Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Dennis Miller not getting over with the WWE crowd in Texas, the Google Nexus One, or the various MLB trade moves made yesterday, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As I mentioned last week, I’ll be counting down my five favorite games of 2009 in this week’s Coffee Talk columns and I’d love for you to join me! Let me know what your favorite games of the year were in the comments section. Remember, this isn’t about what games you thought were “best”. I want to know what you had the most fun with in 2009.
#4 Street Fighter IV — I lost a ton of quarters playing various versions of Street Fighter in high school and college. Like many players, I abandoned the series for modern games like Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive, and Tekken. Street Fighter IV
SFIV is just a brilliant combination of old and new. That only downer is that the game also reminds me of my most frustrating moments as a gamer in 2009 — trying to beat Seth when my Xbox 360 would randomly generate hundreds of vertical bars! He’s a cheap bastard as it is. Trying to beat him when you can’t see the damn screen?!? Not so easy.
Saints Row II
I love the over the top story, the amount of vehicles and customization and the fact that they made what Rockstar could not.
Yea, maybe the physics and graphics are not as beautiful, as GTA 4, but the world seems more alive, there is more to do, you can actually spend your money on fun things in game and it doesnt take itself too seriously.
@Ray
did you mean to say "joint me"?
SF4 was good. I only played it for a month though. I think I am past the fighting genre.
My number 4, battlefield 1943. Great fun at a great price. I got about 150 hours in that game. Dumbed down? A bit. Made me look very forward to Bad Company 2.
lol, i remember that post you did back at thefeed.
since i missed 4 days of rpad news. lemme just redo my list.
#5 flower and critter crunch – i have never been so addicted to any indie game until those titles were on sale at PSN.
#4 Batman Arkham Asylum – the best superhero game i played ever. it overtook ultimate spiderman as my number one spot for my personal favorite superhero games.
good morning world
@Smartguy Ha! I think that was a happy little accident (Bob Ross TM).
@rbee90 Welcome back! All done with finals?
#4. Batman: Arkham Asylum. My opinion, and I think you all will agree, it's the best representation of a comic book super hero(although I don't consider the Bat a super hero) in a game ever. I really felt like Batman and Rocksteady really captured the world and feel of the Batman universe with this game.
@Hrolf – I gotta say Saint's Row 2 was a blast to play. definitely honorable mention since it didn't make that cut in my top 5.
My #4 – infamous – This game had so much hype it was actually a little hard for it to live up to it. it did in almost every way. The story was excellent and it was a nice touch to be able to play through twice and get different powers. Although I felt like being good just didn't jive with the story as much. I mean, the title told you to be bad. It was a nice blend of RPG upgrade system and the anti-superhero sand-boxing that I really enjoy. I felt like you never became a full on unstoppable force as I'd hoped but it ranks in one of my favorites for the year, nonetheless.
@rpad
thanks! and yeah, done with that, i eat finals for breakfast, so no problem whatsoever.
it was a crappy 4 days for me though.
inFAMOUS is mine after Christmas.
@shockwave
glad somebody appreciates inFamous. other video game sites bash on infamous for it's "repetitiveness" but i didn't mind that. it was fun to play, and i i agree with you on the karma system, cole's transformation is just badass when he turns evil.
@Rbee – it's almost funny to me that sandbox titles are ripped for being repetitive, like GTA. Ya the missions can be very similar in nature but if you feel like you're doing the same thing over and over again you aren't playing the same game as me. What's truly amazing about sandbox titles is that I can get so much enjoyment out of a "repetitive" mission structure. I can sandbox for hours at a time and not even complete a mission, you know?
I do not own a PS3(yet) but inFamous is going to be the first game I buy for sure.
#4 Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time
I have always been a fan of R&C so this just gets added to the collection. Its always fun to play and to see the new weapons. Upgrading all the weapons can be a pain since you can;t do it in one play through, but this game has occupied a large deal of my time lately.
@Hrofl
Saints Row 2 would have made my Top 10. Love that game, just almost forgot about it though.
@shockwave Same here. when i was playing gta san andreas back then i would just run people over and crash my car somewhere secluded. sometimes, i wait for the train and let it hit my car. in inFamous. i love clearing district areas infested with reapers, or other sorts of scum. my OCD acts up while playing sandbox games. i never played GTA 4 yet though. ever.
@hrolf
the best mechanic in saint's row 2 would be your PC kicking everyone's balls.
@inFAMOUS
I was so mad that only people who preordered the game for GameStop got the Gigawatt blades as a weapon. I had already paid for my copy elsewhere when I heard about the deal. But last week the Gigawatt blades were release as a free download on the PSN. They are okay. Probably more fun if I started the game over with them.
There are a ton of reasons to love inFamous — great game, excellent developers, etc. My favorite reason is that it lets me relive that scene in Three Amigos where they're talking about the IN-famous El Guapo.
@ Rbee
GTA 4 is a beautiful game, but feels empty. They decided to make a much more realistic (sort of) game with great physics and graphics, but threw out most of what made GTA:SA so great.
I still cant even force myself to play the game to finish, meanwhile, I have re started Saints Row 1 JUST so I can go back and play II.
Might have to get infamous today. Leaving work early to Christmas shop. Gotta get something for old number 1.
@hrolf
that's what i heard. i was ABOUT to buy a copy back in black friday. but my friend told me "if you loved san andreas, then your not going to love this game" so i bought borderlands instead.
@rbee – going to have to grab you when you are online so I can nab your Borderlands/Gearbox trohpy lol
@topic – recap of yesterday:
Honorable Mentions: Assassin's Creed 2, Brutal Legend, Mass Effect
5. inFamous
4. World of Warcraft – *shudder* 4 years, 719.52ish dollars, and an amount of time that would cause me to cry if I thought about it to much. For that alone, it deserves a place on this list, though it is not as high as it used to be for me. Hopefully next year, Bioware will earn my allegiance and cash with Star Wars: The Old Republic and I can finally put this old dog to rest. I love you Blizzard, but the sheets are stale, the fan is broke, and frankly, you need a bath. The only reason I keep coming around is because you still own some of my friends, and they are worth more to me then you. But soon, your time will come dark mistress of the interwebs. Soon.
