Scientifically speaking, we think it’s because of elves.

Either way, quantum entanglement is actually extremely important to communications because they’re highly secure: there’s literally nothing in quantum communications to intercept. So they can be used to pass on information in a way that basically nobody except the recipient can read. Needless to say, governments are intensely interested in this technology.

Anyway, the big problem is that so far, we’ve only been able to send these entangled particles 16 kilometers or so away. Fortunately, a team in China has worked out how to send them nearly 100 kilometers.

Next step? Sending entangled particles to satellites, and picking up the bitrate; currently you can only send five qubits or so a second. Also punching out an anti-Shepard reporter.

image courtesy Bioware

All well and good. Unfortunately, they made the mistake of posting it on the Internet and letting people comment on it.

Normally, I complain a lot about how everybody thinks the hobby that I love is chock full of ignorant bigoted morons. And then something like this comes along, and demonstrates that, oh wait, there really are plenty of gamers who happen to be ignorant bigoted morons.  And even more people who think pretending to be an ignorant bigoted moron is funny.  And even more of them who are apparently just completely clueless, whether they mean well or not.

And then we all get lumped in with the ignorant bigoted morons. So thanks, guys. Thanks a lot.

Well, except for the troll pretending to be a virgin who does nothing but play PS3. That dude’s just funny. He is trolling, right?

A few of our “favorite” comments, under the cut.

…this is trolling at a truly incredible level, for we’re not quite sure whether this guy is serious.  Well played, sir, well played.

“I don’t hate gays.  I just want them to be treated like second class citizens because of my personal beliefs.”

Yeah, we missed that one in our playthrough.

No, no, people think you’re a bigoted moron for reasons entirely separate from their ego.

You know, because heterosexuals are so oppressed.

If that’s the most reasonable thing you’ve read today, dude, what parts of the Internet are you hanging out in?

The fun part is that if you ever actually sit down and read, say, Leviticus, there’s a lot, and we mean something like twenty lines or so, about not humping your relatives.  Like, they get into granular detail about it.  Don’t hump your dad.  Don’t hump your mom.  Don’t hump their sisters or brothers.  Don’t hump YOUR sisters or brothers.  And then the parts about not showing them to each other naked kick in.  Consider that homosexuality gets two lines.

Considering that Leviticus is, among other things, a bunch of rules about sanitation and general behavior, it really makes you wonder just what the hell our ancient ancestors were actually getting up to, back in the day.

“Gays are great provided I never have to see them, acknowledge them, or admit they exist!”

Because really, what this debate needed was some good old fashioned console warring between two people who can barely speak English.

We’re pretty sure that if you ever escape the confines of your suburb, you’ll never get the chance.

Ten bucks says none of these guys talking about how awesome lesbian sex is has ever actually met a lesbian in real life.

I’ll actually take a moment amid the mockery here to make a sincere point:

There’s a difference between social goalposts changing and peer pressure.  People aren’t for gay rights because it’s the hip thing, necessarily.  Some are, of course, but that’s always been the case.

Really, it’s a question of civil rights.  If we as a society have rights, those rights come with obligations.  For example, we have the right to freedom of speech, but that comes with the obligation to let others speak.  So it’s not really a question of liking, well, anybody: your civil rights come with the obligation to not try to block or otherwise deprive other citizens of their civil rights.

Once you go to college and learn what a false equivalency is, dude, your mind will be totally blown.

SCIENCE IS FALSE!  MY CONSOLE WORKS ON MAGIC!

Somewhere, Kinsey is laughing.

It’s terrible how people will sometimes express a sexual attraction in a veiled way verbally.

Another commenter said it best: “When somebody separates out ‘science’ and ‘Darwinism’, that really tells you all you need to know.”

Dude, you are aware you’re implying everybody raised by a single parent is a warped psychological freak, right?

You know, if it weren’t for the fact that you think homosexuality is a sexual fetish, when it hasn’t been classified as such in decades, and ended this comment with a big dose of both misogyny and a dig at the social sciences, you’d still be missing the point entirely.

