Well as you can see we at DGRO have gotten a new design. It was the collective decision of the staff (me) to change the design to honor the best movie ever made. Ever. It also fits with me profile picture, profile name, and everything else so it's probably gonna stay with that back ground. Oh and I'm gonna start working on the new bio soon (trust me it will be better than the confusing extremely long first one), any suggestions on the character? Leave your comments on the character and design below.
-Smith
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
THE Double Standard
Hello people, this article is about the thing that makes me angry. THE thing. It makes me angrier than most things, and it is the double standard between games and other forms of media. Let's face it, games are still viewed as for kids by most of the world. Even though the average gamer is an 18-35 year old male, the mainstream media ignores this; unable to believe games are more complex than Pac-Man nowadays. Because of this, anytime a game does anything out of the norm and anything seen as "adult", the media is completely shellshocked, jumping all over the games industry and ripping to shreds the hard working people who create games. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the INFAMOUS Fox News segment on the coverage of the incredible RPG Mass Effect's sex scene. You can see this scene on Youtube (just type in "Mass Effect sex scene"). You should watch the scene to know what I'm talking about, trust me, it isn't anything bad or disgusting, and there's no frontal nudity at all, and only about a two second camera shot of a woman's back if you haven't seen it. I've played the game and seen the scene. It's the result of an over thirty hour game, during which you have the choice of falling in love with one of two characters on your crew. Trust me, this isn't a stupid insulting one night stand. And if you aren't the type for commitment, you can choose to not pursue the romances and never even have to see the scene at all. Now the scene would easily be allowed in a PG-13 movie. According to the MPAA guidelines, nothing in this scene would push it to an R rating. Yet naturally, because it's a video game, the media goes bananas. Fox News ran a segment on it with the caption of "seXbox?" which is just insulting. The caption stated the game showed full frontal digital nudity, which is a complete and utter lie. Both Geoff Keighley (host of Gametrailers T.V) and Cooper Lawrence, a psychology expert that no one has ever heard of, were brought on to discuss the scene. You can find this segment on Youtube (just type in "Mass Effect Fox News), and you should watch it before reading on because it would take too long to describe the whole thing. After watching it, you see what makes me so mad, especially if you've played the game. Cooper Lawrence admits to not even playing the game, yet goes on to say it is about a man deciding about how many women he wants to be with. It's just insulting, and none of what she said was true at all. I will say Geoff Keighley's voice annoys the heck out of me, and this segment is the only reason I have any respect for him. When will the mainstream media stop babying us and holding us to the strictest of standards, when most movies are allowed to do anything they want without any reaction, just look at Saw for pete's sake! Mass Effect got an M rating, and you cannot buy M games without I.D, or if you don't have one without parental consent. Same with R movies, yet of course, games get the short end of the stick. It's time for the media to recognize games as entertainment for all ages, and time for them to stop treating the industry like a seven year old kid that they can punish when they do something "bad".
-Smith
-Smith
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Limbo (two meanings to that)
Hi guys, I'm back! It's been like a month since I've posted because I have been busy with camps and vacations, but Smith is back from Limbo, with a review of (you guessed it) Limbo! Limbo is a puzzle platformer at its core, behind all the fancy graphics and stuff is a creative, albeit difficult game. Speaking of the graphics, the game is simply stunning. The simple monotone art direction and shades of gray convey the games message and creepy tone perfectly. In fact, the graphics tell most of the story. The only "story" you get is in the description of the game when you download it from XBLA. It mentions a boy looking for his sister in Limbo. Suffice to say, the "story" only shows itself in the last minute of the game. But in this game the atmosphere begs you to write your own story. What is this place? What are the other beings here? Many questions are asked, all are left to your own imagination to figure out. Now at the beginning I said this was a difficult game, and boy it is. The puzzles are devilish, requiring a lot of ingenuity on your part, considering the game provides literally no direction whatsoever. Limbo is a harsh place, and you will die, a lot. The difficulty ends up padding out the game length also, as if this game were a breeze it could probably be completed in less than an hour. Thankfully, due to all the time you spend thinking on how to solve the puzzles, it evens out to a healthy six. Limbo is an interesting game, one that demands the player to think on all levels. The story, the gameplay, the world, it's all left to the player to figure out. It feels refreshing, nothing is to overbearing, everything is at a relaxed pace that complements the way the game is meant to be played. At fifteen bucks, this difficult road through Limbo is well worth the price of admission.
