Twilight Sparkle

None of them are perfect, but which one would you prefer to run the nation you live in? Would you accept a government that focuses on the progress of humanity as a whole at the expense of the common man? Or would you prefer one that protects individuals at the expense of progress? Do you think it's possible for a government to protect the individual and still do what is best for all? If not, which path is more important? Moreover, is what is best for the whole ultimately the best for the individual? Does the individual always know what is best for him? If not, should the government have the right to act on his behalf? If you haven't thought much into it, this may help you get started: http://www.politicalcompass.org/test Now to answer my own questions, I believe that the best form of government so far is a Social Democracy, which is what many countries in Europe are doing. Statistically speaking, they are wealthy, the people are some of the happiest in the world, they have access to things such as Universal Healthcare and Welfare, have some of the highest life expectancies in the world, and in general are peaceful, productive nations. Essentially, a Social Democracy is where the people elect their representatives, and the government provides care in the form of the services mentioned above (Social Policies) while still protecting the rights of its citizens. Companies and Businesses still exist, and are regulated by the government, but are not directly controlled by it. The benefits of this are that we have all the benefits of Capitalism (Productivity, wealth, scientific progress) but without the downsides that can result from Laissez-faire economics (Monopolies, exploitation, ect.) One of the criticisms of Capitalism is that it guarantees a lower class, and an upper class, which ensures that the lower class will always be exploited by the richer class. Social Democracy is a solution for that weakness because it helps to equalize the wealth, 'patching' the problem. In this way, this type of government has managed to protect the individual, while still advancing humanity as a whole. The downside to this is that it involves enormous taxes. These countries have the highest tax burdens in the world. However, taxation is a necessary evil I think, and the money is at least going to a good cause. The fact of the matter is, people sometimes need help. You can be born disadvantaged. You can lose everything through no fault of your own. Some people cannot help themselves, and so they can turn to no one other than their fellows. We did not get to where we are today by working alone, so why should we change that now? We have to help each other to survive, and us paying taxes that the government uses for social programs is us helping them help us all. Any other thoughts?

Banned because braille can't be spoken.

Hey, remember when Mario 64 was top-of-the-line shit?

Memorable at times like the ending credits and the opening screen (Such as "I don't want to set the world on fire" at the Fallout 3 intro scene), and atmospheric elsewhere. That way you get atmospheric to set the mood of the game, and memorable music for times when it isn't distracting you from gameplay.

*Splat* - He encounters a Sarlacc.

Holy shit...Is this...Is this for real? *Backs up* Well...That's definitely an exit sign, and that definitely looks like an exit...Well all right! I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth! *Walks ahead while whistling*. WHOA! *Stops abruptly*. Now hold on just a minute. I just walked into an ambush in front of a first aid kit. And now, the first fire exit I see in two fucking days, is just standing here out of nowhere. You know what? I'm not doing this. I bet there's a fucking tank at the bottom of those stairs or something. That's not likely but nothing else that's gone on today was either. To hell with it, I've been doing just fine so far I'll just keep following the dead bodies." - What if he wandered into a minefield, and right in the middle of it he notices the warning sign?

Hey! Remember when Adult Swim was a Kids Next Door episode?

Banned for hypnotizing me with your avatar, although love and tolerance is welcome and appreciated.

What you're thinking of is Grand Strategy, and that's something you'll get from Paradox Games. Europa Universalis III is a good start. You can play as just about any country in the world, starting from whenever the Hundred Years' War ended, and ending around 1789. Basically building a nation from scratch. Conquer Portugal as Spain, take the Teutonic Order from a Baltic state to a unified German superpower. The Victoria series is also good, but that takes place more around the Industrial Age, and focuses on economics and colonization more so than wars between European powers.

Banned for considering any other than RD and TS.

Banned due to implication that Pinkie Pie is best pony via chosen username.

6/10 for being sorta clever.

We have a conflict of interest... Incidentally, can you make my name Twilight Sparkle? I'm a bit late to the party, but I kinda want to complete the Mane Six thing we have here.

