Ask an Atheist Project: PseudoEsteem (Pseudo on This Blog)

And here we have the latest entry into the illustrious Ask an Atheist Project, an ongoing project of mine which is kept going by the contributions of fellow atheists who submit their responses to a series of questions. This latest entry is by a friend of mine who goes by the moniker "PseudoEsteem" here in the crazy online world of the internet. (HERE is a link to PseudoEsteem`s Gamepad on Gametrailers, where you can find his blogs;  Psuedo is also an author here on The Thoughtful Gamers).

So, here is his submission. Read, enjoy, laugh, cry, recoil in horror, whatever and then feel free to comment, and let him know what you think, where you agree/disagree, etc. And thanks very much to PseudoEsteem  for taking the time to do this. Btw, if anyone reading this wants to see the other entries, and/or enter their own submission, please click the link above. Thanks. (For now, though, you can have a link to my (magx01's) entry (hey, I started the damn thing!)

Ask an Atheist Project: Crescent

And here we have the latest entry into the illustrious Ask an Atheist Project, an ongoing project of mine which is kept going by the contributions of fellow atheists who submit their responses to a series of questions. This latest entry is by a friend of mine who goes by the moniker "Crescent" here in the crazy online world of the internet. (HERE is a link to Crescent`s Gamepad on Gametrailers, where you can find his blogs, which are usually either rants, animé reviews, or rants about animé :)

So, here is his submission. Read, enjoy, laugh, cry, recoil in horror, whatever and then feel free to comment, and let him know what you think, where you agree/disagree, etc. And thanks very much to Crescent  for taking the time to do this. Btw, if anyone reading this wants to see the other entries, and/or enter their own submission, please click the link above. Thanks. (For now, though, you can have a link to my (magx01's) entry (hey, I started the damn thing!)

Ask an Atheist Project: Rick

And here we have the latest entry into the illustrious Ask an Atheist Project, an ongoing project of mine which is kept going by the contributions of fellow atheists who submit their responses to a series of questions. This latest entry is by a friend of mine who goes by the moniker "Rick" here in the crazy online world of the internet. (HERE is a link to Rick`s Gamepad on Gametrailers, where you can find his blogs.

So, here is his submission. Read, enjoy, laugh, cry, recoil in horror, whatever and then feel free to comment, and let him know what you think, where you agree/disagree, etc. And thanks very much to Rick  for taking the time to do this. Btw, if anyone reading this wants to see the other entries, and/or enter their own submission, please click the link above. Thanks. (For now, though, you can have a link to my (magx01's) entry (hey, I started the damn thing!)

Ask an Atheist Project: Venomous

And here we have the latest entry into the illustrious Ask an Atheist Project, an ongoing project of mine which is kept going by the contributions of fellow atheists who submit their responses to a series of questions. This latest entry is by a friend of mine who goes by the moniker "Venomous" here in the crazy online world of the internet. (HERE is a link to Venomous' Gamepad on Gametrailers, where you can find his blogs and his fantastic game reviews (he's a professional (magazine) game reviewer).

So, here is his submission. Read, enjoy, laugh, cry, recoil in horror, whatever and then feel free to comment, and let him know what you think, where you agree/disagree, etc. And thanks very much to Venomous  for taking the time to do this. Btw, if anyone reading this wants to see the other entries, and/or enter their own submission, please click the link above. Thanks. (For now, though, you can have a link to my (magx01's) entry (hey, I started the damn thing!)

The Grand Design Book Review

Note: I don't normally do book reviews, and I am consequently not well versed in the art of producing them. Nor do I desire to be. This is as much an overview and discussion about my experience with the book as it is a review.

Ask an Atheist Project: PaladinSkyeGodEatr

And here we have the latest entry into the illustrious Ask an Atheist Project, an ongoing project of mine which is kept going by the contributions of fellow atheists who submit their responses to a series of questions. This latest entry is by a friend of mine who goes by the moniker "PaladinSkyeGodEatr" here in the crazy online world of the internet. (HERE is a link to Paladin's Gamepad on Gametrailers, where you can find his blogs, such as his blog about Homeopathy, or his examination of Pantheism (a blog on which I believe you still owe me a comment, buddy ol' pal!) both of which i enjoyed).

