[X] My Assistant

[Wounded Ronin]

I'm sure that every gamer worth his salt remembers Damage Incorporated. It was basically a commercial Marathon mod by Richard Rouse where you got to play the role of a Marine whose squaddies would spew one-liners from Full Metal Jacket whilst firing from the hip and blowing away domestic militia members. I think that Rouse was trying to make some kind of commentary about society but for me it was the ultimate ironic and comedic experience. I think I played and beat this game on the hardest difficult level over 10 times in the last two years. Anyway, if you're not familiar with the whole game, here's a review of it I wrote:

http://www.bullshido.net/modules.php?name=...icle&id=121


One of the most memorable things about the game Damage Incorporated was the ending. Richard Rouse, voice acting the final boss of the game, gave a demented monologue about the state of the United States in the mid 90s. I really felt that he was seeking some cultural resonance with the social critiques of 1969 even if the monologue was mostly incoherent. One line sticks in my mind because I felt that it was especially well delivered:

"...unless a few hundred slaughtered isn't enough for you. But I can see the murder in your eyes...hard heart indeed!"

So, on a whim today, I entered that line into Google, and actually found an old post on the Bungie forums where someone tried to type up the whole ending monologue. However, because I'm so awesome and superior, I actually beat the game enough times to be able to "fix" the errors in the ending text from memory. So here we go, with the original link to Bungie, and my corrections here in this post below:

http://forums.bungie.org/story/?noframes;read=46087

My corrected version. Don't mess with a dude who beat this game over ten times on Vietnam mode!

When the prodigal son returns, is the greeting I got he wants?
When he’s been to the other side of the inferno, does he want to be frozen instead?
And who is responsible for the ice?
For the chill, that comes with the ice?
For the PAIN, that is insurmountable?
Is it the people? The places? The things?
I don’t know, but I DO know what must happen, what must happen.
What of the bully pulpit, the same one that sends us adrift, does nothing for our return, does nothing for our pain, FEELS IT...
but denies that it exists.
Just whose chemicals were they?
Just WHOSE...PAIN...IS IT?!
I’ve seen alot. Been around, been around, but nothing is worse than the colonies.
No no, no no.
What could be worse?
Where noone wants anyone who isn’t themselves?
Where noone wants to spend more than 30 seconds figuring anything out!?
When a country needs to get rocked, and cold-cocked, to feel it’s alive!?
Where men say �She was asking for it�?
Where spilling coffee makes you a millionaire?
Where a man is jailed for critizicing the ridiculous because �HE’S DANGEROUS�!?
Don’t cry fire, just doing my job here, just doing my job...but someone’s got to throw the switch!
But it’s the sharks that win in the end, yes they do...when a black man kills a white woman, and the throbbing horde gets all upset.
But when a black man kills ten other black men, and everybody...sleeps...tight.
When the government determinds the positions we can use, and who we can use them with!?
DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL! That’s not censorship, that’s THE MARKETPLACE!
The greatest health cares ystem in the world, Adam Smith’s a great success, isn’t he?
There’s gotta be ten people who love them, doesn’t there? And ten people’s enough, if they LUST him enough.
...
That’s when I reach for my M16... it has all the answers...
I knew the marines would be back for me some day, they never forget their dead, DO THEY?
But you can’t save the colonies, no no, they’ll fall on their own, with or without my friendly pursuation.
Unless a few hundred slaughtered isn’t enough for you, but I can see the murder in your eyes, hard heart indeed!
So you’ve found my italian comrades?
Then why don’t you come join me!
Once upon a time in the west...
Be seeing you.

This ending consists to a bunch of references, much like most cool things on the internet do. They include lines from Full Metal Jacket, a reference to an old Western film, and to a few events-in-the-news and political issues of the mid 90s. Maybe for me that's part of this ending's charm, since I love history.

Good clean fun!

[Rad]

So I guess the pertinent question is:

Has Metallica sued this game's creator for using their song title yet? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

[Wounded Ronin]

Dunno if they'd be able to collect from poor Richard Rouse.

[Drogos]

Dunno if they'd be able to collect from poor Richard Rouse.

Metallica :cough:Lars:cough:Ulrich:cough: has already proven that he...rather they don't care about the ability to collect or not.

[Wounded Ronin]

Well, seriously, I think that "Damage Incorporated" the term existed before the Metallica Song. Back when I was in middle school someone told me that it was used to refer to certain members of a historical Jewish mafia. So it's kind of like how Metallica couldn't sue you for using the term "Search And Destroy" or "Sandman".

[Drogos]

I'm pretty sure they didn't copyright the term, so you are likely very right they would not have a leg to stand on if they were to sue, cause if they did, they would (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Redjack]

Like the RIAA and other vicious litigators have proven, its not whether your right or wrong in copyright dispute, but who can financially sustain a prolonged legal battle.....

[Drogos]

WERD!

[Wounded Ronin]

Like the RIAA and other vicious litigators have proven, its not whether your right or wrong in copyright dispute, but who can financially sustain a prolonged legal battle.....

Well, yes, but there's a point at which even the RIAA doesn't bother. For example, how they're not suing the military for using the term "Seek and Destroy".

[Drogos]

Clearly they settled out of court (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[SuperFly]

Completely unrelated, but, man, I remember a campaign I was in during the 90's, where I lobbied quite hard to name the team 'Damage, Inc.' The GM wouldn't accept it, and instead forced us to be called the 'Suicide Squad'.

[Drogos]

Damage Inc was the name of a saabat pack I was a part of in HS. Man did we tear it up (all in game of course). Coming next, the Leper Mesiahs (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

[Fortune]

Da Mage Sink would make a good awakened bar.