theist. I have no problem with Bioshock Infinite taking apart religion and its redeeming properties (and let's not forget how it makes your laundry 100% cleaner and gives it a nice oaken smell to boot). People should take responsibility for their actions, instead of using religion as a Waive Responsibility For What You Do 100% Free card. (I enjoyed the bit about "congenital more defects" in the article. Maybe I'm speaking for myself, but I don't need religion to keep my instincts and wickedness in check, lest I start murdering people left and right.)

She would wrap bandage around her torso, and then be able to fit into male armor. Would that be financially feasable to produce bandages for half an army? Discomfort wise, would it not be risking some grumbling among that half of you're army? Why wouldn't it be? Assuming that the armies are standing armies funded by the state, not self-equipped (which was the norm in the period P:E draws inspiration from).

But why would the game present you with a foil, when the foil already exists: you? A gamer desn't exist in a cultural and historical vacuum. He *knows* the other, righteous alternative, unless he's a racist moron. I think the fact that the game *doesn't* offer a foil for Columbia enriches it. It's a glimpse into the mentality of the extreme right wing, but not so damaging to your sanity as The Turner Diaries. The themes the game uses need to be seen in the context of Elizabeth and, most importantly, DeWitt. If you look closely, the experiences DeWitt goes through are related to what he's gone through in his life, Wounded Knee and service (Hall of Heroes), Finkton (Pinkerton's and putting down the rioters), and, of course, his failure as a father. @AwesomeOcelotPerson: Elizabeth, Booker, their surroundings, and people in immediate proximity are pasted into another reality, apparently overwriting/merging with their egos in that reality. That's why Chen Lin, the dead troopers, and others are going crazy. Booker is shielded from insanity by Elizabeth, it seems.

As the comments section points out, the article isn't as good as the author claims. It misses the point of several parts of the game and misunderstands the story. Bioshock Infinite is a piece of the old, 19th century America, presenting the bigotry and prejudice that were present in its society. It gives insight into the mindset of the far right: rewriting history, using religion to further their goals, the "lost cause of the South", and more. Granted, it's fault might be in how it doesn't present the truth to contrast it with the lies, but I, as a person interested in history, don't mind it. It'd be more jarring to have the characters interject and explain how THIS ISN'T HOW IT REALLY WAS. I'd write it in more detail, but I'll have to replay the game. Instead, I'll post two comments: (AGX, I'm still getting around to responding to your reply about religion)

If you look closer, the "torn" people exist only where Elizabeth opens a tear that merges her and Booker into another reality (I think the only exception is Chen Lin, and even then, his dead body was at ground zero). It's consistent in both mergers. Why, exactly, is Bioshock: Infinite bad sci-fi? The same criticisms can be levied against every sci-fi, up to and including Isaac Asimov, Heinlein, and Clarke.

Why would technology be less convenient? There'd always be a market for technologies that don't rely on finicky magic and produce the desired results cheaply and efficiently. Say, lighting, plumbing, medicine, construction, transportation, communications etc.

I'd certainly like to see a piece of art musing how would the Project Eternity world look with our current tech level.

Double post because my editing right expired (can I request a mod to merge the two posts?) I'll just point out something, rather than assume that it's self-evident. DeWitt's "death" in the end parallels Jesus' biblical sacrifice, redeeming his sins and preventing the suffering of millions in the versions of realities brought upon by Comstock's birth. The parallel goes further, as DeWitt defeats death and returns to life. Or he doesn't, and ends up in "heaven," depending on your personal interpretation. In general, the Comstock/DeWitt opposition is a bit similar to the story of the conflict between the establishment and Jesus in the gospels. DeWitt is decried as the False Shepherd, goes against the officially endorsed teachings, triggers a revolution, and ultimately makes a sacrifice to save humanity... Or at least one person who is very close to him. Why is that important? I think it illustrates the difference between two different approaches to religion. One is Comstock's religion: a warped version of Christianity, a cult of personality using religion for personal gain and political goals, introducing religious terror and atrocities justified as God's Will (Crusades, anyone?). The other is DeWitt. Ostensibly an atheist who isn't afraid of God, DeWitt unwittingly adheres to the creed of Jesus: of personal responsibility, consistency, and practicing what you preach. Of course, I may be going too far with this interpretation, but given how much emphasis is put on religion, I had to throw my atheist two cents in (and point out that Infinite may also be deconstructing established organized religion, which kills actual spirituality).

