He was dead serious.  That post changed my life.

How was the story weak?

Obviously because it didn't include at least five hours of non-interactive, rambling cutscenes. That seems to be the standard of what makes a good video game story 'round these parts.

Manga and anime are not just for young teenagers.  They're for all ages.

I'm not going to step into this Japanese vs. Western storytelling pissing contest, but I studied Japanese literature, Japanese cinema, Japanese culture, and anime in college, before I changed my major from Japanese to Film.  And manga and anime are definitely for all ages.

And my wife loves Naruto, so you just called her a manchild.  Them's fightin' words.

Dead Space storyline can be summed up with

"i've had it with these motherfucking Necros in this motherfucking Space! "

Rereading my first post it looks harsh. I wanted to make it half a joke (the part about being less than apes) and the other part dead serious. So it may be true that they were inappropriate. However that does not mean I am will take back what I said. Those books are all great. VG plots are retarded. The best you can get from it is a story so simple that it wont get in your way. All the highly praised game plots are laughable.

I will avoid talking about self-help books. IMO they are a way to make someone a idiot for life. Also the Dalai Lama is one of the biggest hypocrites in the world, just do some research on his life. Anyway this talk wont lead anywhere. You like self-help books and I think they are for the retarded, no use arguing.

As for the Prince, you have no idea what you are talking about. there was no such point in the book. Machiavelli look down on mankind. He states his negative views on men several times. He encourages the opposite:

But it is necessary to know well how to disguise this characteristic, and to be a great pretender and dissembler; and men are so simple, and so subject to present necessities, that he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived. One recent example I cannot pass over in silence. Alexander the Sixth did nothing else but deceive men, nor ever thought of doing otherwise, and he always found victims; for there never was a man who had greater power in asserting, or who with greater oaths would affirm a thing, yet would observe it less; nevertheless his deceits always succeeded according to his wishes,[*] because he well understood this side of mankind.

One of my favorite parts:

Nevertheless a prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very well being feared whilst he is not hated, which will always be as long as he abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their women. But when it is necessary for him to proceed against the life of someone, he must do it on proper justification and for manifest cause, but above all things he must keep his hands off the property of others, because men more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony.

he must be talking about american games.

"How To See Yourself As You Really Are", as I said, is a book about the application of Buddhist philosophy - it is not a self-help book, it is just titled like one, exactly as I said before.

And.... you're not actually making a point concerning Machiavelli. Machiavelli did not despise mankind, at least not outlining it so in The Prince, but he did believe that a Prince had to be a good liar and able to present himself in a particular way to his people. Condescension, or anything that would cause a person to become embroiled in an argument, was not acceptable: it is xactly why he holds lies as being so powerful. Getting people to love you is the greatest weapon of all.

I think your understanding of Machiavelli may be somewhat... narrow.

DEAD SERIOUS. I will tell you the biggest secret of SMB. What is the object Mario uses to kill Bowser everytime? AN AXE. Coincidence? I dont think so. Also how many castles do you have to go through to finally get the princess? 8, almost like every castle represent a year in Siberia. Coincidence? I dont think so.

Actually that would have put it on MGS4 level of shitty, which it is not. But as someone pointed out this is the story:

Separated from team, repair ship, maybe save girlfriend. Add in some deus ex machina and "OMFG KILL THE MOTHER BRAIN!!!111"