I agree with your points on Durant. My dad and I think that signing him is a bad move for just about any team - but I suppose the Nets are actually a capable team without him, and are capable of doing damage in the playoffs. But he's also Kevin Durant. At the same time, I think the Knicks not offering him a max was the right move.
Still, even though the Knicks probably made the smart moves, I take joy in their misery of basically failing their entire off-season they've been hyping up for years, as you mentioned. Porzingis trade, no Zion draft or Anthony Davis trade, paying 34 year old Taj Gibson a 2 year/20 million dollar deal? Hilariously terrible. Dolan is an ass, but the Durant move was okay. Still, he should definitely sell the team. Spike Lee should try to lead a group to get it.
As a Wizards fan I know misery, and I don't know much playoff success, so the NBA Finals don't mean much to me beyond watching basketball (one of my favorite things to do), although I've rooted for the underdog Cavaliers, but not the freaking Raptors, I hate the Raptors. Still, it finally seems to be getting interesting and achieving "parity." Of course, your point about the NBA's structure is true. The league needs to do something about it. The fact that, realistically, at any given time there are only 6 teams with a realistic shot to win it all is very annoying. The tanking is also discouraging, but I think the new rules at least make tanking much less viable (which probably will hurt teams that actually need it).
I think the reason why hockey is more "entertaining" or, at least, having different teams winning (I think basketball is a more enjoyable sport to watch, like, in a game, although the one hockey game I went to, a Stanley Cup Caps game last year, was electric), comes down to the nature of the sport. I think it's much easier to upset a good team in a hockey game (or playoff series for that matter) than it is to do the same for a basketball team. Hockey needs a couple of goals, basketball needs a lot of baskets. Less room for error. Now, if the NBA got rid of 7 game playoff series, at least for the opening round, and went back to the 5 game series it had 17 years ago, that should benefit the worse teams, and probably help avoid injuries down the line (like KD and Thompson's).
Honestly, if you ask me, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I think the Knicks were smart to not take the risk on Kevin Durant. He tore hi… mores Achilles, he's going to be out all of next year, and when he comes back, it's extremely unlikely that he'll be close to the player he was. The Nets (who are my favorite team, I know, I'm ashamed as well but at the time they were the New Jersey Nets so what was I supposed to do) are paying him millions of dollars to not play for an entire year, and they really did it just so they could also lock down Irving and Jordan.
That's not to say I also can't laugh hysterically at the Knicks either, because they hyped up this offseason and got their fans hopes up, only to fall to the 3rd pick in the draft, missing out on a generational talent like Zion, and have failed to pick up some of the biggest names out on the market. What they got instead was decent signings, but not players that will lead the team to th… [view original content]
The Nets were a decent team last year and made the playoffs (again, I barely paid attention so I can't really name any player on the team, but with GS no longer being the powerhouse, I might start watching basketball a bit more again), but they got stomped by the 76ers, they're going to need more in order to make it past the first round. They also, in signing these guys, lost one of their big players to GS to my understanding, no idea how that's going to impact the team. Signing Durant is a risk, but at the same time, when he comes back, it's going to get a lot of butts in the seats at Barclays Center, and I guess that's what the team is hoping for. I'm already seeing people jumping on the Nets bandwagon like they did with GS, and honestly, I don't like it. I root for teams, not a player. If Aaron Judge on the Yankees were to go to another team, I'm not going to start rooting for that team, I'm a Yankees fan at my core, and that'll never change.
Still, even though the Knicks probably made the smart moves, I take joy in their misery of basically failing their entire off-season they've been hyping up for years, as you mentioned.
I think anyone who isn't a Knicks fan is right there with us. It's not the team per say, it's just the owner. Or maybe part of it is just like laughing at the Mets or the Cleveland Browns, it's gotten to the point where they've been through so much pain and misery, a lot of it self-inflicted, that you can't help but laugh when even more goes wrong. That being said, the Browns look stacked this year, and the NFL needs a new laughing stock. My vote is either the Giants (trading Odell, drafting Daniel Jones, the decreased playing ability of Eli "Derp Face" Manning) or the Chargers (fuck you Spanos).
And the problem is that, even after all these years, there are still really only 6 teams viable for winning the whole thing, and it's always the same 6 teams, maybe one of them gets swapped out every now and then. The Warriors, the Celtics, the Raptors, the Bucks, the Rockets, and the Trail Blazers (which even then can be swapped out with Jazz or Nuggets). Everyone else is just screwed. Look at the East, teams with below .500 records were making the playoffs, that shouldn't be the case.
Maybe it's just personal preference, but this is how I see it. The reason why I like hockey more is because it feels more like a team sport. In basketball, it always feels like if you can land one huge player, that can bring your team to the playoffs/Finals. Look at LeBron when he was in Cleveland, he pretty much singlehandedly led a team of nobodies and scrubs to the Finals 4 years in a row. At least with the Heat he had Bosh and Wade helping out, but it was always him pretty much leading the charge. Sure the Lakers were disappointments this year, but that team had so much toxic and incompetent management in their ranks that it made Telltale look like CD Projekt Red by comparison, and LeBron got hurt so that played a role. Had the Knicks drafted Zion, I doubt they would have needed anyone else, all they'd need is him and they could put out the same lineup as last year and go on to make the playoffs. Hockey feels much more like a team sport, one player doesn't make or break the team. Sure, star players help lead teams to the playoffs (Jordan Binnington with the Blues this year, Taylor Hall with the Devils 2 years ago, etc.), but it's never just that one guy. Unlike in basketball, you don't have players who can stay out on the ice for all 60 minutes, they need breaks and line changes, so you're getting a much better rotation of players out there and it's not all reliant on that one person. You can have an offensive juggernaut on your team, but if you have no defense, your power plays or penalty kills are weak, or your goaltender can't stop a beachball let alone a puck, your team is screwed.
I think it's much easier to upset a good team in a hockey game (or playoff series for that matter) than it is to do the same for a basketball team.
Oh it definitely is, and again, that makes it so exciting. This year, every single number 1 seed was eliminated from the playoffs in the 1st round. The Tampa Bay Lightning, who had an incredible regular season, won the President's Trophy this year and won a league tying record 62 wins, got swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that's never won a playoff series in their existence. The St. Louis Blues skirted into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, led by nothing but an emerging rookie goaltender and Gloria, and they beat out the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, and Boston Bruins to win the Cup. The closest you got this year was a Clippers team almost eliminating the Warriors, only for them to end up winning and coasting their way to another Finals appearance.
I agree with your points on Durant. My dad and I think that signing him is a bad move for just about any team - but I suppose the Nets are a… morectually a capable team without him, and are capable of doing damage in the playoffs. But he's also Kevin Durant. At the same time, I think the Knicks not offering him a max was the right move.
