THE INTERNET IS FOR SPORE:
Last geek I told you about the Spore creature creator, which had just made its debut. Since then, that sample of the highly anticipated evolution sim made quite a splash on the Internet. Sure, first it was the phallic creations that got plenty of attention, but those got boring quickly (even when EA threatened to ban users who uploaded naughty creatures). There were over a million creatures uploaded to the Sporepedia and plenty were interesting for other reasons.

Some gamers uploaded creatures that looked like video game controllers. Isn't that rather like having your sims play The Sims?

Those weren't the only inanimate objects to be turned into Spore creatures:

I found these creatures that resemble produce super kawaii (not that it stopped me from having a snack of steamed artichoke and a berry salad).

Does this mean I'll be able to create a world populated by vicious, carnivorous tomatoes in Spore? Can. Not. Wait.

GAYMERS ASSEMBLE!:
Hopefully this will be the amazing resource it promises to be: GayGamer.net net is looking to compile a list of all LGBT guilds and clans to be found. It's no fun signing on to a game where you don't know anyone and find yourself debating how honest you should be with any teams you may find, so hopefully this'll make it easier to find other LGBT gamers to connect with.

After the break: Pride comes to Paragon City, Metal Gear Solid goes gay and more!

June 27, 1969 marked a definitive moment for the gay community: When a police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, it sparked an uprising from the bar's patrons, who had had enough of the harassment the raid symbolized (and, according to many accounts, were already upset over the recent death of gay icon Judy Garland earlier in the week).

The revolt grew, as people from nearby bars stepped in to support the Stonewall patrons, eventually turning into a protest that lasted for five days. While the idea of gay pride and that gay people had the right to exist without constant harassment had been building for some time thanks to groups like the Mattachine Society, the uprising energized the gay rights movement. A year later, the event was marked with the first Pride Parade and several major cities celebrate Pride on the last Sunday in June because of Stonewall.

One website is celebrating Pride with a webgame inspired by the Stonewall Rebellion. Stonewall Brawl takes designs from gay cartoonist Eric Orner (creator of The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green) and turns them into a Streets of Rage-style side-scrolling fighting game, where you play a character that fights police officers, collects martini power-ups and unleashes a superpower based on disco fabulousness.

When news of Stonewall Brawl first came out reaction was pretty mixed. Critics wondered if the game would reflect the diversity of the Stonewall Revolution's participants (the Stonewall Inn's patrons were mostly Black and Hispanic, and the uprising probably wouldn't have happened if not for the drag queens and transgenders who were a key part), asked if the game could be taken out of context to make the gay community look bad (after all, it is a game about violence against the police) and worried that turning the Rebellion into a game would trivialize a key event for gay rights.

In this week's episode, Marc and Lee jump back into Doctor Who (loving the Sontaran aliens and the return of Martha Jones), Lost (favorite moment? Sun goes badass and takes over her father's company), and Battlestar Galactica (Is Lt. Gaeta's leg the final cylon?)

Then featured guest Flynn DeMarco (a.k.a Fruit Brute) joins the boys to talk about all the goings on at GayGamer.net.

Check it out after the break!

Now this is why I love the Internet. While I don't expect that I'll play Grand Theft Auto IV anytime soon, I am very interested in how well the game's gay-themed storylines are handled. And now, thanks to these handy video walkthroughs of the game, I can get a better feel for these storylines.

The first gay themed mission, titled "Out of the Closet", finds the game's protagonist, mobster Niko Bellic, tasked with assassinating a gay man named "French Tom" who owes money fo Brucie, Niko's boss (more or less). In order to lure French Tom out, Brucie posts a "men seeking men" personals ad for Niko, which Niko uses to plan a date with French Tom. At the date, Niko kills his target:

Initially I wasn't so thrilled with the mission. I could see that the game was trying to emphasize that French Tom is an unemployed, egotistical deadbeat and his sexual orientation has nothing to do with his murder, but it's still annoying to see what a stereotype he is and a part of me wonders if French Tom's effeminate qualities are supposed to make him more annoying and, therefore, add to the satisfaction of killing him.

