Every Single Article Written by Greg - All 4
A Commentary On Violence, Race, And Choice In ‘BioShock Infinite’
There’s a lot going on behind the scenes in BioShock Infinite.
When I first finished BioShock Infinite, I did what many of us do when confronted with a twisting, turning, rollicking good time of a game/movie/book/whatever: I immediately went to the internet to see what other people were thinking about the game. At first, I found a lot of interesting posts about the ending–interpretations, theories, that sort of thing. I felt like I’d pretty well wrapped my head around the game and wanted to see if there were divergent opinions or interpretations.
Now that the dust has settled somewhat on the surface elements of the game–reviews, the ending, etc.–serious attempts to reflect on and draw insight into the game have begun to pop up. The two that stuck out to me the most were Chris Plante’s article about the violence in the game over at Polygon and Daniel Golding’s take on the game’s artistry, racism, and gravitas at the Australian Broadcast Corporation. I read those articles and many others like them and felt that a couple of significant points have been missed by the gaming community. I felt the need to weigh in and offer up a couple cents on the violent content and racial issues touched on in the game. Read the rest of this article…
Implied Value: The Hottie & The Nottie
They call it the “bargain bin,” the big basket of discount DVDs of questionable quality. We assume that the paltry $5 price tag still gives these films too much credit. Is there anything of use in these wire crates worth the implied value in the word “bargain”? One man braves the bin to find out.
Good Christ almighty, what have I stumbled upon? How could I have known–truly known––that the hour and a half of so-called “content” on this DVD was a vile, wretched monster born of my worst nightmares? I suppose I could have looked it up on IMDB, but that’s cheating. When I snagged this from a Walgreen’s bargain bin at three in the morning, I knew (as any rational person might) that this would be awful. Little did I know that I was paying $3.99 plus tax for the single most offensive, unfunny, lazy piece of trash ever put to plastic. I am not sure the English language has the capacity to encapsulate the vitriol and hatred I have for The Hottie & the Nottie, but by gum, let’s give it a shot. Read the rest of this article…
Implied Value: Gone to Texas
They call it the “bargain bin,” the big basket of discount DVDs of questionable quality. We assume that the paltry $5 price tag still gives these films too much credit. Is there anything of use in these wire crates worth the implied value in the word “bargain”? One man braves the bin to find out.
Gone to Texas was a made-for-TV movie originally aired on CBS, lumped in as a “Sam Elliott Double Feature” onto a DVD with another TV vehicle, Blue River. I am an enormous fan of Westerns–I’m still sorting out a long-winded, forthcoming post about the role of Westerns in modern cinema–and Sam Elliott is rightfully included among the greatest actors in the genre. A $5 two-fer has got to be worth the price of admission alone, or at least that’s what my poor mind managed to convince me when I paid for this set.
Gone to Texas tells the story of Sam Houston, a legend in Texan lore and a real frontier hero–the leader of Texan independence and American interests in the contested frontier. This is, ostensibly, what the film attempts to impart upon its patriotic and flag-waving, ruggedly individualistic American viewers–the story of a great and noble American fighting for freedom and independence. However, the real message here is that General Sam Houston is completely and utterly insane.
A Roundabout Review of Dragon Age 2
So, you might have heard some bad things about Dragon Age 2, or maybe you heard some good things. I suppose your opinion on the game depends pretty heavily on whether or not you ever worry about things like getting ad revenue from EA ever again, but whatever. Having finished Bioware’s latest “epic,” I sat back and wondered what the pitch for DA2 must have sounded like in the initial design meetings at Bioware. I imagine it went something like this, assuming you ignore continuity and timeline and all that. I’m trying to make a point: Read the rest of this article…