Besides, I need to take the money I am spending on WoW and save it towards Diablo 3. I hate you blizzard, with all that is in me I hate you.
@Ray – that was a truly monstrous pun.
@larcenous
dude, anyone online has that trophy! lol. and about WoW, im addicted to the south park episode "make love not warcraft". and because of that episode i have a level 1 paladin at my disposal right now, waiting to kill the lich king.
"we cant trust the sword of a thousand truths to a noob!!!"
Star Wars looks ok, but I am excited about Star Trek a little more at this point.
@Hrolf
Same here, dude. I have GTA4 but something is just not right about that game. I completely lost interest on the 2nd island and haven't played the game since and have no desire to. GTA4 is not like the Vice City and San Adreas games that I fell in love with. Half of the content is missing and I think that's due to the limited DVD space from the lowest common denominator.
@rbee90
You're not missing anything with GTA4.
@ Hrolf
Oldest geek flame war- Star Wars vs Star Trek
Second oldest- Mac vs MS.
@rbee – oh lol. I didn't know it was so proliferate. I will have to join a game then and grab it. Been mainly playing co-op with a buddy of mine. Just finished the first play through, and getting ready to start on the second tonight. I was just comparing trophies and noticed you had it. Cool that everyone else has that as well, I'll just have to get off my lazy ass and join a random game.
@N8R – truth. I have read through more lines of Lasers v Phasers then anyone should ever have to.
@GTA4 – my biggest problem was that it was not the next logical step after GTA:SA. To me it seemed almost a step backwards, especially with the realism of the driving. Every iteration previously seemed to build on the extremeness of the situations, and the gameplay only got better and better. Here's hoping the next one takes what they seemed to get back in the Gay Tony and applies it to the entire game this time.
I love both Star Trek and Star Wars just about equally, but George Lucas really knows how to kill a franchise. Star Wars 1-3 are just horrible.. Indiana Jones 4…WTF was he thinking…
Granted, Star Trek movies have not exactly been fantastic, but I love Star Trek for the shows mostly. I can still watch the original series and not get tired of it.
@ LarcenousLaugh
more like 7 steps back
@ GTA4
My theory has always been "If they took San Andreas and polished it the way they did GTA4, how could they ever get better from that?"
Meaning, they would doom future iterations to the franchise. Trust me, GTA SA2 with real maps of LA and Vegas is going to be sick. But, they needed to keep alive until then. GTA4 was good enough.
I love rolling around Manhattan causing chaos.
@ Hrolf
Voyager? DS9? Trust me, a network knows how to kill a franchise better. I think Lucas just got lucky on the franchise killing angle when it comes to Jar Jar and Scientology Jones.
@Rpad – haha, In-Famous from Three Amigos scene, brilliant!
@hrolf – good luck with Saint's Row 1. after a few XBL patches my game freezes up every time I try to play it. It's been since before 2 came out that I tried it though. I'll just be driving along and then all of the sudden my car disappears and I'm stuck. Super annoying I've only finished the game once and I can't even go get achievements.
@ Three Amigos
Someone should develop a Three Amigos co-op game kind of like the way Ghostbusters was done.
Jefe, Do you even know what a plethora is?
@GTA San Andreas
I don't get it? That was the first GTA I just couldn't get into and it continued with 4. I guess my GTA train stopped at Vice City. San Andreas was the first GTA game I never beat. I even have most of the older Top down view ones.
@Shockwave562 How do you know it was a mail plane?
@N8R That reminds of this one time (not at band camp) at a LucasArts event when it was total geek-on-geek warfare. It was mostly game writers, but there were these two kids from Star Wars fan sites. I started picking on them and everyone joined in — kind of felt guilty. I'd do stuff like:
– Give them the Vulcan salute, saying, "Live long and prosper."
– Yell at them with, "Dude, Captain Kirk would totally kick Captain Picard's ass!!!"
– "Hey man, what was up with Voyager? Black Vulcans?!? A woman captain?!?"
@ Slicky – I thought San Andreas wasn't that great either. It's my least favorite of the newer series. But outside of the story the game was a lot of fun to play such as side missions and fooling around.
I did really enjoy 4, not quite as much as I enjoyed Vice City and 3 but it was a lot of fun. I think I actually like The Ballad of Gay Tony than I liked 4. I think they took an interesting approach this time and unfortunately it came at the cost of a lot of fun things about the series. I think there's a happy medium and hopefully we'll see that in the next installment.
@ R Pad
1) Do you mean a Star Trek fansite? If not, I'm not really getting the jokes.
2) Have you seen "Fanboys"? That movie is full of awesome hilarity based on what we're talking about.
@ R Pad
And, Kirk would kick Picard's ass. That's a given.
@N8R – Fanboys was completely awesome. Classic scene – Star Wars ultra-fans at a replica of a not quite "Kirk v Khan" statue.
@N8R
Do you remember the SDF of The Feed? I was president, hehe.
@ Larcenous
I was down with Harry Knowles kicking dudes ass as well as the pimp's tattoos.
Saints Row has always had the freezing issue, for me though since it updated it has happened much less,
Star Trek
Voyager was good till all they did was time travel or do holodeck missions, they dumped creativity for ease of story and that killed it. DS9 I think is still a good show, just not enough excitement.
Star Wars
Jar Jar, Emo Anakin, the whole were jedi but cant see who the sith lord is in front of our faces, the love story, it all sucked. Even the remade special 4-6 kinda sucked. Han woulda been killed steppin on Jabba like he did. and how DARE they take the ewok song out of 6 and put that idiot Anakin ghost in place of the far superior ghost they had.
