Far Cry Primal - Review

I held out on FC-Primal until it hit the discount bin.  I couldn't imagine a game so equipment centered could be any good with just clubs, sticks and critters.  What I got was:  You are blazing through the wilderness on the back of a Sabretooth Tiger.  An event happens; some of your tribe are being taken away by another tribe.  You get off your mount and summon an owl who's eyes you can see through.  It flies over the target group using 'Hunter Vision' and tags your targets.  Through the owl, you can send your Tiger to kill 2 captors and attack the third with the owl.  Then you can run up and free the hostages.  Maybe you would prefer to run right up to them on the back of the Sabretooth; getting it to attack while you toss spears, clubs and fire arrows and shards.  Maybe you would prefer a stealthy approach.  It's all up to you. 

The game rewards skill as well.  In all other FC's before, someone shoots at you and you generally get hit.  Don't want to be hit?  Make it so they don't see you or can't hit you.  In FC Primal, if you don't want to get hit with a spear or club, you can move.  These projectiles don't exactly travel at Supersonic speeds.  Play it fast and loose and you have the edge.

You can't fly but, to be honest, that sort of broke the game in FC4.  As much as I loved flying in that game, it was all I ever did because it made movement and being safe so much easier.  FC Primal allows you to see the terrain around you through the eyes of an owl.  Knowing the terrain gives you an edge but you don't get to bypass it all together.

In FC3 and 4 you ended up getting almost all your crafting upgrades relatively early.  In Primal, there always seems to be something more you can get and do. 

What do I miss from FC4?  The music.  Hands down.  My most favorite missions were those with decent music to them.  That 'Reggie and Yogi' mission with Akasha playing 'Hippie Shit'... or driving the bomb truck to the barricade to the tune of 'Bombay Twist' ... awesome!  The Characters.  I mean, lets face it, the story was a huge pile of steaming crap but most of the main characters had a certain level of believability to them...at least they were relatable to some degree...that is until the story made them do something that was completely out of character.  

In FC3 the Characterization was magnificent...not only that but facial and body language were right on point.  All of Jason's friends were like real people that you have met or could meet.  The character of Buck scared the crap out of me.  He was both deeply charming and incredibly evil...brilliant.  There's no other word for it.

The problem with Primal is that good fiction is supposed to relate to the human condition.  Though it is fun to ride beasts and kick ass, there really isn't much meat-on-the-bone when it comes to relatable story.    My 'Story' self sat in the corner with her arms folded like a passive aggressive girlfriend at a 'guy's night poker game'.   I get it; everyone wants to be 'Minecraft'.  Well MC is done...we've played with our diamond swords...built railways...cursed at those green cactus looking things.  It's time for the young folk to bring in people who have imagination to make stories again.   That would be those who actually played outside with each other growing up.  Now THAT makes me feel like a Caveman!

Disposable relationships: A Commentary on "Relationship Advice"

Just recently I came across an "Advice" column for relationships.  Being a slightly older gentlemen, I thought to give some feedback on this based on my experience in life.  There is no 'One size fits all' for relationship advice.  People of different ages will have different needs and struggles.  I can't say that this is a 'Hack' column but those who read it should do so critically and not take it at face value.

So, without further ado:

8 Signs to Call It Quits on a Relationship

(but use your damn brain!)

1. You’re Only Staying Because Of ReligionThis can be a tough one. You might feel pressure from family or friends in your religious community to stay together. However, it’s never a good idea to be with someone simply because you share the same religion. If you’re not getting along with your partner in other ways, or you’re just not feeling that connection anymore, it’s time to move on.

No one cares.  You could be a Buddhist and a Muslim.  You are in a relationship because you like being in a relationship with this specific person.  Religious freedom is fundamental in a free society.  If it matters so much that the other person needs to be of the same religion as you then that falls under the category of 'Trying to change someone' and you need to give your head a shake.  Although this is actually written into Judaism as a prerequisite for Marriage. 