I don't think so. Teleports in the HL universe are shown to be large, clumsy, and slow to operate. Even the ones at White Forest during the final battle in Episode Two were stationary and too large to be carried around, and since they need to be connected to a power source to work Gordon wouldn't be able to use them even if he could carry one. I suppose he could mount one on his car and rig it to the battery somehow, but it's not like that car was built to power a Teleport, so that wouldn't be advisable. Besides, those require a link to work - an outgoing teleport, and one to receive it. How would Gordon get what he needed when he needed it? Also, I would like to start a motion to have this added to the official "In case of rogue AI, remember your paradoxes" list.

Oh well, it's better than in Fallout where you can carry ridiculous amounts of ammunition while apparently having nothing to show for it except for a weapon magically stuck to your armor.

Gameplay wise, he wears a suit of impenetrable body armor and carries enough weapons and ammunition to rival the military of a third world country while retaining the ability to crawl through air vents and climb ladders with both of his hands occupied by a readied weapon.

Generally, the player uses weapons for which ammo is currently available, which changes based on what part of the game you're on. This in mind, I just kinda assume that he uses whatever is available at any given time. In a map like anti-citizen one, we can assume that Gordon carries grenades, his crowbar, his pistols, the gravity gun, and an SMG most of the time. The arrangement could be as follows: crowbar strapped to his thigh where he can draw it as needed (almost like a sword), the 9mm and Revolver in leg holsters on either leg (and magazine pouches), Gravity Gun slung across his back, SMG in hand, and a couple grenades on his waist (For many players, it's rare that he maxes out at 5, no?). It's a tough fit, but it's manageable (especially if we assume his suit augments his strength, which is likely). When he runs into the Combine soldiers later in the same map who are carrying AR2s, he'll of course transition to that weapon because it's better, presumably throwing away his SMG to save space. Whenever he runs low on AR2 ammo, he'd switch back to the SMG, which is definitely easy to come by. Even in long firefights where it's difficult to claim enemy weapons right away, we can assume that Rebels are willing to pass ammo to Freeman if he's running low. As for the RPG, he only uses those in areas that are either heavily guarded (Nova Prospekt) or heavily contested (lighthouse point, the Nexus, ect.). The only place that really seemed questionable was the cache in the van in the map Highway 17, which he uses to shoot down a pursuing gunship. However, Rebel Outposts dotted the area, so it's not out of the question that resources such as that are scattered all over the coast, but not encountered during the game (Gordon is moving quickly, after all). For Ravenholm, Gordon is pretty short on ammo because zombies don't exactly pack commando gear. However, the fact that Grigori has planted ammo and guns in town is reason enough to accept that Gordon can switch weapons when he needs to, not to mention the Gravity Gun, which is a great fallback. So yeah, the simple way to look at this is that he doesn't carry all of these weapons at the same time, but instead makes use of them as they are available while always keeping some necessities (pistols and crowbar for backup, for example) on hand.

Hiding weapons in your rectum? That sounds like a... *puts on sunglasses* ...pain in the ass. YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! You sir, deserve a beating.

I don't buy much into rumors. Quite frankly we don't know anything about his replacement at all. In fact, until recently, the only available photo of him was from when he was eleven. Hell, we don't even know how old Kim Jong-Il was when he died (either 69 or 70). It's true the guy was molded by Kim Jong-Il, but like was mentioned before that doesn't mean he's just as bad. I'm not saying he's better or worse, I'm saying that until he does something we can't know for sure.

Death is never cause for celebration. Maybe not, but the fact that they are no longer in power certainly is, both for us and the people they controlled.

Damn you, I was gonna post it! Well, that's two brutal dictators (And Osama) dead this year, so that's definitely cause for celebration. I have to say though, I'm a bit worried about his son. The thing is, we KNEW that Kim Jong Il was a crazy bastard, but at least he had enough sense to not actually start a war. Now, his son on the other hand, well, we don't really know anything about him. Is he practically the same guy? Saner? Or will he throw his oversized army at South Korea and potentially trigger WWIII? Personally, I'm hoping that all his children fight among themselves and bring that shithole down from the inside. Maybe then a government will arise that will actually lead the people to prosperity.

