This man should be (insert heinous act here) with fire

[POS Industries]

Originally Posted by Krylo

I'm just kinda wondering how people can write things like that and not get sued for slander. It's like offering Bioware free money.

I take exception to that!

....In print, it's libel.

[Solid Snake]

First, a note to Mr. McCullough: Thank you.

No, seriously, thank you.

Not for writing the article, mind you, which was hideously written idiotic trash purely designed to fan flames of spewed hatred upon the gaming community.

However, thank you for introducing me to YouTube footage of scenes in Mass Effect that I'd otherwise have no chance of seeing, since I don't own an X-Box 360.

Can I say this? Regardless of what you think about homosexuality or ailens getting it on with humans or whatever, those were damn beautifully chereographed lovemaking scenes. I don't know much about Mass Effect -- I've read a review or two and talked to a few people and that's about it -- and as I only own the original XBox (KOTOR is about it for me and BioWare these days), I had never seen these scenes. Note that I know next to nothing whatsoever about these characters, or the plotline, but that scene was still emotional for me.

I mean, I'm so used to the way pornographic movies -- and frankly, most PG-13 and R rated movies and TV shows as well -- present sex. You know, it's just constant shifting of weight, pounding and grinding, and the woman is constantly screaming, "Yes! Harder, harder, harder!" Etc. But this? Hell I don't know a damned thing about Shepard (unless you're talking about Jack from LOST) or the blue chick, but that scene was making love -- subtle yet powerful, the ultimate expression of spiritual and emotional connectivity.

I mean nothing about that scene seemed the least bit exploitative to me. It didn't scream "You're watching a porn movie; this is the part where you jerk off." Instead this screamed, "These two characters are made for each other, and they are expressing their love in the most intimate way imaginable." I mean I'd rather (hypothetically speaking) have "my" teenage son work his ass off for twenty hours unlocking this scene in a game than spend 30 minutes watching a porno movie. This involves a gripping storyline hooking you and attaching you to characters who care deeply about each other, in the same way a great classical novel would (with the sex scenes included, as many classical novels do.) Even within the short timeframe of my viewing the scene it felt right -- not "sex for the sake of having sex" but "sex as an instrument to advance a relationship in a story at the right time and for all the right reasons."

Granted, I probably still wouldn't let a fourteen year old kid play this game, as the fourteen year old wouldn't give a damn about the subtle expressions the characters exhibit or the relatively "lacking" and "flashless" chereography that doesn't involve endless screaming and groaning. Yeah, a fourteen year old kid would probably just "enjoy" the sex scene as a customizable sex scene, and I couldn't blame a parent for wanting to prevent that from happening. So, from a certain perspective, I'd almost -- almost -- be clinically insane enough to agree with one very minor facet of the argument Mr. McCullough presents. Maybe if you stripped away all the idiotic insults and the mindless flaming and the silly name-calling and the senseless stereotyping of all boys as mindless sex-crazed fiends, I'd concede there's a point to be made. Maybe.

EDIT: If any of you have actually played Mass Effect and wish to testify that in fact the characters in question were terribly written and shallow and the scene is thus terribly disgusting and stereotypical because the characters aren't even remotely capable of being in love, feel free to contradict my impressions. I'm just basing my intrepretation on what little I've seen. (But even the dialogue was comparatively well written, I must add.)

[Loyal]

Originally Posted by Seil

Curse you Bookworm! Curse you!

...I was just about to post that comic. You guys are making me obsolete.

Weren't you specifically kinda told to not make posts of that nature?

*Ahem* Yeah, new article. Just goes to show you (once again) that even the esteemed offices of our government (or wherever the hell these guys come from) are no more immune to the flamebait-ey lure of the internet as any of the rest of us...

-_-;

[Fifthfiend]

Side note:

I love how the people who write these kinds of articles always think this shit --

How would that be for a bold and uncompromising "Mass Effect?"

-- is actually clever.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

It shows it wasn't created by some kind of bot at least.
That would be an awesome bot, designed to stalk the internet casting aspersions on all.

[Melfice]

2. "One can custom design the shape, form, bodies, race, hair style, breast size of the images..." Evidently the only thing I got wrong on this was the breast size, though I would like someone to explain to me how the female characters end up having different sizes again on the YouTube footage I witnessed with my own eyes... But the rest of it was true. race, hair style, color - etc.

Yes. Because all women on (the really for real) earth have the same breast size, so of course, somebody must be playing with the editor so they can adjust their breast size... really now.

[TheLostNFoundSection]

Anyone else find it very odd at all that the search terms he used to find his evidence on youtube are apparently "Mass Effect" and "Lesbian"?

Because it seems to me that it's quite an incredible 'coincidence' that he was quite specifically *looking* for this sort of thing... and that these search terms are in fact what he's basing his argument on.:shifty:

If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, look at his youtube links in the second rant he posted about the game. They're search queries.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Does it matter what mean he used to find his evidence.
I mean if I though John Smith killed babies and I looked up on google "John Smith+ babykiller" would that void any evidence I found.
When cops have a suspect and search for incriminating evidence does that void thier results?

And I must say some of the arguments he quotes as attacking him are very weak, such as "you can't comment unless you've played the game fully". I mean sure contextual evidence is pretty important but in this case, where the issue is the nature of a contained scene within the game then it is less important.

I mean he's still ridiculous but he had some ridiculous things sent to him as well.

[Loyal]

Perhaps, but on his side, it's 100% bullshit.

On the side of the "Internet Masses", it's a greater quantity of bullshit, but spread out among an even greater amount of sensible thinking.

That's the difference.

[Corn]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

Look at the bottom of the page. Three people so far have called him out as an idiot. At least.

Really, it's people like this guy who make a good case for the idea of banning from the internet.


Edit: I'm so going to take flak for saying that...

Hitler- As soon as you compare someone to Hitler, you lose the argument immediately, the thread closes, and you are banned. For this reason, when arguing with someone on the internets, you should try to trick your opponent into comparing you with Hitler. Rallying for the extermination of the Jewish race or proposing that people follow you in a war for the purity of the Arian blood is an effective way to to assure you won't be banned from the internet. You will also win a Certificate of Hitlertude.

The hell?