I know somebody who’s never played a Mass Effect game!

But their best might just be their animated miniseries, “Tron: Uprising”.

Why?

First, here, have the full first episode: Disney has posted it to YouTube.

#6) You’ve Got To Admit, That’s a Killer Voice Cast

Well, maybe not Mandy Moore, but it’s got Frodo and Bishop. And they fight.

#5) They’ve Got Actual Screenwriters Running the Show, And It Shows

Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the writers of “Tron: Legacy” and its upcoming sequels, are behind this…and honestly, this half-hour is actually stronger than the feature, although it staggers a bit at the halfway mark. That’s partially due to the fact that they’re not restricted by executive meddling or other problems, and can just cut loose. And it’s also due to the premise.

#4) The Premise is Essentially Bat-Tron Beyond

“Tron” is, deliberately or not, a religious allegory. Think about it: believers are oppressed, the being they believes in comes down from the sky and saves them, sacrificing himself and returning to his realm in the process.

This, on the other hand, is about a teenage hero being mentored by a former one, taking his name, and kicking some ass. So, it’s inherently snappier, and there’s no goofing around in the human world: this is all programs, all the time.

#3) The Art Style Is Its Own

If I had to describe it, the art style is a mix between Peter Chung and Tim Sale. The bodies have Chung’s elongated, distorted style while the faces have Sale’s distinct shadowing style. The animation is also much better integrated into the CG backgrounds, and there are nice touches like the Outlands being cruder in design than the cities.

• DC has a lot of graphic novels coming out, but also new issues of “Batwoman” and “Wonder Woman”. Especially after last issue’s cliffhanger, we can’t wait for Wondy.
• Marvel has more “Avengers Vs. X-Men”, as well as more “VS”, and the second issue of “Secret Service.”
• Also of note, Marvel’s VERY fun “Hulk Smash Avengers” has its third issue coming out today.
• Image premieres post-Cold War spy story “Dancer” and SF assassin story “Hardcore” from Robert Kirkman.
• Dark Horse rolls out the next BPRD miniseries, as well as the next issue of “Reset”. There are also those wonderful “Creepy” archives they keep putting out: today marks the publication of volume ten.
• IDW wraps up the latest “Locke and Key” mini.
• Dynamite’s so-far disappointing “Shadow” gets a second issue with no fewer than nine variant covers, including “regular” covers from Alex Ross, Ryan Sook, John Cassaday, Jae Lee and Howard Chaykin.
• And BOOM! has the fourth issue of the adorable “Adventure Time.”

As always, let us know what you’re picking up from the FLCS in the comments, and the full list is under the cut.

DC COMICS
Batman Bruce Wayne The Road Home TP, $17.99
Batwoman #9 (Ben Oliver Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Batwoman #9 (Ben Oliver Regular Cover), $2.99
Birds Of Prey #9 (Night Of The Owls), $2.99
Blue Beetle #9, $2.99
Captain Atom #9, $2.99
Catwoman #9 (Night Of The Owls), $2.99
Catwoman Volume 1 The Game TP, $14.99
Cover Girls Of The DC Universe Raven PVC Figure (resolicited), $100.00
DC Universe Presents #9, $2.99
Deadenders TP, $29.99
Fables Volume 1 Legends In Exile TP (New Edition), $12.99
Green Lantern Brightest Day TP, $19.99
Green Lantern Corps #9, $2.99
Green Lantern The Animated Series #2, $2.99
Green Lantern The Animated Series Hal Jordan Statue (resolicited), $125.00
Green Lantern Volume 1 Sinestro HC, $22.99
Hellblazer #291, $2.99
Justice League #4 (Jim Lee & Scott Williams 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Justice League #9 (Carlos D’Anda Variant Cover), AR
Justice League #9 (Combo Pack Edition), $4.99
Justice League #9 (Jim Lee & Scott Williams Regular Cover), $3.99
Justice League #9 (Jim Lee Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Legion Of Super-Heroes #9, $2.99
Nightwing #9 (Night Of The Owls), $2.99
Red Hood And The Outlaws #9 (Night Of The Owls), $2.99
Saucer Country #3, $2.99
Scalped #58, $2.99
Secret Society Of Super-Villains Volume 2 HC, $39.99
Shade #8 (Of 12)(Jill Thompson Variant Cover), AR
Shade #8 (Of 12)(Tony Harris Regular Cover), $2.99
Supergirl #9, $2.99
Wonder Woman #9 (Cliff Chiang Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Wonder Woman #9 (Cliff Chiang Regular Cover), $2.99