As for GTA 4,
If they took and polished GTA:SA and made GTA:SA 2 i bet they would be rolling in even more money now. How much might they lose when the next game comes out and people who got burnt by the boring 4 chose to buy Saints Row 3 because its a better game?
hmm, I'll agree Kirk would win in a fist fight but Picard could lay down some pretty mean rhetoric.
I actually enjoy both Star Wars and Star Trek to some extent. My brother made me watch a lot of Next Generation growing up. Funny thing about those 2 is that I more enjoy the cannon more than anything. I didn't care much for the Star Wars movies but I usually like the games. Knights of the Old Republic is obviously my favorite Star Wars anything. I haven't watched an episode of Star Trek in years but I did enjoy some of the movies. I do like getting behind the ships for a space battle too. games like Star Trek Armada (strategy) and the Trek game that came out this gen were fun.
@N8R No, they were from Star Wars sites, which is why it was funny.
@ RROD
That is what I thought of when I read the other thread about "Sony charging for premium services":
https://rpad.tv/2009/12/15/todays-poll-monthly-psn…
Your thoughts?
@ R Pad
Oh… sarcasm is sometimes hard to read on the internet. I would have said:
If Chewy was a girl, you KNOW Kirk would tap that.
lol @ n8r
that got me laughing hard,Kirk doing Chewy…
@N8R
My thoughts are as long as I can play online for free then they can charge for whatever extra features that they want. That's my gripe with XBL. They should at least let you play online for free and charge for cross game chat if they want.
@ Hrolf
I found alot more heresy in the special editions as well as the DVD releases than I found in the prequel trilogy.
When a film does things that were never done before and sets an industry standard (i.e. ILM)… why splooge nonsense on top of it? I felt it was like going back to Citizen Kane and instead of having him say "Rosebud", instead he says "Badonkadonk". Or going back to Casablanca and instead of having Sam play the piano, he plays an electric guitar… HERESY!
@ Shockwave
I enjoy them both too. I prefer the original Trek over all others though. It took me a while to come around to TNG, but it's alright.
I was always more on the Star Wars side. Kenner provided me with several Christmases and birthdays growing up. Dath Vader would whoop anyone in the Trek Universe from anywhere in space.
I dont see how PSN can remain free much longer, Sony needs the money, and they know M$ are banking (what was it, a billion last year) cuz people WILL pay to play.
I cant wait to see how the Sony vs M$ battle will play out next year, I love my Xbox, but I would bet money Sony overtakes them easily by march or april.
@RROD – I would think a lot of people feel that way. I'm curious how many different services they'd like to offer.
I mean for me the only reason worth paying for XBL is to play online with other people. all of the other features are just a bonus but nothing I'd pay for. I'm sure Sony knows that.
@ RROD
Let's be honest… you would still pay to play online if there was no other option. You may not jump the fence to MS, but you would still do it over not playing online at all.
@N8R – I find myself just a tad on the Star wars side of the fence also, Star Trek can't compete with The Jedi, Sith, lightsabres, and force. ever since I was little I loved that space super-hero stuff.
@ Xbox users
My gamertag is:
A Judas Rimmer
Seriously, I want all of you on my friends list. Hit me up.
@ the sci-fi thing
Red Dwarf is definitely my favorite over Star Wars or Star Trek.
actually, I'm just particularly fond of anything that is super human in nature. makes a fun video game too. Hence my #4 inFamous
@N8R – I just hit you up on xbox.com
@anyone – feel free to add me. Shockwave562 works for both 360 and PS3
@N8R
True. If Sony charged for online then I would be forced to pay as bad as I would be against it I would have no choice. That's the only way and again, I would not be happy about that. I would not end my gaming hobby because of it.
@LarcenousLaugh – Your crack was WoW. Mine was FFXI Online. 4.5 years and $861.30ish dollars later, I feel your pain. But no matter what, I still can't hate SE lol. I've tried lol.
@everyone with an Xbox
If M$ let you play online for free with the Silver membership, would you still pay for Gold to get the extra features?
@N8R/Heresy – I think of all the flame war arguments, that one is the one that I have the largest problem with.
Let me start with a simple fact: George Lucas is a great "overall" story guy, but he should not be allowed to direct/write anything… ever.
That being said, it's not heresy. Yes it's not the same, but the heresy argument would be like a catholic telling god that he couldn't rewrite sections of the bible because it would cheapen the experience. Despite the collective death throes of the people of Alderann when the special editions were released, it's not our story to tell… outside of the Expanded Universe. Lucas has made it clear that the new versions are closer to his vision then what he was able to produce back in '77. Does it not fit with the version of Star Wars we have built up in our head? Not at all. Is it really so vastly different that sharing the story with the people it was meant for, kids, is going to cheapen the experience for them? Not in the slightest.
The stake through a Star Wars fans heart is finding out that the story he worshipped growing up is not meant for him anymore. It's meant for the little star wars geek we're raising. Somewhere along the way, we forgot that.
So, from the point of view of my inner child, I can honestly say that I had as much fun with the remakes and the prequels as I did with the original series. Mind you, I have to muzzle the Star Wars geek inside of me to keep him from screaming everytime a nine year old anakin squeals, but he'll get over it.
@Shockwave
I'll send you a friend request on PSN.
@Gamertags – Ps3/Xbox360 – LarcenousLaugh – rbee found me, you can too!
@N8R What about Ted Turner applying Crayola to The Maltese Falcon?
@ Shockwave
Accepted
@ RROD
I hear you. I honestly never thought it was a big deal because it can only help the network grow. Which is why if I had a credit card, I would have hit the "Donate" button here a few times by now.
Until they accept EBT, I'll have to wait.
I would pay, I need the streaming Netflix just for the kids. But I would pay for LastFM as well.
