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PC Games (Games) Role Playing (Games) Entertainment Games

Biblically Themed RPG Discussed 140

Posted by simoniker from the very-very-odd-concept dept.
Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to an RPGRadar interview with the creators of biblically themed PC RPG Eon Of Tears. This title, which the makers stress is not "..an edutainment title or a game under the pro-Catholic banner" is set to "show known events in a new, fantasy light." The main concept behind this early-in-development Evillusion-developed RPG is that the player will "...get a shot at the biggest events in the Bible: unleashing the ten plagues of Egypt, seeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, leading the conquest of Canaan, or performing some of the miracles as Jesus Christ", and it's intended that your game actions affect your playable characters - "..a player that acts evil most of the time won't get to play Jesus, but Judas instead, or a Pharaoh's troop commander instead of Moses."
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Biblically Themed RPG Discussed More

Biblically Themed RPG Discussed

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  • Hmm.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Mantrid ( 250133 ) on Friday June 27, 2003 @11:13AM (#6311408) Journal
    This seems like a pretty lame idea to me. I just can't see how it would work. Christians will probably be offended, and non-Christians probably just won't be that interested.

    • Re:Hmm.... (Score:5, Funny)

      by floydigus ( 415917 ) on Friday June 27, 2003 @11:48AM (#6311750)
      Oh I don't know - I volunteer to play the beast master at Rome's colliseum when the Christians are in opposition.

      "Aha, a tiger for this one, I think"
      • "And it's Lions 5, Christians 0! This is Dennis Miller, and we'll be back right after a short message intended to make you buy an SUV you don't really need."

    • Sniper camp for shooting abortion doctors, crusading through asia, middle east, etc..., hitting pedestrians then the fun of trying to cover it up, don't forget the pedofile aspect of molesting children.

      This is a game that will appeal to everyone!

    • That should be: Christian groups will be offended. People who claim to be Christian so they can strike down everyone will be "offended". I imagine most real Christians will think the game is cool.

      • Re:Hmm.... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Mantrid ( 250133 )
        I am a 'real Christian', and I don't think that this game is going to be cool...I just don't see how they can pull it off without making the game sacreligious (sp?) (unless it's a matter of a nearly non-interactive theme park). I would think that a allegorical game would be a better route for a Christian themed game - Narnia or something like that. I shudder to think what someone RP'ing Jesus would do...

        • Re:Hmm.... (Score:3, Interesting)

          by moncyb ( 456490 )

          That is why I said "most". Not all Christians are as uptight as you. Some will like it because it is one of the few Christian games available. Some will play in the hope they will understand the Bible better--reading it doesn't necessarily help one understand it well. Some may gain a new perspective on their beliefs. Those who have wained in their faith may try it out and get a new found interest. It may even convert a few people.

          Yes, maybe they will put it some sort of political crap in there. "Sect X is

    • Re:Hmm.... (Score:2, Insightful)

      by TalMaximus ( 681873 )
      Being a Christian, I'm not necessarily offended (IMHO), however I don't really think it would be very beneficial. Reading Scripture has taught me that God is never someone I could emulate so a game which allows me to exact judgement ("unleash the twelve plagues on Egypt") wouldn't really be edifying nor would it teach me how I am to live as a Christian. I have no governmental or divine authority to pass judgement of any sort, so practicing it on a video game probably wouldn't be beneficial. I understand

      • Re:Hmm.... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Pxtl ( 151020 )
        I agree - althought I'm agnostic, I'm marrying an Anglican, and am learning about the Christian perspective. For one thing, actually playing the part of Jesus seems egotistical and silly. It reminds me of the part of the Wolfenstein games where you actually, personally kill Hitler. It is one thing to set a game in the historical backdrop and import themes, its quite another to have the player fictitiously enacting (playing or killing) the icons of history/religion. Maybe it would be better if it weren'
    • In Poland someone wrote a game called Ja Jestem (in polish) [jajestem.prv.pl] (I am) based on biblical stories. It is non-violent adventure game in polish, and it was sold in more than 10000 copies (at least producers says so). The game had poor reviews in newspapers, but i haven't heard any Christian who would be offended by the idea (some of them were offended by quality of the game).

