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I can has downloadable version? This is awesome.

Quoted for emphasis and truth Yeah, I'm a cyberpunk elitist. Actually I was hoping to stir up some interesting controversy. Like this: Deus Ex was post-cyberpunk, though it could be argued to be on the cusp. Consider, the game explored it's ideas through the format of a video game (played through a computer) where actual computer literacy skills (Typing in username and password, reading email etc) were used to a limited extent. That is to say, the game could not have made its point in the same way without playing on understandings of contemporary levels of tech, of the sort that cyberpunk is usually focused on However, Deus Ex is Cyberpunk, not post-cyberpunk in content - it did NOT focus on the hacking, that was a means to an end. The actual content was focused on near-future techs such as nanotech which did not actually exist, and a focus on a society that was not yet around. (It's about an anti-terrorist coalition, and plays on a lot of things that didn't happen until september 11 the year later - an interesting bit of prophacy.) The fact that it merges unironic use of these themes along with the connection between input within and out of the game world (your keyboard is the keyboard in game!) brings a slightly post-modern aspect into things which is why I would classify it as post-cyberpunk. More to the point, it plays around with tropes of cyberpunk. Remember, Cyberpunk was a flash literary genre that worked because it came out of nowhere and did things no-one had seen before. The fact that Deus Ex follows genre conventions means it is aware of genre conventions, which firmly pushes it into post-cyberpunk territory. There wasn't a second-gen of cyberpunk, really. Writing to ANY genre conventions was against the ideal and ethos of cyberpunk, so anyone doing it must do so with intentional or unintentional irony (much like a manufactured punk music band is ironic). The fact that Deus Ex does this really, really well, and still manages to tell a good story and make an interesting social comment despite the irony of it's genre tropes simply shows that it is a brilliant work in any case. Have fun picking out all the holes in that argument, I'm hungover.

No, No, No, No, No Cyberpunk is about this: "Whatever you can do to a rat, you can do to a person, and you can do ANYTHING to a rat" Cyberpunk is about life being cheap. Cyberpunk was about the future, and is now about the present day. Cyberpunk is dead, and by the very fact we have the internet now, the closest anyone can get is post-cyberpunk or classic cyberpunk, written ironically. Start with Neuromancer. Don't stop there, because everyone else does and thinks that's what cyberpunk is about. Instead, continue on to Bruce Sterling, who ACTUALLY invented the genre, even if Gibson gets the credit. I met Bruce Sterling at a con once. Brilliant, facinating man, and he signed my copy of Schismatrix. Read that. Also Noir by K.W. Jeter, it's about a world where pirating basically has the death penalty, and has the greatest opening line of any book ever. Chi by Alexander Besher is fun, it's about Ladyboys. Oh, and there is no such thing as Cyberpunk film. Cyberpunk was dead the first time someone tried to visualise it. When you read Neuromancer, note the depth of imagery and tell me if you think film could ever do that justice. But you want adolecent fiction? Right. The Web series, various authors. Pulply but fun young adolecent cyberpunk about a metaphorical internet and its repurcussions Synners, I THINK by Pat Cadigan but could be wrong. (Also note in this one the stark difference in sexual imagary that was pointed out by a lecturer I had a while back. In an adolecent Lit class. She pointed out that in Neuromancer, you "Jack in", but in Synners, you "Take the wire".) Also, I'd recommend "So Yesterday" by Scott Westerfeld first for being excellent adolescent lit and second for being a great example of post cyberpunk.

On a similar subject, I spotted what I think might be a mistake - for the Breath of Fire 2 song "You Must Dance", song listed is "Crazy Dance". Now, I'm only a huge Breath of Fire 2 fan, but I'm pretty sure the song is called "You Must Live" or at least was in the games sound test. Correct me if I'm wrong. Sweet addition, though.

this topic is far too reasonable. MOAR JUDGEHATE. SHTYJDGEFGTS

Right, someone at the start of this thread broke rules #1 and #2.

I find it funny that sleeping with hookers was removed in GTA. In Australia, prostitution is legal in at least some states. So it is wrong for a game to feature the legal, consensual act of paid sex, yet it is entirely okay for the same game to feature murder, theft, and everything else it does? Someone has f**** up priorities.

that's mc chris, lower case, no dots, rewind

Does the Shael rune sing about its groin? </Obvious joke>

Thanks, I might be going out (it's Friday night and I have a life), but I'll see how I go. If you're up pretty late, it works for me, but I might be very drunk.

If it's not too late, I might be interested on this - your 8pm seems to be my 11am, and since I'm working afternoon/evening shifts this year, if that's the time you'll be msotly playing it works with my schedule. So, can I join up? Won't take too long to catch up one Act, and I'm happy to play whatever class people are wanting. (Paladin sounds obvious, but I've played a bit of every class and like them all) I played heaps of D2 single player back in the day, but I haven't played a lot online since I had dial-up back then. Fortunately, US West is the fastest server for me, so I shouldn't have any lag issues. I'm at work at the moment, but I can join the irc channel at home. Which is where I'll be most days from next week on.

Deltron 3030? Yours Truly, 2095 by Electric Light Orchestra? Anthem for the Year 2000, by whoever did that?

I totally hear you on this - I've been thinking for years writing can be powerful, but more powerful if combined with music or images. (Maybe I'm biased, though, because I'm a good writer, despite being entirely useless musically and artistically.) I also really enjoyed Snow, Love and Sludge as an example of this. In other words, I think it's a great idea. Despite being a dirty lurker, I may be interested in helping out or participating.

Ok, I'm sure no-one is going to believe me here, but I was on holidays for two weeks, and didn't get the podcasts. I get back, here the clip contest, and, before hearing the answer, I actually did guess that it was Open Ending - one of my favourite mixes. As I said, I'm sure no-one believes me, but I feel pretty impressed. Open Ending has some rather distinctive synthy sounds, and I can tell them from a half second clip.

She is the river that runs where all water is gone. She is the ice that lasts in a land of liquid heat. She is the final breath of the firstborn, and the first sweet drops of life that we mortals are akin to. It is a precious few leaves that makes up one of our lives in the great tree that is time, and yet, thanks to her, a flower blooming closely to us mere shadowy leaves, the lifetime between the spring we bloom and the autumn we fall is made worth it all. She is the dewdrop that glistens in the sun and sways gently in the wind, reflecting the light of the world in all directions that we may be illuminated to her wonderous presence. Oh, and Auroramix stopped just as it was getting musicially interesting.