When the 'Religious Community' Tries to tell you to stay together there is a level of wisdom that the 'New' generations love to ignore:

And is said: "I'm just not feeling the connection anymore" 

(Then MAN or WOMAN the FUCK UP!!!)

 

Forget all the Hollywood BULLSHIT!  You are going to hurt someone very badly that you really should have actually cared for to be in a relationship with them!  Get the fuck over yourself and get the fuck to WORK!  Communicate effectively your feelings and stop 'Triangulating' with your friends more than talking directly TO YOUR PARTNER!!! 

 

That gets me talking.  If there is nothing else to consider

and you did have a connection at one time...try to understand what it was.  Also, you are in a relationship.  There is always 2 halfs to the whole.  Not to say that it has but if you have failed in yourself and it has manifested into the relationship (as it does) then you need to address that. 

 

Not everyone has 'Hollywood' looks that sexual partners drop into their laps on a daily basis.  Has a clearly marked and reasonable boundary been crossed repeatedly?  Have you repeatedly communicated your disapproval?  Then that's the sign to leave.   (Because, if fact, this would mean you are in a relationship with an abusive person)

2. Your Needs Aren’t Being MetIf you’re not being satisfied emotionally, sexually or intellectually, it’s probably time to move on. Ending a relationship is hard, but it’s sometimes the only correct thing to do. If you and your partner aren’t connecting on the most fundamental levels, it will be best for both of you to move on.

"If you’re not being satisfied emotionally, sexually or intellectually, it’s probably time to move on."

Sure...there has to be some sort of connection but If you are both old and one of you is just no where near the other anymore then I would suggest a different strategy...I mean that's pretty much the contract.  In that case, you would have to communicate getting your needs addressed somewhere else.  Still caring about, and possibly for, the other person but not at the entire exclusion of self.

The wording of the sentence can be tricky.  I think most young people figure that the very powerful "OR" in the top paragraph 'Should' be an "and".  That's night and day in difference.  No one can expect someone can be everything they need.  If you have that going on then 'Good for you'.  Is it real or is it a fantasy?  Being 'In Love' is Great! I love that feeling!  But really, it's more like a recreational drug.  It doesn't make you see things clearly.  If you just want that feeling of 'Being in Love' and you don't care who you hurt to get it...then you are no better than a drug addict.

Making real friends can be hard in this day and age.  People are all chummy on Facebook...but that's not a true friend.  If you are being satisfied emotionally and sexually...get an Intellectual friend.  Intellectually and Sexually; Get yourself someone who is in tune with their (and your emotions).   
'Intellectually and Emotionally' Then intellectualize your emotional need for sex (and settle on a reputable escort).

Honestly...we over complicate things these days.  The best advice I ever got was "So?".   It worked.   Don't just give something up because it is hard.  Life is supposed to be hard...that's the point of it.  Rise to the challenge...but don't try to create one...don't be a drama queen.

I've run out of steam for a bit.  I know continuing on would be a 'Challenge' but, for me, I prefer to write when the mood takes me.  So...6 other categories to go:

To be Continued....

The Reign of the Polymorphic British Columbia Fascist Party

In the 80's they were the 'SoCreds' (Social Credit).  They later infiltrated and populated the BC Liberal Party.  They cater to those who have money and property and let everyone else suffer.  They are, in fact, the BC Fascist Party.  

No one (that really mattered) complained when the fascists rounded up all welfare recipients and crowded them like cattle into the corridors of what they liked to call 'Career Placement Agencies'.  No one (that really mattered) complained when the fascists killed people by denying them their pittance to survive on forcing them out onto the streets with no food, water or shelter.   When they cut advocacy programs for welfare to damn near nil.  These poor people, who were giving away 9/10 of their welfare cheque to rent a hovel of a shelter while trying to live on the remaining tenth of a pittance, had to come up with the money for public transportation to run around town submitting resumes.  When they complained to the agency about it, they were told: "You could always just walk"...unbelievable?  It is actually true.

