BruceVC

I just find it crass and overdone, here is this women with massive breast who basically looks like an Anime porn star doing this twirl and then landing on her back and spreading her legs while some white energy flows into her vagina And I have nothing against hot pornstars with large breasts but come one....this is suppose to be a video that encourages diversity and wants both male and female fans Does this game have a large female support base ?

Not really. he may be referring to how some in society sees it..I still am not sure of his actual opinion

I said that I think banning abortion is socialistic which is not the same as saying it's socialist specifically, but rather that it seems like the kind of thing socialists would be inclined to do. Uhm. Why? I mean... Since socialism is traditionally tied to atheism, why would they ban abortion? Abortion is usually banned on religious grounds. No, it's not usually banned on religious grounds. It's historically usually banned on the grounds that many people, religious and not, consider it murder. Banning murder is not socialistic. If one does not see it as murder then I can see how one would consider it that though. As for communists. There is no standard communist position on the matter. ie: At various times the Soviet Union allowed and banned abortion. However communist Russia was the first nation in the world to allow it Carte blanche. Later they changed their minds (many have theorized they did this when the population of ethnic Russians wasn't as growing as much Stalin would have liked). So, in the case of the U.S.S.R., one might say that the stance on abortion was a matter of state run reproductive policy, which would indeed make the issue of abortion socialistic in that nation. In the world at large there are multiple schools of thought in regards to the issue. Some are technocratic, some are socialistic, for some it's just a matter of 'women's rights', for some it's just a matter of seeing it at murder, and so on. In the U.S. all of these schools exist, but the 'woman's right's movement' and the 'right to life' (those who consider it murder) are the two major factions that generally get the airplay on the news, and for the most part has what's been driving any legislation in regards to the matter. The less dominant schools of thought ally or attempt to manipulate these major schools (as they do with pretty much any issue). So while there is no obviously visible direct influence by technocrats or socialists one could argue they have influenced the debate. Indeed many have argued that the modern women's rights movement itself is socialistic or technocratic in nature, in addition many have argued that the issue of abortion itself is technocraticly driven from a eugenics perspective. Interesting post Vals Whats your view on abortion? I am fine with it under the right circumstances, I think it is a very traumatic experience for any women and most of the time its not done without careful consideration

well to be honest, the first NWN is kinda like MMO wannabe, instead of focusing on campaign and compelling plot and characters, it tries to focus on the online side, which i don't really dig either. glad obsidian fixed it with NWN2, and ultimately, Mask of The Betrayer, which is like the second best videogame story to plancescape. also i feel like a kid here you guys have like so much history with it, like a long-life marriage XD Yeah you would think that with all these years of playing RPG we would have consensus amongst ourselves on what components are important to a RPG or what games are considered the best RPG....but thats not the case and we debate often on various topics

Those Fighting Fantasy books were really entertaining, I don't how many you completed. Remember Deathtrap Dungeon and Creature of Havoc Did you ever play the Lone Wolf series of books? Also a very exciting fantasy series

