this is why feminists are pissed
I bought Soul Calibur 4 yesterday quite conflicted.
On one hand they but in Darth Vader, Yoda, and The Apprentice for no other reason but to add more characters to the roster without having to think about it at all. Plus, lets be honest, any one of these three would wipe the floor with the rest of the SC4 cast; They have lightsabers for fucks-sake! On the other hand, they did develop 2 completely new characters (3 if you count the new boss).
The gameplay is solid. It is slower than the previous two Soul Calibur games and it is visually up to snuff with everything else out there. They added new gameplay mechanics like the armor zones which can be destroyed with repeated attacks and the critical finish, which for all intents and purposes is a finishing move a la Mortal Kombat.
But there is a major problem with Soul Calibur 4 and it has to do with the girls of SC4.
That Crazy CS Major has caused me to start looking at the way that women are shown in various mediums in a different way.
Before, I wouldn't have blinked twice at the latest Edge Shave Gel Commercials. Now, I can't help but think about how fucking ridiculous it all is. Instead of making a superior product and backing it up with some scientific proof, they simply put women in booty shorts and have them dance around in party that spontaneously pops up in your nose or spray whipped cream all over each other.
How the fuck did this happen?
Don't get me wrong, while it is visually appealing, when you realize what is actually going on here, it is just insane.
Which brings me back to SC4.
What the fuck is this shit?
When I first saw this months ago, I simply laughed. How can that be considered a proper getup for going into weapons battle? As silly a notion as that is, seeing it in action however takes it from distasteful to offensive. And this is just one example. Others include:
- Seong Mi-Na, Cassandra, and Tira now prance around in a fully exposed thong
- Xiangua is in booty shorts
- Setsuka has an exposed bra
- Sophitia wears a sheer dress with no armor
- Amy is a full-blown lolita
- Talim has see-thru pants (she's supposedly 15)
- Taki still has her skin tight jumpsuit (with no bra)
The only exception to the rule is Hilde:
Full plate armor, armed a spear and a shortsword... fuck.She means business.
Now, let's be clear here. I wouldn't say that I am a feminist. I am just asking for a bit of realism here people. If a game is about sword-fighting, I would expect these characters to be properly prepared for a damned sword-fight. I think that feminists are just asking the same thing; the sane ones anyway. :-)
August 4, 2008 at 1:06 AM
Haha, I win! :D
And you say you're not a feminist, but I do not think it means what you think it means. ;) top
August 4, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Care to enlighten me about my apparent misconception? :-) top
August 4, 2008 at 2:45 PM
What you think it means is actually the connotation. I think this entry from urbandictionary.com shows the difference between the connotation and the actual dictionary definition, with "sane woman" being what an actual feminist is about, and the "feminist" being what most people like to think we are.
Note: Feminist women should NOT be mistaken with sane women that ACTUALLY want equality and respect, and simply ask to be looked upon as people and not animals.
Sane Woman: "We were created equal to men, therefore we are also people and should be treated as such... so when you ask something of us, ask it with respect and without violence, just like we would ask you."
Feminist Woman: "We were created equal to men, therefore they should bow to us and shine our shoes with their tongues while we bitch and moan that they are not doing it right."
You should read the urban dictionary definitions, they're mostly atrocious. top
August 4, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Ah, I see your point now...
I have been known to use Urban Dictionary as a resource for cultural idioms, but I don't go there to get definitions for common words.
In common language, most people translate the word feminist as "man-hating bitch". In fact, I would venture that this word is so perverted that it is beyond saving, and thus a new one must be created to replace it; kinda like Creationism and Intelligent Design. Except in feminism's case, it actually stood for something to begin with, as apposed to Creationism, which never had anything to stand on.
Building on this belief, I attempted to detract myself from the knee-jerk reactions that most people will have upon reading this post. Even know I know that feminism in it's true form is not about man-hating but about sexual equality.
I apologize. :-( top
August 4, 2008 at 3:35 PM
I totally understand wanting to avoid the knee-jerk reaction. No worries. :)
And actually looking at your post, I don't understand how she (Ivy?) hasn't already sliced herself up with that sword thing... redonkulous. top
August 4, 2008 at 4:48 PM
Yeah, Ivy supposedly has a mastery of a skill that combines the bullwhip and the gymnastic ribbon.
Along with completely insane grabs where the fucking sword completely comes apart and attacks the enemy like swarming ravens.
So I guess that makes her a magical lion-taming gymnast.
Quite a unique concept. top