Welfare also cut the rate at which these poor people could earn to $0!!!  If you were on Welfare and you earned a buck, Social Services would take that dollar back.  You actually lost money if you were working trying to make money...so it would suck you back into the depths of its grasp.  The Fascists turned Welfare into a form of Unemployment Insurance.  You needed to work a year to qualify for it and, if you were on it for 2 years, you were cut off.

When you are on 'The System', your life sucks.  Anyone who has ever been on 'The System' in the last 20 years knows how hard it is to survive - never mind keeping your mental health intact.  A former friend of mine said that welfare should be something you earn and that if you had been on it for a year, you have to go to a camp, get your head shaved, and dig ditches for 3 months...then you are good for another year.  Hey!  Structure, Shelter, 3 meals a day and a safe place to sleep!? I've got one question for you...How deep!?

Another friend of mine got work in a factory.  She got herself completely off the system.  She was working for 8 months - but then she got laid off.  She came back to Social Services (Populated by the meanest human beings on the planet) and they told her that, since she didn't work a full year, they couldn't do anything for her.  Sentencing her to either steal or enjoy a life on the street for her crime of trying to get her life back in order.    I still remember what Debra had said the sadistic Social  worker told her when she asked 'How can I pay my rent!?'  It was (and I can still remember this after all this time) "GO LIVE UNDER A BRIDGE".  The Fascists were trying to get rid of the poor and weak by killing them off.  Fortunately, this wonderful lady had plenty of friends (with couches) to help her out.

All of us who were living under that rein of terror, who the Fascists didn't kill off, know the face of the BC Liberal Party.  Now it is the working poor who are being marginalized.  Now it is those who don't own property.  The BC Fascist Party (Liberal)  cater only to those who have money - foreign investors who snatch up houses and condos where people are supposed to live.  They cater to those who DO own property.  Give them 20 years and there will only be 2 kinds of people - The Lords and the Serfs.

Let's talk about the Feds.  The Federal Government has never given 2 shits about BC...except to say "Give us more money... Princess Quebec wants a new diamond necklace or she will threaten to leave us again".   The people are sick of it and angry about it.  If things continue on this course, there will be a revolt that the cops won't have a prayer of stopping.  The closest military base in this country is in the most Western Province that the Feds give a shit about (Alberta).  Then the fucking foreign investors can go fuck themselves because everything comes back to the people at that point..and we're slamming the door shut.

According to the latest reports, 33% of those in homeless shelters year round have jobs.  Crazy?  I know.  Houses used as investment properties on Vancouver's West Side are sitting vacant while working people have to stay in homeless shelters.  Something is very wrong here.  Those who work in the city and can afford rent in the outlying areas must often spend several hours  aboard public transit in crowded, uncomfortable conditions.

Premier Christy Clark isn't really to blame.  She inherited this mess from the Right Assholable Gordon Campbell.  Ms Clark is just trying to make small changes that will move policy more toward the center without completely disturbing the status quo.  It is unfortunate that her information tends to be from VERY biased sources...which she hadn't the wisdom to see for what they were.

 This very charismatic metro sexual is Bob Rennie.  He is the very definition of how personality can be great while character; a rotting fish in the basement of an outhouse.  He is known as the 'Condo King'.  Bob tells everyone that "This is just the way things are - get over it" - while, in the course of finalizing a deal, a West side house can be sold 3 more times...rising a million dollars each time.  This guy often earns in a day what most people don't see, while working like a dog every day, in their life.  Given the condition of his skin and body...I doubt this man has seen an honest day's work in his entire life!  Christy Clark has been known to base serious judicial decisions based on BS propaganda submitted by this TOOL and his lofty pedigree of foreign money launderers (Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver)  and their sleaze bag lawyers.  This guy saying to the homeless masses "That's the way it is - get over it"? He might as well be saying "Let them eat cake".  Didn't Marie Antoinette wear pink as well?

The situation is a mess.  Christy Clark bending her ear to biased sources just confirms her naivete.  Changes needed to be made that weren't ... because she didn't want to alienate her core voting demographic.  Fuck the vote.  Get some ovaries and lead like a leader.  Question the sources.  Challenge your assumptions...and realize..."Just because someone is likable doesn't mean they are a good person...or represent a good cause."

