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Dec. 14th, 2006
Endtimes: the Videogame
Dec. 14th, 2006 07:31 amSo, there's this game, right? Left Behind: Eternal Forces. It's based on and made by those guys who wrote the Left Behind series of books about the Rapture, the protestant vision of the end times. I haven't read the books, but I have to confess a little bit of interest, mostly because I like Apocalyptic and post-Apocalyptic fiction. (Though, I think 'Apocalyptic,' which means 'revelation' or 'uncovering' isn't really the right term -- but 'Armageddonic' and 'post-Armageddonic' just sounds cludgy...) Of course, I'm afraid that much like the Angels and Demons series of books (you know, the one including The DaVinci Code) which I'm also interested to read based on subject-matter alone, the Left Behind is simply poorly written. Though I'm not exactly sure, really, why I might think that. (That is, I'm TOLD that DaVinci was poorly written, but I don't know anything about Left Behind.)
But I'm getting off-topic. Sort of. The game. It's actually caused quite a stir in the circles that care, first because it was a violent, religious-based video game where Christian-themed characters are pitted against non-Christian-themed characters in a real-time strategy environment. That is, Christians killing non-Christians. Hot topic there. It popped up maybe a year or two ago when it's development came into public view, and it's popped up again because someone wants Wal-Mart to stop selling it.
I'm not really here to argue that -- there's far too much mixed up in it. Whether the game is more offensive than other violent games, whether Wal-Mart should bend to pressure from offended groups, whether it makes much difference one way or another. The hypocrisy on both sides -- Christian groups advocating the sort of game they usually denounce, and their opponents denouncing the sort of game they usually defend. I'm just not getting into that.
I will say, though, that I kind of want the game. And, actually, the more I hear the more I like -- except for the bit that, allegedly, all though you can play as the anti-Christ's New World Order, you can't win. I'm... not exactly sure what that means in terms of gameplay, though it's kind of 'duh' considering the premise. You can't beat God.
But no, really, I kind of want the game. But I want it in much the same way that I want to read Angels and Demons, or the actual Left Behind series. I want it because of it's subject matter.
I like real-time strategy games. In fact, I'm torn over whether I like those or turn-based strategy games more -- mostly because I've had little experience with really compelling TBS games and RTS has things like, well, StarCraft. You can't beat StarCraft. For the Swarm, and all that. But I like RTS, and LB:EF is an RTS. But even more so, it's an RTS set during Armageddon. But even more so, it's an RTS set in Armageddon in a real-world, modern-day US city that I've visited. But! Even more so, it's an RTS set in Armageddon in a real-world, modern-day US city that I've visited with spiritual aspects.
So, like I said, it's got a lot going for it just from a subject-matter point of view.
Of course, like the books I mentioned, I'm afraid that the game's poorly written. I know there's a game out now, Rise of Legends or something, that pits a clockwork army against Arabic crystal sorcerers and Mayan shaman which, on a subject-matter view, has a lot going for it. The demo I tried, though, kind of sucked as far as gameplay went, though. The story seemed wooden, the UI was difficult to maneuver, the units were small and the commands non-intuitive. Granted, a lot of that might be fixed in the production release or with the air of an instruction manual, but I'm much less inclined to getting the game after trying the demo than I was after just reading about it.
Of course, I still kind of want it.
And I'll probably get it, eventually.
And I'll probably get this game, too.
But I'm getting off-topic. Sort of. The game. It's actually caused quite a stir in the circles that care, first because it was a violent, religious-based video game where Christian-themed characters are pitted against non-Christian-themed characters in a real-time strategy environment. That is, Christians killing non-Christians. Hot topic there. It popped up maybe a year or two ago when it's development came into public view, and it's popped up again because someone wants Wal-Mart to stop selling it.
I'm not really here to argue that -- there's far too much mixed up in it. Whether the game is more offensive than other violent games, whether Wal-Mart should bend to pressure from offended groups, whether it makes much difference one way or another. The hypocrisy on both sides -- Christian groups advocating the sort of game they usually denounce, and their opponents denouncing the sort of game they usually defend. I'm just not getting into that.