  • Okeley Dokely (Score:4, Funny)

    by JasonMaggini ( 190142 ) on Friday June 27, 2003 @11:13AM (#6311413)
    I didn't know Ned Flanders was even interested in computer games.

  • LOT PLEASE (Score:5, Funny)

    by metalhed77 ( 250273 ) <andrewvc@gmaCOUGARil.com minus cat> on Friday June 27, 2003 @11:18AM (#6311473) Homepage
    Now, what does it take to become the biblical figure 'Lot' and have my hot daughters get me drunk and have sex with me in a cave.

    What? Don't call ME sick, its in the bible!

    • Re:LOT PLEASE (Score:4, Funny)

      by SnowDog_2112 ( 23900 ) on Friday June 27, 2003 @01:25PM (#6312665) Homepage
      Other great moments that they should let you reenact:

      (Lot) Offering your virgin daughters to the mob for sexual abuse instead of offering some random visitors from out of town.

      (God) Egging Satan into totally destroy Job, including killing all his children. He'll have more, don't worry.

      (God) Telling your followers to smash the infant children of their enemies against the walls for fun.

      (God) Killing every man, woman, and child at once in an effort to purify people, even though you know damn well it won't work.

      (Elisha) Calling forth God's power to summon a pair of bears to tear to pieces 42 children who called you bald.

      (David) Instead of merely sleeping with someone's wife, send her husband to the front lines so he dies and you can straight out marry her!

      Oh, there's so many more; I just don't have the time to include them all. This game could be a blast.

      I can't wait for the "Song of Solomon" expansion pack.
      • Jael driving a tent stake from temple to temple through the head of a philistine she lured into her tent. God thought she was really really great for that one.
      • Where did God command the smashing of children against walls?

        David was punished for doing that wicked thing, you can't put that there as if God commanded him.

        As for Lot - he had the choice of letting the men rape the angels of God who had visited him (who, as God's messengers would have been akin to letting the men rape God - just like beating a diplomat from another nation is an assault against the ruler of that nation), or offer these men his daughters. I'm sure he would have been none too happy abou

        • In theory, an Angel, a servant of god, should be willing to suffer the predations of mankind at its worst. You'd think the grace of an omnipotent being would count for something, and angels, by definition, are recipients of grace.
          In opposition, rape is one of the most horrific crimes humans can commit, and a man who offers his daughters to rapists is very possibly the lowest form of life on earth.

          The sons of Lot, by the way, founded tribes that later become speed-bumps for Israelites on the way to Palestin
          • In theory, an Angel, a servant of god, should be willing to suffer the predations of mankind at its worst. You'd think the grace of an omnipotent being would count for something, and angels, by definition, are recipients of grace.

            God's grace is extended primarily to His chosen, and occasionally to everyone else. It is justice for God to demand the penalty of death for sin. God does not tolerate blasphemy against Himself. Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all yo

            • xtian is a perfectly handy way to describe you people, "x" being a short-hand symbol for your messiah's name. It has been since the days of the romans. This is also where the handy abbreviation "xmas" comes from.

              For the rest, perhaps some time with comparative mythology textbooks - maybe even a bible as literature class - would do you some good.
              • "xtian" does not relate to Christ - the word "Christ" means anointed, not cross. The shorthand is offensive because it removes the central element of our faith. I am not an "xtian".

                As for comments on comparative mythology - that is hardly helpful. I have read a lot on other religions and mythology. What exactly were you thinking might do me some "good"? It's very easy to say "well if you look at topic X you will eventually agree with me". But what if I read it and come to the opposite conclusion of

        • Re:LOT PLEASE (Score:3, Interesting)

          by SnowDog_2112 ( 23900 )
          Heya Tyreth --

          I would send you this privately but I don't have a way to do that. I don't know if you'll ever read it.

          I admire your faith, I really do. I grew up in a Christian household, and broke away from the "flock" late in my teen years, as I was exposed to thoughts that made me doubt the moral consistency of the "truths" I had been taught from childhood.