Here is the challenge.  BC has been known for its swaying between the left and right wing.  What it really needs is a good, solid middle.  A group that doesn't take any crap from the right.  Doesn't bleed money to the left.  A group that says "We are going to try to manage this for everyone".  A group that isn't afraid to tell Bob Rennie to "Open the Books...all of them."...and shut down shady housing investments from questionable (to say the least) foreign sources.

Because the soft changes weren't enough...the hard changes need to happen.

Las Vegas - The Princess of the Desert

We all grew up thinking Las Vegas was the Mecca of excitement.  When someone says the city's name, we all think Bright Neon Lights, Excitement, Epic Grand Structures, Fun, The Rat Pack, Elvis Presley.  The City's image is sexy and cool.  It is iconic.

But the fact of the matter is that the city is a codependent whore...that hates itself and the tourists for it being that way.  Without tourism, this city would die.  It is their only industry.  Everything else in this city wraps around the influx of money and visitors.

-One of the maids that isn't tipped will scrub the toilet with your toothbrush (in at least one circumstance that I've heard of).

-A Cab driver who needs to make a little extra will "Long Haul" you to your destination.

-If you ask for a "Bloody Caesar" in the lounge off of the main foyer in Caesar's Palace, the waiter will present you with a "Bloody Mary". If you tell him that "This is tomato juice...not Clamato", he will present you with the only can of Clamato he's ever touched.   THE empty can of Clamato to fool Canadian tourists with.

-If you are lounging in the loungers by the pool at Caesar's Palace ... and one of the overlords in one of the $10 Million suites that face the inner court yard doesn't like you being there, You will be told by security that the Loungers that you are Lounging in are NOT for Lounging (True Fact!)

-Be aware that there is a Chinese Food Restaurant in a mall in a Hotel just off the strip  (Palms). The food is pretty good except for the fact that they will occasionally drop into your Chow Mein a pepper so hot it will almost make you gag as your face go completely red.  If you see black don't send it back...throw it back in their faces.

-Most of the food is fucking awful.  If it doesn't give you gas, indigestion and bloating you're not in Vegas.  I don't want to spend $55 on an over cooked steak and rubbery prawns...but if you do, go to the fancy Restaurant in the Golden Nugget.  I prefer that if I'm going to have something bad for me that it, at least, tastes good.  Seriously, the Mob must still be in charge because the whole place is Mob stupid.  Guys!  Salad Bar!  I can't spend money if I'm confined to my hotel room not wanting to be away from the can!  Idiots.

-Also "Hospitality" means being nice.  You are not "Entitled" to MY FUCKING MONEY!  If your Overlords aren't paying you enough...THEN THAT'S THEM!!!  Seriously...you pay for the Electricity, the machines and the buildings...and it should be run like a money making farm but the right wing overlords get greedy and say to the employees "Don't look at us!  You should expect tips as well" (Fleecing the customer even further).  But, you see, then the customer is wandering around going "Are these people nice because they are nice...or are they nice because I've been tipping and they want my money."  So the customer ends up going somewhere less phony next vacation.  This epiphany would occur to someone who wasn't MOB(like) stupid greedy and thick.

-I was at a concert sitting next to one guy who was 'A Local'.  He told me "I don't like you tourists coming into our town and cranking up the prices on these here concert tickets".  So I told him "Hey I'm just here for a good time and to enjoy the show".  Then I took that away and I thought about it.  If I was going to a KISS concert, I would spend twice as much (for shoddy seats) where I live for a fucking tribute band as I would pay for awesome seats for the real deal in Vegas.  Without Tourists, this Local will have not been able to see KISS at all!!!  It is because Tourists that Vegas stays afloat.  He would have had to drive 6 (I'm guessing here) hours to LA to see the same show.  The tourists don't crank up the prices...they keep it down...and they keep the good shows coming in.