Still, even though the Knicks probably made the smart moves, I take joy in their misery of basically failing their entire off-season they've been hyping up for years, as you mentioned. Porzingis trade, no Zion draft or Anthony Davis trade, paying 34 year old Taj Gibson a 2 year/20 million dollar deal? Hilariously terrible. Dolan is an ass, but the Durant move was okay. Still, he should definitely sell the team. Spike Lee should try to lead a group to get it.
As a Wizards fan I know misery, and I don't know much playoff success, so the NBA Finals don't mean much to me beyond watching basketball (one of my favo… [view original content]
It’s July 1st, which means the greatest holiday for Canadians has finally arrived once again. Happy Canada Day everyone, let us celebrate by drinking Maple Syrup and adopting all the moose.
It’s July 1st, which means the greatest holiday for baseball fans has finally arrived once again. Happy Bobby Bonilla Day everyone, let us celebrate by laughing hysterically at the failure that is the New York Mets.
I must say, for all the praise it has gotten, Titanfall 2 was, to me, kind of disappointing. The gameplay is amazing and fast paced, that I very much enjoyed, but in terms of its single player campaign and story, I was expecting so much more. It was bare bones, really just jumped around with generic characters, and it only lasted 5 hours. Started it on Saturday, finished on Sunday, I actually thought I missed something because it ended so quickly. You can definitely tell this was meant to be a multiplayer game, and they just tacked on a single player campaign to bring in a few more people. I'm sure the multiplayer aspect is really good, how can it not be with the gameplay in this game, but that's really not what I'm into. Shame on me I guess, I should have done more research before purchasing, and that's my fault. It definitely might be for others, those who enjoy multiplayer stuff like that, but it definitely wasn't for me.
That being said, how can Respawn make a game with such entertaining gameplay like this, and then show off Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order where it was, at best, just okay. Not saying JFO looked bad, but based on what I saw at E3 a few weeks ago, it felt like it was lacking in some areas.
Yeah the story isn't really and the characters (while charming at points) aren't super interesting, but the level design for the campaign is fantastic (time travel, level, rooms that shift around, etc).
I must say, for all the praise it has gotten, Titanfall 2 was, to me, kind of disappointing. The gameplay is amazing and fast paced, that I … morevery much enjoyed, but in terms of its single player campaign and story, I was expecting so much more. It was bare bones, really just jumped around with generic characters, and it only lasted 5 hours. Started it on Saturday, finished on Sunday, I actually thought I missed something because it ended so quickly. You can definitely tell this was meant to be a multiplayer game, and they just tacked on a single player campaign to bring in a few more people. I'm sure the multiplayer aspect is really good, how can it not be with the gameplay in this game, but that's really not what I'm into. Shame on me I guess, I should have done more research before purchasing, and that's my fault. It definitely might be for others, those who enjoy multiplayer stuff like that, but it definitely wasn't for me.
That being sai… [view original content]
Skybound have put out a short comparison video for The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition.
A New Frontier and Michonne have seen the biggest improvements so far. The light from the fire bouncing in the background at 0:29 looks fuckin' great. They are absolutely an upgrade in terms of visuals from the original games. They legitimately look good. Season 2 is still a little washed out but its pretty neat that they changed the animation for the "Still. Not. Bitten" scene. You'll also notice the different camera angle for the Michonne clip (they also removed the loose dread covering her eye for some reason). Season 1 looks slightly washed out in my opinion, but the deep blacks look really nice. I'm also a little conflicted with the thicker outlines. Why are they so much thicker than the other seasons? It kinda makes the characters stand out a little too much.
If you're wondering why the Season 2 bit is running at 10fps it's because it's apparently a test build for it, so they're still definitely working on stuff.
And if you still don't like the visuals have no worry as its been confirmed you'll be able to switch between definitive and original graphics!
The pre-order for the standard edition (just the base game) for consoles is also out if anyone is interested.
A new screenshot has also been released! No comparison though.
I've said it once and I'll say it again. They're nailing the comic book look with the new graphic black lighting. These are some pretty nice looking shadows.
I watched the original Halloween 2 as well. Now I see why John Carpenter hated that movie and wanted to scrap it from the canon. The movie already started getting weird by the scene (SPOILER ALERT, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER) where Dr. Loomis tries to shoot the guy who he assumed it was Michael Myers, then a police cruise ran the fake-out Michael over, pushed him to a van which exploded right away. That was the most unnecessary, yet hilarious WTF scene I've seen in a horror film.
Michael's mask looked weird too, why was it so different? The movie takes place RIGHT after the end of the first movie. I heard that the actor who played Michael was not the same as the one from the first movie, was there any reason for doing that?
How long was the goddamn night? I'm not expert on weathers or shit like that and I understand the movie is called Halloween but I'm pretty sure the sun should have already risen after the first half of the film. Plus, the Halloween season was already over, the whole movie took place in November 1st, right?
I thought the movie was okay at the best but the first film was better, obviously. I do plan on watching the latest Halloween film since that's the ONLY canon sequel to the main timeline according to Carpenter. Some say it was disappointing, some say it was good. I need to make my own opinion.
It reoccurred to me Sunday during my little DVR binge that Hunter X Hunter(2011) wrapped up last week. I mean it was definitely a good, if necessary place to stop, being Book End-ish and all, but it's left a void in my trio of Toonami shows.
Skybound have put out a short comparison video for The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition.
A New Frontier and Michonne have seen the bigges… moret improvements so far. The light from the fire bouncing in the background at 0:29 looks fuckin' great. They are absolutely an upgrade in terms of visuals from the original games. They legitimately look good. Season 2 is still a little washed out but its pretty neat that they changed the animation for the "Still. Not. Bitten" scene. You'll also notice the different camera angle for the Michonne clip (they also removed the loose dread covering her eye for some reason). Season 1 looks slightly washed out in my opinion, but the deep blacks look really nice. I'm also a little conflicted with the thicker outlines. Why are they so much thicker than the other seasons? It kinda makes the characters stand out a little too much.
If you're wondering why the Season 2 bit is running at 10fps it's because it's appare… [view original content]
but its pretty neat that they changed the animation for the "Still. Not. Bitten" scene.
Actually, there's a good chance that's actually another animation that was bugged in the original release.
For anyone left here that still enjoys playing Spider-Man PS4, Insomniac just announced that they're releasing the two new suits from Far From Home in a free update today.
Holy shit. I thought they said no because they were done with the game and focus on the sequel. It's amazing but I think it's time to stop because they did everything they could with Spider-Man PS4. They need to focus on the sequel right now and make it good.
