Messages

251

Movies & TV / Re: Disney+

« on: January 06, 2020, 10:25:33 PM »

Neat. The original movie is still on my "need to watch soon" list... should have done that over the holidays with my kids.

252

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars Fanhouse, Chewie, we're home!

« on: January 06, 2020, 03:17:23 PM »

Finishing off the Clone Wars series was the #1 reason my kids wanted D+, as it had been pulled from Netflix before they could see the (so far) final season. They loved it, and I agree that it was a solid series.

Since then they've moved on to watch Rebels, and I watched a bunch with them. Gotta say, though... it just hasn't captured our interest in the same way. Still good and worth watching, even if a little bit less compelling for whatever reason.

253

General Chat / Re: who likes hot sauce?

« on: January 05, 2020, 08:47:50 PM »

...
I will add the caveat that I stopped eating the pepper flakes you get at pizza places because one time an errant one ripped me a new gall bladder ONCE, and now I get acid reflux from time to time.

That sounds nasty.
I've always been curious about trying the flakes, but am consistently too lazy to use them.

254

NWR Forums Discord / Re: Happy New Year everyone!!

« on: January 03, 2020, 02:27:55 PM »

...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghQI-3MGt5A

We love this special... but my kids always insist on watching it early in December...


Have a great year, everyone!

255

Announcements / Re: Topic of the Day

« on: January 03, 2020, 02:25:00 PM »

As long as no one is talking about me behind my back.

But topics of the day sound fun.

Fear not. We prefer to say bad things face-to-face for the full impact.

... soooooo, let's go with.....
Who likes hot sauce?

Spicy!
But Daan's article is way more interesting... even if it is yesterday's news.

256

Movies & TV / Re: Disney+

« on: January 03, 2020, 01:32:43 PM »

Some of this is expected though, isn't it? 

The only thing surprising is the stealth nature, as you'd expect Disney to be as up front as possible with announcing what/when/why. 

257

General Chat / who likes hot sauce?

« on: January 03, 2020, 01:23:17 PM »

I'm on a big hot sauce kick. I don't drown my food in it or anything, and want good flavor over pure heat, but am having a lot of fun trying some different domestic brands.

Right now my favorite is a black cherry with reaper peppers sauce from a Canadian company (Pepper North) that is sweet and mixes deliciously with beef tacos/burgers/nachos/etc... They also make another sauce with blueberries and scorpion peppers that is nice and tastes good with ice cream (although you lose a lot of the heat that way).

If you like spicy foods/sauces, what brands do you currently enjoy and what recipes do you use it with?

258

General Chat / Re: January 2020 is Meme Avatar Month

« on: January 03, 2020, 01:00:20 PM »

...  I control the horizontal! I control the vertical! Muh-ha-ha-ha!

if true... wow... missed opportunity here, by not swapping to an outer limits avatar
 

259

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: January 03, 2020, 12:06:41 AM »

... and even on the DS, I really am finally going to play Chrono Trigger for the first time ...

Hahaha... Sure you are. One of these days!

(Although you really should. I played it through for the first time a couple of years ago, and have to admit that it lived up to the hype - at least mostly. Was a slow starter for me, but a great game and is easy to replay with many different endings possible.)

260

General Gaming / Re: What is the last game you beat? Thoughts/impressions?

« on: January 02, 2020, 11:59:03 PM »

Nice job on Dark Souls!


Finished off Trace Memory (DS) (aka: Another Code) and rather enjoyed the game.

Point-and-click puzzle/adventure games are almost always something I enjoy, and this game from Cing didn't disappoint. It's very short, but that's probably good because some of the technical aspects haven't aged particularly well. There is some stuff I could look for in a second run through - I didn't solve all the mysteries and left some key story points hanging - but I'm not sure if I'll go back or just move forward to the Wii sequel...

Maybe 2020 is a good year to finally play through Hotel Dusk and Last Window also!

261

TalkBack / Re: Daan's Top 30 Games for Attractive Woopers: 2019 Edition

« on: January 02, 2020, 04:30:29 PM »

Agreed - interesting choices, but not in the diminutive way that people sometimes use "interesting" as a euphemism for odd or questionable.  I kept looking at the list and thinking: "Hmm... that looks so cool!"

Thanks for posting this article, Daan!

262

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: January 02, 2020, 02:42:16 PM »

I’ve been playing Guacamelee too because of the recommendations here and while I’m still pretty early, I’m liking it quite a bit.

Good game!  Good choice!
There was one secret I checked on YouTube to get the good ending, but most things fell into place nicely. One of the more enjoyable games I played last year!

Moved to Trace Memory (DS) after finishing off Guacamelee, hoping to cross that game and the Wii sequel off my list this year. It's kind of odd, and some of the puzzles and gimmicks haven't aged particularly well... but I'm four chapters in and enjoying the game so far.  (Then again, I've always been a sucker for the point-and-click adventure genre... which reminds me that I have another Sam & Max game on Wii to dig out.)