In 2009, Las Vegas Suffered terribly.  Vegas relies on expendable income to stay afloat.  Without enough visitors to maintain the balance, the bottom literally fell out.  People walked away from their houses and vagrancy was epidemic.  At one time, you could get a house for 50k Canadian in Vegas.  So, in the wake of that loss, Vegas was humbled.  They realized they needed visitors and incentives to get visitors to visit.  Now they humbly provide excellent service and step it up to be as friendly and generous as possible to guests especially to the foreign visitors, who, without their contribution would have caused Vegas to have suffered even more greatly.

YEAH RIGHT!!!

You can't expect learning from those who have more opinions than brain cells.  More opinions than actual facts to base them on (never mind cross referencing!).  Vegas has an entitlement complex that is far too intrinsic to be cleared up with just one application of applied wisdom.  Vegas has been a drunken haven for some of the worst people on the planet for over 50 years...and it generically hates its own visitors for it!

I know how I sound here but I'm not very aggressive or confrontational at all.  There are good people in Vegas but the assholes and greedy bastards tend to make the trip feel phony and shitty.  

Just to make my journey complete, on the cab ride back, the cabby asked us if we 'Enjoyed your visit to Vegas?'.  Sure...we had some good times.  We didn't let the bad stuff get us down and we found enough good people and good times to make it worth our while.  So we said 'Sure...we had a good time'.  Then, and proof positive of the thickness of some Americans, he said this with such pride: "Well if we let you leave with any money at all, we haven't done our jobs".   Wow...way to put the cherry on the tombstone.

'Vegas' is the Princess of the Desert.

Say 'No' to the Princess 

Tips for a Better Vegas:

• Get rid of tips.  Pay your employees a decent wage so that all visitors are treated without ulterior motive.  No one wants to feel cheap and no one wants to be a suck hole.  Get rid of it.
• Smoking.  Get rid of it.  It's not the 70's.  It's not cool to smoke anymore.  There are non-toxic alternatives to smoking these days.  I have sympathy for the smokers as I used to be one.  If you have money to spend 5 minutes on a slot, you have enough to sate those cravings without being an ass to others for up to 2 weeks.
• WTF is wrong with the damn food?  Lets get some healthy choices in here.  If you're going to deep fry everything, make sure it tastes good.  2 hour line up at the Smorgasbord?  The best experience in Vegas was at the MGM Signature.  We had our own kitchen in there and, after a trip to Walmart, I got some food and was able to cook meals and snacks.  No tips.  No Bullshit.  I'm assured of the quality.  No poor food choices slowing me down.
• Either make prostitution legal or clean it the fuck up!  Seriously... you can gather enough 'Hooker' cards walking 10 blocks on the strip to make a card deck.   Sex should not be an ugly thing.  Seriously.  Sex is as natural as any other bodily function.  But if you shove it into the sewer, it's going to get kind of dirty, contaminated with leeches and lice and other blood sucking pimpsects...and you turn it into an ugly thing.  A prostitute is first, and foremost, a human being.  They deserve rights and recourse to the law.  Business dealings with them should be above board.  Hell...if it was Canada, the receipt would include GST (Goods and Services Tax).  For some reason that sort of tickles my funny bone.  I can just imagine someone getting audited who had to produce those receipts.  "Yes, Mr. Jones...now this receipt says 'Half and Half' now I've been a coffee drinker for many years and I've never known cream to costs more than a couple of dollars."

The 'Trump' Card

Back in WW2, The Imperial Japanese Army was the best.  They had the best discipline, training, dedication; they were Zealots.  They were as good as the SS in this regard and they knew the terrain which they were fighting in.  What was greater than this army's strength was the estimation of its own strength in the wake of early field success.  This was referred to as 'Winner's disease'.  The American Pacific forces had to fight just a little bit more clever while continuing to be thought of as inferior by the Jap forces.  One example of this was the use of the M1 Garand Standard US rifle semi-auto rifle of the period.  The rifle was loaded via Clip (not mag).  When the last bullet from a clip was fired, the clip would be ejected with an audible 'Ping'.  The Japanese knew that this was the time to pop up and strike as the user of the rifle would have to reload.  Smart.  Except even smarter was the fact that US servicemen would have empty clips that they would throw against rocks to create the same sound and get the Japs to poke their heads up.  Under estimating the opponent had been the Japanese' greatest weak point. 

