It's great that the special effects used in Terminator 2 have been improved upon, and are now much cheaper to do than they used to be.

So, I think Dollhouse and the Terminator TV series need to continue. 24 can go; it's gotten pretty ridiculous. Let's hope FOX grasps this.

Thing is, it's also cheaper-looking. THere's one scene in a warehouse where Manson' character walks through and slaughters everyone. Problem is that you don't really get to see every gratuitous death... you just get to see people running around, scared shitless, until they slip (is the sound of them being stabbed making them slip, or something?) and fall and presumably die, while Manson walks around waving her blade-arms.

It's actually kind of funny, in retrospect.

-- Griffinhart

Guys in Terminator 2 they blew up a building for real.
Come on now seriously.

Srsly, nothing can really top that.

-- Griffinhart

I noticed that too, and I think the network put that restriction on them. I don't think it was an "oh, we can't afford those effects"; I think the truth was they could afford it, but didn't want too much gore.

I don't like the style of most movies today anyways especially because of all the "realism" when it comes to gore. I mean when did all this "we must pile up at least 10.000 bodies which were ripped to shreds in a single scene" directory style start anyways and is this really what the audience goes to cinema for? I'm not in any way against violence of any sorts nor am I one of those hardcore paranoid anti- weapon dudes, but for me there's a distinct difference between good movies and bad movies as there is one between gore effects required to tell the story and gore effects that have just been put in the film to cover up it's overall poor quality with some "eye candy".

I dunno about you, but 95% of people I meet have no appreciation for plot, or characters, or in fact anything other than bodycount, naked boobs or cars. These are the same sort of people who put "reading is for suckers" on their myspace. This is why Hollywood gears it's films towards idiots, because that's what the main population is.

And I can top the Terminator 2 thing. They blew up a whole building? Black Hawk Down built an entire replica of Mogadishu, and spent the next six weeks blowing it to hell with live ammo. Local residents got paid like $100/day or something because of the noise.

And then there's Watchmen. It's got plot and gore! Also spandex. And glow-in-the-dark blue penis. Something for everyone! (Except for the car enthusiasts.)

-- Griffinhart

And it's the exact reason why I haven't been to any cinema lately. While lately means not at all in the last 8 years. It's like with computer games: all the classics, the real good stuff has been released prior to 2000 ... almost everything after that was just plain soulless bull. Two of the few exceptions to this rule are Uplink (game) and donnie darko (film), which were both released in 2001.

I have to say you have missed a couple of gems if you haven't seen any cinema for 8 years. [REC] at the cinema in particular was one of the best experiences I have had full stop. It was really that good. Although it is barely justifiable by some of the trash I had to go see (Shrooms, The Day The Earth Stood Still, I Am Legend, Be Kind Rewind). The Simpsons movie was also well worth the time.

As for games, I don't agree. Whilst it does sadden me to see so many companies catering (Read: Slumming it) for the console tards, essentially ruining some fantastic games (Call of Duty, potentially the upcoming Operation Flashpoint) there have been some totally brilliant games released that deserve the praise they get; Company of Heroes, STALKER (Admittedly, when it works), World In Conflict, Fallout 3, Day Of Defeat Source and if they ever iron out the problems Empire Total War.

I haven't said I didn't watch any films during that time, but that I simply didn't feel any of them worth the risk of wasting my precious time driving to the cinema and bore the hell out me in front of a big screen.
I totally agree for some of the ones you mentioned. However I entirely and quite sincerly disagree with TES 4.5 Fallout. I have loved the original series and really tried to give Bethesda a chance as with Interplay having ripped itself to shreds financially and Black Isle having been shut down in the process Fallout 3 simply was the last chance of the series to being continued. However the final product to my mind neither feels like a Fallout nor plays like one and therefor isn't worth the name. It may be a good game, but at least to me it is no Fallout, period.

"TES 4.5" What's that mean?

Oh, and by no means is Fallout 3 a 'true' Fallout. The humour just isn't there really. It is however, a very engrossing game with brilliant art direction and definitely the best RPG of late. (Although admittedly it is up again vomit-streaking failures like Fable 2)

It came after TES4 Oblivion but before whatever TES5 will be called. TES is short for "The Elder's Scrolls", the series Bethesda Softworks used to do prior to buying other licenses. At times Fallout 3 is also called "The postnuclear Elder's Scrolls" (TPES) a parody of the original Fallout's subtitle: "a postnuclear roleplaying game" .

Call me a heretic, but I think Fallout 3's atmosphere is better than Fallout 2's (though not than the original Fallout). Fallout 2 was just plain silly a lot of the time.
Though to be fair, the earlier games did morally grey better. Fallout 3 suffered from the "saint or psycho" issue that most modern games' morality systems have.

Disclaimer: I haven't actually finished Fallout 3. My roommate took the Xbox when he moved out which had my game in it.

You really shouldn't bandy that phrase about. It offends some people. People like me, for existence. /me is quite proud to be an owner of and gamer on multiple platforms

Re: FO3: Y'know, I liked it up until the point where all the save files I have began to crap out on me. Mysteriously, for some unknown reason, every game I start, once I've quit, refuses to allow me to save again, upon reloading. They just make FO3 CTD.

Also, I haven't been able to start a true, new game (from birth) ever since 1.1.0.35.

Also, Bethsoft is a load of horseshit when it comes to actually supporting their game. Patch 1.1.0.35 broke VATS, patch 1.4 did... absolutely nothing except add in Achievement compatibility for the (then-upcoming) Pitt, which PS3 users (thank goodness I'm on PC) weren't even able to purchase.

Hell, I've relied on the modding community for game fixes ever since 1.1.0.35... And of course, they can't fix my saving and new game problems. >:(

Also, the story was is, and AFAICare, will always be a steaming pile of garbage. Hopefully Fallout New Vegas will have a better story (what with it being dev'd by Obsidian Entertainment and all).

-- Griffinhart

PS. As far as good, post-2000 games go... I've got quite a list. Most of them don't appeal to people because they're not "SUPER FRICKING GOTY EPIC", but sometimes that's for the best. Mount and Blade, Fable 2, Lost Odyssey, Left 4 Dead, Sacred Gold (sure, it's basically a Diablo rip, but it's a much bigger and, IMO, better rip), Saints Row (I still need to play the sequel), Up/Onlink, Aquaria (which i really need to invest more time in), Sid Meier's Pirates!, Audiosurf...