Chris sent me a link to the above, a review of the PC game Dante's Inferno, not because I'm likely to buy the game but because it contains a number of caustic comments on the theme of God and is, like all Zero Punctuation's reviews, highly amusing ... if a bit like playing a 33rpm brain recording at 45 rpm* by mistake. In fact Zero Punctuation's style is reminiscent of my Embittered Smartarse Crush of the Year 2010: Charlie Brooker.
Here he is on My Super Sweet 16 ("I think this might be an Al Qaeda recruitment film"):
I did read Dante's Inferno, btw, sometime in my teens when I had time for that sort of thing. (How? How did I have time to read?) I skipped all the boring crap about Italian politics of course, and just remember the horrible tortures and Dore's amazing illustrations.
Talking of going to Hell ... PZ Myers, one of the US's more prominent atheists, has stuck his neck out and confounded the critics who whine "You're always picking on Christianity. You wouldn't dare blaspheme against Islam," by doing just that last weekend. Now - fairly obviously - one of the reasons people are wary of being rude about Islam is not that it's more morally unassailable/likely to be true, but that while brain-dead Christian fundamentalists often send death-threats, they rarely follow through with action - whereas the Muslim version do. It's a simple case of self-preservation (and preservation of family, friends and colleagues). So Myers, whose physical location is well-known, certainly has balls. I admire what he did - though I suspect the governing body of the university where he lectures probably put their collective head in their hands.
I hope he's going to be okay.
*Doesn't that date me?
Watching that video (review of Dante's Inferno) did a better job than caffeine at waking me up! Hahaha. I read DI in college and actually kinda liked it - though I can't remember why.
ReplyDeleteAnd loved the Charlie Brooker bit (I didn't know who I wanted to smack the most - and I'm not a smacker - the mom or the daughter).
And the PZ Myers piece was great. Hoping I don't hear about his demise in the news one of these days,
* yeah, and I still have some of mine - Fifth Dimension's Up,Up and Away anyone?
My very first vinyl single was "Monkey Magic" from the TV series. I think all my LPs are still in the loft ... presumably awaiting the day of the Great Digital Data Implosion. Heck, it's just as likely as the Second Coming.
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I agree with Zero Punctuation in this instance - but only coz the two boardgames we've got, BOTH called Dante's Inferno, sound a lot better than a computer version. Also, on the subject of PZ Myers, um, are you deliberately making a pun saying his faculty will have their heads in their hands if Islamic fundamentalists catch up with them? Anyway, he ain't doing anything the Meads of Asphodel ain't been doing since 1998. Check out their Damascus Steel album!!
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ReplyDeleteHahahah! I was so excited about Dante's Inferno from the fact that it's, well, DANTE! and from all their fantastic marketing... (the vid about the holy gamers was my favorite).
ReplyDeleteAnd then the. game. fell. on. its. face. and. died.
Ick. Oh well.
Ah - we have an expert opinion on the game itself!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could get into PC adventure gaming. I really do. In theory I should be an addict. But the fact is I can't stand my character dying over and over and over...