Well suppose we aren't talking about the quality of troops in the jungle but the estimation of an entire nation of itself.  I've rarely met anyone from the US who doesn't believe themselves to be superior to everyone else.  From the dumbest cowboy to the sleaziest drug dealer, everyone in the US believes themselves to be just better than everyone else for being born American.  Even the name 'America' is egocentric.  'America' is a collective name for the continents of North and South America.  When I'm in the US, I like to tell them that I'm 'American'.  I was born in Canada...that's in North America...therefore I'm an 'American'...and watch the sour faces fly.  How about the M1 Garand rifle (in the above paragraph) which that pompous asshole George Patton called "The greatest battlefield implement ever devised by man" was actually made by a Canadian.  But, you see, at the time he had invented it, he had become a US citizen.  I had this debate with someone online about this.  Becoming a US citizen is treated like some form of Baptism where you wash all the impurities away of your former life from an inferior nation.  I guess only US citizens are allowed to go to heaven while the rest of us go to Ecuador. 

I love American reality TV (yeah I use the term).   Except for the fact that there are other pedals on the floor beside the gas (as in 'How much scripting is too much'), I usually have a good time.  Take an individual with 5 parts mouth and the other 5 parts have to be shared by the rest of the senses as well as the brain...and you have great drama.  I'm not anti-American.  Many Americans I look up to include John F Kennedy, Buzz Aldren, Neil Armstrong and Barack Obama.  There are also those I have met personally that are superior people.  The problem doesn't come from a human being earning accolades on his own merits but from those who feel that they are superior by being linked to what they feel is a superior group.  The US arrogance in this belief is so prevalent that travelers can expect a little something extra when dining out in a foreign country.  I don't think that is right.  Not all US citizens believe themselves to be superior.  Most do, however, even just a little.

I loved the Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice (though I thought the second was a little too contrived).  Donald Trump was the main man.  He was the boss.  He raised the bar and said 'Jump' and you had better jump.  One has to estimate what motivates a man to do what he does.  Does Donald Trump want the power of sitting in the big chair?  Does Donald Trump want to promote initiatives that will kick up American industry and turn the US into an economic power house? I can believe both of those.  As a Canadian, I'm worried that Donald will shut down NAFTA and pooch other countries for American gain.  I'm sure he knows about business but I'm not sure he knows the first thing about foreign relations other than telling everyone else 'It's my way or the highway'.  This won't fly for other countries that require plenty more finesse.  Look at the mess George Bush made.  Barack Obama turned it all around in 6 years and got the US back on track.  I'm not saying that Mr. Trump won't do what he can for US interests but are the more subtle qualities of being a president within his aptitude and skill set?  Or, like many Americans, is he over estimating his own abilities.  Personally, I believe Mr. Trump is an over compensating egotist.  How many buildings have his name on them?  He is a good man but, and I'm sorry to say this, I think he is a little broken.  As much as I would love the novelty of having the 'Boss' in 'The Apprentice' be President of the US... we all must live in the real world and the buttons he has at his finger tips would be very real.  The bridges that he may burn to flex his Power muscle against other counties may have lasting consequences.  Things are really tenuous right now with the world politics.  We've got that idiot Kim Jong-Un doing stupid shit.  That idiot Vladimir Putin who worships that old psychopath Stalin and wants to start WW3.  ISIS is running around killing, maiming and enslaving people for what is supposed to be a peaceful religion.  Do we really need another cowboy on the world stage? 
 
...and will we know the difference between someone who can make decisions quickly...and someone who those decisions well.  I just hope it's not a lesson we can't come back from.

Remember when 'Googie' ruled the world?