Agreed. The War on Terror is one thing, but invading Iraq? I get that Saddam was bad and all, but we really fucked things up for a lot more people than just us. Iraq's military was pretty much pulverized by our invasion and it hasn't really recovered. Now that we've withdrawn, Iran can basically do whatever it wants because there aren't any significant opponents nearby. It's nice that we finally got out of there, but at this point things are so screwed up that I'm not celebrating just yet.

This adds a whole new dimension to Freeman's Mind (Quite literally!). My favorite part was when he picked up and put on his glasses while bitching about the headcrabs, for some reason.

I agree. He's more than qualified IMO, but there's no need for more mods. If someone resigns though he should be at the top of the list.

Shephard's Mind is my second favorite (After Freeman's Mind, shocking I know). The reason Shephard's Mind stands out to me is because Shephard is an original individual. He actually has his own personality, and never felt like he was just a Freeman clone. As a big plus, I feel like I can relate to him as a character. To explain, he seems like he's an average everyday guy, as opposed to Freeman, who's an eccentric, alcoholic, drug-abusing physicist. Don't get me wrong, Freeman is hilarious, but he lacks the familiarity of Shepard's Mind. SM takes many of the thoughts that I had while playing the game, and presents them in a way that I can appreciate and laugh at. FM does more or less the same thing of course, but Gordon's unique personality is its own type of funny. I can appreciate both for their slightly different comedic value. Shepard's Mind is great, but Freeman's Mind edges ahead because it is consistently funny. When watching SM, you can expect a lot of time being amused, but not much that actually gets you to burst out laughing. With FM, you can almost always expect a few good laughs during each episode. And Freeman's Mind has a huge advantage in the voice acting. Ross' voice is, undoubtedly, perfect for the role. It's charismatic in a way that absolutely keeps you listening. It's just different enough from the norm to hold your interest, and so that even during dull moments it will have your attention. That's part of the reason why I wasn't ever able to get into the other ones. I gave Felix's Mind a try, but it just wasn't able to hold my interest because the voice was uninteresting. Shephard's Mind succeeded because I was always waiting for that moment that would be absolutely hilarious, so I kept listening in anticipation for it. Chell's Mind is a solid third. It doesn't manage to hold my interest like the other two, but I think it's pretty funny regardless. I appreciate some of the running gags (Like the creepy voice, naming the portal gun, ect.) and, like SM, I found myself waiting eagerly for that golden moment that would really make me laugh. Barney's Mind, I was never able to get into. I watched the first few episodes (I tried on two separate occasions to watch the series) but I never really liked it. Barney just isn't as funny as Shephard or Freeman, and it seems to me that a lot of the humor involved is really just him bitching (He declares that he hates his job 4-5 times in Episode 1, for example). I'm not going to say that it sucks, just that I personally didn't think it was funny. Felix's Mind, I didn't really like either. Felix's voice isn't anywhere near as compelling as Ross', and as a result I had little interest from the start. Also, the fact that it started at HL2: Episode One, really irked me. Why Episode One? Why not just start at HL2? No one has tried that successfully yet. When I watch Felix's Mind, it's like I'm watching the sequel to a great movie without watching the original first. No matter how great it is, I just can't really get into it because I feel like I don't know the main character like I should. That might be a little unfair, but again, why Episode One? I'd rather he started at HL2, so we would have plenty of time to get familiar with Felix. Freeman's Mind is, and always will be, my favorite. Gordon's voice and his unique personality will always raise him above the rest. Shephard's Mind is a solid second because Shephard is an original character that is done by an able voice actor who is consistently funny. Chell's Mind is worth watching, but the creator won't find herself on my subscription list. Barney's Mind, I never even watched fully because I didn't think it was funny and because it always seemed like I was watching a rip-off, as opposed to SM where it felt more like a homage. There are some great mind series' out there, but the original and a few others are the only ones that really stand out to me.