As for the Star Wars stuff, I call BS. He remade them to make more money.
My favorite multiplayer game was……………………Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. Why? Because I like co-op and this is the only game a friend and I got to play together with. Now I wish there was another co-op RPG for the DS.
@ R Pad
Colorization is iffy. I can see instances where they would change things but for the most part, it usually doesn't take away anything or add something obnoxious. It's a case by case basis. The Maltese Falcon… I don't know enough about to be certain.
@ RROD
I would… but only because I'd want that extra bit of experience on top of my gaming.
@ Larcenous
My next post is all for you.
@ LarcenousLaugh
I added you on Live.
Anyone with a 360 can add me, Vafodr though most likely you will see kid shows during the day being played
@Sandrock323 – LOL just go ahead and say it was me, geez. That game was so so, but co-op made it decent. Most horrid camera angles ever.
@Shockwave and LarcenousLaugh
I just sent you both friend requests on PSN.
@N8R
I would love to add you too but one of us will have to break and get the other system.
#4 Madden NFL 10/FIFA Soccer 10 (tie)
I love sports. I love sports games. These were the two sports games that I spent the most time with this year (aside from the soul crushing experience of having my MLB 2K9 file crash 100 games in to my season….thanks 2K!) I thought that the Pro-Tak engine made a huge difference in this year's Madden over previous years. And I thought that the gameplay refinement in this year's FIFA made it the most realistic soccer game yet.
@CamiKitten
Especially when you are jumping at object near the screen. I'm still mad at that one platform at the end of the game……. XD
@RROD – I don't really consider 1vs100, netflix, facebook, or twitter "features" but I suppose the only one worth paying for would be netflix. since it's free on PS3 with the disc I wouldn't pay for gold if silver included gaming.
@RROD – thanks, I'll accept when I get home, for some reason I haven't been able to log in from online. I think I have a password/user issue
@Baseball: I'd like to point out that the Angels have 5 OF's getting starter money as it is, and yet every time I see "________ in serious negotiations w/ Angels" it's another OF. Meanwhile, they're about to let John Lackey walk to the Sox. So now we'll have to listen to Angels fans scream about the Yankees payroll again all next season while carrying 6 or 7 starting OF's, and I'll still shake my head and laugh at them.
For those interested, you can add me on XBL. My GT is…….wait for it……Nightshade386. Shocking, I know.
@Changing movies – I always liked the scene in Thank You for Smoking where W.H.Macy details his plan for removing cigarette from classic films.
@lastfm I've heard it's cool but with pandora I just don't see the need to pay for radio. when my free subscription of Sirus/XM expires in my car next year I doubt I'll pay for it again. I will miss Raw Dog Comedy though
@ nightshade, I was just gonna add ya, beat me to it!
LastFM is great at home, my Palm Pre does Pandora, and my wife's truck has SiriusXM, I cant live without my Shade45 and Hip Hop nation!
@ Larcenous
First off, God didn't write the bible, scribes did. Apparently God wrote the Koran through the prophet Mohammad and you might be getting them crossed.
Secondly, the bible WAS re-written numerous times. There are currently 4 versions of the bible currently in use during practices of Christianity. The oldest known version id the King James and it's called the King James because King James was the guy who had it rewritten. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, we also found at least 4 books of the bible that were apparently edited out completely over time. There may even be more, but some of them are lost forever and it's STILL going to be years before they can piece together what we do have because they are fragmented pieces with faded Aramaic on them.
Thirdly, if God did come down from his invisible perch in the sky and told people this directly, they would call God himself a heretic. How do I know? That's what happened to Jesus as well as Mohammad as well as Meher Baba. All avatar prophets (according to believers).
Fourthly, the Lucas heresy comes in the way of the original originals being nowhere to be found. You can't find new pressings of the original theatrical releases anywhere. That's a crime.
@Nightshade
When you get a PS3 you definitely need to buy the MLB: The Show franchise. MLB 09: The Show is the best baseball game in history. The 2K baseball series is horrible. If you can suffer through that then you'll be in Heaven when you play the MLB: The Show franchise.
@ RROD
I'm working on it. I had one but never put it online and sold it. Now, I'd pay for a new one for about what I sold the first one for (a little less actually). I'm just broke right now. But when that changes, a PS3 is a high priority for me.
Go N8r!
@Sandrock323 – oh god, you mean the one where you kept having to try and carry me over? XD it pissed me off so much hahaha.
@Hrolf
You're into Hip-Hop? Who do you like?
@CamiKitten
No, I found that one funny. It was the one that was lower than the platform you are on and moves.
@RRoD: Yeah, I'd played The Show on the PS2. MVP is still my favorite baseball series, but when I finally break down and get a PS3 after the holiday, The Show will be on my short list of games to play.
@ Nightshade
Accepted
@ Larcenous
Request sent
lol who DONT I like? I am into just about all music, but Rap/Hip Hop is my current fav.
Lil Wayne, Eminem, Dr Dre, Kid cudi, Jurasic 5,NWA, Snoop Dogg, 50, Dogg Pound, T.I., Lil Jon, D12, Ludacris,Run DMC, Three 6 Mafia and ALL of the various people that have been on their albums, Trina, seriously, I can go on and on and on.
@Hrolf: No worries about the kiddie stuff. I've been playing Hasbro Family Game Night with my 3 year old son. So if you all see me online playing Connect 4, it's not for the deep gameplay experience so much as it's good clean fun to have with my kid. (Yes, I let him win most of the time).
Aw, I need internet back at home so I have more ps3 buddies. ; ;
@ Hrolf
Make no mistake… I'm a history nerd, not a religious nerd. However, religion is a large part of history.