Googie (not GOOGLE), Populuxe or 'Atomic Mid-Century Modern'  This was the style of the day.  You: The young professional with something to say reached for your phone...none of those stock model rotary phones for you

You phoned up your buddies...got into your car

...and drove down the road, pick up your gal

and go catch a movie

This form of art was everywhere mixed in with what came before and other passions including the entire 'Cowboy' genre

It was on our cereal boxes.   It was on our toys.  Googie, with its bold sweeping lines and colors represented everything that we were as a society.  Bold, Vibrant and unapologetically ourselves.  Technology was going to elevate with elegance and we were all going to use that knowledge to discover new and wonderful things.  Resolve strife, hunger and religious differences.  We were all going to march into the future knowing what was right and what was wrong and be back in time with our jetpacks for dinner.  We all haven't really realized what we lost with this dream.   Some would say we 'woke up'.  I say the 'Dream' is more like a blueprint.  Our current 'Blueprint' is without hope.  Nothing is ever as easy as the 'Black and White' mentality of the era suggested.  It is a nice belief but it is the product of lazy, convenient thinking.  Society will always reflect the motivation of its collective people.  I say steer the motivation toward making a better world.  If people want to own something, I'd say let them own the incredible nobility of THAT cause.  Not to mention passing that legacy onto their kids.  I want a world with hope.  I want the world to have a Utopian future...as reflected in Googie.

Characterization in games

I've always wondered why some games left me with a much richer experience regardless of how the mechanics functioned.  Specifically; "why did playing Fallout 3 feel like such an empty experience while Fallout New Vegas left me with a much richer feeling?".  

Somewhere into playing Fallout 4...building this...building that... and going somewhere and shooting things I realized one thing: "I'm bored".   Why am I shooting things?  The usual excuse of "Because they are shooting at me" just seems empty of meaning.  I don't feel invested...I don't feel motivated to helping this person or that...why not!?

So I ended up pulling out an old favorite "Bully".   This is just a stupid little fun game that was ported over from the consoles to PC.  The targeting sucks.  There are too few buttons doing too many things.  However, the game was fun.  It was like someone telling a joke with a straight face the whole way through...so you don't take it for anything more than it is.  Most of the students are stereotypes with characterization that are very simplistic.  The main protagonist and antagonist, however, were extremely real right down to their body language, voice influctions, gestures, posture and what they would say...everything.  You sat there going "I get who this person is;  I must know them from somewhere because what they are doing and how they are doing it seems so right". 

Suddenly it hit me:  I am not engaged in this game (Fallout 3 and 4) because the characters in this game do not really engage with the player.

Case in point:  this is your father's reaction to you intentionally nuking an entire town in Fallout 3 Liam phoning it in   The point is: the more you are exposed to non-engaged characters, the less invested you are going to be.  There is, however, the 'Minecraft' proviso:  You can draw any picture you want on a blank slate.  'Blank' and 'Bland', however, mean two different things.

Thinking about it, I believe the game that had the most amount of well defined characters was Far Cry 3.  That is characters that had face and body language, Tone, intensity of voice, proper wording for their character...basically everything that makes a computer character more human.  It is fair to state, however, that FC3 did use plenty of cut-scenes to convey this character...but that is also to its credit - the characters were given that much respect to be portrayed in cut-scenes.   Far Cry 4 also had cut scenes to portray its characters as well - not that it really mattered.  Most of the FC4 characters were unbelievable; I've seen children's cartoon characters with more dimensions.  It disturbs me this trend toward unrealism in characters.  Seriously, game creators,  if you are going to get your children to make a stick character in crayon on the canvas then just leave it blank...and call it 'Minecraft'.  Microsoft picked up Minecraft for 2.5 Billion from Mojang.  Missing the point completely, they intend to add a set story (/facepalm).  This is the continuing saga of the large corporation picking up a sweet product and pooching it so hard that the pooch needs to apply soothing gel and antibiotic cream.  Back to my original point:  Using words is just one of the ways we, as people, communicate.  Face, body language, vocal influctions are the ways which are usually overlooked...especially by those who are not used to a lot of face to face interactions...which, unfortunately, is the new trend.  The thing is...I can't feel as invested rescuing an animatronic mannequin as I would a thinking, feeling human being.  Funny about that.