For anyone left here that still enjoys playing Spider-Man PS4, Insomniac just announced that they're releasing the two new suits from Far From Home in a free update today.
https://twitter.com/insomniacgames/status/1146059701932589056
I finished watching Halloween 2018. Am I the only one who is fucking annoyed by the fact that a lot of movie/game sequels are just named with the title of the very first installments of their specific franchises without adding a number or another word like "Returns"? Like when someone asks me what my favorite Halloween movie is, I say Halloween and I will be asked "Which one?". Same goes with God of War.
Anyway, I saw this movie and just like Halloween 2, it wasn't that special to me. Jamie Lee Curtis still had talent of acting, she reminded me a lot of Sarah Connor because her performance in this movie but her screentime was kind of too small despite that amazing set up for her fight against Michael. I couldn't care too much for her daughter and especially her granddaughter. Some of the scenes with Allyson felt unnecessary, most of them were just teenage drama that didn't affect the story that much. It has its moments but it felt too predictable. There is a twist which was more frustrating than surprising though.
That being said, I had some joy watching this film but it didn't justify scrapping every single Halloween movie after the first one from the canon. I don't know which one was a better sequel, either this one or Halloween 2. Both have their own ups and downs but I don't give a damn about either of them anyway. Halloween 1 is still the best, it's still crazy that it had a smaller budget than its sequels and it's still better film.
Found this pretty neat animated short. It clearly takes inspiration from 90's/earl 2000's cartoons like Ren and Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life and Ed, Edd n Eddy. The humour may not be my kinda thing, it's very absurdist and a little gross out, but the animation is legitimately phenomenal. It's just so smooth and there's an insane amount of detail and care put into every second of it. The voice acting's pretty good too! The character at the end looks and sounds like something out of an old Looney Tunes short, which I really liked.
My only issue with the whole thing is that the audio for it is pretty low, but that's all relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.
I can't believe it's over. First the Telltale game and now the comics.
I first found out about the comics around 2008 (I think), and I was in a bookstore looking for comic that was zombie related, because at the time I was super into that stuff. I ended picking The Walking Dead Volume 1 because it had the nicest looking cover and I've been a reader ever since. However I did take a few breaks every so often because I wasn't able to readily get my hands on new issues/volumes. I still remember how shocked I was when Glenn was killed, as he was my favourite character. That was such a long time ago.
Thank you Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard for all the years of unforgettable stories and characters. This truly is an end of an era.
My only annoyance is that it didn't reach an even 200.
Just came back from watching Spider-Man: Far From Home. It's a really fun and enjoyable a cool amount of twists and turns! It's a nice pallet cleanser to Endgame with its lighter tone and it does feel like an epilogue of sorts (at least me in my opinion). The characters continue to be funny and relatable, and Mysterio is a really fun character, they really do his comic book counterpart justice. He has a bunch of crazy ass sequences that were great. Definitely watch the two after credits scenes as they tease what the future of the MCU has in store. The first one in particularly has some stuff that had me quietly cheering in my seat.
Just came back from watching Spider-Man: Far From Home. It's a really fun and enjoyable a cool amount of twists and turns! It's a nice palle… moret cleanser to Endgame with its lighter tone and it does feel like an epilogue of sorts (at least me in my opinion). The characters continue to be funny and relatable, and Mysterio is a really fun character, they really do his comic book counterpart justice. He has a bunch of crazy ass sequences that were great. Definitely watch the two after credits scenes as they tease what the future of the MCU has in store. The first one in particularly has some stuff that had me quietly cheering in my seat.
Yeah his original plan was to hopefully get the comic to 300 issues before ending it. But in the afterword of the final issue he admitted that it wasn't a realistic goal and about four/five years ago realised that he wanted to end it.
Definitely up there with my favourites! I'm really excited for what they have planned for Spidey!
When you posted "Man, do I love JK Simmons", I kinda had an inkling it was Spider-Man related since he hasn't really been in anything too notable recently. InGen replying with the Jameson laugh certainly didn't help. :P
Kirkman has confirmed in the final TWD issue that there are now 4 TV shows being worked on for AMC.
Thank you to the ten thousand people who work on the now FOUR TV shows based on THE WALKING DEAD...
You've got the original show, Fear The Walking Dead (which I personally stopped watching after the start of Season 3), and one confirmed to be in development created by Scott Gimple and Matthew Negrete that will focus on children growing up in the apocalypse (and no, one of them is not Clementine, much to my disappointment). Which means there is another show yet to be confirmed or announced that is being worked on.
Just let this series die AMC, viewership is down on the main show, has been for years, and you are just beating a dead horse and trying to get whatever you can left out of it.
Your words just convinced me to lose my trust on Kirkman. That asshole doesn't care for his fan-favorite franchise anymore and just lets anyone else do whatever they want with his IP. Screw that guy.
Kirkman has confirmed in the final TWD issue that there are now 4 TV shows being worked on for AMC.
Thank you to the ten thousand peop… morele who work on the now FOUR TV shows based on THE WALKING DEAD...
You've got the original show, Fear The Walking Dead (which I personally stopped watching after the start of Season 3), and one confirmed to be in development created by Scott Gimple and Matthew Negrete that will focus on children growing up in the apocalypse (and no, one of them is not Clementine, much to my disappointment). Which means there is another show yet to be confirmed or announced that is being worked on.
Just let this series die AMC, viewership is down on the main show, has been for years, and you are just beating a dead horse and trying to get whatever you can left out of it.
So... out of the blue, they just mention in the notes at the back of the comic that the Walking Dead's next issue will be its last? That seems a bit abrupt and an unprofessional way to announce it. I had heard they planned for it to go on till at least 250 or something... What the hell happened, Robert??
EDIT: So, I'm looking stuff up, and the final issue is out today?! Okay. Wow. So, it's over then. Huh.
In the closing thoughts about the final issue, Robert Kirkman noted that he 'hate[s] knowing what's coming', and that 'Some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones are when they’re structured in such a way and paced to perfection so your brain can’t tell if it’s been watching for 15 minutes or 50 minutes ... and when the end comes ... you’re stunned.'
he then goes on to talk about long movies and likes how you lose track of time and then when the movie ends, it feels great "I love long movies for that very reason," he continued. "You lose track of time because you went in convinced that you’re going to be there for a long time, but the story moves at such an entertaining and engaging pace that by the time the movie’s wrapping up ... you can’t believe it’s already over. Surprise, it’s over!"
So... great. He based the writing and announcement of his ending off of the abrupt ending of GOT. Uh oh.