Final Score: 8.5/10
-Smith
Final Score: 8.5/10
-Smith
Friday, July 2, 2010
Like A Bawse (Big Boss Bio, Appears in Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Solid 4)
Ok guys, I hunted, I searched, and I found. All the information I could dig up on Big Boss is going to be in the post, presented in a kind of fictional biography style. Ok here we go.
Big Boss was born in 1935, with his real name known only to be Jack. his military career started in the Korean War, with him joining as a teenager into the highly trained Green Berets. During his training, the legendary WWII hero the Boss, who led the highly successful COBRA unit in the invasion at Normandy, saw how much potential he had, and he was subsequently taken under her wing to become her apprentice. During his tenure with the Boss, she taught him everything she knew about about warfare and espionage. Her and Jack even developed a form of martial arts, dubbed CQC, which was used by his "son" Solid Snake in all Metal Gear Solid titles. Jack also took part in the testing of the first airborne explosions of hydrogen bombs, but developed no adverse side effects to the advanced radiation. After nearly ten years of training and friendship with the Boss, she disappeared from his life in 1959, with no explanation or warning. Jack then went on to run special covert ops in Vietnam, with a partner named Python, who was eventually shot and presumed to be killed. The next mission Jack took part in would be the hardest of his life. In 1964 Jack and the experimental FOX unit of the CIA (consisting of Major Zero, Para-Medic and Mr. Sigint) were assigned to rescue Nikolai Sokolov, a leading Russian weapons expert who had defected to the United States, but had been re-captured by the Russians in order to complete the Shagohod, an experimental tank that could launch nuclear missiles from its back. It was during this mission that Jack was reunited with the Boss, her explanation for leaving being that she "was on a mission". Jack was assigned the codename Naked Snake for the mission, and he would be known by that for a good portion of his missions. He was able to get Sokolov out, but was stopped by the Boss at the last minute, who claimed she had defected to the Soviets. The Boss easily took out Jack, and her and Colonel Volgin (an electrically charged Russian rebel) took back Sokolov and fired a nuke at Sokolov's base, causing an international incident. The Russian president was furious, and he ordered that Volgin and the Boss be killed by the Americans in order to prove the country's innocence. He also wanted the Shagohod destroyed, as it was now in possession of Volgin and his rebels. Jack was sent on Operation Snake Eater, in which he was supposed to kill the Boss, Volgin, and destroy the Shagohod. Along the way he was supposed to meet up with ADAM and EVA, agents loyal to Russia who were moles inside Volgin's rebel faction. However, only EVA showed up and she became Jack's confidant and eventual lover. Snake was able to accomplish his mission (even after having his eye shot out), including killing the Boss. However, after a night with EVA, she left leaving a tape that explained the Boss had not defected, and had been on an undercover mission to retrieve the Philosophers Legacy, a huge sum of money pooled by China, the U.S and Russia during WWII. She apparently accomplished this, and gave it to EVA to give to Snake. However, EVA was working for China, and took the Legacy for her country, expressing that she had truly loved Jack before leaving. Turns out, that Legacy was fake, and that the real ADAM (Major Ocelot, who is later revealed to be the Boss' son) had accquired the legacy and had given it to the U.S. Jack was given the title of Big Boss for completing the mission but the mission left Jack disillusioned and he soon left the military. In 1970 he was dragged back in when his former FOX unit went rogue and attacked a Soviet Base on the San Heironymo Peninsula of South America. FOX captured Jack and tortured him until him and a Green Beret named Roy Campbell escaped and gathered up his former unit (who had not gone rogue, other members had however). Together they were able to destroy the rogue FOX unit and take out their weapon dubbed Metal Gear, a more advanced version of the Shagohod. The rogue unit's leader, Gene, had wanted to establish an Army Heaven nation, and the attack was going to be the first step in that. Jack was given a new unit FOXHOUND in honor of his role in stopping the attack. He was then recruited by his former officer Major Zero and Colonel Ocelot into joining "the Patriots" a U.N of sorts that would control the entire world from