tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post258985619188888470..comments2024-03-09T03:49:50.699-05:00Comments on Your Critic is in Another Castle: Beyond the Girl Gamer 1.4: Best Supporting ActressK. Coxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06554183349391372039noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-87246136580846637862011-05-12T14:09:08.090-04:002011-05-12T14:09:08.090-04:00Yeah, I'm not really equipped to do much more ...Yeah, I'm not really equipped to do much more than notice it. Having a multiracial family makes these things stick out a lot more. It also makes me thankful for the variety of games we have these days that let you customize your avatar. Something my kids will have that I of course didn't even know was missing.Andyhttp://onefinemess.rhinopanda.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-82217863125603418362011-05-12T12:47:36.734-04:002011-05-12T12:47:36.734-04:00Yeah, OK, so maybe everyone doesn't play throu...Yeah, OK, so maybe everyone doesn't play through Half Life 2 every year or so...Stephen Winsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-73556205035066266742011-05-12T11:13:53.933-04:002011-05-12T11:13:53.933-04:00There was no Monkey Island 4. *jedi hand-wave*
Y...There was no <i>Monkey Island 4</i>. *jedi hand-wave*<br /><br />You may want to give Telltale's recent <i>Tales of Monkey Island</i> an outing, though. It definitely feels like one of their games in terms of style, pacing, performance, etc. but they really did an excellent job capturing the character and writing elements that made the first three MI games shining classics. Plus they brought back the voice cast. Dominic Armato FTW.K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-52669900584119127212011-05-12T11:08:31.925-04:002011-05-12T11:08:31.925-04:00It's all a matter of degrees, eh - mostly whit...<i>It's all a matter of degrees, eh - mostly white women in there. Steps and baby steps.</i><br /><br />Yeah, that one really, really jumped out at me after I made the collage. I can think of a few non-white female protagonists (Chell, Zoe Castillo) but even then it's only a number I can count on one hand, and when I think about sidekicks I can only come up with Grace Nakimura, from the <i>Gabriel Knight</i> games. In general <i>Fallout 3</i> and <i>New Vegas</i> are actually pretty good about giving you a racially diverse Wasteland, but in 3 your companions don't have much story or depth (thinking of Star Paladin Cross here, who's a black woman) and in <i>New Vegas</i> your only non-white companion is a Mexican ghoul. (On the other hand, you have explicitly gay companions, both male and female.)<br /><br />Steps and baby steps... It's not really my specialty to write about but it's definitely a huge and frustrating thing.K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-24572991841214203592011-05-12T11:01:32.160-04:002011-05-12T11:01:32.160-04:00It's all a matter of degrees, eh - mostly whit...It's all a matter of degrees, eh - mostly white women in there. Steps and baby steps.<br /><br /><br />I agree with your take on ME2, everyone seemed pretty much equally fleshed out.Andyhttp://onefinemess.rhinopanda.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-47814986973132602632011-05-12T10:58:34.292-04:002011-05-12T10:58:34.292-04:00true, but her damsel-in-distress bit is subversive...true, but her damsel-in-distress bit is subversive in the way that the rest of the games are (1-3, at least; i haven't played beyond that).enstarstarstarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-23868009726109540592011-05-12T10:43:43.457-04:002011-05-12T10:43:43.457-04:00Also because I limited the list to recent-release ...Also because I limited the list to recent-release games I've played really recently. I could probably do another 1500 words on women sidekicks in the FMV adventure era of the 1990s but I don't think that would hold anyone's attention. ;)<br /><br /><br />You're more than right about HL2, though -- it's one of those that I need to fill in eventually if I'm going to keep writing about gaming. Same as eventually I had to see <i>The Godfather</i>, even though I missed it in film school. ;)K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-71258460971858454732011-05-12T10:39:43.994-04:002011-05-12T10:39:43.994-04:00This is what other people must feel like when I te...This is what other people must feel like when I tell them that I have never yet seen <i>Ghostbusters</i>...<br /><br />Seriously, you need to play it. I was asking myself why Alyx wasn't on your list, and the only reason I could think of was that you hadn't played it. Now I know. Go play it, and make an effort to stick through it, including the Episodes, where Alyx (and Mossman) show up a lot more. It will not at all be time wasted.Stephen Winsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-6007760946691258562011-05-12T10:33:34.938-04:002011-05-12T10:33:34.938-04:00Definitely no need to play the first game. There&#...Definitely no need to play the first game. There's no direct story link, just vague settings and mentions of the long past age of heroes. And as you said, the first game isn't super amazingly awesome.Stephen Winsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-60732518122714142702011-05-12T10:00:52.527-04:002011-05-12T10:00:52.527-04:00I kept meaning to pick up Fable for ages, but then...I kept meaning to pick up <i>Fable</i> for ages, but then started hearing about how flawed it was and didn't follow through at all. Would picking up <i>Fable II</i> without having played the first work well?K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-58845454968086090992011-05-12T10:00:52.528-04:002011-05-12T10:00:52.528-04:00One of these days I really have to finish Half-Lif...One of these days I really have to finish <i>Half-Life 2</i>. I've started it 2 or 3 times and enjoyed getting a few hours into it each time, but then somehow I end up walking away for a year and forgetting what was going on and having to start over.K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-86016872746700374962011-05-12T07:32:56.793-04:002011-05-12T07:32:56.793-04:00You know I love me some Monkey Island forever and ...You know I love me some <i>Monkey Island</i> forever and ever, but actually Elaine is one of those who serves the plot more by what is done to her than by what she does. The impetus for getting off Melee Island in the first game is that Elaine's been kidnapped; the whole plot of the third game is that Elaine's been cursed (and into stone, so she's literally not helping you out any). And as I remember in 2 you're mostly on your own.K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-75951987255856092692011-05-12T03:27:12.317-04:002011-05-12T03:27:12.317-04:00elaine marley.
what do i get for winning the thr...elaine marley.<br /><br /><br />what do i get for winning the thread?enstarstarstarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-25593094408525518202011-05-11T21:59:04.349-04:002011-05-11T21:59:04.349-04:00One example I always forget about when the topic c...One example I always forget about when the topic comes up is Hammer, from Fable 2. Love her.Elenielhttp://whilenotfinished.theirisnetwork.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-84141476614304989232011-05-11T19:53:33.057-04:002011-05-11T19:53:33.057-04:00Some other positive examples:
Alyx Vance and Judi...Some other positive examples:<br /><br />Alyx Vance and Judith Mossman in <i>Half Life 2</i> and the Episodes.<br /><br />Bonnie McFarlane and Luisa Fortuna in <i>Red Dead Redemption</i>. While John Marston does save McFarlane from being hanged, it must be said that he owes her for saving his life at the beginning of the game. Luisa Fortuna is treated like meat by Abraham Reyes, but she's not tarnished by it in any way I can think up, and while she dies, she goes down swinging (and in this game, not dying is rare).Stephen Winsonnoreply@blogger.com