I'm not that big of a comic reader (and haven't read a bunch of TWD comics... might get around to that soon) so I don't know how common sudden ending announcements are, but this -- as an outsider's perspective -- feels like a really bad cop-out ending to readers. Especially for a long-running comic like this. You're reading a comic, anticipating all these cool plot threads and where they'll go next, and suddenly you find out the next book you buy is the last one. I know I wouldn't like that.
So... great. He based the writing and announcement of his ending off of the abrupt ending of GOT. Uh oh.
That was literally my first thought when I read that part of the letter. I was joking in another thread about him taking influence from Benioff and Weiss in ending the comics, I didn't think he would actually take influence from THAT! After that last season, it's hard to call GOT's pacing "perfection."
as an outsider's perspective -- feels like a really bad cop-out ending to readers. Especially for a long-running comic like this. You're reading a comic, anticipating all these cool plot threads and where they'll go next, and suddenly you find out the next book you buy is the last one. I know I wouldn't like that.
That's because it is a cop out. Especially since the entirety of this last issue has nothing to do with how the last one ended. (This is somewhat of a spoiler, but not huge or anything) It just jumps to decades later in the future, that's how it starts and ends. Kirkman just fast forwards through a bunch of important stuff that could have actually been interesting developments or stories, and hastily covers it all and just says "This is what happened." It's so lazy and rushed I couldn't believe it. Honestly, it could have continued for a lot longer after Rick's death, show how Carl deals with the loss, how the community deals with it, who steps up in his absence, what new developments come from some of the new communities they come across, etc. But no, it's just over.
So... out of the blue, they just mention in the notes at the back of the comic that the Walking Dead's next issue will be its last? That see… morems a bit abrupt and an unprofessional way to announce it. I had heard they planned for it to go on till at least 250 or something... What the hell happened, Robert??
EDIT: So, I'm looking stuff up, and the final issue is out today?! Okay. Wow. So, it's over then. Huh.
In the closing thoughts about the final issue, Robert Kirkman noted that he 'hate[s] knowing what's coming', and that 'Some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones are when they’re structured in such a way and paced to perfection so your brain can’t tell if it’s been watching for 15 minutes or 50 minutes ... and when the end comes ... you’re stunned.'
he then goes on to talk about long movies and likes how you lose track of time and then when the movie ends, it feels great "I love long movies for that very reason," he continued. "You … [view original content]
Well in the afterword he talked about how he had this planned since 2015 so to him it's not something that's out of the blue. He even had plans to end it even further back at issue 72. I'm pretty sure darn sure he's just using GoT as an example rather than actually basing his ending off of it considering stuff like this is usually written months in advance, not to mention the amount of time it takes to illustrate everything, especially with the final issue being over 70 pages.
So... out of the blue, they just mention in the notes at the back of the comic that the Walking Dead's next issue will be its last? That see… morems a bit abrupt and an unprofessional way to announce it. I had heard they planned for it to go on till at least 250 or something... What the hell happened, Robert??
EDIT: So, I'm looking stuff up, and the final issue is out today?! Okay. Wow. So, it's over then. Huh.
In the closing thoughts about the final issue, Robert Kirkman noted that he 'hate[s] knowing what's coming', and that 'Some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones are when they’re structured in such a way and paced to perfection so your brain can’t tell if it’s been watching for 15 minutes or 50 minutes ... and when the end comes ... you’re stunned.'
he then goes on to talk about long movies and likes how you lose track of time and then when the movie ends, it feels great "I love long movies for that very reason," he continued. "You … [view original content]
Your words just convinced me to lose my trust on Kirkman. That asshole doesn't care for his fan-favorite franchise anymore and just lets anyone else do whatever they want with his IP. Screw that guy.
Honestly, it could have continued for a lot longer after Rick's death, show how Carl deals with the loss, how the community deals with it, who steps up in his absence, what new developments come from some of the new communities they come across, etc.
I would have liked to see some of that just so the series would have hit 200 issues. Goddamit why'd it have to be 193? I would have even taken a 195.
Especially since the entirety of this last issue has nothing to do with how the last one ended.
I mean, it kinda does.
It's literally the aftermath of what Rick had fought for in the entire run of the series. Because of him, civilisation grew to a point where walkers are nearly a non-issue (Carl even says that in that point of the timeline he hasn't seen a walker in 10 years). His death made him a martyr. He's connected all these communities that look up to him, even decades after his murder. Maggie takes over as the leader of the Commonwealth and further connects the original communities together as they continue expanding to other places, however neglecting family in the process. The world around them is pretty much the wild west at this point. Though I I think what would have been a cool thing to do (if they did a proper lead up to an ending) would be to have each issue after 192 take place at different points after Ricks death detailing certain events, leading up to what we have now.
I get wanted to see more stuff from the comics but I don't think everything has to be given an answer, even if you're left feeling a little unsatisfied from it. I would have liked to see the series continue on as well but I do kind of admire that Kirkman just straight up saying he couldn't really think of what more he could do post Commonwealth, so he chose to end it before he did something that could potentially ruin the series.
So... great. He based the writing and announcement of his ending off of the abrupt ending of GOT. Uh oh.
That was literally my first… more thought when I read that part of the letter. I was joking in another thread about him taking influence from Benioff and Weiss in ending the comics, I didn't think he would actually take influence from THAT! After that last season, it's hard to call GOT's pacing "perfection."
as an outsider's perspective -- feels like a really bad cop-out ending to readers. Especially for a long-running comic like this. You're reading a comic, anticipating all these cool plot threads and where they'll go next, and suddenly you find out the next book you buy is the last one. I know I wouldn't like that.
That's because it is a cop out. Especially since the entirety of this last issue has nothing to do with how the last one ended. (This is somewhat of a spoiler, but not huge or anything) It just jumps to decade… [view original content]
Honestly I think he's only an asshole for doing this because I'm hearing lots of comic book stores being instantly sold out because they no one knew it was going to just end and they only ordered their usual amounts. All the comic book stores around my area were swamped with people trying to get the final issue. I do feel bad of that since they didn't order than they usually do and that will definitely impact there business at the moment.
Other than that I honestly have no qualms with him. He decided to end it before stretching it too far which is fine with me. Hell, I'm pretty sure if it did get to issue 300 like he said all those years ago, some of ya'll would be complaining about it even then.
