Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Don't support internet censorship

I usually do not post political things on this blog, but in this case I find I must make an exception.  After all, the reason this blog even exists is because I am allowed to freely speak positively or negatively about anything I want to, as an internet user in the USA.  Without that right, this website and the article you are reading right now doesn't exist.

I strongly suggest to everyone who is in the US to please take the time to follow this link and read up on the two acts that may change the way our internet allows free speech.  Research the bills (PIPA, and SOPA for reference, links given at the end of this article) yourself if you must, but know that time is ticking.

For everyone outside the USA, don't think this won't affect you too.  History has proven time and again that once one country decides such censorship is ok, the others tend to follow.  Contact any friends you may have in the USA.

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Act fast, act now, and please tell congress to VOTE NO, because if PIPA and SOPA go through, our precious right to free speech and information sharing on the internet will be in jeopardy.  Not only will sites like Blogger.com, Facebook, and Google have to censor what we are allowed to see, read, or even talk about in the US, thousands of people who make a living off the basic concept of the internet being used for communication may lose their jobs as a result.

I'm all in support of anyone stopping the trade of illegal copies of games, software, music, and other digital media.  I am however, NOT in support of our government creating a massive ruling that puts a stop to it AT THE COST OF EVERYTHING THAT FREE SPEECH AND THE RIGHTS TO FREE TRADE ON THE INTERNET HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO BUILD.

This is going too far, for all of us, and for all the good it claims it will do, look carefully at the cost.  Ask yourself, is that "good" worth putting a full on stop to your right to start topics about anything the government deems it doesn't want you to talk or even know about?

Direct Links to the two bills in question, for your own research purposes:

PIPA(Protect IP Act)
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.112s968

SOPA(Stop Online Piracy Act)
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.112hr3261

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and take whatever actions you can to stop them from going through.  Make your voices heard people!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Review: Bastion

Bastion is a hard game to summarize without spoiling what makes it so powerful.  In few words, it has a deeply thought out story, and tells it in a very unique way.  It's one of those few times when a game becomes much more then just another game, and ascends into an art form.

At it's core, the gameplay is that of an isometric action game.  You will find different weapons throughout the game, which you will use to fight your way through stages in a linear fashion.  Enemies and destroying stuff in the levels gives you money that you can use to upgrade your weapons, buy different tonics(which act as equippable accessories), and so on.  Nothing particularly special here.

Exploration is very limited to non-existent, though there are many parts where you as the player decide how "the kid" takes care of the situation at hand.  The different weapons all act and feel different enough to keep the gameplay flowing smooth, but this isn't a pure action game, as often times there will be a quiet segment where the enemies stop coming to make way for the storytelling.

Throughout the gameplay, an announcer(we find out who he is and who he is talking to later) tells the tale.  Once again, I don't want to spoil too much, but let's just say it's a clever use of 2nd person storytelling, both during the events and from future/past tense.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Minecraft Review

My internet is back, and thanks to the steam winter sales I have a backlog of games to play and review.  But first, a requested Minecraft review.

(Note, if you are familiar with minecraft's gameplay, skip to the Review header in bold down below.)

First, a basic, but long, explanation of what minecraft is.  It's so unique that my review simply will not make much sense if you don't know what the game is.