          I am not amoral, nor do I come from an atheistic background. I feel I have a strong moral compass which dictates how I live my life, and I do not
          • I found the scripture I was looking for.

            Psalm 137, verses 8 and 9. From the NIV:
            8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
            happy is he who repays you
            for what you have done to us-
            9 he who seizes your infants
            and dashes them against the rocks.

            In context, it's a little better than I remember it being. My recollection was that this was supposed to be the word of God, or at least the word of a prophet. Instead, the Psalmist is retelling a story of how the Jews' captors tormented them and asked them for s
          • Thanks for the response.

            It is my firm belief that the Bible is consistent. So if that were demostrated wrong then I'd have to seriously reconsider my faith.

            However - just because something seems not to make sense doesn't mean I should outright reject it. I have had times in my life where something has made just no sense, but I've later found out that it actually did - I just didn't know enough. That applies to the Bible too. A lot of apparent contradictions really aren't contradictions at all. They j

  • d00d (Score:1, Funny)

    by tx_mgm ( 82188 )
    g0++4 60 1v1 50 ! c4n c45+ 73h 1337 fr06 p146u3!!!!! 0n1y 10,000 m0r3 3xp p01n+5!!!
    j35u5 r0xx0rz!!!
  • This'll never work. We already know what happened.
    And people still don't get it.
  • On The Simpsons, in the episode where Maude Flanders dies, Bart was ordered my Marge to cheer up Rod and Todd. Bart wanted to play video games, and the only one that the Flanders boys had was "Billy Graham's Bible Blasters" when you had to 'convert the heathens'. By shooting them, they turned into Christians. ;)

  • Top 10 Things Heard on Bibilical RPG (Score:3, Funny)

    by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Friday June 27, 2003 @11:28AM (#6311556)
    10. Hey buddy, stop whining that you can't come back! Resurrection only happens in the Hindu RPG.

    9. Wow! I just found the flying-nun habit! Now I can fly over the mountains.

    8. That does it, I refuse to play this anymore; it does not fit with Baptist doctrine.

    7. "That wasn't Lot's wife. That was MY wife!"

    6. Quick, tell me. Is a gander a goose, or another species? I've got to fill this ark right away

    5. Way k00l, if you can walk on it, water is no obstacle anymore.

    4. Who turned everyone in this domain into pillars of salt?

    3. Ark of the Covanent does 56 points of damage

    2. Who died and elected you Pope?

    1. I didn't kill you; I just sent you to Heaven
    • 10. Hey buddy, stop whining that you can't come back! Resurrection only happens in the Hindu RPG.

      The Buddhist RPG would have resurrection too, but the only way to win the game would be to break the cycle of resurrection by unplugging your computer.

    • Don't forget:
      • "[GM]-God keeps ignoring my petitions. WTF up with that?"
      • You have broken Commandment #5. You are hit for 112 points of lightning damage.
      • "There's like a 1 in 1000 chance of creating a character who's God-sensitive."
      • You concentrate on the glass of water and make it into wine! You gain 1 point in Miracles skill!
      • Petition: "JeezusFreek's using an exploit at loc 4502/3712 standing out on the lake, casting plague-bolt at us and we can't get to him! WTF?! BAN HIM!"
      • Petition: "Help! I'm stuck i
  • But I'm more of a 6-week-Roman-orgy & throwing-christians-to-the-lions kind of guy. I guess I won't be Jesus either... but hey - who wants to (relive) wander(ing) around in the desert with a bunch of nerds...
    • Callow & Others :)

      Just to point out Jesus's Disciples were most definately not a bunch of nerds. Rather, for the most part, they were manual labourers and of the lowest type -> like fishermen. The nerds of the day tended to reject Him.

      I rarely post about moderation or use my Karma bonus but seeing as i will most liekly be modded down anyways for being flaimbat, offtopic or troll I will use it for good cause.

