"DooM: The Unmaker Edition"

DooM, the father of all first person shooters, the one by which all others are judged by and spawned countless clones and imitations.  A game, despite being over twenty years old, and newer graphics,  it is till beloved by fans and the community that surrounds it, and is more vibrant than ever. Fans still create custom "WAD" files, and it has been modified to work on everything from game consoles to printers and ATM machines. DooM is a testament to not only what makes a good game, but how loyal a game community can be and the creativity that can come from it. Few games will reach the height that DooM has risen to. I've been playing the game since I was six years old when my father first showed it to me, I've been playing the game ever since and haven't looked back.

In spring of 2016 we will be getting the next installment in the series, simply named Doom. A game that is harkening back to the days when DooM was a fast paced and bloody action shooter game, mowing down hundreds of enemies, and moving away from the more horror style that was Doom 3. I will not say that Doom 3 was a bad game, I would say that the game helped try to give DooM a  bit more of a complex story, but also did a decent job in blending the two genres of horror and action together. It also did help in expanding Doom's modding community and help keep interest in the series, not that it really needed any. But it didn't inspire like the original did, but led to a movie, that aside from FPS sequence and the credits, most would like to forget. The new game could breath new life in to the series and with it's creative level editing tools could create a new era for the DooM community.

So, what do I mean by, "DooM: The Unmaker Edition"? A new years back we got, DooM: BFG Edition, released on PCs and consoles, it included Doom, as well as it's to expansion packs "Resurrection of Evil" and "The Lost Mission", and DooM and DooM II. Next to the "id Anthology", probably larger collections of id games put together. My issue with the "BFG Edition" is that I want a DooM game that includes all DooM games, an anthology of DooM games. Not only the games mentioned earlier, but also Final DooM, and the forgotten but still beloved by those who played it DooM 64. The entire Doom anthology in one place, named after the ultimate weapon from DooM 64. It would be a nice release before the next installment arrives.

DooM 64, almost released under the title "The Absolution", and developed by Midway under id's supervision, is probably the most neglected game in the franchise and the most unique of all the games. While "Doom 3" didn't do a bad job at blending horror and action, DooM 64, however, did it perfectly. The game created an unsettling atmosphere with the use of colors to create a disturbing atmosphere enhanced by it's subtle sound track to create a frightening ambiance. But it didn't take away from the action, it was still fast paced and the atmosphere kept you on the edge of your seat and your heart pounding. The enemies were remade to be pure nightmare fuel, and in the case of the "Pain Elemental", almost "Lovecraftian". Sadly, because it was only released on the Nintendo 64 and id quickly moved away from it to games like Quake with modern 3D engines, it was lost to the sands of time. Thankfully, members of the DooM community have brought it back for us to play  on the PC (link below), but it still deserves treatment that the other DooM games have received.

Future of DooM most would say is fairly secure. The original games will live on forever in the hearts of those who have played it, especially those who have played it since the beginning. That legacy will only enhanced by the new installment's, hopefully, successful launch. There is a bit of trepidation and doubt when a beloved series gets a new installment, will it live up to it's name? Bethesda and id have fairly good reputations , and as long as the footage shown for the preview is what we get  or better, it should be good. However, it would be nice to have all the DooM games, the remember and those lost to time, together in one place; id, make it happen!


Credit goes to id Software for creating the game.

Convenient Doesn’t always mean Convenient

From: The Printed Rambler

            We’ve all seen the ads on tv and heard the rhetoric, “support your local business” and “support main street, not wall street”. But what does all this mean for the average person? How is it beneficial to them? Is not not more convenient to go a big box store that has everything you need? Small businesses and local businesses bring opportunities and vibrancy to a community. They support local events and organizations, and in many ways are much more convenient with location and familiarity. But some would argue that the big box stores and online retailers are even more convenient because they have everything in one location, and in the case of online retailer, you don’t even have to leave your chair. But are they really more convenient?

            When you go to a big box store, you are likely to meet a different person each time you go in (and in the case of online stores you will meet no one). This doesn’t the people working there are bad, some of them can be quite knowledgeable, but they have so many people that it’s hard to have a relationship with any one person there, when you come back for help, you may get lost in the system. At a small business, however, there is a sense of familiarity, the same people are there each time you visit. You establish a rapport with the people there, they know what you like; the way you like your hair cut or your coffee order.  Here at the print shop we save all your files, so that when you come back to business card after five years, we can can get it done faster and exactly he way you had it before, without having to recreate the wheel. Unless, you really want to.