behind the scenes. EVA was also recruited into the Patriots, where her and Jack reconciled. However, Zero was going crazy with power, and soon started the Les Enfants Terribles project, which cloned Jack three times so that Zero would never truly "lose" Jack. The sons were named Liquid Snake, Solid Snake, and Solidus Snake. Jack found out and soon left the Patriots in order to form his own mercenary company. His company was hired to repel the CIA out of Costa Rica, however the whole mission was just a ruse to have Jack join the Patriots again by threatening to launch a nuke at the east coast if he did not come back, as the nuke would be blamed on him. Jack stopped the nuke but was exiled. During this time he created Outer Heaven (his own mercenary country) and was able to return to the United States to take command of FOXHOUND once again, with his own son Solid unaware his father was leading him. However FOXHOUND was ordered to destroy Outer Heaven and Jack was forced to delay the mission but ultimately Outer Heaven was destroyed with the help of his son Solid. Jack, once again exiled by the Patriots he helped found, helped the country of Zanzibar gain its independence and built a Metal Gear there to ensure they wouldn't be attacked. Once again, his son Solid Snake infiltrated Zanzibar and destroyed Metal Gear, and in a final battle Snake burned Jack alive with a makeshift flamethrower, but not before finding out that Jack was his father. Jack's body was recovered by the Patriots and was found to be still alive. He was then restored by nanomachines and kept in a cryogenic state by the now insane Zero. At the end of Metal Gear Solid 4 it is revealed that Liquid Snake (Jack's son) had needed his body in order to overthrow the Patriots, which were now comprised of AI's, and the password to controlling them was Jack's genetic sequence. However Liquid failed and was killed by Solid Snake, the body Liquid had had was Solidus' body, not Jack's. Solid then went to the Boss' "grave" where he was going to commit suicide due to the virus inside him that would soon make him a walking weapon. Jack showed up though, restored by the nanomachines. Jack explained the Patriots to Solid, and reconciled with his only surviving son/clone before pulling the plug on Zero's life support, who was in a wheelchair next to him. Jack then succumbed to the virus carried by Snake (as he had not adapted) while saluting the Boss' grave, his last words being "This is good...isn't it?"
Big Boss was born in 1935, with his real name known only to be Jack. his military career started in the Korean War, with him joining as a teenager into the highly trained Green Berets. During his training, the legendary WWII hero the Boss, who led the highly successful COBRA unit in the invasion at Normandy, saw how much potential he had, and he was subsequently taken under her wing to become her apprentice. During his tenure with the Boss, she taught him everything she knew about about warfare and espionage. Her and Jack even developed a form of martial arts, dubbed CQC, which was used by his "son" Solid Snake in all Metal Gear Solid titles. Jack also took part in the testing of the first airborne explosions of hydrogen bombs, but developed no adverse side effects to the advanced radiation. After nearly ten years of training and friendship with the Boss, she disappeared from his life in 1959, with no explanation or warning. Jack then went on to run special covert ops in Vietnam, with a partner named Python, who was eventually shot and presumed to be killed. The next mission Jack took part in would be the hardest of his life. In 1964 Jack and the experimental FOX unit of the CIA (consisting of Major Zero, Para-Medic and Mr. Sigint) were assigned to rescue Nikolai Sokolov, a leading Russian weapons expert who had defected to the United States, but had been re-captured by the Russians in order to complete the Shagohod, an experimental tank that could launch nuclear missiles from its back. It was during this mission that Jack was reunited with the Boss, her explanation for leaving being that she "was on a mission". Jack was assigned the codename Naked Snake for the mission, and he would be known by that for a good portion of his missions. He was able to get Sokolov out, but was stopped by the Boss at the last minute, who claimed she had defected to the Soviets. The Boss easily took out Jack, and her and Colonel Volgin (an electrically charged Russian rebel) took back Sokolov and fired a nuke at Sokolov's base, causing an international incident. The Russian president was furious, and he ordered that Volgin and the Boss be killed by the Americans in order