  • good and evil (Score:3, Funny)

    by Ellen Ripley ( 221395 ) <ellen@britomartis.net> on Friday June 27, 2003 @11:36AM (#6311632) Journal
    ... a player that acts evil most of the time won't get to play Jesus...

    So if you go into the temple to open a can of whoopass on the moneylenders, is that good or evil?
  • ..show known events... From the Bible, which ones are those then?
    • The OT has plenty of historically verified events ranging from The Flood through Soddom and Gammorah and even the history of Israel (periods of slavery or freedom and war or peace) is pretty well covered by non-Abraham rooted religons/cultures like the Greeks, Romans, Babylonians/Sumerians, Persians, and Egyptians. The NT has a lot of events that the non-believing world can't verify, but the OT has a signifigant number of factual events to build this game around.
  • If someone gets to play Jesus, and does something bad, does that player automatically become Judas? That doesn't make sense to me. It's hard enough wanting to be interested in a Bible video game without the added frustration of having the rug pulled out from under you by contstant character changes.
    • i'm just suprised the makers of the game will allow you to make evil choices. it just may be me, but i thought christianity taught people how to make good choices, etc etc. it seems like the game flow would be more forced to reenforce teachings and there only be pseudo-choices that lead you to one inevitable ending, neo.
    • I think they meant that if you made evil choices earlier in the game you'd become Judas rather than Jesus (and probably predominantly evil choices at that). If you performed evil acts as Jesus, it'd probably just lead to a different ending rather than to changing characters.
  • I mean, we know what happens at the end. Unlike other RPGs, where the ending may not be what we expect. I mean, is it really gonna let you do different things like have Noah just goof and not build the ark. Then, die with everyone else when the world gets flooded. Or, have Adam say, "No thanks, I'm good." When Eve offers the fruit from the tree of knowlege? Probably not.

    One way I could imagine the game is like Eternal Darkness. Play a different person in a different time period.
    1. As Adam, name everythi
  • Massively Multiplayer Christian Role Playing Game:

    "But I'm Moses..."

    "Peter hasn't logged on in ages."

    "I'm YAD: Yet Another Disciple. When can I be someone cool?"

    "Satan is the biggest PKer evar!!!!11"

    You know, that won't work. I'll have to wait and see how Star Wars: Evercrack does.
  • I consider myself a Christian and there's certainly some great material from the Bible to build a video game around, but that title has got to go. It's like they're TRYING to live up to the Catholic=depressing stereotype from the movie 'Dogma'. I'd much prefer a title that evokes the spirit of forgiveness or spiritual fulfillment, and I'm sure Generic Gamer X (whatever he believes) would as well.
    • I'd much prefer a title that evokes the spirit of forgiveness or spiritual fulfillment,

      The idea of this (and most other video games, especially RPGs) is to give the gamer at least the illusion that what they do has some effect on the outcome. These guys seem to be actually trying to do that. In other words, someone that plays in an 'evil' manner basically leads the world to damnation, while playing in a 'good' manner would lead the world to salvation, thereby reinforcing much of the Christian teaching not
    • That spirit you describe is hard to capture in a game (as evidenced by the previous post-ers), though I wish more people would try. The funny thing is that there is nothing nerdy or stupid about God's grace, and yet the Christian population wants to shoebox the dynamic into a good behavior/bad behavior + consquences = life equation, despite the fact that true grace in life subverts that equation and makes the worst of us actually able to change. Shooting people in order to convert them is simplistic and u

  • MY ONLY QUESTION: (Score:4, Funny)

    by Elwood P Dowd ( 16933 ) <judgmentalist@gmail.com> on Friday June 27, 2003 @12:12PM (#6311971) Journal
    If you play evil, and are cast as a minion of the Pharoah or as Judas... do they let you win?