Yeah, I think it's more that I never really sat down and realized just how much these people are offered. And for clarity, I wasn't saying I would be surprised to hear games journalists getting flights and hotels paid, I merely named the TF2 guys because that was completely Blizzard's initiative with TF2 celebrities; they're not reviewers or anything, they're celebrities for a market they wish to overtake. I'd just not realized how easy it would be for these gaming companies to offer these people thousands of dollars for positive coverage. If we assume video games journalism is a minimum wage kind of job (pretty sure it is, or close to it), then ONE accepted bribe can be a huge addition to your annual income. Just puts things into perspective as to how this happened and why some of them are willing to fight tooth and nail. I'd like to point out that YouTube and Twitch celebrities are not analogous to gaming journalists in any way, shape or form. Currently, even midlevel YouTube channels (say, the Worth-a-Buy review channel) are worth more in terms of exposure and sales than positive reviews are across the board. You're unlikely to see journalists get bribes that high since they are, simply put, not worth as much money. EDIT: Look at her and laugh. There you have an imbecille with an opinion of a fool talking about things she cannot comprehend. I read this link and I'm interested in what isn't understood by the journalist Nintendo's idea of confident and diverse female characters are pink bizarre looking " mutants " But what concerns me even more is that clip from Bayonetta, I haven't played the game but please tell me she doesn't open her legs like that when she is generating some kind of ability...please tell that video clip is not accurate So what is the basic issue with that article...I am missing the problem? Bruce, you might not realize this, but the clip is real.....SHE IS NOT. Okay but I would still like clarification on Bayonette before I make my point, during the game that animation you see is that real? Is that how the female character behaves? And if so what is she doing? Is it some kind of absorbing of abilities or does that happen when she defeats an enemy That animation is cut short and taken severely out of context. When completed, it's a visual metaphor for giving birth and the inherent power of being able to create life. I've mentioned before that Bayonetta is, at its very core, a story of female empowerment and this constant marring of it by American puritans is ridiculous. As for the "pink blobs", those are not Nintendo's strong, female characters at all. They're at best throwaway skins. Nintendo has plenty of strong female characters and is decades ahead of western game developers. The freaking Mario franchise has a gender dysphoric character for crying out loud, making them a hundred times more progressive by default than a significant portion of the feminist community (who are notorious for being homo and transphobic regarding gay men and transgendered women). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_views_on_transgenderism_and_transsexualism#Feminist_exclusion_of_transgender_and_transsexual_people You know, when I first joined this board I once expressed that I didn't think women breastfeeding in public was appropriate. I was wrong, obviously, and members here (specifically metadigital, wherever he may be) ripped me a new one, and rightly so. Yet things like your consternation about this scene (because even if it wasn't a metaphor for birth, it still wouldn't be offensive) make me think that kind of unhealthy view of the female body, as something that must be covered up to avoid any form of titillation, that muslim Burka view of the female form, is making a huge comeback and oddly enough it's coming from the movement whose biggest victories include not being forced to cover up. Okay thanks for explaining, I would have been very surprised if that animation was as obviously offensive as it appeared. I'm glad there is context involved

I started reading the Fighting Fantasy books ( Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone ) in the 1980's and then moved onto D&D and then AD&D But I also started playing games like Kings Quest and Heroes Quest and from there evolved onto other fantasy PC titles like Ultima, Gothic, Elder Scrolls and the of course the various AD&D RPG like BG But for me fantasy and RPG has always been in my blood since I first learnt to read

That would be a major issue for me if my work treated me like that, if you are sick then you entitled to sick leave What I would do is go to a doctor and just get a proper sick note to give you time off work officially ?

Look at her and laugh. There you have an imbecille with an opinion of a fool talking about things she cannot comprehend. I read this link and I'm interested in what isn't understood by the journalist Nintendo's idea of confident and diverse female characters are pink bizarre looking " mutants " But what concerns me even more is that clip from Bayonetta, I haven't played the game but please tell me she doesn't open her legs like that when she is generating some kind of ability...please tell that video clip is not accurate So what is the basic issue with that article...I am missing the problem? Bruce, you might not realize this, but the clip is real.....SHE IS NOT. Okay but I would still like clarification on Bayonette before I make my point, during the game that animation you see is that real? Is that how the female character behaves? And if so what is she doing? Is it some kind of absorbing of abilities or does that happen when she defeats an enemy

Ok the hate romance thing was tongue-in-cheek and not to be taken seriously. Chris Avellone just jokes around like that. Don't freak that they are revolted or not showing respect for your game. It was a joke. Secondly wait a bit, hear what people say about it, and don't jump to conclusions. It may indeed have romantic content. But it will not have Bioware-style romantic content. This, Valmy is correct Don't take the " dislike of Romance from Obsidian " too seriously IMO the main reason that Obsidian decided not to implement Romance is this is there first independent RPG and the beginning of a new fantasy franchise. They have many other more pertinent things to consider and design correctly than Romance, things that are actually more relevant to PoE being a successful and stable game But once PoE is launched and the pressure is off about the actual success of the game then Obsidian can look at others things to improve the game, like Romance The best thing you can do as a promancer is support this game financially and wait to see how sequels of PoE decide to hopefully include Romance which for many of us is always a popular component of an RPG

Look at her and laugh. There you have an imbecille with an opinion of a fool talking about things she cannot comprehend. I read this link and I'm interested in what isn't understood by the journalist Nintendo's idea of confident and diverse female characters are pink bizarre looking " mutants " But what concerns me even more is that clip from Bayonetta, I haven't played the game but please tell me she doesn't open her legs like that when she is generating some kind of ability...please tell that video clip is not accurate So what is the basic issue with that article...I am missing the problem?