            Ask yourself, is it really worth going through all the hassle of “recreating the wheel” each time to get a job done at a big retailer, just because you think it might be cheaper? Is it not better to have a sense of familiarity rather than having to deal with someone new each time? If you think about it, “convenience” doesn’t always mean “convenient.”

Gateway Printing
174 Main Street

Wareham, MA 02571

gatewayprinting@verizon.net

Sorry... But Good News!

Sorry for the long absence, but new articles are coming, three or four should be popping up within this week or the next! Like I said, they are going to be sporadic, hopefully, at some point, I can create a regular update schedule, but until then, keep coming back to check for updates!

Have a Good Day!

I'm Never Late, I post When I Mean Too!

So, I apologize, life throws one many curve balls, often fifty at once. So, until I can get things straightened out, and my life into some sort of organized mess, the posts will be sporadic at best. Building an entire epic universe, in which you have gone off in a dozen different directions, takes a lot out of you, more on that when I discuss writing. Also the pressures of a small business, more on that to, later.

So, here is a schedule on what is come in my sporadic posts:

1. Game of Thrones Season 5 Thoughts.
2. A review of the game Destiny
3. DooM, greatest game to ever exist
4. Something on Politics
5. Something on Religion

So, keep checking, I may have something up, I may not.

But, a quick thought for this post in regards to the recent events concerning the Confederate flag.

This morning I read an article on Apple removing any reference to the Confederate flag off their app store (link below). This included a strategy game on the Civil War, in no way endorsing the recent shootings, nor slavery or racism. There needs to be a fine line between removing materials the would be offensive, such as the flag, and maintaing historical accuracy. Are games and movies now supposed to remove the flag and put something else in it's place? Understanding flags, symbols, sigils, emblems, ect… are just as important to learning history as learning about the events and what they happened. They symbolize cultures and ideals, and have a history to them. To deny them, is to deny history, and to show we are afraid of those symbols. We don't chastise World War II games on displaying Nazi flags and emblems.

Historical perspective is something that we are losing in this country, I'll go more in depth in another article. We are rewriting history so that it is more clean, more palatable. It shouldn't be, because it should teach us a lesson, if you don't know you past, your doomed to repeat it. We should learn about the good and the bad. Plus it's also up to game developers and movie makers to determine how they want to portray historical subjects that may be controversial and upsetting. Yes, it is also Apple's propagative to determine what goes and doesn't go on their App store, but there should be a fine line between what is intentionally offensive, and what is done for the sake of history.

http://www.ultimategeneral.com/blog/our-game-has-been-removed-from-appstore

Filler

As one can tell, I have been absent for a few weeks, remise in my duties to update the blog with new interesting bits for my from "thinker box". Work and other duties have interrupted my nobel duty as 26 human dispensing wise information for the ages. So… here's a filler episode until I get my act together.  Dug up from the sands of time from old site I used to have a profile on, these are the only three entries I made in the journal, unedited for your enjoyment!


(Circa 2007)
Space Marines Part 1
In many sci-fi novels, movies and games( including my favorite game of all time DooM) all of them have space marines. Now in 21st centuary and we are learing more about space, I think it is bout time for Space marines to come in, before we know it we could have colonies on mars and the moon and many nations and factions will have access to many diffrent types of ships that could pose a threat to many to our colonies. Space Marines could help defend these colonies.

To be continued…..


 Fri Nov 16, 2007 @ 12:11pm
A war of Imperialism!? I think not!
American Imperialism, I am curious does any notice anything wrong about that phrase, because i sure do. What do I notice that is wrong with that phrase is that, IT IS NOT TRUE! It irritates me so much when people call what we are doing in the middle east Imperialism because I am not sure when the definition of Imperialism included freeing people from a merciless dictator and giving people democracy. Anyone who is or has called the War in Iraq a war for oil, or American imperialism hasn't really studied the reasons for going to war in Iraq or you might want to see a doctor for any head injuries.
One reason we went to war with Iraq was to get rid of Saddam and his Weapons of Mass Destruction. Saddam Hussine was ordered by the United Nations to let inspectors into his country and get rid of the WMDs in Iraq, he had around 12 years to do this. That may years later in 2003 Saddam still hadn't done what he was ordered to do by the United Nations. So the US invaded with other allied nations to take out Saddam Hussiane. The UN protested their own mandate by protesting the United States invasion. In this case the only mistake bush made was that he forgot to mention the UN mandate against Iraq.