    If so, I am all over this game.
    • The article eventually stated that the outcome, as well as the characters that are played, is based on your actions. Even the biblical text shown in the game is written according to your actions, rather than just spewing out the Bible's text even though you just slammed the part of the Red Sea back closed on Moses and his followers as they could just see the other side.
  • Hm. Reading through the posts, it occurs to me that people are dogging the concept of this game before even trying it. I dunno, I'm just not a natural born cynic I guess, but I try not to evaluate products or people before having had a chance to play with them. ;)

    Has anybody tried it? Or are you allowing your conclusions of what the Bible is cloud your objectivity? Maybe each should be evaluated on their own merits; not by accepting pre-conceived notions, but by examining the source material. This seems to
    • The reason we are skeptical is because games based on liscensed properties always suck.

      In all seriousness, Bible games have a history of being extrordinarily poor. Half of the time they a saccharine morality plays with very little game content (ie. simplistic options along the lines of "There is a baby with some candy. Do you steal his candy? (y/n)"). The other half only gives lip-service to the biblical theme (FPS where you shoot the word of god at sinner while searching for a vulgate bible).

      If

  • How many Jesuses (Score:5, Funny)

    by Godeke ( 32895 ) * on Friday June 27, 2003 @12:16PM (#6312008)
    The comment about doing evil things preventing you from playing Jesus makes me wonder: how many Jesuses were they planning to allow?

    "I'm a 10th level Jesus, just got my first disciple! How do I get him to go aggro again?."

    • Re:How many Jesuses (Score:3, Informative)

      by entrager ( 567758 )
      I wondered this at first too, but then I noticed that nothing says anything about this being an online game.

      RPGRadar: Are there plans for a multiplayer mode(s)?

      Dominic Arsenault: Not currently.

      Funny how we both assumed that huh?
    • "Look! The last supper is a significant event in the life of our Lord, the penultimate supper was not! Even if they had a conjurer and a mariachi band. Now, a last supper I commissioned from you, and a last supper I want! With twelve disciples and one Christ! "

      "One?!"

      "Yes one! Now will you please tell me what in God's name possessed you to paint this with three Christs in it?"

      "It works, mate!"

      "Works?"

      "Yeah! It looks great! The fat one balances the two skinny ones."
    • "I'm a 10th level Jesus, just got my first disciple! How do I get him to go aggro again?."

      I want more of this! Can't.... stop... laughing =D
    • Once you have three, the game crashes, and the world ends.


  • and if so are you the whore the church turned her into or one the disciples and Jesus' wife?

  • NEW fantasy light? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jtheory ( 626492 ) on Friday June 27, 2003 @12:42PM (#6312245) Homepage Journal
    Oh, so they want to "show known events in a new, fantasy light."

    For a lot of people, that's not a "new" light in which to view events like the parting of the red sea, the Creation, etc. etc..

    The Bible is a collection of stories gathered over thousands of years, some drawn from different cultures and myths of earlier religions. The different elements of the Creation story are almost all drawn directly from the Creation myths of cultures that existed long be Judaism. Some of them certainly had some basis in fact, somewhere along the way... but not most.

    No, the Song of Solomon is not about Jesus' loving relation to the Church. It's poetry that was included because of its cultural value. No, there was no flood that wiped out ALL LIFE on Earth except what was in Noah's boat (though there may have been a big flood).

    I have no problem with people seeking wisdom in the Bible; there's a lot of stuff in there, and some of it is bound to be helpful. Jesus (from what we can tell) had some interesting ideas.

    Ah, that's enough ranting. Anyway, I can't imagine a way to cast this game to make it acceptable to any mass audience. People tend to be very specific about their faith -- and some will be offended by the idea that some gamer can play Jesus, some will be offended by variations in the game from the "official" script, and some will simply shy away from religious overtones.

    • No, there was no flood that wiped out ALL LIFE on Earth except what was in Noah's boat (though there may have been a big flood).

      Probably more than one. Most cultures have a Noah's Ark myth. My own favorite theory is that early urban centers tended to get founded on flood plains (that's where the best farming land is) and then destroyed by the next century flood. This still happens [lacrossetribune.com], but nowadays you have a surrounding civilization to help clean things up. Five thousand years ago, your flood plain urband ce

  • Fantasy? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DamienMcKenna ( 181101 ) <damien@@@mc-kenna...com> on Friday June 27, 2003 @12:53PM (#6312355)
    "show known events in a new, fantasy light."