MARVEL COMICS
Amazing Spider-Man #682 (Gabriele Dell’Otto 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Amazing Spider-Man #683 (Gabriele Dell’Otto 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Amazing Spider-Man Ends Of Earth #1, $3.99
Avengers #26, $3.99
Avengers Academy #30, $2.99
Avengers The Contest TP, $16.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #0 (Of 12)(Frank Cho 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Jerome Opena Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Jerome Opena Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Jim Cheung Regular Cover), $3.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Mark Bagley Avengers Team Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Mark Bagley Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Mark Bagley X-Men Team Variant Cover), AR
AvX Vs #2 (Of 6)(Salvador Larroca Regular Cover), $3.99
AvX Vs #2 (Of 6)(Steve McNiven Fight Poster Variant Cover), AR
Daredevil #13, $2.99
Deadpool MAX Second Cut HC (Premiere Edition), $24.99
Fantastic Four #605.1, $2.99
Fury MAX #2, $3.99
Generation Hope The End Of A Generation TP, $15.99
Hulk Smash Avengers #3 (Of 5), $2.99
Husk Smash Avengers Collectible Postcard #3 (Promotional Item), AR
Incredible Hulk #7.1, $2.99
Invincible Iron Man #517, $3.99
John Carter The Gods Of Mars #3 (Of 5), $2.99
Marvel Universe Vs Wolverine TP, $14.99
Marvel’s The Avengers Black Widow Strikes #2 (Of 3), $2.99
Moon Knight By Brian Michael Bendis And Alex Maleev Volume 2 HC (Premiere Edition), $24.99
New Avengers #24 (Mike Deodata 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
New Avengers By Brian Michael Bendis Volume 3 HC (Premiere Edition), $29.99
New Mutants #42, $2.99
New Mutants Classic Volume 7 TP, $29.99
Secret Service #2 (Of 7)(Dave Gibbons Regular Cover), $2.99
Secret Service #2 (Of 7)(Leinil Francis Yu Variant Cover), AR
Thunderbolts #174, $2.99
Uncanny X-Men #12, $3.99
Venom #18, $2.99
Winter Soldier #5, $2.99
Wolverine And Black Cat Claws 2 TP, $14.99
X-Factor #236, $2.99

IMAGE COMICS
Activity #6, $3.50
Artifacts #1-13 Complete 1-In-100 Foil Variant Cover Set (Signed By Marc Silvestri), $500.00
Dancer #1, $3.50
Danger Club #2, $2.99
Darkness #103, $2.99
Fatale #1 (5th Printing Variant Cover), $3.50
Glory #26, $2.99
Hardcore #1, $2.99
Hardcore #1 (Marc Silvestri Top Cow Store Sketch Variant Cover), $10.00
Hell Yeah #3, $2.99
Manhattan Projects #3, $3.50
Mondo #2 (Of 3), $4.99
Saga #3, $2.99
Thief Of Thieves #1 (3rd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99
Thief Of Thieves #4, $2.99

