Messages

301

Movies & TV / Re: Hey! DC's got stuff too... (Official Thread for the DCU of Movies and TV)

« on: May 11, 2021, 06:34:42 PM »

That’s fair. It’s important to listen to your gut and not waste time on something you know you’ll dislike. I will occasionally watch something based on critical acclaim or peer pressure, but I’m an idiot. Don’t do what I do.

302

Nintendo Gaming / Where is Nintendo today without Pokémon?

« on: May 11, 2021, 02:15:13 AM »

I have a long list of questions I wanted to ask all both of you who still post here regularly so in a fleeting effort to foster more discussion, here’s one of these new topics! 👍

Considering what old authentic Pokémon cartridges are going for these days, I wondered where Nintendo would be as a company if Pokémon never existed. Nintendo leaned hard on the handheld market during rough times, and Pokémon was a big part of Nintendo’s ability to do so. The company’s dominance in that market also allowed it to experiment more.

Hot take: I kind of feel like Nintendo would not be a hardware maker anymore without Pokémon. Nintendo wiped the floor with all pretenders to the throne in the early 90s. Tetris certainly put Game Boy on the map. However, handhelds from Sega, Atari, and NEC were bulky, battery devourers. It’s easy to see how Nintendo outsmarted everyone. Even original color choice was unique among the sea of black boxes. You always knew someone was playing a Game Boy. Furthermlre, opening up these bad Boys, it’s obvious Nintendo’s hardware design was far and away much better than the competition. Seriously, google pictures or watch video of a Game Gear tear down. It is a mess in there. I considered modding a Game Gear, and I cannot be bothered.

Once other companies figured out how to properly design a portable gaming device in the late 90s, it was too late. By then, Nintendo had Pokémon. The WonderSwan and Neo Geo Pocket Color were both really nicely designed handhelds and were designed by people who finally understood what Nintendo did like a decade before everyone else. The WonderSwan got roughly 2846826 hours of battery life on a single AA battery which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering it was famously designed by Game Boy creator, Gunpei Yokoi. As an even wilder hypothetical, if either Bandai or NEC got Pokémon instead, they could have taken a significant amount of market share from Nintendo.

Even if Nintendo survived them, I wonder if it could have survived PSP. Then again, without Pokémon, we also don’t know what Nintendo would have countered with instead. Maybe Project Atlantis actually comes out. Maybe Game Boy Color gets an exclusive Mario platformer. Maybe Nintendo fosters a different IP that ultimately died in this timeline. Lots of possibilities here.

I thought this would be a fun hypothetical. What do you think? How important has Pokémon been to Nintendo? I’d argue no other property has been more important as far as generating revenue, keeping the company in the social consciousness etc. The domino effect is pretty remarkable here. It isn’t just game sales and licensing. More people bought hardware to play Pokémon which also meant, more people bought the company’s other games.

303

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

« on: May 11, 2021, 01:18:21 AM »

I didn’t watch the game, but last time I looked at the box score for Warriors vs. Jazz, the former were up by 18 points. I just saw a clip of Curry’s go-ahead three pointer. What in the world even happened? The Jazz caught up and took the lead?! Yeah, I’m gonna need Warriors vs. Jazz in the first round. Please and thank you.

Now I wish I posted the long post I typed out last night about play in options and how the points or how baf the East actually is.... But I got distracted and came back to finish it after the thought had passed, and couldn't articulate the point I was trying to make it so I just deleted it. :/

Try again?

304

General Gaming / What are your thoughts on modern games?

« on: May 11, 2021, 12:55:07 AM »

I have a long list of questions I wanted to ask all both of you who still post here regularly so in a fleeting effort to foster more discussion, here’s one of these new topics! 👍

A friend recently asked why I was delving into the Game Boy line. The short version is they were three generations of games I largely ignored, partially because I was a child with no income. Given the choice, I almost always picked a home console game for my birthday/Christmas.

I also like the simplicity they offer. A lot of those old handheld games can be completed fairly quickly which is great for me because it’s hard to make time for a long sprawling adventure (though I did pick up a few RPGs recently). Furthermore, they’re a lot easier to get into. Alternatively, I bought Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition months ago, but I haven’t started it because I remember not really understanding the battle system the first time I tried as well as how many words, numbers, and indicators are displayed simultaneously. I felt overwhelmed even though I know I just need to give it a few hours. I don’t remember the last time I was super excited about a new release. Maybe Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?

Additionally, I miss pixel art. Realistic graphics with shaders and particle effects look great. However, I think I’ll always have a soft spot for sprites. It’s partially why I’ve embraced indie games. They scratch that old school fix for me.

Where do y’all stand? Are you getting what you want from new releases? What upcoming games are you excited about?

305

General Gaming / How do you feel about $69.99 MSRP for standard, non-special edition games?

« on: May 11, 2021, 12:36:20 AM »

I have a long list of questions I wanted to ask all both of you who still post here regularly so in a fleeting effort to foster more discussion, here’s one of these new topics! 👍

This is not a timely thread because Sony announced that some PS5 games will be $69.99 last year. Looking over my PS4 library, I have a personal goal to not spend more than $20 on any PS4 game. I’ve largely adhered to that, only going over slightly twice for optional DLC like costumes in Resident Evil 2 and 3.

On Switch, I often buy Nintendo published games at full price since they don’t go on sale often. I have occasionally patiently waited for sales because hey, $20 is $20. Both Super Mario Maker 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition were bought on sale. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Clubhouse Games, and Astral Chain are still sitting in my Amazon “Save For Later” list.

Back in the 90s, consoles games were like $49.99. Plugging that into an inflation calculator, that’s ~$87 in 2021. This at least partially explains why my parents generally only bought me games on my birthday and Christmas. They also never really liked me playing video games. Jokes on you, mom!

Is the price hike problematic for you? Will you wait for sales? Or is the entire thing a non-starter?

306

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

« on: May 10, 2021, 10:44:41 PM »

What you suggested sounds decent enough. I just feel like the Play-in Tournament is a bandaid on the overall problem that only 4-6 teams in the East max deserve to be in the playoffs, whereas 8-10 in the West routinely have the records to deserve inclusion. We've already addressed that the Eastern Conference will never agree to a Top 16 team Playoff format, so I suppose this is the best compromise we can get.

Since the league can’t just say, “LOL, play in games for the Western Conference only”, it was the best I could come up with to hide it.

If the league really wants to address the issues of lack of parity, tanking etc. etc., it’s going to have to get more creative and honestly, more controversial. Owning a professional sports team is a privilege, and if you’re going to run it poorly, maybe you shouldn’t own one.

Proposal #1: if you’re **** for X amount of years, you have to sell the team. Let someone else try. You’re hurting the league because you’re too incompetent and/or cheap to put together a competitive team. Donald Sterling is an extreme example (and he wasn’t even forced to sell because he sucked at running the team). There’s no excuse for the Clippers to have been terrible for like 90% of the time he owned the team. Still, I highly doubt team owners would vote to put themselves in the hot seat.

Proposal #2: incentivize winning beyond the additional revenue earned by playing more games in the playoffs and particularly for teams that just missed the playoffs. The 9 to 12 seeds with draft picks in the mid-teens end up on a treadmill (unless they luck into an impact player who slipped through the cracks) because they weren’t quite good enough to make the playoffs but weren’t bad enough to get a high draft pick. They almost always choose to eventually tank because there aren’t better alternatives.

What incentives? Maybe a scaling luxury tax break? That may open up a whole new can of worms. The point is to give teams a reason not to tank as well as a reasonable path to improve so they can maybe get over the hump.

One thing I'd like to address with the Playoffs is the overall bracketing. I've never been a fan of the 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 first round bracketing. It's designed to allow the Top Seed to basically coast its way through the playoffs. They get to beat up on the worst team in the playoffs 1st, and then AT WORST they face the #4 seed in the 2nd round.

This one is a bit harder to crack because as you stated, it’s by design. Top teams are “rewarded” with an easier path because they were consistently good all year. I haven’t thought about this long enough to offer a real suggestion. Re-bracketing kind of invalidates the regular season.

I'd also go back to the 1st round being 5 games rather than 7. Especially with how injury-prone players are these days, 7 games in the easiest round is excessive. It also means teams have more energy for the 2nd and 3rd rounds, particularly in the West.  That will never happen, of course, because the League likes money.

I go back and forth on this one. Many of these series are hella boring though we get the occasional gem. Jazz vs. Nuggets was stupid good last year. It came down to the last shot in a Game 7. Mitchell and Murray were just throwing down 50 point games. Is that one series worth the slew of sweeps/gentleman sweeps? Personally, I might give you a different answer depending on which day you ask me.

307

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

« on: May 10, 2021, 09:05:58 PM »

Only in theaters, eh? I’ll wait for streaming because of people like this dude.

Trailer was alright. I didn’t really like the first one. Also, not being part of the MCU does affect my interest in other Marvel related media. The interconnectedness is part of the fun for me.

308

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

« on: May 10, 2021, 01:29:08 AM »

The Lakers with another inexplicable win tonight. These guys can beat the Nuggets and Suns but can't beat the Mavericks, Raptors, Kings, Wizards, or Blazers. OKie-dokie artichokie. That fourth quarter was gross. If the Lakers can squeak into the 7th seed and face the Suns, that might be the best matchup for them as long as they can get somewhat healthy. The Clippers always get out of bed for the Lakers so I don't want to see them in the first round.

I'm mixed on the whole play-in tournament system, myself. It feels like it's only there to appease the Western Conference teams, which are the only ones good enough every year where Seeds 9 & 10 could potentially belong in the playoffs and still be worthy opponents for the 1 & 2 seeds.

That's a good point. For discussion's sake, what would you suggest?

I came up with a couple then talked myself out of each one. For example, only have play in games for the final spot under certain circumstances.

• If 9 is within one game of 8 and/or won the season series, have a play in series. I think 8 should still get something. Maybe 8 has to win one game and 9 has to win two in a row so not really a tournament.
• If 8 to 10 are within one game (and/or each lower seed won the season series against the seed above it), 8 plays the winner of 9 and 10.

As for the Warriors, we ain't winning **** this year, but it would be nice for these boys to get some Playoff experience

Obviously, I want the Lakers in and NOT playing the Jazz in the first round so of the remaining teams, I think Warriors vs. Jazz would yield the best series.

I could see them making some tweaks where the play in happens if 9 and/or 10 seed have a record of close to .450 or higher. But for now, I'm enjoying the drama this all brings.

Yeah, I like the drama. The idea needs to be tweaked. I don't know why the 7th seed is involved.

309

Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen

« on: May 09, 2021, 11:01:47 PM »

The Good Place

Second viewing. I binged the entire series this week. Wasn’t planning on it, kind of just happened. The Good Place is really good, and it may have supplanted Wonderfalls as my favorite show. I recently rewatched most of Wonderfalls’ lone season, and some parts did not age that well after 17 years. Maybe I’ll feel the same about The Good Place. I clearly really like these kinds of high concept shows. They’re similar in that they both follow kind of a dirtbag character who is positioned by circumstance to become a better person.

UNMARKED SPOILERS BELOW











The Good Place is not a perfect show. Jason was perhaps too dumb. I get that he was there mostly for laughs, and I like that he had moments when his inane analogies were weirdly poignant. However, Jason was dialed to 11 when 8 or 9 would have worked better for me. He is definitely the weakest of the main cast. At the same time, the entire main cast is great. I'm thoroughly amazed this was Jameela Jamil's first acting role (she has excellent comedic timing and her facial expressions are *chef's kiss*). Janet is easily my favorite. And I did buy pairing Janet and Jason which is odd because...

I’m conflicted on pairing Eleanor and Chidi. Their relationship grew over the course of the show’s run, and for the most part, the writers did well (particularly the end). I just really had trouble getting past the show’s first season twist in relation to it. They’re in The Bad Place and Michael paired Eleanor and Chidi specifically because they’re the absolute worst people for each other yet they’re still perfect for each other. I don’t know how that could ever translate into those two becoming lovers.

Despite that, the writing was very good. Most jokes landed even and especially the second time around. I like that the plot kept moving. With the way the first season ended, it would have been really easy to retread ground yet the writers wisely swerved and kept pushing the plot and the characters forward. They could have really dragged the show out, and it was much better because they didn’t.

The final season is the worst of the four yet still really good especially the finale. Its main problem: it was too short. The writers rushed through several plot points, and some characters did not get a proper resolution. John complicated Tahani’s afterlife a little bit then he was just kind of there. He disappeared for a few episodes then popped up in the finale for five seconds. Most of the characters started off as caricatures or archetypes then evolved past that. John never did; he never got the chance to be more than “stock gay man” which was frustrating to me. I guess one could argue he was a minor character thus not that important in the grand scheme of the show. I can see it if I squint. Then again, Simone played such a big role in Season 3, returned in Season 4, complicated things a little bit then disappeared until the finale. One or two more episodes to give both John and Simone a bit more depth and more to do would have been nice. Especially Simone. The writers could have done more with someone who doesn't believe they're in the afterlife. She was a great character so I didn't think she was utilized as well as she could have been.

Side-note: Brent was surprisingly handled really well as a minor antagonist in Season 4. The moment he realized what a **** bag he was and legitimately tried to apologize to Chidi was one my favorite moments in the entire show. Brent almost seemed like a caricature then I think about who our president was, and nah, Brent’s character was weirdly like the most realistic one.

The penultimate episode was one of the most frustrating for me. The group finally got to The Good Place, and it sucked. That was an appropriate swerve and completely made sense thematically and philosophically. The Good Place Committee also tricked Michael into becoming the Good Place Architect then proceeded to **** off entirely. The implication was they didn’t know how to make The Good Place not suck so they passed the buck onto the first immortal being they could. Sure. The group (Team Cockroach/Soul Squad) fixed this in one weirdly brief scene. They could have gotten at least two or three episodes out of that (i.e. brainstorming, failed attempts, more scenes from the Judge, Shawn, and the committee even though I find Paul Scheer thoroughly unfunny). I don't know what the best way to handle that would have been. The potential additional episodes wouldn't be enough for an extra season so maybe split the final season.

Anyway, I am a fan of appropriate endings, and The Good Place’s finale may be my favorite of any show including both Futurama and Breaking Bad. Each main cast member was given an earned ending. Eleanor convincing Mindy St. Claire to enter the system was the only thing that felt rushed. It answered a question I didn’t need answered but was glad I got anyway. Seeing Mindy St. Claire’s test would be a neat El Camino-like epilogue should Michael Schurr ever go that direction (doubt it happens though).

One thing I wanted to touch on is the counter-argument that The Last Door is afterlife suicide. I don’t agree because it fundamentally, intentionally, and problematically distorts and diminishes why most people die by suicide. For the most part, people don’t intentionally end their own life because they’re content and complete as in the show. They do so because they can’t live with the pain, whatever that may be. I’m not down with that reading of the finale.

Finally, even though I didn’t completely buy Eleanor and Chidi’s relationship, it was almost entirely worth it for this scene. F you, Chidi’s wave. Tears. TEARS EVERYWHERE.

310

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

« on: May 09, 2021, 09:09:29 PM »

I’m conflicted on the play-in tournament. I like the experimentation and welcome more of it. However, I dislike the implications of this particular method. Any team can lose a game or two.

Maybe that’s the point. It forces teams to care more about random mid-season games because they may be the difference between being in the play-in tournament or not.

Looking at the standings, I dislike the play-in tournament more from the Warriors’ standing than the Lakers’. I don’t want the Warriors’ post season to hinge on one game. They clawed and scratched to be in the position they’re in, and as of today in any other season, they would be. Full stop. One potential bad or worse, good-but-not-Super-Saiyan-good Curry game would distract from the incredible run he had. I don’t want to f-ing hear all the bad analyst takes if that happens. I don’t know how you feel about it. To me, that’s worse. I hope the Warriors get in, and I’d hate it more if they didn’t than any other team if that makes sense.

As for the Lakers, they’re not winning anything if James and Davis aren’t healthy. Even if they make the playoffs, potentially running into the Jazz is not ideal (and I really wanted that matchup for the conference finals assuming everyone was mostly healthy by then). The Lakers really could have used that ramp up then James reaggravated his ankle injury. That said, ignoring toxic fans, I don’t know what I’d like more: chasing a three-peat or a revenge season.

311

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

« on: May 09, 2021, 06:48:42 PM »

Just imagine Lebron not even making the Playoffs!!!!

That literally happened two years ago. 🤷‍♀️

I guess I don’t really understand the sentiment. Why would anyone be excited about that? I hate when injuries derail a player’s or team’s season.

I see no winners here. If the Lakers somehow win this year despite the injuries, I’m not even going to enjoy the collective salt because toxic Lakers fans would be the cuntiest cunts who have ever cunted. I really don’t feel like dealing with that.

312

NWR Forums Discord / Re: apex booty pop (the spambot thread.)

« on: May 07, 2021, 04:36:50 PM »

Do we have a general birthday thread? An alarming amount of forum members are turning 40 soon.

313

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

« on: May 07, 2021, 12:25:10 PM »

That’s standard for shows. Producers will limit budgets of mid-season episodes if they need to reallocate that money for the finale. Those are typically bottle episodes like “Fly” in Breaking Bad. They needed more money to pull off blowing up half of Gus Fring’s face. Castlevania has been popular enough for Netflix to renew past their normal two or three seasons so maybe later seasons will have more consistent animation quality throughout.

314

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Run the Developer 1: Shin'en Multimedia

« on: May 06, 2021, 02:56:13 PM »

According to pricecharting.com the loose copies have gone from $10 to $30 in the past 6 years. Is that happening with most GBA games?

Common games like Mario Kart: Super Circuit can be found for ~$15 and free shipping. Sellers will still try to inflate the value. Just have to be patient.

Rarer games like Pokémon Emerald, for example, will cost you one kidney, 13 months of hard labor, your house, and first born child. If you do not have children, you must steal one in order to complete the transaction. May seem steep, but do you want to catch Rayquaza before facing the Elite Four or not?

315

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Unveils Game Builder Garage: Launching June 11

« on: May 05, 2021, 10:43:45 PM »

Finally, Nintendo is providing its fans with tools to create their own games so it can then send DMCA takedown notices when they try to show off what they made on YouTube. I have to admire Nintendo’s commitment to the long con.

316

Movies & TV / Re: IT'S MAHVEL BAYBEE!! [OT] for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Movies & TV)

« on: May 05, 2021, 01:02:04 AM »

Andrew Garfield Denies Spider-Man: No Way Home Cameo Rumors: 'I Would've Gotten a Call By Now’

"I feel like I'm in a game of f---ing Werewolf or Mafia where I'm like 'I'm not the werewolf! I promise you I am not the werewolf!' and everyone's like 'You're the werewolf! You're the f---ing werewolf!'"

317

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®

« on: May 04, 2021, 11:13:30 PM »

I snagged Mario Kart: Super Circuit. I remember not liking this entry, but it was cheap so I wanted to give it another go.

I also managed to snag Game Boy Camera and Pokémon Crystal. The former is mostly for collection purposes. I never had one and always wanted it. I putzed around with it earlier. Not great. The latter was hella expensive. Pokémon Crystal is now the most expensive used game I’ve ever purchased, just edging out Metal Gear Solid (Ghost Babel) on Game Boy Color. I am embarrassed by how much I spent, but I will admit: After taxes, it was still under $100.

There may be an issue with Mario vs. Donkey Kong. I paid for it at the end of March and have yet to receive it. The last time I bought from a Canadian seller it took forever so I waited longer than usual this time before contacting the seller for an update. The seller has not responded yet. I will likely have to go through eBay for the money-back guarantee then find another copy. THANKS, CANADA.

I have to replace the battery on Pokémon Crystal. It’s the only game I bought that absolutely needs one. Game Boy and Game Boy Color games use CR2025 coin batteries. Unfortunately, I can only find off-brand CR2025 batteries with solder tabs. CR2032 batteries can fit and are more readily available from Panasonic, but they’re apparently a tight fit, and I’d rather not risk it. The Pokémon Crystal I just bought had an off-brand aftermarket battery installed, and it’s already dead. For comparison’s sake, the batteries Nintendo used in their cartridges typically last 20 to 30 years.

I’m considering doing this battery mod (here’s a tutorial by makho if you are interested/have half an hour). The short version is a modder, Martin Refseth AKA HDR, created a flex PCB that has solders to the cartridges and has solder points for a battery retainer (metal thing that holds batteries in place) so you can use CR2025 without solder tabs which are available everywhere. The flex PCB is ~$5.00, the retainer is ~$1.30, and a battery is ~$1.50. That’s almost $8.00 for a battery I may only have to replace one more time ever.

Battle Arena Toshinden on GB/GBC - Knew I liked Takara's take on Game Boy fighting games after Samurai Shodown, but I thought they kicked it up a notch here. Pretty sure I played it more than the original PSX game my brother had.

Interesting. I will look into this. Thanks!

Castlevania Legends - Another GB/GBC standout for me. Though it might just be because it was made after Symphony of the Night, yet it wasn't a metroidvania. Sometimes I just want to whip my way from point A to point B without having to backtrack.

I had every opportunity to get Castlevania Legends in the late 90s. I was partially scared off by EGM’s review. I wish I didn’t because this game is hella expensive now. Authentic cartridges are currently over $200 loose. This may have to be an EverDrive game for me.

Oh, & Kirby's Star Stacker. Everyone I let play it told me it was boring & both Tetris & Yoshi were better, yet I got addicted to it.

Hmm, I will also look into this. I’m not a big puzzle game person, but they’re perfect for these handhelds. I never played Kirby’s Star Stacker so it might be worth a shot.

318

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Game Boy modding/restoring (with pictures from now on)

« on: May 04, 2021, 10:42:22 PM »

First modded Game Boy Advance:


I gave this to a friend as I previously mentioned I would. I left the lens film on so he could officially do the honors, but you can still see how nice these displays look. He chose the aftermarket shell which is pre-cut for the larger display and does not require an aligning bracket so good thing I bought a bunch of those. 😒 This does not include a custom lens (used the one included with the IPS display from Funnyplaying) or the momentary switches for the shoulder buttons.

I actually broke a Game Boy Advance on my first attempt by accidentally desoldering a tiny component (which I immediately lost) while trying to remove one of the shoulder button switches. It can be repaired, but it’s probably not worth it because the component is stupid small, I’m not sure where to get the replacement part, and I’m not skilled nor invested enough to do so. I guess I now have a test/practice board to work on. 🤷‍♀️

319

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Run the Developer 1: Shin'en Multimedia

« on: May 04, 2021, 08:26:05 PM »

I have none of these games. I’m familiar with the developer. I’ll see if I can track down Iridion II.

320

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

« on: May 04, 2021, 12:54:36 AM »

So I didn’t watch the Lakers game, but these inexplicable weirdos lose to the m-f-ing Kings then beat the best team since the All-Star break.


The Lakers also gave up a 13 point lead in the fourth quarter so not an absolutely win, but I’ll take it.

321

Movies & TV / Re: IT'S MAHVEL BAYBEE!! [OT] for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Movies & TV)

« on: May 03, 2021, 11:08:34 PM »

I respectfully disagree. I really like the name, notably more than a generic “Black Panther II”.

Not that it matters because again, everything is non-canon. Thanos won.

322

Movies & TV / Re: IT'S MAHVEL BAYBEE!! [OT] for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Movies & TV)

« on: May 03, 2021, 08:42:48 PM »

I’d feel the same way except it’s all non-canon now. The MCU ended with Infinity War. Endgame was just a bedtime story Tony tells his daughter to make him feel better about failing the entire universe.

323

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

« on: May 03, 2021, 04:21:05 PM »

I don’t think the Lakers are making the playoffs this year. LeBron reaggravated his ankle injury and is out tonight against the Nuggets tonight because of course that would happen. Dennis Schröder is out for 10 to 14 days on health and safety protocols which is most covers most of the remaining games. Yeah, I don’t know how much basketball I’ll watch for the rest of this year. GG, guys. See you all next season.

THANKS AGAIN, SOLOMON HILL.

324

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

« on: May 01, 2021, 01:01:26 AM »

LOL. These f-ing clown shoes lost another season series to a bottom feeding lottery team. They really want to be in the play in tournament. **** around and find out, guys.

325

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

« on: April 30, 2021, 02:14:21 AM »

Unfortunately, I just watched the slow-moving, pointless dumpster fire that was Season 3, so they have a lot of ground to make up after the fantastic Season 2.

That's fair though I'm not as hard on it. Season 3 was all escalation and setting the board for what will hopefully be a Season 4 closer to Season 2's highs. Ellis straight up didn't know what to do with Alucard, and there wasn't enough material as written for the Hector/Lenore thread to last an entire season. Season 3 was very uneven except it didn't have to be. It needed a little reprioritization. Take out Alucard's blatant stalling and maybe make Hector less of a simp-cuck. Give him a little agency, have him do something. Hector's thread was too slow of a burn. There were other, better ways to get him to be Lenore's slave than that ridiculous, unearned sex scene. For example, at some point mid-season Hector should have escaped, been found by Lenore then willingly returned with her. More manipulation to make him think he's making these choices on his own.

Otherwise, Season 3's highs are really high. Isaac's arc was excellent. The entirety of Saint Germain was excellent. Trevor and Sypha's Scooby Doo mystery thread was good until that largely unnecessary post-final battle swerve.

I don't know why they decided to only kinda, sorta adapt Curse of Darkness, a Castlevania game so few people played that Konami set fire to the entire franchise after it and rebooted it all with Lords of Shadow. I further don't know why they decided to kinda, sorta adapt it and then not really DO anything with it.

I'm glad Ellis cherrypicked parts of Curse of Darkness. He turned one of the coolest sounding Castlevania-anything (the Infinite Corridor) from a generic late-stage to a significant plot device. How much do you remember about Curse of Darkness? Game Hector was boring as hell, and the less said about what an insufferable edge-lord Game Isaac was the better along with his sister who inexplicably looked exactly like Game Hector's dead girlfriend or something. The plot was paint-by-numbers Castelvania.