@N8R: It's funny you bring up the history/religion debate. I had a friend who got really upset with the Assassin's Creed series because of how it reinterprets history, mostly because of how it changed things related to religion. He thought it was "wrong" that a video game should "try to make him question his faith." I took the stance that religion was such a integral part of history, you can't do a historical fiction/sci fi game without addressing religion on some level. Mind you, I'm also an atheist, so perhaps that's why I'm more forgiving of the liberties taken with religion in the series? Something to ponder….
@history/religion – I grew up in a christain household and sort of stopped caring about religion in my teen years. I really don't think you have to choose between history or religion as if one is wrong and one is right. Although anyone interested in history might find most religions have a lot of skeletons in the closet. no matter how perfect any religion could be there are always people to ruin it. thus, no one religion could ever be right if you ask me. just my 2 cents. My Mormon parents would be so ashamed, lol.
@ Nightshade
See, I saw it as the line between history and legend. Those old testament stories were strictly word of mouth for centuries maybe millenia. You logically can't expect them to be spot on.
That's the difference between truth and faith. Nobody can actually make someone question their faith… it's up to the individual to question their own faith. Pointing fingers is crass to say the least.
It's like me getting mad at NBC for bringing up the theories in Heroes when I could just sit back and enjoy the story.
PSN/360 ID – Restloy
Best Sci/Fi = Babylon 5. Awesome stuff
@larcenous
When Diablo 3 hits…I may give up console gaming for at least 2 years.
@RROD
I'd have to weight that heavily. I do like streaming Netflix, but my TV will let me do it for free anyway. So I guess if they let me play online with Silver, I wouldn't buy gold. Sony is gonna charge, but as long as they don't restrict what I currently do, I don't care.
@N8R – HAHAHAHAHA!
1. Yes it was written by people. Completely one hundred percent by people, and if you asked me there was no divine inspiration at all.
2. Yes it was rewritten numerous times, in fact one can argue that it has never truly been finished, even though the last thing "added" was the Book of Mormon, which to truly understand that requires a pair of magic underwear. With no true translation short of anything but faith, it's the Madonna of literature, able to reinvent itself when the need arises.
3. Prophets are funny people because they claim to come from God and can provide nothing but magic tricks. If God showed up, was able to produce matter out of nothingness, and then allowed scientists to test it to their hearts content, all while saying that the only true path to salvation lay in eating dirt, two things would happen. One, you would have people who would draw up a new food pyramid, and two, you would have a group that would tell him to kiss their ass. It's both the beauty and curse of the human condition, we are able to attach ourselves wholeheartedly to a tyranical set of ideas, but rebel with just as much force against an actual tyrant.
4. I was using the god/bible connection as a simple analogy. Lucas changed the movie, and made it the only copy available. Is it wrong? Sure. Does it matter to him? Not in the slightest. As the creator of the world and the owner of the rights, he can get away with it. I find it easier to simply enjoy what's there then rail against what isn't because I can't change it.
speaking of history/religion
I read paradise lost this morning while at work. good read if you have never done that before.
Reason being is because I played the Dante's Inferno demo last night and realized it strayed alot. So I was refreshing myself up on the Divine Comedy when I realized I had never once read Milton's work. I'm glad I did, very entertaining.
@Smartguy: Paradise Lost is a great band. What? Different subject? Never mind……
@the whole thing – I love arguing religious philosophy probably more then anything else.
@Nightshade – I always found atheism intriguing, but the few I have met have been so doggedly opposed to possibility that I find it almost stiffling.
@Smartguy
Request sent.
@N8R: I generally agree. I'm just guessing that my lack of faith probably helps me see it that way. Faith is a very touchy subject for some people.
@nightshade – so is santa clause for kids
@Smartguy – the only similarities between the game and the work are going to end up being the themes/names of the rings themselves, and the names of the main characters. Everything else is a complete reinterpretation of events, and I am really disappointed that they have chosen to play it as an adaptation rather then an inspired by.
@Larcenous: I take this view on the subject of religion: I personally cannot make the leap of faith that is required. If others choose to, that's fine. I don't hold it against them. I won't preach out against the beliefs of others because frankly I believe the moment you start evangelizing atheism, you're missing the point. I know a lot of other people that don't believe, who don't really understand that last part.
well said nightshade – While I do beleive in God in some way I do not believe I need to go to some special church every week to secure a spot in heaven. I try to do right by me and if that wasn't right by god or whoever then I'll just have to deal with it
@ Nightshade
My beliefs: I believe in science. However, nowhere in science does it say something comes from nothing nor does it evolve from nothing. In fact, it says the opposite. That said, I believe I have better things to worry on in my lifetime than a question that can't be answered.
@ Larcenous
I'm still waiting for David Blaine to go all David Koresh on us.
The future writings of religious texts are being thwarted by all world governments. We in America "claim" to have freedom of religion, but the Branch Davidians would tell you what BS that is (if they were still alive).
Lucas does have the right. Do I have to like it?… No.
@ Smartguy
I haven't read Paradise Lost since I was in high school. I might have to reread it soon.
@RROD
Check it when I get back around the PS3.
@Larcenous
LOL, what religion? Good ole philosophy. Yeah, it is a bit disappointing that the source material won't be used as a guide necessarily. It could inspire people to read the Divine Comedy though. As an offshoot, I wound up reading Paradise Lost while at work this morning. You never know.
@atheists/believers in whatever
I have no problem with you…none what so ever. I dislike when you espouse your nonbelief and try to make someone who has faith look like a fool. Those who have faith are subject to the same standards, just vice versa.
I don't like him that much, but Lou Holtz had a good quote a few years ago:
"You need three things in life; someone to love, something to do, and something to believe in."
He could be using a song lyric for all I know, but I like it.
Smartguy has an excellent point – in fact, I'd like to expand on that theory.
I don't care if you're gay, straight, democratic, republican, religious, atheist, or whatever. just don't try to convince me that you're right and everyone else is wrong. and don't force your views on me. cause I'm just going to piss you off.
@Nightshade – cool
@N8R – dude, could you imagine Blaine trying to preach at us from the middle of an Ice Block in time square.