    I thought it was all a fantasy anyway?
  • I'm surprised that the knee-jerk reaction here has been so negative. Although "themed" or inspired RPGs are usually a disappointment (and I expect this one to be no different) the idea to base something off of the Bible is not a bad idea. There is a reason why it is easily the most popular book of all time (and sells quite well even today). The stories are time proven classics and many recognizable by nearly everyone, Christian or not. Christian / Biblical themes are very powerful and are well used toda

  • Satan (Score:3, Interesting)

    by IpsissimusMarr ( 672940 ) * on Friday June 27, 2003 @01:41PM (#6312823) Journal
    a player that acts evil most of the time won't get to play Jesus

    So if I act really, reealy Evile(tm) can I play Satan?!

    Market that option in the game and I'm sure sales will go up.
    Lets see, we've had Black & White, and the upcomming Jason vs Freddie sounds a lot like Jason vs. Goliath. So are we looking at the next big gaming hit here: "Satan vs. Jesus" ?

  • Hey,

    The biggest problem is going to be people who get angry at the idea of changing or trivializing the bible, as seen in other posts. The reason for this is that games like this one seem to give no more credance to the Christian bible than most people would to stories about the siege of Troy. The developers of this game are (probably) about as concerned of Lucifer in hell or God in heaven as they are of being blasted by Zeus for not pouring libations.

    Once you get past the idea that it might or might

  • Has anyone thought of checking the site to see what description they have for the game. I did and here it is:

    Eon of Tears, a biblical-fantasy RPG, is based on the premise that there is a Bible Code that gives a special power to those who can harness it. The main objective is to learn how to decode it and understand its power. After going through different periods of time, from the very Creation to the End of Times, learning the true meaning of the Bible and facing all kinds of creatures, you have the ulti
  • This entire concept leaves this image in my head of Ranier Wolfcastle as Jesus with a machine gun and flamethrower shouting in ancented English "Ressa-a-rect me nooow you da-ty coooomie pharose!"
  • It sounds fun and i mean that in all seriousness. If this isnt aimed at making me a bible thumper thats great, the bible taken as JUST A STORY is pretty intresting, the wiping out of man kind, parting sea's with holy powers, saving a people, fucking the first virgin EVER (!) and the thing about being jesus, christ (pun intended) come on folks, all the bitches love jesus. Good story makes an RPG most of the time, right?

    • Re:i'd buy it (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      "all the bitches love jesus"

      one of the most poetically beautiful phrases ever conceived :)

  • A first-person shooter may be? (Score:4, Funny)

    by danila ( 69889 ) on Friday June 27, 2003 @02:41PM (#6313394) Homepage
    Just today I was thinking that there is supposedly a tree of life (not the one Adam and Eve ate from, the 2nd "uber-tree") still growing in the heaven. Why not make a futuristic shooter with Deus Ex-style nanotech and cool weapons? In it you will go to the heaven to take the tree of life by force from God, fighting all sorts of scary angelic creatures (seraphims, cherubs, etc.). Sounds like a winning idea to me...
  • THis is actually sort of an interesting Idea really. Although I suspect like most "christian" software the intent wouldn't be to create an enjoyable game but rather preach a message which seems a waste because the only people that are going to buy the game already agree with the Jesus stuff.

    THis sounds a bit like the game play that was intialy planned for "Eternal Darkness".
  • Finally, an MMORPG that you type "OMG!" and you actually get a response from G.
  • Let he who is without sin cast the first Magic Missile.
  • The responses to this story disappoint me. It shows why very few - if any at all - games ever address spirituality within the context of a video game.

    That's sad, because it's an issue I'd like to see more of in gaming. I was thrilled when I read that Sid Meier's dream game (or was it Will Wright?) is recreating the missionary journey of Paul the Apostle.

    What do the one-liner quips and kneejerk "The Bible isn't true" prove? Only that it may not necessarily be the gaming industry that's immature, but rat

  • I've always wanted to do that, since I look to the bible for 'right behavior' :-)

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