Source? You know what. I'll have to admit that I made a mistake here by claiming that the "American Communist Party" said this. My bad. It was a mistake I made while researching the abortion issue in the past. I misread my source, a book called, "Issues: Abortion" which is in a line of books from the 90's that cover a range of political issues from the perspective of various ideologies including Nazi's, KKK groups, Feminists, Democrats, Republicans , and yes, Communists regarding various political issues. While looking for that piece online I've read some of the parties' views of abortion which doesn't jive with what I claimed about them. Found the book and re-read it (the Communist part) just to be sure. It seems that I foolishly interpreted certain lines. When taken into proper context some of their lines have a different meaning than how I took them back then. They are pro-reproduction rights, even in the long term. I completely take back the quoted statement. It seems I should re-evaluate my perception of the American Communist Party... Man, a few years ago I must have been tired or something... I got that 100% wrong. I hate it when I misunderstand something I read! Oh well, we all make mistakes, or at least I do. I can't be SURE everyone makes mistakes. Correct we all make mistakes, well done for having the maturity to admit it. The ability to admit we are wrong is severely lacking on this forums from many people so well played

In the short term I can't imagine the relationship between Netanyahu and the Obama admin could get much worse. There has always been more than a little anti-Israel bias in Obamas dealings in the middle east. From what I was reading in The Atlantic & the Washington Post many Israeli voters don't believe the Obama admin is committed to their security. I can't really blame them. I hear you but I think this is an unfair characterization of the efforts that the Obama administration has put into Israel and Palestinians. Firstly the USA has always been committed to the security of Israel, meaning if Israel was attacked they would defend it ( not that this likely) The point of contention is that the USA has never changed its view on what it expected from Israel, the two state solution was always what was deemed the best outcome for peace in the region So its bizarre that some Israelis would think Obama isn't committed to security..because the two state solution is in fact the best way ensure security in the long term

Oh, Drizzt is a very tame and normal name by D&D standards. Have you ever read the Book of Vile Darkness? Here's a few names they've given to the various Demon Princes 1) Obox-ob 2) Churnovog 3) Dwiergus 4) Fraz-Urb'luu (although, stupid name or not, this guy has an amazing story that the world of Greyhawk fleshed out) 5) Graz'zt (name looks just like Drizzt, although Gygax came up with it 2 decades before Ed Greenwood invented Drizzt) 6) Haagenti 7) Juiblex 8.) J'zzalshrak 9) Kostchtchie (no, that's not a misspelling, there really IS 7 consonants in a row here) 10) Lazbral'thull 11) Sch'theraqpasstt (try saying that one 3 times out loud) 12) Zzyczesiya I suspect writers came up with many of these names the same way one determines anything in D&D: with a dice roll. They used a d26....rolled for every letter. Wow, some of those names are extremely difficult to pronounce

Of course some Republicans won't care about Netanyahu's latest antics , but the reality is a failure to find a solution to the Israeli\Palestinian problem has geopolitical consequences that ultimately reverberate around the world..so it can't be just ignored. And the issue of Iran is also something that Republicans, if they win in 2016, will have to address and its highly unlikely there solution, despite the perception that exists, will involve military action So the whole issue of a reasonable political settlement between Israel and the Palestinians is not going away and this will be an issue irrespective if the next US president is Republican..as it always have been But I am still of the view you will start seeing a very different stance from the USA towards the Netanyahu regime

I went to one of my lady friends for dinner last night, she did hamburgers with spicy potato wedges. Very nice..yummy actually

Sure, you may be correct. But the next USA administration may also have issues with Netanyahu's stance on the two state solution. Remember its not just Democrats who have invested time and money into this idea, George W Bush also believed in this and attempted to implemented it So this is something that will frustrate people across the political divide in America

I'm slightly more upbeat about it as it will make it very difficult for anyone to argue to give (the) peace (process) a chance after this, which will greatly increase the probability of unilateral actions like recognising Palestine as a country. Realistically the past 15 years of peace talks have been stalling by Israel in order to get demographic facts on the ground established, neither Sharon nor Bibi had any interest in actual peace and it's now been made crystal clear to everyone. Once that is established it makes it far more difficult to stall, and far more difficult for the US to run interference. Who knows, maybe he's managed to annoy the White House sufficiently that some meaningful resolutions may even make it through the UNSC, certainly I can see them being more flexible towards Iran just to spite Netanyahu. Netanyahu's dismissal and contempt for the USA will have consequences for Israel, I think he has made an egregious mistake by so publicly aligning with the Right Wing for political expediency when he said " there will never be a two state solution under his watch" I was watching an interview last night with one of John Kerry's aides and she said the USA has spent 20 years investing in the concept of the two state solution and the USA position has not changed, what Netanyahu has done could cause the USA to rethink the Israeli\USA relationship ( what this really means is the Obama is administration is extremely irritated and there will be changes going forward)