But French Tom isn't the only gay character in the game. Meet him after the break...

Our interest was certainly piqued when we heard that Niko Bellic, the protagonist of the latest Grand Theft Auto game (which arrives in stores tomorrow), might be gay. However, when I saw the screenshots that started the speculation, my cynical side started rising. Seeing things like "Job: Sugar Daddy" as well as what could be made out of the "About Me" section sounded like some immature jerk's idea of a joke about gay people.

After reading several (all glowing, unsurprisingly) reviews of GTA IV, I finally found a review that put the gay screen shot in context :

But Rockstar wisely... focused on a more engrossing aspect: interpersonal relationships. As you meet people, their contact info is added to your phone. Niko can ring them up to grab a bite, go bowling, shoot darts, get s***faced (good luck evading the fuzz while driving under the influence of the game's insane drunk-driving physics), or partake in any number of other activities. Stay on top of these relationships and they'll become friends with benefits. One nurse Niko dates, for instance, can heal him with over-the-phone medical advice...

All of Niko's crucial bonding moments happen during the missions anyway, which do an amazing job of integrating your contacts, their personalities, and the city's multimedia assault. One standout job, for example, has Niko posing as a homosexual Lothario on an online dating site to lure a gay thug to a rendezvous. Yep, the missions pack all of the hilarious writing the series is famous for, except now they occasionally offer the option to spare the lives of characters you've hunted down in hot pursuits -- decisions that affect the overall story.

Most likely, that screen shot is a joke about Niko's ideas about gay people. However, what's more intriguing is that GTA has a gay storyline. From what I can tell, the storyline starts with Niko being charged to kill a gay mobster (players can choose not to complete the mission) which lets Niko form a friendship with the gay man thereby gaining some sort in-game bonus for doing so -- similar to the nurse who can heal Niko over the phone.

In this week's episode of Angry Puppy, Marc and Lee talk about breaking television news, gay sci-fi film fests, Buffy season Eight, the Doctor Who spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures, and much, much more.

Oh, and they speak Esperanto. Wanna know why? Check it out!

• Post-apocalyptic wishes and radioactive dreams:
  One of this year's most anticipated games is Fallout 3, the follow-up to what's seen as one of the best and most innovative role playing games. Those eager Fallout fans got some exciting news this week. Not only is the game done (with bugs to fix) the game promises to be huge -- with some 200 possible endings. Wow. Now if only someone could tell me if the game has any same-sex couples, as Fallout 2 did...
  
  
• Welcome to the Dollhouse, Helo:
  Before the Writers' Guild went on strike, we were pretty excited over the news of a new Joss Whedon series. Now that Hollywood has gone back to work, they've begun casting the roles not played by Eliza Dushku. Battlestar Galactica hottie Tahmoh Penikett will be playng Dushku's romantic foil. Nice...

  

  Maybe it's just the articles I read, but I haven't seen the usual talk of "We can work around his Battlestar Galactica commitments." Hurm, I wonder...
  
  
• I'd buy a record from a group called Doctor and the Three Companions:
  Oh, goody, the series four Doctor Who trailer hit the web this week. Check it out. I know this isn't a common opinion, but I'm looking forward to seeing the return of Donna. I like the idea of an everywoman companion who isn't immediately wowed by everything The Doctor does and the promise of a big companion meet-up is pretty exciting, as well. (Though why not throw Mickey into that mix, as well? And weren't we already promised that Captain Jack would be a part of the mix?) The fourth season arrives in the USA on the Sci-Fi Channel April 18, starting with the "Voyage of the Damned" special which co-stars dance diva Kylie Minogue.
  
  
• Look who's honoring him now:
  Four years ago, indie game developer Stardock introduced a strategy based around presidential politics, The Political Machine. The game was simple, but fun. It was like something you'd expect to play during a social studies class with the cool teacher. (So calling all you Oregon Trail fans...)
  
  This week, the publisher announced it would be coming out with a new 2008 edition. Here's what I find amusing: Four years ago the screenshot for the media screen showed a pundit looking a lot like Bill O'Reilly. This time, their media screen looks like:

  

  Notice the portrait in the corner? Heh.