DARK HORSE COMICS
B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth The Devil’s Engine #1 (Of 3), $3.50
Bride Of The Water God Volume 11 TP, $9.99
Classic Marvel Characters The Fantastic Four #5 Dr. Doom, $49.95
Conan The Barbarian #4, $3.50
Domo 2 Inch Qee Series 4 15 Figure Mystery Box Display, AR
Eerie Archives Volume 10 HC, $49.99
Hellboy Volume 2 Wake The Devil TP (6th Printing), $17.99
Paradox Entertainment Presents Kult TP, $12.99
Reset #1 (Of 4)(Matt Kindt Variant Cover), AR
Reset #2 (Of 4), $3.50
Star Wars Dawn Of The Jedi Force Storm #4 (Of 5), $3.50

IDW PUBLISHING
30 Days Of Night 10 Bloody Years Treasury Edition TP, $9.99
Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 13 1950-1951 HC, $39.99
Jurassic Park Dangerous Games HC, $24.99
Last Unicorn Deluxe Edition HC, $50.00
Locke And Key Clockworks #6 (Of 6)(Gabriel Rodriguez Regular Cover), $3.99
Locke And Key Clockworks #6 (Of 6)(Gabriel Rodriguez Variant Cover), AR

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Army Of Darkness #4 (Tim Seeley Regular Cover), $3.99
Ninjettes #4 (Admira Wijaya Regular Cover), $3.99
Ninjettes #4 (Admira Wijaya Virgin Variant Cover), AR
Ninjettes #4 (Eman Casallos Risque Variant Cover), AR
Nowhere Man #3 (Of 4)(Jeevan J. Kang Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (Alex Ross Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (Alex Ross Virgin Variant Cover), AR
Shadow #2 (Howard Chaykin Red Variant Cover), AR
Shadow #2 (Howard Chaykin Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (Jae Lee Negative Variant Cover), AR
Shadow #2 (Jae Lee Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (John Cassady Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Shadow #2 (John Cassady Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (Ryan Sook Regular Cover), $3.99
Vampirella Vs Dracula #4 (Of 6)(Joseph Michael Linsner Regular Cover), $3.99
Voltron #5 (Alex Ross Regular Cover), $3.99
Voltron #5 (Alex Ross Virgin Variant Cover), AR
Voltron #5 (Sean Chen Red Variant Cover), AR
Voltron #5 (Sean Chen Regular Cover), $3.99

BOOM! STUDIOS
Adventure Time #4 (Cover A Kassandra Heller), $3.99
Adventure Time #4 (Cover B Chris Houghton), $3.99
Adventure Time #4 (Cover C Scott C), AR
Adventure Time #4 (Cover D Bettie Ward), AR
Planet Of The Apes #14 (Cover A Carlos Magno), $3.99
Planet Of The Apes #14 (Cover B Damian Couceiro), $3.99
Planet Of The Apes #14 (Cover C Carlos Magno Sketch), AR
Steed And Mrs Peel #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Ian Gibson), $3.99
Steed And Mrs Peel #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Ian Gibson), AR
Supurbia #1 (Josh Covey 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover A Khary Randolph), $3.99
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover B Eddie Nunez), $3.99
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover C Matteo Scalera), AR
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover D Eddie Nunez Sketch), AR
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover E Khary Randolph Sketch), AR
WordGirl Volume 4 Fashion Disaster GN, $7.99

12-GAUGE COMICS
Boondock Saints Volume 1 In Nomine Patris HC (Limited Edition), $34.99

ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT
Princeless Volume 1 Save Yourself TP, $14.95

AMRYL ENTERTAINMENT
Cavewoman Mutation #2 (Devon Massey Special Edition), $6.85

ANTARCTIC PRESS
Gold Digger #138, $3.99

APE ENTERTAINMENT
Richie Rich Digest Volume 2 Pursuit Of Pesos And Other Stories TP, $6.99
Scouts Drafted GN, $6.99

ARCHIE COMICS
Archie Double Digest #229, $3.99
Jughead #213, $2.99
Sonic Universe #40, $2.99

AUDIOGO
Doctor Who The Lost TV Episodes Collection Four 1967 Audio CD, $124.95
Torchwood Fallout An Audio-Exclusive Adventure Audio CD, $24.95

