Little Red Riding Gamers

Just think, right now in the Turbine offices somewhere, a group of programmers and artists are slogging away on the content-that-is-yet-to-be. It makes me all tingly just thinking about it. They are stretching their creative muscles, jogging around their creative track, lifting their creative weights, all in preparation for the great marathon event. Why do I have "Eye of the Tiger" stuck in my head all of a sudden?

I like the idea of an untold story. It offers promise. It is a story itself, really, not one in which the little hooded girl finds herself with a lycanthropic stalker and, rather than have the local judge issue a restraining order, decides to take justice into her own vengeful hands. But there are similarities. Ours is the story of a journey not yet taken, an expected journey with an unknown itinerary. We are the little hooded girl skipping through the woods. Who knows what is to be our fate on this trip? We might meet a wolf along the way. Except maybe the wolf is really a power hungry menace, undead for millennia but walking, talking, and plotting none-the-less for our own destruction.

What? They're almost the same! Even if not, would you want him to take your pic-a-nic basket?

The best thing about this story, though, is that it is about us. Perhaps it is not a single story, but thousands, locked together intricately. It is the story of friends finding each other for the first time. It is the story of discovery and loss. It is the story of personal growth as we master our patience and understanding of this world around us. But most of all it is a story about a bunch of guys who are sick of waiting in their portal space prison and desperately want to see the outside world again.

Yes, a classic Shakespearean tale. You know, that one about portal space. MacBeth? Hamlet? I dunno, it had crones and undead in it at least.

Perhaps I'm just the type of person who admires change. To me it signifies progress as we tumble through the universe on our little piece of rock. Asheron's Call 2 means progress you ask? Sure! At least in the symbolic sense. We will be sharing the same space on our respective servers and we'll be participating in an evolving story. The similarities are there. This is our journey, wherever it may be going, and is one we all do together. Sorry, you're all stuck on the same ship going the same direction whether you like it or not.

So maybe not everyone admires the efforts of the Turbine team, plugging away on the future content of AC2. That's okay, I egged those people's houses last night. They don't have to like the game, though. We all have different tastes. I despise seafood, for instance. That doesn't mean you shouldn't open a seafood restaurant (I only egg houses).

The point of all this rambling is about respect. Whoa, didn't see that one coming did you? Yes, our tale of anticipation for this game may be loosely symbolic of our progressing through this universe. Perhaps it could even be tied into life itself. You can't make that analogy, however, without remembering that you or I are not the only ones taking this journey. All of you and I will be sharing the same server space together. It is not my game or your game, if ownership can be applied, but ours collectively. Or maybe Microsoft owns it; I'll have to read up on that.

So look forward to the first chapter with me, if you will, or don't. Remember, though, just because this story doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean you can escape the plot. After all, I know where you live. And I have eggs.

Gurog Grunts appears every Monday here on AC2 Warcry. The opinions expressed here belong to the gruntmaster himself, Theiss. If you wish to grunt about his grunts, grunt to Theiss at editor@warcry.com" title="" target="_blank"> editor@warcry.com If you don't send mail you'll have to read more drivel like you just read. Send that e-mail. For your own sake.