So, yesterday I posted an entry on Stardock's release of The Political Machine 2012. Not surprisingly, some reviews have begun appearing on this niche title over the last few days. Leading the review pack, as always, are the fellas over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Now, if you are not familiar with them, RPS is a wonderfully witty site that covers computer gaming and news with a particular focus on PC gaming. However, RPS, being largely staffed by our English cousins across the big pond, does display a typically European left-wing bias whenever the subject touches on politics, as seen in their involvement with the politically juvenile propaganda game, Curfew. Not surprisingly, their review of The Political Machine 2012 displays a similar bias as well, albeit, knowing how these guys work, I suspect more than a little of it was designed to create a dust-up for their amusement. Anyway, just thought I would post some excerpts here.
Wot I Think: The Political Machine 2012
It’s election fever! Well, election ennui. As the disappointingly over-cautious incumbent takes on a billionaire charisma-vacuum for rights to the throne of America, Stardock release an update of their presidential wannabe sim. I’ve been creeping around the corridors of power in The Political Machine 2012 for the last couple of days. Join me in the west wing for a post-mortem, won’t you?
Wow, I've never heard a president who has spent over 5 trillion dollars is less than four years called "over-cautious" before! I hate to think what Alec Meer considers to be overly aggressive in politics!
That lily-livered pinko hippie Al Franken might have the goddamn vegan commies down in California in his pocket, but I’ll be damned if that’s going to keep me, staunch Republican Ian Prejudice, from saving the American people from their own venality. On a crusading, unwavering platform of fanatical Christianity, tax cuts for the rich and blind hatred of gay marriage, I will lead this ailing nation to a brighter, better future where everyone who isn’t exactly the same as me is ritually persecuted and, ideally, homeless. Or cleaning one of my many houses for a pittance. It’s their own damn fault for not being rich, white, straight, Christian men. Yessir, Ian Prejudice knows values, and Ian Prejudice will never change his values.
Yawn. I hear this same shtick on re-runs of the West Wing every night. Well...not really. I have too much self-respect to ever watch NBC programming.
I’ve done this before, but last time Ian Prejudice bore his then-pseudonym Dick Cheney**.
** Ian Prejudice is a character of my own creation, thanks to TPM’s playful candidate-creation tool, but any similarity to reptilian vice-presidents alive or dead may not be entirely coincidental.
The Left never fears anything quite so much as a staunch, unapologetic conservative. Hence, why four years on American progressives - and in the bizarre case of Mr. Meer, a Brit! - are still checking under their beds every night for Cheney. Girlie men.
Your national stance might be pro-Obamacare, but saying something to the contrary in a state whose residents haven’t actually researched anything about it and have thus been brainwashed into believing it’s socialism might be enough to swing a key zone to your favour.
Not surprising that a Brit who grew up under the big thumb of the UK's National Health Service would be so defensive of Obama's copycat program. But that's just the brainwashing kicking in (his or mine?).
Multiplayer, now as then, keeps it alive for longer, and I had an agreeably stressful but ultimately successful time triumphing over Dan Griliopoulos’ Michelle Obama with my Michelle Bachmann yesterday. Roleplaying (i.e. as a psychopathic right-wing puritan) is the most entertaining way to play the game for sure, even if it’s not necessarily the best tactical move.
It's funny: as I was reading the article I was wondering how long it would take to get a Bachmann mention! Does this mean that they moved on from Palin? Probably: it's hard to continually mock someone you are secretly lusting after (that's the real reason for David Letterman's hatred for Palin. If only she was on his staff.).
So there you go. Again, these guys are wonderful jokers, so no need to get all hot and bothered over this as it was probably designed to provoke a reaction. However, having said that it is not surprising that the humor was definitely from a UK statists perspective - remember, these are the same fellas who have gushed over Curfew, and other equally bizarre leftist games involving themes of global warming and destructive capitalism (I am not going to waste your time by providing the actual names - trust me, you don't want to play them). Regardless of their politics, RPS remains a trusted source of PC gaming news for me, so I encourage you to check them out often. Well...at least until ol' Edmund gets around to doing some aggressive reviewing. ;)
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