Entertainment

Welcome to another brief entry in the Entertainment Section. Our first article is a review of Sony's baby Killzone 2 by Doddsy. Be sure to check it out for another very descriptive review. Our other article is 'If This Article Had A Picture, I'd Be Banned' which is a look at the forums, and the internet as a whole, through the eyes of Po22. Covering everything from 4chan and /b/ to the rule enforcement of the forum. Be sure to check it out.

Doddsy

Killzone 2 Review - Doddsy

Ever since the controversy of the E3 2005 trailer for Killzone 2, the game has barely been able to stay off the radar. Whether it’s over the proposed footage from the infamous E3 trailer, to the Warzone online system to the ‘Halo-beating’ promise; this game has been constantly under surveillance.

The controversy of ‘that’ original trailer has plagued this game since it was first aired. The video was target footage but Guerilla didn’t fail to achieve the promised graphics. They may be slightly less than the original footage but only in places. The graphics are superior to all games released as of now. Every little detail was thought about when designing the visuals of this game. The anything that moves quick enough has motion blur, sparks bounce realistically, the lights on your back reflect as you would expect it to. It’s a feast for the eyes.

Graphics aren’t everything though, and what can really change how good a game is the gameplay. The standard FPS (first person shooter) model is maintained which each level being a series of objectives such as killing all hostiles, securing a position or capturing some intel. What makes the gameplay of Killzone 2 different to that of a generic FPS is that the set pieces are so thrilling and intense. You are told to move into an area to destroy some of the enemies’ equipment which is easy at first. The enemy are not expecting such a push from your squad so are unprepared and low on troops. As you move onto the next target the enemy are aware of your presence so have begun to move in, and rather than the generic wave you are used to you get something different. A tactician. A lot of the fights are with normal Helghans (the enemy) and are generally easy. While being genius’ compared to other AI they still make clumsy mistakes. They often run for cover which gives them no tactical advantage or they flank the wrong way. When a tactician, or squad of them, enter the battlefield the tactics change. Tacticians are notable for their appearance which is similar to that of a Nazi officer and there light machine gun. They are more devastating over short range so will charge towards you in an almost suicidal manner. They also throw their grenades in order to pull you out of cover. The tactician is just one of the different classes that are used throughout the game to cause a re-evaluation of your strategy midway through a fight.

The final part to be reviewed is the online part, known as ‘Warzone.’ The online appears the same as every other FPS with two teams fighting in various mission types. The standard team death match; in which you just need to kill more of the enemy than the enemy kill you. Seek and destroy in which an item in the enemy base needs to be found and destroyed, or defended if the fortune falls against you. Assassination mode in which you have to hunt or protect a player for a period of time. Capture and hold in which you capture checkpoints and hold them for the time period. The final mode being search and retrieve where you pick up a propaganda beaker and bring it to a drop off point. The difference between Killzone’s online and the rest is that Killzone merges them into what it calls ‘Warzone.’

You join a game which may start as a death match, which will then switch to an assassination and then into a search and retrieve. The constant variation in game modes causes you to constantly rethink your strategy. Constantly playing death match usually revolves around camping at the spawn point and killing people as they spawn, but when the game mode changes the camping soon become pointless as the action could have moved down the battle field.

Killzone 2 is an amazing game, possibly the greatest FPS produced yet, so is a definite for any gamer of the current generation. Expressing exactly why it is amazing is hard to define in words and cannot be truly shown through a play through.

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If This Article Had A Picture, I'd Be Banned- By: Po22

As most of you know, this forum is connected to the internet. While that statement might be an obvious and even stupid statement it implies a lot. Despite being mainly centered around Runescape related things, the true internet once in awhile filters in, largely categorized with nonsensical phrases and images that usually allow for a cheap laugh. So what specifically is this article about? What could possibly be breaching the walls of our fortress of censorship and watered down internet culture?

4chan. Before I begin, I am sure I will anger some of you /b/tards and the moderating team, as 4chan is taboo around here, but the issue of 4chan is something not to be ignored Our fair forum has been penetrated by the likes of this lewd, vulgar imageboard, mostly by memes, but this article will no doubt not satisfy most of you. If I wrote and depicted the true nature of 4chan's insanity, I would receive an IP ban, 16 warns and no doubt a personal visit by finisterra to come and personally punch me in my crotch. 4chan is a subject that is not for the easily offended nor is it for person who does not laugh easily. 4chan's humour is largely derived from its ability to turn pop culture, absurdity, and your most horrific thoughts into something that so ridiculous that it forces a laugh from you immediately. But first, some history of the site.

4chan was started by moot, a teenager who had a dream to start an imageboard in the tradition of the japanese Futaba Channel to discuss such things as japanese comics and television. He purchased the server space with his mom's credit card, which gives a hint to the economic and social standing of this kid. Boards include such innocent topics as manga, technology, music, torrents, travel, fitness to the adult boards such as pornography, the infamous random board and many other random forms of japanese pornography. It's a very diverse site, as you can undoubtedly tell.

What gives 4chan, in my opinion, it's power is the practice of not having to register at all. Users can post anything with no identity at all, rendering them "anonymous". This shield of identity brings out the true nature of the users. As /b/ has very few rules, users do not have much to fear if they post something offensive. And in this fact breeds 4chan's warped culture, full of racism, maschoginy, black comedy, and simply the need to offend and shock. If I had to pick one place to exhibit humanity's worst qualities, I would pick 4chan.

4chan is a force of nature. Whatever your feelings may be, there is no denying that 4chan is a force that is not to be messed with. 4chan participates in raids against Hal Turner, Google, and even Time to force moot as one of the 100 most influential people of 2008. It's influence has spread, turning Rick Rolling into a phenomenon that has been used by Youtube on April Fools Day, the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, the New York Mets and every single fake link in this forum by some person that still thinks its fresh and original.

What does this all mean for this forum? This means an increasing trend of forumers that will use memes and what some view as innapropriate content that requires censorship. 4chan's influence is apparent, such as the topic "Favorite Meme" in the Scape Lounge or daily use of 4chan's less offensive memes. But unless action is taken to lessen censorship rules, some 4chan images that will eventually be used by a new wave of internet forumers will be deemed to be breaking the rules, leading to more unjustified warns and more banned members. If I can say cabbage in Runescape, why the hell shouldn't I be able to say it here? The new tide of 4chan's content without the necessary preparations to ensure the integrity of the warn system is essential to the growth of this forum, and without reform, we cannot hope to attract or sustain new forumers that are accustomed to edgier content.

Note: This article doesn't endorse 4chan, as it is an adult website. So don't go there.

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