Okay I avoided answering you because the truth is I don't have a problem with it...you right. And I wasn't sure how I was going to respond without sounding like a hypocrite I don't have a problem with those types of pictures because for me in our society there isn't really a major problem with men being physically or emotionally abused and dominated by women . So the female pictures go straight to a real social problem and dynamic that exits in certain conservative cultures ..the bad treatment of women which makes the pictures of women more personal ( and I'm saying I dont care about the abuse of men and boys..of course I do ) That's the difference for me around the pictures of men and women

Of course I'm not suggesting that, lets try to have this debate in a reasonable way I am saying the objection is to female characters portrayed in a demeaning or " rapey " ( is there such a word ) manner Ask yourself a simple question when there is a possibly controversial picture, substitute the female character with a male and see how you would feel about that picture...so a picture of spider-women on her knees....weeping and submissive ...with the Green Goblin standing over her laughing...this basically being the epitome of male dominance over women and then imagine how you would feel if spiderman was in that role? Not that you would generally see something like that but you get my point

Do think a refutation of the claim that "banning abortion is socialist" is necessary Bruce? I'm not sure of the context, did he say that ? But Baro this is not really my point. I like you, you are very bright and make some very insightful points on topics that I agree with but sometimes its how you speak to people. You come across as condescending and dismissive. And apart from the obvious issue with how this may offend people what happens is people just automatically become belligerent and don't want to engage with you..which is a pity because I think you offer some good perspectives I'm not trying to lecture you, I am just trying to be constructive

Fair enough but as you mentioned it was because of events he had no control over ( I remember that classic and dramatic picture of him holding the dead Supergirl in the Crisis on Infinite Earths saga ) and not the fact he was being manhandled or overpowered

I wasn't going to get involved in this debate but I know how much you guys appreciate and respect my opinion on these types of topics I agree with Zora in this point. I have an issue with female superheroes/characters being portrayed in way that is either demeaning or in way that looks like they need a male to rescue them. Look at some of those older Wonder Women covers that Elerond posted..they not exactly complimentary to her character and you can see they were obviously done in a male-centric way and for a male audience And also I don't see too many covers of male superheroes crying on covers. Am I suggesting a complete overhaul of the comic industry, no of course not. I am just suggesting some sensitivity around how we present our female superheroes

Obviously to him they are. Seeing opinions he doesn't agree with clearly bothers him. No need to push him into doing something he doesn't want to do. No he is being captious and I don't think its right You are not the type of person who makes weird or extreme comments and you always take the time to engage in debate where appropriate so its unfair to say to " you have made the dumbest comment ever " without even asking you to explain or clarify

Sure, but the point is that in pre-Enlightenment times, people did attribute that sort of thing to divine intervention. From their point of view, the gods/God were/was present, active, and manifesting in the world. Thor throwing thunderbolts wasn't just a story, he was actually there behind the thunderclouds, as far as the people getting rained on were concerned. It wasn't a matter of faith any more than your faith in the FDA's ability to keep rats out of tins of tuna. Whether it was actually true in an objective sense—whatever that may mean—is irrelevant to the question. Point being, only very very very VERY few people ever struggled with questions like "does God really exist?" or "is there really an afterlife?" or "does God punish the wicked and reward the righteous?" or "does God speak through people?" These things were accepted as a matter of course. Still are in lots of places; I lived in Nepal for a while, and believe me, the gods were very real, present, and active for the people there. There's a statue of Kali Parvati in Kathmandu which is a popular place to seal contracts because everybody knows you will keel over dead of massive bleeding if you tell a lie standing before her. Faith didn't enter into it at all; people accepted that the same way you and I accept that if you stick a fork into a power socket you're going to get a nasty electric shock. Second, the Enlightenment did shift the meaning of "faith" a great deal. The sense you're stating it -- "trusting something that is not in and of itself proven" -- only became meaningful when somebody pointed out that, say, the Resurrection or the existence of God itself isn't actually proven. Faith in that sense only appears when the tenets are challenged. Until that period, it never was -- not outside some extremely small and rarefied circles anyway. Very interesting post, nice one