AZURE PRESS
Ninjas Vs Zombies Bundle (issues 1-4; signed copy of issue 5; bonus copy of issue 6), $14.99

BIG DOG INK
Ursa Minor #1 (Ian Snyder Regular Cover), $3.50
Ursa Minor #1 (Natalie Sanders Variant Cover), AR

BLACK LIBRARY
Void Stalker MMPB (Night Lords)(Warhammer 40K), $8.99

BLUEWATER PRODUCTIONS
Female Force #36 (Carrie Fisher), $3.99
John Saul’s The God Project #2, $3.99
Mis-Adventures Of Adam West #3, $3.99
Quatermain #4, $3.99

BONGO COMICS
Simpsons Comics #190, $2.99

BOUNDLESS COMICS
Lady Death Origins Cursed #2 (Of 3)(Jason Eden Regular Cover), $3.99
Lady Death Origins Cursed #2 (Of 3)(Michael Dipascale Art Deco Incentive Cover), $3.80
Lady Death Origins Cursed #2 (Of 3)(Michael Dipascale Sultry Cover), $3.99
Lady Death Origins Cursed #2 (Of 3)(Michael Dipascale Wrap Cover), $3.99

COMIC SHOP NEWS
Comic Shop News #1300, AR

CREEPY CLASSICS
Monster Bash #15, $8.99

CUTTING EDGE PRESS
100 Months HC, $29.95

DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING
Castle Mango Volume 1 GN, $12.95
Private Teacher Volume 3 GN, $12.95
Samejima-Kun And Sasahara Kun GN, $12.95
Starry Sky Volume 1 GN, $12.95
Tyrant Falls In Love Volume 6 GN, $12.95

DYNAMIC FORCES
Shadow #1 (Dynamic Forces)(Francesco Francavilla Exclusive Cover), $14.99

EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS
DC Superhero Chess Figure Collection Magazine #2 Robin White Bishop, $16.00

FILMFAX
Filmfax #130 , $9.95

GEN MANGA ENTERTAINMENT
Kamen GN, $9.95

GRAPHIC UNIVERSE
Miss Annie Volume 2 Rooftop Cat GN, $6.95

HERMES PRESS
Walt Kelly The Life And Art Of The Creator Of Pogo HC (resolicited), $49.99

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT
Are You My Mother A Comic Drama HC, $22.00

KODANSHA COMICS
Sailor Moon Volume 5 TP (Kodansha Edition), $10.99

LOCUS MAGAZINE
Locus #616, $6.95

MOONSTONE
Lone Ranger Chronicles SC, $19.95

NBM
Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde Volume 1 The Selfish Giant And The Star Child HC (New Printing), $17.99
Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde Volume 1 The Selfish Giant And The Star Child SC (New Printing), $9.99
Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde Volume 5 The Happy Prince HC, $16.99

ONI PRESS
Coldest City HC, $19.99
Crogans Loyalty HC, $14.99
Secret History Of DB Cooper #3, $3.99
Sixth Gun #22, $3.99

PUBLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL
Amazing Spider-Man 8 Button Play-A-Sound HC, $12.95

REBELLION
Leviathan GN (Simon & Schuster Edition), $16.99

RED 5 COMICS
Atomic Robo Real Science Adventures #2, $2.75
Dead Or Alive #4 (Of 4), $3.50

RZG COMICS
Phazer War Of The Independents Crossover #2, $3.99

SANCTUM PRODUCTIONS
Shadow 80th Anniversary Commemorative Collection 4 Pack, $39.95

SELFMADEHERO
Best Of Enemies A History Of U.S. And Middle East Relations Volume 1 1783-1953 HC, $24.95
But I Really Wanted To Be An Anthropologist GN, $24.95

TOHAN CORPORATION
Megami March 2012, $16.60
Newtype March 2012, $16.00

TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Alter Ego #108, $8.95
Alter Ego #109, $8.95
Back Issue #56, $8.95