So, here is his submission. Read, enjoy, laugh, cry, recoil in horror, whatever and then feel free to comment, and let him know what you think, where you agree/disagree, etc. And thanks very much to Paladin for taking the time to do this. Btw, if anyone reading this wants to see the other entries, and/or enter their own submission, please click the link above. Thanks.

Crysis 2 Review

Note: Don't consider this an 'official' review from me; just an approximation of one. My true reviews are more involved than this, and I don't do them until I have at least completed the game. While I am quite close to the end, I have not actually completed the campaign in its entirety.  (I have since completed the campaign). I also only focus on the campaign here; the multiplayer doesn't interest me and is not discussed to any detail.

IGN's Top 25 Xbox 360 Games is BULLSHIT

IGN's Top 25 Xbox 360 GamesList : http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/104/1045042p2.html

Back in April, IGN listed their top 25 Xbox 360 games. I missed this article, which is not surprising since I hardly ever visit IGN anymore, but happened to catch it today, and I would like to rant about it but before I do so, here are the games they selected, followed by the review score (in brackets) given them by IGN:\

The Gaming Community Is an Embarrassment.

The Gaming Community Is an Embarrassment.

The gaming community, of which I self identify, is quite often an embarrassment to me. The fact that the word “troll” exists is one piece of evidence I have to support this. Another is the fact that several major gaming boards have had to ban versus (vs.) threads/topics.

Think about that for a second....

A user on a message board/forum of which the subject is video games and video game systems cannot post a topic about one game, or one console, being superior to another. In a community that is primarily made up of people between the ages of 15 and 35. What. The. Fuck. Is. That. Shit? People are so sensitive, so defensive, so emotive, so reactionary, so immature, so.....fucking retarded, that the playground monitors needed to outright ban topics like “Saint's Row is better than GTA...Agree or Disagree?” because for some reason, such a topic causes some people to go into a spasmodic, blind rage.

Awesome Letter Pertaining to Homosexuality and Biblical Morality (Comments Added by Yours Truly)

This is a widely circulated letter addressed to Laura Schlessinger, a conservative radio host and outspoken bigot (from what I gather. I'm not familiar with her but the few comments attributed to her that I have read were rather bigoted and idiotic).

Note: It is not at all clear whether or not this was actually written to Laura Schlessinger (the purported Dr. Laura in question) nor is it widely known who the original author was. Still, it's great stuff, so read on (assuming of course you have not come across this at one point or another).

Note 2: I have added a few italicized comments in brackets throughout.

Dear Dr. Laura:

RESIDENT EVIL 4 and CODE VERONICA REMASTERED FOR 360/PS3!!!!

Resident Evil Revival Selection Announced

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/22/resident-evil-revival-selection-brings-re4-code-veronica-to-ps3-xbox-360/

HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK!!!!!!


Capcom, I hate you for being so insidious with your monetary practises, but this is fucking RE4 we're talking about, remastered....in HD....achievements....Alright, you win, Capcom, you win.

Take my money.

Oh, ya, plus Code Veronica remastered....in HD...achievements....but whatever, fucking RESIDENT EVIL 4!!!!

The excitement I feel is ridiculous. I feel like a kid at christmas.

WOW.

(A Critique Of) Arguments for God and the Universe

There are some seemingly well constructed arguments for the existence of god utilized by apologists in their quest to rationalize their religious beliefs. The three classic apologist arguments are the:

1) Teleological Argument (Argument from Design)

-Basically, there exists order and complexity within nature, and order and complexity, ie, design, is contingent upon a mind. This mind is god.