What I meant was that I wanted to see more of the immediate aftermath, not just an endless barrage of jacking off to Rick Grimes legacy. The last issue ended with Carl just breaking down and crying, questioning how he's going to go on with every single member of his family now gone. Then with this issue, it just jumps to the future, neglecting that entire last panel of 192. We should have seen more of Rick's legacy taking form in the present time, instead of just jumping immediately to years later. In jumping so far ahead, what was the point of having Rick die in 192, you could have just had him die of natural causes at some point in the time jump, and it still would have made sense in 193. In doing this, it makes his death almost feel meaningless because we never really got to fully see the immediate impact. If Kirkman wanted to stress Rick being a martyr that helps bring the communities together, then he should have shown it actually happen. That could have been a few volumes right there of comics. Power struggles as people look to take over with Rick gone, Sebastian being locked away and what his mother does in response, bringing the communities closer together to fit Rick's vision for the future. Instead, it feels like he took a cheap way out.
Honestly, it could have continued for a lot longer after Rick's death, show how Carl deals with the loss, how the community deals with it, w… moreho steps up in his absence, what new developments come from some of the new communities they come across, etc.
I would have liked to see some of that just so the series would have hit 200 issues. Goddamit why'd it have to be 193? I would have even taken a 195.
Especially since the entirety of this last issue has nothing to do with how the last one ended.
I mean, it kinda does.
(Spoiler)
I get wanted to see more stuff from the comics but I don't think everything has to be given an answer, even if you're left feeling a little unsatisfied from it. I would have liked to see the series continue on as well but I do kind of admire that Kirkman just straight up saying he couldn't really think of what more he could do post Commonwealth, so he chose to end it before he did something that could potentially ruin the series.
Oh yeah, and I finally finished my rewatch of Stranger Things today.
Still a great show, though it's Season 1 that was the most interesting rewatch. Both because it's been a while since I originally saw it, and also since it's a lot more slower-paced and and less sci-fi like. The first season is more of a mystery character drama about a small town boy who goes missing, and the quirky group of friends and family that goes to extreme lengths to find him. It's only the ending bits that get much more supernatural, but the emotional bits are really interesting.
Season 2 is much better of a binger. The plot constantly evolves into a new level of thrill, it's faster, and the main hook of Will being more and more consumed by the Shadow Monster's influence is great. He's easily considered the best actor of Season 2. I am glad that they seem to be moving away from him (or the Byers) as the initial conflict point in Season 3 (at least a bit, the trailers do seem like something's still going on with Will). They've suffered enough!
Pro tip for Season 2: Swap the watch order of Episodes 7 and 8. It fixes some of the pacing that area has, doesn't just leave you on that thrilling E6 cliffhanger, and also ends with Eleven in a whole new outfit, seemingly missing for 2 episodes, so it's better to end it there and go back in a little "flashback episode" to see how she got there.
It doesn't fix the annoying tonal shift and clichéd characters of the episode, but it works better that way. Or, just skip it entirely. However, however.... I gotta say, the change to an urban big-city locale in the episode is pretty refreshing, and the soundtrack is very nice in the episode.
The music is also some of the best stuff of the series. I made sure to really pay attention to the background noise, and it's great stuff. The 80s synthwave and techno tunes are really nice, and I think the quieter, more normal moments with characters are where the composer shines best. However, Season 2 does have some of the best heart-pumping action tunes.
Ok, this is the point where I started to think FromSoftware fucked it and I'm talking about Dark Souls 2. I reached the Darklurker boss and I haven't been so pissed to a boss since Watchdog of the Old Lords from Bloodborne. Difference is, this was plain terrible game design and I'm talking about the fact that not only is the boss very hard but also the routes that I have to take to reach the boss is a fucking nightmare because you consume a lot of human effigies (which are mostly used to regenerate your health bar) to open the portal and you have to kill those tough NPCs on your way to destination.
I'm totally fine with the difficulty of the boss but making the routes difficult as well like that is nothing but a bag of fucking bullshit. Whoever designed that level deserves to be fired.
Me, waking up at 3am: Boy, am I thirsty. I'll go grab a glass of water then go straight back to bed.
My Brain: Well, would you look at the time... 3 in the morning. I wonder why I woke you up. Btw, Stranger Things 3 is out now, what a coincidence!
gahhhh just 5 minutes. Just the intro, and then it's more sleep for me, got it, brain?!
Edit: alright, okay, cool. First 5 minutes, intro, done. Back to bed. Need sleeps.
So, you know how everyone in Hawkins claims that it's always the Russians doing shady stuff around town, well it seems that this time it'll actually, finally be the Russians! Hooray?
Welp brought my mom to the hospital and back. They discovered a polyp but at the moment it looks like its benign. We'll get the results in about a week so hopefully everything goes well.
Comments
I agree with your points on Durant. My dad and I think that signing him is a bad move for just about any team - but I suppose the Nets are actually a capable team without him, and are capable of doing damage in the playoffs. But he's also Kevin Durant. At the same time, I think the Knicks not offering him a max was the right move.
Still, even though the Knicks probably made the smart moves, I take joy in their misery of basically failing their entire off-season they've been hyping up for years, as you mentioned. Porzingis trade, no Zion draft or Anthony Davis trade, paying 34 year old Taj Gibson a 2 year/20 million dollar deal? Hilariously terrible. Dolan is an ass, but the Durant move was okay. Still, he should definitely sell the team. Spike Lee should try to lead a group to get it.
As a Wizards fan I know misery, and I don't know much playoff success, so the NBA Finals don't mean much to me beyond watching basketball (one of my favorite things to do), although I've rooted for the underdog Cavaliers, but not the freaking Raptors, I hate the Raptors. Still, it finally seems to be getting interesting and achieving "parity." Of course, your point about the NBA's structure is true. The league needs to do something about it. The fact that, realistically, at any given time there are only 6 teams with a realistic shot to win it all is very annoying. The tanking is also discouraging, but I think the new rules at least make tanking much less viable (which probably will hurt teams that actually need it).
I think the reason why hockey is more "entertaining" or, at least, having different teams winning (I think basketball is a more enjoyable sport to watch, like, in a game, although the one hockey game I went to, a Stanley Cup Caps game last year, was electric), comes down to the nature of the sport. I think it's much easier to upset a good team in a hockey game (or playoff series for that matter) than it is to do the same for a basketball team. Hockey needs a couple of goals, basketball needs a lot of baskets. Less room for error. Now, if the NBA got rid of 7 game playoff series, at least for the opening round, and went back to the 5 game series it had 17 years ago, that should benefit the worse teams, and probably help avoid injuries down the line (like KD and Thompson's).
The Nets were a decent team last year and made the playoffs (again, I barely paid attention so I can't really name any player on the team, but with GS no longer being the powerhouse, I might start watching basketball a bit more again), but they got stomped by the 76ers, they're going to need more in order to make it past the first round. They also, in signing these guys, lost one of their big players to GS to my understanding, no idea how that's going to impact the team. Signing Durant is a risk, but at the same time, when he comes back, it's going to get a lot of butts in the seats at Barclays Center, and I guess that's what the team is hoping for. I'm already seeing people jumping on the Nets bandwagon like they did with GS, and honestly, I don't like it. I root for teams, not a player. If Aaron Judge on the Yankees were to go to another team, I'm not going to start rooting for that team, I'm a Yankees fan at my core, and that'll never change.