VERTICAL
Flowers Of Evil Volume 1 GN, $10.95

VIZ MEDIA
Future Is Japanese SC, $14.99
Saturn Apartments Volume 4 TP, $12.99
Saturn Apartments Volume 5 TP, $12.99

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
Grimm Fairy Tales #73 (Cover A Stjepan Sejic), $2.99
Grimm Fairy Tales #73 (Cover B Pasquale Qualano), $2.99

image courtesy Image Comics

Junaid Chundrigar is an animator who, if there were any justice, would be working for Marvel right now. Seriously, this is some of the funniest send-ups we’ve seen, that just works by asking what, exactly, goes wrong when superheroes have a bad day. Hint: it usually involves slamming into objects, getting accidentally blasted into the Sun, or vomiting up Stan Lee.

This is just a straight collection of cartoony gags starring Marvel characters, but honestly, it’s really, really funny. Stick around to the end: it’s got a great needling of “The Avengers” on top of everything else.

And honestly, it’s a little less stuck in the past than the first. But only a little.

From the first two hours, it’s not likely “Max Payne 3″ is going to win any Game of the Year awards, but it’s a lot of fun. The new cover mechanic is definitely useful and adds another strategy aspect, but this is still “Max Payne”; you’re still leaping in slow motion and shooting, and you do not have a bunch of convenient waist-high walls to hide behind to build your health back up. Eventually, you’re going to have to charge out from cover, and I suspect people who are getting their first time with Max will not take it well at first.

On the bright side, this is a very smooth and well-paced game: you go from cutscene straight into the action. It’s a welcome change of pace to see no loading screens, although it makes it hard to break off from play, or figure out where the checkpoints are.

Still, one thing that pops out about this game is that, well, all there is is the shooting. It’s incredibly refined, balanced, and challenging shooting, but it’s not very deep. You can poke around for clues and evidence, although the game will tell you to hurry up, but there isn’t much of those. Compare this to, say, “L.A. Noire”, which mixed gunplay and point-and-click adventure gaming, or “Red Dead Redemption”, which has essentially the same gunplay and mechanics, but a vast open world to explore and lots of ways to distract yourself, and this comes up short.

We’ll have a full review later this week. For now, if you wanted more Max, this’ll do you.

“Millenium”, for those unfamiliar, was Chris Carter venting all the weirdness “The X-Files” couldn’t carry onto a show about hunting serial killers that turned into this weird apocalyptic/Biblical drama. It wasn’t always good, but it was always unique.

And Lance Henriksen seems to be convinced that a “Millenium” movie is only a matter of time. Or at least it is if Lance Henriksen has a say in it.

“When you trap a guy like Frank Black, who has that kind of imagination and you put him in a world like Bulgaria where everything is in Cyrillic and he can’t communicate actively with a lot of people, he has to do it in another way. I’ve thought of how it could be done. You just keep moving the pressure in on him about this kind of terrorist stuff. A terrorist plot. The pressure keeps building and building and building until you realize that that pressure gave him all the answers he needed. You would be gasping for air to wonder what is going to happen to this guy.”

We’d like to be snarky about this, except we live in a world where “Van Helsing” is getting a reboot and “Battleship” opens in a few days. So, really, a “Millennium” movie is not the worst idea.

“Diablo III” is one of the most anticipated games of all time, arguably. In fact, today is a crappy day for our own Nathan Birch, because four years ago, he wrote a list about how, among other games, we’d never get to play “Max Payne III” or “Diablo III”, and we’re never going to stop razzing him because they’re both coming out today. He should be getting his “Happy Wrongday” card in the mail aaaaaaany second now.

Honestly, though, for some people, this is going to be the “Star Wars” prequels all over again.

It’s not that “Diablo III” is a bad game. In a way, I really envy the gamers who are going to play “Diablo” for the first time with “III”, because they’re going to love it.