I think my current favorite religious activists though are the Westboro Baptists. Nothing can beat them for pure "WTF?!?" moments and thoughts.
@Smartguy – yeah I am going to try the moving the goal posts thing the next time my AynRandianism friend starts to spout off at the mouth. Milton's work is awesome though.
@Smartguy Poison had a song called "Something to Believe In".
@Ray
Damnit, I knew Lou Holtz stole that line! LOL. Must look up the lyrics now.
@larcenous
Look up this in google "Pentecostal Snake Handlers" I'm sure some porn will show up, but snakes means real snakes.
@Smartguy: The only time you'll ever hear me getting preachy about my lack of faith is if you come round my door trying to sell religion like it's an overpriced vacuum cleaner. Once you cross that threshold, I get very cranky…..but really no more cranky than I would if you actually were trying to sell me an overpriced vacuum cleaner at dinnertime. I just hate salesmen in general.
@ R Pad
Damn it! You beat me to the Bret Michaels punch.
@ Smartguy
Those snake handlers are pretty odd.
@ religious
I don't push beliefs on anyone, but when they're pushed on me, I retort. I've had Jehovah Witnesses stomp off my porch in fits of rage before because they couldn't answer my questions.
The only religion that leaves me speechless is Buddhism. Those guys actually make alot of sense.
@nightshade
haha. i had some kid with tattoos on his knuckles and wearing a wifebeater come to my door a few months ago around dinner time trying to get me to buy magazines so he could win a scholarship to go to Europe to study. he said he was studying something about france, so i spoke to him in french ( i can speak limited bastard/cajun french) and he just stared at me blankly. I swear this guy just got out of jail it seemed.
@ Nightshade
Leave Kirby out of this, will you? (joke)
@religion
I don't care what you believe because no one can prove they are right. All that matters is what each person believes themselves. Not what other peoples' beliefs they have. Without hope, how can their be a future? Most people's hopes come from their beliefs so leave them alone and let them prosper.
@Door Sales – Kirby salesman are some pushy mofos! They come at you offering free 2 liter sodas and then take that shit back when you tell them you don't want them spending 4 hours in your home showing you the wonders of vacuum suckage.
@N8R – he saw it scratched on a picnic table somewhere.
@ larcenous
That's not saying alot about your wife. (let's hope she doesn't read this)
@ N8R
I know, I LOVE history stuff. though mostly I am into the viking myths and history, I really get into biblical stuff as well.
@Larcenous
I need a description of what your wife looks like, your address, and the hours you are at home and most importantly the hours when you are not there and she is. thankyou.
I pulled a sword at 2 Jehovah's witnesses one time. I never saw them in my part of the apt complex for the 3 years we lived there after that.
The thing I don't get about Jehova's Witness' is that they believe there is a certain amount of people who are getting in to heaven. a set number.
If I believed in that you can bet I would keep that stuff a secret. no need to tell the world
@Larcenous: We get lots of pest control companies out here because we live in the desert. Like 2 or 3 a week. My wife pulls the "my husband makes all the decisions" card on them when she answers the door, meaning that I generally have to be the bad guy when they come back. We also live within walking distance of 2 different Mormon churches, so we get bombarded with those visits as well.
Anyone who turns down a naked woman at the door over a measly little chicken sacrifice is beyond salvation.
@Larcenous – I can't imagine anyone turning down an invite from a naked woman
Id cut the chickens head off, pluck it, clean it, and fry that bird with some mashed potatoes and green beans…
@ a question of my own existence
Why is that every time I debate Star Wars vs Star Trek, it turns in to history vs religion?
@ Hrolf
When I was in 10th grade, I had the hardest English teacher I've ever had. I totally failed her class. However, one day during that year I was in in-school suspension and she brought me my classwork. I was reading my book which happened to be Bullfinch's Mythology. She dropped her jaw and pulled up a chair. We started discussing the book until the bell rang.
We've been friends ever since. I actually still have her home phone number in my phone. Long story short… Mythology rules.
@N8R – so you guys hooked up? is that the teacher I heard about on the news?
Love all myths, but my fav are in the Eddas. any story of the norse/germanic/icelandic stuff i think rocks.
@ Shockwave
Yeah, I think they started the 188,000 (or whatever) people thing to try and create competition for goodness…. I don't get it either.
haha,
http://weisswurst.apina.biz/full/23655.jpg
it's good. not a rick roll and safe for work. enjoy.
@N8R It's because you guys are awesome. I love some of these Coffee Talk tangents.
forgot to include this one:
http://www.wackyarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2…
@N8R and Shockwave
Supply and Demand….low supply, high demand = high prices lol. Damn money and salvation link!
@naked at the door – I completely agree, but it's against their code of ethics to engage in activity like that, so if we would have said yes, I would have stopped him at the door to call him out on his crap.
@ Shockwave
Actually, she's in to chicks. I found that out one day in class when we were discussing the word "queer". It went like this:
Teacher: "I would use the word queer here but it doesn't mean what it used to mean. It used to mean that something wasn't quite right, like the 2 pieces just don't fit"
I raise my hand.
She mistakenly calls on me.
Me: "Well, you could say the same thing about homosexuality… the 2 pieces just… don't… fit."
She was amused but later other classmates (who didn't like her, but knew) told me it was even funnier because she really was in to chicks.
@N8R – that is simply a hilarious story. clever answer my friend
hmm..i just watched the trailer for the new Robin Hood coming out next year. Could be good. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott in an R rated movie. Sounds like a winner to me.
@ Shockwave
I attribute my smart ass prowess to my father. He was training me from an early age. I've started with my own kids as well. If you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they'll say "Someone who minds their own business".
@Jwitnesses – it's 144,000.
