Thursday, June 25, 2015

Quickies: Highs And Lows

     Anyone who plays console video games is aware of Sony’s game The Last Of Us, which has won near-universal acclaim from gamers who’ve experienced it. Well, being a gamer of sorts myself, I acquired a copy some time ago, but being a terrible gamer, I quickly grew frustrated with it and set it aside for other, easier games.

     (Yes, I had the difficulty set on “Easy.” Go ahead, laugh.)

     However, I was told repeatedly that the highlight of the game is the embedded story, which was described to me in such glowing tones as to evoke misty notions of Tolkien...if Tolkien wrote survival horror, anyway. So when, in casting about on YouTube a few days ago, I stumbled upon this “extraction” of the story from game form to cinematic form, I immediately fired up the video.

     For the next three and a half hours I was riveted to my computer monitor. To be brief, the praise I’ve heard of this bit of video fiction was not at all excessive.

     However, I rose from that spellbinding experience, in no way lessened by it being a digital-animated production, to learn that Quisling in a black robe John Roberts has once again saved ObamaCare.

     If George W. Bush isn’t tearing his hair out over having nominated that traitor to the Supreme Court, I take back every good thing I’ve ever said about him.

     Perhaps I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I’m in the right mood to shoot up some ragheads. Good thing there are plenty of them.

2 comments:

Guy S said...

This was the second thing I heard this morning upon waking. (The first being "Good Morning Sweetieheart, I love you!) Still haven't calmed down enough to post anything which could not be misconstrued as potentially something which would have the black SUVs and or helos quickly outside my house.

If there was any doubt in anyone's mind about there still being any real form of redress in this country, via the (supposed) three branches of government....this surely puts that fantasy to rest.

RIP United States of America. It was fun while it lasted.

Pascal said...

I decided to look at the Last of Us based on your report.

That was an awfully long way around to arrive at the conclusion that I think both of us share. Human sacrifice where the sacrificee is either unwilling or may have been deceived is morally unacceptable. Better to err on the side of life.

There are other aspects of this dystopic film that parallel our real world. In that aspect it offers no hope (like all zombie-like films do: analogies to mindless, useful idiots who are unreachable). I dislike all such films for that pessimism.

Another thing you may not have noticed. It occurs beginning 2:46:10. This film has what appears to be satanic pentagrams on the floor of the cannibals' abattoir with a sign on the wall that is only partially visible. What is clear is "he will provide!" Which is what Genesis 22 says of God. I am convinced that the world has many who hate God for an emotional reason. It is because they see they cannot be Him. Whether of not they believe in Him, He represents the one envy that they in their high powered positions cannot sate. They can't be Him so they hate him. The worst imaginable violation of the last commandment.

And so I see this film/game and those like it serving the enemies of the idea of the sanctity of human life by providing us with more thoughts of despair. The misanthropic sustainability movement continues to propagandize such despair (and apathy) because it aids them in their goal to reduce human lives in their Mayan-like Godless belief.

Ironically I support your opinion "the praise I’ve heard of this bit of video fiction was not at all excessive." In the end the very human reaction of Joel, and even his justifiable final lie, captures what can be found in all of us that may save many of us from our ruling monsters.