I think anyone who isn't a Knicks fan is right there with us. It's not the team per say, it's just the owner. Or maybe part of it is just like laughing at the Mets or the Cleveland Browns, it's gotten to the point where they've been through so much pain and misery, a lot of it self-inflicted, that you can't help but laugh when even more goes wrong. That being said, the Browns look stacked this year, and the NFL needs a new laughing stock. My vote is either the Giants (trading Odell, drafting Daniel Jones, the decreased playing ability of Eli "Derp Face" Manning) or the Chargers (fuck you Spanos).
And the problem is that, even after all these years, there are still really only 6 teams viable for winning the whole thing, and it's always the same 6 teams, maybe one of them gets swapped out every now and then. The Warriors, the Celtics, the Raptors, the Bucks, the Rockets, and the Trail Blazers (which even then can be swapped out with Jazz or Nuggets). Everyone else is just screwed. Look at the East, teams with below .500 records were making the playoffs, that shouldn't be the case.
Maybe it's just personal preference, but this is how I see it. The reason why I like hockey more is because it feels more like a team sport. In basketball, it always feels like if you can land one huge player, that can bring your team to the playoffs/Finals. Look at LeBron when he was in Cleveland, he pretty much singlehandedly led a team of nobodies and scrubs to the Finals 4 years in a row. At least with the Heat he had Bosh and Wade helping out, but it was always him pretty much leading the charge. Sure the Lakers were disappointments this year, but that team had so much toxic and incompetent management in their ranks that it made Telltale look like CD Projekt Red by comparison, and LeBron got hurt so that played a role. Had the Knicks drafted Zion, I doubt they would have needed anyone else, all they'd need is him and they could put out the same lineup as last year and go on to make the playoffs. Hockey feels much more like a team sport, one player doesn't make or break the team. Sure, star players help lead teams to the playoffs (Jordan Binnington with the Blues this year, Taylor Hall with the Devils 2 years ago, etc.), but it's never just that one guy. Unlike in basketball, you don't have players who can stay out on the ice for all 60 minutes, they need breaks and line changes, so you're getting a much better rotation of players out there and it's not all reliant on that one person. You can have an offensive juggernaut on your team, but if you have no defense, your power plays or penalty kills are weak, or your goaltender can't stop a beachball let alone a puck, your team is screwed.
Oh it definitely is, and again, that makes it so exciting. This year, every single number 1 seed was eliminated from the playoffs in the 1st round. The Tampa Bay Lightning, who had an incredible regular season, won the President's Trophy this year and won a league tying record 62 wins, got swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that's never won a playoff series in their existence. The St. Louis Blues skirted into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, led by nothing but an emerging rookie goaltender and Gloria, and they beat out the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, and Boston Bruins to win the Cup. The closest you got this year was a Clippers team almost eliminating the Warriors, only for them to end up winning and coasting their way to another Finals appearance.
hold on, lemme fix that a bit
I must say, for all the praise it has gotten, Titanfall 2 was, to me, kind of disappointing. The gameplay is amazing and fast paced, that I very much enjoyed, but in terms of its single player campaign and story, I was expecting so much more. It was bare bones, really just jumped around with generic characters, and it only lasted 5 hours. Started it on Saturday, finished on Sunday, I actually thought I missed something because it ended so quickly. You can definitely tell this was meant to be a multiplayer game, and they just tacked on a single player campaign to bring in a few more people. I'm sure the multiplayer aspect is really good, how can it not be with the gameplay in this game, but that's really not what I'm into. Shame on me I guess, I should have done more research before purchasing, and that's my fault. It definitely might be for others, those who enjoy multiplayer stuff like that, but it definitely wasn't for me.
That being said, how can Respawn make a game with such entertaining gameplay like this, and then show off Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order where it was, at best, just okay. Not saying JFO looked bad, but based on what I saw at E3 a few weeks ago, it felt like it was lacking in some areas.
Yeah the story isn't really and the characters (while charming at points) aren't super interesting, but the level design for the campaign is fantastic (time travel, level, rooms that shift around, etc).
Skybound have put out a short comparison video for The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition.
A New Frontier and Michonne have seen the biggest improvements so far. The light from the fire bouncing in the background at 0:29 looks fuckin' great. They are absolutely an upgrade in terms of visuals from the original games. They legitimately look good. Season 2 is still a little washed out but its pretty neat that they changed the animation for the "Still. Not. Bitten" scene. You'll also notice the different camera angle for the Michonne clip (they also removed the loose dread covering her eye for some reason). Season 1 looks slightly washed out in my opinion, but the deep blacks look really nice. I'm also a little conflicted with the thicker outlines. Why are they so much thicker than the other seasons? It kinda makes the characters stand out a little too much.
If you're wondering why the Season 2 bit is running at 10fps it's because it's apparently a test build for it, so they're still definitely working on stuff.
And if you still don't like the visuals have no worry as its been confirmed you'll be able to switch between definitive and original graphics!
The pre-order for the standard edition (just the base game) for consoles is also out if anyone is interested.
A new screenshot has also been released! No comparison though.
I've said it once and I'll say it again. They're nailing the comic book look with the new graphic black lighting. These are some pretty nice looking shadows.
I watched the original Halloween 2 as well. Now I see why John Carpenter hated that movie and wanted to scrap it from the canon. The movie already started getting weird by the scene (SPOILER ALERT, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER) where Dr. Loomis tries to shoot the guy who he assumed it was Michael Myers, then a police cruise ran the fake-out Michael over, pushed him to a van which exploded right away. That was the most unnecessary, yet hilarious WTF scene I've seen in a horror film.
Michael's mask looked weird too, why was it so different? The movie takes place RIGHT after the end of the first movie. I heard that the actor who played Michael was not the same as the one from the first movie, was there any reason for doing that?
How long was the goddamn night? I'm not expert on weathers or shit like that and I understand the movie is called Halloween but I'm pretty sure the sun should have already risen after the first half of the film. Plus, the Halloween season was already over, the whole movie took place in November 1st, right?
I thought the movie was okay at the best but the first film was better, obviously. I do plan on watching the latest Halloween film since that's the ONLY canon sequel to the main timeline according to Carpenter. Some say it was disappointing, some say it was good. I need to make my own opinion.
The mods when the websites certificate has been renewed for an additional year.