Here's how it breaks down… We live in the end times. Per their interpretation of the bible (that's the Holy F*cking Bible, sir) they are supposed to follow in Jesus's path and preach the word to as many as possible, making sure all have the option to come into the "Truth".
In their bible, specifically in revelations, it speaks of a 144,000 ascedning to heaven to serve as Elders and spokesman to the earthly flock. The rest get to stay down in a revived paradise and live without sadness, paper cuts, and all that jazz.
How are these Elders, or "Annointed" chosen? They announce that they are one of the annointed class. No shit. They announce that God has come to them and granted them wisdom and that they have been annointed. Why don't they all do it you say? Because supposedly, the annointed have already been named, with the last having been born around the time of the great tribulation, inwhich Satan was expelled from heaven in 1914… which coincides with WW1, an event the likes of which had never before happened on the earth.
As a whole, the Witnesses are a truly nice set of people. Misguided to a fault, but kind about it. If you ever want to get into a real religious conversation, a real knockdown drag out good time, invite them in and actually have a conversation. And then tell them they can't use the bible to back up their point. Throws them for a loop.
Oh, they also have a Do-Not-Visit list that you can ask them to put you on. The better ones take that request right away and put you in their territories book as a house to avoid. The bad ones get the embarrasing chicken antics.
@Larcenous – I like it, they could call it a "Do Not Save" list
@no sadness – On top of the other myriad of issues I have with "God's Word" I think the no sadness thing is one of the big sticklers. I am all for an earthly paradise, and peace, and cookies, and all that shite, but in order to appreciate what's good, you have to know that there is bad.
So in there world view, God gets rid of all sadness, which means that he gets rid of all happiness, which means paradise is really just a boring place. Not my kind of bag baby. But I admire their enthusiasm.
@ Larcenous
Holy Bible Batman!
Dude, I always invite them in and offer them drinks. My wife hates it, but I do it anyway. In general, you're right, they are nice people. Only rarely have I had them get seriously mad at me and only once did one guy say "What the hell am I doing?" and give up on the practice. Other than that… very cordial folks.
I love talking religion the same way I like debating video games and politics.
@Shockwave – My favorite was the HBH list (Home but Hiding). Everyone gets a mark in the book… everyone.
@ Larcenous
You also just described the "Yin and Yang" theory of Buddhists teachings.
Like I said before, the Buddhists tend to shut me right up.
Jeez, you guy are all nice to them and such. I turn into a crotchety old bugger and start yelling, "Get off my lawn!!!" as soon as they show up.
@N8R – my mom used to work with one while I was little, and she got into the whole mess, which means we got into the whole mess. Very cordial though.
@ Nightshade
Speaking of which, Gran Torino is an awesome movie.
@nigthsade – I'm usually friendly but end with something like "Na, I don't really want to go to heaven, I'm looking forward to meeting all of the celebrities in hell."
Also, I usually don't let them in, I just don't have time to entertain people for that long. and religion is not something I care enough about to debate.
@N8R – my girlfriend was a little confused by it but god I thought Eastwood's character was hilarious
@Nightshade – it comes from having walked that lawn as a kid. That shit was unbearable. The only thing I can say with a certainty that I liked was the public speaking class they worked into one of their 4 at church meetings a week. I was always good with crowds, and they really want to hold on to you when you manage to hold an audience's attention as well as any of the elders.
You want a real cool experiment. Ask them to bring you a new Watchtower everytime it comes out. You'll notice that after about 15-16 the picture changes but the text starts to repeat itself in real subtle ways. I believe the JW's have propaganda down to a complete science. The Nazi's were good… the Witnesses are pros.
@ Shockwave
I told an Marines recruiter once that I was gay and never got bothered by any armed forces recruiter again.
@N8R – lol, your smart ass remarks know no bounds.
I just told the recruiter at high school that I had decent grades and make my own decisions. that seemed to get them off my back.
@Shockwave: I don't go looking for a fight, but some people are so dense. I usually start with, "No offense guys, but I'm not religious." Some of them (rightfully) take that as a sign to move along. Most of them take that as an invitation to disrupt my dinner further with a religious debate. That's generally when I break out the line, "Look, it says 'No Soliciting' on the door. That means I'm not interested in a vacuum cleaner, pest control, landscaping or your religion. Have a nice day."
@nigthshade – ya my fuse starts to speed up exponentially after I've said NO to anyone. don't ask me again. I didn't change my mind from 8 seconds ago
10 (now nine) comments away from making the top 5 most popular posts!
Leave it to religion to keep the stream going.
* Sorry…ad 10 to that (my math is off… stay quiet Smartguy)
That's ok N8R, if your math career doesn't take off you could always substitute teach retarded kids or something.
Unrelated note:
g4tv.com (the site that shalt not be named) redid their forums. In the process, they took away user uploaded photo albums.
i.e. all those animated avatars I made for people… GONE! (a sad day indeed).
@Shockwave – ZING!
@ Shockwave
I can haz teaching career.
@N8R
LOL I forgot it was a reference when I posted it.
So N8R I was updating my girlfriend on the latest in the Madden curse and she's not particularly fond of the Steelers. (we know a couple of obnoxious fans here in Denver who like to rub in every loss of ours.) she came back and said "you know, Madden should put the whole team on the cover next year" I couldn't help but think to myself, well, he already did in a way.
Anyway, as a Broncos fan I know what it feels like when the playoffs slip away in a flash, sorry man
@Madden Curse: My wife is a Steelers fan, and I live in Arizona. No matter which half of the cover (or both) got hurt, I was gonna have to hear about it. And considering Fitz got hurt last night, the whine quotient in my life just went up exponentially.
@ Shockwave
I changed my gravatar to represent the sun setting on our playoff opportunities. There's no excuse for losing to the Browns. I don't care how cold it was.
Losing Troy wouldn't have been half as bad if Ike Taylor wasn't such a horrible player. I've hated that dude since he joined the team.