But the point of Elizabeth's actions was to prevent Comstock and only Comstock from existing in the first place, while leaving DeWitt alive. Also, it isn't suicide. It's sacrifice. DeWitt is dying for millions, to prevent their suffering.

You are right, there might be an infinite number of worlds in which Booker DeWitt is someone else. However, these worlds are irrelevant. What's relevant are realities where Booker DeWitt became Comstock and interfered with Booker DeWitt in another reality. This is the situation Liz refers to when she speaks about constants and variables. The particulars may vary (like DeWitt aiding the Vox Populi, which was just a means to an end), but there are constant that remain unchanged. Comstock. Wounded Knee. Columbia. Peking. DeWitt in this context is not leader material, which is what I'm referring to. As for false choices, you are aware that even if the game allowed you to make meaningful ones, there wouldn't be any change, as in the end the entire branch of realities caused by Comstock's birth disappear when he is smothered in his crib? The game offers a couple of small choices in situations where DeWitt can make them. His hand is forced everywhere else. The same way the player's hand is forced in Bioshock. Uh, how is she evil? There are separate universes, but in only one does Booker go through with killing Comstock. Why do I know that? It's because the other Elizabeths exist. Also, how is preventing the suffering of millions by "killing" one person evil? The realities with Columbia in the sky weren't supposed to exist in the first place.

She didn't know who DeWitt was until she was free of the siphon. Even then, it's an interesting question to ponder: is it really murder? Columbia and its version of Elizabeth wasn't supposed to exist in the first place. These are alternate realities that were not supposed to exist. You are removing alternate futures by drowning Comstock, removing Columbia's root. This snaps back to 1893, which is where Booker's reality diverged and he's given another chance at living his life with his daughter. In the end, did Booker redeem himself? It's left open.

Comstock is precisely the reason DeWitt shouldn't be made a leader. He has too much trauma and bad history in his life to trust him with leadership. As for the rest of the point, Bioshock Infinite was never advertised as a game with C&C. I wager that's because your choices wouldn't transfer over to the parallel worlds. I don't really see how that's relevant to the narrative either. Booker doesn't get to make real choices, because he's in no position to make them. His hand is forced at every turn. It's fine. Not every game has to have non-linear narratives filled with choices. It certainly wasn't the case with previous games, all the way back to System Shock 1 (Bioshock 2's multiple endings are an exception, since it was made by a separate studio). Bioshock, with its fake binary morality, is hardly a game of choices.

To each his own, I guess. It makes sense in context, her having to salvage a dress after... her old one is ruined. The change in clothing and haircut also marked the transition between a girl and a woman. I found it, I think: https://twitter.com/femfreq/status/273885244720029696 It's funny how a self-professed feminist (Price) is sexist towards her own gender. Elizabeth is more than just her appearance, yet that is ignored at a point where it's well established that she's more than just a cheap way to attract gamers.

I absolutely love the game. I think it's currently the best high profile mainstream game on the market, at least as far as shooters are concerned. The 1999 mode is a fun challenge (yes, even the bossfight with the red Handyman, where I went from $807 to $7), while the design... The game's basically one big Chekhov Arsenal. I like the multiple interpretations the best. Yes, the game is one big escort mission, like Episode One, but the question is: who escorts who? Elizabeth's fine on her own, can manipulate reality at will, open locks, and has no problem finding stuff to survive. It's Booker who constantly runs out of ammunition, salts, health, and gets shot down by people, forcing Liz to get him back into the fight. I think there's only two instances where Elizabeth has to be saved by Booker, the first being Monument Island and the other the endgame. As for choices, I never felt that it detracted from the game. You make a few throughout the game and at least one, Slate, bites you back if you don't make the right choice. I don't see a problem with the limited amount of choice: not everyone's cut out to be a leader who makes great changes. And as you discover, DeWitt is not one that should be making them.