It reoccurred to me Sunday during my little DVR binge that Hunter X Hunter(2011) wrapped up last week. I mean it was definitely a good, if necessary place to stop, being Book End-ish and all, but it's left a void in my trio of Toonami shows.
Actually, there's a good chance that's actually another animation that was bugged in the original release.
What, as in the little nod was supposed to be in the original game?
Yep.
For anyone left here that still enjoys playing Spider-Man PS4, Insomniac just announced that they're releasing the two new suits from Far From Home in a free update today.
Holy shit. I thought they said no because they were done with the game and focus on the sequel. It's amazing but I think it's time to stop because they did everything they could with Spider-Man PS4. They need to focus on the sequel right now and make it good.
Courtesy of FTCR
Man, do I love JK Simmons.
Oh yes.
I finished watching Halloween 2018. Am I the only one who is fucking annoyed by the fact that a lot of movie/game sequels are just named with the title of the very first installments of their specific franchises without adding a number or another word like "Returns"? Like when someone asks me what my favorite Halloween movie is, I say Halloween and I will be asked "Which one?". Same goes with God of War.
Anyway, I saw this movie and just like Halloween 2, it wasn't that special to me. Jamie Lee Curtis still had talent of acting, she reminded me a lot of Sarah Connor because her performance in this movie but her screentime was kind of too small despite that amazing set up for her fight against Michael. I couldn't care too much for her daughter and especially her granddaughter. Some of the scenes with Allyson felt unnecessary, most of them were just teenage drama that didn't affect the story that much. It has its moments but it felt too predictable. There is a twist which was more frustrating than surprising though.
That being said, I had some joy watching this film but it didn't justify scrapping every single Halloween movie after the first one from the canon. I don't know which one was a better sequel, either this one or Halloween 2. Both have their own ups and downs but I don't give a damn about either of them anyway. Halloween 1 is still the best, it's still crazy that it had a smaller budget than its sequels and it's still better film.
Found this pretty neat animated short. It clearly takes inspiration from 90's/earl 2000's cartoons like Ren and Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life and Ed, Edd n Eddy. The humour may not be my kinda thing, it's very absurdist and a little gross out, but the animation is legitimately phenomenal. It's just so smooth and there's an insane amount of detail and care put into every second of it. The voice acting's pretty good too! The character at the end looks and sounds like something out of an old Looney Tunes short, which I really liked.
My only issue with the whole thing is that the audio for it is pretty low, but that's all relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.
Spoiler for the newest issue of The Walking Dead.
I can't believe it's over. First the Telltale game and now the comics.
I first found out about the comics around 2008 (I think), and I was in a bookstore looking for comic that was zombie related, because at the time I was super into that stuff. I ended picking The Walking Dead Volume 1 because it had the nicest looking cover and I've been a reader ever since. However I did take a few breaks every so often because I wasn't able to readily get my hands on new issues/volumes. I still remember how shocked I was when Glenn was killed, as he was my favourite character. That was such a long time ago.
Thank you Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard for all the years of unforgettable stories and characters. This truly is an end of an era.
My only annoyance is that it didn't reach an even 200.
Hey everyone. It's me.
Sorry about that last message. The rumors spreading about the forum going down after a while (when I wrote my last message) got to me.
And if I wanted to go, I was going to leave one heck of a swan song message for the ages.
But it's postponed. Still living.
Just came back from watching Spider-Man: Far From Home. It's a really fun and enjoyable a cool amount of twists and turns! It's a nice pallet cleanser to Endgame with its lighter tone and it does feel like an epilogue of sorts (at least me in my opinion). The characters continue to be funny and relatable, and Mysterio is a really fun character, they really do his comic book counterpart justice. He has a bunch of crazy ass sequences that were great. Definitely watch the two after credits scenes as they tease what the future of the MCU has in store. The first one in particularly has some stuff that had me quietly cheering in my seat.
Wait, they already ended the comics as well? I thought they said Issue #300 was going to be the closure.
That first after credit scene was easily the best one the MCU has ever done. It was perfect, no other way to describe it.
Yeah his original plan was to hopefully get the comic to 300 issues before ending it. But in the afterword of the final issue he admitted that it wasn't a realistic goal and about four/five years ago realised that he wanted to end it.
Definitely up there with my favourites! I'm really excited for what they have planned for Spidey!
When you posted "Man, do I love JK Simmons", I kinda had an inkling it was Spider-Man related since he hasn't really been in anything too notable recently. InGen replying with the Jameson laugh certainly didn't help. :P
Kirkman has confirmed in the final TWD issue that there are now 4 TV shows being worked on for AMC.
You've got the original show, Fear The Walking Dead (which I personally stopped watching after the start of Season 3), and one confirmed to be in development created by Scott Gimple and Matthew Negrete that will focus on children growing up in the apocalypse (and no, one of them is not Clementine, much to my disappointment). Which means there is another show yet to be confirmed or announced that is being worked on.
Just let this series die AMC, viewership is down on the main show, has been for years, and you are just beating a dead horse and trying to get whatever you can left out of it.
Your words just convinced me to lose my trust on Kirkman. That asshole doesn't care for his fan-favorite franchise anymore and just lets anyone else do whatever they want with his IP. Screw that guy.
So... out of the blue, they just mention in the notes at the back of the comic that the Walking Dead's next issue will be its last? That seems a bit abrupt and an unprofessional way to announce it. I had heard they planned for it to go on till at least 250 or something... What the hell happened, Robert??
EDIT: So, I'm looking stuff up, and the final issue is out today?! Okay. Wow. So, it's over then. Huh.
In the closing thoughts about the final issue, Robert Kirkman noted that he 'hate[s] knowing what's coming', and that 'Some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones are when they’re structured in such a way and paced to perfection so your brain can’t tell if it’s been watching for 15 minutes or 50 minutes ... and when the end comes ... you’re stunned.'
he then goes on to talk about long movies and likes how you lose track of time and then when the movie ends, it feels great "I love long movies for that very reason," he continued. "You lose track of time because you went in convinced that you’re going to be there for a long time, but the story moves at such an entertaining and engaging pace that by the time the movie’s wrapping up ... you can’t believe it’s already over. Surprise, it’s over!"
So... great. He based the writing and announcement of his ending off of the abrupt ending of GOT. Uh oh.
I'm not that big of a comic reader (and haven't read a bunch of TWD comics... might get around to that soon) so I don't know how common sudden ending announcements are, but this -- as an outsider's perspective -- feels like a really bad cop-out ending to readers. Especially for a long-running comic like this. You're reading a comic, anticipating all these cool plot threads and where they'll go next, and suddenly you find out the next book you buy is the last one. I know I wouldn't like that.
