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Aleclom's Super Columbine Massacre RPG (PC)
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| [February 23, 2009 12:01:09 AM]
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Super Columbine Massacre – Day 3
Today I pick up where I left off yesterday. I run through the school, battling a few more students while trying to find where I’m supposed to go; I also run into a flashback sequence where we put on a play of Frankenstein, and some parallels were created between us and Frankenstein’s monster. Finally a showdown occurs through the library windows between us and the cops. It’s a cutscene battle, though, so I don’t do anything. Finally, after some shooting, Eric and Dylan decide to end everything and commit suicide.
In those last moments, Eric reflects that maybe things could have been different, that maybe they could have ran away instead of pursuing revenge. But he figures everything would still suck, and then quite possibly the stupidest bit of dialog occurs. He wonders if maybe instead they could have hijacked some planes and crash them into New York City (gee, I wonder what he’s referring to). This completely knocked me out of the moment; there was absolutely no reason to include a 9/11 reference, other than cheap shock value and maybe some terrorism connections. Stupid.
After the game ends, pictures roll of the aftermath of the shooting. I then realize I could have made my way through the game without killing anyone other than myself. Huh. That thought didn’t even remotely occur to me; instead I was too busy thinking like an RPG player and hunting down everyone. That definitely doesn’t help the “video games don’t cause violence” argument.
After the pictures roll, and you’re left contemplating Eric and Dylan’s motivations and if this could have all been avoided, the game fades back in to Dylan. And he’s in Hell. So you set off to find Eric, all the while fighting off various demons. I got killed along the way because I was left with only a pistol, and I respawned all the way back to my last save point (in the parking lot before the attack began). I didn’t want to do all that again, so I turned it off.
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| [February 22, 2009 11:59:17 PM]
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Super Columbine Massacre – Day 2
So my second session begins with all of the bombs failing to go off. We decide to wing it and plow through everyone anyway. The parking lot fills up with people after the bell rings. Now here is where my RPG instincts kick in. I stop seeing everyone as victims, and instead I see them as experience mines; I fight everyone in the parking lot so I can grow a few levels.
Indeed, my mindset is now that of a gamer. I run through the level, fighting as many enemies as I can so I can get stronger. I figure there’ll be a boss character or something at the end of the level, so I conserve my ammo when I can. I’m not even thinking of the real Columbine massacre anymore; only about level grinding. Does that say anything about the effect of video games? My view is that this shows that games are just that; in real life just the thought of a school shooting makes me sick, but here I’m plowing through because it’s a fun RPG. Same reason why I never ever want to go to war, yet still enjoy playing Call of Duty. Of course, others can probably link that to some sort of adverse effect on my conscience or something, but whatever.
Of course, I’m not the biggest RPG fan in the world. By the time I get to the cafeteria, all of the repetitive turn-based battles have become really boring. I then decide to just run through the rest of the level to wherever the final area is. I do encounter a boy being bullied in the bathroom, so I kill the bullies and help the boy. Hypocritical, yes, but I couldn’t help it. Plus the boy gives us some health packs, which rocks. I also think that it’s funny how the boy wasn’t freaking out that we just blew away four kids, but I digress.
I’m pretty tired of all of the battling, so I decide to call it quits for now and finish it tomorrow.
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| [February 21, 2009 11:23:31 PM]
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Super Columbine Massacre RPG – Day 1
I haven’t even downloaded the game before I already figure what it will be. I mean, with a name like that, what else could it be but an extremely obvious and over-the-top attempt to shock people and create controversy? I only hope I’m wrong and that it was made with some sort of message in mind. Well, I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.
The game opens with Eric waking up on what I assume is the big day. Snooping around the room, I find Doom for the PS2, and this little nugget of a message pops up: “You scored Doom for the PS2! Let the desensitization to violence begin!” Ugh, not 5 seconds into the game and it’s already blatantly throwing controversy into my face. Blaming video games for violence, what a totally original thing to do! Before I leave, I call up Dylan and we talk about the plan for today. We’re feeling nervous, but committed.
I go down to the basement and gather up all of the gear for the big event. Dylan comes over and we prepare to go. While down there, I check out some of the objects in the room. A pizza box initiates a flash back to when we were in the planning stages; I also see a recorder, on which we tape one last message. This managed to get to me; Eric spends his time apologizing to everyone and knowing how broken his parents will be. That hits pretty hard. WHY did they do this? I’ll never fully understand, and it frustrates me to no end. Seriously, they were so close to the end of high school, they could have just moved on to better things. High school sucks for everyone; it’s a terrible time for a teenager. But it’s also very insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and certainly not worth throwing your life away for some damn revenge. Good job game, you got me thinking.
I’m apprehensive about continuing on; I’m afraid at what the game might make me do. Yes, it’s just like any other shooting game out there, but something about knowing how real this is makes all the difference. I know the outcome, and there is no way I can change it. If it were up to me, I’d stop playing right now. But I have to keep going, so I do. Du Hast starts playing on their car radio as they drive to school, which lightens the mood a bit and reminds me that it’s just a game.
We get to school, and the first thing we need to do is get to the cafeteria. We have to sneak through the halls without being detected. Normally I’m pretty good at sneaking missions…except when the people FOLLOW YOU. So it’s not as simple as avoiding their eyesight. You have to sprint away from them as they inexplicably try and talk to you whilst avoiding the security cameras, inevitably racking up followers until you have a mob rushing you. It is very frustrating. Finally I manage to shake off my instinct to time their movements and jump to different hiding places, and just sprint down the hallway. Yippee, here’s the cafeteria.
And what do I do when I get there? I PULL THE FRIGGIN’ FIRE ALARM. It was put in the level design, so naturally I thought “Huh, I wonder what happens when I choose this?” Damn my RPG instincts. Anyway, after maybe 20 minutes of wandering around the cafeteria frustrated beyond belief and being “busted” numerous times, I finally figure out that I was supposed to get the bombs out of the trunk of our car. Ugh, that hurts.
So finally I set the bombs, we get all of our weapons together, and set the timer on the bomb in our car. I figure this is a good place to stop, right before all the action begins. Just got to keep reminding myself that it’s just a game…
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