@ EA
Please put Peyton Manning and Drew Brees on the cover next year.
I'd ask for Ike Taylor… but that will NEVER happen because they have to be a good player in order to make it in the first place.
Here's an interesting revelation from a document released by the Government of Australia about possibly finally getting an 18+ rating instead of banning everything:
"An R 18+ for computer games would exacerbate problems associated with access to high level material in Indigenous communities and by other non English speaking people."
Yep, an 18+ rating might give those damn aborigines more rights, and we wouldn't want that. Stay classy Australia.
@N8R
The hell with that idea!!
@Nightshade
How about those government mandated internet filters? Don't want the adults seeing any pr0n.
@ EA
Actually, I would love to see Tom Brady on the gurney as well.
@ Smartguy
Reggie Bush probably has pretty good odds of making the cover next year.
@N8R
Nah, won't happen.
Let's just say…I feel sorry for Titans fans next year.
I'm trying to think of the next game I should talk about for tomorrow. So far all I can think of is Halo Wars and Dawn of War 2.
@N8R: Refering to post #177, let's all endeavor to making this happen. I have a number of Patriots fans in my family that need to be humbled some more.
As a Dolphins fan, I am all in favor of humbling Patriots fans. And by "humbling", I mean "STFU".
-M
Where do we online petition for Brady to make the cover of Madden?
@N8R;
It's on Randy Moss' home page.
-M
This is an interesting take on the PSN upgrade so to speak:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/15/digital_l…
discuss!
Games on Demand is now available for Windows. Free game too.
http://majornelson.com/archive/2009/12/15/games-f…
@door preaching – My wife answered the door naked once and asked if they would like to come in, as the chicken sacrifice to the goddess was about to begin… never seen a witness turn down an invitation so quickly.
@ Sandrock
-“Without hope, how can their be a future?”-
Did you steal that from Terminator?
I just streamed American Ninja on my xbox…..
WHY DID I LIKE THAT MOVIE WHEN I WAS A KID???!!!
@Smartguy Ha! That reminds me of a drunken discussion at 5AM between American game writers and British developers in Newcastle. The Brits were trying to convince us that American Ninja was the best action movie ever made. We were all, "WTF?!?"
Ah Newcastle…what a great trip. Every single guy should go there at least once.
I don't think I've ever seen American ninja… I feel left out.
@N8R
Netflix is waiting on you to join the crowd. You have no idea what you are missing.
@Ray
Definition of batshit crazy = Thinking American Ninja is good.
@N8R Michael Dudikoff will change your life. For better or worse? I'm not really sure.
@Smartguy Well, maybe English people see it in a different light. I have no idea. That was a part of a completely excellent night in Newcastle. We had to leave for the airport at 7:30AM…was up and drinking until the taxi arrived.
@Ray
I love times like those. I plan on having a few before Christmas soon.
Remember when the sgt ran his jeep into that 5 foot tree and blew up?
The best action movie ever mad was either The Last Dragon, Ichi the Killer, or Dolemite.
@Ray: Your former employers giving best RPG to Mario and Luigi over Dragon Age tonight was a travesty.
@Nightshade386 *shrug* I don't really keep up with those guys anymore.
Eh, it could have just have easily have been IGN, GameSpy or _________, I'd still find the choice lacking.
@N8R I have Big Trouble in Little China at #1 and The Last Dragon at #2.
@N8R
1. True Lies
2. Commando
3. Predator
4. Last Action Hero
5. The Rundown
1.gladiator
2.terminator 2
3.the matrix
4.predator
5.die hard with a vengence
thats just top of my head though
Looks good except for The Matrix.
Might have to remove Gladiator from the list, otherwise make a spot for Braveheart!
yeah gladiator might not be considered an action movie, but if it is , i agree that you should throw in braveheart and 300 as well
the matrix will always hold a spot for me, just because of how awesome it WAS, i agree the last 2 matrix movies sucked, but i still enjoy the first
Just never cared for any of them. The stop motion and slo-mo combined with black coats, sunglasses and slicked back hair turned me off. I also think they should have found someone who is actually good looking to play Trinity.
I never had a problem with 2 and 3 Matrix wise. The first one was a step above for sure, but the rest were fine as they were. Personally, they had me when Reloaded started to Neo facing down three agents and not even batting an eyelash when he saw they had upgraded. That one scene said so much about the amount of difference between him and the rest of the red pills. Fun action all around.
@SmartGuy – True Lies ftw! I get an endless amount of chuckles from Arnold and Tom kidnapping Bill Paxton and getting him to pee himself. And I dont think Jamie Lee has ever looked better then she did in the bedside dance scene, even when she was bringing out the girls in Trading Places.
Just out of curiusity, what is everyone's issue with the last two Matrix movies? Everyone always says they were so much less then the first, but I just don't see it.
@larcenous
the highway scene in the second movie was the best action sequence in the entire trilogy
I think for me, its just really the third one. The story gets convoluted, and seems to contradict itself a few times. I dont exactly care for the whole "neo has to go the source and make peace with the evil autonomous robots" scenario…
i mean, still watchable movies….i totally agree with smartguy about carrie ann moss being unactractive though
Man, another day at work with nothing to do.
Guess it is time to feed my yearly need for Blazing Saddles
Ok, so I watched American Ninja last night. First thing I wondered was "Why does asian Burt Reynolds wear a mask if he's gonna have a tatto under his eye?"
The next thing was "Is that the chick from Weird Science?"
After that was "Seriously, did people act like that in the '80's?"
and then it was "This is like Gomer Pyle meets the Karate Kid."
@N8R
there is porn with better plot and acting.
Lol, welcome to the Ive seen American Ninja Fan Club
Actually, Gone Way of The Flesh had better acting and story. They are on par at the very least.
Yeah, but we didn't have the inspiration for Ken of Street Fighter fame in our movie.
I also wanted to note the poor man's Ricardo Monteban.