I will say, though, that I kind of want the game. And, actually, the more I hear the more I like -- except for the bit that, allegedly, all though you can play as the anti-Christ's New World Order, you can't win. I'm... not exactly sure what that means in terms of gameplay, though it's kind of 'duh' considering the premise. You can't beat God.
But no, really, I kind of want the game. But I want it in much the same way that I want to read Angels and Demons, or the actual Left Behind series. I want it because of it's subject matter.
I like real-time strategy games. In fact, I'm torn over whether I like those or turn-based strategy games more -- mostly because I've had little experience with really compelling TBS games and RTS has things like, well, StarCraft. You can't beat StarCraft. For the Swarm, and all that. But I like RTS, and LB:EF is an RTS. But even more so, it's an RTS set during Armageddon. But even more so, it's an RTS set in Armageddon in a real-world, modern-day US city that I've visited. But! Even more so, it's an RTS set in Armageddon in a real-world, modern-day US city that I've visited with spiritual aspects.
So, like I said, it's got a lot going for it just from a subject-matter point of view.
Of course, like the books I mentioned, I'm afraid that the game's poorly written. I know there's a game out now, Rise of Legends or something, that pits a clockwork army against Arabic crystal sorcerers and Mayan shaman which, on a subject-matter view, has a lot going for it. The demo I tried, though, kind of sucked as far as gameplay went, though. The story seemed wooden, the UI was difficult to maneuver, the units were small and the commands non-intuitive. Granted, a lot of that might be fixed in the production release or with the air of an instruction manual, but I'm much less inclined to getting the game after trying the demo than I was after just reading about it.
Of course, I still kind of want it.
And I'll probably get it, eventually.
And I'll probably get this game, too.
I'm scared and it hurts.
I want to feel secure again.
I want to know that I'm going to be OK.
I want to stop feeling like my affection is always unwanted.
Work ends tomorrow. This makes me incredibly sad. I'm really going to miss that place, I'm going to miss those guys, and as much as I'd like to be able to tell them, 'yeah, I'll come work for you after I graduate,' I really don't know how feasible that would even be. And not just because I don't think they can beat the other offers I've already gotten.
I move out of this apartment on Monday, and I don't have a new one in California lined up yet. I emailed Dan (my old landlord-type) a few days ago and he hasn't replied; I keep meaning to call him, but I keep putting it off. I'm staying with my parents for a couple weeks, but I'd feel a lot better if I had somehere to drive *to* when I head out on the road.
I till haven't heard from Kira. And I'm a fool, and I'm an idiot, and I have no reason to think anything's wrong (except that I haven't heard from her in over a week), and I have no reason to hope as strongly about... this as I do. And I'm a fool and I'm an idiot, but this hurts...
You'd think after the life I've lead I'd do well with change. I don't.
I'm scared. And it hurts.
I want to feel secure again.
I want to know that I'm going to be OK.
I want to stop feeling like my affection is always unwanted.
Work ends tomorrow. This makes me incredibly sad. I'm really going to miss that place, I'm going to miss those guys, and as much as I'd like to be able to tell them, 'yeah, I'll come work for you after I graduate,' I really don't know how feasible that would even be. And not just because I don't think they can beat the other offers I've already gotten.
I move out of this apartment on Monday, and I don't have a new one in California lined up yet. I emailed Dan (my old landlord-type) a few days ago and he hasn't replied; I keep meaning to call him, but I keep putting it off. I'm staying with my parents for a couple weeks, but I'd feel a lot better if I had somehere to drive *to* when I head out on the road.
I till haven't heard from Kira. And I'm a fool, and I'm an idiot, and I have no reason to think anything's wrong (except that I haven't heard from her in over a week), and I have no reason to hope as strongly about... this as I do. And I'm a fool and I'm an idiot, but this hurts...
You'd think after the life I've lead I'd do well with change. I don't.
I'm scared. And it hurts.
