Video Game Quote of the Day

Two of the greatest video game quotes ever came from Resident Evil on playstation 1.

“Here’s a lockpick, it might be handy if YOU the master of unlocking, take it with you.”
Barry Burton to Jill Valentine

“You almost became a jill sandwich”
Barry after rescuing jill from a collapsing ceiling trap.

One of my personal favourites.

Al Mualim: What is the Truth?Altaïr: We place faith in ourselves; we see the world the way it really is, and hope that, one day, all mankind might see the same.Al Mualim: What is the world, then?Altaïr: An illusion. One which we can either submit to; as most do, or transcend.Al Mualim: What is it to transcend?Altaïr: To recognize nothing is true, and everything is permitted.
That laws arise, not from divinity, but reason. I understand now that
our creed does not command us to be free; it commands us to be wise.Al Mualim: Do you see now why the Templars are a threat?Altaïr: Whereas we would dispel the illusion; they would use it to rule.Al Mualim: Yes. To reshape the world in an image more
pleasing to them. That is why I sent you to steal their treasure. That
is why I keep it locked away. And that is why you kill them. So long as
even one survives, so to does their desire to create a new world
order.

Disclaimer: No, I do not personally advocate the killing of theists.

Morrigan in Dragon Age: Origins has very strong opinions on religion, particularly when discussing it with Leliana, one of the other characters who used to serve in a Chantry (kind of like a church/monastery/nunnery thing…all the priests are female so I’m not sure what it counts as:P)

A couple of favorites:

Leliana: But this can’t all be an accident. Spirits, magic, all these wondrous things around us both dark and light. You know these things exist.Morrigan: The fact of their existence does not presuppose an intelligent design by some absentee father-figure.

and 

Leliana: Let me ask you this, then, Morrigan. What if there really was a Maker?Morrigan: Then I would wonder why He has abandoned His creation. It seems terribly irresponsible of Him.Leliana: He left us because we were determined to make our own way, even if we hurt outselves, and He could not bear to watch.Morrigan: But how do you know? You cannot ask Him this. Perhaps He has gone to a new creation elsewhere, and abandoned this as a dismal failure, best forgotten.Leliana: I do not need to know because I have faith. I believe in Him and feel His hope and His love.Morrigan: “Faith.” How quickly those who have no answers invoke that word.

(That last one was long, but I really just love that whole exchange. So reminiscent of trying to discuss faith with believers.)

I always loved the way that in Japan its okay to portray a god as a character in a videogame. There’s no restraint that makes divine beings a taboo subject.

It’s great how they in games like Okami and Actraiser, the main characters are Ameratsu and God respectively.

In the original Japanese Actraiser, you play as the Christian God and attempt to vanquish Satan. Unfortunately the western translation changes the names to avoid offending people which butchers the context.

After the games ending, you go down and visit a temple where people once prayed to you for help. There is no one there worshiping you. Your angel companion postulates that
“People may be most happy when not in need of help from their [god], or when they have forgotten [him].”

In general, I like how many Japanese games incorporate pieces of the Christian Bible into their mythology, just like Westerners steal ideas from older pagan religions in their stories. There is a lot of good material there.

In Final Fantasy X there are strong parallels with the dogmatic and corrupt catholic church when the “maestors” (the equivalent of cardinals/popes in the game) turn out to be using religion and the idea of sin to oppress the masses. Then the protagonists go on to expose this lie and literally kill Sin in the game (“Sin” is the name of a large monster in the game who literally oppresses the masses by causing random natural disasters). There’s a lot more to it than what I’ve described and it’s really deep and thought-provoking in how it plays out. Worth a look.

Why i can’t see Dance central 2 for Kinect Xbox 360?

Great game! The character Leliana is a devout theist, who claims to have received a vision of the Maker (this fictitious world’s God).  During one of the game’s quests, the player and his/her companions are halted by a powerful guardian, who reveals interesting facts about each of the player’s travelling companion’s history, including the fact that Leliana is lying about having recieved a vision from the Maker.

There are many more interesting aspects of the game as well.  The society depicted is surprisingly egalitarian, with women popping up throughout the story in positions of power or authority, both good and bad and also showing up in the front lines of combat.  There is also an opportunity to have a romance with one or more of your traveling companions, two of whom are bisexual.