to prove the country's innocence. He also wanted the Shagohod destroyed, as it was now in possession of Volgin and his rebels. Jack was sent on Operation Snake Eater, in which he was supposed to kill the Boss, Volgin, and destroy the Shagohod. Along the way he was supposed to meet up with ADAM and EVA, agents loyal to Russia who were moles inside Volgin's rebel faction. However, only EVA showed up and she became Jack's confidant and eventual lover. Snake was able to accomplish his mission (even after having his eye shot out), including killing the Boss. However, after a night with EVA, she left leaving a tape that explained the Boss had not defected, and had been on an undercover mission to retrieve the Philosophers Legacy, a huge sum of money pooled by China, the U.S and Russia during WWII. She apparently accomplished this, and gave it to EVA to give to Snake. However, EVA was working for China, and took the Legacy for her country, expressing that she had truly loved Jack before leaving. Turns out, that Legacy was fake, and that the real ADAM (Major Ocelot, who is later revealed to be the Boss' son) had accquired the legacy and had given it to the U.S. Jack was given the title of Big Boss for completing the mission but the mission left Jack disillusioned and he soon left the military. In 1970 he was dragged back in when his former FOX unit went rogue and attacked a Soviet Base on the San Heironymo Peninsula of South America. FOX captured Jack and tortured him until him and a Green Beret named Roy Campbell escaped and gathered up his former unit (who had not gone rogue, other members had however). Together they were able to destroy the rogue FOX unit and take out their weapon dubbed Metal Gear, a more advanced version of the Shagohod. The rogue unit's leader, Gene, had wanted to establish an Army Heaven nation, and the attack was going to be the first step in that. Jack was given a new unit FOXHOUND in honor of his role in stopping the attack. He was then recruited by his former officer Major Zero and Colonel Ocelot into joining "the Patriots" a U.N of sorts that would control the entire world from behind the scenes. EVA was also recruited into the Patriots, where her and Jack reconciled. However, Zero was going crazy with power, and soon started the Les Enfants Terribles project, which cloned Jack three times so that Zero would never truly "lose" Jack. The sons were named Liquid Snake, Solid Snake, and Solidus Snake. Jack found out and soon left the Patriots in order to form his own mercenary company. His company was hired to repel the CIA out of Costa Rica, however the whole mission was just a ruse to have Jack join the Patriots again by threatening to launch a nuke at the east coast if he did not come back, as the nuke would be blamed on him. Jack stopped the nuke but was exiled. During this time he created Outer Heaven (his own mercenary country) and was able to return to the United States to take command of FOXHOUND once again, with his own son Solid unaware his father was leading him. However FOXHOUND was ordered to destroy Outer Heaven and Jack was forced to delay the mission but ultimately Outer Heaven was destroyed with the help of his son Solid. Jack, once again exiled by the Patriots he helped found, helped the country of Zanzibar gain its independence and built a Metal Gear there to ensure they wouldn't be attacked. Once again, his son Solid Snake infiltrated Zanzibar and destroyed Metal Gear, and in a final battle Snake burned Jack alive with a makeshift flamethrower, but not before finding out that Jack was his father. Jack's body was recovered by the Patriots and was found to be still alive. He was then restored by nanomachines and kept in a cryogenic state by the now insane Zero. At the end of Metal Gear Solid 4 it is revealed that Liquid Snake (Jack's son) had needed his body in order to overthrow the Patriots, which were now comprised of AI's, and the password to controlling them was Jack's genetic sequence. However Liquid failed and was killed by Solid Snake, the body Liquid had had was Solidus' body, not Jack's. Solid then went to the Boss' "grave" where he was going to commit suicide due to the virus inside him that would soon make him a walking weapon. Jack showed up though, restored by the nanomachines. Jack explained the Patriots to Solid, and reconciled with his only surviving son/clone before pulling the plug on Zero's life support, who was in a wheelchair next to him. Jack then succumbed to the virus carried by Snake (as he had not adapted) while saluting the Boss' grave, his last words being "This is good...isn't it?"
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