That was literally my first thought when I read that part of the letter. I was joking in another thread about him taking influence from Benioff and Weiss in ending the comics, I didn't think he would actually take influence from THAT! After that last season, it's hard to call GOT's pacing "perfection."
That's because it is a cop out. Especially since the entirety of this last issue has nothing to do with how the last one ended. (This is somewhat of a spoiler, but not huge or anything) It just jumps to decades later in the future, that's how it starts and ends. Kirkman just fast forwards through a bunch of important stuff that could have actually been interesting developments or stories, and hastily covers it all and just says "This is what happened." It's so lazy and rushed I couldn't believe it. Honestly, it could have continued for a lot longer after Rick's death, show how Carl deals with the loss, how the community deals with it, who steps up in his absence, what new developments come from some of the new communities they come across, etc. But no, it's just over.
Well in the afterword he talked about how he had this planned since 2015 so to him it's not something that's out of the blue. He even had plans to end it even further back at issue 72. I'm pretty sure darn sure he's just using GoT as an example rather than actually basing his ending off of it considering stuff like this is usually written months in advance, not to mention the amount of time it takes to illustrate everything, especially with the final issue being over 70 pages.
Lol wut? How does any of this make him the asshole?
As @AChicken said, Kirkman just went on GOT way and ended the comics without making a huge announcement, just for a "big" surprise.
I would have liked to see some of that just so the series would have hit 200 issues. Goddamit why'd it have to be 193? I would have even taken a 195.
I mean, it kinda does.
It's literally the aftermath of what Rick had fought for in the entire run of the series. Because of him, civilisation grew to a point where walkers are nearly a non-issue (Carl even says that in that point of the timeline he hasn't seen a walker in 10 years). His death made him a martyr. He's connected all these communities that look up to him, even decades after his murder. Maggie takes over as the leader of the Commonwealth and further connects the original communities together as they continue expanding to other places, however neglecting family in the process. The world around them is pretty much the wild west at this point. Though I I think what would have been a cool thing to do (if they did a proper lead up to an ending) would be to have each issue after 192 take place at different points after Ricks death detailing certain events, leading up to what we have now.
I get wanted to see more stuff from the comics but I don't think everything has to be given an answer, even if you're left feeling a little unsatisfied from it. I would have liked to see the series continue on as well but I do kind of admire that Kirkman just straight up saying he couldn't really think of what more he could do post Commonwealth, so he chose to end it before he did something that could potentially ruin the series.
Honestly I think he's only an asshole for doing this because I'm hearing lots of comic book stores being instantly sold out because they no one knew it was going to just end and they only ordered their usual amounts. All the comic book stores around my area were swamped with people trying to get the final issue. I do feel bad of that since they didn't order than they usually do and that will definitely impact there business at the moment.
Other than that I honestly have no qualms with him. He decided to end it before stretching it too far which is fine with me. Hell, I'm pretty sure if it did get to issue 300 like he said all those years ago, some of ya'll would be complaining about it even then.
What I meant was that I wanted to see more of the immediate aftermath, not just an endless barrage of jacking off to Rick Grimes legacy. The last issue ended with Carl just breaking down and crying, questioning how he's going to go on with every single member of his family now gone. Then with this issue, it just jumps to the future, neglecting that entire last panel of 192. We should have seen more of Rick's legacy taking form in the present time, instead of just jumping immediately to years later. In jumping so far ahead, what was the point of having Rick die in 192, you could have just had him die of natural causes at some point in the time jump, and it still would have made sense in 193. In doing this, it makes his death almost feel meaningless because we never really got to fully see the immediate impact. If Kirkman wanted to stress Rick being a martyr that helps bring the communities together, then he should have shown it actually happen. That could have been a few volumes right there of comics. Power struggles as people look to take over with Rick gone, Sebastian being locked away and what his mother does in response, bringing the communities closer together to fit Rick's vision for the future. Instead, it feels like he took a cheap way out.
Oh yeah, and I finally finished my rewatch of Stranger Things today.
Still a great show, though it's Season 1 that was the most interesting rewatch. Both because it's been a while since I originally saw it, and also since it's a lot more slower-paced and and less sci-fi like. The first season is more of a mystery character drama about a small town boy who goes missing, and the quirky group of friends and family that goes to extreme lengths to find him. It's only the ending bits that get much more supernatural, but the emotional bits are really interesting.
Season 2 is much better of a binger. The plot constantly evolves into a new level of thrill, it's faster, and the main hook of Will being more and more consumed by the Shadow Monster's influence is great. He's easily considered the best actor of Season 2. I am glad that they seem to be moving away from him (or the Byers) as the initial conflict point in Season 3 (at least a bit, the trailers do seem like something's still going on with Will). They've suffered enough!
Pro tip for Season 2: Swap the watch order of Episodes 7 and 8. It fixes some of the pacing that area has, doesn't just leave you on that thrilling E6 cliffhanger, and also ends with Eleven in a whole new outfit, seemingly missing for 2 episodes, so it's better to end it there and go back in a little "flashback episode" to see how she got there.
It doesn't fix the annoying tonal shift and clichéd characters of the episode, but it works better that way. Or, just skip it entirely.
However, however.... I gotta say, the change to an urban big-city locale in the episode is pretty refreshing, and the soundtrack is very nice in the episode.
The music is also some of the best stuff of the series. I made sure to really pay attention to the background noise, and it's great stuff. The 80s synthwave and techno tunes are really nice, and I think the quieter, more normal moments with characters are where the composer shines best. However, Season 2 does have some of the best heart-pumping action tunes.
Now I'm prepared for Season 3! YAY!
Ok, this is the point where I started to think FromSoftware fucked it and I'm talking about Dark Souls 2. I reached the Darklurker boss and I haven't been so pissed to a boss since Watchdog of the Old Lords from Bloodborne. Difference is, this was plain terrible game design and I'm talking about the fact that not only is the boss very hard but also the routes that I have to take to reach the boss is a fucking nightmare because you consume a lot of human effigies (which are mostly used to regenerate your health bar) to open the portal and you have to kill those tough NPCs on your way to destination.
I'm totally fine with the difficulty of the boss but making the routes difficult as well like that is nothing but a bag of fucking bullshit. Whoever designed that level deserves to be fired.
gahhhh just 5 minutes. Just the intro, and then it's more sleep for me, got it, brain?!
Edit: alright, okay, cool. First 5 minutes, intro, done. Back to bed. Need sleeps.
So, you know how everyone in Hawkins claims that it's always the Russians doing shady stuff around town, well it seems that this time it'll actually, finally be the Russians! Hooray?
Welp brought my mom to the hospital and back. They discovered a polyp but at the moment it looks like its benign. We'll get the results in about a week so hopefully everything goes well.