263

Announcements / Re: Topic of the Day

« on: January 02, 2020, 02:31:25 PM »

FWIW, I hate infinite scroll in discord so never check there, but I get the feeling it's way more happening then the forums these days? All the cool cats go there right?  I'm just too old...

264

Movies & TV / Re: (NEW Poll Added!!) New Movies/TV Shows we should keep an eye out for!

« on: December 29, 2019, 12:33:21 AM »

I'm looking forward to Cats, eventually, when it's free to watch on some streaming channel.
 
I can't recall anything else that looked that bad over the past decade (although I'm sure there have been plenty of really bad movies). Once in a while, an absolute train-wreck of a movie can be entertaining.

265

General Gaming / Re: What is the last game you beat? Thoughts/impressions?

« on: December 28, 2019, 12:36:47 PM »

Beat Plants Vs Zombies (DS) and was mildly disappointed in the base game experience. There are a couple of relatively easy strategies that seem to be hugely overpowered, and the game didn't ever do much to really challenge or switch things up. Some new stuff opened up afterwards, but I'm not super excited to go back for more... maybe if there were a way to speed up the levels (which might exist, but I didn't know)?

Also finished Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition (Wii U), but only with the bad ending. Going to spend some more time exploring that game to see if I can squeeze out the better ending, since it's been an enjoyable romp. Really do love the style, and find the controls and level design are pretty tight.

(Update - Got the good ending too. It's much more satisfying.)   

266

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 28, 2019, 12:32:45 PM »

... Guacamelee ... the true ending.  I'd heavily recommend doing that since some of the best platforming challenges in the game are in these optional area's.  Plus going for the true ending makes it more like a metriodvania since you have to do a bit of exploring to find these places.

Working on this now. The "bad ending" was a bit disappointing, and now that the game has opened up it's quick enough to go through different areas looking for secrets that I don't think a couple of extra hours will be a problem.

Not sure about getting gold medals for all challenges in El Inferno though... that might be more than I really want to strive for.

That said, I would easily recommend the game. It's solid from start to end, and has a bunch of clever puzzles and challenges to work through. Very entertaining!

267

General Gaming / Re: Anyone got some new years gaming resolutions going on?

« on: December 27, 2019, 10:02:38 PM »

Key targets on my "to play" list:
* Xenoblade X (Wii U)
* Persona Q (3DS)
* The Last Story (Wii)

You could also add Dragon Quest 7 or 8 to that list, since I'd like to play through one of those games in 2020, but that series always feels so relaxing and nostalgic that it's never an actual "goal"...

268

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: December 27, 2019, 08:29:32 PM »

Saw The Rise of Skywalker today, and felt it was pretty good.

Yes, there are some plot holes and plenty of WTF moments where they break all rules of the normal and Star Wars universes without any good reason... but (whether you like the plot choices they made or not) the movie rarely gets boring for long stretches. I'll take that as a win. It's also got a lot of fan service; some of that fan service was pretty nonsensical, but as the 9th movie in an "epic space opera" that has rarely felt planned out beyond the first movie, sometimes fan service isn't a bad way to go.

Let's be honest here: most of the Star Wars movies are flawed, some badly. Although the overall series is often talked about like some kind of masterpiece, it's only in rare moments that the movies live up to that hyperbole. As such, this movie sits comfortably in the top half of my Star Wars film rankings - warts and all.

It's a helluva lot better than The Last Jedi was, at least on first viewing.

269

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 23, 2019, 10:48:26 PM »

That’s interesting timing. I’m in the mood for a Metroid-like game right now, and I’ve been trying to decide whether I should go with that game, Guacamelee, or one of Bloodstained or Axiom Verge. I already own all three of them (in some cases multiple times) but I’ve barely put any time into any of them. What would you recommend?

I can't really compare, because I haven't played Bloodstained (at least, not the real game; I do love the retro-goodness of Bloodstained Curse of the Moon but that's a love letter to Castlevania 3 on NES and not a Metroidvania at all) or Axiom Verge.

A few hours into Guacamelee and it's still impressing. The game is very action-focused and keeps you moving along consistently without any real need for backtracking or exploration so far. There are lots of special moves to unlock that then open up different pathways and secret areas.  In my mind, exploration and experimentation is one of the key elements of a good Metroidvania, and this game doesn't score highly in that regard... but as a fun and colorful action game it's absolutely worth playing. The style is great, the controls are tight, and there is lots of humor along the way (although some references are now a bit dated).

Considering the game is only about 7 hours long according to How Long To Beat, I figure it's a pretty easy recommendation. The game definitely gets better as you become more skilled and unlock more moves, but you'll know early on whether the style and humor will appeal to you.

270

Movies & TV / Re: All Things Netflix! Now you can watch on the GO, no mobile data needed.

« on: December 23, 2019, 10:31:50 PM »

Thanks for the mini-review about The Witcher. I haven't played any of The Witcher games and know nothing about the series... sounds like this is probably going to be a pass for me. (The Witcher was just sitting on the edge of "maybe I should check this out?"  Your review will let me focus on things that I'm pretty sure will be up my alley without any regrets.)


