A few interesting (to me, at least) local Metal Gear Solid connections.
Major Zero's home during Metal Gear Solid 3 is listed as Portsmouth, NH. In the data file written by Natasha, the remaining soldiers from Shadow Moses were captured and incarcerated at Pease Air Force Base (although it's not technically an Air Force Base anymore). I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that Zero, being a former SAS member, operated from Pease.
So that's kind of neat.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
Well, the new Warcraft expansion has been announced, which I'm sure all of the civilized world is already aware of. It appears that the Death Knights are to be based on those in Warcraft III (e.g. Arthas) rather than Warcraft II (e.g. Teron Gorefiend). That's a little disappointing to learn, but not unexpected. Hopefully it will be a combination of the two. It's definitely pleasing to note that orcs will be allowed to play death knights, but word is that "all races" will have an opportunity to play one, which is silly. Tauren? Draenei? Night elves? Please.
Curiously, there's no word of a new race, despite speculation of the introduction of Worgen. I have a feeling this will come later, much in the same way that Blizzard withheld information about the Draenei for months.
Curiously, there's no word of a new race, despite speculation of the introduction of Worgen. I have a feeling this will come later, much in the same way that Blizzard withheld information about the Draenei for months.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Why I Hate Night Elves
There are lots- I mean lots- of reasons to hate Night Elves as they currently exist in World of Warcraft. They're silly tree huggers, the race tends to attract the worst players, and their female character model is about the worst for being intended to provoke male fantasies. But, and this may come as a shock to many, I used to actually like the Night Elves- to a certain degree.
Back in the halcyon days of Warcraft III, the Night Elves were something brand new to the series. Almost hard to believe, considering the massive place they possess in the universe's lore at this point, but they've only been in existence for a mere half of the series' lifespan. The Night Elf society was a rough analogue of the quasi-mythical Amazons. The warrior caste was populated entirely by the females of the species, whereas the males served as druids, protectors of the forest. The priest caste was also composed of women, in another inversion. The Night Elves were protective, only interested in protecting their own lands. Now, in a world like Warcraft that is so based around combat, conquest and masculinity, the Night Elves provided a wonderful contrast- that is, until World of Warcraft came around.
I recall reading once that the effort was made when designing character models to make them as exaggerated as possible without seeming too goofy. That, undoubtedly, is what went through the minds of the modelers when designing the female night elf. But the exaggeration went in a terribly awry direction. The night elf female is, basically, a feminist's nightmare. She has all the pep and vapidity of a barbie doll, and approximately the same figure as well. Her /cheer makes her look like a muppet, and /claps like her quarterback boyfriend just made a touchdown. They've got spirit, yes they do! Their faces have been made bright and appealing rather than the intense and driven look they possessed in Warcraft III. Their half-nude form appears in many of the promotional materials for the game.
What's more, the sexual distinctions with regard to caste have been broken as well. Either sex can choose any class. Which results in there being dozens of night elf male hunters and warriors, and in my experience, more and more druids as females, taking the traditional nurturing role. While I'm all in favor of equality for the sexes, and I don't want to seem a hypocrite, it definitely serves to undermine the Amazonian quality of the culture.
And it should serve as no wonder that a large degree of the playerbase- certainly not all of it, I've actually met some decent night elves -- has turned out to be crude, obnoxious, basically your typical teenager. Roleplay is largely stagnant and filled with arrogant, xenophobic characters. There's very little that remains of the original feminist, Amazonian society that once seemed so promising.
So, I hate the night elves, as they currently exist, for all those reasons. Not just because they're a repellent racial choice as is, but because they were so promising in the past, to only find its goals betrayed as an attempt at gaining greater sales.
Back in the halcyon days of Warcraft III, the Night Elves were something brand new to the series. Almost hard to believe, considering the massive place they possess in the universe's lore at this point, but they've only been in existence for a mere half of the series' lifespan. The Night Elf society was a rough analogue of the quasi-mythical Amazons. The warrior caste was populated entirely by the females of the species, whereas the males served as druids, protectors of the forest. The priest caste was also composed of women, in another inversion. The Night Elves were protective, only interested in protecting their own lands. Now, in a world like Warcraft that is so based around combat, conquest and masculinity, the Night Elves provided a wonderful contrast- that is, until World of Warcraft came around.
I recall reading once that the effort was made when designing character models to make them as exaggerated as possible without seeming too goofy. That, undoubtedly, is what went through the minds of the modelers when designing the female night elf. But the exaggeration went in a terribly awry direction. The night elf female is, basically, a feminist's nightmare. She has all the pep and vapidity of a barbie doll, and approximately the same figure as well. Her /cheer makes her look like a muppet, and /claps like her quarterback boyfriend just made a touchdown. They've got spirit, yes they do! Their faces have been made bright and appealing rather than the intense and driven look they possessed in Warcraft III. Their half-nude form appears in many of the promotional materials for the game.
What's more, the sexual distinctions with regard to caste have been broken as well. Either sex can choose any class. Which results in there being dozens of night elf male hunters and warriors, and in my experience, more and more druids as females, taking the traditional nurturing role. While I'm all in favor of equality for the sexes, and I don't want to seem a hypocrite, it definitely serves to undermine the Amazonian quality of the culture.
And it should serve as no wonder that a large degree of the playerbase- certainly not all of it, I've actually met some decent night elves -- has turned out to be crude, obnoxious, basically your typical teenager. Roleplay is largely stagnant and filled with arrogant, xenophobic characters. There's very little that remains of the original feminist, Amazonian society that once seemed so promising.
So, I hate the night elves, as they currently exist, for all those reasons. Not just because they're a repellent racial choice as is, but because they were so promising in the past, to only find its goals betrayed as an attempt at gaining greater sales.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)