Cogs can think.

In the new Resident Evil game, number 5 already, zombies can use guns.

That’s what we call an epic zombie fail. A zombie that can wield weapons is just a normal man with a dirty face.

You’d think that by now people know how to make a zombie. A zombie game isn’t difficult because of gunfire, a zombie game is difficult because there are ten billion million of them all coming your way. That’s why Left 4 Dead is such a great game.

Massive school shooting in Germany this week.

What did the shooter use? Ah yes, his dad’s legal weapons.

To everyone who is pro-killing pro-gun ownership: you are totally, totally right. Guns should be legal, so that this never happens again.

It’s always fun to see your own understanding of the world confirmed.

About a year ago, I wrote how I think atheism has become a religion in and of itself - something I do not wish to be associated with, and consequently, I do not call myself an atheist, even if I don’t believe in (a) god(s). I said:

For all intents and purposes, atheism has become a religion in and of itself, complete with feelings of moral superiority to those who are not atheists and a drive to convert others to atheism (to spread the faith). So yes, if you look at the true meaning of the word, anyone who doesn’t do the beard and book stuff, is an atheist. However, out in the real world, atheism means a whole lot more, something I do not wish to be associated with.

In the comments, I explained it all in a more philosophical manner:

Cogito ergo sum is not some vague, inapplicable statement - with it, Descartes summed up the entire foundation of both our scientific, as well as our religious world. As I’ve said before, science and religion are nor juxtaposed. They are two sides of the same coin, because they both deal with beliefs.

Lots of knickers got in twists, lots of people who do call themselves atheists were all upset because, as we all know, the truth hurts. I was wrong, I was an idiot, atheists didn’t do the things I said they do. I apparently insulted lots of atheists because I simply listed the similarities between atheism and most other religions, and concluded from that, well, for all intents and purposes, atheism is a religion.

And now we see my conviction proven in the real word. Several atheists groups in The Netherlands are setting up atheist billboards near highways, trying to… Spread the faith. Recently, groups in the United Kingdom have been doing the same thing on buses.

Atheism has become a religion, and I see it confirmed around me every day.

America McGee is going to make another Alice game.

I still think the 2000 version is one of the best games ever made - twisted, sick, dark, and incredibly beautifully designed.

Can’t wait.

As I lift my groceries in to my car
I turn back for a moment and catch a smile
That blows this whole fucking place apart

Too close to home, Bruce, too close.

So, I figured I’d do another playthrough in Fallout 3. During my first playthrough, I pretty much covered the entire wasteland, finished every quest, and found most of the rare items. My character, Fiona, was stuck at the level cap, and practically invincible.

I created a new character, named her Alicia, and it was my goal to finish the game with a positive karma level.

As it turns out, starting a new character automatically deletes the old one. Maybe I missed the prompt, but still, this is pretty bad game design. I’m also pretty pissed off as I specifically kept a savegame for Fiona around so I could use her to play the downloadable content packs coming out this year.

This pretty much sucks balls. Alicia is nice and all, but I played with Fiona for well over 150 hours. Goddamnit.

Why I’m waiting, with baited breath, for Sacred II: Fallen Angel for the XBox 360.

If you choose to play the game with each character, playing each Light or Shadow path, each with around a 180 quests, as well as all of the 650-plus side quests, you should be done some time around 2012. If there’s an achievement for 100% completion, it better be worth like a million points.

Dude, like, totally.

What’s up with “tho”? Don’t people know how to write “though”?

“Tho” sounds a bit… Silly. I have a hard time taking someone seriously if they write “tho”.

After six and a half years of working at the same place, I quit my job today. The circumstances aren’t very pleasant, but the moment I talked to my superiors (so to speak) and announced my departure, an immense weight was lifted off my shoulders. I’m feeling very good right now.

I’ve worked there for a very long time, and I really like my colleagues and the fun we had, but the time of moving on has come. I’m looking at several options right now, but I’m not sure yet where I’ll go.

It feels weird though. I’ve worked at the shop for so long, it’s going to be weird not to be there any more.

Sure, the vehicle section takes a lot of practice. Sure, some of the colonial buildings are all the same but with different interiors. Sure, the game is very difficult to get into. Sure, the graphics aren’t always any good.

But Jesus-fcuking-Christ does Mass Effect make up for it by being by far the most in-depth game I’ve ever played. The attention to detail and the amount of work that has gone into each and every little element of the game - from the history of the galaxy all the way down to the history of the simplest of weapons you get to use - is just mind blowing .

Every item, location, and person in the game has a tremendous amount of history, and you can learn all about it if you want. You can talk endlessly with the NPCs about a huge number of topics. To illustrate, at one point I was having a discussion with one of my team members about the merits of God when you’re in outer space - “Just because I’m in space, I’m not allowed to believe in God? What bullshit is that?” - and you go back and forth about the topic. My conversion with her lasted like 20 minutes. And you can have discussions like this with many characters.

Everything is explained during the game, in great detail. Sure, you can skip it all, but you’ll miss so many subtle points, so many things that help you understand why and how things happen in the Mass Effect universe. Sure, it takes its cues from Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, but who gives a shit - Mass Effect is much less idiotic than Star Trek, but has a more life than BSG. The Mass Effect universe is actually kind of plausible, and the whole main story about the cycle of civilisations being destroyed and rebuilt again just for the pleasure of some… Well, some sort of deities is very compelling.

One of the side quests involves trying to talk a teenage girl out of committing suicide. She was taken from her human colony when she was four years old, to become a slave. She knows nothing of emotion and love and caring, and it shows in her speech. She refers to herself in the third person, and knows nothing than punishment and abuse. Say one wrong word, make one wrong movement, and she’ll pull the trigger. It’s all quite emotional, and very well acted.

I think that sums up Mass Effect pretty well. The game is much more about people than about graphics and violence. Heck, I don’t think I’ve seen a single drop of blood, and there weren’t any oversized tits either. You can see it; most of the graphical work has clearly gone into the characters, and their facial animations are better than in any other game. Engaging in conversations is completely different than in other games too; it’s like a film. You leave the third person perspective, and you get movie-style camera work, with everyone actually speaking out their dialogue - even the player’s every word is voice-acted. And dear lord, the voice acting is good. I’ve never seen a game with such incredible voice-acting.

What’s also really good is that the choices you make aren’t just obviously good OR obviously evil; there’s a lot of grey to choose from too. This gives you very fine-grained control over how situations turn out.

And finally, finally, finally, a game with a worthy ending sequence, which seems to last like forever, is extremely spectacular, and is still under your influence: there’s dialogue in it, and combat, so what you do matters.

The game isn’t perfect, but it’s a rare gem among the mediocre shite of modern gaming. Definitely my game of the year, and I hope BioWare makes a worthy sequel.