2) Cosmological Argument

-Basically, finite entities must have a cause. You cannot have an infinite causal loop/chain, in which something created something created something ad infinitum. There must be a first cause. This first cause, by definition, is not contingent and is not an effect.

3) Ontological Argument

-Basically, and laughably, it asserts, a priori, that if you can conceive of the greatest possible entity, then said entity must exist, since existence is superior to nonexistence.

Why I Love Horror Movies, and What's Wrong with So Many of them Today

Note: If you read my Nightmare on Elm Street Blog you will recognize some of this, as a portion of this is a copy paste job from that one. The reason I did so is because I had been thinking about what I'd said, and I wanted to expand on it, so I needed to repost it in order to do that. If you're one of my three readers (lol) and you're astute enough to catch this, rest assured that less than halfway in, it stitches to all new material, and even the copy paste job isn't just that as I have edited some things.

So, if you do recognize some stuff, keep reading, the last 60% or more is totally new.

Thanks.

Moving on with the blog....

It all began with three little words. 

9 Reasons Why We Don't Believe in Religion

Here are a collection of 9 reasons to help the religious understand why we don't buy into their belief systems. This is neither all encompassing nor to be taken as some finalized mission statement. I wouldn't consider this the most compelling list I could write, but it hits a fair number of things and does a few of them decently.

Atheism: Revelation!

Note: This is an old forum post that I made many months ago as a follow up to the previous blog detailing my 'story' in terms of my atheism.

I....had an experience this morning. I have been wrong my whole life............

Atheism: My Story

In this blog I will share with you my story. Why I am an atheist (although the answer is rather simple), how those around me handle(d) it, and the beliefs of those I associate with. I will frame it as an interview (why....I dunno). So, let's begin, shall we?

Feeding Frenzy Review

Chomp Chomp Chomp

Feeding Frenzy, developed by PopCap games, is a casual styled 2D arcade game that has the player controlling a variety of marine life forms who are intent on eating as many other marine life forms as possible. The more you eat, the more you grow, and the more you grow, the bigger they variety of fish and other marine life you can eat. You start out as a small angel fish named Andy, and by the time you reach level 40 in the game's Normal mode, you end up playing as a very large Orca whale, who preys on sharks, as well as other whales. Essentially, this game can be summed up as a simplistic, lighthearted, marine centric circle of life simulator.

The Religious Antagonist: God vs. $20 Debate

An interesting discussion is taking place over at the Atheist Experience blog. The discussion centers around the following video, entitled God vs. $20, in which this guy named Mike, who brands himself "The Religious Antagonist," offers $20 to a destitute family (who is panhandling in a Wal Mart parking lot) to cross the word 'god' off of their sign (it read 'God Bless You' at the bottom of it):

List of Things Wrong with Gaming.

I stated in a Previous Blog that I was going to blog about some things I really dislike about the current state of the video games' industry. Well, in that blog, entitled "Magazine writer fired after dustup with Rockstar PR and Capcom Milking Street Fighter IV even MORE!" I discussed the recent firing of a journalist who had published on his facebook page a letter from Rockstar games to his office. What exactly was in that letter? Well, read my previous blog to get the full details, but basically, the guys from Rockstar wanted this particular journalist known for his tough analyses to go easy on the game and treat it with reverence, basically.

Yes, Rockstar is telling journalists how to do their job. What to write and how to write it. What's the implication here? What are they saying, if you read between the lines? You better play ball, if you know what's good for you. You see, if they don't play ball (which they will, I am sure, now that Mr. Honesty has been canned.....is anyone else reminded of the Jeff Gerstmann Incident? ) they lose ad revenue. They lose ad revenue, they lose....well, revenue.

You get the point. Money talks, sister.   

Gametrailers: Apparently Full of SHIT

Perfect Dark: Zero Review Score:

Recently, GT posted a video:

......


So wait. The game is a 9/10, but then it shows up in a video about the worst sequels of all time, in which it is described as an atrocious game?

Uh......Which is it, GT? Amazing, or Shit?