site banner
PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   2024 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for October 13, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

3
Top Bottom New Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

ME1 has a unique space brutalist aesthetic, like it’s a very clearly Canadian game, and not just Canadian but from those northern Alberta cities - Edmonton or Calgary - where Winter is white snow and grey brutalist buildings above endless underground tunnels and passages and bridges people use to get around in downtown. Yes, the art and architecture is inspired by Syd Mead, but also by Edmonton’s Alberta Law Courts building, and by the West Edmonton Mall, which opened in 1981 and was the world’s largest until 2004.

It’s a uniquely 70s and early 80s vision of the future, these fuzzy orange screens projected above rough concrete covered in vines and other greenery. It’s also one that was completely abandoned in Mass Effect 2 and 3 (except for the Salarian homeworld to a limited extent) for the white-plastic-and-glass look of Star Trek 2009 and the second and third Star Wars prequel movies.

Yeah the aesthetics in ME1 appealed to me a lot more for some reason. Less slick and utilitarian gray everywhere, more just kind of grungy run down shit that still felt alive and had some character.

Also the writing was just more sparse and there was less comedic relief all the time. Still enjoying ME2 though.

I thoroughly enjoyed ME2 enough to go through it at least twice, but there were lingering odd feelings I couldn't articulate until reading Shamus' ME retrospective - which is probably one of the best long-form critiques I've ever read, and one I couldn't agree with more. Every complaint he makes with ME2's story and tone had me going "Yes! That's why X felt so off or out of step with the first game!".

People focus so much of their ire on ME3's end, but I think it's clear the problems start with ME2. They just aren't as obvious without hindsight and actually revisiting the middle part of the trilogy with a fresh perspective. The first game still feels really special to me.

If it's your kind of thing, I would definitely check Shamus' series after finishing the games! Shame about his passing this year. He was good at what he did.

Shame about his passing this year. He was good at what he did.

What I wouldn't give for him to have been here for the System Shock remake and BG3.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats