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Messages - Adrock

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26
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen
« on: June 30, 2023, 06:04:05 PM »
I actually liked what they did with MODOK. He's a comic-booky-ass comic book character.  A giant floating head with dangly limbs is just too silly. Having him as a serious threat would've felt forced, so making him something of a joke that's still some kind of threat felt right. Having the callback also gave him some additional motivation and gave something for the characters to play off of.
Don't get me wrong. MODOK didn't need to be serious. Rather, he needed to be necessary. Like I said above, there are too many characters. Bringing back Cross only to dunk on him the entire time didn't justify the screentime. There's a whole rebellion with characters I did not care about because the movie says so little about them. Still, if anything, a lot of these characters including MODOK should have been excised in order to give Kang more to do especially if they're using this movie to partially set up Avengers: Kang Dynasty.

Also, I saw a supercut (which I can't find) of the MCU mocking a lot of the sillier comic book names and whatnot. Hadn't realized how frequently that happened. Instead of leaning into the weirdness of comics, they do a wink and a nod to the audience, and I disagree with that choice.

27
NWR Forums Discord / Re: On a Quiet Day at Work...
« on: June 30, 2023, 05:40:07 PM »
I figured everyone kind of just moved on. I joined another Nintendo forum because I had no where else to talk about Nintendo things. I know, I know. There are a handful of y'all I miss chatting with. Such is life. 🤷‍♀️

28
My concern though is was the Switch's strong third party support a happy accident?  Did Nintendo put any thought into that when designing the hardware or did it just happen?  Is it something they consider important for the Switch 2?
Nintendo added more RAM to Switch because Capcom asked nicely.

Source

I couldn't find hard numbers as the article only mentions it was "raised considerably" though it's speculated the RAM was doubled from 2 GB to 4 GB. Unless Nintendo does a complete 180 with a Switch successor (which, to be fair, none of us would be shocked by), I imagine third party support and feedback is important to the Nintendo.

Anyways, a lot of the speculation that I've seen up till now does Suggest the "Switch 2" can stretch to PS4 levels, if not in raw marketing numbers at least in what actually shows up on the screen. And the longer we go on without the Successor releasing, the longer technology has to get more inexpensive/more powerful/more efficient.
Perhaps more importantly, a Switch successor would be using more modern technology as well as being compatible with the latest middleware etc.

Rumors suggest a Switch successor will support DLSS though not a ton of games currently support it particularly since it's exclusive to Nvidia GPUs and developers would have to go out of their way. Graphical fidelity can get close enough to PS5/Xbox Series X with DLSS. I suspect mostly Nintendo published games will make use of it. That said, from what I read (and I'm admittedly not an expert), the CPU is expected to be the bottleneck. There's simply nothing Nintendo/Nvidia can do about that due to the generated heat/lack of adequate cooling for a handheld.

29
Still waiting for the Nuggets to get that extra point that was missing from Jokic's 3 that counted as a 2.... That they showed the replay of several times and mentioned on the broadcast, but never updated the score....
Davis was called for offensive goal-tending that was't one. Call it a wash.

Anyway, some quick thoughts/questions:

1. BNM, thoughts on Bob Myers stepping down? Homeboy really signed Poole to one of the worst extensions in the league then decided to dip.

2. I keep reading that Draymond will turn down his player option. No one else is paying him $27.6 million. He's taken discounts in the past so maybe it isn't about the money. Thoughts?

3. Anyone read up on the new CBA? Yikes. Most teams are majority owned by billionaires or a group largely comprised of millionaires and billionaires. They whine about spending but once it starts limiting and affecting them, they'll whine about that. Keep an eye on the Hawks next season as they're above that really punitive second apron.

4. Who here has watched the playoffs? I'm a little disappointed in most series. Only Kings/Warriors was really good and even that series had two blowouts.

5. Who is everyone rooting for in the Finals? I don't mind either team. I'm leaning toward the Heat because I like Jimmy Butler and the narrative that they have four undrafted players logging significant minutes.

I also like Jokic. Despite back-to-back MVPs, people keep hating on him/downplaying how good he really is. I don't really care that the Nuggets have never won a title. With roster and ownership turnover, teams aren't really the same. To that end, I roll my eyes any time fans brag about past titles especially if they happened over 15-20 years ago.

30
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen
« on: June 01, 2023, 12:58:14 AM »
The Super Mario Bros. Movie

It's good. The plot is by the numbers though I figured that's intentional as this is targeting young children specifically. The movie visually looks good with a very distinct Mushroom Kingdom in particular.

Chris Pratt was fine. Jack Black was excellent though his normal voice slips through sometimes when Bowser sings.

My only criticisms:

1. The plot moves too quickly. It rarely gives the audience time to think/appreciate what just happened before moving to the next set piece.

2. I didn't love all the pop culture songs though they did start with "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" by the Beastie Boys so this is a Decision Button criticism for me.

3. The Mini Mushroom seemed to only make someone small. It would have been nice if Mario used it like he does in the games (i.e. floaty jump, walk on water) though the ending kind of doesn't work if the Mini Mushroom wasn't just an outright negative.

4. No Daisy.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I watched this months ago so none of this is fresh. It was excellent.

One of my criticisms isn't one. The movie is like half an hour too long, but it needed that extra 30 minutes to handle T'Challa/Boseman's death effectively, appropriately, and respectfully. Had Boseman not passed away, it's very easy to see where Ryan Coogler would have a more streamlined narrative. For movies with longer run times when streaming, I will sometimes split it up into two or more sessions.

Anyway, T'Challa's death was handled very well, serving as the emotional through-line of the entire movie. Absolutely amazing character work for Shuri throughout. Letitia Wright was acting her ass off there in that final scene of Shuri on the beach, burning the funeral robe (though some of that was probably not acting), communicating so much grief without a single word of dialogue.

I'll have to rewatch as I didn't fully understand aspects of the Talokans (?).

I both loved and hated a particular cameo.

Namor was awesome.

Didn't particularly like Riri Williams/Iron Heart.

As always, this movie could have used more M'Baku.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

I almost broke my No More Movie Theaters rule to see this almost entirely for Jonathan Majors which yikes. Like nickmitch, sucks about that whole dealie. As always my thoughts are "If there's any kind of fuckery, you gotta go. However, I am willing to adjust my position when more information is presented."

As for the movie, ehh. It's fine. Eternals is the worst post-Endgame MCU film. I'd place Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania right above that due to:

1. Overuse of CGI.

2. Too many characters, not enough time for all of them. For example, Jentorra was more important narratively than Hank yet received far less screentime. Bill Murray's role so greatly reduced that he could have been excised from the movie entirely with a few more tweaks.

3. Majors was good as Kang (playing him very differently than He Who Remains) yet like most MCU villains, Kang felt grossly under-utilized and under-developed so I'm hoping that isn't the end for this version of the character.

4. Janet was frustratingly evasive... about everything (as nickmitch mentioned). In the Lemon of Troy episode of The Simpsons, Nelson tells everyone something happened and that there's no time to explain but on the way he stops to drink from a water fountain and reiterates that there's no time to explain. That was Janet for most of this movie.

5. If there's a Thanos-level threat stranded in the Quantum Realm (where the Avengers just traveled through to save the trillions of sentient lifeforms), maybe that's something Janet should have mentioned to someone on the outside. Feels like all of this could have been averted entirely.

6. Recasting Cassie felt like a colossal waste of Kathryn Newton who is too old to be playing this character anyway. Cassie says Yellowjacket attacked her when she was six and Ant-Man takes place in 2015 so if Quantumania takes place in 2025 then Cassie is 16. Newton is 26.

7. Ant-Man and the Wasp (and Stature for that matter) all keep taking their helmets off when they talk. Did they do that in the first two?

8. Kang didn't just shoot Cassie who stood there like an idiot after Ant-Man and the Wasp both shrank to attack him. He straight up stops shooting lasers out of his hands to monologue after everyone is licking their wounds. Then, he creates a shield on the ground where most of the ants are instead of flat-out fucking flying away which we know he can do because he floated down on that blue energy disc thing. Just all-around bad direction. Reed is normally better than this.

9. No good reason to bring back Darren Cross. This is related to #2. He didn't even do anything, and he's treated as a big joke the whole time. There was one scene where Kang abuses MODOK which shows Kang being a dick. There were any number of ways to accomplish the same thing.

There's probably more; I'm just tired of writing this.

31
This ended up being longer than expected. 🤷‍♀️ Also, unmarked spoilers.

Metroid Prime Remastered

This was a rare full price game for me. I read conflicting reports on whether this was intended to be a limited physical release so I picked this up ASAP just in case.

I can't find the interview, but I vaguely remember reading the developers didn't want to change too much because they considered Metroid Prime to be perfect already. To that: Ehh, the game is still good though it definitely shows its age in certain aspects. Game development and design have advanced to much in 21 years so what was fine in 2002 feels kind of janky in 2023 like the platforming.

Some thoughts:

1. The texture work here is amazing. I probably wouldn't have fully appreciated it had I not seen it side-by-side with the original. The remaster looks the way I remember the original.

2. The original controls are... fine. I opted for the default dual stick though switching between beams and shooting missiles felt less natural. Overall, movement felt better while combat felt worse.

3. Morph Ball jump was added though I would have preferred it be mapped to the B button like in first person mode, or for an option to swap jump and boost in Morph Ball mode.

4. Beams no longer cast dynamic lighting that illuminate the environment. Digital Foundry speculated that this may not play well with the new lighting system or it could be a performance issue. I didn't think I'd noticed when I watched their video, but I definitely did because...

5. While the lighting system is collectively much better in Metroid Prime Remastered, some halls and rooms are really dark now making navigation more difficult since you can't see as well (not the rooms that are pitch black on purpose). Adding new/more light sources and/or being able to shoot beams into those areas for depth perception and overall placement of self and other objects/enemies would have gone a long way.

6. In my old age, I simply cannot stand any area in games where it's pitch black. I get the effect the developers are going for, but you know......... don't. It isn't fun. In this game, this is usually accompanied by enemies you can only see with a different visor. Collectively, all of that is a bad time.

7. I forgot how Chozo Ghosts just start popping up in other rooms at a certain point. They're just as awful in 2023. Sometimes you can simply walk by them to the next room while others you actually have to fend them off because you have to do a thing in that room. And fellas, y'all didn't have to go so hard on the Chozo Ghost music.

8. The world is not as connected as it should have been. Going back to Phendrana Drifts and especially the Phazon Mines often felt like a chore. There's an elevator to the Phazon Mines that leads to the Frigate Crash Site but the door isn't accessible from the ground. I understand gatekeeping during the first pass, maybe even the second. After that, it's just a pain in the ass to navigate. Adding some floating platforms later on would have been a game changer.

9. I'm a little disappointed Nintendo didn't throw in Jennifer Hale's narration that leaked like 15 years ago as a bonus.

10. The Spider Ball sound effect is 🤌.

11. Semi-hot take: There should have been a third person mode added in Metroid Prime Remastered (similar to Capcom with Resident Evil Village). Granted, that would have been a ton of work. While Metroid Prime doesn't need a third person mode, it would have been nice to see the game in a new way after all these years.

Anyway, I probably won't play Metroid Prime again. I really should stop replaying games I loved as a much younger person. I'll always remember how I felt playing certain games for the first time. And while those memories remain, there's no way to recapture that feeling so there's at least a tinge of resentment when a game isn't as good as my memories of it. For that reason, I probably won't replay Super Metroid ever again either (will likely play a remake though). Still, I try to be mindful of this when assessing a game years down the line.

That said, while Metroid Prime may not be as good as it was 21 years ago, it still mostly holds up, and this is a great remaster. A lot of care went into sprucing up the visuals without negatively affecting the original's absolutely wonderful art design. While it was nice to revisit the game, I need to start crossing games off my backlog. Speaking of...

Metroid: Samus Returns

I started a new save file since I hadn't played the game in nearly six years. I wanted to officially finish Samus Returns before returning to Metroid Dread which I also didn't finish. I'm also stalling on returning to Breath of the Wild because I haven't found the motivation to practice Trial of the Sword until I'm good enough to beat it.

I previously dropped Samus Returns in 2017 because I couldn't beat Diggernaut. This is especially hilarious because if you forgo 100% item collection after this boss, there's maybe like an hour of game left. The Diggernaut boss has one move that sucks you in and causes an egregious amount of damage. If only there was a way to remain planted on the ground to prevent this. Straight up bush league game design. Not really. You're supposed to use Spider Ball. My dumb ass straight up stopped playing a game because I forgot that one of the game's most used mechanics existed. 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, this remake is fine, good even. Some thoughts:

1. The gameplay is on point. It has the requisite exploration and hidden upgrades the series in known for. The Melee Counter feels like a natural evolution for the series, like a better implemented SenseMove/Counter Attack from Other M.

2. The level design is not as refined as I'd like it to be, making SR388 feel disjointed. The various areas flow sequentially and are not interconnected in any way. Warp points feel out of place in Metroid. However, they're kind of functionally needed in Samus Returns due to how self-contained and isolated each Area is. Super Metroid had intentional shortcuts between sections, allowing you to consider the best return path. Without those, backtracking can be kind of a slog.

3. There were some places where you have to go through a few rooms to get a power up. The developers could have added a crumble block in the last room to drop you off at the first room. Instead, you just have to backtrack through all those rooms. The strangest thing is they only do this sometimes; other times they don't. It's such a weird design choice.

4. The Metroid fights were not particularly fun which is a bummer in particular due to how many there are. It's a lot of waiting, usually for a Melee Counter white flash. Also, some Zeta Metroids flee to different rooms. Why? Overall, just a bad time.

5. MercurySteam did its best with the controls. Not being able to run and aim hurt the combat particularly in some boss fights. There are too many functions for the limited inputs of a regular 3DS. Mapping beam and missile switching to the touchscreen is less than ideal. Mapping instant morph ball to the touchscreen felt intentionally offensive (especially given how some of the collectable upgrades are obtained).

6. A New Nintendo 3DS control option would have been greatly appreciated.

7. Samus Returns looks good for a 3DS game though it could definitely use a Switch/Switch 2 remaster. The textures are pretty muddy, and some areas are just Purple, The Room®.

8. There are too many lights on Samus' suits, ultimately bogging down the design. Every upgrade just adds more lights. Generally, these kinds of design cues are intended to make a character stand out. That isn't really the case here. I never had trouble seeing Samus. Silver lining: nothing is worse than the last suit in Metroid Dread (which got spoiled for me). Yikes.

9. Adding Ridley was a mistake. I like the surprise of a new final boss; I just wish it wasn't Ridley again.

10. The extended Last Metroid sequence felt tacked on. From a gameplay perspective, it functionally acts as the final power up but only for collecting optional upgrades. This only drags out the end game similar to Other M's epilogue. And while it may add depth and context to other games in the series, it's an unnecessary change. That one particular scene in Super Metroid doesn't require further contextualization. It accomplishes the same thing on its own more effectively and in far less time.

11. Yo, that part in Area 8 where the Metroid counter increases was 🤌.

12. Feature locking Fusion Mode behind Amiibo was pretty crummy. Mind you, I won't even touch regular Hard Mode. I don't support the practice of locking this kind of content behind Amiibo out of principle. The Samus Returns 2-Pack Amiibo was really hard to get at the time and is hella expensive now. Granted, you can get unofficial NFC cards on eBay for like $15. You shouldn't have to do that though.

I realize these are mostly criticisms. However, I actually liked Samus Returns. Collectively, it's a good game, and I don't regret spending time on it. I won't play it again, not on 3DS anyway. From what I played of Metroid Dread, some of these issues have already been addressed such as the controls though admittedly, that's more a criticism of the hardware.

32
LOL. Just waiting for someone on Reddit to make a gif of LeBron blowing that open dunk but with the Larry O’Brien slipping out of his hands.

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During my playthrough…
Did you finish the game already?

34
What's the upgrade after dumbass? Is it shithead?
Ja really got let off easy with an eight-game suspension then decided, “Yo, let me hit y’all with the REMIX!”

Like why? Homeboy cost himself $40 million because that suspension definitely factored into the all-NBA vote. It’s like he wants to lose more money.


36
I need the Warriors to beat the Pelicans tonight and lose to the Lakers on Sunday. Please and thank you.

Of course, m-f-ing Steph Curry decides to return from injury against the Lakers. I sincerely hope he’s rusty.

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I mean the Jazz are trying to tank.  There is your reason there.
I was being rhetorical.

If you want to be literal though, the Jazz have won too many games to tank properly, recent loss to the Spurs notwithstanding. Also, they didn’t have to sell so low on two starter level players. The Jazz could have just sat them if tanking was the plan. Not that I’m complaining since the Lakers are watchable again. It’s just a little baffling that a man known for fleecing other teams in trades made a very non-Ainge deal.

Anyway, I’m surprised no one posted about that amazing Kangz vs Clippers game or Lillard dropping 71 without OT. Dead forum is dead, I guess. 🤷‍♀️

38
General Gaming / Re: Visiting Japan: Games to Buy, Places to Visit?
« on: March 03, 2023, 12:35:25 AM »
What else are you doing while in Japan?

So DS is region free but 3DS is not. Can I play a Japanese DS cart in my US 3DS?
Yes, DS games from any region can be played on a 3DS from any region.

39
Metal Gear Solid on Game Boy Color is under appreciated due to being a late-ish release. It’s really expensive to get a copy on the second-hand market. It’d be great if more people got to play it legitimately.

There are some licensed games that I doubt will ever get re-released yet are actually pretty legit: James Bond 007 (GB), Shaman King: Master of Spirits 1 and 2 (GBA, they’re like simplified Castlevania games), Lilo & Stitch (GBA), and Lilo & Stitch 2: Hamsterviel Havoc (GBA).

I listed a bunch of Japanese only releases in M.K.Ultra’s thread in General Gaming. I doubt any company is translating these games just to put it on this service. There’s also a Japanese only Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Land III that would be pretty coolio to see. There’s already an English script for it so maybe?

40
Once again:



What the **** were the Jazz thinking trading Vanderbilt and Beas- Never mind, I’m gonna stop questioning it. Thanks, Trader Ainge.

41
TalkBack / Re: Tales of Symphonia Remastered
« on: February 21, 2023, 04:57:00 PM »
This remaster seems like a colossal waste of time. Like why even do this if you’re going to quarter-ass it so badly?

I have the GameCube version somewhere though the years have been unkind, and I completely forgot there was a PS2 version with extra content. I looked it up, and I don’t think I’m missing much.

Companies keep whiffing these remasters from what I’ve been reading. I recently looked up Chrono Cross: Radical Dreamers Edition, and that similarly seems like a missed opportunity. Get your **** together, guys. Is it really that difficult to remaster these games?

42
I tend to think these mega large companies should be broken up rather than become larger though so many mergers and acquisitions have happened with little more than a 🤷‍♀️ by most governing bodies that I have a hard time caring about this one. If y’all are going to do it anyway, this whole song and dance routine seems like a colossal waste of time.

From a gaming perspective, I’ve dabbled very little in Call of Duty so this doesn’t affect me much personally. Per some cursory googling, the last Call of Duty on a Nintendo platform was Call of Duty: Ghosts in 2013.

It seems weird that they have signed on to making games for an IP that have not yet acquired. I am guessing that if the deal does not go down, Activision has no obligation to make any games for Nintendo?
That’s the way I read it. That 10-year agreement is contingent on the acquisition going through though there’s nothing currently or previously stopping Activision Blizzard from releasing anything on Nintendo hardware other than it didn’t want to. This formal agreement is clearly meant to push the acquisition through regulators, intended as an act of good faith even if it isn’t. Trying to take a wider view of this, 10 years is a really short amount of time compared to potentially owning one of the oldest, largest publishers forever.

43
General Gaming / Re: Visiting Japan: Games to Buy, Places to Visit?
« on: February 19, 2023, 11:04:52 PM »
Which systems are region free (other than switch)
All pre-DSi Nintendo handhelds are region free. Even then, only DSi exclusive physical games are region locked, all five (?) of them. Not sure if you can read/speak/understand Japanese, but either way, you can't change the UI language on any Japanese model of DS to English.

PlayStation Portable and PS Vita are both region free and you can change the UI language to English (functionality for X and O are flipped though). I highly recommend getting a PS Vita, especially the 2000 model, if you're at all interested in console hacking/homebrew.

Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket (Color) are both region free. I don't believe PC Engine GT (Turbo Express) is region free. WonderSwan was only released in Japan.

Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 are kind of region locked, but you can open them up and remove some plastic to play games from all regions.

GameCube is not region free out of the box. However, if you have a soldering iron and tools to open the console, you can bridge R6 on the motherboard which effectively turns a Japanese GameCube into a North American GameCube. Even the UI language will be in English. EDIT: You can also install a region switch, or if you’re feeling bold, you can install the XenoGC mod chip onto the optical drive’s logic board which lets you just play whatever region’s games as well as burned discs.

That's all I know off the top of my head.

Quote
Some really good Japan-only physical games
I picked up some Japanese only Game Boy games in the past couple months so here are my recommendations:
  • Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog For Whom The Bell Tolls) (Note: Prince Richard appears in Link's Awakening)
  • Survival Kids 2: Dasshutsu! Futago Shima (Survival Kids 2: Escape the Twin Islands)
  • Star Ocean: Blue Sphere
  • Tomato Adventure (Note: From Alpha Dream, the developers of the Mario & Luigi series)
  • Oriental Blue: Ao no Tengai
  • Magical Vacation
  • Samon Naito KurafutosĹŤdo Monogatari Hajimari no Ishi (Summon Night: Swordcraft Story - Stone of Beginnings)
  • Shin Bokura no Taiyou: Gyakushuu no Sabata (Boktai 3: Sabata's Counterattack)
  • Mother 1+2
  • Mother 3
Most of these are RPGs.

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Saw this on Reddit.


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I’ve never seen Baten Kaitos Origins new or used in store before, and one of my best friends worked at Game Crazy then Play N Trade for like eight years. Since it never got re-released, I had resorted to other means to play it via the GC Loader for GameCube.

I kind of feel bad now so maybe I’ll snag this eventually.

46
Pokémon is notably absent.

Super Mario Bros. 3 with the e-reader levels is pretty neat-o. I was going to try to find a ROM hack, but this is easier. I’m already paying for the Expansion Pack.

47
I’m still trying to get through Master Mode in Breath of the Wild so this isn’t Day 1 for me (Trials of the Sword is no joke). I need a Zelda break.

Tears of the Kingdom looks good though. I am still hoping for more overworld changes. I’m disappointed there’s more gyro nonsense.

48
TalkBack / Re: Metroid Prime Remaster Available Later Today
« on: February 08, 2023, 05:48:10 PM »
I don’t need this.

I’m probably going to buy it anyway.

I was hoping there would be more bonuses/changes. Faster scanning like Metroid Prime 3, maybe a redesigned Phazon Suit, a new boss, a reworking of that pacing-halting fetch quest toward the end etc.

49
Anyone watch that Lakers Celtics game?
Of course, I did. Bad reffing cost the Lakers three games definitely, possibly four. It is what it is.

Quote
Lakers gave up in OT
Ehh, I felt they were deflated from that non-call. They kept it within reach despite the circumstances. I give Davis a pass. This was his second game back, and he played well over his 20-24 minute minutes restriction.

This game isn’t close if Westbrook is average. The Lakers lost leads every time homeboy checked into the game. And if Pat Bev makes that one free throw, maybe we don’t have this conversation. If he doesn’t foul Brown, maybe we don’t have this conversation. That putback dunk was filthy though.

Also, Pat Bev is disgustedupvote.jpeg for me, but showing the camera to the ref was hilarious. I saw this on Reddit:

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