Now I think it is time for a little lesson in US politics. All of you liberals and ignorant people who believe them, believe that Bush is the cause of this war and all blame is to be left on him. But you know if the president could declare when he wanted, the US would have been involved in a lot more wars over the 200 years this great country has stood. That is why our government has check and balances. The President of the United States can not declare war with out the approval of the United States Congress. That means that all of your favorite liberal senators and congress men voted in favor of this war that all of you now protest. Don't protest Bush over this war, go after your congressmen and senators for this war, they are the ones who approved it. Bush is not king or a dictator like all you think that he is, if he was do you think that we would have the same rights that we have right now?

Think a little bit about this war before you say something about it, and don't whack your head against large metal objects.



Tue Nov 20, 2007 @ 07:03pm
Space Marines Part 2
I will now continue in my reasons that we should have Space Marines. We look today upon a frightening world of terrorism and conflict, and a world of ever rapidly increasing technology. One of the biggest technological advancements that we have had is the International Space Station, the only problem with it, is that it has no protection. To solve this an International Space Command should be set up to defend the space station and Earth in General from attacks from space. The Space Marines could be the muscle of this new force. With specialized weapons they could guard the station and pilot specialized fighters that could fly around the station and earth protecting them.

Well that is all I got for now

To be Continued…………….

American Sniper: A Review

There is a quote from Sigmund Freud that has some bearing on this review. "Sometimes a Cigar is just a cigar." We put to much thought into something where it isn't needed. What is on the surface is all there really is. Such is the case with the Clint Eastwood film "American Sniper."

Released earlier this year, American Sniper is a war film that tells story of Navy Seal sniper Chris Kyle during his tours of duty in Iraq, and his home life. Over the course of the film we watch his early life, the reasons why he joined the military, and the effects of his tours in Iraq on his home life. All three of Clint Eastwod's recent war films, "Flags of our Fathers", "Letters from Iwo Jima", and "American Sniper", are all in the same vain, how war effects the individual and their home life, as well as those around them. If that is the case then, how did "American Sniper" become one of the most controversial war films made in recent times?

The primary argument against the film is that it is anti-Muslim. To put it bluntly, it isn't anti-Muslim. Would the world prefer that we rewrite the story so that they were all Germans with swastikas attached to their uniforms? Would that make everyone happy? History is history, and should not be altered to fit someones ideals. The film is going to show him fighting Muslim terrorists,  there is not much else he would be fighting in Iraq at that time. Plus, it's a war film, which generally aren't the friendliest films made. The point of the matter is that you can't change history based on a whim, or what you feel is politically correct.

Many like minded people have taken to boycotting, or even banning the film outright, many of them college students. They push the argument that is anti-Muslim, but this a surface look, and not the meat of the movie, what it is truly about. It's a biography of a man who did everything he could do to protect his fellow soldiers as the people who lived there, as well as the effect the war had on his physiology.  Not to be insulting, but I would figure that college students would be open minded people with the ability and desire to look deeper into a film and discuss the finer points of  the film and it's merits.

Overall, the movie is a fantastic war film  and biopic. If you get a chance, you should watch it regardless of your faith or political leaning. Keep an open mind about the film, same for any movie. Like all well done historical films, it is telling a story based on fact without the intention of putting a political spin on it and to be as accurate to the source as possible. But it's also good to have heroes who faced a struggle to the best of their ability, and from what the movie shows us, he was a guardian to the men fighting in the streets and a guardian to them at home. Yes he said some disparaging  remarks about Muslims, but do expect some who has seen what he has seen to constantly think that he might offend someone with his words? Men and women who have not see war, like the majority of us, what he saw, it is hard for us to comprehend. The issue is we put these people on pedestals, and when they don't turn on like the typical comic book superhero, we denigrate them and throw them to the dirt. So let's stop judging people based on their careers, and putting certain ones up on a high place. He is a hero, to those whose lives were spared and went back home to their families. As for the movie, a cigar is just a cigar.

An Update of Sorts

I missed last week's post, sorry about that. Work, Dungeons & Dragons (yes, 26 years old and I play it), and trying to build the universe around the epic I have been building have devoured much of my time. As well as experimenting in script writing, I have been drafting a script for an adaption of The Silmarillion in the same vain as Game of Thrones. I'm not an actual script writer, just dabbling in it, see what I can come up with; and there is not actual Silmarillion TV show being planned as far as I know, unfortunately.

So en-light of scheduling issues, I will be moving the updates again to Wednesday. That should give me ample time and room to put something together. I should have something ready by mid tomorrow!

Again, sorry for the lack of updates and Thanks for reading!