Speaking of stuff that directly appeals to me, I just finished off The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance and was soundly impressed. There are just enough dark moments that I decided not to watch with my kids yet... but the fantasy world they present is absolutely stunning and drew me in even during moments when the story fell flat. I sincerely hope they do a second series; there are definitely more stories to tell in this world.

Next up over the holiday break: Pet Cemetery. A friend said they did a really good job with this movie, and what would Christmas be without a few scares.

271

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 22, 2019, 07:39:34 PM »

Having played out Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and beaten it on all difficulty levels with just about every permutation of party, I've moved on to Guacamelee (Wii U).  Really enjoying the game. Level design isn't "the best"... but it's good enough, and both the style and writing are winning me over. Very fun game so far, and probably one that I should have played sooner.

272

General Gaming / Re: What is the last game you beat? Thoughts/impressions?

« on: December 20, 2019, 11:28:33 AM »

Got my first ending after recruiting all three allies and defeating the final boss once on Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (3DS).  ...

... and now I've gotten every ending, and beaten the game in most of the different permutations available.
Curse of the Moon remains a great game, and the deeper I got into it, the more I appreciated the design they put in. Some points can feel tough or cheap, especially if you aren't doing a full character run so have limited options to defend yourself against specific enemies, but in the end everything is fair as you can and will master the various challenges with some effort.


Anyway, even though this is the game I've been picking up on-and-off for the past few weeks, I really wanted to check and see how people have done with completing games in 2019.  According to records in my backlog, it looks like I beat 24 games this year (some were short, some weren't) which seems like a nice total.

My goal is to find time for two more during the holidays - probably short/retro games that only take a couple of hours, or maybe something already in progress. That would mean I acquired the same number of games I beat, making this the first net neutral year for my backlog in a long time!

Did anyone else have gaming-related goals for the year, and did you come close to reaching them?

273

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: December 18, 2019, 03:57:15 PM »

... a debate between two filmmakers whether star wars should hold themselves suffocatingly close to the OT or stake their own claim. 

Whether you think TLJ went too far or not, ...

This still misses the point that it doesn't matter how far either approach was taken, but how well (or poorly) it was executed. If TLJ was well executed, then people complaining wouldn't have any leg to stand on; it wasn't. The only viable way out now is to go for fan service and hope people will just write off any missteps from the past two movies.

My only take-away from this whole debacle is that anyone planning to create a trilogy based on an already-popular franchise should plan the whole thing from the outset, and then be sure that the people executing on that plan actually share your vision. It sounds to me like they failed both points pretty hard here.

Oh well. Given the circumstances, if the they lean hard into fan service and nostalgia for the next film as some are hinting at, that's probably as satisfactory of an ending as can be managed.

274

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: December 18, 2019, 01:51:40 PM »

That generalization might be accurate for some... but I think it's really unfair to use that as a broad brush to dismiss all complaints.


I'm happy if they do glorified remakes that hit familiar plot points and provide little more than fan service, or if they go completely outside expectations and take the Star Wars lore in completely new directions... They can do whatever they want and still draw my support, as long as the movies are done well. What disappoints about the recent Star Wars movies is how often the writing veers into really bad territory - whether due to pacing, plot, dialog, or some combination of the three.

That is why The Last Jedi failed for me. The movie got a lot of things right in the script, and should have been a great centerpiece for the latest trilogy. Unfortunately it also made a few choices that were laughably bad, making it impossible to appreciate the film as a whole. Critics and apologists defend their views by ignoring the bad choices, fanatics attack and deride everything about the film using the script failures to dismiss everything about it. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle.

Sadly, that still leaves us with a Star Wars trilogy that is failing in part because it lacked consistent vision and in part because the people put in charge simply couldn't be bothered to write a decent script. (Someone really should have looked at the big plot points and asked: Does this make sense? Does this advance the story in some way? Whenever the answer was "No", things should have been changed. This isn't rocket science, and just a few moderate changes would have taken a totally mediocre film and turned into something truly memorable.)

Honestly, I'm not expecting anything from Star Wars at this point. If it's fun, or interesting, or different, or weird... that's all fine. As long they provide any kind of narrative that makes sense and is compelling (for any kind of reason, nostalgia or otherwise) then I'm sold. So far, the latest content getting released is having a hard time to meet those criteria.



With all of that said:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2018/03/16/star-wars-last-jedi-science-movie-reviews/#135deba174e6

Short version: people hold different opinions, it's all ok.

275

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: December 17, 2019, 09:24:47 AM »

Early hype is trickling out and people are saying that it's not a dumpster fire!
Of course, early hype artists said the same thing about the last movie...

All kidding aside, the actual comments I heard from people after the advance screening were as non-committal as you could get. Sort of like "I'm still trying to sound excited but am making absolutely no comment on the quality of this film and have some doubts myself". My expectations are low going in; fingers crossed it's better than they last one.