Those of us who played it back in the day, though, and aren’t incredibly hardcore fans, might find themselves enjoying it a lot less.

If all you need to hear is that this is more “Diablo”, then, well, stop reading. This is more “Diablo”, and I hope you enjoy every last minute.

But, if you’re not a hardcore fan, there are a few basic truths here that we should acknowledge, starting with…

#4) The Basic Gameplay Isn’t Deep Enough

Blizzard makes great games, absolutely, but stop and consider that the last “Diablo” game was twelve years ago, and even by twelve years ago standards, the basic mechanics of the game were “click on something until it dies.” Here, have a gameplay video:

Look familiar? It took Blizzard twelve years to make this game, and it’s essentially still stuck in the twentieth century in a lot of ways. Granted, the fans don’t want it to change, at all, ever, but in the intervening decade-plus, some gameplay innovation, hell, some complexity beyond equipping loot drops and a fairly standard blacksmithing system, would be nice. “Starcraft II” had some fairly substantial changes that made it a newer, richer experience over the original “Starcraft”, for example.

“Diablo III”, on the other hand, has more armor slots, the Town Portal has some tweaks, and there are other nice touches to speed up gameplay and trim the frustration. The Followers you collect in particular can be useful. But it’s not like we haven’t seen this before, in games that rip off “Diablo”.

Worse, they’ve actually made the game less complex when it comes to building your character. The key appeal was building the perfect character at a granular level: with no skill points or manual control over attributes…really, what’s the point? A crafting system, no matter how much Blizzard pretends, is not the same thing. At least there are skill runes, which can alter gameplay substantially, and freshen up combat as it gets dull, but the feel still comes off as dumbed down.

#3) The Story Is No Great Shakes

In fact, it’s pretty stupid.

Seriously, sit down and read the story of the original two games. Take it out of context, look at it, and marvel that your teenaged self ever found it compelling. Hell, the story in the third game is so thin Blizzard decided to dump cutscenes: all those clips in the ads are pre-rendered for advertising purposes. Notice, again, they largely avoid showing gameplay.

Granted, a lot of games have stories that don’t age well. “Deus Ex” has a plot that’s somewhat ridiculous. But it also has deep, rich, complex gameplay, which is why it’s still held up as a classic. “Diablo” doesn’t.

There’s no traditional motivation to keep playing, here. The story’s not very good, the gameplay just gives you new and prettier ways to kill things with mouse clicks…if this were any other franchise, from any other company, it would be getting destroyed right now.

Which is why a few states are allowing high schools to “teach the controversy” on evolution and glossing over just how dumping billions of tons of crap into our atmosphere might be affecting the planet, instead of encouraging their students to develop critical thinking skills and ask questions. We’re sure that’s going to do wonders for the unemployment rate, about ten years down the line.

Fortunately, twenty-six states have decided to actually teach, you know, science instead of “politically motivated pap”.

Essentially it wants to turn elementary, middle and high school science into a consistent whole, taking the focus off of facts and applying more focus on process. In other words, instead of learning about energetic reactions, students would be encouraged to actually blow things up.

The standards are still in draft, and you can weigh in on the website, but it’s honestly just nice to see somebody in education standing up for science for once.

image courtesy Kingsway School on Flickr

Gee, could it be because Android is built on Linux and there are over a quarter of a billion Android phones out there?

It kind of baffles us that nobody has really pointed this out or realized that this is where Valve is heading. Because, really, duh. True, porting to Linux is not the same as porting to Android, but it’s a valuable first step, and the fact that Canonical is building Ubuntu for Android is likely not lost on Valve.

Increasingly, high-end smartphones come with the oomph to run classic PC games and more casual modern ones. It’s hard to believe Valve, especially faced with the rise of casual gaming, doesn’t see some serious potential in that market, especially as tablets overwhelm laptops.

But this seems to have largely eluded the gaming and tech press. And we have to wonder why.

image courtesy Valve